Food Colorants Research Articles

Dietary Interventions and Supplements for Managing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review of Efficacy and Recommendations.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) significantly impacts children's neurological development, behaviour, and overall well-being, affecting academic performance and social interactions. This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of dietary interventions (DASH(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, Vitamin D3 supplementation, magnesium, and impact of artificial food colors and marine oils) and supplements alongside standard pharmacotherapy in managing ADHD symptoms. Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, we extensively searched various databases for studies published from 2016 to 2022. Out of an initial pool of 7873 records, 14 randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria following rigorous screening. Our findings suggest that gluten-free diets may alleviate ADHD symptoms despite negative celiac serology, highlighting the role of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Moreover, vitamin and mineral supplements like vitamin D and magnesium showed varying degrees of effectiveness in improving behavioural and emotional symptoms. Innovative treatments, such as combining saffron with methylphenidate and using marine oil extracts, also demonstrated potential in enhancing behaviours associated with ADHD. The review underscores the importance of dietary approaches, such as the DASH diet and specific exclusions (e.g., a few foods diet and an oligoantigenic diet), in managing symptoms by addressing nutritional factors. Studies on probiotics and interventions targeting gut microbiota composition yielded mixed results, necessitating further exploration. Limitations include study diversity and short-term outcome assessments, cautioning against broad generalizations. Integrating personalized dietary assessments and interventions into ADHD treatment strategies could optimize therapeutic outcomes and potentially reduce reliance on pharmacotherapy alone. In summary, this systematic review highlights the potential benefits of dietary modifications and supplements in managing ADHD symptoms. Future research should prioritize long-term efficacy, interactions with conventional medications, and personalized dietary approaches to refine ADHD treatment strategies.

Extraction of Anthocyanin Pigments from the Peel of Dragon Fruit for Food Coloring

Extraction of Anthocyanin Pigments from the Peel of Dragon Fruit for Food Coloring

"Effect of Sunset Yellow on Testis: Molecular Evaluation, and Protective Role of Coenzyme Q10 in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats".

In recent years, Sunset Yellow (SY) has been widely used as a food additive, sparking debates about its potential toxicity. This research aims to investigate SY's effects at both the molecular and histopathological levels, along with the protective benefits of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation in male rat testes. Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups (n = 7) and given daily oral gavages for six weeks. The groups included: a low dose of Sunset Yellow (2.5 mg/kg/day), a high dose of Sunset Yellow (70 mg/kg/day), CoQ10 (10 mg/kg/day), CoQ10 with the low dose of Sunset Yellow, CoQ10 with the high dose of Sunset Yellow, and deionized water as a control. After anesthesia, the rats' testes were removed for molecular and histological analysis. The findings showed a dose-dependent rise in the expression of oxidative stress genes (Sod, Gpx, and Cata) and a notable decrease in the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (Star) gene (P value < 0.05) with increasing SY doses. Histological results supported these outcomes. Additionally, there was no significant distinction between rats treated with CoQ10 along with low doses of Sunset Yellow (CoQ10+LD) and control rats given low doses of Sunset Yellow (SY-LD). Conclusions: This study illustrates that SY, as an artificial food dye, has harmful effects on the male reproductive system, while the utilization of CoQ10 can alleviate the negative impacts of SY exposure.

Effect of glass infiltration and modified cooling rates on color characteristics alteration of monochrome and multilayer high yttrium oxide containing zirconia.

Sintering technique impacted color of zirconia. This study examined the effect of glass infiltration and altering cooling rate on color alteration of monochrome (Mo) and multilayer (Mu) 5 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (5Y-PSZ). 180 specimens (width, length, thickness = 10, 20, 2 mm) were prepared from Mo and Mu (comprising cervical (C) and incisal (I) zone) 5Y-PSZ shade VITA-A2. Unintentionally categorized samples (n=15/group) were sintered with traditional (T) versus glass infiltrated (G) technique and cooled down with slow (S: 5°C/min), normal (N: 35°C/min), and fast (F: 70°C/min). CIE-L*a*b* color characteristics were determined for translucency parameter (TP), contrast ratio (CR), opalescence parameter (OP), and color difference (∆Ediff). Microstructures were investigated with SEM and XRD. ANOVA and Tamhane's comparisons were determined for significant differences (p<0.05). TP and OP were significantly higher for Mo than MuC and MuI, but no significant difference in CR among them. Comparable ΔEdiff between Mo and MuC were indicated, but both were significantly lesser than MuL. Glass infiltration and raising cooling rate significantly decreased TP and OP, whereas increased CR and ΔEdiff, which amplified color alteration. Glass infiltration sintering and modified cooling rate significantly altered color parameters of 5Y-PSZ. Monochrome demonstrated higher translucency and opalescence than multilayer, possibly due to colorant additives. Glass infiltration decreased translucency and opalescence due to different refractive indices. Increased cooling rate resulted in decreasing translucency and opalescence due to smaller grain size and t→m transformation. Nevertheless, altered sintering and cooling rates still rendered an acceptable color alteration. Key words:Cooling rate, glass infiltration, optical characteristics, translucency.

