Cake Mix Research Articles

Effect of Fungal and Fungal-Bacterial Tempe-Type Fermentation on the Bioactive Potential of Grass Pea Seeds and Flaxseed Oil Cake Mix.

Tempe is an Indonesian food product traditionally obtained from soybeans through solid-state fermentation with Rhizopus. A variety of substrates can be processed into tempe in the presence of other microorganisms. In this study, grass pea seeds with the addition of flaxseed oil cake (20% w/w) were either fermented using individual mould strains-Rhizopus oryzae, R. oligosporus, and Mucor indicus-or cofermented with the moulds and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. In the obtained products, the content of dietary fibre, B group vitamins, and the level of peptides and antioxidant potential in aqueous extracts were measured. Moreover, peptides, angiotensin I convertase inhibitor, and antioxidant activity were determined after in vitro digestion. The effect of digestates on the differentiation of enterocytes was also investigated. Fermentation generally resulted in a decrease in the dietary fibre, especially the insoluble fraction (30-50%). The product obtained with R. oryzae was the best source of riboflavin and thiamine among all tested. The fermentation process promoted the accumulation of water-soluble peptides and antioxidant compounds. After in vitro digestion, the largest amount of antioxidant and antiradical compounds was released from tempe obtained with R. oryzae. However, the enrichment of the products with antioxidants resulting from solid-state fermentation did not simply translate into an improvement in antioxidant potential after digestion. Generally, fermentation carried out in the presence of L. plantarum brought positive effects only in the case of R. oligosporus DSM 1964. Digestion products obtained from R. oryzae tempe had a positive effect on the viability of Caco-2 cells differentiated into enterocytes. Interestingly, a higher activity of differentiation markers (alkaline phosphatase and sucrase-isomaltase) was observed under the influence of digestate of R. oryzae and L. plantarum tempe.

Validation of the method for determining the egg albumin allergen in food products by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An egg is an ecological food product containing protein, balanced vitamins, trace elements, and essential amino acids in the correct ratio. At the same time, egg albumin is an obligate allergen with no species specificity; consuming eggs from other birds does not eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction. The development of an allergy to chicken eggs in children, manifested by exudative diathesis, is especially likely. Allergy to egg protein leads to deterioration of the quality of life and health; therefore, its detection in food products is relevant today. The article contains information on the validation of the method of determining the egg protein content in food products by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and the main parameters for assessing the suitability of this method. The quantitative determination of processed chicken egg protein in food products was validated using the Ridascreen Egg ELISA test system, R-Biopharm, based on the State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary-Sanitary Examination. The material for the study was negative samples of the matrix and enriched samples of CRM (certified reference material cake mix). Validation of the method for the quantitative determination of processed chicken egg protein in food products was carried out by determining and evaluating the following parameters: the limit of detection, quantification, convergence, reproducibility, accuracy, and uncertainty. The ELISA method for quantitatively determining processed chicken egg protein in food products has been successfully tested and meets the requirements of EU Commission Regulation 2002/657; all validation parameters are within acceptable limits. The method is suitable for food research and recommended for testing laboratories.

Impact of Processing Method on AQF Functionality in Bakery Items.

Aquafaba (AQF) has the unique ability to foam like egg whites and is a waste product of cooked chickpea that is not currently utilized by the food industry. Thus, the goal of this research was to concentrate the solids by reverse osmosis (cAQF) followed by drying. Dried AQF was prepared by cooking chickpea in excess water. After removal of the chickpea, the liquid AQF was subjected to reverse osmosis followed by freeze, tray, or spray drying. The resulting AQF products were incorporated into standard cake mix and sugar cookie formulas. Hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of cakes made with eggs were significantly higher compared to the cakes made with AQF. Spread factor was significantly greater for cookies made with AQF compared to eggs while hardness was significantly lower in cookies with AQF. Higher flavor and overall acceptability scores were observed in cookies made with AQF compared to cookies made with egg. However, sensory characteristics were generally not different among cakes. In general, cAQF and spray-dried AQF tended to produce cakes and cookies with the best quality and sensory characteristic. This research supports the use of RO and drying methods in producing AQF ingredients for baking applications.

