Enzymatic glycerolysis for the conversion of plant oils into animal fat mimetics.

Substituting animal-based fats with plant-based fats of similar stability and functionality has always posed a significant challenge for the food industry. Enzymatic glycerolysis products are systems formed by converting native triacylglycerols in liquid oils into monoacylglycerols and diacylglycerols, mainly studied in the last few years for their unique structural ability. This study aims to modify and scale up the glycerolysis process of different plant oils, e.g., shea olein, palm olein, tigernut, peanut, cottonseed, and rice bran oils, with the goal of producing animal fat mimetics. The reactions were conducted at 65 °C, with a plant oil:glycerol molar ratio of 1:1, and without the addition of water, using a lab-scale reactor to convert up to 2 kg of oil into solid fat. Product characteristics were comparable at both laboratory and pilot plant scales, supporting the commercial viability of the process. Oil systems containing higher levels of both saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as shea olein and palm olein, displayed higher solid fat content at elevated temperatures and broader melting profiles with significantly higher melting points. Comparison of the thermal softening behavior and mechanical properties of these systems with those of pork, beef, and lamb fat showed their high potential to replace adipose fat in the new generation of plant-based meat analogs.

Hornification: Lessons learned from the wood industry for attenuating this phenomenon in plant-based dietary fibers from food wastes.

A significant amount of waste is annually generated worldwide by the supply chain of the food industry. Considering the population growth, the environmental concerns, and the economic opportunities, waste recovery is a promising solution to produce valuable and innovative ingredients for food and nonfood industries. Indeed, plant-based wastes are rich in dietary fibers (DF), which have relevant technical functionalities such as water/oil holding capacity, swelling capacity, viscosity, texture, and physiological properties such as antioxidant activity, cholesterol, and glucose adsorption capacities. Different drying technologies could be applied to extend the shelf life of fresh DF. However, inappropriate drying technologies or process conditions could adversely affect the functionalities of DF via the hornification phenomenon. Hornification is related to the formation of irreversible hydrogen bindings, van der Waals interactions, and covalent lactone bridges between cellulose fibrils during drying. This review aims to capitalize on the knowledge developed in the wood industry to tackle the hornification phenomenon occurring in the food industry. The mechanisms and the parameters affecting hornification as well as the mitigation strategies used in the wood industry that could be successfully applied to foods are summarized. The application of conventional drying technologies such as air or spray-drying increased the occurrence of hornification. In contrast, solvent exchange, supercritical drying, freeze-drying, and spray-freeze-drying approaches were considered effective strategies to limit the consequences of this phenomenon. In addition, incorporating capping agents before drying attenuated the hornification. The knowledge summarized in this review can be used as a basis for process design in the valorization of plant-based wastes and the production of functional DF that present relevant features for the food and packaging industries.

The applications of conventional and innovative mechanical technologies to tailor structural and functional features of dietary fibers from plant wastes: A review.

Plant food wastes generated through the food chain have attracted increasing attention over the last few years not only due to critical environmental and economic issues but also as an available source of valuable components such as dietary fibers. However, the exploitation of plant waste remains limited due to the lack of appropriate processing technologies to recover and tailor fiber functionalities. Among the different technologies developed for waste valorization, mechanical techniques were suggested to be a promising and sustainable strategy to extract fibers with improved functionalities. In this context, the present review describes different mechanical technologies (conventional and innovative) with potential applications to produce micro/nanofibers from various plant residues, highlighting the operating principle as well as the main advantages and pitfalls. The impact on the structural, technological, and functional properties of fibrous materials is comprehensively discussed. The extent of fiber modification not only highly depended on the technology and operation conditions used but also on fiber composition and the application of posttreatments such as dehydration. Other variables, including economic and environmental issues such as equipment cost, energy demand, and eco-friendly features, are also reviewed. The outputs of this review can be used by both the industrial sector and academia to select a suitable combination of fiber and processing technology for designing novel foods with improved functionalities that fulfill market trends and consumer needs.

Natural plant fibers obtained from agricultural residue used as an ingredient in food matrixes or packaging materials: A review.

