Biological stabilization of natural pigment-phytochemical from poppy-pollen (Papaver bracteatum) extract: Functional food formulation.

In this study, poppy-pollen extract (as a novel source of pigment and natural phytochemical) was microencapsulated. The spray-drying process maintained the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of phenolic (84-93%), anthocyanins (71-83%), and also antioxidant activity of extract in inhibiting DPPH (68-80%), ABTS (74-95%), OH (63-74%) radicals and reducing power (84-95%). The results of the Photo- and thermal (40-70˚C) stability of the bioactive compounds (TPC and TAC) indicated the thermal degradation and decomposition of particles' surface compounds during storage. The chemical (FTIR) and morphological analyses respectively revealed the insertion of extract compounds in the carrier matrix and the production of healthy particles with wrinkled structures. An increase in the carrier concentration elevated physical-stability, maintained structural properties, reduced hygroscopicity, and formed liquid/solid bridges or deliquescence phenomenon. The evaluation of the color histogram of the fortified gummy-candies indicated the usability of the spray-dried PP extract in producing an attractive red color with high sensory perception.

Microencapsulation of Yerba mate extract: The efficacy of polysaccharide/protein hydrocolloids on physical, microstructural, functional, and antioxidant properties.

Effects of hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate (WPC) and its combination with polysaccharides as wall material in spray-drying microencapsulation of Yerba mate extract (YME) have not been investigated yet. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the surface-active properties of WPC or WPC-hydrolysate may improve different properties of spray-dried microcapsules (such as physicochemical, structural, functional and morphological properties) compared to neat MD and GA. Thus, the objective of current study was to produce microcapsules loaded with YME by different carrier combinations. Effect of maltodextrin (MD), maltodextrin-gum Arabic (MD-GA), maltodextrin-whey protein concentrate (MD-WPC), and maltodextrin-hydrolyzed WPC (MD-HWPC) as encapsulating hydrocolloids was studied on physicochemical, functional, structural, antioxidant and morphological characteristics of the spray-dried YME. The type of carrier significantly affected spray dying yield. Enzymatic hydrolysis by improving the surface activity of WPC increased its efficiency as a carrier and produced particles with high production yield (about 68 %) and excellent physical, functional, hygroscopicity and flowability indices. Chemical structure characterization by FTIR indicated the placement of phenolic compounds of the extract in the carrier matrix. FE-SEM study showed that the microcapsules produced with polysaccharide-based carriers were completely wrinkled, whereas, the surface morphology of particles was improved when protein-based carriers were applied. Among the produced samples, the highest amount of TPC (3.26 mg GAE/mL), inhibition of DPPH (76.4 %), ABTS (88.1 %) and hydroxyl (78.1 %) free radicals were related to microencapsulated extract with MD-HWPC. The results of this research can be used to stabilize plant extracts and produce powders with appropriate physicochemical properties and biological activity.

Application of waste chalk/CoFe2O4/K2CO3 composite as a reclaimable catalyst for biodiesel generation from sunflower oil.

This investigation aimed to produce a new composited catalyst from a waste chalk powder, a waste generated by the construction industry, to produce biodiesel from sunflower oil. The waste chalk was modified by CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and K2CO3. The surface tests showed that the obtained catalyst has been successfully synthesized with desired surface properties. The surface areas of waste chalk, waste chalk/CoFe2O4, and waste chalk/CoFe2O4/K2CO3 were determined 20.8, 77.8, and 5.8 m2/g, respectively. This indicates that the waste chalk/CoFe2O4/K2CO3 catalyst has a lower surface area due to K2CO3 being placed on the catalyst. Results showed the efficiency of RSM-CCD (R2 = 0.992) compared to ANN (R2 = 0.974). It was shown that a contact time of 180 min, a temperature of 65 °C, a waste chalk/CoFe2O4/K2CO3 mass of 2 wt%, and methanol to oil mole ratio of 15:1 gave the highest efficiency (98.87%) of biodiesel production at the laboratory conditions. The kinetic results of the process showed the energy of activation and frequency factor of 11.8 kJ/mol and 0.78 min-1, respectively. Also, the values of ΔH°, ΔS°, and ΔG° at 65 °C was calculated to be 9010.7 J/mol, -256.3 J/mol and 95.7 kJ/mol, respectively, indicating that the biodiesel production process is endothermic requiring high energy for proceeding. The generated catalyst has an efficiency of over 90% up to 6 steps of reuse. The generated biodiesel was met most of the international standard levels.

Physicochemical, Thermal and Rheological Properties of Pectin Extracted from Sugar Beet Pulp Using Subcritical Water Extraction Process.

