The absence of gluten in breadsticks reduces gas retention during leavening, resulting in inferior texture. This challenge can be mitigated by incorporating hydrocolloids or alternative protein sources. Chicken meat, a high-biological-value protein with low lipid content and a neutral organoleptic profile, enhances the nutritional quality and palatability of food products without significantly altering their original flavour. Therefore, the present work aimed to characterise gluten-free breadsticks incorporated with varying levels of chicken meat (0, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60%) as a protein source. Breadstick quality was evaluated through physical property analysis, proximate composition, porosity assessment, and sensory evaluation. Increasing chicken meat levels led to significant increases (p < 0.05) in moisture content, ash, protein content, hardness, bulk density, and yellowness, while lightness, redness, total colour difference, and porosity decreased significantly. Sensory evaluation indicated that chicken meat incorporation enhanced all sensory attributes up to 40% level, after which acceptability decreased. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed progressively pronounced V-type crystallinity peaks with higher meat content. In conclusion, chicken meat can be incorporated at levels up to 40% in gluten-free breadstick formulations to improve both physicochemical and sensory properties. These findings would support chicken meat as a promising functional protein source for developing high-protein, gluten-free baked products.

Chlorophyll, the primary pigment responsible for the green colour of mint leaves (Mentha spicata L.), is highly sensitive to degradation during intensive drying processes, leading to significant colour loss. To address this issue, mint leaves were dried using a heat pump dryer under varying conditions of temperature (40, 50, 60, and 70°C) and relative humidity (10, 20, 30, and 40%). The experiments were designed and analysed using the response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate the impact of drying conditions on the quality attributes of mint leaves. Various nutritional and functional parameters, including antioxidant capacity, were assessed. The results indicated that drying at a low temperature of 40°C, and low relative humidity of 10% preserved the best overall quality, making the dried leaves suitable for use in powder production. Additionally, a gradual decrease in antioxidant capacity was observed with increasing relative humidity, decreasing from 2.32 mg/L at 10% humidity to 1.76 mg/L at 40% humidity. These findings highlighted the importance of optimising drying conditions to maintain the functional quality of mint leaves during processing.

Lucuma (Pouteria campechiana) fruits, cultivated in Tra Vinh province, Vietnam, currently hold limited economic value. The present work thus aimed to optimise the extraction of flavonoids and natural antioxidants with established health benefits from lucuma fruits. This optimisation not only enhances their economic potential but also promotes their conservation through sustainable utilisation. Flavonoid extraction was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The investigation focused on the influence of various extraction parameters, including solvent type, extraction time, and temperature. The results identified ethanol (1:10, w/v) at 30°C for 8 h as the optimal extraction condition, yielding a noteworthy efficiency of 6.47%, based on dry weight. The present work highlighted the potential of lucuma fruits as a source of natural antioxidants, and contributed valuable knowledge for the development of value-added products from this underutilised fruit, particularly as a natural antioxidant additive in functional drinks, nutraceutical supplements, and fortified food products.

The utilisation of E. faecalis HZNU S1 as a probiotic is hindered by its sensitivity to gastrointestinal and storage environments. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to encapsulate E. faecalis HZNU S1 using alginate (ALG) and rice milk (RM) as encapsulating materials through the extrusion method. The resulting microbeads were characterised in terms of their size, encapsulation efficiency, and probiotic resistance under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and also with regard to various storage conditions. The microbeads had a mean particle size of 1.60 ± 0.20 mm, and an encapsulation efficiency of 97.40%. The viability of free-state probiotics exposed to simulated gastric juice (SGJ) was found to be poor. After the treatment with SGJ under pH 2.0 and 2.5 for 1.0 h, the viability of encapsulated cells was found to be greater than 6.0 log CFU/g. Furthermore, encapsulation led to an enhancement in the viable rate of cells when incubated in bile salt solution. After exposure to bile salt solution (0.30%), the viable count entrapped cells significantly decreased from 10.01 to 6.92 log CFU/g after 1 h of exposure. The full release of entrapped cells was observed when exposed to simulated intestinal juice (SIJ) within 120 min. Furthermore, encapsulation also was able to improve the storage stability of probiotics. After 12 days of storage, viable counts of encapsulated cells were 9.1 and 6.3 log CFU/g at 4 and 25°C, respectively. Therefore, the present work suggested that encapsulating E. faecalis HZNU S1 within ALG/RM microbeads could enhance its survival during both gastric-intestinal tract and storage conditions.

