Fruit Spread Research Articles

Potenzial der Mini-Kiwi (Actinidia arguta) für die Herstellung von Fruchtaufstrich. Ein erster Einblick

Hardy kiwifruits represent an unexplored agricultural resource for South Tyrol which could be of particular interest to the region by contributing to agricultural biodiversity and the valorisation of minor crops in the area. The main limitation of this crop is its short shelf-life as a fresh raw material, which is related to its intrinsic perishability. Processing hardy kiwis into canned products could be a valid strategy for encouraging the production and spread of this crop throughout the territory, enabling food products derived from it to be available all year round. This study evaluated the suitability of hardy kiwifruits for processing into spreads. Results indicate that no pectin needs to be added to ensure that the fruit spread has a pleasant texture, and browning over time occurred slowly, despite the preserve not being stabilised with antioxidant agents, suggesting that the shelf-life of such a preserve might be quite long. Finally, from a preliminary sensory evaluation, consumers rated the preserve positively with regard to its texture, sweetness and flavour, and it obtained a positive overall evaluation from an organoleptic point of view, indicating that this crop has potential for use in the production of fruit spreads.

Definite or Indefinite? The Case of Arabic Product Names as Judged by Student Translators

Product names in Saudi Arabia are mostly written in both Arabic and English, whether they are imported or locally produced. Numerous errors in using the Arabic definite article are currently very common. This study aims to examine a sample of Arabic product names consisting of single and multi-word names to find out the percentage of indefinite and definite product names, the types of compound product names with the highest frequency in faulty definite article attachment, and whether they faulty {al-} attachment is a result of transfer from their English equivalents which in most cases are printed on the product boxes or bottles. A sample of 187 product names (food, teas, coffee, herbs, spices, supplements, and beauty products) was collected from supermarkets, shops, and pharmacies. A sample of undergraduate student translators made judgments about the correctness of the definiteness and indefiniteness of all the product names in the sample. A product name was confirmed as definite or indefinite if it received the same response from 70% of the participants. Results showed that 60% of the product names are definite and 40% are indefinite. 49% were judged correct ((38% indefinite and 11% definite) as برجر بقري Beef burger; توت مشكل mixed berries & كبة دجاج chicken kibbeh. 51% were judged incorrect (49% definite and 2% indefinite) as (الزنك *the zinc). مربى المشمش apricot fruit spread; شيش طاووق الدجاج shish tawook). In some cases, definite and indefinite forms of the same product names are used due to differences in the manufacturer. Few faulty indefinite forms should be definite ( بهارات السمكfish spices instead of بهارات سمك ), and few definite forms were considered correct (توابل المشويات BBQ spices). The highest frequency of faulty {al-} occurred in two-word product names. It seems that manufacturers are unaware of the rules of making product names definite/indefinite, especially those with a generic and ubiquitous reference as opposed to those referring to specific and unique entities as in oil names. Analysis revealed no transfer of definiteness/indefiniteness from English, in which product names are usually indefinite. Recommendations for the correct labelling and translation of product names are given.

The Effect of Hydrolyzed Pectin as a Sugar Substitute on The Physicochemical Properties of Pineapple Spread

Pineapple is a fruit that is widely produced in Indonesia. Pineapple can be processed into jam or fruit spread to extend its shelf life. However, jam contains high amount of sugar. High consumption of sugar in the diet can contribute to a high kilojoules diet or known as 'energy dense' and thus contribute to the development of health problems like obesity or diabetes. Sugar has important role in the jam. It binds water molecules to build spreadable product. Pectin can also bind water molecules and cannot be digested by human body but addition of pectin as sugar replacement cannot build spreadable product because pectin molecules is much longer than sucrose. Thus, depolymerization through hydrolysis is needed on pectin molecule. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the effect of different hydrolyzed pectins as substitute for sucrose in a pineapple spread. The physicochemical properties of hydrolyzed pectin (viscosity and color value) and pineapple spreads made from the hydrolyzed pectin (color value, degree of brix, water activity, syneresis and spreadability) were investigated. The results showed that pectin treated with 0.05 M of HCl for 96 h produced the best pineapple spreads based on water activity and percentage of syneresis results. Moreover, pineapple spreads made from pectin treated with 0.05 M of HCl for 96 h has the most similar color and spreadability to the one with sucrose.

