The Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Sambucus nigra L. and Sambucus nigra Haschberg during Growth Phases: From Buds to Ripening.

Elderberry growth phases represent an irreversible process involving a series of biochemical changes that have an extremely important impact on nutritional characteristics. The aim was to assess the impact of genotype and maturity stage on phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and mineral profile in Sambucus plants harvested during different growth phases, from green elder flower buds to purple-black elderberries, including pollen, peduncles and seeds. Growth phases proved to have a greater influence compared to varieties. The green buds and flowers of both varieties had a high concentration of quercetin 3-rutinoside, also termed the key compound of the study. It was found that antioxidant activity varied in the following order: blooming elder flower pollen > white elder flower buds > blooming elder flowers. Based on these findings, several novel food ingredients and supplements could be obtained in order to develop innovative health-promoting products.

Metabolomics as a Tool to Elucidate the Sensory, Nutritional and Safety Quality of Wheat Bread-A Review.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most extensively cultivated and used staple crops in human nutrition, while wheat bread is annually consumed in more than nine billion kilograms over the world. Consumers' purchase decisions on wheat bread are largely influenced by its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. In the last decades, metabolomics is considered an effective tool for elucidating the information on metabolites; however, the deep investigations on metabolites still remain a difficult and longtime action. This review gives emphasis on the achievements in wheat bread metabolomics by highlighting targeted and untargeted analyses used in this field. The metabolomics approaches are discussed in terms of quality, processing and safety of wheat and bread, while the molecular mechanisms involved in the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of wheat bread are pointed out. These aspects are of crucial importance in the context of new consumers' demands on healthy bakery products rich in bioactive compounds but, equally, with good sensorial acceptance. Moreover, metabolomics is a potential tool for assessing the changes in nutrient composition from breeding to processing, while monitoring and understanding the transformations of metabolites with bioactive properties, as well as the formation of compounds like toxins during wheat storage.

In situ analysis of lipid oxidation in oilseed-based food products using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics: The sunflower kernel paste (tahini) example.

A new near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic method was developed for the analytical measurement of lipid oxidation in sunflower kernel paste (tahini), which was chosen as an example of a complex oilseed-based food product. The NIR spectra of sunflower tahini were acquired for the extracted fat phase (EFP) and for the intact sunflower tahini (IST) samples during controlled storage. The best peroxide value (PV) calibration models were considered suitable for quality control (ratio of performance of deviation [RPD]>5). The best PV partial least squares (PLS) model result for EFP (RPD 6.36) was obtained when using standard normal variate (SNV) and the Savitzky-Golay first derivative in the 1140-1184nm, 1388-1440nm and 2026-2194nm regions. In the case of IST spectra, the best PV models (RPD 5.23) were obtained when either multiple scattering correction (MSC) or SNV were followed by the Savitzky-Golay second derivative for the 1148-1180nm and 2064-2132nm regions. There were poor correlations between the NIR-predicted values and the reference data of the p-anisidine value (pAV) for both EFP and IST. Overall, the results obtained showed that NIR spectroscopy is an appropriate analytical tool for monitoring sunflower paste PV in situ. Due to the nonexistence of the extraction step, it demonstrates a unique and substantial advantage over presently known methods. Based on these results it is strongly recommended that, when using NIR PLS models to assess lipid oxidation in situ in similar oilseed-based food products (e.g., sesame tahini, hazelnut and cocoa liquor used for chocolate production, peanut butter, hazelnut, almond, pistachio spreads), suitable calibration sets containing samples of different particle sizes and stored at different temperatures be selected.