European Food Research and Technology最新文献

Chocolate mass is a cocoa butter-based suspension, which mainly consists of sugar and cocoa particles dispersed in a continuous lipid phase. During chocolate manufacturing, sugar particles have to be ground to sizes below 25–30 µm. Such a fine grinding is carried out either by five roll refiners or by ball mills. Despite obtaining similar particle size distributions at the end, the grinding procedures result in different chocolate mass properties. The reasons for that are not fully understood, so far. Therefore, changes in particle sizes and surface properties of sucrose particles as well as their interactions with surrounding cocoa butter during the different grinding processes were investigated including atomic force microscopy techniques to characterize local surface states. It was found that especially the alteration of surfaces during continued grinding differed. In the case of roller grinding, surface states became more inhomogeneous and different surfaces states at microscopic level existed in parallel. More homogenous surfaces but with a higher degree of amorphous states were formed during grinding in the ball mill. Variations in macroscopic behavior of the suspension can be explained by the differences in interaction of particles with each other and with the surrounding lipid phase.

There are health concerns with regard to the consumption of sodium. Excessive consumption of sodium is suspected to cause high blood pressure, among other things. Therefore, sodium should be reduced or replaced during the production of food. In the present study, in the first part, raw fermented sausages from pork and turkey meat, produced with reduced NaCl concentrations, were investigated. In a second part, the salts, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride were added to the sausages, replacing 50% of NaCl. To elucidate, if the reduction or replacement influences the quality of the sausages, physicochemical and microbiological parameters of the products were analyzed. The data show that a reduction of sodium chloride partly influences the hardness and water activity results of raw fermented sausages, made from pork and turkey meat, the redness and nitrite content of the pork sausages, and the ripening losses and total viable counts of the turkey products. Raw fermented sausages with potassium, magnesium, and calcium as partial substitutes for sodium had differing water activity, pH, hardness, and microbiological results using pork and differing pH, hardness, and microbiological results using turkey meat. A bactericidal effect was observed in raw fermented sausages with calcium chloride in inoculation tests with Listeria monocytogenes due to the pH reduction due to calcium. The results indicate that reduction and replacement of NaCl can influence the final products. Therefore, the producers should carefully evaluate before alteration the NaCl content, if this change influences the product acceptability.

The addition of oak chips is one of the basic techniques for artificial aging of brandy, but its effect on mulberry brandy flavor is unknown. In this study, the effect of oak chips addition on the aging of mulberry brandy and the evolution of volatile compounds during the aging process were investigated using flavoromics techniques. The results showed that the 15 g/l oak chips had the highest ethyl acetate content and the highest sensory scores at 30 °C aging conditions, with the tannin and total phenol contents at 233.7 ± 6.4 mg/l and 15.83 ± 1.18 mg/l, respectively. Through Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and correlation analysis, 12 essential compounds during aging were identified, among which Ethyl acetate, Whiskey lactone, Furfural, and Vanillin also showed a positive correlation with aroma intensity, positively influencing the quality of mulberry brandy, resulting in a richer brandy flavor. The results of the study provide a theoretical basis and reference for the artificial aging technology of mulberry brandy.

This study was intended to determine the melissopalynological characteristics, LAB color, browning index, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, phenolic profile, and their correlations within Iranian honeys. Ten honey samples were collected from beekeepers in various floristic regions of Iran, along with two commercial multi-floral samples. To determine the antioxidant activity, three methods of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching, and Ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) were used. Phenolic compounds were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC–DAD). Pollen analysis revealed that bees primarily fed on the Fabaceae and Asteraceae families in the Iranian flora. The local samples were taxonomically categorized as multi-floral honey. Besides, the commercial samples demonstrated the lowest levels of total phenolics and relatively poor antioxidant activity across all three methods. Syringic acid and luteolin were the predominant phenolic compounds in all samples. A strong correlation (p < 0.01) was found between color, melanoidin content and antioxidant activity, while no significant correlation existed between phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Overall, the results confirmed that examined multi-floral honeys exhibited inferior antioxidant activity compared to studies conducted in other regions worldwide, possibly due to sugar-fed bees, insufficient levels of potent phenolic constituents, and post-harvest thermal treatments.

Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) occur naturally in citrus peels and citrus-derived foods as well as in other plants. Many in vitro and some in vivo studies have shown potentially relevant biological effects of PMFs, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerosis, and neuroprotective activities. These promising biological effects still require further research to establish their impact on human health. This review updates the current clinical trials data. It highlights the limited information available on the bioavailability and metabolism of PMFs (pharmacokinetics, human phase I and II metabolites in biological fluids and tissues, and gut microbiota metabolism).

