Desarrollo de métodos analíticos para el estudio en alimentos de fenómenos de oxidación lipídica y migración provenientes del material de envase

Textos en inglés e castelánEl gran desarrollo de la industria alimentaria ha supuesto un notable avance en lo que se refiere a la conservación y ha puesto a disposición de los consumidores nuevas técnicas de conservación (pasteurización, liofilización y ultracongelación). Una de las causas más comunes de deterioro de los alimentos durante el almacenamiento es la oxidación lipídica. En los últimos años este fenómeno ha suscitado un gran interés por parte de los investigadores y de la opinión pública debido a su potencial influencia en el proceso de envejecimiento y en varias enfermedades como la arteriosclerosis y el cáncer

Active Edible Packaging

This article belongs to the Section Material Sciences.Definition: Active edible packaging is a food packaging made of comestible bioproducts and active compounds that interacts with the food. The bioproducts, usually biopolymers, must be recognized as safe and with characteristics to be consumed by humans—comestible—and not toxic and capable of carrying an active compound, like anti-browning agents, colorants, flavors, nutrients, antimicrobial and/or antioxidant compounds, in order to extend the product shelf-life, reduce contamination and maintain or even enhance the nutritional value.This work was supported by UIDB/04077/2020 and UIDB/00211/2020 with funding from FCT/MCTES. This research was also supported by the PANACEA project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement 773501.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Extending poultry meat shelf life through the application of Cyanara cardunculus L. leaf extracts

Cynara cardunculus L. (Asteraceae), commonly named cardoon, is a multipurpose crop that includes three varieties, the globe artichoke (var. scolymus (L.) Fiori), the cultivated cardoon (var. altilis DC.), and the wild cardoon (var. sylvestris (Lamk) Fiori). Its flower is normally used as vegetal rennet in the production of some cheeses and its leaves, the main by-product generated, are known for its excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities1. These properties may be an asset in the food industry as cardoons’ leaves may be used to delay lipid oxidation and microbial growth, thus prolonging foods’ shelf life. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cultivated cardoon leaves and the globe artichoke leaves ethanolic extracts, on poultry meat preservation. Poultry meat was mixed with the different extracts at a concentration of 1% (w/w) and stored under refrigeration (5°C ± 2°C) for 15 days. The microbiological growth was evaluated through the assessment of the total mesophilic aerobic microorganisms, total psychrotrophic aerobic microorganisms, and Enterobacteriaceae. The physicochemical characterization was evaluated through moisture, pH, acidity, colour and Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVBN), and the lipid oxidation by Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS). Both extracts were effective in retarding microbial growth by maintaining constant pH and level of acidity. After 15 days, poultry meat with both extracts showed a difference up to 11 log CFU/g to control samples (without extract). Also, both extracts were able to reduce the lipid oxidation of the poultry meat when compared to the control samples, at the end of the assay. The colour of extracts can be a limitation due to the greenish-yellow colour that is seen in the meat, although it was more evident in the sample with the cardoon extract. Overall, cardoon extract was the most effective in extending poultry meat shelf life.Cássia H. Barbosa thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal for the Ph.D. Grant 2021.08154.BD. The authors would like to thank the company NINA, Lda, for kindly supplying the cardoon leaves. This work was financially supported by the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center—MEtRICs, which is financed by national funds from the FCT/MCTES (UIDB/04077/2020 and UIDP/04077/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring Cyanara cardunculus L. potential for the food industry: the antioxidant pattern

Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) is a versatile perennial crop indigenous to the Mediterranean region that has three botanical varieties including wild cardoon (var. sylvestris (Lamk) Fiori), cultivated cardoon (var. altilis DC.), and globe artichoke (var. scolymus (L.) Fiori). Cardoon is mostly renowned for its flower, which is used to coagulate milk in the production of soft cheeses, with the leaves serving as the primary by-product. The bioactive compound-rich leaves are employed in traditional medicine and have interesting antioxidant and antimicrobial properties1. Cardoon leaves may therefore be used in the food sector to prolong the shelf life of foods by preventing lipid oxidation and microbiological growth. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, through DPPH free radical scavenging and the β-carotene bleaching assays, and total phenolic compounds content (TPC) and total flavonoids content (TFC) of cultivated cardoon and globe artichoke leaves extracts, both methanolic and ethanolic. Cardoon extracts, both ethanolic (2.1 mg/mL) and methanolic (0.8 mg/mL), presented lower EC50 than artichoke extracts (EC50EtOH= 3.9 mg/mL; EC50MeOH= 1.6 mg/mL), which means greater antioxidant capacity. For the β-carotene assay, cardoon extract (AACEtOH:448.06; AACMeOH:279.67) presented a higher antioxidant capacity coefficient (AAC) than the artichoke extract (AACEtOH:90.98; AACMeOH:114.97). Accordingly, cardoon extracts (EtOH: 81.98 mg GAE/g; MeOH: 112.84 mg GAE/g) also had a higher content of TPC than artichoke (EtOH: 49.14 mg GAE/g; MeOH: 29.79 mg GAE/g). The same can also be observed for TFC, where cardoon (EtOH: 145.47 mg ECE/g; MeOH: 129.27 mg ECE/g) presented greater total flavonoids content than artichoke (EtOH: 81.33 mg ECE/g; MeOH: 21.24 mg ECE/g).These results confirm that cardoon leaves are a natural source of antioxidant compounds that can be exploited by the food industry.This work was financially supported by the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center—MEtRICs, which is financed by national funds from the FCT/MCTES (UIDB/04077/2020 and UIDP/04077/2020). Cássia H. Barbosa thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal for the Ph.D. Grant 2021.08154.BD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The influence of cultivated cardoon and globe artichoke ethanolic leaf extracts on the shelf life of poultry meat

