Physico-chemical, rheological and antioxidant properties of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) as affected by pan and microwave roasting

Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) belongs to the family Fagaceae and sub family Castaneoideae. Bioactive components such as tannins are present in sweet chestnut in high proportion giving astringent bitter taste and reducing their palatability. Roasting reduces the anti-nutritional factors in chestnut. This study was conducted to compare the effects of pan and microwave roasting on physicochemical, functional, rheological and antioxidant properties of sweet chestnut. Antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH inhibition activity, reducing power, and total phenolic content. Structural analysis was carried out using FT-IR analysis. Protein, fat, and ash contents displayed insignificant (P > 0.05) variations. “L” value decreased from 90.66 to 81.43, whereas, “a” and “b” values increased from 0.02 to 0.90 and 11.99 to 20.5, respectively, upon roasting. Significant (P < 0.05) increase in water absorption capacity (1.32–3.39 g/g), oil absorption capacity (1.22–1.63 g/g), and antioxidant properties was observed following roasting. Flour obtained from roasted chestnuts exhibited a significant decrease in light transmittance, foaming, and pasting properties. Higher gelatinization temperatures and lower enthalpies were reported in microwave and pan roasted chestnut flours. Roasting also reduced the viscoelastic behavior of native sweet chestnut and changed the transmittance of identical functional groups as revealed by FT-IR analysis

A review of the recent advances in starch as active and nanocomposite packaging films

Technological advances have led to increased constraints regarding food packaging due to environmental issues, consumer health concerns, and economic restrictions associated therewith. Hence, food scientists and technologists are now more focused on developing biopolymer packages. Starch satisfies all the principle aspects, making it a promising raw material for edible coatings/films. Starch as a package material has grabbed much attention both at academic as well as industrial levels. Besides this, the role of various plasticizers, polys, sugars, and wetting agents are discussed and their importance in packaging industries. Herein, the role of starch as packaging material and nanofillers/composites is discussed in detail. The review summons a comprehensive and current overview of the widely available information and recent advances in starch film packaging