Production, modification and degradation of fructans and fructooligosacharides by enzymes originated from plants.

Non-starch polysaccharides exhibit numerous beneficial health effects but compounds belonging to FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo- Di- and Monosaccharides and Polyols) has been recently connected to several gastrointestinal disorders. This review presents integrated literature data on the occurrence and types of fructans and fructooligosaccharids (classified as FODMAPs) as well as their degrading enzymes present in plants. Plants from the family Asteraceae and many monocotyledones, including families Poaceae and Liliaceae, are the most abundant sources of both fructans and fructan-degrading enzymes. So far, vast majority of publications concerning the application of these specific plants in production of bakery products is related to increase of dietary fibre content in these products. However, there is limited research on their effect on FODMAP content and fibre balance. The authors emphasize the possibility of application of enzyme rich plant extract in food production casting light on the new scientific approach to fibre modification.

Technological properties, shelf life and consumers' acceptance of high-fibre cookies prepared with juice processing by-products.

High dietary fibre cookies were manufactured from non-wheat (triticale, spelt and rye) flours with apple, beetroot and pumpkin pomace powders added as natural colourants. Cookies were characterized by nutritional composition, colour, texture and sensory profile and subjected to a 2-month shelf-life study. Additionally, an acceptability study was done to determine consumers' acceptance of cookies. Cookies prepared from rye flour and pumpkin pomace, as well as cookies prepared from spelt flour and beetroot pomace, can be labelled as 'high fibre' (dietary fibre content of 8.90% and 7.09%, respectively), while cookies prepared from triticale flour and apple pomace can be labelled as a 'source of fibre' (dietary fibre content of 4.50%). No obvious trend in the colour of cookies was observed after storage at room temperature and 40 °C, indicating the stability of natural colourants. Hardness decrease was observed in all samples after storage; however, the acceptability study showed that consumers prefer softer cookies. Sensory analysis showed that there were no signs of rancidity in samples after storage. Although triticale flour and apple pomace sample received the highest liking scores for appearance, odour and taste, all samples had liking ratings higher than 4 (indifferent) and can be further modified to satisfy consumers' demands.

Asparaginase Treatment of Sea Buckthorn Berries as an Effective Tool for Acrylamide Reduction in Nutritionally Enriched Wholegrain Wheat, Rye and Triticale Biscuits.

Sea buckthorn pomace is a by-product of juice production, which is still rich in bioactive compounds. After drying, the pomace can be effectively used as a valuable addition to bakery products supporting their nutritional value. However, due to the high content of the amino acid asparagine in sea buckthorn, this promising material contributes to the undesirable formation of acrylamide. To reduce the risk from this potentially carcinogenic compound, enzymatic treatment of sea buckthorn with asparaginase was applied, which resulted in a substantial reduction of asparagine content from 1834 mg/kg in untreated dried sea buckthorn pomace to 89 mg/kg in enzymatically treated dried sea buckthorn pomace. 10% substitution of wholegrain cereal flour with enzymatically treated sea buckthorn pomace powder in rye and triticale biscuits resulted in a 35% reduction in acrylamide content, in the case of wholegrain wheat biscuits up to a 64% reduction, compared to biscuits with untreated sea buckthorn pomace powder. This study confirmed that treating fruit with asparaginase is an effective way to reduce health risk caused by acrylamide in biscuits enriched with nutritionally valuable fruit pomace.

Influence of Ultrasonic and Chemical Pretreatments on Quality Attributes of Dried Pepper (Capsicum annuum).

This study investigates the effects of ultrasound, in combination with chemical pretreatments, on the quality attributes (total phenolic and carotenoid content, antioxidant activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH)), ferric-reducing ability (FRAP), CIE L* a* b* color, non-enzymatic browning, rehydration ratio, textural and morphological properties) of red pepper subjected to drying (hot air drying or freeze drying). The fractional factorial design was used to assess the impact of factors. The global Derringer desirability function was used to determine the optimal conditions for the best quality attributes of dried pepper. The drying method influenced total phenolic content, a* (redness), and initial rehydration ratio; pretreatment time significantly affected FRAP antiradical activity, a*, chroma and non-browning index, while pH-value had a significant effect on the texture of dried pepper. Non-enzymatic browning was reduced to 72.6%, while the DPPH antioxidant capacity of freeze-dried peppers was enhanced from 4.2% to 71.9%. Ultrasonic pretreatment led to changes in the pepper morphology, while potassium metabisulfite (KMS) was a more effective additive than citric acid.

