Effect of drying process on antioxidant properties of date palm fruits

Aim. In order to identify antioxidant activities and phenolic compound, two varieties of date palm (Mazfati and Kalute varieties) (Phoenix dactylifera) fruits (DPF) from Iran systematically evaluated. Methods. Antioxidant activity determined using typical methods such as DPPH, reducing power and total antioxidant method. The total phenolic content of the dates was measured using Folin-Ciocalteau method. The included samples were gathered at three stages of khalaal, rutab, tamr and dried date from Sam and Jiroft date. The total phenolic content ranged from 1074, 856.4 and 723.8 in Mozafati variety and 921.5, 723.5 and 785.3 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE/100-g-dw sample) in Kalute variety for khalal, rutab and tamr stage, respectively. Results. In both varieties antioxidant activities and total phenolic content decreased by ripening stages. Result of drying process showed that total phenolic content and antioxidant activities varied from temperature and decreased by increase of drying temperature. Conclusion. This research demonstrates Iranian dates could be potential rich resources of natural antioxidants, and could be developed into functional foods or drug for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by oxidative stress

Production of low fat french-fries with single and multi-layer hydrocolloid coatings

Abstract In this study the influence of coating with different hydrocolloids on the oil absorption and quality attributes of French fries was investigated. Our results revealed that hydrocolloid coatings reduced the moisture loss during frying, and hence, reduced the oil uptake of French fries. Among the studied gums as a single layer coating, combination of carboxy methyl cellulose and pectin (0.5 and 1% w/w) lead to the lowest oil uptake of French fries. In samples coated with two and three-layer hydrocolloids, the oil absorption reduced further and the moisture content of final products was higher than the blank samples