Successful Applications of NIR Spectroscopy and NIR Imaging in the Food Processing Chain

Forty years ago, Near InfraRed (NIR) was considered a sleeping technique among the spectroscopic ones. Thanks to the technological advances suffered in recent decades, we can say that NIR is now a consolidated technique, and with rapidly increasing applications. After attracting more attention inside the laboratories, NIR Spectroscopy (NIRS) moved out of them, being used in companies (in-line and on-line process control), various fields (airborne devices and handheld devices), and even space (satellites). Many factors have contributed to this success story, whose end is, we believe, still far from being written. Several of the most important are cited here: the economic accessibility of powerful devices, the technical evolution of the instrumentation, and the acceptance of the use of chemometrics, whose impact in the field on NIRS is absolutely needed due to the chemical and physical features of NIR radiation. Other factors, such as the miniaturization of the instruments and the association with imaging techniques, which occurred with the launch of the 4th industrial revolution and the development of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, have been pivotal

Comparative study of total phenolic content and antioxidant properties of Quercus fruit: flour and oil.

Aim:The currentstudywas undertaken to determinethe total phenolic and flavonoid contents and toassessthe antioxidant activity of two different extracts (flour and oil) of two Algerian Quercus species, Quercus ilexL. and Quercus suberL. Methods and Material:The oil extraction of the two species was achieved using the Soxhlet method. The obtained extracts were estimated for the chemical and physical constants (acidity, peroxide value, iodine value,and ultraviolet absorption indices). Total phenolic content was measuredby spectrophotometryaccording to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The studied extracts were alsosubmitted to an estimation of their flavonoid contents too,using aluminum chloride methods. Antioxidant ability was assessed by means oftwo distinctmethods (DPPH• and ABTS•+).Results:The obtained results revealed that antioxidant properties, total phenolic,and total flavonoid contents differed significantly among selected species and extracts. The flour samples possessed the highest level of totalphenolic contents (1101–1464 mg GAE/kg dry weight) and exhibited the highest antioxidant capacities with average values of 52.62–40.78 μmol TE g−1dry weight and 36.19–44.50 μmol TE g−1dry weight for DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. Acorn oil extractsshowed also remarkable antioxidant activity, up to 2.69 and 3.23 μmol TE g−1oil (DPPH and ABTS test, respectively), even though the total phenolic contents were low (195.64–322.06 mg GAE /kg of oil). Total phenolic amounts were positively correlated withtheantioxidant properties of Quercus flour and oil.Conclusions:Ourstudy provides basic information on the presence of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in acorn fruits, in order to consider their extracts as functional food ingredients and potential source of natural antioxidants

Physicochemical and Sensorial Evaluation of Meat Analogues Produced from Dry-Fractionated Pea and Oat Proteins

Pea protein dry-fractionated (PDF), pea protein isolated (PIs), soy protein isolated (SIs) and oat protein (OP) were combined in four mixes (PDF_OP, PIs_OP, PDF_PIs_OP, SIs_OP) and extruded to produce meat analogues. The ingredients strongly influenced the process conditions and the use of PDF required higher specific mechanical energy and screw speed to create fibrous texture compared to PIs and SIs. PDF can be conveniently used to produce meat analogues with a protein content of 55 g 100 g-1, which is exploitable in meat-alternatives formulation. PDF-based meat analogues showed lower hardness (13.55-18.33 N) than those produced from PIs and SIs (nearly 27 N), probably due to a more porous structure given by the natural presence of carbohydrates in the dry-fractionated ingredient. PDF_OP and PIs_PDF_OP showed a significantly lower water absorption capacity than PIs OP and SIs_OP, whereas pea-based extrudates showed high oil absorption capacity, which could be convenient to facilitate the inclusion of oil and fat in the final formulation. The sensory evaluation highlighted an intense odor and taste profile of PDF_OP, whereas the extrudates produced by protein isolates had more neutral sensory characteristics. Overall, the use of dry-fractionated protein supports the strategies to efficiently produce clean-labeled and sustainable plant-based meat analogues

Amino acid and fatty acid compositions of texturized vegetable proteins

Texturized proteins are the main ingredients of meat analogues. This paper evaluated the amino acid and the fatty acid compositions of texturized proteins produced by pea isolates, soy isolates, or dry-fractionated pea proteins, all combined with oat proteins. The nutritional composition was significantly affected by the protein sources. All the texturized proteins had a balanced amino acid profile, complying with the recommendations by FAO/WHO, except for the sulfur amino acids. The fatty acid profile showed the predominance of the polyunsaturated fraction, which was the highest in the dry-fractionated pea mixes. The trans-isomers' content was lower than 0.5%

DNA methylation episignature testing improves molecular diagnosis of Mendelian chromatinopathies