New Biological and Chemical Insights into Optimization of Chamomile Extracts by Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Model.

Chamomile is one of the most consumed medicinal plants worldwide. Various chamomile preparations are widely used in various branches of both traditional and modern pharmacy. However, in order to obtain an extract with a high content of the desired components, it is necessary to optimize key extraction parameters. In the present study, optimization of process parameters was performed using the artificial neural networks (ANN) model using a solid-to-solvent ratio, microwave power and time as inputs, while the outputs were the yield of the total phenolic compounds (TPC). Optimized extraction conditions were as follows: a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:80, microwave power of 400 W, extraction time of 30 min. ANN predicted the content of the total phenolic compounds, which was later experimentally confirmed. The extract obtained under optimal conditions was characterized by rich composition and high biological activity. Additionally, chamomile extract showed promising properties as growth media for probiotics. The study could make a valuable scientific contribution to the application of modern statistical designs and modelling to improve extraction techniques.

Overview of nature, frequency and technological role of dietary fibre from cereals and pseudocereals from grain to bread.

This review presents integrated literature data on the occurrence and type of dietary fibres present in cereals and pseudocereals, as well as their technological role in production of wheat based dough and bread. The focus on wheat based dough and bread was in order to objectively compare the influence of the fibre and flour fractions of cereals and pseudocereals on the same food matrix. The evident heterogeneity, contradiction of scientific results and the lack of objective comparability were the main reason for compilation of systematic review. Remarkably, the literature is characterized by a large methodology gap that leads to significant knowledge gap due to the lack of the comparability of presented results on dietary fibre content, composition and influence on wheat based dough and bread properties. Based on this, the authors must emphasize the need for standardized presentation of scientific results in the future by scientific community.

Textural, Color and Sensory Features of Spelt Wholegrain Snack Enriched with Betaine.

The influence of different extrusion parameters, including screw speed (250-750 rpm), feed rate (15-25 kg/h) and feed moisture content (15-25%), on the textural and color properties of spelt wholegrain snack products produced on a co-rotating twin-screw extruder with added betaine was investigated. In order to determine the relative influence of input variables in the artificial neural network (ANN) model, Yoon's interpretation method was used, and it was concluded that feed moisture content has the greatest influence on L* values, while screw speed has the greatest influence on a* and b* values. The softest samples were obtained at the lowest moisture content. Sensory analysis was carried out on selected samples, and it showed that betaine addition did not intensify the bitter taste. The sample with the largest expansion exhibited the lowest hardness and chewiness before and after immersion in milk, and this sample is the most suitable for enrichment with betaine.

Acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in thermally treated non-wheat flours and respective breads.

This is the first report about the influence of dry and wet heat treatment on acrylamide content in flours and, subsequently, in breads. It was shown that during production of some breads acrylamide content decreases. Dry heating of non-wheat flour resulted in acrylamide in flours of sorghum (160 µg/kg); millet (447 µg/kg); barley (516 µg/kg); triticale (868 µg/kg); rye (1833 µg/kg); oat (1951 µg/kg). Hydrothermal heating had a negligible impact on acrylamide formation. In breads made from flour blends consisted of 70% of dry thermally and 30% of hydrothermally treated flours of millet, sorghum, oat, and rye, respectively, acrylamide was detected in the range from 105 to 312 µg/kg. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural probably contributing to acrylamide formation in bread was detected in the range from 2.0 mg/kg to 44.3 mg/kg in dry heated flours; in hydrothermally treated flours was below LOQ (1.7 mg/kg); in breads was between 3.3 and 8.0 mg/kg.

Comparative study of nutritional and technological quality aspects of minor cereals.

In order to have a better insight into the quality of minor cereals, the aim of this research was to evaluate the nutritional, biochemical, physical and rheological properties of barley, rye, triticale, oat, sorghum and millet flours. Generally, all flours could be divided into two groups according to mineral content, ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids ratio and amino acid composition. Sorghum flour was characterized by the highest total phenolic content and was the only flour which contained detectable amounts of tannins. Sorghum and millet flours differed from other flours by lower water absorption index and higher temperature of starch gelatinization. Additionally, sorghum and millet flours could be analysed by Mixolab only using constant hydration and require more time to obtain complete hydration than other flours. All flours would require modification of standard breadmaking process in order to obtain quality of product similar to those already present at the market.

