Lycopene-rich watermelon concentrate used as a natural food colorant: Stability during processing and storage.

A lycopene-rich watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) concentrate was incorporated into snack cracker, fusilli pasta, and extruded snacks for coloring purposes. Changes in the L* and a* color coordinates and in the lycopene content were evaluated before and after thermal processes and monitored through 90 days of storage at ambient temperature. The products with the maximum lycopene degradation during processing were snack cracker and extruded snack (between 30 and 45%) whereas no degradation was observed in the fusilli pasta, except during cooking into boiling water (reduction up to 41%). The change in color during processing varied substantially depending on the product, but, in general, thermal treatments applied reduced the a* values (less reddish). The degradation kinetics of the lycopene and the color during storage followed first-order kinetics, with a half-life time of 25 to 315 days for lycopene content and 65 to 210 days for a* coordinate. Snack cracker was the most stable and had more than a 4-month period before losing half of the pigment content.

Discrimination of sensory attributes by trained assessors and consumers in semi-sweet hard dough biscuits and their drivers of liking and disliking.

Descriptive methods are traditionally performed with trained assessors to objectively analyze products, since consumers have long been considered incapable of performing such tests because they are influenced by hedonic evaluations. However, in the last decades, there have been alternative descriptive tests performed by consumers, due to other advantages, such as a rapid sensory profile assessment, reducing cost and time, and Check-all-that-apply (CATA) is an example. Thus, the objective of this work was to compare the performance of trained assessors (n = 15) and consumers using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) - traditional method and CATA - alternative method (n = 161 consumers, including acceptance test as well), for 5 samples of semi-sweet hard dough biscuit with different contents of specific ingredients: fructose (0.0 to 6.0%), vanilla aroma (0.0 to 1.2%) and water (9.0 to 13.8%). Results showed that the number of attributes in which trained assessors perceived significant differences was marginally higher (p < .1) than consumers. For smaller formulation differences, trained assessors perceived more (p < .01) attributes presenting significant differences (10) than consumers (2). The sample discrimination presented the same pattern, however trained assessors had greater discriminative power than consumers, i.e., they discriminated samples in more difference levels. The description of the samples was not similar between the methods. The QDA and CATA assessors used different attributes to describe the samples, which reflected in different drivers of liking and disliking if descriptive data come from trained assessors or from consumers. It is concluded that the choice of performing descriptive tests with trained assessors or consumers depends on the purpose of the study.

Interaction between xylanase, glucose oxidase and ascorbic acid on the technological quality of whole wheat bread / Interação entre xilanase, glicose oxidase e ácido ascórbico na qualidade tecnológica de pão elaborado com farinha do trigo integral

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to verify the performance of xylanase and its interaction with oxidants agents (glucose oxidase and ascorbic acid) on the quality of whole wheat bread. The experiment was based on a central composite rotational design and the Response Surface Methodology was used to analyze the results. None of the xylanase, glucose oxidase or ascorbic acid concentrations within the studied range led to a significant difference in the specific volume. The highest moisture content and the lowest firmness values were reported in the bread with lower and intermediate levels of xylanase and larger amounts of glucose oxidase and ascorbic acid. This effect was observed mainly at the end of the storage period. A minimum amount of xylanase (from 33 to 63 EDX kg-1 flour) showed to be essential for obtaining best results. Levels of ascorbic acid above 63mg kg-1 and glucose oxidase above 91 SRU kg-1 proved to be necessary to offer the beneficial effect of xylanase.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o desempenho da xilanase e sua interação com agentes oxidantes (glicose oxidase e ácido ascórbico) na qualidade de pão elaborado com farinha do trigo integral. O experimento foi baseado em um delineamento composto central rotacional (DCCR) e a Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta foi utilizada para analisar os resultados. Nenhuma das concentrações de xilanase, glicose oxidase e ácido ascórbico, dentro da faixa estudada, levaram a uma diferença significativa no volume específico. Mais alto conteúdo de umidade e menor firmeza foram encontrados nos pães com concentrações menores e intermediárias de xilanase e concentrações maiores de glicose oxidase e ácido ascórbico. Este efeito foi observado principalmente no final do período de estocagem. Uma quantidade mínima de xilanase (de 33 a 63 EDX kg-1 farinha) mostra ser essencial na obtenção dos melhores resultados. Concentrações de ácido ascórbico acima de 63mg kg-1 e glicose oxidase acima de 91 SRU kg-1 mostraram ser necessárias para que o efeito benéfico da xilanase fosse observado.

Par-baked Bread Technology: Formulation and Process Studies to Improve Quality.