In the present study, the fatty acid composition (FAC), triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, crystallization, and melting behaviors of mango kernel fats (MKFs) extracted from seven Ivorian mango varieties—Amelie (AM), Kent (KT), Palmer (PR), Keitt (KI), Brooks (BR), Dadiani (DI), and Djakoumankoun (DN)—were characterized by complementary techniques: pNMR, DSC, polarized light microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Regardless of the variety, Ivorian MKF is rich in stearic (St) and oleic (O) fatty acids. (72–84% of the total FA), with three main TAGs: StOSt (23.9–45.8%), StOO (15.5–25.8%), and StLSt (10.4–12.5%). Their crystallization onset temperature (Tco) ranged from 15 to 20 °C. All samples showed complete melting around 35 °C, except DN (~ 38 °C). The β-polymorph appeared to be the most predominant and stable polymorph for the seven MKFs. The thermal properties investigated were linked to monounsaturated and triunsaturated triacylglycerol content, indicating the significant influence of chemical composition. The fine analysis of the results allows the seven Ivorian varieties to be divided into four groups, based on both their physical properties and thermal behavior, and the StOSt wealth: hard high-StOSt fat (DN), half-hard medium-StOSt fat (DI, BR), soft low-StOSt fat (KT, PR, KI), and very-soft very-low-StOSt fat (AM). The seven investigated mango varieties from Ivory Coast might offer a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

The mortiño (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth), belonging to the Ericaceae family, is a native species of the Ecuadorian paramos. It has a shrub-like habit and produces edible fruits. In the Neotropics, it is primarily found in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, thriving in humid environments up to an elevation of 3700 m above sea level. In this review, a selection of studies was carried out that evaluated the taxonomy, reproduction biology, and nutraceutical, environmental properties, and industrial use of the mortiño (V. floribundum). The data gathered from various bioassays were essential in determining the appropriate techniques for tissue differentiation and assessing the quality of resulting plants. This work aims to generate a deep knowledge of the cultivation of mortiño, as well as the properties of its fruits and the benefits they provide for health. These are rich in compounds with antioxidant activity, so the consumption of V. floribundum fruits is related to health benefits. Besides, the environmental role of V. floribundum and its applications in various industries, especially in the development of nanoparticles contributes to the valorization of this plant. Overall, this research contributes to establishing sustainable methods for the propagation of Vaccinium floribundum, ensuring its successful cultivation and utilization for both commercial purposes and ecological preservation.

The present study intends to investigate the impact of fractionation and micronization on the compositional, functional, and thermal characteristics of two protein concentrates derived from corn and barley. Fractionation of protein concentrates (by sieving) resulted in three fractions, i.e., fine (< 100 µm), medium (100–300 µm), and coarse (> 300 µm), while micronization resulted in an average particle size of 30 µm. No specific pattern was observed between particle size and chemical composition of corn and barley protein concentrates due to the complex interplay between particle size, surface area, structural changes, and botanical origin. Protein solubility varied depending on the pH and particle size, showing that the coarse fraction exhibited higher solubility than the fine fraction. For both corn/barley protein concentrates, coarse fraction had higher water-/oil-holding capacity. The barley fine fraction showed high foaming capacity, while all proteins lacked emulsification ability. Across all samples, a trend of increasing enthalpy with decreased particle size was observed, except for micronized barley, where enthalpy decreased, indicating possible protein structural changes. Thus, variations in properties among fractions highlight the importance of particle size in determining the proteins’ functionality for potential applications in food systems.

This study examines the feasibility of using mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for monitoring the quality of 14 Moroccan virgin olive oil samples belonging to three (3) varieties, originated from three (3) geographical origins, extracted with different systems, irrigated and fertilised with different modes.

The application of principal component analysis (PCA) and factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) on MIR spectra data allowed to discriminate perfectly the samples according to their storage time with 96.87% of correct classification.

The obtained results were confirmed following the application of three different multivariate regression tools namely partial least squares regression (PLSR), principal component regression (PCR) and support vector machine regression (SVMR) applied on MIR spectra data, since excellent prediction of R² = 0.99 and RMSEP = 17.05 days was observed. In addition, the evaluation of the effectiveness of MIR spectroscopy to predict the chemical parameters allowed to obtain excellent validation models with R² ranging between 0.98 and 0.99 for free acidity, peroxide value, chlorophyll level, k₂₃₂ and k₂₇₀.

Capsanthin is a natural red–orange pigment present in red paprika and has been proven to have various health benefits. The rising consumption of chili peppers and the global demand of natural color promote the need for capsanthin quantification analysis. In the present study, a high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the analysis of capsanthin in chili peppers and their products. The chromatographic and extraction parameters were optimized. The concentration of capsanthin ranged from 0.5 to 200 mg/L which showed good linearity (R² > 0.99). The LOD and LOQ of samples ranged from 0.014 to 0.092 mg/kg and 0.049–0.12 mg/kg, respectively. The recovery experiment (recovery rate 84.79–103.55%, RSD 1.64–9.27%) and interlaboratory test (the RSD of repeatability and reproducibility was in the range of 3.11–4.06% and 4.66–5.52%, respectively) demonstrated good accuracy, precision, repeatability, and reproducibility of the proposed method. The results indicate that the developed method will be a valuable tool for routine analysis of capsanthin in chili peppers and their products.