Estudio de la percepción y aceptabilidad de los ingredientes de mayonesas en consumidores mexicanos y su preferencia global

Introduction: Due to the interest in healthcare through the diet, there is an increase in the reformulation of products to reduce their fat content. The mayonnaise is a dressing product recognized by its high content of fats (75 %); the reduction of fat content implies the use of additives that can be perceived as harmful and are poorly acceptable by the consumers. The objectives of this study were to study the perceptions and the acceptability of the ingredients used in mayonnaise, as well as the global preference of these products. Methodology: The preferences of traditional and low-fat mayonnaise were studied using a survey applied to 303 participants. The perception and acceptability of ingredients (on a scale of 1 – 5) was determined with focus groups of 12 participants. Results: The selection of mayonnaise was based on the nutritional content (in women) and on a specific commercial brand (in men) (p<0.05). The low-fat content and the ingredients from natural sources are perceived as healthy characteristics of the product (64 % and 27 % from the total of the participants, respectively). The 18 – 29 years old participants demonstrated more interest in products with probiotics, while the people from 51 – 60 age range preferred ingredients from natural sources (p<0.05). The ingredients with familiar names such as egg yolk, vinegar, lime juice, spices, and mustard showed high acceptability scores (>4 acceptability score). Conclusions: The low fat- mayonnaise is the most demanded in the market. However, there is interest in mayonnaise containing ingredients with natural sources or supplemented with probiotics. The perception and the acceptability of the ingredients are positively influenced by its nature (simple names) and origin (from natural sources).Introducción: Debido al interés del cuidado de la salud a través de la dieta, se ha incrementado la reformulación de productos para reducir su contenido de grasa. Un producto reconocido por su alto contenido de grasa (75 %) es la mayonesa; la reducción de grasa requiere el uso de diferentes aditivos que pueden ser percibidos como dañinos y son poco aceptados por el consumidor. Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron estudiar la percepción y la aceptabilidad de los ingredientes utilizados en mayonesas, así como la preferencia de dichos productos. Metodología: Se diseñó y aplicó una encuesta a 303 consumidores de mayonesa para determinar sus preferencias en productos tradicionales y reducidos en grasa. Para determinar la percepción y aceptabilidad (en escala de 1 – 5) de los ingredientes, se llevaron a cabo grupos de enfoque integrados por 12 participantes. Resultados: La tendencia de elección de mayonesas fue con base en su contenido nutrimental (en mujeres) y en una marca comercial específica (en hombres) (p<0.05). El bajo aporte de grasa y el uso de ingredientes de fuentes naturales se percibieron como características saludables del producto (64 % y 27 % del total de participantes, respectivamente). Los participantes entre 18 – 29 años mostraron un mayor interés en la suplementación con probióticos, mientras que las personas de 51 – 60 años prefirieron productos con ingredientes de fuentes naturales (p<0.05). Los ingredientes con nombres conocidos como la yema de huevo, vinagre, jugo de limón, especias y mostaza mostraron calificaciones altas de aceptabilidad (>4 de aceptabilidad). Conclusiones: Las mayonesas con bajo contenido en grasa son las más demandadas en el mercado. Sin embargo, existe interés en mayonesas que contengan ingredientes de origen natural o suplementadas con probióticos. La percepción y la aceptabilidad de los ingredientes están positivamente influenciados por su naturaleza (nombres simples) y origen (de fuentes naturales)

