Sustainable Food Technology最新文献

In this study, fruit pulp obtained from cocoa pod husks (CPHs) was utilized as a substitute in mango jam formulations at two different ratios of 25% and 50% with and without the addition of commercial pectin, in comparison with normal jam made from 100% mango pulp as the control. The results showed that the addition of CPH pulp significantly increased the phenolic content by 3.0–3.9 times and DPPH antioxidant activity by 1.5 times compared to the control sample. Moreover, the retention of phenolics in CPH-pulp-substituted jam was significantly enhanced during 4-week storage while DPPH activity declined remarkably by 60.3–72.7% after four weeks. In terms of appearance, all CPH–mango jams exhibited a characteristic yellow color similar to the control, although darker. CPH pulp reduced hardness and increased adhesiveness and springiness of mango jam without commercial pectin and CPH–mango jam showed slight differences in consumer sensory discrimination.

Modern digital and sensing technologies enable agile and modern food supply and value chains. These technologies contributed to the development of analytical tools to assess food composition, food safety and security (e.g. authenticity, contamination, fraud, and provenance). The utilization of digital and sensing technologies determines that a large amount of data is generated during the analysis of food ingredients and products. In this context, big data is defined as the rapid collection of complex data in large quantities during the analysis of foods using sensors (e.g. electronic noses and infrared spectroscopy). Therefore, to implement an application, the data must be analysed and interpreted using different data analytics, statistics and machine learning tools. This paper presents the definition of big data, as well as examples of the utilization of digital and sensing technologies combined with data analytics to develop applications targeting food safety and security in the food supply and value chains.

Persimmon is a widely cultivated fruit known for its sweet and rich flavour and nutrition. However, this climacteric seasonal fruit is underutilized and scarcely processed. Persimmon has good potential for conversion into dehydrated fruit candies. To override the high calorific value associated with sugar-osmosed fruit candies, xylitol and erythritol were used as osmotic agents. The long processing duration for osmotic dehydration (OD) was aimed to be shortened through ultrasonication (US) for enhancing the mass transfer rate and product quality. The moisture ratio, weight loss, solid gain with osmotic agents, sucrose, erythritol and xylitol at 30–60% concentrations and 50–70 °C were modelled using non-linear models. The logistic model was found to be most appropriate to describe the kinetics of the OD process. Rates of OD varied in the following order: xylitol > erythritol > sucrose. US significantly affected the rate of polyol-osmosed dehydration and greatly improved textural and sensory qualities. To offer convenience attribute to the fruit, the osmosed fruits were converted into dry candies using a tray dryer and infra-red dryer and compared for nutritional, textural and sensory attributes. SEM images and lower bite force confirmed that US-OD followed by IR drying yielded much better quality of candies than conventional methods for all sweeteners. The highest carotenoid retention, L* values, and ascorbic acid retention were recorded for persimmon candies osmosed in 60% erythritol. This study provides valuable insights into the application of ultrasonication and polyols for the effective utilization of nutritious persimmon and caters to the needs of faster processing times, higher nutrient retention and low calorific load in fruit candies.

This study examines the volatile constituents and bioactive potential of mulberry leaf extract (MLE). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified key compounds such as gibberellic acid, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, and 5,7-dihydroxy isoflavone (mefenamic acid). MLE was then encapsulated in skim milk powder, and enhanced with rose flavour and sea-buckthorn anthocyanins, to create an instant freeze-dried beverage. The powder was evaluated for physical, structural, and biological properties, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity activities under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed microcapsules with enclosed particles, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated phenolic compounds via increased –OH stretching in the 3000–3500 cm⁻¹ range. The beverage powder showed 75–81 mgQE per g phenolic content, 40–61% antidiabetic activity and 45–67% anti-obesity activity. Both bioactivity and consumer acceptability were increased with the addition of rose flavour and anthocyanins. This beverage powder could be considered a sustainable healthy food to manage the lifestyles of diabetic and obese groups of the population.

Around one-third of the food produced globally is wasted, and on the other hand, there are rising concerns about hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Food spoilage may occur without any visible alteration in food's appearance or odor, deceiving the consumer into assuming that the food is safe for consumption and increasing the possibility of contracting food-borne diseases. Intelligent packaging has emerged as a novel packaging system to interact with consumers about the freshness and shelf life of the food, thereby elevating food safety and reducing food wastage. In this review, the recent advances in intelligent packaging systems such as indicators, sensors, and AIDC technology employed to enhance food safety and security are discussed. The authors intend to elucidate the types of intelligent packaging systems and their application in packaging various food products. Additionally, the mechanisms behind the working of intelligent packaging systems are emphasized based on previous literature. Furthermore, this review seeks to highlight the benefits and limitations along with the challenges encountered during the commercialization of intelligent packaging.