The objective of this study was to characterize the properties of pectin extracted from sugar beet pulp using subcritical water (SWE) as compared to conventional extraction (CE). The research involved advanced modeling using response surface methodology and optimization of operational parameters. The optimal conditions for maximum yield of pectin for SWE and CE methods were determined by the central composite design. The optimum conditions of CE were the temperature of 90 °C, time of 240 min, pH of 1, and pectin recovery yield of 20.8%. The optimal SWE conditions were liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio of 30% (v/w) at temperature of 130 °C for 20 min, which resulted in a comparable yield of 20.7%. The effect of obtained pectins on viscoamylograph pasting and DSC thermal parameters of corn starch was evaluated. The contents of galacturonic acid, degree of methylation, acetylation, and ferulic acid content were higher in the pectin extracted by SWE, while the molecular weight was lower. Similar chemical groups were characterized by FTIR in both SWE and CE pectins. Color attributes of both pectins were similar. Solutions of pectins at lower concentrations displayed nearly Newtonian behavior. The addition of both pectins to corn starch decreased pasting and DSC gelatinization parameters, but increased ΔH. The results offered a promising scalable approach to convert the beet waste to pectin as a value-added product using SWE with improved pectin properties.

A Review on Health-Promoting, Biological, and Functional Aspects of Bioactive Peptides in Food Applications.

Food-derived bioactive peptides are being used as important functional ingredients for health-promoting foods and nutraceuticals in recent times in order to prevent and manage several diseases thanks to their biological activities. Bioactive peptides are specific protein fractions, which show broad applications in cosmetics, food additives, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antithrombotic, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory ingredients. These peptides can preserve consumer health by retarding chronic diseases owing to modulation or improvement of the physiological functions of human body. They can also affect functional characteristics of different foods such as dairy products, fermented beverages, and plant and marine proteins. This manuscript reviews different aspects of bioactive peptides concerning their biological (antihypertensive, antioxidative, antiobesity, and hypocholesterolemic) and functional (water holding capacity, solubility, emulsifying, and foaming) properties. Moreover, the properties of several bioactive peptides extracted from different foods as potential ingredients to formulate health promoting foods are described. Thus, multifunctional properties of bioactive peptides provide the possibility to formulate or develop novel healthy food products.

Effects of osmotic dehydration (with and without sonication) and pectin-based coating pretreatments on functional properties and color of hot-air dried apricot cubes.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of osmotic dehydration (with and without sonication) and the use of different types of edible coating on functional and color parameters of dried apricot. Osmotic pretreatment was carried out in sorbitol solution of 35 °Brix at 55 °C for 30 and 45 min. Two levels of ultrasound frequency (25 and 35 kHz) were tested. Samples were coated using pectin + citric acid (CA), pectin + ascorbic acid (AA) and pectin alone after osmotic treatment and were dried at 60 °C. The results revealed that ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration (UOD) led to the loss of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and vitamin C compared to osmotic dehydration (OD). TPC and ß-carotene contents decreased with the increase in sonication frequency from 25 to 35 kHz. However, UOD pretreated samples showed higher antioxidant capacity and ß-carotene content than OD apricots. OD improved color of hot-air dried apricot compared to UOD pretreatment. The use of pectin + AA coating increased TPC and vitamin C retention and total antioxidant activity of OD or UOD pretreated samples compared to pectin or pectin + CA coatings. UOD and pectin + AA coated samples showed lower L* and b*, and higher a* values, whereas coating with CA improved color of dried apricot cubes. Coatings containing CA or AA promoted ß-carotene retention in dried apricot pretreated by OD and UOD.

Effect of infrared-assisted spouted bed drying of flaxseed on the quality characteristics of its oil extracted by different methods.

BACKGROUND: Infrared (IR)-assisted spouted bed drying (SBD) has emerged as a potential alternative to the traditional hot air drying for heat sensitive components. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of IR-assisted SBD and application of cold press (CP), solvent extraction (SE) and ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) on the quality of flaxseed oil. SBD and IR-assisted SBD were performed at air temperatures of 40, 60, 80 °C and their effects on the drying rate, fatty acids composition and oil peroxide and acid values were evaluated. Quality of oil extracted from the dried flaxseeds by CP, SE and UAE methods was then evaluated. RESULTS: Increasing air temperature in the presence of IR increased the drying rate. The peroxide values (PVs) of IR-SBD samples were higher than those of SBD at the same temperature. IR treatment did not notably change the composition of fatty acids in flaxseed oil, except in linoleic acid content. UAE gave higher extraction yield than CP and SE methods. UAE yielded an oil with higher percentage of saturated fatty acids, whereas the percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids was higher in the CP method. The oil extracted by CP exhibited lower levels of PV (0.516 meq O2 /kg oil) and acid value (1.36%), as compared to oils extracted by SE and UAE methods. CONCLUSION: Both UAE and conventional methods did not significantly influence the composition of fatty acids in the extracted oils. Nonetheless, the CP method yielded an oil with a high percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.