Outcome of assessment on an application under the Novel Foods Regulation 2015/2283 as retained in UK Law for Barley Rice Protein

An application was submitted to the Food Standards Agency in January 2021 from Evergrain, LLC, USA (“the applicant”) for the authorisation of Barley Rice Protein, a mixture of protein from barley at levels of 30-70% and rice at levels of 70-30%. The applicant intends to market the product within food categories including: bakery products, breakfast cereals, spreadable fats and dressings, grain products and pastas, snack foods, jam, marmalade and other fruit spreads, candy/confectionery, dairy and dairy imitates, dessert sauces and syrups, meat imitates, soups and soup mixes, savoury sauces, legume-based spreads, nut-based spreads, energy drinks, foods and beverages intended for sportspersons and meal replacements for weight control. To support the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standard Scotland (FSS) in evaluating the dossier, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) was asked to review the dossier. The Committee concluded that Barley Rice Protein is safe under the proposed conditions of use, based on the composition and the anticipated intake. The Committee considered that the proposed uses were not nutritionally disadvantageous if used alone or in combination with other plant sources of protein. However, the Committee expressed concern that it may be nutritionally disadvantageous if used as a meat or dairy protein substitute in products marketed as meal replacements for weight control. The views of the ACNFP have been taken into account in the regulatory assessment which represents the opinion of the FSA and FSS.

Nutritional and rheological properties of pumpkin seed based fruits spread

Fruit spread is prepared by combining sugar with processed fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, or whole fruit. Pumpkin (Curcurbita maxima) seeds are commonly seen as industrial waste and discarded. Pumpkin seed was roasted and made into powder form. β-carotene rich fruits such as mango, papaya, and muskmelon were used to extract the pulp. To obtain a desired consistency of fruit spread, the fruit pulp (25%) was blended with roasted seed powder (70%) Fruits were scattered at 5° to 10° Brix and sugar was added. To extend the shelf life and improve the quality of the spreads, they were pasteurised at 60°C for 30 minutes. The spreads were packaged in two different types of packaging material food grade glass containers and polypropylene containers. They were kept in refrigerated conditions at 4°C for further analysis. After organoleptic evaluation, the fruits spreads were analysed for nutritional content, textural properties and microbial content. Pumpkin seed based fruit spreads have 15.23 to 15.64% moisture, 6.7 to 7.18 % protein, 4.53 to 4.89% fat, 5.29 to 5.69% fiber and 15.36 to 28.67% carbohydrates. The pumpkin seed based fruit spreads had 15.41 to 23.04°Brix of total soluble solids. The fruit spreads had 85.82 to 764.54 g hardness, -88.54 to-205.45 g adhesiveness, 0.87 to 0.95 springiness,0.48 to 0.74 cohesiveness, 64.78 to 344.06 gumminess and 61.53 to 311.64 chewiness. The pumpkin seed based fruits spread had viscosities of 2.21 to 3.58 centipoises. The mango based fruit spreads had the highest score values among the fruit spreads. The fruit spread encompassed enormous bioactive compounds when compared to other fruit spreads available on the market.