Every year, agrifood activities generate a large amount of plant byproducts, which have a low economical value. However, the valorization of these byproducts can contribute to increasing the intake of dietary fibers and reducing the environmental pollution. This review presents an overview of a wide variety of agricultural wastes applied in the formulation of different food products and sustainable packaging. In general, the incorporation of fibers into bakery, meat, and dairy products was successful, especially at a level of 10% or less. Fibers from a variety of crops improved the consistency, texture, and stability of sauce formulations without affecting sensory quality. In addition, fiber fortification (0.01-6.4%) presented considerable advantages in terms of rheology, texture, melting behavior, and fat replacement of ice cream, but in some cases had a negative impact on color and mouthfeel. In the case of beverages, promising effects on texture, viscosity, stability, and appetite control were obtained by the addition of soluble dietary fibers from grains and fruits with small particle size. Biocomposites used in packaging benefited from reinforcing effects of various plant fiber sources, but the extent of modification depended on the matrix type, fiber pretreatment, and concentration. The information synthesized in this contribution can be used as a tool to screen and select the most promising fiber source, fiber concentration, and pretreatment for specific food applications and sustainable packaging.

Wax-based delivery systems: Preparation, characterization, and food applications.

The development of lipid-based delivery systems has attracted much attention over the last years and a wide variety of strategies and formulations are currently available to encapsulate, protect, and target delivery of bioactive and functional lipophilic constituents within the food and pharmaceutical industries. Waxes are crystalline lipid material, consisting of a complex mixture of long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and ketones and show great promises as constituents of carrier systems. Most of waxes are classified under food-grade category and show high availability at a low cost. This review article has provided a comprehensive summary of research on major carriers containing wax as one of the main constituents, including solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, oleogels, and Pickering emulsions, with a focus on their food applications. The physical and chemical nature of natural waxes are described in the first while the second part deals with the structure, formulation, main methods of preparation, characterization, and finally utilization of each type of wax-based delivery system for specific food applications.

ß-Sitosterol Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carrier: Physical and Oxidative Stability, In Vitro Simulated Digestion and Hypocholesterolemic Activity.

The objective of the present study was to explore the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for improving the oral delivery of ß-sitosterol, a poorly water-soluble bioactive component with hypocholesterolemic activity. Two ß-sitosterol formulations with different solid lipid compositions were prepared by melt emulsification, followed by the sonication technique, and the effect of storage conditions and simulated digestion on the physical, chemical and oxidative stability, bioaccessibility and release were extensively studied. Both NLC preparations remained relatively stable during the four weeks of storage at different conditions (4, 25 and 40 °C), with more superior stability at lower temperatures. The in vitro digestion experiment indicated a high physical stability after exposure to the simulated mouth and stomach stages and an improved overall ß-sitosterol bioaccessibility at the end of the digestion. The NLCs presented an increased solubility and gradual release which could be justified by the remarkable affinity of ß-sitosterol to the complex lipid mixture. An in vivo study demonstrated an improved reduction in the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol plasma levels in mice compared with the drug suspension. These investigations evidenced the potential of the developed NLC formulations for the enhancement of solubility and in vivo performance of ß-sitosterol.

Propolis wax nanostructured lipid carrier for delivery of ß sitosterol: Effect of formulation variables on physicochemical properties.

Preparation and characterization of novel functional nanostructured lipid carriers containing ß sitosterol has been studied. The nanostructured lipid carrires (NLCs) were formulated with propolis wax (PW) alone or in mixture (1:1 w/w) with glyceryl behenate (GB), and pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and produced by a hot melt emulsification method. Response surface methodology was used to optimize formulations with respect to ß sitosterol concentration, liquid lipid content and solid lipid composition. The NLCs formulated with less oil and higher drug content showed higher size and lower encapsulation efficiency. Solid state analysis exhibited lower crystallinity of optimal formulations compared to raw lipids and a drug amorphization into the NLC matrix. The compatibility between drug and encapsulating materials was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy showed spherical particles ranged around 100 nm confirming the applicability of such formulations for the production of functional foods.

Formulation and characterization of novel nanostructured lipid carriers made from beeswax, propolis wax and pomegranate seed oil.

The objective of this study was to develop functional nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) using beeswax (BW), propolis wax (PW) and pomegranate seed oil (PSO). NLCs were prepared by a melt emulsification-ultra sonication technique. The influences of solid lipid composition, surfactant blend concentration (2, 4, and 6% of formulation) and PSO content (10, 30 and 50% of total lipid phase) were investigated. Statistical evaluations revealed that the formulation variables had significant effects on physical properties of NLC. The developed nanocarriers presented particle sizes ranging from 71 to 366 nm, leading to excellent physical stability. The optimum formulations with minimum particle size and high zeta potential value were PW and BW + glycerol behenate samples, containing 10% oil and 6% surfactant. DSC and XRD studies indicated that the addition of oil to the lipid phase could disturb the crystalline order and form lattice defects. TEM observations exhibited spherical morphology of the NLCs.