Polímeros bioplásticos de fontes renováveis

Biopolymers are useful in the industry due to its elastic properties and sustainability as replacements of non-renewable polymers. In this article, bioplastics were produced and characterized using chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and galactomannan (GAL) from insects (Hermetia illucens), brown algae (Macrocystis pyrifera) and seeds (Leucaena leucocephala), respectively. The structure of biopolymers was observed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and characterized by viscosity at different concentrations. The developed bioplastics were characterized by color and mechanical properties (texture). The results were compared to standard samples (commercial). The FTIR spectra confrmed the presence of the typical structure (footprint) for the obtained polymers. The SA showed signifcantly higher viscosity for all concentrations comparedto the standard and the other polymers. The bioplastics strength was similar among CH, SA and GAL for all concentrations; only SA (0,5%) demonstrated higher strength than the standard. For color measurements, hue value indicated a red-yellowish color and the chrome increased directly proportional with polymer concentration. The observed properties suggest that these sustainable sources might be an alternativeto bioplastic production, which can be extended to functionalization and molecular interactions for broad applications in different industries.Los biopolímeros son útiles en la industria por sus propiedades elásticas y su carácter sustentable en el reemplazo de polímeros no renovables. En este artículo se elaboraron y caracterizaron bioplásticos utilizando quitosano (CH), alginato de sodio (SA) y galactomanano (GAL) a partir de insectos (Hermetia illucens), algas pardas (Macrocystis pyrifera) y semillas (Leucaena leucocephala), respectivamente. La estructura de losbiopolímeros se observó por espectroscopía de infrarrojo (FTIR) y se caracterizó en viscosidad a diferentes concentraciones, y los bioplásticos desarrollados se caracterizaron en color y propiedades mecánicas (textura). Los resultados fueron comparados con muestras estándar (comerciales). Los espectros de FTIR confrmaron la presencia de la estructura típica (huella) de los polímeros obtenidos. El SA mostró una viscosidad signifcativamente mayor en todas las concentraciones comparado con el estándar y los otros polímeros. La fuerza de los bioplásticos fue similar entre CH, SA y GAL para todas las concentraciones; únicamente SA (0,5%) demostró una mayor fuerza que el estándar. Para las mediciones de color, los valores de matiz indicaron colores rojo-amarillento y el croma aumentó proporcionalmente a la concentración de polímero. Las propiedades observadas sugieren que estas fuentes sustentables son una alternativa para la producción de bioplásticos y podría mejorarse su funcionalización por interacciones moleculares para su aplicación en diferentes sectores industriales.Os biopolímeros são úteis na indústria por suas propriedades elásticas e sua natureza sustentável na substituição de polímeros não renováveis. Neste artigo, os bioplásticos foram preparados e caracterizados utilizando quitosana (CH), alginato de sódio (SA) e galactomanano (GAL) de insetos (Hermetia illucens), algas marrons (Macrocystis pyrifera) e sementes (Leucaena leucocephala), respectivamente. A estrutura dos biopolímeros foi observada por espectroscopia no infravermelho (FTIR) e caracterizada em viscosidade em diferentes concentrações, e os bioplásticos desenvolvidos foram caracterizados em propriedades mecânicas e de cor (textura). Os resultados foram comparados com amostras padrão (comerciais). Os espectros de FTIR confrmaram a presença da estrutura típica (pegada) dos polímeros obtidos. O SA mostrou uma viscosidade signifcativamente maior em todas as concentrações em comparação com o padrão e os outros polímeros. A força dos bioplásticos foi semelhante entre CH, SA e GAL para todas as concentrações; somente o SA (0,5%) demonstrou maior força que o padrão. Para medições de cores, os valores de matiz indicaram cores vermelho-amareladas e o croma aumentou proporcionalmente à concentração do polímero. As propriedades observadas sugerem que essas fontes sustentáveis são uma alternativa para a produção de bioplásticos, podendo ser melhoradas por interações moleculares para aplicação em diferentes setores industriais

Bio-plastic polymers from renewable sources = Bio-plásticos de polímeros a partir de fuentes renovables

Biopolymers are useful in the industry due to its elastic properties and sustainability as replacements of non-renewable polymers. In this article, bioplastics were produced and characterized using chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and galactomannan (GAL) from insects (Hermetia illucens), brown algae (Macrocystis pyrifera) and seeds (Leucaena leucocephala), respectively. The structure of biopolymers was observed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and characterized by viscosity at different concentrations. The developed bioplastics were characterized by color and mechanical properties (texture). The results were compared to standard samples (commercial). The FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of the typical structure (footprint) for the obtained polymers. The SA showed significantly higher viscosity for all concentrations compared to the standard and the other polymers. The bioplastics strength was similar among CH, SA and GAL for all concentrations; only SA (0,5%) demonstrated higher strength than the standard. For color measurements, hue value indicated a red-yellowish color and the chrome increased directly proportional with polymer concentration. The observed properties suggest that these sustainable sources might be an alternative to bioplastic production, which can be extended to functionalization and molecular interactions for broad applications in different industries

