Evaluation of Wines Rating Based on Sensory Characteristics Using Neural Networks

Wine is an agricultural product with very high commerce price variation, which is highly affected by quality ratings. Therefore, quality rating is particularly important for both industry and consumers. However, absence of clear concepts on what constitutes wine quality makes the perception of quality highly subjective, and it is usual for tasters to disagree on the quality rating of a specific wine. For this purpose, a Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) could be trained in order to predict wine quality. In this study, a new FNN method was developed to predict the accurate wine quality based on major sensory characteristics as FNN inputs, and to improve the ability of a taster, groups of tasters, or consumers, to rate wine by taking into account previous decisions. Specifically, five principle sensory characteristics of wines were used as inputs (Aging in Barrel, Aroma Intensity, Body, Astringency, and Acidity) in a rating range 1-3. As outputs, the quality ratings of wines in a range 70-100 were considered. The FNN was created in MATLAB with 1 hidden layer, 5 neurons and 1 output layer. For ratings divided in 5 categories the accuracy was 53% with the use of the FNN, as opposed to the accuracy of 36% achieved by Multiple Linear Regression. For ratings divided in 9 categories the accuracy was 90%. This method may allow each individual or group of tasters to introduce their own data to produce a more objective rating by taking into account previous decisions (subjective) that have accumulated in the database

Production of Food Grade Yeasts

Kvasci su poznati čovjeku vec tisućama godina jer se koriste u tradicionalnim fermentacijskim procesima dobivanja vina, piva i kruha. Danas se oni koriste i kao alternativni izvori visokovrijednih proteina, enzima i vitamina, imaju brojnu primjenu u proizvodnji zdravstveno korisne hrane kao aditivi, regulatori i sastojci arome, u proizvodnji mikrobioloških podloga i ekstrakata, te kao krmivo. Suvremena znanstvena dostignuća omogućuju izolaciju, izradu i industrijsku proizvodnju novih sojeva kvasaca koji ispunjavaju posebne zahtjeve prehrambene industrije. U radu su istaknuti tipovi industrijskih prehrambenih kvasaca, procesi njihove proizvodnje i sirovine. Također se raspravlja o metabolizmu kvasca, s obzirom na utrošak ugljikohidrata, hranjiva te nova dostignuća u njihovu istraživanju.Yeasts have been known to humans for thousands of years as they have been used in traditional fermentation processes like wine, beer and bread making. Today, yeasts are also used as alternative sources of high nutritional value proteins, enzymes and vitamins, and have numerous applications in the health food industry as food additives, conditioners and flavouring agents, for the production of microbiology media and extracts, as well as livestock feeds. Modern scientific advances allow the isolation, construction and industrial production of new yeast strains to satisfy the specific demands of the food industry. Types of commercial food grade yeasts, industrial production processes and raw materials are highlighted. Aspects of yeast metabolism, with respect to carbohydrate utilization, nutritional aspects and recent research advances are also discussed

Upgrading of Mixed Food Industry Side-Streams by Solid-State Fermentation with P. ostreatus

In the frame of efforts to exploit agroindustrial side-streams and wastes (AISS) for added-value products that are based on single cell protein (SCP), mixed substrates consisting of brewer’s spent grains (BSG), malt spent rootlets (MSR), cheese whey, molasses, orange, and potato pulps, were used for growth of the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus. The substrates were mixed in various combinations, and were used for P. ostreatus growth at various conditions. The substrate, for which the highest sugar consumption, protein increase, and mycelium yield were observed, consisted of 20 mL molasses (4° Baume density), 20 mL potato pulp, 5 mL whey, 5 mL orange pulp, 30 g BSG, and 5 g MSR (at 25 °C and substrate pH 4). The mycelium-enriched product was analyzed for protein, fat, minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu), and aroma volatile compounds, indicating the potential for use as nutritious supplement for food, feed, or microbiology uses. The product was also autolyzed, freeze-dried, powdered, and analyzed for total ribonucleic acid content, showing the potential for use as a commercial natural food flavor enhancer

Priprava vina na niskoj temperaturi s pomoću kvasca imobiliziranog na pivskom tropu bez lignina

