109 research outputs found
Special Issue "Volatile Compounds and Smell Chemicals (Odor and Aroma) of Food"
1openInternationalopenAprea, E.Aprea, E
Prickly pear seed oil extraction, chemical characterization and potential health benefits
4openInternationalBothPrickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) is a member of the Cactaceae family originally grown in South America, and the plant is now distributed to many parts of the world, including the Middle East. The chemical composition and biological activities of different parts of prickly pear, including cladodes, flowers, fruit, seeds and seed oil, were previously investigated. Oil from the seeds has been known for its nutritive value and can be potentially used for health promotion. This review is an effort to cover what is actually known to date about the prickly pear seeds oil extraction, characteristics, chemical composition and potential health benefits to provide inspiration for the need of further investigation and future research. Prickly pear seeds oil has been extracted using different extraction techniques from conventional to advanced. Chemical characterization of the oil has been sufficiently studied, and it is sufficiently understood that the oil is a high linoleic oil. Its composition is influenced by the variety and environment and also by the method of extraction. The health benefits of the prickly pear seed oil were reported by many researchers. For future research, additional studies are warranted on mechanisms of action of the reported biological activities to develop nutraceutical products for the prevention of various chronic human diseasesopenAl-Naqeb, Ghanya; Fiori, Luca; Ciolli, Marco; Aprea, EugenioAl-Naqeb, G.; Fiori, L.; Ciolli, M.; Aprea, E
Multiclass methods in the analysis of metabolomic datasets: the example of raspberry cultivar volatile compounds detected by GC-MS and PTR-MS
Multiclass sample classification and marker selection are cutting-edge problems in metabolomics. In the present study we address the classification of 14 raspberry cultivars having different levels of gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) susceptibility. We characterized raspberry cultivars by two headspace analysis methods, namely solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME/GC–MS) and proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Given the high number of classes, advanced data mining methods are necessary. Random Forest (RF), Penalized Discriminant Analysis (PDA), Discriminant Partial Least Squares (dPLS) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) have been employed for cultivar classification and Random Forest-Recursive Feature Elimination (RF-RFE) has been used to perform feature selection. In particular the most important GC–MS and PTR-MS variables related to gray mold susceptibility of the selected raspberry cultivars have been investigated. Moving from GC–MS profiling to the more rapid and less invasive PTR-MS fingerprinting leads to a cultivar characterization which is still related to the corresponding Botrytis susceptibility level and therefore marker identification is still possible.Fil: Cappellin, Luca. Fondazione Edmund Mach. Research and Innovation Centre; ItaliaFil: Aprea, Eugenio. Fondazione Edmund Mach. Research and Innovation Centre; ItaliaFil: Granitto, Pablo Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientÃficas y Técnicas. Centro CientÃfico Tecnológico Rosario. Centro Internacional Franco Argentino de Ciencias de la Información y Sistemas; ArgentinaFil: Romano, Andrea. Fondazione Edmund Mach. Research and Innovation Centre; ItaliaFil: Gasperi, Flavia. Fondazione Edmund Mach. Research and Innovation Centre; ItaliaFil: Biasioli, Franco. Fondazione Edmund Mach. Research and Innovation Centre; Itali
Volatilomics of raspberry fruit germplasm by combining chromatographic and direct-injection mass spectrometric techniques
The application of direct-injection mass spectrometric (DI-MS) techniques, like Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) has been suggested as a reliable phenotyping tool for fruit volatilome assessment in both genetic and quality-related studies. In this study the complexity of raspberry aroma was investigated by a comprehensive untargeted VOC analysis, done by combining SPME-GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS assessments with multi-block discriminant analysis using the DIABLO mixOmics framework. The aim was to acquire an exhaustive characterization of the raspberry volatilome according to different fruit ripening stages (pink, ripe, and overripe) and genetic variances (50 accessions), as well as to investigate the potential of PTR-ToF-MS as a rapid and high throughput VOC phenotyping tool to address issues related to raspberry fruit quality. Results of this study demonstrated the complementarity between SPME-GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS techniques to evaluate the raspberry aroma composition. PTR-ToF-MS generates reliable raspberry VOC fingerprints mainly due to a reduced compound fragmentation and precise content estimation. In addition, the high collinearity between isomers of monoterpenes and norisoprenoids, discovered by GC analysis, reduces the main analytic limitation of PTR-ToF-MS of not being able to separate isomeric molecules. The high similarity between the VOC matrices obtained by applying PTR-ToF-MS and SPME-GC-MS confirmed the possibility of using PTR-ToF-MS as a reliable high throughput phenotyping tool for raspberry volatiolome assessment. In addition, results provided by the germplasm collection investigation enabled to distinguish the best performing accessions, based on VOCs composition, to be used as superior parental lines for future breeding programs