Consumer Awareness and Contemporary Policy Regulations on Artificial Food Colourant Safety in India

The purpose of this research is to focus on the most practised Artificial Food Colourants (AFCs) creating a demand in the consumer food market and neglecting food safety by the stakeholders, as these AFCs have been proven to be harmful to human health. The problem question that has been addressed here is whether the labeling policy and the consumer awareness of AFC are in tandem with; how the Indian judiciary fared in delivering their judgements towards the prevalence of non-permitted AFCs in the Indian food market to tell them as successful for the healthier consumer food industry. The main objective is to examine the consumers’s awareness on AFC on the International Numbering System for Food Additives (INS) and their mentioning on the label of food products along with the regulatory measures for approvals of AFCs in Europe, USA and India for comparison. It is revealed that consumers’ awareness of INS is not very significant; FSSAI permits only eight AFCs for consumption, nevertheless, other non-permitted AFCs were also found to be used and the Indian government has acted responsibly on various occasions by entering the manufacturing premises to inspect the food, collect samples for testing the adulteration by submitting to the food analyst, thereby curbing such activities and grabbing such offenders to the court. The concept of food safety dimensions in consensus with AFC practices, the health and legal issues associated with AFC consumption, the Indian Government’s policies and the response of the judiciary related to food colourant safety are discussed in this paper. A doctrinal research method is followed by analysing the legal literature such as the regulatory provisions, government policies and noteworthy cases from the Indian judiciary and drawing support from empirical research evidencing the poor knowledge of consumers on AFCs being added in the food. Therefore, a serious policy awareness among consumers with respect to AFCs, being responsible and taking ownership towards one’s own health and their family members by taking steps in questioning the consumer forum and avoiding purchase of such packed food which does not adhere to the labeling standards and being consumer friendly, stringent regulations in labeling standards of food in the USA and Europe due to import nature of their products are the need of the hour.

Retargeting of heterologous enzymes results in improved β-carotene synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Carotenoids are a class of hydrophobic substances that are important as food and feed colorants and as antioxidants. The pathway for β-carotene synthesis has been expressed in various yeast species, albeit with rather low yields and titers. The inefficient conversion of phytoene to lycopene is often regarded as a bottleneck in the pathway. In this study, we aimed at the improvement of β-carotene production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by specifically engineering the enzymatic reactions producing and converting phytoene. We show that phytoene is stored in intracellular lipid droplets, whereas the enzyme responsible for its conversion, phytoene dehydrogenase, CrtI, is located at the endoplasmic reticulum, like the bifunctional enzyme CrtYB that catalyses the reaction before and after CrtI. To improve the accessibility of phytoene for CrtI and to delay its storage in lipid droplets, we tested the relocation of CrtI and CrtYB to mitochondria. However, only the retargeting of CrtYB resulted in an improvement of the β-carotene content, whereas the mitochondrial variant of CrtI was not functional. Surprisingly, a cytosolic variant of this enzyme, which we obtained through the elimination of its carboxy-terminal membrane anchor, caused an increase in β-carotene accumulation. Overexpression of this CrtI variant in an optimized medium resulted in a strain with a β-carotene content of 79 mg g-1 cell dry weight, corresponding to a 76-fold improvement over the starting strain. The retargeting of heterologously expressed pathway enzymes improves β-carotene production in S. cerevisiae, implicating extensive inter-organellar transport phenomena of carotenoid precursors. In addition, strong overexpression of carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes and the optimization of cultivation conditions are required for high contents.

Storage Stability and Sensory Properties of Raha Sweet Colored with Crude and Purified Red Grape Anthocyanins and Synthetic Food Colorant.

