Validation of LC-MS/MS for food colors in foodstuffs and household products

The aim of this study was to develop a quadrupole liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method suitable for quantification of synthetic food colors, used as additives or occurring as adulterants in the food or cosmetics industries. Ten colors were validated in terms of limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, trueness and applicability. All tested parameters of the validation were within acceptable values, and the method was comparable to the existing high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC UV-PDA) method

Detection of milk fat in dairy products — an alternative approach

Milk fat is a highly valuable product, which is why accurate determination of its content in milk and milk products is very important. The use of the GC-FID method in our study proved to be very precise, as in the case of other authors, which signifies the importance of using this method to quantify milk fat. A total of 51 samples of dairy products were analyzed for fatty acid composition with particular attention to butyric acid. Butyric acid contents were in the range from 3.4 ± 0.73 in yogurt to 4.60 ± 0.08 in butter. Milk fat was in the range from 98.5 ± 4.77 in yogurt to 115.0 ± 1.73 in butter. Our results were in accordance with those of many other authors. Development of butyric acid and milk fat analyses in dairy products by GC-FID is essential for laboratories that must conduct analyses for food production, quality control during production, and inspection tasks for the import and export of these food products

Nutritional properties of frankfurters with added chlorophyll-deficient Chlorella vulgaris mutants

Microalgae have been proven to be a promising functional and sustainable ingredient in different food matrices, including some meat products [1,2,3,4,5,6]. However, the coloring of meat products containing microalgae Spirulina maxima and Chlorella vulgaris in a dark green could lead to consumers` rejection of these products. To overcome the color barrier, we used white and yellow chlorophyll-deficient C. vulgaris mutants, commercially available (Honey Chlorella), in designing acceptable products. The study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition (chemical, fatty, amino acid, and mineral composition) of pork frankfurters enriched with 3% of yellow and white C. vulgaris. The inclusion of these microalgae resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in protein (0.8- 0.85%) and ash, while moisture and fat content decreased. Following current Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and the amended Commission Regulation (EU) No 1047/2012, the ˝high protein˝ content claims can be assumed for microalgae enriched frankfurters. Carbohydrates increased with microalgae addition due to the increase in fibers. The sum of total essential amino acids and essential/nonessential amino acid ratio was higher (P < 0.05) in groups containing microalgae. In addition, white C. vulgaris samples had better Lys:Arg ratio compared to the control and honey C. vulgaris groups. Frankfurters with microalgae had significantly more (P < 0.05) n-3 PUFAs, mainly alfa-linolenic, gamma-linolenic, and eicosatrienoic acid, along with significantly lower amounts (P < 0.05) of SFAs, mainly palmitic and stearic acid. C. vulgaris mutants resulted in increased total PUFA, lower PUFA/SFA ratio, n−6/n−3 ratios, lower atherogenic index (AI), and thrombogenicity index (IT) compared to reference frankfurters. C. vulgaris inclusion in formulations increased (P < 0.05) Na, K, Ca, P and Zn, but lowered Mn compared to control frankfurters. In addition, frankfurters fortified with white C. vulgaris resulted in higher iron content and lower copper content compared to the control. Moreover, microalgae enrichment lowered the Na/K ratio by 34.74% and 16.42%, respectively, resulting in a significantly better ratio closer to the recommended one. Using microalgae to create innovative meat products can bring potential health benefits to consumers due to the enhanced nutritional profile of these products.Book of Abstract

White and honey Chlorella vulgaris: Sustainable ingredients with the potential to improve nutritional value of pork frankfurters without compromising quality

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the chlorophyll-deficient microalgae mutants, honey (yellow) and white Chlorella vulgaris, (3%) on the nutritional, physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of frankfurters. The presence of microalgae resulted in increased PUFA content and higher PUFA/SFA ratio, but lower n-6/n-3 ratio and lipid indices (P < 0.05). C. vulgaris inclusion in frankfurters increased (P < 0.05) Na, K, Ca, P, and Zn and improved the Na/K ratio, but lowered Mn, and in the case of white C. vulgaris, Cu content, compared to the control. The higher protein content decreased water release from emulsions elaborated with microalgae. White C. vulgaris inclusion decreased cohesiveness and springiness of the frankfurters. Due to the presence of pigment, microalgae inclusion led to a decrease in redness and an increase in yellowness of frankfurters. The presence of microalgae resulted in lower (P < 0.05) bacterial counts and did not affect TBARs during storage. The addition of microalgae in frankfurters produced acceptable sensory characteristics but resulted in lower scores compared to reference products