Multi-Target Alternative Approaches to Promoting Fresh-Cut Carrots’ Bioactive and Fresh-like Quality

Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, as near-fresh foods, are a quick and easy solution to a healthy and balanced diet. The rapid degradation of nutritional and sensory quality during the processing and storage of a product is critical and plant-type-dependent. The introduction of disruptive technological solutions in fresh-cut processing, which could maintain fresh-like quality with less environmental impact, is an emerging research concept. The application of abiotic stress treatments (heat shock and UV-C) induces metabolic responses and microbial effects in plant tissues, potentially slowing down several quality senescence pathways. The previously selected combined and single effects of heat shock (100 °C/45 s; in the whole root) and UV-C (2.5 kJ/m2) treatments and two packaging conditions (oriented polypropylene (OPP) vs. micro-perforated OPP films) on controlling critical degradation pathways of fresh-cut carrots and on promoting bioactive and sensory quality during storage (5 °C, 14 days) were studied. Among the tested combinations, synergistic effects on the quality retention of fresh-cut carrots were only attained for applying heat shock associated with micro-perforated OPP film packaging. Its effects on reducing (3.3 Log10 CFU/g) the initial contamination and controlling microbiological spoilage (counts below the threshold limit of 7.5 Log10 CFU/g), increasing the bioactive content (38% and 72% in total phenolic content and chlorogenic acid, respectively), and preserving fresh quality attributes prove to be a viable alternative technology for shredded carrot processing.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of heat treatment on smoothie quality by response surface methodology

Smoothies are a popular and convenient way for to consume bioactive compounds from fruits and vegetables such as total phenolics, carotenoids and flavonoids, with the preservation treatment being an important action to guarantee the safety and extension of shelf-life. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of heat treatment (HT) on smoothie prepared with “Fuji “apple (41%), pineapple (31%), cabbage (8%), pumpkin (10%) and banana (10%), by response surface methodology (RSM), where the temperature (70–100 °C) and treatment time (0.5–10.5 min), were the dependent variables. After optimization of HT conditions, a validation assay was performed to guarantee the minimal changes on color and reduction of 90% of polyphenoloxidase enzyme (PPO). Antioxidant activity (Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), DPPH, ABTS), total phenolics content (TPC), pH and solids soluble content were also analyzed. Predicted models of color parameters (L*, a*, ºh) and PPO enzymatic activity were found to be significant (p < 0.05) with regression coefficients (R2) of 0.84, 0.86, 0.92 and 0.97, respectively. From the RSM-generated model, the HT conditions that ensure a minimal green loss of smoothie and inactivation of PPO enzyme was at 85 °C over 7 min. In the validation study, these conditions were tested and proved to be sufficient to achieve the main goals. In the heat-treated smoothie, increases in TPC (10%) and antioxidant capacity (ABTS: 50%, DPPH: 17%, FRAP: 13%) were attained. This study demonstrated that RSM was efficient to select the optimal conditions of HT and improve the important quality properties that influence the product quality and the potential consumer’s health (TPC and antioxidant capacity).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa

In diferente regions of Africa, the people´s diet depends partially on edible products from wild animals, plants, or mushrooms, motivated not only by the high cost of living but also by the profusion of such products in local environment (Soro et al., 2019). In addition to being appreciated for their high nutritional value, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, elements (phosphorous, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc), vitamins, and lower fat amounts, thesse non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are the basis of various dietary, ethnic, cultural, religious, and medicinal considerations, depending on ethnic groups. Despite the rich biodiversity of the African continent, this remains largely unexplored resulting in a poor food contribution to the often malnourished populations (Yongabi et al., 2004). Thus, the aim of this review is to gather information on the wild mushroom species used in Central and Southern Africa and their main uses, with a focus on food and medicinal species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quality changes during thermal processing of two mixed formulas of fruits and vegetables pulps