Edible oil to powder technologies: Concepts and advances

There is a recent surge in demand for nutritious food from the consumer end. Functional foods are gaining much popularity. With the commercialization of omega-3 fatty acids and their many nutritional advantages, edible powders and smoothies loaded with PUFA are available on the market. Edible oil powders are one such commodity that is consumed for their several nutraceutical properties such as, reducing cardiovascular risk, aiding in weight reduction, providing antioxidant properties, etc. Edible oil is first stabilized into stable emulsions which are then processed to obtain powders. The process of oil-in-water emulsion stabilization is carried out using ultrasonication, homogenization, microfluidization, complex coacervation, and oil structuring mechanisms. The stable emulsions are then microencapsulated using various wall material combinations and ratios to form stable edible oil powders. The wall material protects the active molecules from the ambient environment, high temperature, and high-pressure processing methods. These powders are added to coffee, smoothies, cookies, yogurt, cake mix, and soup powder to impart functional properties to foods. The major challenge in the production of oil powder is the formation of stable emulsion with proper wall-to-core ratio and binding of the wall with core materials to form stable powder with an increased shelf life. This article provides a detailed review of various emulsion stabilization techniques and processing methods to form edible oil powders.

Tools My Mother Gave Me: Four Autoethnographic Poems

Poetic inquiry is one approach available to researchers that allows for theory-informed and emotionally-engaged reflexivity. In this article, I share four poems about my mother’s positionality as a white low-income cis-hetero woman raising my brother and myself in the 1980s. Informed by critical sociocultural theory, I use poetry to describe four cultural tools she passed down to me: the Betty Crocker Cake Mix, accurate paperwork, makeup, and parenting magazines. These four research poems were composed through multiple rounds of revision in the context of a graduate-level poetry class resulting in improved aesthetics and qualitative analysis.

INDUSTRIALIZATION, PRODUCTION, AND PROCESSING OF CASSAVA (Manihot Esculenta Crantz) FOR THE EXTRACTION OF FLOUR AND POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL USAGE

Cassava flour can be made into high-quality flour as a partial substitute for wheat flour and other cereals. Also, cassava can be presented in food formulations such as bread, pasta, cookies, cake mixes, pizza dough, arepas, empanadas, pancakes, etc. The flour of cassava provides convenience in the baking area before a society concerned about good health and nutrition, with the obtaining of bread with high fiber content. This would add to the production of bread and other products. In addition to a decrease in the raw material, a component in terms of nutrition and health are not found in many current bakery foods and that society demands today. The content of crude fiber in cassava flour is greater than in wheat flour, this characteristic makes the products made with said flour acquire greater nutritional value since it presents fiber contents similar to those of wholemeal flours. Cassava flour is gluten-free and low in fat, low in calories, and sugar, making it a good alternative for people with celiac disease, diabetes, hypertension, or cholesterol tall. It can also be consumed by people with sensitive digestive disorders due to its easy digestion. Cassava for flour production has a high potential worldwide and could reduce wheat imports for bakeries.

ETNOBOTANI TUMBUHAN PANGAN LOKAL MASYARAKAT TAPALANG KABUPATEN MAMUJU SULAWESI BARAT

Local food plants are types of plants that are used as food by a certain community. This is related to the culture and customs of an area so it is necessary to study its ethnobotanical aspects. The aim of this study was to take an inventory of various types of local plants in Tapalang District, Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province and their utilization as food ingredients. This study uses a mix method approach, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative. The research design used is sequential exploratory. The research stages include a) interviews with respondents, b) observations of local food plants, c) sampling and identification, d) data analysis. The research results obtained include 83 species of local food plants in Tapalang District. These plant species are grouped into 41 families. Plant parts used include fruit, leaves, fruit stalks, stem starch, flowers, shoots, seeds, and tubers. These food plants are used in various forms such as direct consumption of the fruit, made into spices, made into snacks, as a mixture of dishes, cake mixes, and so on. The highest of using value species (UVs) was obtained from coconut which was used by consuming its flesh, made into oil, cooking mixtures, made into coconut milk, and as cake mixtures. The highest family using value (FUV) was obtained from the Caricaceae and Cactaceae families. Most of the local food plants in the Tapalang district can be found in the gardens and yards of residents' houses.

Study on the opportunity to improve the quality of the flour for pastry by adding chemical leavening agents

Food products that do not require practices for processing, and are easy to prepare have attracted the attention of consumers. An example of this type of product is the premixes formulations for cake mix which allows the cake to be made easily and quickly. The consumer of this type of product has the expectation, when following the instructions, to obtain a uniform and quality product. There are many different chemical leavening agents available to the baker. These include baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), ammonium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, baking powder (baking soda, calcium phosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate) and leavening acids. Generating CO2 and neutralizing sodium bicarbonate is the primary role of leavening acids, but, it is important not to forget their secondary role and their effects. Taking into consideration these facts, the objective of experiments was to establish the connection between quantity and quality of leavening agents and the quality of bakery products. As the chemical leavening agents get into flour, it is also important to comprehend how they influence the rheological parameters of flour with direct implication in the quality of the products made. For experiments, baking powder was used, which was added in specific quantities to wheat flour. The flour samples were made, and the samples obtained were sensory evaluated in the panel. Correlating Mixolab Profiler indices with the baking samples, and also with the legislation regarding, the best results were obtained for flour with 2% baking powder.

