Functional Foods Development: Trends and Technologies

[EN] The aim of this work is to make an overview on the emerging technologies and traditionally used to develop functional foods. In this way, we classified the technologies used in three main groups and analyzed the research tendency since the year 2000 until now. Thus, while traditional techniques are the most commonly used for development of functional foods, from years 2000 until 2010 the techniques aimed towards personalized nutrition have grown greatly.The authors acknowledge the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci on for its contribution throughout the projects AGL2009-09905 and PET2008_0015.Betoret Valls, ME.; Betoret Valls, N.; Vidal Brotons, DJ.; Fito Maupoey, P. (2011). Functional Foods Development: Trends and Technologies. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 22(9):498-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2011.05.004S49850822

Functional foods enriched in Aloe vera. Effects of vacuum impregnation and temperature on the respiration rate and the respiratory quotient of some vegetables

[EN] This work is part of a study on the process of production of vegetables enriched in Aloe vera using the vacuum impregnation (VI) technique. The objectives of this work were: (i) to analyze the effects of VI with Aloe vera on some quality parameters of vegetables: water activity, water content, soluble solids content, real and apparent densities, and pH; (ii) to analyze the effects of the presence of Aloe vera in VI solutions and temperature on the respiration rates (carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption) and the respiration quotient of some vegetables (endive, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots). VI made it possible to incorporate up to 7 g of Aloe vera in 100 g (dry matter) of broccoli, about 4 g in cauliflower and endive, and about 3 g in carrot. In almost all cases, respiration rate values were higher at 20ºC than at 5ºC. For vegetables submitted to VI using an isotonic sucrose solution, and in comparison with fresh samples, respiration rates at 5ºC were higher for broccoli, endive and carrot, but lower for cauliflower. At 20ºC, they were higher in the case of broccoli, endive and cauliflower, but lower for carrots. As compared with fresh samples, and at 5ºC, respiration rates were lower for all vegetables impregnated using a solution with 30 g/L of Aloe vera powder; at 20ºC, they were lower for cauliflower, but higher for broccoli, endive and carrots. The presence of Aloe vera in sufficient concentration seemed to compensate the metabolic stress caused by the application of vacuum.Sanzana Ramos, SX.; Gras Romero, ML.; Vidal Brotons, DJ. (2011). Functional foods enriched in Aloe vera. Effects of vacuum impregnation and temperature on the respiration rate and the respiratory quotient of some vegetables. Procedia Food Science. 1:1528-1533. doi:10.1016/j.profoo.2011.09.226S15281533

Production of 4th range iceberg lettuce enriched with calcium. Evaluation of some quality parameters

[EN] This project is part of a study on the process of production of 4th range Iceberg lettuce leaves enriched with Ca using the vacuum impregnation (VI) technique. The objectives of this work were (i) to verify if it is possible that a 250 g portion of impregnated lettuce leaves provides the same quantity of Ca (300 mg) as a 250 mL glass of milk, and (ii) to analyze the effects of VI on some quality parameters of the lettuce leaves: water activity, humidity, soluble solids content, real and apparent densities, pH, optical and mechanical properties, and respiration rate. For the study, three zones of the whole lettuce leaf were differentiated (on a longitudinal axis), because of the different distribution of the vascular system: apical (A), medium (M) and basal (B). Iceberg lettuce leaves with a global content of 169 mg of Ca in 250 g of impregnated product were obtained. A fresher, shinier product is obtained without presenting differences in colour. In average, Ca enrichment doesn’t affect significantly the mechanical behaviour. The respiration rates and the respiratory quotient remain almost unchanged in the A area, whereas in the M area the intake of O2 increases lightly, without change in the production of CO2, and both respiratory rates increase notably in the B area, with an important decrease in the respiratory quotient, indicating that the operation seems to prevent the fermentative anaerobic routes. The study shows it seems possible to obtain a Ca enriched product, being a possible alternative to dairy products. The industrial application of this process should include the control of the hydric state of the vegetable material, to increase impregnation capacity and reduce its variability.Gras Romero, ML.; Vidal Brotons, DJ.; Vásquez-Forttes, FA. (2011). Production of 4th range iceberg lettuce enriched with calcium. Evaluation of some quality parameters. Procedia Food Science. 1:1534-1539. doi:10.1016/j.profoo.2011.09.227S15341539

A voltammetric e-tongue tool for the emulation of the sensorial analysis and the discrimination of vegetal milks