First report of chili pepper fruit rot caused by Fusarium incarnatum in China.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), with annual production over 1 million tons, is ranked the first vegetable crop in Hainan Province, China. In December 2018, fruit rot of chili pepper , with yield loss of up to 15%, was found in 10 fields (12 hm2) in Yacheng (18°N, 109°E), Hainan Province, China. Water-soaked and soft lesions developed on fruit, with white to light gray fungal mycelium present inside. The diseased fruit turned soft and decayed at the later stages. Diseased tissue was cut into 12 pieces of 0.5×0.5 cm, surface-disinfected with 2% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, followed by 70% ethanol for 30 s, rinsed with sterile distilled water five times, and plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). After growing on PDA for 2 to 3 days at 28°C in an incubator without light, 10 pure culture isolates were obtained. All isolates had abundant dense white aerial mycelia that became beige with age. The macroconidia were slightly curved with four to seven septa, 29.51 to 42.15 × 4.29 to 6.22 μm. Spindle-shaped mesoconidia with three to four septa were abundantly produced, 20.34 to 24.54 × 4.58 to to 11.70 × 2.35 to 3.20 μm. Chlamydospores were absent. Based on the morphological characteristics, the fungus was tentatively identified as Fusarium incarnatum (Leslie and Summerell 2006). An isolate SQHP-01 was chosen for molecular identification and pathogenicity test. Two DNA fragments of the isolate, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor genes (EF-1α) were amplified for sequencing. BLAST analysis showed that sequences of ITS (GenBank acc. no. MN317371) and EF-1α (acc. No. MN928788) had 99.61 to 100% identity with those of known F. incarnatum (MN480497 and KF993969). Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using neighbor-joining algorithm based on ITS and EF-1a genes separately, and the isolate was well clustered with F. incarnatum both with 100% bootstrap support. Pathogenicity test of the isolate were carried out twice on five healthy chili pepper fruit. After surface-disinfection, fruit were wounded at three different points and 20 μl of conidial suspension (106 conidia/ml) were deposited on each wound. Unwounded inoculation was conducted by spreading 100 μl of the suspension on each fruit surface including the pedicel and calyx. The fruit spread with sterile distilled water represented the negative control. All fruit treatments were placed on the moist sterile cotton in moist chambers at 25°C with 16 h light and 8 h darkness. After 4 to 6 days, water-soaked necrotic lesions appeared on the wounded fruit, the symptoms identical to those observed in the field. Water-soaked necrotic lesions developed on the pedicel and calyx of unwounded fruit. No symptoms were observed on the control fruit. The morphology and sequences of re-isolated fungal isolates from the tested peppers were the same as the original isolate. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. incarnatum (synonym of F. semitectum) causing fruit rot on chili pepper in China. F. incarnatum has been reported to cause root rot of greenhouse pepper in China (Li et al. 2018), fruit rot of bell pepper in Trinidad (Ramdial et al. 2016) and Pakistan (Tariq et al. 2018). Effective control strategies need to be developed to prevent the economic losses caused by the disease in chili pepper.

Effect of thermal and ultrasonic treatments on technological and physicochemical characteristics of fibrous residues from ahipa and cassava starch extraction

Fiber-enriched residues from cassava and ahipa roots starch extraction were analyzed by their structural, physicochemical, and techno-functional properties, before and after being subjected to overpressure thermal and ultrasound treatments. Thermal treatment efficiently reduced the residual starch content of both residues (up to 3.4 and 9.6% for ahipa and cassava, respectively), and its combination with ultrasound modified the structural and functional properties of cassava residue, while ahipa bagasse resulted almost unaffected. Ahipa residues swelling power (5.1-5.4 mL/g), WHC (6.9-7.3 g H2O/g), WBC (4.4-5.4 g H2O/g), and OBC (3.1-3.3 g oil/g) were in the range reported for several fiber-enriched ingredients, and resulted higher than those of cassava bagasse. Gel-forming capacity was observed for cassava residues coming from starch extraction, mainly due to their residual starch content. This property was lost after thermal treatment, but ultrasound restored the thermally driven gelling capacity. This recovery was associated with fiber structural changes revealed by microscopy, particle size distribution, and FTIR spectra. Based on their gelling properties, thermal and ultrasound-treated cassava bagasse could contribute to modify textural properties in low-calories fruit spreads. Although none of ahipa residues exhibited gelling capacity, their hydration properties and OBC can be applied in the formulation of fiber-enriched bakery products.

