Added-value Food Products Research Articles

Advanced Composites Based on Sea Buckthorn Carotenoids for Mayonnaise Enrichment.

This study aimed at the extraction and encapsulation of the carotenoids from sea buckthorn fruits and obtaining value-added mayonnaise. First, the carotenoids from sea buckthorn fruits were extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction. Then, they were microencapsulated through complex coacervation and freeze-drying techniques using different wall material combinations. Two powders were obtained and analyzed in terms of encapsulation efficiency, total carotenoid content, antioxidant activity, stability of phytochemicals and color, morphological structure, and in vitro digestibility. All results pointed out that the carotenoid molecules were successfully encapsulated within the mixture of alginate, agar, and chitosan, with a 61.17 ± 0.89% encapsulation efficiency. To probe the functionality, the powder was added into mayonnaise in 2.5% and 5% amounts. The obtained mayonnaise samples were characterized in terms of phytochemical and antioxidant activity properties with their storage stability and texture, color, and sensory characteristics. A significant increase of total carotenoid content and antioxidant activity compared to the control sample was observed. The addition of powder also led to improved texture by increasing the firmness and adhesion. In addition, the sensory evaluation indicated an improved color and overall acceptability of the value-added mayonnaise. Thus, sea buckthorn extracts may be considered as valuable ingredients for the development of added-value food products.

Productive and Morphometric Traits, Mineral Composition and Secondary Metabolome Components of Borage and Purslane as Underutilized Species for Microgreens Production

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) offer largely unexplored opportunities for providing nutritious plant food, while making agro-ecosystems more diverse and resilient to climate change. The aim of this work was to explore the potential of two typical Mediterranean underutilized species, purslane and borage, as novel vegetable product (microgreens). Micro-scale production of edible plants is spreading due to the simplicity of their management, rapid cycle, harvest index, and phytochemical value of the edible product. Microgreens, therefore, represent an opportunity to link NUS, nutrition, and agricultural and dietary diversification. By analyzing yield, antioxidants activities, mineral composition, and main phenolic acids and flavonoids, our work indicated that the two species provide interesting results when compared with those reported for crops and horticultural species. Specifically, purslane should be considered highly nutritional due to the amount of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid, and to potential good β-carotene bioavailability. Borage microgreens have a very high fresh yield and a more composite and balanced phenolic profile. In conclusion, our work provided evidence for implementing new ways to expand the NUS market-chains and for developing added-value food products.

Three Types of Red Beetroot and Sour Cherry Based Marmalades with Enhanced Functional Properties.

The importance of bioactive compounds such as betalains and anthocyanins was highlighted in the present study by the valorization of red beetroot and sour cherry as an attempt to develop healthy products. The aim of the study was to obtain and characterize three types of marmalade based on red beetroot, sour cherry and both in 1:1 combination, obtained by heating at 95 °C for 30 min. Changes in total phenolic content, total flavonoids, betalains, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were evaluated before and after the thermal treatment. Several other analyses such as color, rheological and textural analyses and confocal laser microscopy were performed to provide further information about the quality of the added-value food products. A significant decrease of 34% in betalains content was registered in the red beetroot marmalade due to the chemical changes in bioactives induced by the temperature. A satisfactory ABTS radical scavenging activity of 8.12 ± 0.38 mMol Trolox/g dry weight (dw) was obtained for the red beetroot and sour cherry based marmalade. The gelled structure was validated by the rheological and textural characteristics. The results highlighted the potential use of red beetroot and sour cherry as food raw materials, due to their particular profile of bioactive compounds.

