36 research outputs found
CHANGES OF DEHYDROASCORBIC ACID CONTENT IN RELATION TO TOTAL CONTENT OF VITAMIN C IN SELECTED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Abstract. Vitamin C performs many functions in the human body and is very important for its proper functioning. The main vitamin C sources in the human diet are fruits and vegetables. Changes of total content of vitamin C (T c ), L-ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydro-L-ascorbic acid (DHA) in selected fruits and vegetables during storage at 20°C until spoilage were determined. A decrease of T c and AA contents and an increase of DHA concentration were noted. Products of high acidity such as lemon and tomato were characterized by the highest retention of vitamin C. An increase of the DHA to T c ratio (%) was observed. On the first day of storage the DHA/T c ratio was higher than 10% in broccoli, cucumber and banana, while on the last day -it amounted over 40% in banana and cucumber, between 20 and 40% in parsley leaves and broccoli, and below 20% in tomato, cauliflower and lemon. In order to obtain correct results of vitamin C determination in fruits and vegetables it is necessary to take DHA content into consideration
Effect of pulsed electric fields upon accumulation of magnesium in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Nutritional, Physiochemical, and Antioxidative Characteristics of Shortcake Biscuits Enriched with Tenebrio molitor Flour
Edible insects, due to their high nutritional value, are a good choice for traditional food supplementation. The effects of partial replacement of wheat flour and butter with mealworm flour (Tenebrio molitor) on the quality attributes of shortcake biscuits were studied. The approximate composition was analyzed, along with the physical properties and color. Moreover, the antioxidant properties, starch digestibility, and glycemic index were determined in vitro. The protein and ash contents in biscuits supplemented with mealworm flour increased, while the carbohydrates content decreased. The increasing insect flour substitution decreased the lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) but increased the redness (a*), total color difference (ΔE), and browning index (BI). The spread factor for the sample with the highest proportion of mealworm flour was significantly higher than the other biscuits. Furthermore, higher additions of mealworm flour increased the antioxidant activity of the biscuits and contributed to an increase in the content of slowly digested starch, with a decrease in the content of rapidly digested starch. Therefore, the results of the research are promising and indicate the possibility of using edible insects to enrich food by increasing the nutritional and health-promoting values
Assessment of the Fungistatic Properties of <i>Calendula officinalis</i> L. Water Extract and the Effect of Its Addition on the Quality of Wheat Bread
The potential of Calendula officinalis water extract against fungi Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. and the effect of extract addition on the quality of wheat bread were investigated. In vitro, the extract reduced the mycelial growth and biomass production of A. niger, but there was no inhibitory effect on Penicillium sp. Enriched bread showed significantly higher total phenolic content, by about 77% and 95% in the bread, in which 10% and 15% of the water was replaced with extract, respectively. The antioxidant potential against DPPH• was significantly higher (compared to the control) in both variants used in the experiment, and the level of antioxidant activity increased with the addition of extract. The enriched bread had good quality characteristics—lower baking losses and higher volume than the control. The moisture content and acidity of the crumb of the extract-enriched bread were also higher. The extract additive used did not affect the sensory properties of the bread
Impact of Mealworm Powder (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) Fortification on Ice Cream Quality
The study’s objective was to characterize the effects of mealworm powder fortification on ice cream’s properties and nutritional value. The approximate composition and the mineral and fatty acid profiles were analyzed. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and physical properties as well as color were studied. As expected, insect powder substitution increased the protein content from 1.48 ± 0.13% for the control to 3.08 ± 0.22% for the sample with the highest insect substitution. The ash content increased as well. There was also a significant increase in zinc (2.5-fold), magnesium (3-fold), iron (4-fold) and unsaturated fatty acids. The ice cream with the highest percentage of insect powder had the slowest melting rate (0.094 ± 0.04 g/min) but the lowest overrun value (13.10 ± 0.22%) compared with the melting rate (0.145 ± 0.02 g/min) and overrun value (32.58 ± 0.6%) of control ice cream. Moreover, the ice cream turned darker in color. Furthermore, adding mealworm powder caused a significant increase in antioxidant properties as evaluated by ABTS and DPPH scavenging activity. Therefore, using mealworm powder in ice cream gave a product with better characteristics than the control sample, thus demonstrating the possibility of producing high-quality ice cream