Conversion of leftover ice cream into bakery product for food sustainability

Food sustainability has become so important nowadays not only in order to ensure all raw materials are converted into food for consumption, but also to recycle leftover food for gastronomy. The innovative product created from leftover or unfinished food is a good alternative to throwing away food by-products. In this study, the unutilized ice cream post -selling or post-production process was reformulated with other ingredients to produce bakery products such as cake. Four different cake formulations were used which consisted of melted leftover ice cream, instant cake mix and eggs. The physical qualities of the samples were investigated, and sensory evaluation was also conducted. Cake made conventionally from instant cake mix without the addition of the leftover ice cream was used as a control sample in this study. Cake produced from melted ice cream using three eggs (sample A) had the highest moisture content among all samples which was 39.09%. The control sample had the highest specific volume (2.99 cm3 /g) which indicated a high amount of air remained in the structure after baking. All samples showed a positive symmetry index which indicated good expansion except for cake produced from melted ice cream with no egg (sample D). Cake produced from melted ice cream with no egg (sample D) had the lowest firmness as compared to other cake samples. Cake produced using melted ice cream which contained two eggs (Sample B) had the highest value of springiness which was 0.94 mm. A plot of chewiness as a function of firmness with an R 2 value of 0.9887 confirms the positive correlation between firmness and chewiness. From the sensory evaluation conducted, the cake produced from melted ice cream using three eggs (sample A) scored the highest mark for colour, aroma, sweetness, taste and overall acceptability among the formulated cakes. The results suggested that using melted ice cream as the base ingredient for cake making would tremendously help in solving food waste created by the by-product of the ice cream business and turn it into profit.

Preparation of a Low-Calorie, Gluten-Free All-in-One Cake Mix, Containing Bacillus Coagulans Using Quinoa and Inulin Functionality

Celiac patients must follow a strict gluten-free diet along the life that leads to many nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to produce an “all-in-one gluten-free cakemix based on quinoa flour” for celiac patients and other gluten-sensitive people. Nine treatments were provided with quinoa flour (25, 27.5, and 30% of total formula), inulin as a prebiotic, fat replacer and natural sweetener (2.4, 3.2, and 4% of total formula). The content of oil was reduced using oil powder consisting of sunflower oil and wall materials (resistant starch and maltodextrin 50 : 50). Bacillus coagulans was added as a probiotic bacteria. A commercial cakemix was considered as a control sample. The nutritional and chemical properties of cake mixes (percentage of moisture, protein, mineral, carbohydrate, crude fiber, fat, and calorie) and physical and textural properties of cakes (springiness, specific volume, porosity, chewiness, browning reaction, moisture, and water activity) were tested. Data were analyzed by https://graphpad.ir/prism/software using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). After sensory evaluation, the treatment number 5 was selected as the most acceptable cake among all treatments. Its amino acid profile, fatty acid profile, and peroxide index were determined. The minerals, protein, and fiber of quinoa cake mixes were significantly higher, and the fat, carbohydrate and calorie were lower than control. Addition of quinoa reduced springiness, specific volume, porosity, chewiness, and increased the browning reaction. But these changes did not have a very negative effect in general. The moisture, water activity, and bacteria count changes were followed during four days of cakes preservation in refrigerator. The reduction trend of quinoa cakes moisture and water activity was slower than control. The number of bacteria was enough to be considered as a probiotic product after 4 days. Quinoa flour could improve the nutritional and functional properties of gluten-free cake mixes.

Toward a Pedagogy for Consumer Anthropology: Method, Theory, Marketing

This paper focuses on teaching the application of anthropology in business to marketing students. It begins with the premise that consumer marketers have long used ethnography as a component of their qualitative market research toolkit to inform their knowledge about and empathy for consumers. A question for market research educators who include ethnography in their curricula is if and how to teach the richness of anthropologically based approaches, especially given a decoupling of ethnographic method from anthropological theory in much consumer research practice. This discussion might also resonate with anthropology educators who are interested in the ways anthropology is applied in commercial settings. As a demonstration of a teaching mode rather than a research report, this paper describes how a consumer anthropology market research project is used experientially in the classroom to help marketing students learn and appreciate the application of both anthropological method and theory for brand-building. Included is a summary of an ethnographic project on Duncan Hines cake mix and an in-class student exercise during which three conceptual ‘jumping off’ points from anthropological theory were used to generate marketing initiatives.