Recently, there has been an increasing focus on developing advanced packaging films using natural polymers. Therefore, the present work aimed to develop a potato starch/agar-based (PS/A) film incorporated with anthocyanins from dried blackcurrant pomace (DBP) to serve as a freshness indicator for monitoring freshwater prawns over three days of storage at room temperature (25 ± 1°C). PS/A films containing freeze-dried DBP powder at concentrations of 0, 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5% (w/w) were assessed for their physical properties and colour changes over a pH range of 2.0 to 12.0. The film with 0.125% (w/w) DBP was selected for the prawn freshness storage study due to its more suitable colour intensity compared to other concentrations. Also, the PS/A/DBP films showed no significant differences in terms of thickness, moisture content, and water vapour permeability (WVP) as the DBP concentration increased. During storage, the colour of 0.125% DBP film rapidly transitioned from purple-red on day 0 to dark purple on day 1, followed by purplish-blue on day 2, and ultimately to yellowish green on day 3. This sequence of colour changes indicated that spoilage began within the first 24 h. The PS/A film with 0.125% DBP anthocyanins proved to be an effective pH-indicating packaging for room temperature storage, changing colour in response to pH levels and volatile nitrogen compounds. Future work could assess lower storage temperature (4 ± 1°C) and other type of seafoods or seafood products to confirm the efficiency of the developed intelligent packaging film.

The rapid oxidation of fresh-cut surface of apples, which is prone to browning, poses a challenge. Corn whisk polysaccharide, known for its antioxidant properties, is a promising candidate for the development of a novel fresh-keeping coating to enhance storage quality, and extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. In the present work, corn whisk polysaccharide was combined with nine types of thickening agents, antioxidants, and bacteriostatic agents to formulate the coating agent. Based on sensory score, colour difference, weight loss rate, and enzyme activity, the study assessed the fresh-keeping efficacy of various coating agents on fresh-cut apples stored for 5 d at 4°C. Response surface testing identified the optimal composite coating formulation as follows: corn whisk polysaccharide at 0.49%, sodium alginate at 0.53%, phytic acid at 1.23%, and lysozyme at 1.02%. These conditions resulted in a △L* value of 0.938 for the fresh-cut apples. Further investigation into the antioxidant properties revealed that the activities of PPO (polyphenol oxidase) and POD (peroxidase) in the coated apples were lower compared to the blank control group during storage. This suggested that the composite preservative coating agent could enhance visual quality, and prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

The present work investigated the effects of deacetylated konjac glucomannan (KGM) at varying concentrations (3.26, 2.38, and 1.42%) on the rheological, textural, and microstructural properties of keropok lekor restructured with reduced fish mince levels (50, 45, and 40%). Amplitude sweep tests revealed that all KGM-containing samples exhibited higher storage modulus (G’), loss modulus (G”), and critical strain (γcr) values than those of the control (70% fish mince). At 50% fish mince, samples with 3.26 and 2.38% KGM showed the highest γcr (2.54%), whereas samples with 1.42% KGM did not show significant structural improvement. A synergistic effect was observed at 45% fish mince with 3.26% KGM, yielding higher G’ and G” than the 50% fish mince formulation. Dynamic rheological and textural properties showed more significantly enhanced structural formation, particularly at higher fish mince and KGM concentrations. SEM imaging confirmed that higher fish mince levels resulted in more compact gel structures. At 40% fish mince, all formulations with varying KGM levels showed poor structural properties. Overall, KGM acted as effective filler, enhancing viscoelasticity and structure at 45 and 50% fish mince levels, with the 45% fish mince and 3.26% KGM formulation emerging as a promising option for reducing fish content without compromising quality.

