Microencapsulation of Red Grape Juice by Freeze Drying and Application in Jelly Formulation

Svrha je ovoga rada bila proizvesti nove prehrambene proizvode obogaćene bioaktivnim sastojcima iz koncentriranog soka od crvenog grožđa, mikroinkapsuliranog pomoću sušenja zamrzavanjem u otopini izolata proteina sirutke i kitozana. Dobiven je prah s učinkovitošću enkapsulacije od (86,1±4,0) %, masenih udjela antocijana (izraženih kao ekvivalenti cijanidin-3-O-glukozida) od (1,4±0,2) mg/g, ukupnih polifenola (izraženih kao ekvivalenti galne kiseline) od (3,3±0,6) mg/g i flavonoida (izraženih kao ekvivalenti katehina) od (1,6±0,5) mg/g. Konfokalnom laserskom mikroskopijom otkriveno je da su flavonoidni pigmenti bili umotani u matriks, dok su antocijani tvorili velike i kompaktne nakupine. Mikroinkapsulirani prah je zatim upotrijebljen za proizvodnju želea. Novi prehrambeni proizvodi imali su zadovoljavajući maseni udjel antocijana, i to od (0,03±0,01) do (0,12±0,02) mg/g, dok se udjel flavonoida nije bitno promijenio. Svi želei su imali znatnu antioksidacijsku aktivnost. Rezultati ispitivanja probavljivosti in vitro potvrdili su je da tijekom simulirane probave došlo do polaganog otpuštanja antocijana iz hrane u želucu, a zatim znatnog otpuštanja bioaktivnih sastojaka u crijevima. Dodatak mikroinkapsuliranog praha znatno je smanjio tvrdoću, kohezivnost i elastičnost želea, što je dovelo do destabilizacije strukture gela i smanjenja privlačnih sila između komponenata matriksa. Sensorska analiza pokazala je da su panelisti preferirali uzorak želea pripremljen od grožđanog soka.The aim of this work is to obtain new food products enriched with bioactive compounds from concentrated grape juice microencapsulated by freeze drying using a whey protein isolate- chitosan system. The obtained powder showed an encapsulation efficiency of (86.1±4.0) %, with an anthocyanin mass fraction (expressed as cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalent) of (1.4±0.2) mg/g, while the total polyphenolic (expressed as gallic acid equivalents) and flavonoid (expressed as catechin equivalents) mass fractions were (3.3±0.6) and (1.6±0.5) mg/g, respectively. The confocal laser microscopy revealed the presence of the flavonoid pigments wrapped inside the matrix, whereas the anthocyanins were grouped into large and compact clusters. The microencapsulated powder was used for jelly formulation. The new food formulations have a satisfactory anthocyanin mass fraction ranging from (0.03±0.01) to (0.12±0.02) mg/g, while no significant differences were observed in flavonoid content. All the value-added jelly showed appreciable antioxidant activity. The in vitro digestibility results confirm a slow release of anthocyanins from the food matrices during simulated gastric digestion and a significant release of the bioactive compounds into the gut. The addition of microencapsulated powder caused a significant decrease in firmness, cohesiveness and springiness, leading to the destabilization of the gel structure, while reducing the attraction forces between the matrix components. The sensorial analysis indicated that the panellists preferred the sample with grape juice the most

Extraction Optimization and Valorization of the Cornelian Cherry Fruits Extracts: Evidence on Antioxidant Activity and Food Applications

In this work, the optimization of two extraction methods, conventional CE and ultrasound-assisted UAE, to obtain extracts from cornelian cherry fruit with high antioxidant activity, which can be used to produce healthier jelly candies, is presented. In the CE process, the effects of temperature (30–50 °C), time (15–45 min), and hydroalcoholic mixtures (60–100% ethanol, v/v) were studied. The highest antioxidant activity (29.83 ± 0.85 mg TE/g dw) was found in the extracts obtained using 60% ethanol at 40 °C for 15 min. The UAE process led to comparable values of 26.60 ± 0.53 mg TE/g dw at 40% amplitude and pulsed sonication (5 s on and 5 s off) for 12.5 min. Under these experimental conditions, the specific energy consumed was 1.91 kJ/g. The vitamin C content and its inhibitory activity against metabolic enzymes were evaluated in extracts with different antioxidant activity. A significant inhibitory effect against carbohydrate-metabolism-associated enzymes was identified for all the tested extracts, with an inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase higher than 75%, but with a lower effect against α-amylase. The extract obtained by CE (60% ethanol, 40 °C, 15 min) provided the highest vitamin C content of 39.9 ± 1.2 mg ascorbic acid/100 g dw. Four variants of the healthier jelly candies were formulated, with a vitamin C content of 0.34 mg ascorbic acid/100 g dw in samples with agar-agar and 0.70 mg ascorbic acid/100 g dw in samples with gelatin.Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project numbers PN-III-P1-1.1-MC-2019-1905 and PN-III-P1-1.1-MC-2019-1908, within PNCDI III. The APC was funded by M.T.S. The authors are also grateful to Junta de Castilla y León (Spain) and ERDF for the financial support of project BU050P20. The Ó. Benito–Román post-doctoral contract was funded by Junta de Castilla y León (Spain) and ERDF through project BU050P20 and by Agencia Estatal de Investigación through project PID2020-116716RJ-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

STUDY UPON ROMANIAN CONSUMERS’ ATTITUDE ABOUT ENTOMOPHAGY

In certain parts of the world insects consumption has been practiced by humans since ancient times. Nevertheless, in North America and Europe entomophagy is still a very controversial concept taking into account the nutritional value of insects and the disgust they induce to consumers. The main objective of this study is to determine the Romanian consumers’ attitude about consumption of insects. The study revealed that more than a half of the respondents are not interested in consuming insect, mainly due to the disgust they produce. Anyway, it would be more attractive to consume insects in a restaurant than at home. The ones who would consume insects prefer crickets and locusts prepared by frying. At the same time, the consumers consider that the best dish in which insects are suitable to be included is salad