Preservation, risk of contamination, transportation and storage costs (e.g. refrigeration) are the main problems associated with wet, active starter cultures such as yeast. To deal with these aspects, drying of commercial cultures is required. A thermally dried biocatalyst has been prepared by immobilization of the psychrotolerant yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1 on delignified brewer’s spent grains, followed by simple thermal drying or by air stream at 30 and 35 °C. Repeated batch fermentations of grape must (11.5 °Be, corresponding to 196 g/L of fermentable sugar) using the dried biocatalysts were performed at successively reduced temperatures (15, 10 and 5 °C). The fermented samples were analyzed for residual sugar, alcohol and free cell concentrations. The alcohol yield, alcohol productivity and sugar conversion were calculated in order to estimate the optimum conditions of drying. The volatile constituents in the produced wines were analysed by GC analysis. The results showed that drying of immobilized cells by the proposed techniques did not affect their viability and fermentative activity. High alcohol productivity, increased esters and lower concentrations of higher alcohols obtained by low-temperature fermentation using the dried biocatalysts indicate a potential improvement of product quality.Konzerviranje, rizik od onečišćenja, te cijena transporta i skladištenja (npr. hlađenja) najčešći su problemi pri korištenju vlažnih, aktivnih starter-kultura, tj. kvasaca. Stoga komercijalne kulture kvasaca treba osušiti. Sušeni je biokatalizator pripremljen imobilizacijom psihrotolerantnoga soja kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1 na pivskom tropu, iz kojeg je prethodno uklonjen lignin, a zatim sušenjem toplinom ili strujom zraka pri 30 i 35 °C. Pomoću tako pripremljenog kvasca uspješno je provedeno nekoliko uzastopnih šaržnih postupaka vrenja mošta (11,5 °Be, proporcionalno 196 g/L fermentabilnog šećera) pri nižim temperaturama (15, 10 i 5 °C). Ispitana je koncentracija preostalog šećera, dobivenog alkohola i slobodnih stanica u fermentiranim uzorcima. Da bi se procijenili optimalni uvjeti sušenja, izračunati su ovi parametri: udio i produktivnost alkohola te konverzija šećera. Volatilni su sastojci vina analizirani plinskom kromatografijom. Rezultati pokazuju da sušenje imobiliziranih stanica kvasca predloženim metodama ne utječe na njegovu vitalnost i fermentacijsku aktivnost. Kakvoća se proizvoda može poboljšati korištenjem sušenih stanica kvasca pri nižim temperaturama, što je uočeno iz većeg udjela alkohola, veće koncentracije estera i manje koncentracije viših alkohola u vinu

Technological Development of Brewing in Domestic Refrigerator Using Freeze-Dried Raw Materials

U radu je prikazan razvoj novog tipa piva za tržiste, koje se dobiva vrenjem pri niskoj temperaturi u hladnjaku s pomoću imobiliziranog kvasca. Zamrznuta sladovina te stanice soja kvasca Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1, koji je otporan na smrzavanje, imobilizirane su na cijevnom modulu i zasebno upotrijebljene za vrenje pri niskim temperaturama (2, 5 i 7 °C). Ispitan je pozitivan učinak cijevnog modula na vrenje pri niskim temperaturama, te je utvrđeno da smrznute imobilizirane stanice kvasca na cijevnom modulu bitno smanjuju brzinu vrenja u usporedbi sa smrznutim slobodnim stanicama, koje su preporučene za proizvodnju piva kod kuće. Imobilizacija je također povećala otpornost kvasca na niske temperature vrenja, pa se najniža moguća temperatura vrenja spustila s 5 na 2 °C. Pri proizvodnji visokokvalitetnog piva ispitani su sljedeći parametri: utjecaj temperature i početne koncentracije šećera na kinetiku vrenja. Analizom gotovog proizvoda potvrđeno je poboljšanje senzorskih svojstava proizvedenog piva, s niskom koncentracijom diacetila, povećanim udjelom polifenola, te poboljšanim profilom arome i bistroćom. Predloženi postupak proizvodnje piva u hladnjaku može se lako komercijalizirati za kućnu uporabu otapanjem sadržaja dvaju pakiranja, jednog sa suhom sladovinom i drugog sa suhim stanicama kvasca imobiliziranim na cijevnom modulu i otopljenim u vodi.Development of a novel directly marketable beer brewed at low temperature in a domestic refrigerator combined with yeast immobilization technology is presented in this study. Separately, freeze-dried wort and immobilized cells of the cryotolerant yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1 on tubular cellulose were used in low-temperature fermentation (2, 5 and 7 °C). The positive effect of tubular cellulose during low-temperature brewing was examined, revealing that freeze-dried immobilized yeast cells on tubular cellulose significantly reduced the fermentation rates in contrast to freeze-dried free cells, although they are recommended for home-made beer production. Immobilization also enhanced the yeast resistance at low-temperature fermentation, reducing the minimum brewing temperature value from 5 to 2 °C. In the case of high-quality beer production, the effect of temperature and initial sugar concentration on the fermentation kinetics were assessed. Sensory enrichment of the produced beer was confirmed by the analysis of the final products, revealing a low diacetyl concentration, together with improved polyphenol content, aroma profile and clarity. The proposed process for beer production in a domestic refrigerator can easily be commercialized and applied by dissolving the content of two separate packages in tap water; one package containing dried wort and the other dried immobilized cells on tubular cellulose suspended in tap water