Fast Identification of Food Thickeners by Nontargeted NMR-Spectroscopy.

Food thickeners are carbohydrate additives that can only be determined by long-term, multistep analysis. Fast methods to directly determine thickeners in food matrixes are therefore welcome. In this study, a rapid procedure based on the direct 1H NMR analysis of food samples dissolved in deuterated water was developed. Individual thickeners were assigned due to specific marker signals gleaned from two-dimensional NMR analyses. The combination of one-dimensional 1H NMR and DOSY experiments enabled unequivocal assignments of thickeners even in complex matrixes. Using this approach, gum arabic, carrageenan, agar-agar, galactomannans, and pectin could be identified in pastille, glaze, and fruit spread. Because of low concentrations (<0.5%-1%, w/w), the same thickeners and others such as xanthan gum and alginate could not be determined directly by NMR in curry sauce, rice pudding, choco milk drink, and lemon peel flavor. Moreover, NMR analyses of the hydrolysate did not reveal the specific monomeric units of the thickeners under study, as shown for the hydrolysate of lemon peel flavor. Nevertheless, the NMR approach could provide welcome means in the future to directly determine intact thickeners in food.

Comprehensive Chemical Characterization of the Pistacia vera Fruits through Original NMR Quantification Methods

(1) Background: Pistacia vera is a dry fruit spread all over the world, commonly known as pistachio, and is very appreciated as a snack, as a precious ingredient for confectionery industries and also as a blessed touch for gourmet dishes; (2) Methods: The simultaneous NMR profiles concerning the hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases, enabled by a specific throughput over grinded pistachio seeds, led to the comprehensive chemical characterization of these nuts coming from different territories; (3) Results: The customized extraction method is described in detail as well as the employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The chemical quantification takes advantage from the innovative multi-assignment recovered analysis (MARA-NMR) technique able to provide experimentally robust panels for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic chemicals. Beyond the assessed repeatability and the interesting statistical discrimination, this paper adds information about the quantitative and qualitative composition of pistachio as inferred by NMR data. This updated background can pave the way toward the development of wider and wider chemical panels improving the knowledge about the pistachio’s composition. This approach can be easily extended to other matrices.

Рациональное использование и защита растительного покрова особо охраняемых природных территорий Малого Кавказа

While using of food crops, feed crops, medicinal plants which found in nature reserves criteria for the rare and endangered species should be met the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although there is wild fruit spread in 12 Families, 22 Genera belong to 46 species are not used effectively in nature reserves. Apple tree, Arachis, Pyrus, sea buckthorn, Mespilus, Crataegus, Rubus, Cornus, Ribes, etc. are considered expedient to use the raw material reserves of these fruits for industrial purposes.

Formulation of Nutraceutical Enriched Fruits and Nuts Spread

The growing trend of healthy and nutritious food eating among consumer is expected to be a major driver for the growth of global fruits spreads market. There is an increasing demand for food products, incorporated with fruits, vegetables and nuts with no or less preservatives. The innovations in improving the flavor and nutritional value of fruits spreads are expected to boost the growth of global fruits products markets. The hard coating nature of the pumpkin and cucumber seeds made it underutilized. Keeping this in view, the present study was formulated to produce nutraceutical enriched fruits and nuts spread. The pumpkin and cucumber seed powders were blended with fruits like mango, papaya and muskmelon. The seeds are rich in nutraceutical compounds such as β carotene, tannin, flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidant properties. The 25% of pumpkin seeds are incorporated with 75% of each fruits and 25% of cucumber seeds are incorporated with 75% of each fruits. Based on the organoleptic evaluation, the fruit spread made with seeds and mango pulp was highly acceptable. The proximate values of pumpkin seeds incorporated mango spread had 33.34% moisture, 23.62 g protein, 26.73 g fat, 5.21 g fiber and 24.32 g of carbohydrate. The mango and cucumber seeds had 33.70% moisture, 15.21 g protein, 29.18 g fat, 6.82 g fiber and 21.46 g carbohydrate.