Anthocyanins (ANCs) are water-soluble pigments that are useful as nutraceuticals due to their health benefits. This study was performed to evaluate the storage stability of purified and crude red grape ANCs in Raha Sweet (RS) during storage and to evaluate its sensory properties. ANCs were extracted from red grape pomace and purified with a macroporous resin. RS was prepared and colored with a synthetic food dye, Carmoisine (control), and ANCs (crude and purified). Pigments were extracted from RS weekly for a period of seven weeks and the absorbance was read spectrophotometrically. RS colored with ANCs was evaluated for its color and other sensory properties against another RS colored with the control. Results showed that the degradation of ANCs in RS followed the first-order reaction model, unlike the control, which showed no degradation during storage. The half-life of crude ANCs was three times higher than that of the purified ones, and RS colored with ANCs received a significantly (p < 0.05) lower score for color than that of RS colored with the control. ANCs could provide the food industry with a natural alternative to synthetic dyes to color foods with high sugar content that are stored for a short period of time.

Effects of Defatted Rice Bran-Fortified Bread on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Healthy Adults With Low Dietary Fiber Intake: Protocol for a Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial.

Inadequate dietary fiber (DF) intake is associated with several human diseases. Bread is commonly consumed, and its DF content can be increased by incorporating defatted rice bran (DRB). This first human study on DRB-fortified bread primarily aims to assess the effect of DRB-fortified bread on the relative abundance of a composite of key microbial genera and species in fecal samples. Secondary outcomes include clinical (cardiovascular risk profile), patient-reported (daily bread consumption and bowel movement, gut comfort, general well-being, and total DF intake), biological (fecal microbiota gene abundances, and fecal and plasma metabolites), and physiome (whole-gut and regional transit time and gas fermentation profiles) outcomes in healthy adults with low DF intake. This is a 2-armed, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover randomized controlled trial. The study duration is 14 weeks: 2 weeks of lead-in, 4 weeks of intervention per phase, 2 weeks of washout, and 2 weeks of follow-up. Overall, 60 healthy adults with low DF intake (<18 g [female individuals] or <22 g [male individuals] per day) were recruited in Christchurch, New Zealand, between June and December 2022. Randomly assigned participants consumed 3 (female individuals) or 4 (male individuals) slices of DRB-fortified bread per day and then placebo bread, and vice versa. The DRB-fortified bread provided 8 g (female individuals) or 10.6 g (male individuals) of total DF, whereas the placebo (a matched commercial white toast bread) provided 2.7 g (female individuals) or 3.6 g (male individuals) of total DF. Before and after each intervention phase, participants provided fecal and blood samples to assess biological responses; completed a 3-day food diary to assess usual intakes and web-based questionnaires to assess gut comfort, general and mental well-being, daily bread intake, and bowel movement via an app; underwent anthropometry and blood pressure measurements; and drank blue food dye to assess whole-gut transit time. Additionally, 25% (15/60) of the participants ingested Atmo gas-sensing capsules to assess colonic gas fermentation profile and whole-gut and regional transit time. Mean differences from baseline will be compared between the DRB and placebo groups, as well as within groups (after the intervention vs baseline). For metabolome analyses, comparisons will be made within and between groups using postintervention values. Preliminary analysis included 56 participants (n=33, 59% female; n=23, 41% male). Due to the large dataset, data analysis was planned to be fully completed by the last quarter of 2024, with full results expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals by the end of 2024. This first human study offers insights into the prospect of consuming DRB-fortified bread to effectively modulate health-promoting gut microbes, their metabolism, and DF intake in healthy adults with low DF intake. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12622000884707; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=383814. DERR1-10.2196/59227.

Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activities of Ssammoo added with Natural Food Colorants

In this study, the color of ssammoo was to created in an addition of gardenia powder(GPR), citron powder(CPR), strawberry powder(SPR), and actinidia arguta powder(APR), respectivery. Ssammoo was collected on the 0&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;, 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt;, 7&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;, and 14&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; days of stored at 5℃. The pH of the control group and ssammoo with the actinidia arguta powder was significantly lowered over time(&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001). The acidity was significantly decreased in the case of ssammoo with actinidia arguta powder(&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.05). The sugar content of all ssammoos increased due to osmotic pressure as the ripening period increased. The L value was the highest in the control group and increased over time(&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001). The a and b value were the highest in ssammoo with gardenia powder(&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001). The ΔE increased until the 7th day of storage and then decreased, suggesting that there would be a change in color value of all ssammoos after the 7&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; day of storage. The total phenol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in ssammoo with gardenia powder. The ABTS radical scavenging activity was highest in ssammoo with strawberry powder. This study intended to contribute to increasing the intake of vegetables and fruits with high dietary fiber content by developing colored salted and pickled foods.