[EN] The relevance of plant-based food alternatives to dairy products, such as vegetable milks, has been growing in recent decades, and the development of systems capable of classifying and predicting the sensorial profile of such products is interesting. In this context, a methodology to perform the sensorial analysis of vegetable milks (oat, soya, rice, almond and tiger nut), based on 12 parameters, was validated. An electronic tongue based on the combination of eight metals with pulse voltammetry was also tested. The current intensity profiles are characteristic for each non-dairy milk type. Data were processed with qualitative (PCA, dendrogram) and quantitative (PLS) tools. The PCA statistical analysis showed that when using three first principal components, which covered 77% of variance, the eight samples can be differentiated, and the preparation method (artisanal milks or commercial) is one of the main differentiation factors, together with raw material type. The PLS statistical analysis allowed models to be created to predict all 12 sensorial parameters. The goodness of the predictions depends on the parameter being particularly accurate for the body, the granularity in the wall of glass and homogeneity of colour. The results strongly suggest the potential feasibility of using electronic tongues as systems for easy, rapid and effective sensorial assessments of vegetable milks. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors thank the financial support from the Spanish Government (Project MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/047).Pascual, L.; Gras Romero, ML.; Vidal Brotons, DJ.; Alcañiz Fillol, M.; Martínez-Máñez, R.; Ros-Lis, JV. (2018). A voltammetric e-tongue tool for the emulation of the sensorial analysis and the discrimination of vegetal milks. Sensors and Actuators B Chemical. 270:231-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2018.04.151S23123827

Polyphenol extraction from grape wastes: Solvent and pH effect

[EN] World wine industry transforms 10% - 25% of raw grapes into residues, mainly represented by lees, grape marcs, seeds and stems. These by-products are a rich source of polyphenols and therefore they can be used to produce new added value products. The aim of this work wasto determine the best process conditions(treatment time, % of ethanol and pH of the solvent)during solid-liquid extraction of polyphenolsfrom grape marcs, by analyzing the phenolic content of the extracts, namely: total polyphenol content, flavanols, flavonols, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was also determined. An extraction time of two hours was enough since longer times did not increase process yields. Best extraction yields were obtained for 75% ethanol solutions. Basic pH led to better yields in extracting media with low percentage of ethanol, whereas acid pH presented better extraction yields in extracting media with high percentage of ethanol. Among all the polyphenols extracted, anthocyanins were themost abundant representing over 40% of the total. In general, the best process conditions were 2 h ofextraction in a 75% EtOH liquid mixture at pH =2.The authors wish to acknowledge to the Enology Laboratory of the Institute of Food Engineering for Development-Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) for providing the grape marcs used in this work, and FOMESA for the financial support. Author Luis Mayor acknowledges JCI2009-04923 grant to MINECO (Spain).Librán Cuervas-Mons, CM.; Mayor López, L.; García Castelló, EM.; Vidal Brotons, DJ. (2013). Polyphenol extraction from grape wastes: Solvent and pH effect. Agricultural Sciences. 4(9B):56-62. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2013.49B010S566249

Orange Solid Waste Valorization: Optimization of Pectinase Extraction and Enzimatic Treatment of Orange Press Liquor

During orange juice production only approximately a half of fresh oranges weight is transformed into juice while the other half is considered as production waste. Orange solid wastes can be pressed with lime to obtain a press liquor that is currently concentrated up to 65-70°Brix by multiple effect evaporation. A prior preconcentration step by reverse osmosis (RO) reduces significantly energy consumption during evaporation. However, RO treatment is not easily performed due to the high viscosity of the press liquor, attributed to the presence of pectic substances. The aims of this work are to study the extraction of pectinase enzymes from orange peels, as well as to asses the effect of the enzyme extract on pectic content and viscosity of press liquor. Pectinmethylesterase enzymes were characterized in terms of the typical enzyme kinetic parameters. The optimum extracting conditions were pH=5.5 and NaCl=1.7 M. The characteristic kinetic parameters of the pectinmethylesterase were K M=0.5 % and Vmax = 2.3 mg/min·mL. The application of the enzymatic extract to real orange press liquor reduced considerably its pectin content (77.72 %) and viscosity (48.30 %), suggesting that enzyme extraction could be included as a step in the integrated valorization of orange wastes. Copyright © 2012, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.García Castelló, EM.; Mayor, L.; Alcaraz, N.; Gras Romero, ML.; Arguelles, Á.; Vidal Brotons, DJ. (2012). Orange Solid Waste Valorization: Optimization of Pectinase Extraction and Enzimatic Treatment of Orange Press Liquor. Chemical Engineering Transactions. 29:823-828. doi:10.3303/CET1229138S8238282