Relationship between sensory attributes, (Dis) liking and volatile organic composition of Gorgonzola PDO cheese
Blue-veined cheese tends to polarize the consumers’ affective responses due to its strong
flavor. This study aims to: (i) explore the consumers’ sensory perceptions and liking of Gorgonzola
PDO cheese; (ii) identify the sensory drivers of acceptance for Gorgonzola in the function of the
cheese style; (iii) characterize them by the volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and (iv) explore the
relationships of the VOCs with sensory perception and liking. Six samples of Gorgonzola cheese
differing in style (sweet vs. piquant), aging time (70–95 days), and production process (artisanal
vs. industrial) were evaluated by 358 subjects (46% males, 18–77 years) using liking and Rate-
All-That-Apply (RATA) tests. The cheese VOCs were measured by SPME/GC-MS. Liking was
significantly higher for the sweet cheese than for the piquant cheese and for the artisanal cheese
than for the industrial samples. Penalty Analysis showed that ‘creamy’, ‘sweet’, ‘nutty’, and ‘salty’
were significant drivers of liking while the ‘soapy’ and ‘ammonia’ flavors turned out to be drivers
of disliking. Fifty-three VOCs were identified. Regression models revealed the significant highest
associations between the VOCs and ‘ammonia’, ‘pungent’, ‘soapy’, and ‘moldy’ flavors. A good
association was also found with the consumers’ liking. The identification of the sensory drivers of
(dis) liking and their relationship with the VOCs of Gorgonzola opens up a new understanding of
the consumers’ blue-veined cheese preferences
Effect of dairy, season, and sampling position on physical properties of Trentingrana cheese: application of an LMM-ASCA model
7openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorTrentingrana hard cheese is a geographic specification of the PDO Grana Padano. It is
produced according to an internal regulation by many cooperative dairy factories in the Trentino
region (northern Italy), using a semi-artisanal process (the only allowed ingredients are milk, salt,
and rennet). Within the PSR project TRENTINGRANA, colorimetric and textural measurements have
been collected from 317 cheese wheels, which were sampled bi-monthly from all the consortium
dairies (n = 15) within the timeframe of two years, to estimate the effect on physical properties related
to the season of the year and the dairy factory implant. To estimate the effect of the dairy and the
time of the year, considering the internal variability of each cheese wheel, a linear mixed-effect model
combined with a simultaneous component analysis (LMM-ASCA) is proposed. Results show that all
the factors have a significant effect on the colorimetric and textural properties of the cheese. There are
five clusters of dairies producing cheese with similar properties, three different couples of months of
the year when the cheese produced is significantly different from all the others, and the effect of the
geometry of the cheese wheel is reported as well.openRicci, Michele; Gasperi, Flavia; Endrizzi, Isabella; Menghi, Leonardo; Cliceri, Danny; Franceschi, Pietro; Aprea, EugenioRicci, M.; Gasperi, F.; Endrizzi, I.; Menghi, L.; Cliceri, D.; Franceschi, P.; Aprea, E
Multivariate data analysis strategy to monitor Trentingrana cheese real-scale production through volatile organic compounds profiling
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cheese, as result of the chemical, physical and microbiological properties of the raw milk, are related to its sensory properties and consumer's acceptability. Measurement of VOCs can be related to the quality of the production process, highlighting changes in the raw materials or the process conditions. In the present study, we tested the suitability of ANOVA-Simultaneous Component Analysis (ASCA) to extract useful information from volatile organic compound data measured over two years of production of Trentingrana cheese in a real production context where several confounding factors are present. A total of 317 cheese wheels were collected from the 15 cooperative dairy factories every two months. The ASCA analysis indicates that the milk collection affects the VOC profiles. To deeper investigate this factor, an Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) model was developed to estimate the associations between VOCs and process characteristics of the dairy factory. Results showed that the milk collection procedure affects the content of organic acids, esters, and ketones of the cheese
Effect of CO2 preservation treatments on the sensory quality of pomegranate juice
