COMMONLY USED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN EUROPE

It has been known for many years that the excessive consumption of sugar (sucrose) has harmful effects on human health. This fact led to a reduction in sugar consumption and the appearance of artificial sweeteners in the 1800s. The first low-cost and low-calorie sugar alternative was saccharin. Since this sweetener gained great popularity, other artificial sweeteners soon followed, including aspartame, acesulfame-K and cyclamates as the most common ones. As the result of a sharp rise in the obesity pandemic in all populations and ethnic groups, a demand for sweeteners with a minimum caloric value has increased dramatically in the last decade as consumers care more about their health. Due to the different regulation of permitted artificial sweeteners in United States (US) and Europe (EU), there are some controversies and suspicions about the relationship between certain sweeteners and a potential health risk. Despite doubts about the safety of artificial sweeteners, many studies have shown the absence of dangers associated with their use (if used in the acceptable daily intake, ADI). Therefore, artificial sweeteners today are considered as safe for consumption by many competent institutions and organisations. Nowadays, artificial sweeteners are fundamental in the food industry and present in many foodstuffs

Methodology for the determination of polyphenol bioaccessibility

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants, commonly present in the human diet. Since they exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, polyphenols are extensively studied in the fields of nutrition and human health. Current studies have shown a high interest in determining the bioaccessibility of polyphenols, the amount of polyphenols that becomes available for absorption in the digestive tract. Bioaccessibility can be determined with the help of in vitro static gastrointestinal (GI) digestion models. In such a methodology, food samples containing polyphenols are subjected to a series of conditions that mimic the human gastrointestinal tract, with associated parameters. A high number of GI models with slightly different parameters were published. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature, focusing on the determination of polyphenol bioaccessibility and the parameters used in these GI digestion models, such as time, temperature, and pH of digestion, as well as enzyme concentrations. Gastrointestinal digestion models consist of oral, gastric and small intestine phases. These models provide a simple and reliable methodology which enables insight into the amount of bioaccessible polyphenols

Tobacco waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina – problem or high-value material?

Duhan se na području Bosne i Hercegovine proizvodi još od prve polovice 17. stoljeća, a sedamdesetih i osamdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća proizvodnja doživljava svoj vrhunac, nakon čega slijedi stagnacija i naglo opadanje proizvodnje. Ipak duhan se na području Bosne i Hercegovine, još uvijek uzgaja kao važna poljoprivredna kultura. Zbog neorganiziranog otkupa kao i nedostatka nadzora od strane države Bosne i Hercegovine nad proizvodnjom duhana, proizvođači svu svoju proizvodnju duhana plasiraju na sivo tržište u obliku poluproizvoda, rezanog duhana, poznatog na ostalim tržištima kao hercegovačka škija, dok na području Posavine postoji organizirani otkup, no niska otkupna cijena, proizvođače stavlja u izuzetno težak položaj. Je li revitalizacija duhana na području Bosne i Hercegovine moguća? Općeprihvaćeno mišljenje je da je revitalizacija nekadašnjeg načina uzgoja duhana zbog promjena preferencija potrošača, tipova cigareta i promjene tehnologije obrade duhana nemoguća. No potrebno je tražiti alternativne načine plasiranja ovih tipova duhana, kao duhana za motanje, te kao autohtonih proizvoda. Jedna od najvažnijih komponenti je i uloga države, s obzirom da duhan podliježe posebnom sustavu trošarina i poreza. U lancu vrijednosti, od poljoprivrednih proizvođača, do prerađivača, važna komponenta je i zbrinjavanje otpada. S obzirom da je duhanski otpad, bogat izvor visokovrijednih komponenti koje su i prikazane u ovom preglednom radu, njegovo iskorištavanje moglo bi dati dodatnu vrijednost i podići nisku otkupnu cijenu duhana, a ujedno riješiti i problem zbrinjavanja ovog opasnog otpada.Tobacco has been produced in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the first half of the 17th century, and during the 70’s and 80’s of the 20th century, the manufacturing has reached its peak. After that period, the production rapidly stagnates. However, tobacco is still being cultivated in many areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an important crop. Due to the unorganized buyout as well as the lack of tobacco growing supervision from the authorities, tobacco manufacturers launch their products to grey markets as semi-manufactured products. On the other markets these products are well-known as Herzegovinian škija. In the Posavina region there is an organized buyout, but the buying prices are low and it puts the manufacturers in a difficult position. Is the revitalization of tobacco growing possible? The opinion is that the revitalization of the traditional growing of tobacco is impossible due to the changes in consumers’ preferences, in types of cigarettes and in the manufacturing technology. However, there is a need to search for alternative launching ways for these tobacco sorts, with a focus on rolling tobacco and other local products. The role of the state plays one of the most important components, because there are special excise duties as well as a tax system on tobacco. In this value chain, from growing to the processing of the product, waste management plays an important role. Due to the fact that tobacco waste is a rich source of valuable components which is reviewed in this paper, its usage could present an added value and increase the tobacco prices, and, at the same time, solve the problem of disposing this dangerous waste

