Heating Performances of Tomato-based Dressing Sauces Undergoing Moderate Electric Fields

Moderate electric fields (MEF) heating belongs to electro-assisted heating technologies. MEF involves the use of electrical alternate current, which is forced to pass through a food material, applying an electrical potential gradient up to 1000 V/cm with frequency going from 1 Hz to 1e4 Hz. In MEF assisted heating, the electrical current dissipates heat inside the food product, thus overcoming the heat transfer resistances due to convection or conduction. Tomato based dressing sauces represent a worldwide appreciated food product. Industrially heat transfer operations related to the production of such dressing sauces are based on the use of hot water or steam as heat carriers. Exploring new heating technologies able to shorten production times, can contribute the shift of food industry towards more efficient and less environmentally impacting processes. In order to assess the applicability of MEF heating to tomato-based dressing sauces, three different products were analysed. Namely, tomato sauce, tomato sauce with eggplant, tomato sauce with minced meat were considered. Tests were performed in a custom MEF system imposing an electrical potential difference from 50 V to 80 V. Given the fair even temperature distribution, a macroscopic transient energy balance was used to estimate the electrical conductivity of the considered products and, furthermore, the model of the electrical conductivity as a function of the temperature. Results showed that the investigated products are characterized by electrical conductivity in the range of 1 to 5 S/m, making these sauces keen to MEF heating treatment and opening new opportunity to exploit such heating technology in the preparation and processing of tomato-based dressing sauces

electrolysed water in the food industry as supporting of environmental sustainability

Food safety is a priority for the food industry and to achieve this result a correct plant sanitation programme is of the utmost importance. Among various disinfection techniques, an emerging one is represented by the use of electrolysed water (EW) as the disinfecting agent. The use of EW is compliant with the desire to find alternatives to chlorination and heat treatments, representing a green cleaning alternative to toxic disinfectants. EW is an activated liquid, obtained by passing a diluted saline solution (NaCl, KCl or MgCl2) through an electrolytic cell, thus causing the production from the anode side of electrolysed oxidising water, containing high dissolved oxygen, free chlorine and characterised by a low pH (2.3–2.7) and a high oxidation–reduction potential (ORP > 1,000 mV). At the same time from the cathode side electrolysed reduced water is produced, with high pH (10.0–11.5), high dissolved hydrogen and low ORP (−800 to −900 mV). Unlike other chemical disinfectants, EW is not harmful for skin and mucous membranes and is quite easy to handle. Furthermore, the use of EW is relatively inexpensive and, above all, is a sustainable technique. Currently used sanitisers (e.g. glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, etc.) are effective, but their adverse effects on the environment are well known. Differently from these chemicals, the use of EW has a reduced impact on the environment and because of its properties, it may find several applications in the food industry. In this work, the characteristics and some EW applications as sustainable sanitation technique applied in the food industry are reported and discussed

Glycaemic index of gluten-free biscuits with resistant starch and sucrose replacers: An in vivo and in vitro comparative study

© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11203253The glycaemic index (GI) is used to demonstrate the tendency of foods to increase blood glucose and is thus an important characteristic of newly formulated foods to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetics and associated diseases. The GI of gluten-free biscuits formulated with alternate flours, resistant starch and sucrose replacers was determined using in vivo methods with human subjects. The relationship between in vivo GI values and the predicted glycaemic index (pGI) from the in vitro digestibility-based protocols, generally used by researchers, was established. The in vivo data showed a gradual reduction in GI with increased levels of sucrose substitution by maltitol and inulin with biscuits where sucrose was fully replaced, showing the lowest GI of 33. The correlation between the GI and pGI was food formulation-dependent, even though GI values were lower than the reported pGI. Applying a correction factor to pGI tend to close the gap between the GI and pGI for some formulations but also causes an underestimation of GI for other samples. The results thus suggest that it may not be appropriate to use pGI data to classify food products according to their GI.Published onlin

Development and characterization of phytosterol-enriched oil microcapsules for foodstuff application

Phytosterols are lipophilic compounds contained in plants and have several biological activities. The use of phytosterols in food fortification is hampered due to their high melting temperature, chalky taste, and low solubility in an aqueous system. Also, phytosterols are easily oxidized and are poorly absorbed by the human body. Formulation engineering coupled with microencapsulation could be used to overcome these problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of encapsulating soybean oil enriched with phytosterols by spray-drying using ternary mixtures of health-promoting ingredients, whey protein isolate (WPI), inulin, and chitosan as carrier agents. The effect of different formulations and spray-drying conditions on the microencapsules properties, encapsulation efficiency, surface oil content, and oxidation stability were studied. It was found that spherical WPI-inulin-chitosan phytosterol-enriched soybean oil microcapsules with an average size below 50 μm could be produced with good encapsulation efficiency (85%), acceptable level of surface oil (11%), and water activity (0.2–0.4) that meet industrial requirements. However, the microcapsules showed very low oxidation stability with peroxide values reaching 101.7 meq O2/kg of oil just after production, and further investigations and optimization are required before any industrial application of this encapsulated system

Extra virgin olive oil bitterness evaluation by sensory and chemical analyses

An experimental investigation was performed on blend extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from different cultivars and EVOO from different olive monovarieties (Coratina, Leccino, Maiatica, Ogliarola) with the aim to evaluate the possibility of estimating the perceived bitterness intensity by using chemical indices, such as the total phenol content and the compounds responsible for oil bitterness measured spectrophotometrically at 225 nm (K225 value), as bitterness predictors in different EVOO. Therefore, a bitterness predictive model, based on the relationship between the perceived bitterness intensity of the selected stimuli andthe chosen chemicals parameters has been built and validated. The results indicated that the oil bitternessintensity could be satisfactorily predicted by using the K225 values of oil samples

