Essential Oil Nanoemulsions-A New Strategy to Extend the Shelf Life of Smoothies.

Over the years, consumer awareness of proper, healthy eating has increased significantly, but the consumption of fruits and vegetables remains too low. Smoothie drinks offer a convenient way to supplement daily diets with servings of fruits and vegetables. These ready-to-eat beverages retain the nutritional benefits of the raw ingredients from which they are made. Furthermore, they cater to the growing demand for quick and nutritious meal options. To meet consumer expectations, current trends in the food market are shifting towards natural, high-quality products with minimal processing and extended shelf life. Food manufacturers are increasingly aiming to reduce or eliminate synthetic preservatives, replacing them with plant-based alternatives. Plant-based preservatives are particularly appealing to consumers, who often view them as natural and organic substitutes for conventional preservatives. Essential oils, known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties, are effective against the microorganisms and fungi present in fruit and vegetable smoothies. However, the strong taste and aroma of essential oils can be a significant drawback, as the concentrations needed for microbiological stability are often unpalatable to consumers. Encapsulation of essential oils in nanoemulsions offers a promising and effective solution to these challenges, allowing for their use in food production without compromising sensory qualities.

Microencapsulation of Essential Oils Using Faba Bean Protein and Chia Seed Polysaccharides via Complex Coacervation Method.

The aim of this study was to develop microcapsules containing juniper or black pepper essential oils, using a combination of faba bean protein and chia seed polysaccharides (in ratios of 1:1, 1:2, 2:1). By synergizing these two polymers, our goal was to enhance the efficiency of essential oil microencapsulation, opening up various applications in the food industry. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the influence of different polymer mixing ratios on the properties of the resulting microcapsules and the course of the complex coacervation process. To dissolve the essential oils and limit their evaporation, soybean and rapeseed oils were used. The powders resulting from the freeze-drying of coacervates underwent testing to assess microencapsulation efficiency (65.64-87.85%), density, flowability, water content, solubility, and hygroscopicity. Additionally, FT-IR and DSC analyses were conducted. FT-IR analysis confirmed the interactions between the components of the microcapsules, and these interactions were reflected in their high thermal resistance, especially at a protein-to-polysaccharide ratio of 2:1 (177.2 °C). The water content in the obtained powders was low (3.72-7.65%), but it contributed to their hygroscopicity (40.40-76.98%).

Microencapsulation of Juniper and Black Pepper Essential Oil Using the Coacervation Method and Its Properties after Freeze-Drying.

Essential oils are mixtures of chemical compounds that are very susceptible to the effects of the external environment. Hence, more attention has been drawn to their preservation methods. The aim of the study was to test the possibility of using the classical model of complex coacervation for the microencapsulation of essential oils. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) and juniper (Juniperus communis) essential oils were dissolved in grape seed (GSO) and soybean (SBO) oil to minimize their loss during the process, and formed the core material. Various mixing ratios of polymers (gelatin (G), gum Arabic (GA)) were tested: 1:1; 1:2, and 2:1. The oil content was 10%, and the essential oil content was 1%. The prepared coacervates were lyophilized and then screened to obtain a powder. The following analyses were determined: encapsulation efficiency (EE), Carr index (CI), Hausner ratio (HR), solubility, hygroscopicity, moisture content, and particle size. The highest encapsulation efficiency achieved was within the range of 64.09-59.89%. The mixing ratio G/GA = 2:1 allowed us to obtain powders that were characterized by the lowest solubility (6.55-11.20%). The smallest particle sizes, which did not exceed 6 µm, characterized the powders obtained by mixing G/GA = 1:1. All powder samples were characterized by high cohesiveness and thus poor or very poor flow (CI = 30.58-50.27, HR = 1.45-2.01).

Evaluation of Modified Atmosphere Packaging in Combination with Active Packaging to Increase Shelf Life of High-in Beta-Glucan Gluten Free Cake.

Modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging were combined to prolong the shelf life and quality of the clean label, gluten-free (GF), yeast-leavened cakes enriched in oat fiber preparation. Star anise, cinnamon bark, and clove essential oils were used as emitters of active substances. The following concentrations of gases were chosen: 0% CO2/100%/N2 (MAP1), 60% CO2/40% N2 (MAP2), and approx. 78% N2/21% O2/0.04% CO2 (ATM). Microbiological and physicochemical analyses were conducted. GF cakes were stored for 14 days (analysis in 0, 7, and 14 days). The results showed a decrease in moisture content and lightness of crumb and an increase in hardness. EOs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) slowed down the growth of microorganisms regardless of the type of gas mixture. However, the best bacteriostatic effect was in MAP2. The content of beta-glucan did not change throughout the storage time. Generally, the best results were obtained with the combination of MAP and active packaging-60% of CO2 and 40% of N2-where cinnamon or clove essential oils were used.

Green Extraction of Carotenoids from Fruit and Vegetable Byproducts: A Review.

Carotenoids are characterized by a wide range of health-promoting properties. For example, they support the immune system and wound healing process and protect against UV radiation's harmful effects. Therefore, they are used in the food industry and cosmetics, animal feed, and pharmaceuticals. The main sources of carotenoids are the edible and non-edible parts of fruit and vegetables. Therefore, the extraction of bioactive substances from the by-products of vegetable and fruit processing can greatly reduce food waste. This article describes the latest methods for the extraction of carotenoids from fruit and vegetable byproducts, such as solvent-free extraction-which avoids the costs and risks associated with the use of petrochemical solvents, reduces the impact on the external environment, and additionally increases the purity of the extract-or green extraction using ultrasound and microwaves, which enables a significant improvement in process efficiency and reduction in extraction time. Another method is supercritical extraction with CO2, an ideal supercritical fluid that is non-toxic, inexpensive, readily available, and easily removable from the product, with a high penetration capacity.

Development of Gluten-Free Muffins with ß-Glucan and Pomegranate Powder Using Response Surface Methodology.

More consumers are being diagnosed with celiac disease or diseases in which wheat products should be avoided. For this reason, it is important to increase the range of gluten-free products available. In this study, it was decided to optimize the technology for the creation of a muffin with ß-glucan (BG) and pomegranate (PG), while establishing water share (WT), using the response surface methodology. It was shown that ß-glucan and water had the most significant influence on specific volume and moisture (p ≤ 0.001). However, the increase of hardness, color, and total phenolic content (TPC) was mainly influenced by the increase of pomegranate content (p ≤ 0.01 for harness and color and p ≤ 0.001 for TPC). Consumers accepted products high in ß-glucan more than high in pomegranate. Optimization ended with a composition that included 1.89% BG, 9.51% PG, and 77.87% WT. There were no significant differences between the model and the experimental sample, apart from higher consumer acceptability.

Plant-Based (Hemp, Pea and Rice) Protein-Maltodextrin Combinations as Wall Material for Spray-Drying Microencapsulation of Hempseed (Cannabis sativa) Oil.

Conscious consumers have created a need for constant development of technologies and food ingredients. This study aimed to examine the properties of emulsions and spray-dried microcapsules prepared from hempseed oil by employing a combination of maltodextrin with hemp, pea, and rice protein as carrier materials. Oil content in the microcapsules was varied at two levels: 10 and 20%. Increasing oil load caused a decrease in viscosity of all samples. Consistency index of prepared emulsions was calculated according to Power Law model, with the lowest (9.2 ± 1.3 mPa·s) and highest values (68.3 ± 1.1 mPa·s) for hemp and rice protein, respectively, both at 10% oil loading. The emulsion stability ranged from 68.2 ± 0.7% to 88.1 ± 0.9%. Color characteristics of the microcapsules were defined by high L* values (from 74.65 ± 0.03 to 83.06 ± 0.03) and low a* values (-1.02 ± 0.015 to 0.12 ± 0.005), suggesting that the materials were able to coat the greenish color of the hemp seed oil acceptably. The highest encapsulation efficiency was observed in samples with rice protein, while the lowest was with hemp protein. Combination of maltodextrin and proteins had a preventive effect on the oxidative stability of hempseed oil. Oil release profile fitted well with the Higuchi model, with hempseed oil microencapsulated with pea protein-maltodextrin combination at 10% oil loading depicting lowest oil release rates and best oxidative stability.

The impact of different levels of oat ß-glucan and water on gluten-free cake rheology and physicochemical characterisation.

