Hybrid Spreadable Cheese Analogues with Faba Bean and Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Flours: Optimisation Using Desirability-Based Mixture Design.

Hybrid products could help bridge the gap as new alternative diets emerge in response to the demand for less animal protein, while recent studies suggest that the Western population is not yet ready to fully embrace an alternative protein-based diet. This study used a desirability-based mixture design to model hybrid spreadable cheese analogues (SCAs). The design combined milk protein concentrate (MPC), Tenebrio molitor (IF) and faba bean (FBP) flours, representing 7.1% of the formula. Nine SCAs with different MPC/FBP/IF ratios were formulated. Incorporating the IF negatively impacted the desirable texture properties. The FBP flour improved the texture (increasing firmness and stickiness and decreasing spreadability), but only when combined with MPC. Sensory analysis showed that hybrid SCAs (≤50% MPC) C2, C7 and C9 had a more characteristic cheesy flavour than the commercial plant-based reference, and sample C2 had a texture profile similar to the dairy reference. Samples containing IF (C7 and C9) showed a better flavour profile than that without IF (C2). The SCAs had higher protein and lower saturated fat, starch and sugar content than commercial analogues. The study suggests that incorporating alternative proteins in hybrid products can be an effective approach to reduce animal protein content, specifically dairy, in food formulations.

Rational Food Design Targeting Micronutrient Deficiencies in Adolescents: Nutritional, Acoustic-Mechanical and Sensory Properties of Chickpea-Rice Biscuits.

"Hidden hunger", the deficiency of important mineral micronutrients, affects more than 2 billion people globally. Adolescence is unquestionably a period of nutritional risk, given the high nutritional requirements for growth and development, erratic or capricious diets and the increased consumption of snacks. This study applied the rational food design approach to obtain micronutrient-dense biscuits by combining chickpea and rice flours to achieve an optimal nutritional profile, crunchy texture and appealing flavour. The perception of 33 adolescents regarding the suitability of such biscuits as a mid-morning snack was examined. Four biscuits were formulated, with different ratios of chickpea and rice flours (CF:RF): G100:0, G75:25, G50:50 and G25:75. Nutritional content, baking loss, acoustic-texture and sensory analyses were carried out. On average, the mineral content of biscuits with the CF:RF ratio of 100:0 doubled compared with the 25:75 formula. The dietary reference values for iron, potassium and zinc reached 100% in the biscuits with CF:RF ratios of 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0, respectively. The analysis of mechanical properties revealed that samples G100:0 and G75:25 were harder than the others. Sample G100:0 showed the highest sound pressure level (Smax). Sensory analysis showed that increasing the proportion of CF in the formulation augments the grittiness, hardness, chewiness and crunchiness. Most of the adolescents (72.7%) were habitual snack consumers; 52% awarded scores ≥ 6 (out of 9) to biscuit G50:50 for its overall quality, 24% described its flavour as "biscuit" and 12% as "nutty". However, 55% of the participants could not pinpoint any dominant flavour. In conclusion, it is possible to design nutrient-dense snacks that meet the micronutrient requirements and sensory expectations of adolescents by combining flours naturally rich in micronutrients.

Hybrid Sausages: Modelling the Effect of Partial Meat Replacement with Broccoli, Upcycled Brewer's Spent Grain and Insect Flours.

The social, environmental and health concerns associated with the massive consumption of meat products has resulted in calls for a reduction in meat consumption. A simplex lattice design was used for studying the effect of combining broccoli, upcycled brewer's spent grain (BSG) and insect flours from Tenebrio molitor (IF) as alternative sources of protein and micronutrients, in hybrid sausages formulation. The techno-functional properties of the ingredients and the nutritional and textural properties of nine hybrid sausages were analysed. The effect of adding these ingredients (constituting 35% of a turkey-based sausage) on protein, fat, fibre, iron and zinc content, and textural properties (Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) and Warner−Bratzler parameters) were modelled employing linear regression (0.72 < R2 < 1). The "desirability" function was used for multi-response optimisation of the samples for the highest protein content, optimum chewiness and a* value (closeness to red). The analysis of sensory data for the three optimised samples showed no significant differences in juiciness and odour between the hybrid meat sausage with 22% broccoli, 3% BSG, and 10% IF and the commercial Bratwurst sausage elaborated exclusively with animal protein. Colour, appearance, chewiness and pastiness were rated higher than for the reference. The instrumental chewiness highly correlated with sensorial chewiness (R2 = 0.98). Thus, a strategy introducing less refined and more sustainable sources of protein and micronutrients was successfully employed to model and statistically optimise a meat product formulation with reduced animal protein content.