COMMONLY USED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN EUROPE

It has been known for many years that the excessive consumption of sugar (sucrose) has harmful effects on human health. This fact led to a reduction in sugar consumption and the appearance of artificial sweeteners in the 1800s. The first low-cost and low-calorie sugar alternative was saccharin. Since this sweetener gained great popularity, other artificial sweeteners soon followed, including aspartame, acesulfame-K and cyclamates as the most common ones. As the result of a sharp rise in the obesity pandemic in all populations and ethnic groups, a demand for sweeteners with a minimum caloric value has increased dramatically in the last decade as consumers care more about their health. Due to the different regulation of permitted artificial sweeteners in United States (US) and Europe (EU), there are some controversies and suspicions about the relationship between certain sweeteners and a potential health risk. Despite doubts about the safety of artificial sweeteners, many studies have shown the absence of dangers associated with their use (if used in the acceptable daily intake, ADI). Therefore, artificial sweeteners today are considered as safe for consumption by many competent institutions and organisations. Nowadays, artificial sweeteners are fundamental in the food industry and present in many foodstuffs

Physico - chemical and colour properties of homemade slavonian sausage

A study of physico-chemical properties and instrumental measurement of colour was carried out on seven di!erent brands of traditional Croatian homemade dry fermented sausage known as Slavonian homemade Sausage. Basic physico-chemical properties showed a large variability, except for the values of aw and pH. This can be related to diferent recipes used by di!erent producers, but on the other hand these producers follow traditional production conditions. Parameters related to colour showed little variability, especially L* and a* values. The higher variability of b* could be related to the amount of paprika used in the recipe. Some diferences in L* ,b* and a* values were significantly correlated to moisture, fat and salt content

FUNCTION OF FOOD ADDITIVES IN CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION

Chocolate is a complex product that has a specific texture. This complexity is due to the interactions between the ingredients used in production: cocoa butter, cocoa mass and sugar. Sugar gives bulk to chocolate and any change in the recipe changes the textural properties of the chocolate. Recently, there has been considerable production of low-sugar chocolates using other bulking agents and sweeteners. Some of the most common are isomalt, maltitol, lactitol, polydextrose etc. Emulsifiers that have been used in chocolate production almost from the beginning are also responsible for its texture and rheological properties. They reduce the interaction between the solid particles and increase the lipophilicity of the sugar particles. Lecithin and polyglycerol polyricinoleate are most commonly used, but some other emulsifiers have also been reported in production

The Incidence of T-2 and HT-2 Toxins in Cereals and Methods of their Reduction Practice by the Food Industry

T-2 toxin and its major metabolite HT-2 toxin are type A trichothecene mycotoxins produced by the Fusarium moulds, present mainly in cereals and cereal-based products. The studies quoted under this chapter bring data on the incidence of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in unprocessed cereals (n = 285) harvested in Croatia during a two-year period. They also demonstrate the influence of certain thermal food processing methods on the reduction of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in naturally contaminated cereals. In analysed cereals, the highest percentage of T-2- and HT-2-positive samples was determined in oat samples (56.9%), followed by triticale (34.5%), maize (32.1%) and barley samples (22.7%), whereas the highest mean (94.8 ± 63.7 μg/kg) and maximal concentration (420 μg/kg) of the toxins in reference were determined in maize. The summary T-2/HT-2 concentrations found in one maize and one triticale sample were higher than the indicative levels, necessitating further sampling and investigations of conditions under which the production of these toxins takes place. Thermal food processing in terms of roasting (which enabled 28.8–54.4%-toxin reduction) and especially extrusion (which enabled 73.0–92.5%-toxin reduction) efficiently reduces T-2/HT-2 levels, whereas cooking does not significantly aid in their reduction (< 10%-toxin reduction achieved)

FOOD INDUSTRY BYPRODUCTS AS A CHEAP RAW MATERIAL TO DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL FOOD

Brojni zdravstveni problemi suvremenog svijeta, kao što su prekomjerna tjelesna masa, pretilost, dijabetes, kardiovaskularne bolesti, nastanak raka i sl. direktno su povezani s neprimjerenom prehranom. Stoga je cilj prehrambene industrije razviti nove proizvode koje konzumira široka populacija (kruh, tjestenina, snack proizvodi) obogaćene nutritivno vrijednim sastojcima (prehrambenim vlaknima, polifenolima, vitaminima), kao i funkcionalne proizvode za koje je utvrđeno pozitivno djelovanje na ljudsko zdravlje. Budući da su različiti nusproizvodi prehrambene industrije bogat izvor navedenih nutritivno vrijednih sastojaka, a dostupni su u velikim količinama te uglavnom predstavljaju problem u prehrambenoj industriji, njihova primjena u razvoju novih proizvoda predstavlja izvrstan potencijal. U radu će biti prezentirana mogućnost primjene različitih nusproizvoda prehrambene industrije, poput tropa jabuke, izluženih repinih rezanaca i pivskog tropa, kao i odmašćenih pogača uljarica u razvoju novih proizvoda, tipa kruha, tjestenine, snack proizvoda i sl. Rezultat toga biti će s jedne strane ukazivanje na mogućnost smanjenja otpada iz prehrambene industrije, a s druge strane utjecalo bi se na stvaranje jasnije slike o mogućnosti upotrebe ovih jeftinih sirovina u razvoju novih funkcionalnih proizvoda