Fewer risky food colors, please

Fewer risky food colors, please

Construction of a novel Au@Os mediated TMB-H2O2 platform with dual-signal output for rapid and accurate detection of ziram in food

The 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine-H2O2 (TMB-H2O2) platform has gained widespread use for rapid detection of various analytes in foods. However, the existing TMB-H2O2 platforms suffer from limited accuracy, as their signal output is confined to the visible region, which is prone to interference from various food colorants in real samples. To address this challenge, a novel Au@Os-mediated TMB-H2O2 platform is developed for both rapid and accurate detection of analytes in foods. The prepared Au@Os NPs exhibit remarkable peroxidase-like activity, making the platform display dual absorption peaks in visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions, respectively. This Au@Os-mediated TMB-H2O2 platform exhibited three linear ranges across different concentrations of ziram from 1–100, 150–600, and 800–2000 nM with limit of detection (LOD) 7.9 nM and limit of quantification (LOQ) 24.15 nM respectively. Further, the Au@Os-mediated TMB-H2O2 platform was also used for rapid and accurate detection of ziram in real food samples like apple, tomato, and black tea.

Application of EFSA EU menu database and R computing language to calculate the green chlorophyll intake in the European population

The growing evidence of the health benefits of chlorophyll pigments and the claims that could arise from industry and academia require data on their common dietary intakes. This study presents data on the chronic intake of green chlorophyll in 23 European countries using standardised methodologies to manage food consumption data within the EU Menu methodology. A mean intake of 207.12 mg of green chlorophylls/(d × person) for the adult population was calculated, considering significant covariates. The hierarchical cluster and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) techniques were applied to analyse intake disparities by region and age groups, identifying common food sources of green chlorophylls, such as olive oil, kale, and spinach. This paper presents a modern mathematical approach for obtaining novel information from existing databases of food composition data. Future challenges include building a comprehensive chlorophyll composition database for foods and extending the estimation to non-green chlorophyll pigments and metallo-chlorophyll food colourants.

Exploring acylated anthocyanin-based extracts as a natural alternative to synthetic food dyes: Stability and application insights

This work explores the potential of anthocyanin-based extracts (hibiscus calyxes – HC, red cabbage – RC, and butterfly pea flower − BPF) as natural alternatives to synthetic dyes in the food industry. Analyses in a pH range for food applications revealed higher color stability for the BPF extract, keeping vibrant colors over the 7 days at room temperature. At pH 3 and 100 °C, the BPF was more stable, losing half of its anthocyanin concentration after 14 h, while RC and HC lost half of their color after 7 and 2 h, respectively. The bisulfite bleaching followed a second-order reaction for HC and RC, and a first-order reaction for BPF, suggesting a minor effect of the bisulfite on this extract. Incorporating these extracts into porcine protein and agar-agar gelatin formulations produced consistent products with appealing hues, particularly the blue and purple colors for BPF and RC, dependent on the pH.

Colorful, eco-friendly and scalable passive radiative cooling coatings integrating thermal insulation and self-cleaning properties

Passive radiative cooling can cool space by reflecting sunlight and infrared thermal emission to dissipate heat to the cold outer space without any energy consumption, being one of ideal technologies towards the goals of peak carbon dioxide emission and carbon neutrality. Before the wide application of this technology, however, more efforts are needed to enhance its efficiency and better adapt to different application scenarios. In this work, we have successfully prepared multifunctional color radiative cooling coatings that integrate anti-UV, self-cleaning and heat insulation performances without using any volatile toxic solvents. The optimal coating exhibits exceptional solar reflectivity (R̅Solar% = 92.58 %) and infrared thermal emissivity (ε̅% = 97.96 %). What’s more, the coating achieves a temperature difference of up to 10°C compared to the subambient temperature when applied at a thickness as low as 100 μm under direct sunlight conditions with an intensity of 650 W/m2. Additionally, the hydrophobically modified alumina particles of the top layer not only effectively prevent the absorption of UV light by the bottom layer, but also participate in the construction of micro-nano structures, enabling the coating to exhibit a water contact angle of up to 158° and a low rolling angle (<2°). Furthermore, the coating demonstrates exceptional mechanical robustness and chemical durability. The addition of water-based colorants into the coating allows for a wide range of color options without compromising its properties. These cost-effective and environmentally friendly color radiative cooling coatings possess significant potential in meeting aesthetic requirements while providing efficient cooling for spaces and self-cleaning performance.

