Functional and sensory properties of phenolic compounds from unripe grapes in vegetable food prototypes.

Unripe grapes (UGs) from thinning are an unexploited source of phenols useful as functional ingredient. However, phenols may negative affect sensory quality of food. Chemical and sensory properties of UG phenols in plant-based foods were not investigated before. With this aim, an extract from UGs, obtained by a green extraction technique, was used to fortify three plant-based food models: carbohydrates/acidic pH/sweet - beetroot purée, proteins/neutral pH/sweet - pea purée and starch/neutral pH - potato purée. Functional and sensory properties of phenol-enriched foods varied as a function of their composition and original taste. The amount of UG phenols recovered from potato purée was higher than that recovered from beetroot and pea purée, while the antioxidant activity detected in beetroot purée was higher than that in potato and pea purée. Significant variations of sourness, saltiness, bitterness and astringency were induced by UG phenols added to food models. Beetroot purée resulted more appropriate to counteract the negative sensations induced by UG phenols.

Effect of Vitamin D2 Fortification Using Pleurotus ostreatus in a Whole-Grain Cereal Product on Child Acceptability.

Vitamin D2 deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient insufficiencies among children. Few foods, mainly those derived from animal sources, naturally contain this vitamin. The basidiomycete mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus could be used as an innovative and sustainable ingredient for food fortification with vitamin D2. This study was aimed at exploring children's acceptance of a whole-cereal-based product (breadsticks) combined with increasing concentrations of P. ostreatus powder rich in vitamin D2. The food neophobia trait (fear of trying unfamiliar and new food) on sample acceptability was also investigated. One hundred and three children (47 girls and 56 boys, aged 9-11 years) were recruited, and breadstick-liking was studied in relation to gender and neophobic traits. Results showed that the samples enriched in vitamin D2 were well accepted by children even if liking decreased with increasing concentration of mushroom powder. Generally, neophilic subjects gave higher liking scores compared with the neophobic ones, especially for the modified samples. New, well-accepted fortified products could be developed using an adequate concentration of mushroom powder to deal with the increasing vitamin D2 deficiency among children.

Exploring Drivers of Liking of Low-Phenylalanine Products in Subjects with Phenyilketonuria Using Check-All-That-Apply Method.

The aim of the present study was to apply the Check-all-that-apply (CATA) method in an ambulatory context involving subjects with phenylketonuria (PKU) to obtain a sensory description and to find the drivers of liking of low-phenylalanine products (Glycomacropeptide vs. L-amino acids formulas). 86 subjects with PKU (age range: 8⁻55 years) evaluated 8 samples: 4 L-amino acid formulas and 4 Glycomacropeptide (GMP) formulas, flavored with neutral, chocolate, strawberry and tomato aromas. Participants were asked to indicate which sensory attributes characterized each formulations and to score the overall liking. Significant differences were found regarding liking scores (F = 65.29; p < 0.001). GMP samples flavored with chocolate and strawberry, described as sweets, with a mild and natural taste and odor, were the most appreciated. Overall, GMP formulas obtained higher liking scores compared to L-amino acid formulas. Tomato flavored samples, described as bitter, salty, with artificial color, with strong taste and odor, obtained the lowest scores. In conclusion, CATA questionnaire seems to be a suitable method also in ambulatory context since this approach suggested that different foods and beverages with GMP could be developed to improve dietary treatment compliance of subjects with PKU from school age onwards.

Circular reuse of bio-resources: the role of Pleurotus spp. in the development of functional foods.

The basidiomycetes fungi belonging to the genus Pleurotus could make an important contribution to sustainable functional food design because they possess an elevated protein content with a valuable essential amino acid scoring pattern, a unique dietary fibre profile, mainly comprised of branched ß-glucan, high levels of some vitamins of the B group, vitamin D, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se and some bioactive mycochemicals, while the Na and fat contents are low. Moreover, Pleurotus spp. can grow efficiently on various clean by-products of food processing, such as wheat straw, wheat stalk and spent beer grain, thus representing a sustainable food source. This review illustrates the compositional variability of Pleurotus spp. grown on various by-products, in order to clarify its potential ability to address the needs of populations with endemic nutritional deficiencies as well as those populations at risk or affected by some chronic diseases. The perspectives for Pleurotus applications in functional foods decisively depend on consumers' acceptability. Hence, the sensory properties of Pleurotus spp. are also clarified herein. Lastly, the three main strategies of functional food development using Pleurotus spp. are summarized, namely its use as a fortifying agent, high-cost protein replacer and prebiotic ingredient.