Nutritional, Physiochemical, and Biological Value of Muffins Enriched with Edible Insects Flour
Edible insects are gaining attention as a novel food; however, studies with their use in food are still limited. This study aimed to determine the chemical composition, physical parameters, sensory acceptance, and biological properties of muffins enriched with different levels of cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) flours. The approximate composition was analyzed, along with the physical and textural properties, color, and consumer acceptance. Moreover, the antioxidant properties, starch digestibility, and glycemic index were determined in vitro. As we expected, the protein content in muffins supplemented with insect flour increased, while the carbohydrates content decreased. Moreover, the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity against ABTS·+ and DPPH· increased correspondingly as the percentage of insect flour in the muffins increased. The estimated glycemic index was lower for the fortified muffins than the control (p < 0.05). Additionally, enriched muffins were accepted by consumers, and their taste positively surprised respondents (p < 0.05). Therefore, the results obtained are satisfactory as regards the use of insects for the supplementation of traditional products, and further research into the addition of insects to other nutrient matrices is needed. Furthermore, examining the effect of insect addition on in vivo food biological activity is highly desirable
Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Some Silphium L. Species as Alternative Raw Materials
The chemical composition of three Silphium species in the aspect of the possibility of their use for various purposes has been evaluated. The plant material of three Silphium species (S. perfoliatum, S. trifoliatum and S. integrifolium) was acquired from cultivation located in eastern Poland. The vegetative propagating material consisted of seeds and rhizomes. Content of protein (up to 22.9% in leaves of S. perfoliatum), amino acids (aspartic acid—up to 12.0%, glutamic acid—up to 9.5%, and leucine—up to 9.4%), fat (up to 4.2% in inflorescences of S. perfoliatum), cellulose (up to 42.9% in stems of S. trifoliatum), water-soluble sugars (up to 26.7% in rhizomes of S. perfoliatum) and mineral substances (ash up to 20.9% in stems of S. integrifolium, with significant levels of elements such as K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn) in the tested Silphium species can be an important criterion determining a positive evaluation of these plants as sources of alternative raw materials. The conducted research is meant to draw attention to the possibility of use of the biomass of three Silphium species as a potential source of ecological and renewable raw material for food, pharmaceuticals, feed and possibly also for energy generation purposes
Assessment of Pesticide Content in Apples and Selected Citrus Fruits Subjected to Simple Culinary Processing
Over the span of the last decade, certain pesticides have been banned in apple tree and citrus tree cultivations. Hence, it is important to conduct research focused on estimating the occurrence of residues of pesticides from the perspective of compliance with the relevant legislative regulations. Equally important is to estimate the reduction in pesticide residues through simple procedures such as washing and peeling. This research was conducted in the years 2012 and 2020. An assessment was made of the effect of in-house processing, such as conventional washing with tap water and peeling, on the level of pesticide residues in apples and citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits and lemons). The level of pesticide residue was determined with the use of the QuEChERS method of extraction in conjunction with LC-MS/MS analysis. One can clearly observe a smaller number of pesticides identified in the edible parts of fruits in 2020 (seven pesticides in apples and three in citrus fruits) compared to 2012 (26 pesticides in apples and 4 in citrus fruits). In apples from 2012, only in the case of disulfoton was the maximum residue limit (MRL) exceeded, while in samples of apples from 2020 no instance of exceeded MRL was noted. This study did not reveal exceeded MRL values in the edible parts of citrus fruits in the analysed years. The absence of detected instances of pesticides not approved for use in the analysed years indicates that the producers complied with the relevant legislative regulations. The results obtained indicate that conventional washing with water (about 1.5 L/one fruit) did not have any effect on the level of pesticide residues in the analysed fruits. Apple peeling allowed for a reduction in pesticide levels in the range of 24% (carbendazim) to 100% (triflumuron, thiodicarb, tebuconazole)