Facile fabrication of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles/Ag nanowires SERS substrates with bimetallic synergistic effect for ultra-sensitive detection of crystal violet and alkali blue 6B

The bimetallic nanostructure of Au and Ag can integrate two distinct properties into a novel substrate compared to single metal nanostructures. This work presents a rapid and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for detecting illegal food additives and dyes of crystal violet (CV) and alkali blue 6B (AB 6B). Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles/Ag nanowires (Au-Ag ANPs/Ag NWs) were prepared by solid-state ionics method and vacuum thermal evaporation method at 5μA direct current electric field (DCEF), the molar ratio of Au to Ag was 1:18.34. Many 40 nm-140 nm nanoparticles regularly existed on the surface of Ag NWs with the diameters from 80 nm to 150 nm. The fractal dimension of Au-Ag ANPs/Ag NWs is 1.69 due to macroscopic dendritic structures. Compared with single Ag NWs, the prepared Au-Ag ANPs/Ag NWs substrates show superior SERS performance because of higher surface roughness, the SERS active of Ag NWs and bimetallic synergistic effect caused by Au-Ag ANPs, so the limit of detections (LOD) of Au-Ag ANPs/Ag NWs SERS substrates toward detection of CV and AB 6B were as low as 10-16mol/L and 10-9mol/L, respectively. These results indicate that Au-Ag ANPs/Ag NWs substrates can be used for rapid and sensitive detection of CV and AB 6B and have great development potential for detection of illegal food additives and hazardous substances in the fields of environmental monitoring and food safety.

The Role of Dietary Anthocyanins for Managing Diabetes Mellitus-Associated Complications.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an intricate metabolic disorder marked by persistent hyperglycemia, arising from disruptions in glucose metabolism, with two main forms, type 1 and type 2, involving distinct etiologies affecting β-cell destruction or insulin levels and sensitivity. The islets of Langerhans, particularly β-cells and α-cells, play a pivotal role in glucose regulation, and both DM types lead to severe complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Plant-derived anthocyanins, rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, show promise in mitigating DM-related complications, providing a potential avenue for prevention and treatment. Medicinal herbs, fruits, and vegetables, abundant in bioactive compounds like phenolics, offer diverse benefits, including glucose regulation and anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-mutagenic, and neuroprotective properties. Anthocyanins, a subgroup of polyphenols, exhibit diverse isoforms and biosynthesis involving glycosylation, making them potential natural replacements for synthetic food colorants. Clinical trials demonstrate the efficacy and safety of anthocyanins in controlling glucose, reducing oxidative stress, and enhancing insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients, emphasizing their therapeutic potential. Preclinical studies revealed their multifaceted mechanisms, positioning anthocyanins as promising bioactive compounds for managing diabetes and its associated complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.

Chitosan-azo dye bioplastics that are reversibly resoluble and recoverable under visible light irradiation.

Biopolymer composite materials were prepared by combining bio-sourced cationic water-soluble chitosan with bi-functional water-soluble anionic azo food dyes amaranth (AMA) or allura red (ALR) as ionic cross-linkers, mixing well in water, and then slow-drying in air. The electrostatically-assembled ionically-paired films showed good long-term stability to dissolution, with no re-solubility in water, and competitive mechanical properties as plastic materials. However, upon exposure of the bioplastics to low power light at sunlight wavelengths and intensities stirring in water, the stable materials photo-disassembled back to their water-soluble and low-toxicity (edible) constituent components, via structural photo-isomerization of the azo ionic crosslinkers. XRD, UV-vis, and IR spectroscopy confirmed that these assemblies are reversibly recoverable and so can in principle represent fully recyclable, environmentally degradable materials triggered by exposure to sunlight and water after use, with full recovery of starting components ready for re-use. A density functional theory treatment of the amaranth azo dye identified a tautomeric equilibrium favouring the hydrazone form and rationalized geometrical isomerization as a mechanism for photo-disassembly. The proof-of-principle suitability of films of these biomaterial composites as food industry packaging was assessed via measurement of mechanical, water and vapour barrier properties, and stability to solvent tests. Tensile strength of the composite materials was found to be 25-30 MPa, with elongation at break 3-5%, in a range acceptable as competitive for some applications to replace oil-based permanently insoluble non-recyclable artificial plastics, as fully recyclable, recoverable, and reusable low-toxicity green biomaterials in natural environmental conditions.