Food additives are commonly used to prolong the shelf life of food by slowing down natural deterioration. However, synthetic additives have raised health concerns despite the European Union's strict regulations. To address this issue, researchers are exploring natural sources of compounds that can be safely used as food additives. Extracts from plants and agro-industrial by-products, such as Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon), are being investigated for their potential as natural food preservatives. Cardoon leaves, the main by-product generated, are rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials, making them a promising candidate. The ethanolic extracts from cultivated cardoon and globe artichoke leaves were tested for their effectiveness in extending the shelf life of refrigerated poultry meat at a temperature of 5 ºC. After different storage durations (0, 4, 8, 11, and 15 days), the samples were evaluated for lipid oxidation, moisture, colour, pH, acidity, total volatile basic nitrogen, and microbial growth. It was found that the addition to poultry meat of cultivated cardoon leaf extract exhibited the most negligible malondialdehyde value, indicating significant antioxidant capacity and a significant delay in lipid oxidation. The extracts were also effective in retarding microbial growth once the counts remained at initial levels for all microorganisms studied. The results showed that both extracts effectively preserved the meat's quality for up to 15 days, making them a promising natural alternative to synthetic additives.Funding: This work was financially supported by the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center MEtRICs, which is financed by national funds from the FCT/MCTES (UIDB/04077/2020 and UIDP/04077/2020). The work was also supported by UIDB/00211/2020 with funding from FCT/MCTES.N/

Applying Cynara cardunculus L. leaf extracts to increase poultry meat shelf life

Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus L. (Asteraceae), is a multipurpose crop. Its flower is used as vegetal rennet in the production of some cheeses, and its leaves, the main by-product generated, have excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These properties may be an asset in the food industry, as cardoons’ leaves may be used to delay lipid oxidation and microbial growth, thus prolonging foods’ shelf life. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cultivated cardoon and globe artichoke leaf ethanolic extracts on poultry meat preservation. Extracts were mixed with the poultry meat (1% w/w) and stored under refrigeration (5°C ± 2°C) for 15 days. The microbiological growth was evaluated as well as moisture, pH, acidity, colour, Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVBN), and lipid oxidation by Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS). Both extracts were effective in retarding microbial growth by maintaining a constant pH and level of acidity. After 15 days, poultry meat with both extracts showed a difference of up to 11 log CFU/g compared to control samples (without extract). Also, both extracts were able to reduce the lipid oxidation of the poultry meat when compared to the control samples at the end of the assay. The colour of extracts can be a limitation due to the greenish-yellow colour that is seen in the meat, although it was more evident in the sample with the cardoon extract. Overall, cardoon extract was the most effective in extending the shelf life of poultry meat.Funding: This work was financially supported by the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center—MEtRICs, which is financed by national funds from the FCT/MCTES (UIDB/04077/2020 and UIDP/04077/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Determination of ergosterol in oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivated in coffee grounds and wheat straw

Um dos cogumelos comestíveis que tem suscitado maior interesse nos últimos anos é o Pleurotus ostreatus, conhecido como cogumelo ostra, devido à facilidade de cultivo e ao seu grande potencial económico e qualidade nutricional. Existe, assim, a necessidade de estudar a sua composição em nutrientes e compostos bioativos para valorizar o seu cultivo. Este estudo teve por objetivo determinar o teor de ergosterol, por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência acoplada a detetor de Ultravioleta-Visível, do cogumelo Pleurotus ostreatus cultivado em diferentes substratos, nomeadamente, borras de café e palha de trigo. Verificou-se que as amostras de cogumelo P. ostreatus cultivadas em borras de café apresentaram uma concentração de ergosterol superior (4,06 ± 0,32 mg/g de matéria seca) relativamente às amostras da mesma espécie de cogumelo cultivadas em palha de trigo (3,34 ± 0,19 mg/g de matéria seca). O uso das borras de café no substrato de crescimento de cogumelos ostra permitiu um aumento da concentração de ergosterol. No futuro seria de todo o interesse avaliar a influência do uso deste subproduto no substrato de crescimento de outras espécies comestíveis de cogumelos e no teor de outros compostos bioativos.One of the edible mushrooms that have attracted more interest in recent years is Pleurotus ostreatus, known as the oyster mushroom, due to the ease of cultivation and its great economic potential and nutritional quality. Therefore there is the need to study its composition in nutrients and bioactive compounds to enhance its cultivation. This study aimed to determine the ergosterol content by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to the ultraviolet-visibilize detector of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom grown on different substrates, namely coffee grounds and wheat straw. Samples of P. ostreatus mushroom cultivated in coffee grounds showed a higher concentration of ergosterol (4.06 / g ± 0.32 mg dry matter) than the samples of the same species of mushroom grown on wheat straw (3.34 / g ± 0.19 mg dry matter). The use of coffee grounds on the oyster mushroom growth substrate allowed obtaining an increase in ergosterol concentration. In the future it would be of great interest to evaluate the influence of the use of this by-product on the growth substrate of other edible mushrooms species and on the content of other bioactive compounds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nova geração de embalagens alimentares pretende aumentar a vida útil dos alimentos

O Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Ricardo Jorge) tem em curso um projeto de investigação que visa desenvolver uma embalagem biodegradável para aumentar a vida útil dos alimentos. Com o acrónimo de “Rose4Pack”, os investigadores têm pela frente um importante desafio na área da nova geração de embalagens alimentares.Projeto Rose4Pack (PTDC/AGR-TEC/ 3366/2012