Research ArticleThe present work aimed to evaluate, through thermal degradation kinetics (80 °C to 98 °C in time intervals of 0.5 to 25 min), the effects of different thermal treatments on the biochemical, physicochemical, sensory and microbiological parameters of two mixed fruit and vegetable pulps, a yellow and a red one. The evaluated fruit and vegetable pulps resulted from the mixture of different fruits and vegetables proportions (pineapple, beetroot, strawberry and lemon juice) added to a 50% (p/p) pear-based pulp to maximize their bioactivity, physicochemical stability and sensorial acceptance. Evaluated quality parameters included the determination of peroxidase activity (POD), pH, soluble solids content (SSC), total phenolic content (TPC), CIELab colour, sensory evaluation (colour, taste and aroma) and total mesophilic aerobic counts (TAPC). Regarding heat treatments optimization for both pulps with lower pH, it was concluded that higher temperature treatments (90 to 98 °C) applied over a shorter time (less than 5 min) were more effective to inactivate POD, to reduce the initial microbial load (>2 log10 cycles) and to maximize sensorial attributes. In both mix pulps, total phenolic content (TPC) was not significantly influenced by the different applied time-temperature binomials. From the degradation kinetic models and as an example, it was possible to conclude that POD followed a 1st order kinetic, where the temperature effect was well fitted to the Arrhenius equation. The results allowed to obtain optimized time-temperature binomials for each pulp to simultaneously achieve POD enzyme inactivation, microbial reduction, and maximization of quality parameters relatively to fresh pulps, 90 °C/5 min and 98 °C/2.5 min, for the yellow pulp and red pulp, respectivelyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Membrane Technology for Valorization of Mango Peel Extracts

Mango peel is rich in nutritional and functional compounds, such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and phenolic compounds, with high potential to be applied in the food industry. Most of the investigation about recovery of bioactive compounds from fruit bioproducts involves extraction techniques and further separation of target compounds. There is still a lack of information about the potential of membrane processes to recover the nutritive/functional compounds present in aqueous extracts of those bioproducts. This research is addressed to study the performance of ultrafiltration (UF), followed by nanofiltration (NF) of UF permeates, to fractionate the compounds present in aqueous extracts of mango peel. Both UF and NF concentration processes were carried up to a volume concentration factor of 2.0. Membranes with molecular weight cut-offs of 25 kDa and 130 Da were used in the UF and NF steps, respectively. UF and NF concentrates showed antioxidant activity, attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds, with rejections of about 75% and 98.8%, respectively. UF membranes totally rejected the higher molecular weight compounds, and NF membranes almost totally concentrated the fermentable monosaccharides and disaccharides. Therefore, it is envisaged that NF concentrates can be utilized by the food industry or for bioenergy productioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Storage Stability and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Microencapsulated Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) Pomace Extract

Tomato pomace is rich in carotenoids (mainly lycopene), which are related to important bioactive properties. In general, carotenoids are known to react easily under environmental conditions, which may create a barrier in producing stable functional components for food. This work intended to evaluate the storage stability and in vitro release of lycopene from encapsulated tomato pomace extract, and its bioaccessibility when encapsulates were incorporated in yogurt. Microencapsulation assays were carried out with tomato pomace extract as the core material and arabic gum or inulin (10 and 20 wt%) as wall materials by spray drying (160 and 200 C). The storage stability results indicate that lycopene degradation was highly influenced by the presence of oxygen and light, even when encapsulated. In vitro release studies revealed that 63% of encapsulated lycopene was released from the arabic gum particles in simulated gastric fluid, whereas for the inulin particles, the release was only around 13%. The feed composition with 20% inulin showed the best protective ability and the one that enabled releasing the bioactives preferentially in the intestine. The bioaccessibility of the microencapsulated lycopene added to yogurt increased during simulated gastrointestinal digestion as compared to the microencapsulated lycopene alone. We anticipate a high potential for the inulin microparticles containing lycopene to be used in functional food formulationsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutritional and Functional Properties of Wild Leafy Vegetables for Improving Food Security in Southern Angola

In Southern Angola, numerous non-woody forest products are sold at local markets, namely in Lubango (Huíla Province). Such is the case of herbaceous wild plants, locally known as lombi, which are sold fresh throughout the year and cooked as a vegetable. Although these wild leafy vegetables are commercialized and widely used in local food, there is still a lack of scientific knowledge about their properties. Thus, this study aimed to identify and characterize the species sold, and to determine their nutritional and functional properties. Our results revealed that three species—Amaranthus hybridus, Bidens pilosa, and Galinsoga parviflora—are usually sold at Lubango markets and consumed by local populations. These are annual exotic plants, native to Southern America, and usually occur spontaneously in croplands or disturbed areas, but can also be cultivated, particularly A. hybridus. Physico-chemical analyses of lombi species and mixtures sold at the markets included measurements of moisture, protein, lipid, and mineral content, as well as total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and levels of heavymetal contaminants. The results revealed that lombi contain a significant amount of protein (20–28 g/100 g, dry basis), high values of macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as of phenolic compounds (10–40mg GAE/g) and a good antioxidant capacity. Given the availability of lombi throughout the year, our study demonstrated the importance of wild edible plants in Angola, both as a valuable natural resources and as a complementary food sources, as well as additional sources of income for many families.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimization of the effect of pineapple by-products enhanced in bromelain by hydrostatic pressure on the texture and overall quality of silverside beef cut