Artificial neural networks (Fuzzy ARTMAP) analysis of the dataobtained with an electronic tongue applied to a ham-curing processwith different salt formulations

tThis paper describes the determination of optimum values of the parameters of a Simplified FuzzyARTMAP neural network for monitoring dry-cured ham processing with different salt formulations tobe implemented in a microcontroller device. The employed network must be set to the limited micro-controller memory but, at the same time, should achieve optimal performance to classify the samplesobtained from this application.Hams salted with different salt formulations (100% NaCl; 50% NaCl + 50% KCl and 55% NaCl + 25%KCl + 15% CaCl2+ 5% MgCl2) were checked at four processing times, from post-salting to the end of theirprocessing (2, 4, 8 and 12 months).Measurements were taken with a potentiometric electronic tongue system formed by metal electrodesof different materials that worked as nonspecific sensors. This study aimed to discriminate ham samplesaccording to two parameters: processing time and salt formulation.The results were analyzed with an artificial neural network of the Simplified Fuzzy ARTMAP (SFAM)type. During the training and validation process of the neural network, optimum values of the controlparameters of the neural network were determined for easy implementation in a microcontroller, and tosimultaneously achieve maximum sample discrimination. The test process was run in a PIC18F450 micro-controller, where the SFAM algorithm was implemented with the optimal parameters. A data analysiswith the optimized neural network was achieved, and samples were perfectly discriminated according toprocessing time (100%). It is more difficult to discriminate all samples according to salt formulation type,but it is easy to achieve salt type discrimination within each processing block time. Thus, we concludethat the processing time effect dominates salt formulation effects.This work was financially supported by the Spanish Government and European FEDER funds (MAT2012-38429-C04-04).Gil Sánchez, L.; Garrigues Baixauli, J.; Garcia-Breijo, E.; Grau Meló, R.; Aliño Alfaro, M.; Baigts Allende, DK.; Barat Baviera, JM. (2015). Artificial neural networks (Fuzzy ARTMAP) analysis of the dataobtained with an electronic tongue applied to a ham-curing processwith different salt formulations. Applied Soft Computing. (30):421-429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2014.12.0374214293

Ligation of pork skin gelatin with glucose moieties affects the junction zones in gelled networks

This study aims to investigate the role of the ligation of steric moieties on the formation of junction zones during network formation of gelatin gels. The molecular conformational propensities, heat stability and mechanical properties of gradually chemically modified pork skin gelatin have been evaluated. To this end, glucose moieties are ligated to lysine residues on the protein using the Maillard reaction. It is shown that ligation of small sugar moieties only marginally impairs with triple helix formation and does not interfere with the mechanism of network formation. The Young's modulus (gel stiffness) and the fracture properties decrease with increasing degree of modification, but not the ability to reversibly store energy in the network. It is suggested that Maillardation affects the strand-strand interaction energy, but not necessarily the number of junction zones. A retained recoverable energy while the fracture properties can be affected allows industry to tailor food products in terms of their expected sensory performance

Calcium binding restores gel formation of succinylated gelatin and reduces brittleness with preservation of the elastically stored energy

To better tailor gelatins for textural characteristics in (food) gels, their interactions are destabilized by introduction of electrostatic repulsions and creation of affinity sites for calcium to “lock” intermolecular interactions. For that purpose gelatins with various degrees of succinylation are obtained. Extensive succinylation hampers helix formation and gel strength is slightly reduced. At high degrees of succinylation the helix propensity, gelling/melting temperatures, concomitant transition enthalpy, and gel strength become calcium-sensitive, and relatively low calcium concentrations largely restore these properties. Although succinylation has a major impact on the brittleness of the gels formed and the addition of calcium makes the material less brittle compared to nonmodified gelatin, the modification has no impact on the energy balance in the gel, where all energy applied is elastically stored in the material. This is explained by the unaffected stress relaxation by the network and high water-holding capacity related to the small mesh sizes in the gels

Calcium binding restores gel formation of succinylated gelatin and reduces brittleness with preservation of the elastically stored energy

To better tailor gelatins for textural characteristics in (food) gels, their interactions are destabilized by introduction of electrostatic repulsions and creation of affinity sites for calcium to “lock” intermolecular interactions. For that purpose gelatins with various degrees of succinylation are obtained. Extensive succinylation hampers helix formation and gel strength is slightly reduced. At high degrees of succinylation the helix propensity, gelling/melting temperatures, concomitant transition enthalpy, and gel strength become calcium-sensitive, and relatively low calcium concentrations largely restore these properties. Although succinylation has a major impact on the brittleness of the gels formed and the addition of calcium makes the material less brittle compared to nonmodified gelatin, the modification has no impact on the energy balance in the gel, where all energy applied is elastically stored in the material. This is explained by the unaffected stress relaxation by the network and high water-holding capacity related to the small mesh sizes in the gels