Purpose: Chromatinopathies include more than 50 disorders caused by disease-causing variants of various components of chromatin structure and function. Many of these disorders exhibit unique genome-wide DNA methylation profiles, known as episignatures. In this study, the methylation profile of a large cohort of individuals with chromatinopathies was analyzed for episignature detection. Methods: DNA methylation data was generated on extracted blood samples from 129 affected individuals with the Illumina Infinium EPIC arrays and analyzed using an established bioinformatic pipeline. Results: The DNA methylation profiles matched and confirmed the sequence findings in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Twenty-five affected individuals carrying a variant of uncertain significance, did not show a methylation profile matching any of the known episignatures. Three additional variant of uncertain significance cases with an identified KDM6A variant were re-classified as likely pathogenic (n = 2) or re-assigned as Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (n = 1). Thirty of the 33 Next Generation Sequencing negative cases did not match a defined episignature while three matched Kabuki syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome and BAFopathy respectively. Conclusion: With the expanding clinical utility of the EpiSign assay, DNA methylation analysis should be considered part of the testing cascade for individuals presenting with clinical features of Mendelian chromatinopathy disorders

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy/autophagy and reduced TNF/TNFα production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3L412F-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A statistically significant reduced survival at 28 days was shown in L412F COVID-19 patients treated with the autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (p = 0.038). An increased frequency of autoimmune disorders such as co-morbidity was found in L412F COVID-19 males with specific class II HLA haplotypes prone to autoantigen presentation. Our analyses indicate that L412F polymorphism makes males at risk of severe COVID-19 and provides a rationale for reinterpreting clinical trials considering autophagy pathways. Abbreviations: AP: autophagosome; AUC: area under the curve; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; RAP: rapamycin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TLR: toll like receptor; TNF/TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor

The Potential of Apulian Olive Biodiversity: The Case of Oliva Rossa Virgin Olive Oil

In this study, the drupes and virgin olive oils extracted from the Oliva Rossa landrace are characterized. Oliva Rossa is an old landrace part of the autochthonous Apulian olive germplasm for which only few data have been reported till now. During the study, the maturity patterns of the drupes had been followed. Four samplings per year were planned, one every 14 days starting from the middle of October. The pigmentation index, the oil content and the total phenolic content of the drupes were measured. Simultaneously, virgin olive oils were extracted at the lab scale and analyzed for the fatty acid composition, the basic quality parameters and the content of minor compounds. The pigmentation pattern of the drupes was different among the years and, despite this trend, at the third sampling time the stage of maximum oil accumulation was always over. The extracted virgin olive oils had a medium to high level of oleic acid. With colder temperatures, a higher level of monounsaturated fatty acids, oleic/linoleic ratio and antioxidants was observed. The phenolic profile was dominated by 3,4-DPHEA-EDA and p-HPEA-EDA while the volatile profile by (E)-2-hexenal and 3-ethyl-1,5-octadiene

The Potential of Apulian Olive Biodiversity: The Case of Oliva Rossa Virgin Olive Oil

In this study, the drupes and virgin olive oils extracted from the Oliva Rossa landrace are characterized. Oliva Rossa is an old landrace part of the autochthonous Apulian olive germplasm for which only few data have been reported till now. During the study, the maturity patterns of the drupes had been followed. Four samplings per year were planned, one every 14 days starting from the middle of October. The pigmentation index, the oil content and the total phenolic content of the drupes were measured. Simultaneously, virgin olive oils were extracted at the lab scale and analyzed for the fatty acid composition, the basic quality parameters and the content of minor compounds. The pigmentation pattern of the drupes was different among the years and, despite this trend, at the third sampling time the stage of maximum oil accumulation was always over. The extracted virgin olive oils had a medium to high level of oleic acid. With colder temperatures, a higher level of monounsaturated fatty acids, oleic/linoleic ratio and antioxidants was observed. The phenolic profile was dominated by 3,4-DPHEA-EDA and p-HPEA-EDA while the volatile profile by (E)-2-hexenal and 3-ethyl-1,5-octadiene

Impact of Milk Thermization on the Quality Characteristics of P.D.O. “Canestrato Pugliese” Ovine Hard Cheese

The use of raw milk is compulsory in the manufacturing process of most of the European protected designation of origin (PDO) cheeses but, for ovine products, it is often responsible for faulty productions. Since pasteurization is hardly compatible with the PDO concept, a milder treatment (thermization) is allowed in some cases. An investigation was undertaken to assess the effect of thermization on the overall quality of Canestrato Pugliese, a PDO ovine hard cheese of Southern Italy that can be manufactured exclusively from raw milk. Three types of cheese were produced using raw, mild-thermized and high-thermized milk inoculated with a thermophilic commercial starter. The results demonstrated that the heat treatment did not cause remarkable differences in the gross composition, but the microbiological profiles had some differences despite the use of the selected starter. The raw milk cheese contained higher levels (0.5–1 log units) of mesophilic lactobacilli, total viables, total coliforms and enterococci with respect to the thermized counterparts, with the high-thermized cheese showing the lowest levels; these microbiological differences fitted well with the higher content and the different High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) pattern of soluble nitrogen. The sensory analysis revealed that the thermized cheeses lost some typical sensory characteristics, probably as a consequence of the reduced indigenous microbiota populations. It was concluded that milk thermization could be applied to Canestrato Pugliese manufacturing only together with the development and use of an autochthonous starter