Recent progress and future perspectives on non-thermal apple juice processing techniques

Abstract Fresh apple juice is one of the most popular and consumed juice, owing to its pleasant taste, natural flavour and nutritional richness. Regular consumption of apple juice is associated with reducing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular related diseases, asthma and diabetes. However,  the shelf life of apple juice is limited by detrimental effect of enzymes. Due to the demand of wholesome nutritious product, there arises a need for adoption of novel non-thermal techniques as they help to retain the nutritional content and at the same time aid in improving the shelf life as compared to the thermal treatment. High pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound, pulsed light, UV, high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) are all examples of novel procedures tested and tried for the better retention of nutritional and phytochemical composition in apple juice. This study aimed to find the influence of these mechanisms on the quality and composition of apple juice. Apple juice processing has been successfully examined using non-thermal techniques. These exhibited promising results in terms of minimising physical, chemical, enzymatic and microbial deterioration of the apple juice while still retaining a high percentage of nutritious components. Though all the non-thermal process require a hurdle approach for inactivation of enzymes, HC can be a better alternative in terms of operating costs and ease in handling the bulk volumes of juice. Graphical Abstrac

Chemical, Physical, and Technological Characteristics of Palm Olein and Canola Oil Blends

Because of the limited technical properties of their native forms, oils and fats are frequently blended to achieve the desired textural and oxidative properties. In this study, canola and palm oil blends were prepared in nine different proportions: B1 (90 : 10), B2 (80 : 20), B3 (70 : 30), B4 (60 : 40), B5 (50 : 50), B6 (40 : 60), B7 (30 : 70), B8 (20 : 80), and B9 (10 : 90). Pure palm oil (PO) and canola oil (CO) were used as the controls. All blends were assessed for physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, heat treatment, and polymer content. The results indicated negative cold tests only for B1 and B2 blends with 10 and 20% PO, respectively. Iodine value decreased with increasing palm oil concentration and was lowest (62.03 ± 0.526) for blend B9, i.e., 90% PO. The fatty acid profile indicated more saturated fatty acids and a higher percentage of oleic acid in PO than in CO. The fatty acid profile values of blends B1–B9 were between those of the pure PO and CO. Linoleic and linolenic acids were more in blends B1–B9 than those in pure PO. The polymer content of PO (7.17%) was found to be lower than that of CO (10.32%) after 60 h of heating at 180°C. In addition, biologically active substances (BASs), which could be formed during the frying process, were tested by measuring the inhibition zone of E. coli growth. PO retarded BAS formation. The blended palm or canola oils resulted in better stability and increased organoleptic characteristics and hence can be suitable as economical and healthy alternatives to pure palm or canola oil

Exploring sustainable novel millet protein: A look at the future foods through innovative processing

The increase in human population brings major concerns related to food sustainability, security and nutrition across the globe. This led to massive efforts to explore protein-rich foods as potential candidates for future foods and investigate innovative green and sustainable processing techniques. Millet, a drought-resistant crop, is a promising candidate of future foods due to its unique agricultural performance and excellent nutritional profile. Nevertheless, its undesirable properties i.e., astringency and bitterness pose a challenge in formulating millet-based foods. In this review, a multi-disciplinary approach focussed on modification techniques including physical, chemical, biological and novel has been presented. Also, the challenges faced by food processors to formulate millet based futuristic foods and applications of modified millet proteins have been included. The modification leads to denaturation or degradation which alters three-dimensional structure and break down of proteins in smaller fragments respectively making it attractive option as a delivery carrier and protein rich food to address food insecurity