Monitoring of the Dehydration Process of Apple Snacks with Visual Feature Extraction and Image Processing Techniques

Monitoring food processing is mandatory for controlling and ensuring product quality. Most of the used techniques are destructive, arduous, and time-consuming. Non-destructive analyses are convenient for rapid and conservative food quality assessment. Color images of apple slices during the manufacturing of healthy snacks were used for monitoring the drying processing. The implementation of the image-based analysis was straightforward, feasible, and low-cost. The parameters analyzed during imagen acquisition for normalizing were: contrast enhancement, binarization, and morphologic processing, varying the illumination and reference between the positions of the camera and object under analysis. Several apple features related to color, texture, and shape were extracted with computer vision techniques and also analyzed. During image analysis, the entropy was one of the most relevant computed features according to principal component analysis, and it was also relevant in terms of physical interpretation. The average percentage of entropy increase was 19.81% in the green and blue channels, while it was 16.82% in the red channel. Other relevant visual features were the skewness and kurtosis in the RGB channels; and textural information such as contrast, correlation, and variance

Effect of Brown Seaweed (Macrocystis pyrifera) Addition on Nutritional and Quality Characteristics of Yellow, Blue, and Red Maize Tortillas

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of incorporating Macrocystis pyrifera into yellow, blue, and red maize masa and tortillas. The nutritional composition and mineral content of tortillas was determined, and the color, texture, total phenolic compounds (TPC), and antioxidant capacity of masas and tortillas were measured. The addition of seaweed led to a significant decrease in moisture and a significant increase in ash, protein, and fiber, while no differences were observed in the lipid and carbohydrate content. There was a significant increase in all analyzed minerals (Na, Ca, P, K, and Mg). Tortillas weighed 24.54 ± 1.02 g, had a diameter of 11.00 ± 0.79 cm, and a thickness of 0.32 ± 0.09 cm. All color parameters were significantly affected by seaweed concentration. The hardness of the masas was 2.18–22.32 N, and the values of the perforation test of the tortillas were 1.40–4.55 N. The TPC of the masas and tortillas was measured in water and methanol:water extracts. Results were higher in the water extracts (1141.59–23,323.48 mg GAE/100 g masa and 838.06–2142.34 mg GAE/100 g tortilla). Antioxidant capacity (ORAC) was higher for methanol:water extracts (14,051.96–44,928.75 µmol TE/100 g masa and 14,631.47–47,327.69 µmol TE/100 g tortilla)

Processing of Amaranthus hypochondriacus Biomass for Functional Protein Concentrates Development

Most proteins for human consumption are animal-derivated sources; however, due to its environmental impact (soil erosion, gas emissions, water footprint) and increasing demand, different plant-based sources are necessary. The purpose of this work is to use amaranth crop biomass for protein concentrates production. The effect of processing (extraction and drying) on the structure and some functional properties of biomass protein concentrates are evaluated for food applications. Thermal and acid precipitation was used for extraction of soluble proteins and lyophilization, vacuum convection, and spray-drying methods for protein concentrates production. Protein structure analyses were gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), isoelectric point (zeta potential), spectrometry (FTIR), calorimetry (DSC), and amino acids profile. The functionality was evaluated by solubility (UV-VIS), rheological and emulsifying properties at different pH values. The most preserved protein structure was the precipitated by acidification and dried by spraying, which showed the highest solubility values (> 90 %), and desired rheological properties. Lyophilization enhanced the emulsifying activity (~95 %) and stability to gravity (~63 %) and heat (~79 %). The essential amino acids content (49 %) was higher than FAO recommendations for children (36 %), and protein composition was in agreement with the Codex Alimentarius for plant protein consumption. This research approaches the use of highly available biomass from amaranth crop as a sustainable source of proteins. Mostly protein isolation uses expensive technologies, which increases the final product cost. Herein, a simple method was adequate to obtain high nutritional quality, and food functionality protein concentrates for food-related applications