The demand for new gluten-free (GF) products is still very crucial issue in food industry. There is also a need for bioactive compounds and natural alternatives for food additives. For now, not only providing structure without gluten is major challenge, but also high sensory acceptance and nutritional value are on the top. This study is focused on the effect of high-purity oat ß-glucan as a structure-making agent on physicochemical and sensory properties of gluten-free yeast leavened cake. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to set the design of the experiment. Water and oat ß-glucan were chosen as independent variables. Enzymatic extraction was conducted in order to obtain pure oat ß-glucan (approx. 85%). Physicochemical and microstructure analyses, and a consumer hedonic test were carried out to check the quality of the final product. As a last step, verification was undertaken to compare the predicted and experimental values of the results. The results showed that the optimisation process was crucial in obtaining high-quality, gluten-free yeast leavened cake. The optimised amounts of water and oat ß-glucan were 66.12% and 2.63% respectively. This proves that the application of oat ß-glucan to gluten-free products is possible and gives positive results in terms of texture, volume and sensory acceptance. Due to oat ß-glucan's pro-health benefits, the final product can be seen as a functional alternative for common gluten-free products in the market.

Microencapsulation of Camelina sativa Oil Using Selected Soluble Fractions of Dietary Fiber as the Wall Material.

The aim of the study was to prove the usefulness of microencapsulation of Camelina sativa oil regarding its vulnerability to oxidation caused by oxygen, temperature, and other factors. Pectin, inulin, gum arabic, and ß-glucan, each of them mixed with maltodextrin, were used as wall materials and their appropriability to reduce oxidation of the core material was examined. Microcapsules were prepared by spray drying, which is the most commonly used and very effective method. The research confirmed results known from literature, that gum arabic and inulin are most proper wall materials, because they ensure small oxidation increase during storage (4.59 and 5.92 eq/kg after seven days respectively) and also provide high efficiency of process (83.93% and 91.74%, respectively). Pectin turned out to be the least appropriate polysaccharide because it is not able to assure sufficient protection for the core material, in this case Camelina sativa oil, due to low efficiency (61.36%) and high oxidation (16.11 eq/kg after seven days). ß-glucan occurred to be the coating material with relatively high encapsulation efficiency (79.26%) but high humidity (4.97%) which could negatively influence the storage of microcapsules. The use of polysaccharides in microencapsulation, except performing the role of wall material, has the advantage of increasing the amount of dietary fiber in human diet.

Beta-Glucan as Wall Material in Encapsulation of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Extract.

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of using ß-glucan as wall material to microencapsulate the elderberry extract. Firstly, the extract was obtained by the water-acetone extraction method to extract mainly anthocyanins from ground dried fruits. The extract was mixed with wall materials: maltodextrin-ß-glucan mixture and the control sample as a widely used combination of maltodextrin and arabic gum (92.5:7.5). In the examined samples the content of ß-glucan was 0.5, 1, 2 and 3%. Properties of encapsulated extracts of final powders were measured using particle size and morphology, encapsulation efficiency, color measurement, total anthocyanin and ascorbic acid content (TAC and TAAC) methods. Our results indicated that the ß-glucan wall material samples had higher process quality compared to control samples. Addition of ß-glucan insignificantly decreases encapsulation efficiency. Among powders with ß-glucan content, the powder with 1% ß-glucan content was characterized by the smallest (24 µm) particle size. The sample with 2% ß-glucan content had the highest water solubility and polydispersity index. Due to the encapsulation efficiency, moisture content, and water solubility index, the optimum condition of microencapsulation process for elderberry extract was for samples with 0.5% ß-glucan as wall material content. To conclude, due to high molecular weight of ß-glucan the higher than 0.5% ratio of ß-glucan is not recommended for spray-drying method. However, small quantity of health-beneficial ß-glucan could act as potential encapsulation agent in clean label products to replace Arabic gum.

The use of high-in-ß-glucan oat fibre powder as a structuring agent in gluten-free yeast-leavened cake.