Evaluation of the use of ampicillin‐ and streptomycin‐resistant Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli to reduce the burden of background microbiota during food safety studies

AbstractTracking artificially seeded foodborne pathogens in foods with high background microbiota is challenging. Wheat flour and its subsidiary products are known to carry a high native microbial load, which could interfere with tracking and enumeration of target organisms in such matrices. Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups O26, O121, and O157:H7 were transformed with the pGFPuv plasmid encoding ampicillin resistance (+Amp) and green fluorescent protein and were additionally conferred resistance to streptomycin (+Amp + Strep) through exposure to incremental concentrations of the antibiotic. Growth characteristics of these antibiotic‐resistant strains were compared to those of the nonresistant native strains (NR). The supplementation of ampicillin and ampicillin + streptomycin in growth media was evaluated for its ability to suppress growth of the native microbial load of three different commercial cake mixes. Antibiotic supplementation in growth media was successful in suppressing the native microbiota of the cake mixes, while the growth characteristics of the +Amp + Strep variants of the three STEC strains did not differ significantly from the NR strains (p > .05). These results indicate that STEC strains with ampicillin and streptomycin resistance markers have improved trackability over their wild‐type counterparts when isolated from food matrices with high background microbiota. These strains would be advantageous for use in laboratory experiments on STEC survival in wheat and wheat derived products as their detection and enumeration can occur without interference from native microbial load.

Methodology for developing a nutrient and food pattern equivalents database for selected branded foods in the USDA National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey-1

The objective was to develop Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) nutrients and food pattern equivalents (FPEs) for about 3500 branded foods that were among the foods collected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey-1 that could not be directly linked to foods in the USDA nutrient and food pattern equivalents databases. Computation of the HEI requires energy, total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, sodium, and USDA Food Pattern Equivalents for each of the foods. This study used food label data, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release (SR-Legacy), USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2013–2014, and USDA Food Patterns Equivalents Databases (FPED/FPID) 2013–2014. Food labels do not contain FPEs. At the time of the study, added sugars was not included in food labels. However, added sugars is one of the 37 components of FPED/FPID. This study illustrates the stepwise process for estimating nutrient and food pattern profiles, with examples such as frozen vegetables, cake mix, fruit and nut bar, and dry dinner mix with rice and seasonings by using publicly available USDA food databases mentioned above.

Having your cake (mix) and eating it too: Independent, interaction, and group effects of mixtures using Bayesian Hierarchical Regression Modelling

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mixtures analysis methods are increasingly being applied in environmental epidemiology, but current methods are often limited by either only providing a group effect or independent exposure effects without a group effect. We investigate Bayesian Hierarchical Regression Modelling (BHRM) and show how it can be adapted to handle highly correlated exposures to estimate: 1) independent exposure effects; 2) interactions between exposures; and 3) combined effects for a mixture exposure. METHODS: BHRM is a flexible framework that can provide robust estimation for highly correlated exposures (via g-prior specification), yield conditional exposure-specific estimates, and include interactions effects. We demonstrate how these general regression models can provide additional inference on the combined effect for a multi-pollutant exposure. To demonstrate potential advantages of certain specifications, we applied BHRM to an analysis of liver injury and exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFUnDA, in 1105 children from the Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) project. Liver injury was defined as 90th percentile for any serum liver injury biomarker (ALT, AST, GGT). We used BHRM to estimate the mixture effect and pollutant-specific effects. For comparison, we also applied Bayesian Weighted Quantile Sum regression (BWQS)—an alternative specification within Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling. RESULTS:PFAS mixture was associated with childhood liver injury: OR=1.64 (95%CI:1.34-2.00) per increased exposure equivalent to one standard deviation for all PFAS. Within this mixture effect, PFNA was the predominant exposure driving the association with OR=1.62 (95%CI:1.11-1.97) and a posterior inclusion probability of 0.969 (Bayes factor, BF=125). No strong evidence of interactions. Although BWQS estimated a mixture effect of OR=1.85 (95%CI:1.50-2.25) and indicated PFNA had the most substantial estimated weight of 0.513 (BF=4.21), the approach lacks pollutant-specific effects. CONCLUSIONS:BHRM is an efficient method for mixtures analysis. Estimation of pollutant-specific effects with group effects provide critical data for identifying causal agents in mixtures of environmental contaminants. KEYWORDS: mixtures, methods, Bayesian Hierarchical Regression Modelling, multi-pollutant