METODI FOTOMETRICI PER LA DETERMINAZIONE DI PARAMETRI QUALITATIVI DELL’OLIO EXTRAVERGINE DI OLIVA

The quality of extra virgin olive oils is determined by physico-chemical and sensory parameters well-defined and established by Reg. 1989/2003/EC. Among the factors affecting the quality characteristics and the stability of this category of oils, it is important to consider the degree of acidity, the oxidative state and the antioxidant content. The official methods described in the rule consider the determination of oil acidity by an acid-base titration and the determination of the peroxide value, which represents an index of oxidative state, by a redox titration. An official method for the determination of the oxidative stability of oils is not available, but a wide bibliography relates this property with the content of polyphenolic substances. In the present work has been evaluated the possibility of using an apparatus based on photometric methods (Oxitester) for the determination of acidity, peroxide value and index of polyphenols as an alternative to the official methods of analysis or those commonlyused. A total of 113 extra virgin olive oils produced in the Basilicata region by using a twophase centrifugal extraction and obtained from various cultivars were analysed

Metodi fotometrici per la determinazione di parametri qualitativi dell'olio extravergine di oliva. In: Ricerche e Innovazioni per l'Industria Alimentare, Vol. XI

La qualità degli oli extravergini di oliva è determinata da parametri chimico-fisici e sensoriali ben definiti e stabiliti dal Reg. 1989/2003/CE. Fra i fattori che influenzano le caratteristiche di pregio e la stabilità di questa categoria di oli è importante considerare il grado di acidità, lo stato ossidativo e il tenore in sostanze antiossidanti. I metodi ufficiali descritti nella citata normativa prevedono la determinazione dell’acidità degli oli attraverso una titolazione acido-base e la determinazione del numero di perossidi, che rappresentano un indice dello stato ossidativo, attraverso una titolazione redox. Non esiste invece un metodo ufficiale per la determinazione della stabilità ossidativa degli oli, ma un’ampia bibliografia correla questa proprietà al contenuto di sostanze polifenoliche. Nel presente lavoro è stata valutata la possibilità di utilizzare una apparecchiatura basata su metodi fotometrici (Oxitester) per la determinazione di acidità, numero di perossidi e indice di polifenoli in alternativa ai metodi ufficiali di analisi o a quelli comunemente utilizzati. Allo scopo sono stati analizzati 113 campioni di oli extravergini di oliva lucani ottenuti partendo da varie cultivar e prodotti utilizzando l’estrazione per centrifugazione a due fasi

Experimental gluten-free biscuits with underexploited flours versus commercial products: Preference pattern and sensory characterisation by Check All That Apply Questionnaire

Acceptability and the sensory profile of experimental and commercial gluten-free biscuits were evaluated using a consumer test. Experimental biscuits contained flours little employed in commercial gluten-free products (buckwheat, sorghum and lentil) and without rice and maize flours and starches. Liking scores, answers to a Check All That Apply questionnaire and responses to a dietary habits survey were collected from consumers. Consumers were clustered through Hierarchical Clustering of Principal Components and CLUSCATA. Interestingly, the cluster that, based on dietary habits survey, was more used to the consumption of wholemeal biscuits preferred experimental formulations. On the contrary, liking scores expressed by consumers that consumed less often wholemeal biscuits were below the threshold of acceptance. Different groups of consumers had a diverse perception of the products and different drivers of liking and disliking. The information achieved in this study confirms the importance of consumers’ data. © 2021 The Authors. International Journal of Food Science & Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF)

Experimental gluten-free biscuits with underexploited flours versus commercial products: Preference pattern and sensory characterisation by Check All That Apply Questionnaire

t Acceptability and the sensory profile of experimental and commercial gluten-free biscuits were evaluated using a consumer test. Experimental biscuits contained flours little employed in commercial gluten-free products (buckwheat, sorghum and lentil) and without rice and maize flours and starches. Liking scores, answers to a Check All That Apply questionnaire and responses to a dietary habits survey were collected from consumers. Consumers were clustered through Hierarchical Clustering of Principal Components and CLUSCATA. Interestingly, the cluster that, based on dietary habits survey, was more used to the consumption of wholemeal biscuits preferred experimental formulations. On the contrary, liking scores expressed by consumers that consumed less often wholemeal biscuits were below the threshold of acceptance. Different groups of consumers had a diverse perception of the products and different drivers of liking and disliking. The information achieved in this study confirms the importance of consumers’ data

Experimental gluten‐free biscuits with underexploited flours versus commercial products. Preference pattern and sensory characterization by Check All That Apply Questionnaire

t Acceptability and the sensory profile of experimental and commercial gluten-free biscuits were evaluated using a consumer test. Experimental biscuits contained flours little employed in commercial gluten-free products (buckwheat, sorghum and lentil) and without rice and maize flours and starches. Liking scores, answers to a Check All That Apply questionnaire and responses to a dietary habits survey were collected from consumers. Consumers were clustered through Hierarchical Clustering of Principal Components and CLUSCATA. Interestingly, the cluster that, based on dietary habits survey, was more used to the consumption of wholemeal biscuits preferred experimental formulations. On the contrary, liking scores expressed by consumers that consumed less often wholemeal biscuits were below the threshold of acceptance. Different groups of consumers had a diverse perception of the products and different drivers of liking and disliking. The information achieved in this study confirms the importance of consumers’ data