Fruit as a source of antioxidants and trends in its consumption

The positive effects of fruit on human health are mainly attributed to their antioxidant activity. The aim of this work was to observe public awareness about antioxidants consumed in fruit, to analyze their preferences and the frequency of fruit consumption in selected population groups. Preferences were assessed by questionnaire, which was attended by 220 respondents. Information about the presence of antioxidants in fruit showed 85% of respondents. Temperate zone fruit is prefered by 48% of respondents and 52% of respondents prefer fruit of southern zone. Fresh fruit is consumed by 54% of respondents, 18% of respondents prefer fruit juices, compotes are consumed by 12% of respondents, fruit spreads by 11% of respondents, and 5% favour the dried fruit. Fruit is consumed by 31% of respondents once to three times a week, 26% of respondents consumed fruit once a day, 23% occasionally and 20% of respondents more times a day. In terms of sex, higher fruit consumption was recorded at women who consume fruit mostly once a day, while men only once to three times a week. The relationship between place of residence and the possibility to grow their own fruit as well as preference between home and the consumption of fruit by country of origin was confirmed.

Safety of chia seeds (Salviahispanica L.) as a novel food for extended uses pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on overall safety assessment for chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 in the light of the increasing dietary intake from the growing number of authorised uses in recent years. The safety assessment of this NF is based on data supplied in seven applications, previous safety assessments of chia seeds and information retrieved from an extensive literature search done by EFSA. Since none of the applications addressed the possible formation of process contaminants, the present assessment is limited to those proposed extended uses which do not raise safety concerns regarding the formation of such contaminants. These include the use of whole and ground chia seeds added to chocolate, fruit spreads, fruit desserts, mixed fruit with coconut milk in twin pot, fruit‐preparations to underlay a dairy product, fruit‐preparations to be mixed with dairy products, confectionary (excluding chewing gums), dairy products and analogues, edible ices, fruit and vegetables products, non‐alcoholic beverages and compotes from fruit and/or vegetables and/or with cereals. In addition, this assessment also concerns uses of chia seeds without specific restrictions and precautions regarding their use levels in other foods which usually do not include heat treatment during processing and cooking. Apart from allergenicity, the Panel did not identify any hazard which causes safety concerns. Lacking the basis and need to establish safe maximum intake levels for chia seeds, no exposure assessment was conducted. The Panel concludes that chia seeds are safe under the assessed conditions of use.

Sensory Evaluation of Syneresis Reduced Jam and Marmalade Containing Gum Arabic from &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Acacia senegal&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; var. &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;kerensis&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;

Jams and marmalades are some of the most popular food products because of their low cost, all year long availability and appealing sensory properties. These products are described as gels with pectin as the gelling agent used in its formulation. Gels are a form of matter intermediate between a solid and a liquid. They consist of polymeric molecules cross-linked to form tangles, and interconnected molecular network immersed in a liquid medium. However, the jams and marmalades require stabilization by hydrocolloids. The most common hydrocolloid stabilizer is pectin which is available as a low methoxy pectin or high methoxy pectin. Unfortunately, under mechanical stress, pectin gels may be damaged leading to the release of colloidal water. The release of the colloidal water is termed as syneresis. This problem may be solved by integrating pectin with other stabilizers having thickening properties. Jams were prepared using plums and pineapples while marmalades were prepared from oranges and lemons. Gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis was added in the range of 1% - 5% which fell within the additives category. The prepared jams and marmalades underwent sensory evaluation using semi-trained panelists. The prepared jams and marmalades showed no evidence of syneresis. The jams and marmalades were subjected to a sensory panel who scored the different attributes against a 7-point hedonic scale. Gum Arabic at different levels was found to have a significant contribution to the consumer acceptance of the fruit spreads prepared. This is the first time that syneresis reduced jams and marmalades containing gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis are being reported. Sensory evaluation was carried out on different fruit spreads used in the study to assess the impact of gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. Kerensis. The parameters include taste, texture, spreadability, aroma, flavour, colour and general acceptability. Red plum jam and Pineapple jam had its best performance for general acceptability use at 5% level of gum Arabic whereas 4% gum Arabic level performed best for general acceptability for Orange marmalade and 5% level best for Lemon marmalade in terms of general acceptability.