Heat and hydrothermal treatments of non-wheat flours.

Non-wheat cereals have become popular in the diet due to their nutritional benefits, but their application is limited by properties of their proteins. Some of these flours can be conventionally processed, but the final products are not of acceptable quality. Modification of physico-chemical properties of non-wheat flours by dry heat and extrusion represent the alternative process which can transform the flours into an adequate raw material for the bakery and confectionery industry. The aim of this study was to determine the type and extent of physico-chemical changes in modified flours whose mixtures were used successfully for bread production. Extrusion had stronger influence on chemical composition of flours than dry heating, especially on the content of fats and phenolic compounds. Extrusion also increased starch digestibility due to complete gelatinization process, making it almost equal for all flours. On the other hand, protein digestibility depends mostly on botanical origin of flour.

Tomato pomace extract and organic peppermint essential oil as effective sodium nitrite replacement in cooked pork sausages.

The effect of supercritical fluid extract of tomato pomace (TP) and essential oil of organic peppermint (PM) on pH, color, residual nitrite content, lipid oxidation (TBARS value) and total plate count (TPC) of cooked pork sausages produced with 50 mg/kg of sodium nitrite was investigated. Five batches were produced: T1: 100 mg/kg of sodium nitrite; T2: 50 mg of sodium nitrite; T3: 50 mg of sodium nitrite and 0.150 µL/g TP; T4: 50 mg of sodium nitrite, 0.075 µL/g TP and 0.075 µL/g PM; T5: 50 mg of sodium nitrite and 0.150 µL/g PM. The lowest residual nitrite content and TBARS value were observed in treatment T4. The inclusion of TP increased redness of cooked pork sausages. TPC was the lowest in treatment T5. The results of this study showed that the addition of TP and PM enhanced quality of cooked sausages produced with reduced level of sodium nitrite.

Immobilization of Lactobacillus rhamnosus in polyvinyl alcohol/calcium alginate matrix for production of lactic acid.

Immobilization of Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC7469 in poly(vinyl alcohol)/calcium alginate (PVA/Ca-alginate) matrix using "freezing-thawing" technique for application in lactic acid (LA) fermentation was studied in this paper. PVA/Ca-alginate beads were made from sterile and non-sterile PVA and sodium alginate solutions. According to mechanical properties, the PVA/Ca-alginate beads expressed a strong elastic character. Obtained PVA/Ca-alginate beads were further applied in batch and repeated batch LA fermentations. Regarding cell viability, L. rhamnosus cells survived well rather sharp immobilization procedure and significant cell proliferation was observed in further fermentation studies achieving high cell viability (up to 10.7 log CFU g-1) in sterile beads. In batch LA fermentation, the immobilized biocatalyst was superior to free cell fermentation system (by 37.1%), while the highest LA yield and volumetric productivity of 97.6% and 0.8 g L-1 h-1, respectively, were attained in repeated batch fermentation. During seven consecutive batch fermentations, the biocatalyst showed high mechanical and operational stability reaching an overall productivity of 0.78 g L-1 h-1. This study suggested that the "freezing-thawing" technique can be successfully used for immobilization of L. rhamnosus in PVA/Ca-alginate matrix without loss of either viability or LA fermentation capability.

Volatile Composition, Colour, and Sensory Quality of Spirit-Based Beverages Enriched with Medicinal Fungus Ganoderma lucidum and Herbal Extract.

The multicomponent mixtures consisting of herbs and fungi are commonly used for the production of alcoholic beverages with potential health-promoting effects in many Asian countries. The medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum is one of the most important fungi used for spirit production. Although this fungus affects the aromatic complexity of spirits, only a small number of studies have focused on investigating the influence of G. lucidum on the aromatic profile and colour of spirits. The aim of the research is to evaluate the influence of adding G. lucidum and herbal extract on final concentrations of volatile compounds and sensory quality of several distillates. In this study, distillates (grain, plum, grape and wine) were used to produce new spirit-based beverages with the fungus G. lucidum only, or with the fungus and herbal extract. Fifty-nine aroma compounds were identified by GC-MS. The aromatic profiles were strongly influenced by the primary aromas of the distillates, but the addition of G. lucidum and herbal extract enriched the volatile fraction of distillates with a range of ethyl esters, with a fruity and floral fragrance. Higher alcohols, 1-propanol, 2-isobutanol and isoamyl alcohol, were the most abundant volatile compounds in the analyzed distillates and spirits. The lightness of distillates was from 60.7 to 63.6, and with the addition of Ganoderma it significantly decreased to the range from 43.6 to 50.5. The addition of the fungus also increased the intensity of red and yellow colours. The Ganoderma spirits scored very highly in sensory evaluation (17.6-18.3), significantly better than the spirits without any additions (16.1-16.9).

