Quality Attributes of Fresh-Cut Coconut after Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Pasteurization

The impact of supercritical CO2(SC-CO2) process on the quality attributes of fresh-cut coconut has been investigated to establish the acceptability of SC-CO2treated products by the consumers. Two process conditions, previously identified as optimal to reduce the microbial content of the product, were studied: 12 MPa, 40°C, 30 min and 12 MPa, 45°C, 15 min. The results highlighted that both conditions induced some effects on product attributes. After 30 min of treatment at 12 MPa and 40°C a decrease of lightness (8%), pH (13%), fat content (24%), total phenol content (29%), flavonoid compounds (49%), antioxidant capacity (30%) and an increase of dry matter (11%) and titratable acidity (51.1%) were observed while polyphenol oxidase (PPO) exhibited 35% and 98.5% inactivation. Peroxidase enzyme activity increased by 77.8% and 30.4% at 12 MPa, 40°C, 30 min and 12 MPa, 45°C, 15 min, respectively. Sensory evaluations revealed no significant differences in appearance, texture, taste, and aroma of treated fresh-cut coconut compared to the untreated. The study confirms the feasibility of SC-CO2process for the pasteurization of fresh fruits with a firm structure and opens the door to the possibility of exploiting such a technology at industrial level

Consumption of fibre rich foods: comparative study in different countries

Foods such as fruit, vegetables, and cereals, and particularly whole grain, are rich in dietary fibre and have been proved to have multiple beneficial effects for the human health. The present research was designed to assess some eating practices related to fibre-rich foods in different countries, namely Argentina, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, and Romania. A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken on a sample of 4905 adult participants, obeying all ethical guidelines for this type of research. Regarding the data treatment, basic statistics was complemented with the tree classification analysis. Generally, the results show a low consumption of salads and vegetables, i.e., up to 11 servings/week (for 78.2% of participants), with Croatia in the lead (86.6%). Regarding fruit, a great majority of data also indicated low consumption (92.3%), most especially for Latvia (98.3%). The level of consumption of whole cereals was also low (72.6%), particularly for Latvia (90.0%). The tree classification analysis showed that while the first discriminant variable for the consumption of salads and vegetables was country, followed by education, for the consumption of fruit, it was country and then sex, and finally, for the consumption of whole cereals, it was sex and followed by country. The results allowed the conclusion that the consumption of foods rich in dietary fibre was very low for these countries, highlighting the necessity to implement strategies that incentivise the consumption of such foods, which are very important for a healthy diet

Content of Total Phenolics, Flavan-3-Ols and Proanthocyanidins, Oxidative Stability and Antioxidant Capacity of Chocolate During Storage

Antioxidant (AO) capacity of chocolates with 27, 44 and 75 % cocoa was assessed after production and during twelve months of storage by direct current (DC) polarographic assay, based on the decrease of anodic current caused by the formation of hydroxo-perhydroxyl mercury(II) complex (HPMC) in alkaline solutions of hydrogen peroxide at potentials of mercury oxidation, and two spectrophotometric assays. Relative antioxidant capacity index (RACI) was calculated by taking the average value of the AO assay (the sample mass in all assays was identical). Oxidative stability of chocolate fat was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Measured parameters and RACI were correlated mutually and with the content of total phenols (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), flavan-3-ols (vanillin and p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde assay) and proanthocyanidins (modified Bate-Smith assay). During storage, the studied functional and health-related characteristics remained unchanged. Amongst applied AO assays, the DC polarographic one, whose validity was confirmed by two-way ANOVA and F-test, correlated most significantly with oxidative stability (oxidation onset temperature and induction time). In addition, principal component analysis was applied to characterise chocolate types

Antioxidant Capacity of Teas and Herbal Infusions: Polarographic Assessment

Hydrogen peroxide scavenging (HPS) activity of unfermented (green, yellow, and white), partially fermented (oolong), and completely fermented (black) tea (Camellia sinensis), mate (Ilex paraguariensis), and various herbal infusions, as well as individual compounds (flavan-3-ols, flavonols, cinnamic and benzoic acids, and methylxanthines), was assessed by recently developed direct current (DC) polarographic assay. Correlations of tea and herbal infusion HPS activity with total phenolic content determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay (FC-GAE) (0.81 and 0.93), ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) (0.97 and 0.92), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (0.77 and 0.80), and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging (0.86 and 0.86) were statistically significant. Correlations between relative antioxidant capacity index (RACI), calculated by assigning all applied assays equal weight, and HPS (0.98), FRAP (0.97), ABTS (0.89), and DPPH (0.89) confirmed DC polarographic assay reliability when applied individually. Correlation analysis, ANOVA, and Levene and Tukey's HSD tests unequivocally confirmed this reliable, rapid, and low-cost assay validity, clearly demonstrating its advantages over spectrophotometric assays applied

Knowledge about dietary fibre and its health benefits: A cross-sectional survey of 2536 residents from across Croatia