The biggest challenge in the production of gluten-free baked products is creating a structure without gluten while maintaining physicochemical and sensory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of applying oat ß-glucan as the thickening and structure-making agent instead of xanthan (control sample), due to its pro-health technological properties, in yeast-leavened gluten-free cake. Thus, high-in-ß-glucan oat fibre powder was incorporated into cake formulations as 5, 10, 15 and 20% replacement of rice or corn flour. The complex analysis of physicochemical and sensory properties was conducted, where texture and rheological aspects were the most important. An analysis of the correlation between rheological and physical properties was also conducted. Corn and rice cakes differed, but the results showed the increase of ß-glucan, total dietary fibre, springiness, cohesiveness, storage (G') and loss (G″) modulus and the decrease of firmness and lightness. Improvement of porosity and volume was also noticed. Significant correlation was observed among G', G″, specific volume and texture components. Accelerated texture changes were noticed after 24 h of storage. To sum up, it is justified to incorporate oat fibre into gluten-free baked products, both to increase nutritional value and improve cake structure.

Comparative analysis of the physical properties of o/w emulsions stabilised by cereal ß-glucan and other stabilisers.

The oil-in-water emulsion system is very common in food production. The aim of this study was the evaluation of extracted (enzymatic treatment) cereal ß-glucan as a stabiliser in comparison to other commonly used food additives. Oat (OBG) and barley (BBG) ß-glucan were applied at concentrations of 1%, 2% and 4%; gum guar, xanthan gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose at 0.5% each; lecithin at 2%; polyglycerol polyricinoleate at 4%; and, finally pectin at 3.2%. The following physical properties were examined: emulsion stability, foaming capacity and stability, droplet size distribution and viscosity. The results showed that cereal ß-glucan reached very good emulsion stability (>80% after 14 days) and relatively high values of apparent viscosity (up to 12,243 cPa·s for 4% OBG, and 2264 cPa·s for 4% BBG; γ̇=20 1/s, day 14). The droplet size of barley ß-glucan emulsion ranged between 14.88 and 60.06 µm, and of oat ß-glucan emulsion between 15.68 and 46.22 µm. The results showed that cereal ß-glucan acts like a viscosifier and can be applied in a variety of food products to improve their texture and viscosity.

Microencapsulation of sea buckthorn oil with ß-glucan from barley as coating material.

Due to large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, polyphenols and tocopherols, sea buckthorn oil is enjoying growing popularity among consumers. To meet their expectations food producers are more and more willing to add it to products such as yogurts, juices and bread. Unfortunately due to high content of compounds sensitive to the process to which food products are subjected, the oil addition is limited. The solution may be adding oil in the form of capsules. Microencapsulation is a developing technology which depends on enclosing active material in special wall material. The process makes it possible to protect the core material against the influence of external factors such as: sun rays, oxygen or microorganisms. As the research has shown the process of oil microencapsulation does not contribute to the degradation of lipids. In turn product maintains durability and stability for longer. For example lipid oxidation after one week storage in microcapsules with 3% beta-glucan in the coating material was 5.50mEq/kg fat. The oxidation was about five times lower than during conventional storage oil in the fridge (31.78mEq/kg fat). In addition, the process makes it possible to increase the intake of soluble dietary fiber fraction thanks to the possibility of using beta-glucan as a wall material for the microcapsules prepared.

Evaluation of WBSF, Color, Cooking Loss of Longissimus Lumborum Muscle with Fiber Optic Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-NIR), Depending on Aging Time.

Near-infrared spectroscopy is a known technique for assessing the quality of compounds found in food products. However, it is still not widely used for predicting physical properties of meat using the online system. This study aims to assess the possibility of application of a NIR equipped with fiber optic system as an online measurement system to predict Warner⁻Bratzler shear force (WBSF) value, cooking loss (CL), and color of longissimus lumborum muscle, depending on aging time. The prediction model satisfactorily estimated the WBSF on day 1 and day 7 of aging as well as a* color parameter on day one and CL on day 21. This could be explained by the fact that during beef aging, the physicochemical structure of meat becomes more uniform and less differentiation of raw data is observed. There is still a challenge to obtain a verifiable model for the prediction of physical properties, using NIR, by utilizing more varied raw data.

Use of guar gum, gum arabic, pectin, beta-glucan and inulin for microencapsulation of anthocyanins from chokeberry.

