Sensory Analysis of a New Generation of Probiotic Drinks with Functional Gastrointestinal Health Impact

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Because it's not clear what’s causing it, treatment focuses on the relief of symptoms. Over the past few years new alternative treatments with multispecies probiotics have been tested. This paper aims to present the results obtained through sensory analysis of a probiotic prototype drink specially designed for people affected by irritable bowel syndrome, made with fruit and vegetable peels that are usually thrown away and added encapsulated probiotic cells. Nine drink prototypes were produced using apples, sugar beets, grapes, carrots peels and water. The obtained samples were analyzed using the nine point hedonic scale test and a panel consisting of 60 potential consumers. Analyzing the data, a recipe meeting most expectations of potential consumers was suggested. The study revealed that the analyzed probiotic prototype drinks can become an alternative to current products on the market, having positive feedback from the sensory analysis panel.Â

Physicochemical Characteristic of Malt Vinegar with Spices

The malt vinegar is very popular in England, being prepared from barley malt using a method resembling to the one used to produce the wine vinegar. It has a strong taste and a medium acidity. Regarding the fact that it is not very common in Romania, the aim of the study was flavouring the malt vinegar with seasoning plants for a high concentration of antioxidants, flavour and also for making it more popular amongst consumers. Two types of flavoured malt vinegar were obtained, one of them with turmeric and the other one with rosemary, pepper and grain mustard. In order to characterize the new products, several physicochemical analyses were conducted (antioxidant capacity, total extract and acidity).Â

Effects of Botanical Ingredients Addition on the Bioactive Compounds and Quality of Non-Alcoholic and Craft Beer

Special beers, known as artisanal, are progressively gaining consumer preference, opening up competition, and acquiring more space in the market. Considering that, exploration for new formulations is justified and plants represent a source of novel compounds with promising antioxidant activity for this beer segment. This paper aims to evaluate the current knowledge on the role of botanical ingredients on the final yield of bioactive compounds in special beer, and how these molecules generally affect the sensory profile. Furthermore, the estimated difficulties of implementation, taking into account the new processes and the relative cost, are discussed. The addition of plants to beer could serve the interests of both the industry and consumers, on one hand, by improving the functional properties and offering a unique flavor, and on the other hand by adding variety to the craft beer landscape. This paper provides guidance and future directions for the development of new products to boost the brewing industry. Brewing processes might affect the valuable compounds, especially the phenolic content. Consequently, future studies need to identify new methods for protecting the level of bioactive compounds in special beer and increasing the bio-accessibility, along with optimization of the sensory and technological properties

Cereal Waste Valorization through Conventional and Current Extraction Techniques—An Up-to-Date Overview

Nowadays, in the European Union more than 100 million tons of food are wasted, meanwhile, millions of people are starving. Food waste represents a serious and ever-growing issue which has gained researchers’ attention due to its economic, environmental, social, and ethical implications. The Sustainable Development Goal has as its main objective the reduction of food waste through several approaches such as the re-use of agro-industrial by-products and their exploitation through complete valorization of their bioactive compounds. The extraction of the bioactive compounds through conventional methods has been used for a long time, whilst the increasing demand and evolution for using more sustainable extraction techniques has led to the development of new, ecologically friendly, and high-efficiency technologies. Enzymatic and ultrasound-assisted extractions, microwave-assisted extraction, membrane fractionation, and pressure-based extraction techniques (supercritical fluid extraction, subcritical water extraction, and steam explosion) are the main debated green technologies in the present paper. This review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of the well-known conventional extraction methods and the advanced novel treatments and extraction techniques applied to release the bioactive compounds from cereal waste and by-products