Separación por membranas

En este artículo se presentan los fundamentos de algunas técnicas de separación de productos basadas en el tamaño y tipo de membranas por las que se hace pasar una mezcla de componentes en fase fluida con el objetivo de distribuirlos en dos corrientes diferentes. Además, se comentan algunas de sus aplicaciones y se muestran los modelos matemáticos necesarios para el diseño de sistemas de este tipoVidal Brotons, DJ.; Gras Romero, ML.; Castelló Gómez, ML.; Pérez Esteve, E.; Barrera Puigdollers, MC.; Betoret Valls, N. (2017). Separación por membranas. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83393DE

Filtración convencional de mezclas de líquidos y sólidos

En este apartado vamos a ver las ecuaciones matemáticas que se han desarrollado, siguiendo la teoría de la filtración, para relacionar la velocidad de filtración con el tiempo y el volumen de filtrado según se trabaje a caudal constante o a presión constante. Además, se presentarán los diferentes equipos de filtración sólido-líquido habituales en la industria agroalimentariaVidal Brotons, DJ.; Castelló Gómez, ML.; Gras Romero, ML.; Pérez Esteve, E.; Barrera Puigdollers, MC.; Betoret Valls, N. (2017). Filtración convencional de mezclas de líquidos y sólidos. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/83526DE

Evaluation of the biological waterwaste treatment plant and its biogas production

[EN] One important factor affecting functioning of a sugar factory is minimizing the costs of its operation. Wastewater treatment produces biogas, use of biogas can reduce the expenses of a sugar factory. The aim of the published paper is to present results concerning the possible use of wastewater treatment for biogas production and its subsequent further use in sugar technology. Assessment of the work of the biological wastewater treatment plant and its biogas production confirmed the necessity of WWTP on the premises of the sugar factory. Wastewater treatment plant produces biogas, which covers the significant energy demands in a sugar factory, reducing consumption of natural gas. Based on assesment of the results, it is recommended to increase the wastewater treatment plant capacity and consequently increase the production of biogas as an important factor of self-sufficiency of a sugar factory.Bennár, M.; Bojnanská, T.; Vidal Brotons, DJ.; Hambálková, J.; Toth, S.; Richter, A. (2011). Zhodnotenie práce biologickej cisticky odpadových vôd a produkcie bioplynu. Listy Cukrovarnicke a Reparske. 127(12):389-393. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/74009S3893931271

Reverse osmosis concentration of press liquid from orange juice solid wastes:flux decline mechanisms

Orange juice production produces high amount of solid waste. An alternative for these wastes is their pressing with lime to obtain a press liquor stream and a dried solid for cattle feeding. The press liquor (around 10 °Brix) is traditionally concentrated up to 70 °Brix (citrus molasses) by multiple effect evaporation. In this investigation, reverse osmosis is evaluated as an alternative for press liquor preconcentration. Two synthetic feed solutions were studied, one included pectin in its composition (WP) and the other lacked pectin (WOP) to simulate a previous depectinization of WP. The concentration process was evaluated in terms of some selected parameters (chemical oxygen demand, total soluble solids, total dissolved solids and osmotic pressure). The fouling mechanism as well as the membrane resistance to the permeate pass were assessed. It was found that for later stages of concentration cake filtration was the dominant fouling mechanism while for earlier stages, the mechanism found was the complete pore blocking. The presence of pectin not only maximized the membrane fouling but also led to worse permeate quality. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Authors acknoweledge the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for the financial support from the call "Primeros Proyectos de Investigacion (PAID-06-07)" included in the funding program "Programas de Apoyo a la Investigacion I+D+i". Authors also acknowledge Dr. Juan Francisco Asturiano Nemesio, from the "Grupo de Acuicultura y Biodiversidad, Institut de Ciencia y Tecnologia Animal" at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for his help in the osmotic pressure measurements.Garcia-Castello, EM.; Mayor López, L.; Chorques, S.; Argüelles Foix, AL.; Vidal Brotons, DJ.; Gras Romero, ML. (2011). Reverse osmosis concentration of press liquid from orange juice solid wastes:flux decline mechanisms. Journal of Food Engineering. 106(3):199-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.05.005S199205106