This cross-sectional study is aimed at identifying the level of understanding of the health benefits of dietary fibre in the prevention of disease, as well as the association between that understanding and fibre consumption in the Croatian population. We believe that nutritional knowledge is important for the consumption of healthy food which includes also a positive reflection on food habits and health. Only well-informed consumers can shop effectively for food rich in dietary fibre and thereby derive the health benefits that fibre can offer. We suppose the association between that understanding and fibre consumption in the Croatian population. However, this knowledge is not the only important determinant; food purchases are influenced by socioeconomic and demographic factors. Our hypothesis is that the level of knowledge about fibre and fibre consumption varies with age, gender, education level and urban or rural environment. It is our assumption that life styles, environmental conditions and education can affect the level of knowledge and perception about healthy eating habits. If this assumption is accurate, targeted education campaigns to educate and sensitise the population about fibre-rich foods and the health benefits of fibre is a priority. Public health programmes are urgently needed, particularly in rural areas, to sensitise the population to fulfill the recommended fibre intake, high-fibre food sources and the mechanisms by which fibre can help prevent disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Encapsulation of polyphenolic antioxidants from medicinal plant extracts in alginate-chitosan system enhanced with ascorbic acid by electrostatic extrusion

In this study the encapsulation of raspberry leaf, hawthorn, ground ivy, yarrow, nettle and olive leaf extracts was performed by electrostatic extrusion in alginate-chitosan microbeads, with ascorbic acid being used for the dissolution of chitosan. The original and encapsulated plant extracts were characterized for their polyphenol content and composition, mineral content and antioxidant capacity. Raspberry leaf encapsulating microbeads exhibited the highest total phenol content and antioxidant capacity, followed by hawthorn, while olive leaf microbeads contained the lowest total phenol content. High encapsulation efficiency was obtained for all extract encapsulating microbeads (80-89%). Nettle extract-containing microparticles were characterized with the largest particle size and irregular shape, due to a high content of microelements (copper, strontium, and zinc), which affected the geling process of alginate. Although the antioxidant stability of hydrogel microcapsules was deteriorated during refrigerated storage, which might be attributed to the instability of ascorbic acid, the obtained microbeads deliver significant biological activity and antioxidant potential which may increase the daily intake of antioxidants when implemented in a food product

Chemometric evaluation of binary mixtures of alginate and polysaccharide biopolymers as carriers for microencapsulation of green tea polyphenols

In this study principal component analysis and artificial neural networks were used to evaluate the potential of using binary mixtures of sodium alginate and other polysaccharide biopolymers as the carriers for microencapsulation of green tea bioactive compounds. Using binary mixtures of alginate and adjunct biopolymers increased the particle size (from 722 to 1344 mu m) and textural parameters of the microbeads. Chemometric techniques revealed the combination of biopolymers and their ratio as the main factors influencing the encapsulation performance. The combination of alginate with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and locust bean gum enabled to retain the highest (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine contents, the highest total phenols encapsulation efficiency, and their most retarded release in water, confirming these as the best delivery systems of polyphenol-type active compounds and signifying their potent food applications

Modification of functional quality of beer by using microencapsulated green tea (camellia sinensis l.) And ganoderma mushroom (ganoderma lucidum l.) Bioactive compounds

Increasing interest in production of frequently consumed functional food products has focused the present study on implementation of microencapsulated Ganoderma mushroom and green tea bioactive compounds in beer production. Electrostatic extrusion assisted microencapsulation of green tea and Ganoderma extracts enabled production of particles ranging from 490 to 1000 mu m in size, with up to 75% of entrapped total polyphenols. Dried, powdered extracts, as well as microparticles encapsulating Ganoderma and green tea extracts that exhibited the best morphological properties and retarded release of polyphenols (alginate and alginate-chitosan coated, as well as chitosan coated pectin microbeads) were implemented in beer production. The addition of Ganoderma microbeads to pilsner beer did not augment its polyphenolic concentration (TPC), as opposed to the addition of green tea encapsulating microbeads to radler, while adding dried Ganoderma and spray dried green tea extracts enabled to increase the TPC for up to 3-fold higher values. Ganoderma dried extract-enriched pilsner beer and spray dried green tea extract-enriched radler were preferred in terms of sensory properties, due to the lowest bitterness intensity and most pronounced herbal aroma of the added adjuncts. Refrigerated storage of Ganoderma hydrogel microbeads-enriched pilsner beer revealed fluctuations of TPC, while green tea hydrogel microbeads-enriched radler exhibited better stability. The established methodology provides a procedure suitable for microencapsulate-enrichment of drink and food products, thus setting a reliable basis for future functional food production by microencapsulate implementation strategies

Encapsulation and release profiles of caffeine from microparticles

The purpose of this study was to encapsulate caffeine in alginate-chitosan cross-linked microparticles enriched with ascorbic acid by applying electrostatic extrusion technique. Three different forms of caffeine were encapsulated: liquid extract of caffeine from the plant guarana (Paullinia cupana), food-grade solid caffeine and analytical-grade caffeine. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-PDA) was used to evaluate the release kinetics of caffeine from microbeads in water, while the corresponding antioxidant capacity was evaluated by applying the ABTS radical scavenging assay. Scanning electron microscopy and laser diffraction particle size determination were used to provide information about the physical properties of microparticles. The microbeads encapsulating caffeine were uniformly sized spheres of about 600-800 μm. The encapsulation efficiency of all microparticles ranged between 70-80%. Caffeine was mainly released within 10-15 min, depending on the used caffeine form, while the ascorbic acid was relatively rapidly released from microbeads according to antioxidant capacity exhibited in water. The obtained results suggest that electrostatic extrusion can be applied for the entrapment of caffeine in alginate-chitosan microbeads, while the addition of ascorbic acid further enhances the antioxidant activity of such obtained microcapsules