Development of cake mix with reduced fat and high practicality by adding chia mucilage

The busy modern lifestyle, marked by the scarcity of time for food preparation, makes the industry focus on the production of fast-prepared, more practical, and better nutritional value foods. In this sense, one of the products that is highly used is pre-ready cake mixes, which during its preparation still needs the addition of other ingredients. Therefore, combining the practicality of preparation and better nutritional characteristics, this study aimed to develop a ready-made cake mix using dry chia mucilage as a fat substitute and requiring only the addition of water in its preparation. The ready-made mix was developed with wheat flour, sugar, powder milk, dehydrated whole egg, baking powder, and dry chia mucilage. Besides, these formulations were compared with a commercial cake mix through proximal composition and technological and physical characteristics. The ready-made cake mix developed with chia mucilage was easier and faster to prepare than the other formulations, due not the necessary addition of others ingredients. The formulations of the new mix had a lower lipid content than the commercial one, with emphasis on the pre-ready mix added with chia mucilage which showed a 60.4% reduction in the lipid content about the same pre-ready mix but added with margarine. Besides, this formulation showed cakes with higher protein content, and higher carbohydrate content since chia mucilage is mainly composed of fibers. Although the ready-made cake mix new was firmer than the others, the total score was acceptable. In this way, the cake mix was produced with better nutritional properties and easy preparation.

Mixed emotional appeal enhances positive word-of-mouth: The moderating role of narrative person

Underpinned by feelings-as-information theory and construal level theory, this present research examines the effect of mixed emotions in advertising on word of mouth (WOM) and the moderating role of a narrative person. Two experiments were conducted featuring two different products (cake mix in Study 1; watch in Study 2) and different narratives to elicit mixed emotions. The objective of Study 1 was to confirm the moderating effect of the narrative person on the relationship between mixed emotion and positive WOM. Study 2 aimed to provide stronger empirical evidence for the findings of Study 1 and test the mediating effects of inspiration (when it uses a third-person narration) and discomfort (when it uses the first-person narration). In general, the results show that a mixed emotional appeal is more effective than pure happiness in increasing positive WOM when the third-person narration is used. The relationship between mixed emotions and WOM is mediated by inspiration (when using a third-person narration) and discomfort (when using the first-person narration). This extends previous research which provides inconclusive evidence on the consequences of mixed emotional appeal. The current study also broadens the application of linguistics in emotion and consumer behavior literature while providing important implications for marketers in their advertising strategy.

The effect of functional additives on the indicator “water activity” of biscuit semi-finished products

Among different segments of the population of the Russian Federation, flour confectionery from biscuit dough is one of the most popular. In order to give them functional properties to increase the biological value, we used pumpkin in this work. Such an additive enriches the finished product with pectins, carotenoids and minerals. The introduction of pumpkin puree also has a positive effect on organoleptic characteristics, but increases the humidity of the finished product. Introduction to the recipe for biscuit pumpkin puree helps to increase the value of the indicator “water activity”. Researching the microbiological quality indicators in the products developed showed that between Aw and microbiological quality indicators such as QMAFAnM and the content of yeast and molds, a straightforward relationship is observed: an increase in the proportion of water in the finished biscuit cake mix leads to increasing in a total number of microorganisms and also increasing the microorganisms of spoilage. In the sample with 20% replacement of wheat flour with pumpkin puree, the value of Aw approaches the value characteristic of products with high humidity (0.9). Therefore, enriched biscuit semi-finished products have a shorter shelf life, it is advisable to produce them at public catering facilities.