Effects of digested jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg) by-product on growth and metabolism of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium indicate prebiotic properties

This study evaluated whether jabuticaba by-product (JB) can exert prebiotic effects through the measurements of its stimulatory effects on growth and metabolism of probiotic L. acidophilus, L. casei and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. Freeze-dried JB had high contents of dietary fiber, particularly of soluble fiber, and presence of sugars and a variety of phenolics. Freeze-dried JB was submitted to a simulated gastrointestinal digestion before use in assays. Digested JB showed positive prebiotic activity scores on examined probiotics. After a 48 h-cultivation in medium with digested JB (20 g/L), probiotics had counts >8 log CFU/mL, which were similar to those found in medium with fructooligosaccharides. Cultivation of probiotics in medium with digested JB resulted in decreased pH, increased production of lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids (i.e., acetic, butyric and propionic) and consumption of glucose and fructose over time, indicating intense metabolic activities. Probiotics had variable ability to metabolize specific phenolics of digested JB during cultivation. JB has potential prebiotic properties, which could be exploited in formulations of added-value food products.

Pleurotus spp. Cultivation on Different Agri-Food By-Products: Example of Biotechnological Application

Agri-food industry generally produces huge volumes of wastes all over the world, and their disposal is a threat to the environment and public health. The chemical composition of most of these wastes make them be defined as lignocellulosic materials, so they could be a suitable substrate for solid-state fermentation process operated by mushrooms. White-rot fungi are well known for their degradation ability of lignocellulosic material, and many scientific works reported the use of different substrates for their production. Biotechnological treatments of agri-food wastes by mushrooms could be considered an eco-friendly solution to reuse and valorize them, besides to reduce their environmental impact. In this way, wastes would be transformed into new resources to produce added-value food products, besides representing an economic return for the same industries. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the recent literature concerning the use of different agri-food residues as growth substrates for Pleurotus spp. cultivation, with attention to their effects on the growth and chemical composition of the cultivated mushrooms.

Development of Novel Added-Value Products, Using Brewers Spent Grain as Ingredient

In recent years many studies have shown that brewers spent grain (BSG), the major by-product of the brewing industry, is no longer regarded as waste but rather as a rich source of bioactive compounds. With a hypothesis that this by-product could be efficiently valorized in developing new added-value food products this study evaluates the content of BSG in several bioactive compounds and assessed their influence on enhancing the nutritional quality of a basic snack composition. The substitution of wheat flour with 10%, 20% and 30% ground BSG led to development of three breadsticks formulations with increased nutritional value (protein, fiber, lipid and minerals) and enhanced antioxidant properties, in a dose dependent manner. Also, the sensorial analysis revealed that, compare with a control sample, the prototype with 10% and 20% BSG had good organoleptic attributes and overall acceptability. The obtained results emphasize the great opportunity to reuse this by-product in developing innovative added-value food products.

Impact of Thermal Processing Methods on Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Olive Oil Polar Fraction

Several health claims of olive oil are correlated with phenolic compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different thermal processing methods on phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of heated olive oils. In particular, the phenolic antioxidants of olive oils, which were subjected to frying, baking, boiling and microwave irradiation, were estimated using multi-spectrophotometric assays approach. Results showed that thermal processing methods affected significantly the phenolic content as well as the antioxidant potency of heated olive oils. The frying and boiling of olive oils caused the highest losses of phenolic compounds that reached up to 75%, whereas a slight decrease in polyphenols was monitored after microwave irradiation. Furthermore, the baked olive oils retained better phenolic antioxidants than olive oils that were subjected to frying and boiling. Overall, our findings suggest baking as the most appropriate thermal method to heat olive oils. Practical Applications The present work investigated the influence of thermal processing methods on olive oil polyphenols and their antioxidant properties. Results showed that frying and boiling have to be avoided in heating olive oils, while microwave heating did not decrease statistically the amount of phenolic antioxidants. Based on phenolic content and antioxidant potency, baking of olive oil is preferred when heating of olive oil is required. This study recommended good practices for home-cooking in order to retain phenolic antioxidants through selecting thermal processing method. Taking into consideration that the food industry uses olive oil to replace meat fat or refined vegetable oils, this work is a useful guide to produce healthier and high added-value food products.