Nano-Tubular Cellulose for Bioprocess Technology Development

Delignified cellulosic material has shown a significant promotional effect on the alcoholic fermentation as yeast immobilization support. However, its potential for further biotechnological development is unexploited. This study reports the characterization of this tubular/porous cellulosic material, which was done by SEM, porosimetry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The results showed that the structure of nano-tubular cellulose (NC) justifies its suitability for use in “cold pasteurization” processes and its promoting activity in bioprocessing (fermentation). The last was explained by a glucose pump theory. Also, it was demonstrated that crystallization of viscous invert sugar solutions during freeze drying could not be otherwise achieved unless NC was present. This effect as well as the feasibility of extremely low temperature fermentation are due to reduction of the activation energy, and have facilitated the development of technologies such as wine fermentations at home scale (in a domestic refrigerator). Moreover, NC may lead to new perspectives in research such as the development of new composites, templates for cylindrical nano-particles, etc

Valorization of Lactic Acid Fermentation of Pomegranate Juice by an Acid Tolerant and Potentially Probiotic LAB Isolated from Kefir Grains

The present study describes the application of an acid tolerant and potentially probiotic L. paracasei SP3 strain, recently isolated from kefir grains, in the production of a novel functional beverage based on the fermentation of pomegranate juice. The fermentation ability of the novel strain was assessed during pomegranate juice fermentations at 30 °C for 24 h and storage at 4 °C for 4 weeks. Various parameters were assessed such as residual sugar, organic acid and alcohol levels, total phenolics content, antioxidant activity, astringency, cell viability, and consumer acceptance. Residual sugar was decreased by approximately 25%, while respectable amounts of lactic acid were determined (4.8 g/L) on the 28th day of storage, proving that the novel strain was effective at lactic acid fermentation. The concentration of ethanol was maintained at low levels (0.3–0.4 % v/v) and low levels of acetic acid were detected (0.6 g/L). The viability of L. paracasei SP3 cells retained high levels (>7 log cfu/mL), even by the 4th week. The total phenolic content (123.7–201.1 mg GAE/100 mL) and antioxidant activity (124.5–148.5 mgTE/100 mL) of fermented pomegranate juice were recorded at higher levels for all of the studied time periods compared to the non-fermented juice. The employment of the novel strain led to a significant reduction in the levels of hydrolysable tannins (42%) in the juice, reducing its astringency. The latter was further proven through sensorial tests, which reflected the amelioration of the sensorial features of the final product. It should be underlined that fruit juices as well as pomegranate juice comprised a very harsh food matrix for microorganisms to survive and ferment. Likewise, the L. paracasei SP3 strain showed a significant potential, because it was applied as a free culture, without the application of microencapsulation methods that are usually employed in these fermentations, leading to a product with possible functional properties and a high nutritive value

Valorization of Lactic Acid Fermentation of Pomegranate Juice by an Acid Tolerant and Potentially Probiotic LAB Isolated from Kefir Grains

The present study describes the application of an acid tolerant and potentially probiotic L. paracasei SP3 strain, recently isolated from kefir grains, in the production of a novel functional beverage based on the fermentation of pomegranate juice. The fermentation ability of the novel strain was assessed during pomegranate juice fermentations at 30 °C for 24 h and storage at 4 °C for 4 weeks. Various parameters were assessed such as residual sugar, organic acid and alcohol levels, total phenolics content, antioxidant activity, astringency, cell viability, and consumer acceptance. Residual sugar was decreased by approximately 25%, while respectable amounts of lactic acid were determined (4.8 g/L) on the 28th day of storage, proving that the novel strain was effective at lactic acid fermentation. The concentration of ethanol was maintained at low levels (0.3–0.4 % v/v) and low levels of acetic acid were detected (0.6 g/L). The viability of L. paracasei SP3 cells retained high levels (>7 log cfu/mL), even by the 4th week. The total phenolic content (123.7–201.1 mg GAE/100 mL) and antioxidant activity (124.5–148.5 mgTE/100 mL) of fermented pomegranate juice were recorded at higher levels for all of the studied time periods compared to the non-fermented juice. The employment of the novel strain led to a significant reduction in the levels of hydrolysable tannins (42%) in the juice, reducing its astringency. The latter was further proven through sensorial tests, which reflected the amelioration of the sensorial features of the final product. It should be underlined that fruit juices as well as pomegranate juice comprised a very harsh food matrix for microorganisms to survive and ferment. Likewise, the L. paracasei SP3 strain showed a significant potential, because it was applied as a free culture, without the application of microencapsulation methods that are usually employed in these fermentations, leading to a product with possible functional properties and a high nutritive value