Research on possibilities of non-traditional flour types use in baking industry

The article considers the possibility of using non-traditional raw material - tiger-nut flour (chufa-nut)–in the production of flour confectionery biscuit cake mix. During the research, experimental baking of biscuits was carried out with a different dosage of tiger-nut flour and wheat flour. Samples of biscuits with a different combination of tiger-nut flour and wheat high-grade flour were studied in ratios of 5:95; 10:90; 15:85%. The research was carried out in the laboratory of the department “Technology of agricultural raw materials storage and processing and catering” at the Volgograd state agrarian university. During the experiment, the authors studied the following: the flour confectionery products production at the present stage; growth geography, tiger-nut yield and quality; tiger-nut and flour obtained from it chemical composition; the tiger-nut influence on human health and well-being; organoleptic quality indicators of experimental biscuit cake mix products samples with tiger-nut flour adding; physical and chemical quality indicators. As the result of the research, it was possible to produce biscuit cake mix products with tiger-nut flour use, and the optimal dosage of tiger-nut flour and high-grade wheat flour was established, which allows obtaining biscuit cake mix with high organoleptic and physicochemical parameters. According to the carried out research results, it is recommended to use tiger-nut flour (chufa-nut) in the amount of 5:95 and 10:90% by the wheat flour weight.

Ultrasound-Assisted Water-in-Oil Emulsions for the Microencapsulation of Beet Extract (Beta Vulgaris L.) by Spray Chilling Technique

In order to incorporate bioactive compounds in foods and beverages from substances with coloring and antioxidant properties such as betalains, pigments of natural origin from beet disposal, it is necessary to analyze the main operational variables that influence its stability. Thus, the importance of encapsulation technologies by spray chilling and emulsion homogenization from ultrasonic devices is highlighted. Therefore, three independent variables were studied: lipid binary treatments (carrier agents), containing stearic acid (SA) and oleic acid (OA), prepared in an ultrasonic probe homogenizer, in proportions of 50/50, 60/40, and 70/30, respectively; permanence time (1, 2, and 3 min) in the homogenizer and power (200 W and 280 W) of the equipment. Then, the mixtures were evaluated for kinetic stability (creaming index) and rheology (consistency index) and, from these results, the optimum power and time were selected to obtain ideal colloidal systems aimed at microencapsulation of the particles in spray chilling. In general, the increase in the proportion of stearic acid directly influenced the increase in viscosity and stability of the emulsion. Such behavior allowed setting the sonicator operating parameters at the limit of 2.75 min and 200 W, in addition to indicating that the SA would have better atomization performance than the OA. Morphological analyzes showed that the microspheres (70/30) had larger particle size, spherical shape and smooth surface; however, lower encapsulation yields. The lipid matrix with the highest content of unsaturated fats (OA), especially the treatment with 50% of this component, showed greater agglomeration of particles, demonstrating a pasty and sticky consistency, which made handling difficult. From the FTIR spectrum it was possible to verify that the beet extract was incorporated into the lipid matrix, that is, demonstrating that the spray chilling technique did not destroy the primary structures. Over the storage time, it was possible to observe greater degradation of the pigments present in the microspheres with 50/50 and 60/40 of stearic acid/oleic acid and, consequently, greater visual color change, when compared to the 70/30 treatment. The research showed that, with a high potential for early release and greater retention of betalains, the microsphere made with a lower concentration of stearic acid proves to be viable for application in refrigerated foods, such as gelatine, jellies, yogurts, and ice cream. In contrast, the increase in stearic acid promotes a larger particle size and, at higher temperatures, had a better visual appearance, being ideal for foods that have good melting properties in the mouth, such as chocolates, flavored milks and cake mixes. Thus, the spray chilling technique under the conditions of the tested operations proved to be a promising alternative for the encapsulation of water-soluble extracts and maintenance of its stability, which contributes to its application in the future projects in the food industry.

Growth of Common Plants of Boreal Reclamation Sites in Oil Sands Tailings Cake Mixes and Process Water

Oil sands surface mining and processing in Alberta generate large volumes of fluid tailings and process water high in salts and metals, which must be reclaimed. We investigated growth of four common plants (two native and two non-native) found in boreal oil sands reclamation sites as influenced by substrate type (tailings cake, and mixtures of cake-sand, cake-peat, and cake-forest floor mineral mix) and water quality (0%, 50%, and 100% oil sands process water). Overall, cake-peat supported the highest aboveground biomass among substrates whereas cake and cake-sand performed poorly, possibly due to high sodium and chloride concentrations. Adding process water to substrates generally reduced growth or increased mortality. Grasses had greater growth than forbs, and for each functional group, non-native species performed better than native species. Hordeum vulgare had the highest overall growth with no mortality followed by Agropyron trachycaulum with negligible (0.5%) mortality. Chamerion angustifolium was most affected by the treatments with the lowest growth and highest mortality (56%). Sonchus arvensis had higher growth than C. angustifolium but its slow growth makes it less suitable for reclaiming tailings. Our results indicate that H. vulgare and A. trachycaulum could be good candidates for use in initial reclamation of oil sands tailings.