Extending the shelf-life of bakery products has been an important requirement resulting from the mechanization of this industry and the need to increase the distance for the distribution of final products, caused by the increase in production and consumer demand. Technologies based on the interruption of the breadmaking process represent an alternative to overcome product staling and microbiological deterioration. The production of par-baked breads is one of these technologies. It consists of baking the bread in two stages, and due to the possibility of retarding the second stage, it can be said that the bread can always be offered fresh to the consumer. The technology inserts logistics as part of the production process and creates the "hot point" concept, these being the locations where the bread is finalized, such as in the consumers' homes or sales locations. In this work, a review of the papers published on this subject was carried out, and aspects related to both the formulation and the process were considered. This technology still faces a few challenges, such as solving bread quality problems that appear due to process modifications, and these will also be considered. The market for these breads has grown rapidly and the bakery industry searches innovations related to par-baked bread technology.

Functional bread with n-3 alpha linolenic acid from whole chia (Salvia hispanica L.) flour.

This work proposed to study the effects of the addition of whole chia flour (WCF) on the technological, nutritional and sensory qualities of bread. Different WCF contents (0 and 20 %) and vital gluten (VG) (0 and 4 %) were added to bread according to a 2(2) central composite rotational design. WCF decreased the specific volume, lightness and hue angle of the bread loaves, but did not affect the chroma values. WCF and VG contributed to maintenance of the moisture content of the loaves during the storage period. The increased firmness found with the addition of high levels of WCF (more than 10 %) was countered by larger amounts of VG (more than 2 %). The optimum loaf (10 % WCF and 2 % VG) showed 26 % more lipids, 19 % more protein and 11 % more ash than the standard loaf (0 % WCF and 0 % VG). A better lipid profile was also found (higher omega-3 fatty acid content and a better omega-6/omega-3 ratio). Both breads were positively rated in the sensory profile analysis.

Effect of proving time on the quality of frozen pre-baked French style rolls elaborated with the addition of wholegrain flour and enzymes.

Proving is a step in the breadmaking process that can be crucial in determining the final characteristics of the product presented to the consumer. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of proving time on the quality of frozen pre-baked French style rolls elaborated with the addition of wholegrain flour and enzymes. With this objective, doughs from six different formulations were allowed to ferment to different stages of proving. The first stage corresponded to the stage where the dough presented the maximum point of volume development without losing its resistance to touch. The second stage was soon after the first one, being characterized by a loss of resistance to touch but without a marked loss of volume. The rolls were evaluated for their specific volume, crumb texture (firmness and springiness), oven spring, shape, cut opening and cut height. The results showed that the proving time influenced various characteristics of the pre-baked French bread. A longer proving time tended to result in greater specific volume of the rolls with greater crumb springiness, but with a less firm crumb and reduced cut opening and cut height. The oven spring and shape were not altered by the proving time. The increase in volume was the result of increases in the width and length of the rolls. This study showed that the proving time was one of the factors responsible for the collapse in the structure of the pre-baked rolls, and that an adequate formulation could overcome the loss in cut opening and cut height resulting from a longer proving time.

Starches from non - conventional sources to improve the technological characteristics of pound cake / Amido de fontes não - convencionais para melhorar as características tecnológicas de bolo inglês

This study evaluated and compared the effect of the utilization of five different non-conventional starches (chickpea, common bean, Peruvian carrot, sweet potato and white bean) and four different commercial starches (cassava, corn, potato and rice) in pound cake. Common bean starch, followed by Peruvian carrot starch were the non-conventional starch sources that showed tendency to improve the technological quality of pound cake, mainly in relation to corn starch, the most common commercial source. With these sources, the batters presented lower specific gravity and the cakes presented higher specific volume, lighter color, lower crumb moisture reduction during the storage period, and better texture attributes during all the cake shelf-life. Moreover, common bean starch provided higher scores in the cake sensory evaluation; especially for grain and texture attributes (moisture, tenderness and softness). Chickpea and white bean starches were more similar to corn starch in pound cake application.

Este estudo avaliou e comparou o efeito da utilização de cinco amidos de fontes não convencionais (grão de bico, feijão carioca, mandioquinha, batata doce e feijão branco) e de quatro diferentes amidos de fontes comerciais (mandioca, milho, batata e arroz) em bolo inglês. Amido de feijão carioca, seguido pelo amido de mandioquinha, foram os amidos de fontes não convencionais que mostraram tendência a melhorar a qualidade tecnológica do bolo inglês, principalmente em comparação com o amido de milho, o qual é a fonte comercial mais utilizada. Com o amido dessas fontes, os batidos apresentaram menores valores de gravidade específica e os bolos maiores valores de volume específico, cor mais clara, menor redução da umidade durante o período de estocagem e melhores valores nos atributos de textura durante a vida de prateleira. Além disso, amido de feijão carioca promoveu maiores escores na avalição sensorial; especialmente para os atributos do miolo e textura (umidade, suavidade e maciez). Amidos de grão de bico e feijão branco foram muito similares ao amido de milho em aplicação em bolo inglês.