Dough rheology and bread quality of supplemented flours Reología de la masa y calidad del pan de harinas suplementadas

A commercial flour was alternatively supplemented with five enzymatic and two chemical additives. Two levels of addition were considered. The effects of additives on dough behavior and bread quality depended on the type of promoted biochemical reaction and, in some cases, were dose-dependent. Deformation energy (W) proved to be the best single predictor of the specific volume (SV) (R = 0.847) whereas the height/width ratio (HW) was better predicted by dough development time (DDT) (R = −0.619). The application of response surface regression followed by stepwise regression allowed to write two equations. The SV was greatly and positively affected by W, DDT, E (extensibility) and resistance to extensibility (R). Observed and predicted values were highly correlated (R = 0.931). The model did not allow to generalize the positive dependence of the HW ratio of the central slice on W and softening, although predicted and observed values correlated together at middle strong level (R = 0.704). Una harina comercial ..

Hyperspectral imaging system to on-line monitoring the soy flour content in a functional pasta

Pasta enriched with soy flour can be considered as a functional food, due to its content in nutraceutical compounds such as isoflavones, carotenoids, and other antioxidants. The quantification of the amount of a functional ingredient is an important step in food authenticity. The availability of non-destructive techniques for quantitative and qualitative analyses of food is therefore desirable. This research was aimed to investigate the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging in reflectance mode for the evaluation of the soy flour content, also to investigate on the possibility to implement a feed-back control system to precisely dose the soy flour during the industrial production of pasta. Samples of pasta in shape of spaghetti were produced with durum wheat semolina and soy flour at increasing percentages (0, to 50%, steps of 5%). A feature selection algorithm was used to predict the amount of soy flour. The most influent wavelengths were selected, and a six-term Gauss function was trained, validated, and tested. The identified transfer function was able to predict the percentage of soy flour with high accuracy, with an R2adj value of 0.98 and RMSE 1.31. The developed system could represent a feasible tool to control the process in a continuous mode

Effects of Cultivar and Process Variables on Dynamic-Mechanical and Sensorial Behavior of Value-Added Grape-Based Smoothies

The effects of either cooking temperature (45, 80, and 100 °C) or inclusion of seed particles on the dynamic-mechanical and sensorial properties of value-added Crimson seedless, Black Pearl, or Baresana grape-based smoothies were studied. The inclusion of seed particles resulted in significant increases of the phenolic content, both in Black Pearl and Baresana, but it did not affect in a negative way the sensorial characteristics of smoothies whereas it caused an increase of the viscoelastic behavior of Black Pearl and a slight decrease in Baresana grape-based smoothies. In particular, the investigated rheological parameters were the loss and storage modulus. Moreover, the loss tangent value (the ratio between loss and storage modulus) remained unchanged, indicating a pseudoplastic behavior of all samples, independent on the process conditions. The smoothies produced from Crimson grapes at the intermediate temperature (80 °C) showed sensorial and rheological characteristics similar to those manufactured at 45 °C and better than those manufactured at 100 °C

Quality of frozen stored flavoured olive oils

The purpose of the current research was to study the effects of 6-month frozen storage on the quality parameters and the phenolic profiles of flavoured olive oils (FOO) produced by co-malaxation or infusion using basil, chilli, or chilli–garlic as flavouring ingredients. The results demonstrated that during frozen storage, FOOs underwent degradative processes that caused a progressive depletion of phenolic compounds and the rising of oxidative and hydrolytic markers. A clear interaction appeared between storage time, flavouring ingredient and flavouring technique. Infusion caused a greater quality loss than co-malaxation, and in basil flavoured oils the drawbacks of infusion were greater than in other flavoured oils. The impact of flavouring method on the phenolic profiles of oil became more evident at the end of the storage period. It was confirmed that oleocanthal is less affected by storage in freezing conditions than other secoiridoids

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of experimental and industrial table grape juices

Phenolic compounds are the third most abundant constituents in grapes and derivatives and are known to contribute to human health due to their antioxidant and anti-mutagenic effects and their ability to prevent pathologies such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Grapes and derivatives are among the most important sources of phenolics. The purpose of the present work was the evaluation of these compounds in experimental and industrial grape juices. Additional physico-chemical indices were also evaluated in order to complete the juices characterization. The experimental juices were separately produced from Italia and Red Globe table grapes cultivars by centrifugation and crushing. Three types of industrial grape juices (Italia cv.) were considered: A juice with medium sugar content; a juice with high sugar content; a strongly sulphited juice. Analyses were performed on the starting grapes and on the unpasteurized juices. The results showed a noticeable loss of phenolics during extraction although crushing was more efficient than centrifugation. In fact, the juices obtained by crushing showed higher phenolic contents than the juices obtained by centrifugation (16%–19% more total phenolics, 16%–31% more flavonoids, 7%–11% more flavanols reactive with vanillin, 100% more proanthocyanidins). Strong correlations among total phenolics and antioxidant activity of grapes and flavanols reactive with vanillin and antioxidant activity of juices were observed. The extraction methods significantly affected physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant contents of the resulting juices since centrifugation mainly acted on pulps, while trituration involved the whole grape berries

Effects of Cultivar and Process Variables on Dynamic-Mechanical and Sensorial Behavior of Value-Added Grape-Based Smoothies

