Design of a “clean-label” gluten-free bread to meet consumers demand

The market of gluten-free (GF) products has been steadily increasing in last few years. Due to the technological importance of gluten, the GF food production is still a challenge for the industry. Indeed, large quantities of fat, sugars, structuring agents, and flavor enhancers are added to GF formulations to make textural and sensorial characteristics comparable to conventional products, leading to nutritional and caloric intake imbalances. The formulation of the novel “clean-label” GF bread included a commonly used mixture of maize and rice flour (ratio 1:1) fortified with selected protein-rich flours. Naturally hydrocolloids-containing flours (psyllium, flaxseed, chia) were included in the bread formulation as structuring agents. A type-II sourdough was obtained by using a selected Weissella cibaria P9 and a GF sucrose-containing flour as substrate for fermentation to promote the exo-polysaccharides synthesis by the starter lactic acid bacterium. A two-step protocol for breadmaking was set-up: first, the GF sourdough was fermented (24 h at 30 °C); then, it was mixed with the other ingredients (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. Overall, the novel GF bread was characterized by good textural properties, high protein content (8.9% of dry matter) and in vitro protein digestibility (76.9%), low sugar (1.0% of dry matter) and fat (3.1% of dry matter) content, and an in vitro predicted glycemic index of 85

Design of a plant-based yogurt-like product fortified with hemp flour. Formulation and characterization

Plant-based milk alternatives have gained massive popularity among consumers because of their sustainable production compared to bovine milk and because of meeting the nutritional requests of consumers affected by cow milk allergies and lactose intolerance. In this work, hemp flour, in a blend with rice flour, was used to design a novel lactose- and gluten-free yogurt-like (YL) product with suitable nutritional, functional, and sensory features. The growth and the acidification of three different lactic acid bacteria strains were monitored to better set up the biotechnological protocol for making the YL product. Hemp flour conferred the high fiber (circa 2.6 g/100 g), protein (circa 4 g/100 g), and mineral contents of the YL product, while fermentation by selected lactic acid bacteria increased the antioxidant properties (+8%) and the soluble fiber (+0.3 g/100 g), decreasing the predicted glycemic index (−10%). As demonstrated by the sensory analysis, the biotechnological process decreased the earthy flavor (typical of raw hemp flour) and increased the acidic and creamy sensory perceptions. Supplementation with natural clean-label vanilla powder and agave syrup was proposed to further decrease the astringent and bitter flavors. The evaluation of the starter survival and biochemical properties of the product under refrigerated conditions suggests an estimated shelf-life of 30 days. This work demonstrated that hemp flour might be used as a nutritional improver, while fermentation with a selected starter represents a sustainable and effective option for exploiting its potential

Bioprocessing to preserve and improve microalgae nutritional and functional potential. Novel insight and perspectives

Microalgae are aquatic unicellular microorganisms and, although various species are approved for human consumption, Arthrospira and Chlorella are the most widespread. Several nutritional and functional properties have been bestowed to microalgae principal micro- and macro-nutrients, with antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anticancer being the most common. The many references to their potential as a food of the future is mainly ascribed to the high protein and essential amino acid content, but they are also a source of pigments, lipids, sterols, polysaccharides, vitamins, and phenolic compounds with positive effects on human health. Nevertheless, microalgae use is often hindered by unpleasant color and flavor and several strategies have been sought to minimize such challenges. This review provides an overview of the strategies so far proposed and the main nutritional and functional characteristic of microalgae and the foods made thereof. Processing treatments have been used to enrich microalgae-derived substrates in compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-hypertensive properties. Extraction, microencapsulation, enzymatic treatments, and fermentation are the most common, each with their own pros and cons. Yet, for microalgae to be the food of the future, more effort should be put into finding the right pre-treatments that can allow the use of the whole biomass and be cost-effective while bringing about features that go beyond the mere increase of proteins

Plant-based alternatives to yogurt: State-of-the-art and perspectives of new biotechnological challenges

Due to the increasing demand for milk alternatives, related to both health and ethical needs, plant-based yogurt-like products have been widely explored in recent years. With the main goal to obtain snacks similar to the conventional yogurt in terms of textural and sensory properties and ability to host viable lactic acid bacteria for a long-time storage, several plant-derived ingredients (e.g., cereals, pseudocereals, legumes, and fruits) as well as technological solutions (e.g., enzymatic and thermal treatments) have been investigated. The central role of fermentation in yogurt-like production led to specific selections of lactic acid bacteria strains to be used as starters to guarantee optimal textural (e.g., through the synthesis of exo-polysaccharydes), nutritional (high protein digestibility and low content of anti-nutritional compounds), and functional (synthesis of bioactive compounds) features of the products. This review provides an overview of the novel insights on fermented yogurt-like products. The state-of-the-art on the use of unconventional ingredients, traditional and innovative biotechnological processes, and the effects of fermentation on the textural, nutritional, functional, and sensory features, and the shelf life are described. The supplementation of prebiotics and probiotics and the related health effects are also reviewed

Use of selected lactic acid bacteria for the fermentation of legume-based water extracts

In this study, the effect of selected Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, Limosilactobacillus fermentum DSM 20052, and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei DSM 20312 strains on the sensory characteristics, and protein and amino acid content of fermented water extracts derived from lupin, pea, and bean grains is reported. Even though all strains were able to grow over 7 log cfu mL(-1) and to decrease pH in the range of -0.52 to -1.25 within 24 h, the release of an unpleasant ferric-sulfurous off-odor from the fermented bean water extract prohibited further characterization. Lupin and pea grain-based beverages underwent an in-depth sensory evaluation using a simplified check-all-that-apply (CATA) method, finding new and appreciable sensory notes such as cooked ham, almonds, and sandalwood. Fermented lupin water extract showed higher total protein content (on average, 0.93 mg mL(-1)) in comparison to that of pea grains (on average, 0.08 mg mL(-1)), and a free amino acid content (on average, 3.9 mg mL(-1)) close to that of cow milk. The concentrations of these nutrients decreased during refrigerated storage, when the lactic acid bacteria load was always higher than 7 log cfu mL(-1). The results of this study indicated that lactic fermentation improves the sensory characteristics of these innovative legume-based beverages, which sustained high loads of viable lactobacilli up to the end of cold storage

Temperature-Dependent Thévenin Model of a Li-Ion Battery for Automotive Management and Control

This paper focuses on the analysis of Li-ion battery behavior at different temperatures through the Thévenin electrical circuit model. First, evaluations for both steady-state and dynamic battery applications are provided, then an overview of the different battery models to describe their dynamic behavior is analyzed. The focus is dedicated to the double polarization Thévenin-based equivalent circuit model since it represents an optimal trade-off between accuracy and computation effort, which justifies its implementation in a Battery Management System (BMS) for automotive real-time monitoring and control. The model is composed of a voltage source, one series resistor and two series RC blocks. The Hybrid Pulse Power Characterization test (HPPC) is performed inside a climatic chamber to extract the electrical parameters of the model and their dependency from both temperature and State Of Charge (SOC). The load-current effects on the battery performance are not considered for the simplicity and lightness of the presented model. The presented procedure has broader validity and is mostly independent of cell format and Li-ion chemistry, despite a specific cylindrical battery cell is chosen for the study. The results of the test are suitable for the future implementation of a proper algorithm for SOC and State Of Health SOH estimations. Moreover, they provide an effective electrical and thermal characterization of the cell to evaluate the heat generation rate inside the cell

Dynamic Electro-Thermal Li-ion Battery Model for Control Algorithms

This paper presents a fast and effective approach to evaluate the heat generation of a Li-ion battery system. The thermal characterization of Li-ion batteries is a relevant topic for the correct monitoring of the battery pack. In particular, a reduced-order model, that estimates the thermal dynamics of a Li-ion battery cell, is reported. The proposed approach relies on the definition of a boundary-value problem for heat conduction, in the form of a linear partial differential equation with the integration of Equivalent Circuit Model. The model is based on the double polarization Thévenin equivalent circuit model since it represents an optimal trade-off between accuracy and computation effort, which justifies its implementation in a Battery Management System (BMS) for automotive real-time monitoring and control. The resulting model predicts the temperature dynamics at the external surface in relation with the rate of the internal heat generation. In this paper, the model is applied to estimate the temperature of a cylindrical cell during a discharging transient and it uses electrical data acquired from experimental tests and is validated Computational fluid dynamics simulation. The results of the test are suitable for the future implementation of a proper algorithm for State of Charge SOC and State of Health SOH estimations

Electrothermal battery pack model for automotive application: Design and validation

Thermal modeling of the battery is an important way to understand how the design and operating variables affect the thermal response during its operation. This paper presents a method for modeling the electrical and thermal behavior of a battery pack, starting from the characterization of the single Lithium-ion battery cell up to extend its validity to module and pack level. The model takes into account both the reversible entropic heat generation and the irreversible resistive heat to predict the temperature of the battery. A coupled CFD and thermal analysis on an elementary module is proposed and experimentally tested to validate the results obtained from the proposed model. Furthermore, the experimental test will verify the effectiveness of air cooling