8openInternationalBothDue to the interest in identifying cost-effective techniques that can guarantee the microbiological, nutritional, and sensorial aspects of food products, this study investigates the effect of CO2 preservation treatment on the sensory quality of pomegranate juice at t0 and after a conservation period of four weeks at 4 °C (t28). The same initial batch of freshly squeezed non-treated (NT) juice was subjected to non-thermal preservation treatments with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2), and with a combination of supercritical carbon dioxide and ultrasound (CO2-US). As control samples, two other juices were produced from the same NT batch: A juice stabilized with high pressure treatment (HPP) and a juice pasteurized at high temperature (HT), which represent an already established non-thermal preservation technique and the conventional thermal treatment. Projective mapping and check-all-that-apply methodologies were performed to determine the sensory qualitative differences between the juices. The volatile profile of the juices was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that juices treated with supercritical CO2 could be differentiated from NT, mainly by the perceived odor and volatile compound concentration, with a depletion of alcohols, esters, ketones, and terpenes and an increase in aldehydes. For example, in relation to the NT juice, limonene decreased by 95% and 90%, 1-hexanol decreased by 9% and 17%, and camphene decreased by 94% and 85% in the CO2 and CO2-US treated juices, respectively. Regarding perceived flavor, the CO2-treated juice was not clearly differentiated from NT. Changes in the volatile profile induced by storage at 4 °C led to perceivable differences in the odor quality of all juices, especially the juice treated with CO2-US, which underwent a significant depletion of all major volatile compounds during storage. The results suggest that the supercritical CO2 process conditions need to be optimized to minimize impacts on sensory quality and the volatile profile.openMosca, A.C.; Menghi, L.; Aprea, E.; Mazzucotelli, M.; Benedito, J.; Zambon, A.; Spilimbergo, S.; Gasperi, F.Mosca, A.C.; Menghi, L.; Aprea, E.; Mazzucotelli, M.; Benedito, J.; Zambon, A.; Spilimbergo, S.; Gasperi, F
Correction: Endrizzi et al. Relationships between Intensity and Liking for Chemosensory Stimuli in Food Models: A Large-Scale Consumer Segmentation (Foods 2022, 11, 5)
This study, which was conducted as part of the Italian Taste project, was aimed at exploring
the relationship between actual liking and sensory perception in four food models. Each food model
was spiked with four levels of prototypical tastant (i.e., citric acid, sucrose, sodium chloride, capsaicin)
to elicit a target sensation (TS) at an increasing perceived intensity. Participants (N = 2258; 59% women,
aged 18–60) provided demographic information, a stated liking for 40 different foods/beverages,
and their responsiveness to tastants in water. A food-specific Pearson’s coefficient was calculated
individually to estimate the relationship between actual liking and TS responsiveness. Considering
the relationship magnitude, consumers were grouped into four food-specific clusters, depending on
whether they showed a strong negative (SNC), a weak negative (WNC), a weak positive (WPC), or
a strong positive correlation (SPC). Overall, the degree of liking raised in parallel with sweetness
responsiveness, fell as sourness and pungency perception increased, and showed an inverted U-shape
relationship with saltiness. The SNC clusters generally perceived TSs at higher intensities, except for
sourness. Clusters were validated by associating the level of stated liking towards food/beverages;
however, some unexpected indications emerged: adding sugar to coffee or preferring spicy foods
differentiated those presenting positive correlations from those showing negative correlations. Our
findings constitute a step towards a more comprehensive understanding of food preference
Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy
IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical
attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced
colorectal cancers at diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced
oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all
17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December
31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period),
in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was
30 days from surgery.
EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery,
palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer
at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as
cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding,
lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery,
and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes
was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster
variable.
RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years)
underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142
(56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was
significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR],
1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic
lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients
undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for
these patients
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