The effects of either cooking temperature (45, 80, and 100 °C) or inclusion of seed particles on the dynamic-mechanical and sensorial properties of value-added Crimson seedless, Black Pearl, or Baresana grape-based smoothies were studied. The inclusion of seed particles resulted in significant increases of the phenolic content, both in Black Pearl and Baresana, but it did not affect in a negative way the sensorial characteristics of smoothies whereas it caused an increase of the viscoelastic behavior of Black Pearl and a slight decrease in Baresana grape-based smoothies. In particular, the investigated rheological parameters were the loss and storage modulus. Moreover, the loss tangent value (the ratio between loss and storage modulus) remained unchanged, indicating a pseudoplastic behavior of all samples, independent on the process conditions. The smoothies produced from Crimson grapes at the intermediate temperature (80 °C) showed sensorial and rheological characteristics similar to those manufactured at 45 °C and better than those manufactured at 100 °C

An Overview on Sustainability in the Wine Production Chain

Despite the great relevance of sustainable development, the absence of a shared approach to sustainable vitiviniculture is evident. This review aimed to investigate sustainability along the entire wine chain, from primary production to the finished wine, with specific attention to three key dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) and relating measures. Therefore, it was decided to: investigate the ways in which sustainability is applied in the various stages of the production chain (wine growing, wineries, distribution chain, and waste management); analyse the regulations in force throughout the world and the main labelling systems; provide numerical information on sustainable grapes and wines; study the objective quality of sustainable wines and that perceived by consumers, considering that it affects their willingness to pay. The research highlighted that rules and regulations on organic production of grapes and wines are flanked by several certification schemes and labelling systems. Although sustainable wines represent a niche in the market, in recent years, there has been an increase in vineyards conducted with sustainable (mainly organic and biodynamic) methods, and a consequent increase in the production of sustainable wines both in traditional and emerging producing countries. Although (or perhaps precisely for this reason) no significant differences in quality are found among sustainable and conventional wines, consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainably produced wines. This finding should encourage wineries to both put in place environmental activities and intensify their communication

Edible insects: an overview on nutritional characteristics, safety, farming, production technologies, regulatory framework, and socio-economic and ethical implications

Scope and approach The purpose of this research was to give an overview on several aspects of edible insects: nutritional characteristics; physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards; presence of antinutritional substances or allergens; gathering and farming; production technologies and patents; legal status worldwide; socio-economic and ethical implications. Key findings and conclusions Edible insects supply amounts of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals comparable to those of meat. Although the studies on the environmental sustainability of insect farming are still few, it is generally recognized their limited requirements for land and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, not all the species can be bred as a consequence of their specific temperature and light requirements. Insects can be considered as safe from a microbiological point of view but can contain residues of pesticides and heavy metal. Attention must be paid to the cross-reactions among allergens found within some insect species. Edible insects can be consumed as whole insects but, in order to increase their acceptability, they can be processed into an unrecognisable form. Many inventions concerning insect processing have been patented. The European Union has a specific new Regulation on novel foods that established an authorization procedure to sell insect-based foods unless their safe consumption for longer than 25 years in third countries is demonstrated. Farming insects can offer revenue opportunities mainly in developing countries

3D printed foods: a comprehensive review on technologies, nutritional value, safety, consumer attitude, regulatory framework, and economic and sustainability issues

Three-dimensional printing can be successfully applied in the food sector to fabricate 3D foods with complex geometries, customized texture, and tailored nutritional contents. The concrete application of 3D printing to foods began in the early 2000 s. This work is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of 3D printed foods. Details and issues concerning ingredients and technologies available for 3D food printing are supplied as well as the discussion of aspects such as nutritional values, safety, acceptability, sustainability, and legal framework of 3D printed foods. The main 3D food applications are based on the extrusion technology and concern natively printable materials such as cereal derivatives and chocolate. However, interesting applications concern alternative ingredients such as proteins and fibres isolated from insects, algae, microorganisms, and agri-food residues. Microbiological contamination and migration of toxic substances from printer elements can occur, but effective cleaning protocols and the use of materials authorized to come into contact with foods guarantee the necessary safety standards. A serious issue concerns acceptability of 3D printed foods, since it is greatly affected by their unusual appearance. From a legal point of view, 3D printed foods should be considered as “novel foods”. 3D food printing should be considered an opportunity for the development of new business strategies as well as a way to increase the food supply chain sustainability. The future perspectives of 3D food printing include the combination of 3D food printing and cooking on a single machine and the development of the 4D printing

Recovery of biomolecules from food wastes - a review

Food wastes are produced by a variety of sources, ranging from agricultural operations to household consumption. About 38% occurs during food processing. At present, the European Union legislation encourages the exploitation of co-products. This valorisation can be achieved through the extraction of high-value components such as proteins, polysaccharides, fibres, flavour compounds, and phytochemicals, which can be re-used as nutritionally and pharmacologically functional ingredients. Extraction can proceed according to solid-liquid extraction, Soxhlet extraction, pressurized fluid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, pulsed electric field extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction. Nevertheless, these techniques cannot be used indiscriminately and their choice depends on the type of biomolecules and matrix, the scale processing (laboratory or industrial), the ratio between production costs and economic values of the compounds to be extracted. The vegetable wastes include trimmings, peelings, stems, seeds, shells, bran, residues remaining after extraction of oil, starch, sugar, and juice. The animal-derived wastes include wastes from bred animals, wastes from seafood, wastes from dairy processing. The recovered biomolecules and by-products can be used to produce functional foods or as adjuvants in food processing or in medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations. This work is an overview of the type and amounts of food wastes; food waste legislation; conventional and novel techniques suitable for extracting biomolecules; food, medicinal and pharmaceutical uses of the recovered biomolecules and by-products, and future trends in these areas