FABRICATION OF BRINE – SALTED TELEMEA CHEESE WITH DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS OF NaCl/KCl

Sodium chloride is an indispensable constituent of white brined cheeses. It is involved in flavor and hardness improving, water activity and bitterness reducing, controls the enzymatic activity and bacterial growth and contributes to cheese preservation. Several studies have shown the negative impact of high sodium chloride content from processed cheeses on the consumers health. The most common additive used to decrease the levels of sodium chloride without affecting the cheese quality is potassium chloride.The effectof total or partial substitution of sodium chloride by potassium chloride on the characteristics of Telemea cheese was evaluated. Proximate composition, sensory evaluation and texture profile were analyzed during ripening at 4°C for 28 days. Telemea cheese was salted using 4 brine solutions (20%, wt/wt) with different concentrations made from different NaCl/KCl combinations as follows: (NaCl (A), KCl (B), 1NaCl:1KCl (C) and 1NaCl:2KCl(D)). The obtained results indicate that potassium chloride is a viable alternative to total or partial replacement of the sodium chloride in Telemea cheese

THE GREEN FUTURE TECHNOLOGY APPLIED OVER POMES FRUIT

Ohmic heating takes its name from Ohm’s law. Ohmic heating is an alternative heating technique, using an electrical current passing through the food product. The food material switched between electrodes has a role of resistance in the circuit. In this study the pear puree made at laboratory scale had been undergone to the ohmic heating process using different voltage gradients (15/17/17.5/20V/cm) and different processing time intervals (0/3/5/10 min). It were measured the electrical conductivity, the temperature, electric current intensity, pear puree viscosity in order to determine the ohmic heating influence over some process and sample properties. After the purpose of study was reached that was found the proportional link between the temperature and electric conductivity increase, which also depends on the processing time. The bubbling temperature was established above the 60°C value for all the voltage gradients

INFLUENCE OF PLASTICISATION CONDITIONS ON THE TEXTURE OF CASCAVAL CHEESE

The aim of this study was the determination of mechanical and sensorial properties of Cascaval Cheese as affected by plasticisation conditions. The curd was plasticised using four variants of brine, made from different solvents (water or water-whey mixture) and different quantities of salt. The firmness of the curd was determined by sensorial and instrumental methods and there was established a high correlation between the results. A series of other textural properties were determined by sensorial method. There were also determined some physical and chemical parameters. The best conditions of texturising curd involve the use of a 12% water-whey brine

A Complex Characterization of Pumpkin and Quince Purees Obtained by a Combination of Freezing and Conventional Cooking

Two main sources of fibers and bioactive compounds represented by pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) and quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) were selected for the present study. The current changes in consumers behavior oblige manufacturers to develop new assortments of ready-to-eat products, considering their nutritional characteristics. Hence, this study aimed to process free sugar pumpkin and quince puree using a combination of freezing (−15 °C) and cooking at 95 °C for 20 min. Four variants of purees were obtained by using different combinations between pumpkin and quince (pumpkin puree, quince puree, and pumpkin and quince puree in ratios of 1:1 and 3:1). The samples were characterized in terms of complex interconnected analysis, which could provide further information for the added-value products. Thus, highest values of β-carotene content were attributed to pumpkin puree (P −5.34 ± 0.05 mg/g DW) and pumpkin and quince puree 3:1 (PQ 3:1 −3.78 ± 0.014 mg/g DW). These findings are also supported by the values of ABTS inhibition, which was registered as 71.32% for the P sample and 76.25% for the PQ 3:1 sample. The textural analysis revealed firmness values of 1.27 N for pumpkin puree and 2.33 N for quince puree. Moreover, the structural changes were minimum, while the cellular structure and some tissues were preserved intact

THE GREEN FUTURE TECHNOLOGY APPLIED OVER POMES FRUIT

Ohmic heating takes its name from Ohm’s law. Ohmic heating is an alternative heating technique, using an electrical current passing through the food product. The food material switched between electrodes has a role of resistance in the circuit. In this study the pear puree made at laboratory scale had been undergone to the ohmic heating process using different voltage gradients (15/17/17.5/20V/cm) and different processing time intervals (0/3/5/10 min). It were measured the electrical conductivity, the temperature, electric current intensity, pear puree viscosity in order to determine the ohmic heating influence over some process and sample properties. After the purpose of study was reached that was found the proportional link between the temperature and electric conductivity increase, which also depends on the processing time. The bubbling temperature was established above the 60°C value for all the voltage gradients

The effect of partial substitution of pork back fat with vegetable oils and walnuts on chemical composition, texture profile and sensorial properties of meatloaf

The present study investigates the effects of the partial substitution of the pork back fat with different vegetable oils (sea buckthorn, walnut and sunflower) and walnuts on the chemical composition, texture profile and sensory characteristics of meatloaves. The dry matter and ash content of meatloaf with vegetable oils and walnuts were higher than the control sample (P < 0.05). The cooking loss, energy values and lipid oxidation for the samples with walnuts and vegetable oils were lower than the control sample. The meatloaf sample containing walnuts and sea buckthorn oil had the highest total antioxidant capacity. The partial substitution of pork back fat showed a positive effect on textural and sensorial characteristics. Results reveal that the incorporation of vegetable oils and walnuts has successfully reduced the animal fat content in the finite products while improving the quality characteristics