Energy Consumption Optimization in Irrigation Networks Supplied by a Standalone Direct Pumping Photovoltaic System

Due to the fact that irrigation networks are water and energy hungry and that both resources are scarce, many strategies have been developed to reduce this consumption. Solar energy sources have emerged as a green alternative with lower energy costs and, consequently, lower environmental impacts. In this work, a new methodology is proposed to select a scheduled program for irrigation which minimizes the number of photovoltaic solar panels to be installed and which better fits energy consumption (calculated for discrete potential combinations, assisted by programming software) to available energy obtained by panels without any power conditioning unit. Thus, the irrigation hours available to satisfy the water demands are limited by sunlight, the schedule type of irrigation has to be rigid (rotation predetermined), and the pressure at any node has to be above the minimum pressure required by standards. A case study was undertaken and, after running the software 105 times, the best result was an irrigation schedule which satisfied all the requirements, involving the installation of 651 solar panels and energy consumption of 428.74 kWh per day, to deliver water to orchards of different varieties of citrus fruit spread over 167.7 ha.

A Physical and sensorial characteristics of avocado spread added with different types of food hydrocolloids

Avocado spread is an alternative condiment for a healthy consumption due to the abundance of unsaturated fatty acids in the avocado flesh. The avocado spread mixed with food hydrocolloids (guar gum, inulin, carboxymethyl cellulose) at 3% (w/w) was studied on rheology, texture, colour and sensory evaluation in comparison with no hydrocolloid addition. For the flow analysis, all spread formulations are the non-Newtonian shear thinning fluids. Addition of food hydrocolloids increased the viscosity, oscillation stability, and heat resistance. Inclusion guar gum with the fruit spread strongly affected the hardness and work of shear. The avocado spread added with inulin showed higher greenness than the other treatments. Among the spread samples containing 3% carboxymethyl cellulose secured the highest score for spreadability, colour, flavour, taste, and overall acceptability

Response to Letter: How Much Free Sugars Intake Should Be Recommended for Children Younger Than 2 Years Old?

Reply: Dr Vitolo (1) asks what led the ESPGHAN CoN “to step away from a definite statement about sugar intake and infants” in our recent Position paper (2). We would like to clarify that our recommendation certainly does not mean that we are “stepping away” or establishing a “safe amount” of sugars for this age group. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that “added” sugars should be avoided for children younger than 2 years (3). As explained in our article, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and US definitions of “added sugars” (4,5) do not include sugars present in unsweetened fruit and vegetable juice and fruit juice concentrate, all of which are, however, captured in the WHO definition of free sugars (6), which we favour. Thus, children younger than 2 years who drink fruit juices and/or consume fruit juice concentrate, jellies, jams, preserves, and fruit spreads would still be following the AHA recommendation to avoid added sugars, whilst still consuming “free” sugars. Our recommendations state that “there is no nutritional requirement for free sugars in infants, children and adolescents” and suggest that the intake in those younger than 2 years should “probably be even lower” than the less than 5% of energy intake recommended for older children (2), partly considering the potential for sugar in infancy to influence taste and/or food preferences. We, however, did not provide a definitive figure because we found the evidence-base for doing so in this age group is not sufficiently robust, consisting largely of observational studies. Furthermore, we have noted throughout the article the need to limit the intake of free sugars at all ages, and to clarify the terminology and labelling of sugars because consumers may not be aware that free sugars are present in foods and beverages, even when they are labelled as having “no added sugar” and “naturally occurring sugars.” We hope that such measures would contribute to building a healthier food environment for infants and children.