In this study, the acidogenic fermentation (AF) of cheese whey (CW) has been conducted to obtain streams with different volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthesis. AF was carried out in single-phase reactors for parameter optimization under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, and streams with 2718.2 mg L⁻¹ of VFA (predominantly acetic acid, 1288 mg L⁻¹, and propionic acid, 1119 mg L⁻¹) and 2270.2 mg L⁻¹ of VFA (predominantly butyric acid, 1339 mg L⁻¹), were obtained, respectively. The thermophilic conditions were scaled up in a two-phase leachate bed reactor to obtain a final stream with a VFA concentration of 7879 mg L⁻¹ composed mainly of butyric acid. Then, the technical feasibility of using the obtained streams as substrates for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV) by Haloferax mediterranei was demonstrated. The PHBV production was found to be related to the butyric acid content, as the PHBV production was 1.4 vs. 0.3 g L⁻¹ when using the streams rich in butyric acid vs. propionic acid, but the monomeric composition was dependent on the presence of propionic acid. A maximum PHVB production of 2.43 g L⁻¹ and PHA accumulation of 44.3% were reached after 120 h of cultivation in bioreactor conditions. The characteristics of the produced PHBV bioplastic were compared with those of a commercial-grade PHA and found to be similar.

Edible insects are an important source of chitin and chitosan. Different methods, including the use of proteases, fermentation and microwave treatment, have been proposed to replace the conventional chitin isolation methods. House crickets are among the most commonly used insects for food applications. Chitosan was produced from house crickets from chitinous materials that were isolated via the conventional method, a biological process that combines fermentation with Lactococcus lactis and digestion with bromelain and a microwave-assisted chemical method. All chitosans were evaluated for their purity, functional properties and bioactive properties, namely their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. All three methods generated chitosan with a purity higher than 85% and an exceptionally high oil binding capacity with a maximum of 1078.62 g oil per g chitosan for the chitosan produced with the conventional method. Furthermore, all cricket-derived chitosans showed a significant level of antioxidant activity with an effective concentration of 5 mg mL⁻¹ or lower and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica ssp. Enterica Serovar Typhimurium. It was concluded that the biological chitin extraction method could lead to the generation of a chitosan material with high potential for application in different sectors.

Recent patterns in food consumption indicate that consumers have a strong desire for vegan, gluten-free, and healthy diets. This study investigates the utility of chickpea aquafaba and little millet flour (LMF) as alternatives to egg and refined flour, respectively, for developing egg-free and gluten-free cake recipes. The cake and batter were analyzed for their physicochemical, structural, sensorial, rheological and textural properties, with a shelf-life study conducted over a period of 12 days (30 ± 2 °C). The batter's density (1.13 ± 0.01 g cm⁻³) and viscosity (15796.7 ± 0.09 cp) increased with the addition of LMF, and the batter predominantly exhibited an elastic behavior with G′ > G′′ for all cake formulations. These characteristic changes in cake batter caused the cake's weight to increase (by 10%) while causing its height, baking loss, volume, specific volume and symmetry index to decrease. The textural characteristics showed that adding LMF to cakes enhanced the hardness (145.00 ± 9.45 N) and firmness (19.36 ± 2.12 N) and decreased their cohesion, chewiness, gumminess, springiness and resilience. The image analysis showed more uniform bubble distribution in wheat flour (WF) cake than in LMF cakes, and an increase in LMF content resulted in a drop in cell circularity. The microbial degradation of cakes was observed from the 6th day of storage. LMF cake samples exhibited good texture and physical and sensory attributes comparable to those of the WF cake sample. Therefore, the study demonstrated the potential use of alternative ingredients, such as LMF and aquafaba emulsion, in the production of egg-free and gluten-free cakes. These ingredients could facilitate the scaling up of sustainable production practices for baked goods in the future.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionising the food industry by enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability, while food businesses have observed a slow adoption of IoT. This paper delves into the key factors influencing IoT implementation in the food industry. The key factors influencing the implementation of IoT technology in the food industry have been examined using a hybrid Fuzzy-DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) approach to understand the complex interrelationships. The findings indicate that the company's financial position, managerial support, and competitive pressure are the major causal factors. These causal factors impact the complexity of usage and the existing policies and standards towards the decision to implement IoT in the food industry. The outcomes of this research are highly valuable for researchers, managers, and policymakers in providing insights for effectively strategising the implementation of IoT technology and thereby maximising its potential in the food industry towards traceability, transparency and sustainability as well as further developing models and SDGs.

Extracellular vesicles, particularly their subpopulation of exosomes, have emerged as a promising avenue for cell-free anti-cancer therapies in the current decade of exosomal research, opening a new chapter in cancer precision medicine. This paradigm shift towards plant-based exosomes holds significant implications for both therapeutic efficacy and sustainability. Plant-derived exosomes offer a non-toxic source for anti-cancer agents, addressing concerns about both patient well-being and the environmental impact of treatment production. This sustainable approach has the potential to make cancer precision therapy more affordable, scalable, and accessible, while simultaneously inspiring scientific minds to explore the vast potential of this “Green Therapy”. This article delves into the potential of fruit-based exosomes in cancer precision therapy, exploring their advantages, challenges, and future perspectives. We discuss the current understanding of fruit exosome biogenesis, leading and isolation techniques, cargo loading mechanisms, their interactions with recipient cellular targets and challenges associated with fruit-based exosomal research. Despite the challenges, the future of fruit-derived exosome-based cancer therapy appears promising. Continued research and interdisciplinary collaborations are crucial to fully unlock the therapeutic potential of fruit-derived exosome-based impactful natural cancer treatment.