Physical Properties and Prebiotic Activities (Lactobacillus spp.) of Gelatine-Based Gels Formulated with Agave Fructans and Agave Syrups as Sucrose and Glucose Substitutes.

This research developed model foods of gelatine-based gels, where carbohydrates from Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul (agave syrups or/and agave fructans) were incorporated into gel formulations as healthy sucrose and glucose substitutes. The sugars (sucrose and glucose) were substituted by agave carbohydrates (agave syrups and agave fructans), obtaining the subsequent gel formulations: 100% agave syrup (F2 gel), 100% agave fructan (F3 gel), and 50% agave syrup−50% agave fructan (F4 gel). The unsubstituted gel formulation was used as a control (F1 gel). The prebiotic activities, physical properties, thermal stability (HP-TLC), and texture of gelatine-based gels were evaluated. The gel formulations showed translucent appearances with approximately 36 g/100 g of water and water activities values between 0.823 and 0.929. The HP-TLC analysis validated that agave fructans did not hydrolyse during the thermal process of gels production. Gels produced with agave syrup and agave fructan (F2-F4 gels) provided higher hardness, gumminess, and springiness values (p < 0.05) than those produced with glucose and sucrose (F1 gel). Gelatine-based gel formulations displayed prebiotic activities correlated to the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus to use agave carbohydrates as carbon sources. Based on the prebiotic effect and physical and textural properties, the F2 and F4 gel formulations displayed the best techno-functional properties to produce gel soft candies.

Supercritical CO2-ethanol extraction of oil from green coffee beans: optimization conditions and bioactive compound identification.

In this research, a supercritical CO2-ethanol extraction was optimized to obtain a green coffee oil rich in bioactive compounds. A face-centered central composite design was used to evaluate the effect of temperature (50-70 °C), extraction pressure (15.0-30.0 MPa), and cosolvent content (5-20%) on the extraction yield and total phenolic compound content of green coffee supercritical extract (GCSE). The experimental data were fitted to a second-order polynomial model. According to the statistical analyses, the lack of fit was not significant for either mathematical model. From the response surface plots, the extraction pressure and cosolvent content significantly impacted the extraction yield, while the total phenolic compound content was impacted by temperature and cosolvent content. The optimal conditions were a 20% cosolvent content, a pressure of 30 MPa, and a temperature of 62 °C, which predicted an extraction yield of 7.7% with a total phenol content of 5.4 mg gallic acid equivalent g GCSE-1. The bioactive compounds included 5-caffeoylquinic acid (11.53-17.91 mg g GCSE-1), caffeine (44.76-79.51 mg g GCSE-1), linoleic acid (41.47-41.58%), and palmitic acid (36.07-36.18%). Our results showed that GCSE has the outstanding chemical quality and antioxidant potential, suggesting that GCSE can be used as a functional ingredient.

Gum Arabic/Chitosan Coacervates for Encapsulation and Protection of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus in Storage and Gastrointestinal Environments.

Probiotics, such as Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, are essential to the food industry for their health benefits to the host. The Lcb. rhamnosus strain is susceptible to processing, gastrointestinal, and storage conditions. In this study, Lcb. rhamnosus strains were encapsulated by complex coacervation in a gum arabic/chitosan or gum arabic/trehalose/chitosan and cross-linked with sodium tripolyphosphate. The physicochemical properties (zeta potential, water activity, water content, and hygroscopicity), encapsulation efficiency, and probiotic survival under storage conditions and simulated gastrointestinal fluids were evaluated. The results showed that crosslinking improves the encapsulation efficiency after drying; however, this result was remarkable when trehalose was used as a cryoprotectant. Furthermore, the encapsulation matrix preserved the viability of probiotics during 12 weeks with probiotic counts between 8.7-9.5, 7.5-9.0, and 5.2-7.4 log10 CFU g-1 at -20, 4, and 20 °C, respectively. After 12 days of digestion in an ex vivo simulator, acetic, butyric, propionic, and lactic acid production changed significantly, compared to free probiotic samples. This work shows that encapsulation by complex coacervation can promote the stability of probiotic bacteria in storage conditions and improve the viability of Lcb. rhamnosus HN001 during consumption so that they can exert their beneficial action in the organism.