Allura Red AC is a xenobiotic. Is it also a carcinogen?

Merriam-Webster and Oxford define a xenobiotic as any substance foreign to living systems. Allura Red AC (a.k.a., E129; FD&C Red No. 40), a synthetic food dye extensively used in manufacturing ultra-processed foods and therefore highly prevalent in our food supply, falls under this category. The surge in synthetic food dye consumption during the 70s and 80s was followed by an epidemic of metabolic diseases and the emergence of early-onset colorectal cancer in the 1990s. This temporal association raises significant concerns, particularly given the widespread inclusion of synthetic food dyes in ultra-processed products, notably those marketed toward children. Given its interactions with key contributors to colorectal carcinogenesis such as inflammatory mediators, the microbiome, and DNA damage, there is growing interest in understanding Allura Red AC's potential impact on colon health as a putative carcinogen. This review discusses the history of Allura Red AC, current research on its effects on the colon and rectum, potential mechanisms underlying its impact on colon health, and provides future considerations. Indeed, although no governing agencies classify Allura Red AC as a carcinogen, its interaction with key guardians of carcinogenesis makes it suspect and worthy of further molecular investigation. The goal of this review is to inspire research into the impact of synthetic food dyes on colon health.

Electrochemical detection of indigo carmine in candies using Y2O3 nanoparticles infused graphite electrode

This article presents the use of Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3) nanoparticles to modify the graphite paste electrode (GPE) for the sensitive and selective electrochemical determination of Indigo Carmine (ICN), one of the well-known synthetic food colorants. These nanoparticles were formed via a simple sol and gel method and characterized by a few non-destructive analytical methods like X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. The electrode response was studied via Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) methods for the variation of some fundamental parameters such as buffer, pH, scan rates, and concentrations. The efficiency of the developed Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3) nanoparticles modified Graphite Paste Electrode (Y2O3@GPE) sensor was assessed via repeatability, reproducibility and long-term stability analysis. Various similar interferants were added with ICN molecules for accomplishing the selectivity study while a widely linear operating range with a Limit of Detection (LOD) and a Limit of Quantitation (LOQ) of 0.11 µM and 0.35 µM, respectively were found. The performance of the electrode was justified in the real samples through its application for the detection of ICN in different candies where a satisfactory recovery rate of 96.25 %-117.5 % was achieved.

Creation of novel animal protein substitutes with potato protein and gellan gum: Control of food texture, color, and shape

It is challenging to accurately simulate the desirable sensory attributes of animal-derived foods (like meat, seafood, egg, or cheese) using plant-derived ingredients. As a result, many omnivores are reluctant to incorporate plant-based foods into their diet. In this study, our aim was to develop a new category of plant-based foods known as novel animal protein substitutes (NAPS), which are not designed to mimic the properties of animal-derived foods. Instead, they are designed to have appearances, textures, flavors, and nutritional profiles that consumers find desirable. In this study, we showed that NAPS with different textures, colors, and shapes could be formulated from potato protein (PP) and high acyl or low acyl gellan gum (HA-GG or LA-GG). In addition to their functional attributes, the PP provided a source of essential amino acids, whereas the gellan gum contributed to the overall dietary fiber content. Texture analysis showed that the elastic modulus and fracture properties of NAPS could be modulated by controlling the biopolymer composition of PP/HA-GG or PP/LA-GG hydrogels. Colorimetry showed that the color and appearance of NAPS could be manipulated by adding different types and amounts of natural pigments. In addition, the impact of food matrix effects on the thermal stability of the natural pigments was examined. Our results show that nutritionally enhanced plant-based foods with a wide range of physicochemical properties can be created from plant proteins and dietary fibers, which opens the opportunity of creating a new protein-rich food category to replace animal-derived foods. In the future, however, it will be important to establish whether this kind of product will be accepted by consumers, thereby increasing the diversity of plant-based dietary options in the market.