Designing Nutritious and Sustainable Biscuits Using Upcycled Fibre-Rich Ingredients Obtained by Hot Air - Microwave Drying of Orange by-Products.

Circular use of resources implies developing mild processes to transform food by-products into value-added products, without using organic solvents or extensive washing and drying steps. Refined ingredients are commonly used in gluten-free bakery resulting in high levels of saturated fatty acids and sugars as well as a lack of essential nutrients like dietary fibres. The objective of this study was (i) to compare the nutritional composition and the water retention capacity (WRC) of an upcycled orange fibre dried by hot air combined with microwave (HAD+MW) and a commercial orange fibre obtained by different methods (COM), and (ii) to compare the nutritional, texture and sensory profile of gluten-free biscuits formulated with HAD+MW and with COM fibres. The total dietary fibre content (72.0 ± 3.0%) and WRC (21.1 ± 2.7 gwater/ g) of HAD+MW fibre did not differ from the nutritional composition of the control orange fibre (COM). However, for HAD+MW fibre, protein (+2.34 fold), fat (-4.75 fold), ash (-2.31 fold), sugars (-1.42 fold) and moisture content (+11.5 fold) was different from COM. Instrumental texture analysis showed that biscuits with HAD+MW fiber resulted in less hardness (26%) than those with COM fiber. However, this difference was not perceived by panellists (p > 0.05). Exterior colour, cereal, vanilla and citrus aroma-flavour, and granularity were slightly more intense in HAD+MW biscuits but still similar to the commercial control fiber. Thus, the HAD+MW drying method can be used for upcycling orange by-products, obtaining less refined and more nutritious and sustainable ingredients for fiber-enrichment of gluten-free biscuits.

Development of the lexicon, trained panel validation and sensory profiling of new ready-to-eat plant-based " meatballs" in tomato sauce.

Background: Providing educational content for children and parents can promote healthy nutritional habits. During the TITAN project, a pilot digital contest where participants have to developed ready-to-eat meatballs in sauce, using only plant-based ingredients, will be tested. The objective of this study was to develop the lexicon needed to objectively assess the sensory profile of this product. Methods: Eight judges were recruited and trained. Thirteen 1-hour sessions took place over three months. The steps followed were the selection of commercial reference, generation of descriptors, training of the panel, validation of the trained panel and product characterisation. The judges chose one commercial reference (using simple hedonic evaluation) to serve as a reference. The accepted intensity scale for the generated descriptors was from 0 (low intensity) to 9 (very intense). To test the first versions of the game, food product developers involved in the project, acted as participants, and used a mix of lentils, quinoa, and oats to enhance the commercial version. R-project software was used to analyse the performance of the panel and the sensory profiles. Results: A glossary with 14 descriptors was generated. The discriminatory capacity of the panel was confirmed by examining the significance of the product effect (p < 0.05). The product-judge interaction was not significant (p > 0.05) for most of the evaluated attributes, indicating a good degree of panel agreement. Overall, the panel was considered reproducible after 9 sessions. Although the appearance, firmness, fragility and chewiness were considered similar to the reference, juiciness and taste (understood as meaty flavour) of the new product were deemed improved. Conclusions: According to the panel, two of the most appreciated attributes associated with meat analogues, juiciness and taste, were improved compared to the commercial reference. Therefore, the first approach for further development of the contest/game was validated.