Dehydrated pineapple by-products enriched in bromelain using a hydrostatic pressure treatment (225 MPa, 8.5 min) were added in marinades to improve beef properties. The steaks from the silverside cut (2 ± 0.5 cm thickness and weight 270 ± 50 g), characterized as harder and cheaper, were immersed in marinades that were added to dehydrated and pressurized pineapple by-products that corresponded to a bromelain concentration of 0–20 mg tyrosine, 100 g−1 meat, and 0–24 h time, according to the central composite factorial design matrix. Samples were characterized in terms of marination yield, pH, color, and histology. Subsequently, samples were cooked in a water-bath (80 °C, 15 min), stabilized (4 °C, 24 h), and measured for cooking loss, pH, color, hardness, and histology. Marinades (12–24 h) and bromelain concentration (10–20 mg tyrosine.100 g−1 meat) reduced pH and hardness, increased marination yield, and resulted in a lighter color. Although refrigeration was not an optimal temperature for bromelain activity, meat hardness decreased (41%). Thus, the use of pineapple by-products in brine allowed for the valorization of lower commercial value steak cuts.The first author acknowledges the financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT),Portugal, through a doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BD/109124/2015). This work was supported by the national fundingof FCT, under the scope of the strategic funding to the research units LEAF, Linking Landscape, Environment,Agriculture and Food, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, 1349-017 Lisbon (UIDP/04129/2020), CIISA,Interdisciplinary Centre of Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon,1300-477, Lisbon (UIDB/00276/2020) FMV and PDR2020-1.0.1-FEADER-031359, funded by the European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF)), QOPNA (UID/QUI/00062/2019), LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry,University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (UIDB/50006/2020) and CEB, Centre of Biological Engineering, Departmentof Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710–057 Braga (UIDP/04469/2019) through national funds andwhere applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa

In diferente regions of Africa, the people´s diet depends partially on edible products from wild animals, plants, or mushrooms, motivated not only by the high cost of living but also by the profusion of such products in local environment (Soro et al., 2019). In addition to being appreciated for their high nutritional value, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, elements (phosphorous, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc), vitamins, and lower fat amounts, thesse nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are the basis of various dietary, ethnic, cultural, religious, and medicinal considerations, depending on ethnic groups. Despite the rich biodiversity of the African continent, this remains largely unexplored resulting in a poor food contribution to the often malnourished populations (Yongabi et al., 2004). Thus, the aim of this review is to gather information on the wild mushroom species used in Central and Southern Africa and theirmain uses, with a focus on food and medicinal species.To the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), Claudete Bastos PhD grant (SFRH/BD/151519/2021), Â. Liberal PhD grant (2021.04585.BD), LEAF , cE3c (UIDB/00329/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) by-products valorization: Novel bio ingredients for functional foods

Pineapple is consumed on a large scale around the world due to its appreciated sensorial characteristics. The industry of minimally processed pineapple produces enormous quantities of by-products (3050%) which are generally undervalued. The end-of-life of pineapple by-products (PBP) can be replaced by reuse and renewal flows in an integrated process to promote economic growth by reducing consumption of natural resources and diminishing food waste. In our study, pineapple shell (PS) and pineapple core (PC), vacuum-packed separately, were subjected to moderate hydrostatic pressure (225 MPa, 8.5 min) (MHP) as abiotic stress to increase bromelain activity and antioxidant capacity. Pressurized and raw PBP were lyophilized to produce a stable powder. The dehydrated samples were characterized by the following methodologies: chemical and physical characterization, total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant capacity, bromelain activity, microbiology, and mycotoxins. Results demonstrated that PBP are naturally rich in carbohydrates (6688%), insoluble (1628%) and soluble (24%) fiber, and minerals (45%). MHP was demonstrated to be beneficial in improving TPC (24%), antioxidant activity (26%), and bromelain activity (632%) without affecting the nutritional value. Furthermore, microbial and mycotoxical analysis demonstrated that powdered PC is a safe by-product. PS application is possible but requires previous decontamination to reduce the microbiological load.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/109124/2015) and for financing the PhD grant of Renata A. Amaral (SFRH/BD/146009/2019). This work was supported by the national funding of FCT, under the scope of the strategic funding to the research units LEAF (UIDB/04129/2020), LAQV-REQUIMTE Associate Laboratory (UIDB/50006/2020) and CEB (UIDP/04469/2020) through national funds and where applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and PDR2020-101-031856 ProEnergy—New food products and bioenergy from fruits of low commercial value and agro industrial wastesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio