Ingredients from climate resilient crops to enhance the nutritional quality of gluten-free bread

One percent of the global population requires a gluten-free diet. With concurrent global warming and population growth, it is increasingly necessary to optimize the use of ingredients from resilient crops, such as tapioca. Tapioca flour is used in low proportions in bread due to its lack of gluten. Sourdough fermentation can enhance the nutritional value of bread but also causes a sour taste. Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. globosum can reduce food acidity while synthesizing several nutrients, such as vitamin B12. Aquafaba is a known hydrocolloid and prebiotic. Therefore, the objective of this study was to test the sourdough fermentation of a composite bread based on tapioca and brown rice flour, cultured with Lactobacillus lactis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. globosum enriched in aquafaba. The bread quality was measured instrumentally (hardness, volume, moisture content) and with a semi-trained sensory panel (focus group). The co-fermentation of the Lactobacillus lactis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. Globosum produced palatable bread, improving the appearance, taste, and texture in comparison to the yeast-leavened recipe. This co-fermentation also enabled shorter production times, reducing it from 1 h to 30 min. The addition of the aquafaba further improved the bread appearance, texture, and volume, although a bitter tasting crust was reported. The co-fermentation of the tapioca–brown rice composite flour with Lactobacillus lactis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. globosum produced acceptable bread, which could provide a climate-resilient solution to food sustainability. The aquafaba addition further enhanced such improvements and the baking performance, offering sustainability in terms of nutrition, sensory quality, and price

Physicochemical and sensory evaluation of grain-based food

Grain-based food is a staple of the human diet. Whether it is cereals, legumes or pseudocereals, grain-based diets provide nutritional benefits. This can be in the form of macronutrients (starch, fibre, protein, and lipids) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins), as well as bioactive peptides and phytochemicals [1]. Grains are used to develop bakery products, such as savory (bread, gluten-free bread, crackers, and pasta) and sweet (cakes and muffins) [2] in addition to plant-based beverages (milk alternatives), fermented products (such as yoghurt and fermented paste), extrudates and other snacks [3]. Furthermore, grain-based ingredients offer emulsifying, foaming and thickening abilities [4]. Raw materials include cereals (barley, corn, millet, rice, rye, spelt, wheat), legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, and soybeans) and pseudocereals (amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, and sorghum). The functionalities are numerous, spanning from health to taste. In order to fully exploit the nutritional potential of grain-based foods, consumer acceptance must be achieved. This will guarantee compliance. The acceptability of food can be studied both instrumentally and via sensory science

Lochkovian conodonts in the Rio Malinfier West section

The Lockhovian conodont fauna from the new Rio Malinfier section is discussed and commented

Predictive glycaemic response of pasta enriched with juice, puree, and pomace from red cabbage and spinach

This study reports the digestibility and nutritional quality of pasta made from durum wheat semolina which was partially substituted by puree, juice or pomace from spinach and red cabbage. The results show that 10% substitution of semolina with red cabbage pomace and spinach pomace, 1% substitution of spinach juice, and 2% substitution of spinach puree significantly reduced the area under the curve of the in vitro starch digestion. This reduction was due to a combined effect of decreased starch content, increased dietary fibre content and inhibition of α-amylase caused by vegetable material addition. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity increased significantly on raw, cooked and digested samples of vegetable fortified pasta compared to control. The β-carotene content of spinach pasta (raw, cooked, and digested) was also higher than that of control. At the 1% substitution level, the juice was more efficient in improving the antioxidant capacity of resultant pasta compared to puree or pomace

The Scoop on SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast): Exploring consumer behaviours towards a novel ice cream

With the growing demand for sustainable practises, the food industry is increasingly adopting circular economy approaches. One example is recycling the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) used in kombucha fermentation to create value-added products. However, consumer acceptance of such novel products remains unclear. To address this, the present study examined consumer attitudes towards ice cream made with SCOBY as an ingredient and how this affected their intention to consume it. Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and additional constructs such as emotions and food neophobia, an online survey was conducted with New Zealand consumers (N = 170). Results showed that the TPB constructs significantly predicted the intention to consume SCOBY ice cream. Moreover, by adding emotions to the constructs, the model’s explanatory power was enhanced. Attitudes, subjective norms, and emotions were the main predictors of intention, which in turn was found to be the main predictor of behaviour. Participants’ beliefs about the safety and taste of SCOBY ice cream were significantly correlated with their intention and behaviour, as were the opinions of nutritionists/dietitians, friends, and family. The model accounted for 21.7% of the variance in behaviour and 57.4% of the variance in intention. These findings can be used to plan marketing strategies related to waste-to-value-added products such as SCOBY ice cream

Advances in the preparations and applications of nanochitins

Chitin is a widely available polysaccharide, biodegradable, insoluble in most solvents and with low antigenic properties. Chitin nanoparticles such as nano whiskers and nanofiber (CHNF) can form a stable and uniform dispersion. The nanoparticle suspension shows the properties of crude chitin as well as the properties of high aspect ratio, high surface area, low density, and hydroxyl group, N-acetyl group and the residual amine group on its surface can also be chemically modified. This review describes nanochitin preparation technologies and food applications. Specifically, the role of nanochitin in modulating fat-soluble bioavailability and saltiness perception was investigated. Fat-soluble vitamins incorporated into CHNF are less available for digestion. Whereas hyaluronic acid and cancer-treatment drugs can be delivered through the skin to targeted locations via chitin nanogels. Interestingly, CHNF enhances saltiness perception via ionic binding with taste receptors. At pH < 7, the amino group chelates chloride, thus releasing sodium for interaction with salt receptors. This mechanism may allow salt reduction in food formulations. Furthermore, nanochitins express surfactant properties and strengthen composite food packaging (starch- or gelatin-based, gelatin nanocomposite, nanocellulose/nanochitin membranes coating F-SiO₂ suspensions). This paper can help build a better understanding of the opportunities of nanochitin as functional food ingredient

Evaluation of sensory and physicochemical characteristics of vitamin B₁₂ enriched whole-meal sourdough bread fermented with propionibacterium freudenreichii

The sustainable production of vegan or vegetarian food rich in vitamin B₁₂ is a challenge. Propionibacterium freudenreichii fermentation has been identified as an effective method for the enhancement of vitamin B₁₂ content in foods. However, limited studies have been conducted on the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with other bacteria. This study investigated the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with Lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) and its effects on the sensory characteristics of whole-meal sourdough bread (WMSB) in comparison to WMSB produced with LAB alone. The effects of P. freudenreichii co-fermentation on WMSB vitamin B₁₂ content were also evaluated. Results indicated that P. freudenreichii co-fermentation with LAB significantly reduced (p < 0.05) crumb hardness when compared with WMSB produced with only LAB (4532 ± 176 g and 5313 ± 846 g respectively). A significantly higher adhesiveness (p < 0.05) was also observed due to the presence of P. freudenreichii. Triangle testing showed that perceptible differences were observed between the two WMSB types investigated in this study (p < 0.05). Qualitative data from focus group testing indicated that WMSB produced with co-fermentation has a more homogeneous texture. However, improvement in aroma, texture, and taste was possible in both bread types. The co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii with Lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) was successful in producing bread with enriched vitamin B₁₂ levels (ranging from 0.89 to 1.44 µg 100 g‾¹). Overall, the co-fermentation of P. freudenreichii presents an opportunity to improve the nutritional value of WMSB

Sensory quality of upcycled legume water: Expectation vs. reality

Aquafaba and liluva are names used to define the processing water of food legumes. Large volumes of liluva are generated by frozen pea manufacturers (blanching water) and tofu producers (tofu whey). Studies have shown the potential of aquafaba and liluva in food applications as texture improvers and sources of bioactive substances and prebiotics. Nonetheless, no information on consumer perception of these new food ingredients is available. Therefore, this study investigated consumer expectations of steam blanching pea water (SBPW) and tofu whey (TW), correlating it with their actual sensory qualities and functional properties. Specifically, liluva was used as a source of prebiotics and hydrocolloids in 3D-printed mashed potatoes to enhance their rheology and printability. A preliminary survey showed a limited understanding of SBPW and TW as food ingredients, with only 43% and 38% of subjects willing to try TW and SBPW, respectively, with most subjects unsure on whether they wanted to or not (34% tofu whey and 49% liluva). Once the actual sensory test was conducted, TW-added mashed potato received favorable scores for all sensory attributes (appearance, aroma, taste, and texture). In contrast, SBPW-added mashed potato had a negative score on the color, as all nine focus group subjects described the color as gray. Overall, TW enhanced the printability of mashed potatoes due to its emulsifying ability and possibly coagulants derived from tofu making, and it was more appreciated sensory-wise, resulting in being the most preferred out of three samples (SBPW, TW, and control). Therefore, emphasizing consumer education may be key when expanding these innovative food ingredients to other food areas

Selectivity for grip type and action goal in macaque inferior parietal and ventral premotor grasping neurons.

Grasping objects requires the selection of specific grip postures in relation to objects' physical properties. Furthermore, grasping acts can be embedded into actions aimed at different goals, depending on the context in which the action is performed. Here we assessed whether information on grip and action type integrate at the single neuron level within the parieto-frontal motor system. For this purpose, we trained three monkeys to perform simple grasp-to-eat and grasp-to-place actions, depending on contextual cues, in which different grip types were required, in relation to target features. We recorded 173 grasping neurons: 86 from the inferior parietal area PFG and 87 from the ventral premotor area F5. Results showed that most neurons in both areas are selective for the grip type, but the discharge of many of them, particularly in PFG, appears to differ in relation to action context. Kinematics data and control experiments indicated that neuronal selectivity appears to more likely depend on the action goal triggered by the context rather than on specific contextual elements. The temporal dynamics of grip and goal selectivity showed that grasping neurons reflect first "how" the object has to be grasped (grip), to guide and monitor the hand shaping phase, then "why" the action is performed (goal), very likely to facilitate subsequent motor acts following grasping. These findings suggest that, in the parieto-frontal system, grip types and action goals are processed by both parallel and converging pathways, and area PFG appears to be particularly relevant for integrating this information for action organization