Soursop leaves tea contains antioxidant capacity; however, it is not readily acceptable due to its aroma, flavour, and taste. The present work thus assessed whether incorporating dried fruit pulps into soursop leaves tea could enhance its antioxidant capacity and sensory acceptability. The soursop leaves were processed using green tea processing method, and dried at 70°C until 5% moisture content was obtained. The soursop leaves tea was incorporated independently with dried soursop pulps, dried pineapple pulps, and dried key lime at a ratio of 2:1, and brewed at 70°C for 10 min. The dried fruit pulps were processed at 60°C until the moisture content was 9 to 18%. The physicochemical properties (pH and colour characteristics) of the brewed soursop leaves tea (SL), soursop leaves tea incorporated with dried soursop pulps (SLS), soursop leaves tea incorporated with dried pineapple pulps (SLP), and soursop leaves tea incorporated with dried key lime (SLK) were analysed using pH meter and colorimeter. The results showed that SLK had the lowest lightness and pH value. The colour of the brewed samples was all in the range of yellowish green. The antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) analyses of the brewed samples were conducted by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, Folin-Ciocalteu method, and aluminium chloride colorimetric method, respectively: SLP had the highest antioxidant capacity of 94.69 ± 0.50%, while SLK had the highest TPC (0.46 ± 0.01 mg GAE/mL). However, statistical data of TPC showed no significant difference between SLK and SLP. Meanwhile, SL had the highest TFC (34.85 ± 0.17 mg QE/mL). The sensory evaluation results reported that SLP had the highest acceptability of “like slightly” (6.00 ± 1.77). In conclusion, SLP had the highest antioxidant capacity, panellist acceptability, and considerably high TPC.

The electrochemical method, cyclic voltammetry (CV), was used to examine the antioxidant properties of rosehip species. In order to optimise the CV method, scan speed (25, 50, and 75 mV/s) and pH (2, 4.5, and 7) were varied. Based on anodic current intensity, the optimal conditions were found to be 75 mV/s and pH = 4.5. Cyclic voltammograms were recorded in a potential range from 0 to 1,200 mV/s. The first and second anodic peak detected between 0.465 and 0.529 V, and between 0.707 and 0.782 V, could be attributed to oxidation of catechin-type flavonoids. The third peak, appearing between 0.951 and 1.056 V in the cyclic voltammograms of samples, corresponded to the oxidation of quercetin. A significant correlation was found between CV and in vitro antioxidant assays: FRAP (R2 = 0.7793, p < 0.00001), CV and CUPRAC (R2 = 0.7691, p < 0.00001), and between CV and total flavonoid content (R2 = 0.7611, p < 0.00001), as well as between CV and total phenolic content (R2 = 0.7080, p < 0.00001). The HPLC method was used for the identification of individual phenolic compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided a classification of samples based on their individual phenolic content.

Calcium-alginate microencapsulation (CAM) is regarded as a highly promising encapsulation method, which is cost-effective, biodegradable, heat-stable, and remarkably user-friendly. Nevertheless, the application of these advancements for fresh fruit juices remains an area with limited exploration due to the complexity of juices that affects the gelling behaviour of alginate. The present work investigated the effects of selected formulation and process variables on the physical properties of calcium-alginate beads produced from melon (Cucumis melo L.) and Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) juices. A two-level fractional factorial design was used to assess the influence of fruit type, juice concentration, sodium alginate content, calcium chloride concentration, nozzle temperature, and gelling time on bead diameter, sphericity factor, and gel strength. The bead diameter ranged from 492.42 ± 31.58 to 661.05 ± 35.16 µm, with the largest beads obtained from Indian gooseberry juice under higher calcium levels. The sphericity factor ranged from 0.03 to 0.23, indicating variability in bead shape influenced by the type of fruit juice, gelling conditions, and formulation parameters. Gel strength, measured as absolute positive area, varied significantly among the treatments, with values ranging from 1.35 ± 0.82 to 6.83 ± 0.51 g·s. Stronger gels were observed in beads formulated with melon juice such as higher calcium chloride content and shorter gelling time. The results highlighted the combined effects of juice matrix and processing conditions in determining the structural integrity and performance of alginate-encapsulated juice beads, which may be applied in functional food and nutraceutical systems.