Effects of Artemisia dracunculus powder on dough rheology and quality properties as a novel ingredient in bread formulation.

Tarragon has a great potential to be a healthy functional food ingredient thanks to its rich antioxidant, phenolic compounds, and nutrient content. The possibility of enriching bread with tarragon was investigated. For this aim, tarragon powder was used at the rates of 0, 2, 4 and 6% instead of wheat flour. In this study, the effects of substitution on the rheological properties of bread dough and color, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, texture, sensory, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis of bread samples were performed. The composition of tarragon powder showed significant protein (23.16%), crude fiber (7.4%), antioxidant (48.22 ± 0.11%), and total phenolic content (511.66 ± 1.56 mg GAE/100 g). Bread samples with increased fiber and protein content were obtained by adding tarragon powder to the bread formulation. The major differences in the FT-IR absorbance spectra for the bread samples were not observed. Additionally, tarragon powder significantly increased the antioxidative properties of breads (p < 0.05). Adding up to 4% tarragon powder to the bread formulation increased the sensory scores of the breads.

Rhubarb powder: Potential uses as a functional bread ingredient.

As a traditional staple food, bread lacks several nutrients such as fiber and minerals. In this study, the possibilities of using rhubarb powder to enrich wheat bread were investigated. Rhubarb powder was replaced with wheat flour at the ratios of 0%, 4%, 8%, and 12%. In order to reveal effects of rhubarb powder on quality properties of bread, color, moisture, total protein, fat content, antioxidant activity, textural, and sensory analysis were conducted. As the rhubarb powder ratio increased, the fiber (10.60 ± 0.55), ash (4.34 ± 0.13), and fat content (2.17 ± 0.55) of bread samples increased significantly (p < 0.05). Antioxidant activity (19.61% ± 0.53%) and total phenolic contents (916.38 ± 2.69) of bread samples also increased significantly (p < 0.05). The colors of the enriched breads were relatively dark. The breads containing 12% rhubarb powder had the highest ash content (4.34 ± 0.13). The samples containing 4% rhubarb powder took the highest sensory scores from the sensory panel in terms of odor, flavor, and overall impression. However, as the ratio of rhubarb powder increased, the sensory values of bread samples decreased. According to the results of this study, rhubarb powder could be used up to 4% to produce acceptable breads in terms of sensory properties with improved nutritional quality.

Effect of different types of electrolyzed water on drying characteristics and quality of Spondias dulcis in oven drying.

Due to its less adverse impact on the environment as well as human health, electrolyzed water, a non-thermal method, has been recognized to be a promising alternative as a new disinfectant for the food industry, which does not change odor, texture, and flavor of foods. Spondias dulcis fruit is rich in bioactive compounds, vitamins and minerals, which are known to have many beneficial effects on health. Fresh S. dulcis has a short shelf life and drying is an option to preserve the fruit. In this study, the effects of electrolyzed water treatment on the quality characteristics of dried S. dulcis were investigated. Slices of fruit treated with four different electrolyzed waters (Anolyte NaCl, Catholyte NaCl, Anolyte Na2CO3, and Catholyte Na2CO3) were dried in a conventional oven at 70 °C. Color, Browning index, antioxidant characteristics, texture profile, rehydration capacity, pH, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyzes of dried S. dulcis were performed. The samples treated with electrolyzed water prior to drying showed higher antioxidant activity (59.46 ± 0.09), total phenolic content (287.00 ± 1.76), and rehydration capacity (4.52 ± 0.05) compared to the control samples. The findings of the current study showed that electrolyzed water treatment could prevent the browning of dried S. dulcis fruits and preserve bioactive compounds as well as chemical properties.