Don't you think it's important for a child to experiment with food from a very young age? Do they know where the food comes from? How do the products arrive to the supermarket? If the answer is yes and if your kids believe that meatballs can only be made with meat, this game is for them, and for you. "Imagine a future generation of children who, from a young age, have learned that vegetables are not just an alternative to meat, but a wholesome choice for nutrition and health". This is study is part of the TITAN project, where different gaming options using artificial intelligence will be tested to promote healthy nutritional habits in scholars aged 6­12 years. One of these games is being designed as a contest were students have to develop a ready-to-eat meal, similar to "meatballs in sauce" but using only plant-based ingredients. They will have to improve the sensory properties of a commercial reference. But, to establish a common criterion for assessing the results, it is necessary to develop a common lexicon with descriptors that a trained panel can use to assess the improved prototypes. In this study, 8 judges (4 men and 4 women) were recruited and trained to develop a sensory profile for this type of products. To test the first versions of the game, food product developers involved in the project, acted as participants, and used a mix of lentils, quinoa, and oats to enhance a commercial version. The panel of trained experts validated the results.

Erratum: Bosch-Sierra, N., et al. Effect of Fibre-Enriched Orange Juice on Postprandial Glycaemic Response and Satiety in Healthy Individuals: An Acute, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Crossover Study. Nutrients 2019, 11, 3014.

The authors have requested that the following changes be made to their paper [...].

Leveraging innovative technologies for designing a healthy and personalized breakfast: consumer perception of three smart cooking devices in the EU.

BACKGROUND: Rapid demographic growth and global population ageing will have profound impacts on food and nutrition. In the long run, the smart appliance industry will reflect the social, technological, and demographic forces around food consumption. This study aims to provide valuable consumer insights about smart home cooking devices for a healthy and personalised breakfast. METHODS: Three smart cooking technologies (3D food printing, digital sous-vide cooking and instant dough baking), one ingredient supplier, and a food research centre shared resources to carry out common tasks such as market research and consumer validation tests. Consumers were segmented into four types of households (single, young or consolidated families and senior). An online community (40 participants), nine focus groups, two interviews (8 experts), and one quantitative study (2055 participants) were carried out in Spain, UK, and Germany. RESULTS: Consumer perception of three smart cooking devices in the EU has been explored in-depth. Insights have shown the potential of innovative technologies for designing a healthy and personalised breakfast. A customized, fresh, tasty, nutritious, and healthy 3D printed breakfast bar was developed for senior consumers by using the smart cooking devices. A tasting session with 80 senior Spanish consumers, aged 45 to 75 years, showed that around 56% of consumers increased their acceptance of the new breakfast bar after being informed about its technological, nutritional, and convenient benefits. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provided both theoretical and practical insights into the perception of the three smart cooking devices, per type of household and per country. A combination of technologies was used to develop the new breakfast concept for the target group and country with the most positive perception. This study shows how to share resources for gathering information on product attributes, consumer experience, and for validating the new concept with the target group identified via consumer market research.

New advances in the integrated management of food processing by-products in Europe: sustainable exploitation of fruit and cereal processing by-products with the production of new food products (NAMASTE EU).

By-products generated every year by the European fruit and cereal processing industry currently exceed several million tons. They are disposed of mainly through landfills and thus are largely unexploited sources of several valuable biobased compounds potentially profitable in the formulation of novel food products. The opportunity to design novel strategies to turn them into added value products and food ingredients via novel and sustainable processes is the main target of recently EC-funded FP7 project NAMASTE-EU. NAMASTE-EU aims at developing new laboratory-scale protocols and processes for the exploitation of citrus processing by-products and wheat bran surpluses via the production of ingredients useful for the formulation of new beverage and food products. Among the main results achieved in the first two years of the project, there are the development and assessment of procedures for the selection, stabilization and the physical/biological treatment of citrus and wheat processing by-products, the obtainment and recovery of some bioactive molecules and ingredients and the development of procedures for assessing the quality of the obtained ingredients and for their exploitation in the preparation of new food products.