The possibilities of increasing lignan content in food

Lignans are bioactive substances which belong to polyphenols. This compounds can be found in plants including coniferous trees. Lignans are secondary plant metabolites with wide range of biological effects, such as antimicrobial, antivirus or anticancer. They also serve as antioxidants and are naturally occurring compounds which are found in food rich in fibre. There are more than 200 lignans that originate from more than 70 plant families. They can be found in all parts of the plant, mainly in seeds. Almost 37% of total lignan intake in human diet comes from drinking tea and coffee. Fruit and vegetable contain only about 1% of lignans, but they are also significant source of lignans because they are consumed in higher amounts than seeds. 7-hydroxymatairesinol is the main representative of lignans. It is white powder with great health benefits and it is present in the knots of coniferous trees, especially in knots of spruce. Lignans were extracted from the knots and used for fortifying fruit and vegetable spreads. Subsequently, the fortified products became subject to sensory analysis, their antioxidant capacity was measured by the FRAP method, total polyphenols content was found and lignan content determined using the HPLC method. The aim was enriching commonly consumed foods by healthy lignans to avoid negative effects on the sensory quality of these products by the bitter taste of the lignan extract. Of the tested foods, plum jam and red pepper paste are the best options as they best block the bitter taste of lignans. There was a positive increase in antioxidant capacity in food products fortified by the lignan extract. For plum jam, strawberry jam, strawberry spread and red pepper paste, the more lignans were added to the products, the greater was the level of antioxidant capacity. The highest antioxidant capacity was reached in samples with the added amount of 340 mg of lignan per kg of product. As with the antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols content is dependent on the quantity of added lignans. Plum jam is the only exception, for which there was no statistically evident difference between the doses of 170 mg and 340 mg of lignans per kg. The values of lignans measured for samples with added 340 mg of lignans per kg range from 313 mg to 339 mg. For samples with addition of 170 mg of lignans per kg the measured values range from 129 to 164 mg per kg. Although lignans are beneficial for health, they are not acceptable to deteriorate taste of the product. The samples containing the highest dose of lignans, i.e. 340 mg of lignans per kg, were rated as the least acceptable by consumer. Evaluated as the most suitable in this regard was plum jam with a dose of 170 mg of lignans per kg of product where lignans were not found to possess a sensory effect on the acceptability of the product.

Nutrition labels to change in the United States

Nutrition labels to change in the United States

Rheological Properties of Some Fruit Spreads

Rheological properties of three Smooth homogenized spreads were evaluated at different shear rates (2.29 – 34.35 s-1) using Brookfield rotational viscometer (DVIII Ultra). The spreads were prepared from purees of three fresh fruits, (Guava, Banana and Strawberry). To 100 g of puree; 1 g citric acid, 2 g sugar, 10 g water and 1g of a thickening agent were added and the mixture was homogenized. Xanthan, guar and carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) gums were used for making three guava spreads, whereas xanthan only was used for making banana and strawberry spreads. Different rheological models were fitted to the data. The effect of temperature on rheological properties of guava, banana and strawberry spreads was studied. All fruit spreads, exhibited non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior. Herschel-bulkley (HB) model was the best fit (i.e. highest R2) for data of guava and strawberry spreads followed by Casson and Power law models. Bingham model showed higher values for yield stress of all spreads than those of HB model, whereas those of Cassons’ were the least. Guava spread containing xanthan was more viscous than those containing guar or CMC. In general, spread viscosity decreased as temperature was increased. Heat penetration tests conducted on xanthan-containing spreads packed into flexible PA/PE pouches suggested possible use of such pouches for packaging fruit spreads. Xanthan-containing spreads when subjected to sensory evaluation gained satisfactory scores or butter which indicated panelists’ appreciation for the new products.