The aim of this study was to use micro-encapsulation technology to create microcapsules containing anthocyanins from chokeberry with guar gum, gum arabic, pectin, ß-glucan and inulin as wall material. Aqueous extracts from chokeberry fruit were enclosed and spray dried using maltodextrin as a coating material with the addition of guar gum, gum arabic, pectin, beta-glucan, and inulin respectively. Physical properties of microcapsules were tested. The preparations also determined the total content of anthocyanins and vitamin C on the day of preparation and after 7 days of storage. In the executed research, the highest moisture content for gum arabic capsules was observed. The most different parameters of color were observed for capsules with beta-glucan. The biggest particles were observed for gum arabic and the smallest for guar gum. The differences were also noticed in chemical assays. The highest content of anthocyanins on the day of drying and after 7 days of storage was noticed for beta-glucan samples whereas the lowest content was observed for gum arabic samples. In case of vitamin C content, the sample, which stood out particularly, was pectin sample. The main conclusion is that the micro-encapsulation is an effective method to maintain the stability of sensitive compounds such as anthocyanins, but also ascorbic acid.

Barley ß-d-glucan - modified starch complex as potential encapsulation agent for fish oil.

The aim of the study was to examine physicochemical characteristics of fish oil microcapsules produced at different temperatures and estimate the optimal ratio of BG, CS and spray drying temperature. Only the interaction between spray drying and ß-d-glucan content played a significant role in influencing the encapsulation efficiency and spray drying itself (p ≤ 0.001 and p ≤ 0.05). Temperature played a significant role in increasing particle size as well, but the coefficient for this parameter was lower (0.179). The observed differences in particle size of microcapsules could be caused by the differences in glass transition temperature of the polymers (ß-d-glucan and modified starch) used as wall material. It could be seen that the lowest TBARS content was observed when the ß-d-glucan in the wall material was at relatively high level (85%) with moderate temperature applied (154 °C) - 0.56 mg of malonaldehyde/kg of powder. The highest amount of EPA was present in the sample with 50% share of ß-d-glucan and spray dried in 150 °C (10.22 ±â€¯0.24). After examination of all runs of the experiment, we have made optimization study to obtain the wall material composition and spray drying temperature values which will be most appropriate for fish oil encapsulation.

Effect of fiber sources on fatty acids profile, glycemic index, and phenolic compound content of in vitro digested fortified wheat bread.

In this study, some dietary fiber (DF) sources were investigated as fortifiers of wheat bread: oat (OB), flax (FB), and apple (AB). Adding oat and flax fibers to bread significantly changed the fatty acid profiles. OB was highest in oleic acid (33.83% of lipids) and linoleic acid (24.31% of lipids). Only in FB, γ-linolenic fatty acid was present in a significant amount-18.32%. The bioaccessibility trails revealed that the DF slow down the intake of saturated fatty acids. PUFA were least bioaccessible from all fatty acids groups in the range of (72% in OB to 87% in FB). The control bread had the greatest value (80.5) and was significantly higher than values for OB, FB, and AB in terms of glycemic index. OB, FB and AB addition led to obtain low glycemic index. AB had a significant highest value of total phenolic (897.2 mg/kg) with the lowest values in FB (541.2 mg/kg). The only significant lowering of caloric values in this study was observed in AB. The study could address the gap in the area of research about taking into consideration glycemic index, fatty acid profile and phenolic content in parallel in terms of DF application in breads.

Effect of natural flocculants on purity and properties of ß-glucan extracted from barley and oat.

In this study, ß-glucan was extracted from wholegrain oat and barley flours by a novel extraction and purification method employing natural flocculants (chitosan, guar gum and gelatin). The use of flocculants decreased the total amount of extracted gum, which was highest in control samples (9.07 and 7.9% for oat and barley, respectively). The ß-glucan specific yield, however, increased with the use of chitosan and guar gum, which were able to remove protein and ash impurities resulting in gums with a higher purity.The highest concentration of chitosan (0.6 %) resulted in gums with the highest ß-glucan content (82.0 ±â€¯0.23 and 79.0 ±â€¯0.19 for barley and oat, respectively) and highest ß-glucan specific yield (96.9 and 93.3 % for oat and barley, respectively). Explanation is in R&D section. The use of gelatin was not successful. All gum samples had a high content of total dietary fiber (>74%) and a high water holding capacity (4.6-7.4 g/g), but differed in apparent viscosity, which was highest for the oat sample extracted with 0.6% chitosan. This sample also showed the highest ß-glucan molecular weight among the oat samples, which were in general 10-fold higher than for the barley samples. Among the barley samples, ß-glucan molecular weight was highest for the control.