Supercritical carbon dioxide technology in food processing: Insightful comprehension of the mechanisms of microbial inactivation and impacts on quality and safety aspects.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) has emerged as a nonthermal technology to guarantee food safety. This review addresses the potential of SC-CO2 technology in food preservation, discussing the microbial inactivation mechanisms and the impact on food products' quality parameters and bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the main advantages and gaps are denoted. SC-CO2 technology application causes adequate microbial reductions (>5 log cfu/mL) of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, enzyme inactivation, and improvements in the storage stability in fruit and vegetable products (mainly fruit juices), meat products, and dairy derivatives. SC-CO2-treated products maintain the physicochemical, technological, and sensory properties, bioactive compound concentrations, and biological activity (antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitory activities) similar to the untreated products. The optimization of processing parameters (temperature, pressure, CO2 volume, and processing times) is mandatory for achieving the desired results. Further studies should consider the expansion to different food matrices, shelf-life evaluation, bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds, and in vitro and in vivo studies to prove the benefits of using SC-CO2 technology. Moreover, the impact on sensory characteristics and, mainly, the consumer perception of SC-CO2-treated foods need to be elucidated. We highlight the opportunity for studies in postbiotic production. In conclusion, SC-CO2 technology may be used for microbial inactivation to ensure food safety without losing the quality parameters.

Edible coatings and films with incorporation of prebiotics -A review.

Prebiotics are compounds naturally present in some foods or can be synthesized by microorganisms and enzymes. Among the benefits associated with prebiotic consumption are the modulation of the intestinal microbiota that increase the production of short chain fatty acids and prevent the development of some disorders such as colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, obesity, among others. Traditionally, prebiotics have been used in diverse food formulations to enhance their healthy potential or to improve their technological and sensory properties. However, different alternatives for the production of prebiotic products are being explored, such as edible coatings and films. Therefore, this review aims to highlight recent research on edible coatings and films incorporated with different prebiotics, the concept of prebiotics, the general characteristics of these materials, and the main production methods, as well as presenting the perspectives of uses in the food industry. Current works describe that polyols and oligosaccharides are the most employed prebiotics, and depending on their structure and concentration, they can also act as film plasticizer or reinforcement agent. The use of prebiotic in the coating can also improve probiotic bacteria survival making it possible to obtain fruits and vegetables with synbiotic properties. The most common method of production is casting, suggesting that other technologies such as extrusion can be explored aiming industrial scale. The use of film and coating carried of prebiotic is an emerging technology and there are still several possibilities for study to enable its use in the food industry. This review will be useful to detect the current situation, identify problems, verify new features, future trends and support new investigations and investments.

Evaluation of a functional soy product with addition of soy fiber and fermented with probiotic kefir culture

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical, sensory properties and stability of a functional soy product with soy fiber and fermented with probiotic kefir culture. The product was characterized by the chemical composition, color and sensory analysis. The stability of the product was evaluated by pH, acidity, viscosity, firmness, syneresis measurements and cells counts. The functional soy product presented better chemical composition and difference in color compared to the fermented product without fiber. Sensory analysis showed that the functional soy product had good acceptance and had better firmness and reduced syneresis compared to fermented product without fiber. The lactic acid bacteria counts decreased slightly during 28 days at 4°C of the storage and the product showed good microbiological stability. The functional soy product due to high Lactococcus lactis counts could be considered as a probiotic for the entire storage period.

Optimization of a fermented soy product formulation with a kefir culture and fiber using a simplex-centroid mixture design.

The objective of this work was to optimize a fermented soy product formulation with kefir and soy, oat and wheat fibers and to evaluate the fiber and product characteristics. A simplex-centroid mixture design was used for the optimization. Soymilk, soy, oat and wheat fiber mixtures, sucrose and anti-foaming agent were used for the formulation, followed by thermal treatment, cooling and the addition of flavoring. Fermentation was performed at 25 °C with a kefir culture until a pH of 4.5 was obtained. The products were cooled, homogenized and stored for analysis. From the mathematical models and variables response surface and desirability an optimal fermented product was formulated containing 3% (w/w) soy fiber. Compared with the other formulations, soy fermented product with 3% soy fiber had the best acidity, viscosity, syneresis, firmness and Lactococcus lactis count.

Avaliação da qualidade química e microbiológica de salsichas tipo Viena / Evaluation of the chemical and microbiological qualities of Vienna sausages

A salsicha tipo Viena é um alimento muito consumido pela população brasileira, com grande volume de comercialização. No entanto, este produto apresenta um elevado risco de contaminação, principalmente em função de sua excessiva manipulação. Este estudo avaliou a qualidade de salsichas tipo Viena por meio de análises microbiológicas e físico-químicas. As amostras demonstraram qualidade sanitária adequada e teores de amido, nitrito e nitrato inferiores ao especificado pela legislação.

Parâmetros microbiológicos de salames comercializados no município de Medianeira, PR / Microbiological parameters of salami commercialized in the city of Medianeira, PR

Registros epidemiológicos relacionam problemas de saúde pública à comercialização de produtos coloniais. Produtos como salame são bastante apreciados pela população, entretanto, condições inadequadas durante a obtenção da matéria-prima e processamento podem comprometer a qualidade do produto final. Considerando a hipótese de contaminação nestes produtos, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a carga microbiana de doze amostras coletadas em um município da região oeste do Paraná. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que 50% das amostras apresentaram contaminação superior ao tolerado pela RDC 12/2001, evidenciando condições insatisfatórias para consumo.