Novel breads of non-wheat flours.

The aim of this study was to provide new approach in creating gluten-containing and gluten-free breads without additives by combining thermal and hydrothermal pretreatments of flours (rye, oat, sorghum and millet). The applied methodology included determinations of chemical composition of flours and breads, water absorption index, empirical and fundamental rheological measurements, and scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, colour, textural and sensory evaluations of breads. Novel rye, oat, sorghum and millet breads based on the blend of heat treated and extruded corresponding flours in ratio 70:30 were produced by conventional breadmaking process. All breads were characterized by increased fibre content and had appearance similar to common wheat bread. Gluten-free breads were harder, less elastic with more granular structure due to higher degree of starch crystallinity. Mixolab curves indicated on many possible ways for further breads optimisation.

Comparison of Polyphenol-Enriched Tomato Juice and Standard Tomato Juice for Cardiovascular Benefits in Subjects with Stage 1 Hypertension: a Randomized Controlled Study.

There is a growing body of evidence that tomato consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, through antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and hypotensive effects. We compared the effects of polyphenol-enriched and standard tomato juice on parameters of lipid and oxidative status and blood pressure in subjects with stage 1 hypertension. The experimental group (n = 13) was supplemented with 200 g of tomato fruit juice enriched with 1 g of ethanolic extract of whole tomato fruit, while the control group (n = 13) was consuming 200 g tomato fruit juice. Before and after the treatment, blood samples were collected, and blood pressure was measured. Markers of oxidative stress and antioxidative defense: paraoxonase (PON1), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) and C reactive protein (CRP) were determined in serum. Prothrombin time (PT) was measured in the whole blood samples. Parameters of lipid status, as well as susceptibility to copper-induced oxidation of LDL particles in vitro were also determined. There was a significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL-C only in the control group at the end of the study. No significant differences were observed in the remainder of the assessed parameters along the study. In conclusion, tomato juice may have favorable effects on lipid metabolism, but polyphenol fortification does not constitute additional beneficial cardiovascular effects.

Development of low calorie jams with increased content of natural dietary fibre made from tomato pomace.

In this study, four jam formulations were developed, starting with the basic formulation (Jam 1) containing sucrose and without added pectin. Sucrose was partially (50%) replaced by stevioside in formulations of Jam 2 and 3, while in Jam 4 sucrose was completely replaced by fructose and stevioside, making this formulation suitable for diabetic patients. Jam formulations 1 and 2, prepared without added pectin, were thermally stable in the temperature range of 25-90°C, which indicate their potential use as fruit fillings. Jam formulations 3 and 4 were assessed by the sensory panel as more spreadable since tomato pomace particles are incorporated in pectin network which acts as a lubricant. Jam formulations were characterized by a lower total carbohydrate content (17.23-43.81%) and lower energy value (87.1-193.7kcal/100g) when compared to commercial products. Tomato pomace jams contained 15-20 times more dietary fibre than commercial apricot jam.

Microencapsulation of anthocyanin-rich black soybean coat extract by spray drying using maltodextrin, gum Arabic and skimmed milk powder.

Black soybean coat is insufficiently valorised food production waste rich in anthocyanins. The goal of the study was to examine physicochemical properties of spray dried extract of black soybean coat in regard to carrier materials: maltodextrin, gum Arabic, and skimmed milk powder. Maltodextrin and gum Arabic-based microparticles were spherical and non-porous while skimmed milk powder-based were irregularly shaped. Low water activity of microparticles (0.31-0.33), good powders characteristics, high solubility (80.3-94.3%) and encapsulation yields (63.7-77.0%) were determined. All microparticles exhibited significant antioxidant capacity (243-386 µmolTE/g), good colour stability after three months of storage and antimicrobial activity. High content of total anthocyanins, with cyanidin-3-glucoside as predominant, were achieved. In vitro release of anthocyanins from microparticles was sustained, particularly from gum Arabic-based. These findings suggest that proposed simple eco-friendly extraction and microencapsulation procedures could serve as valuable tools for valorisation and conversion of black soybean coat into highly functional and stable food colourant.