Effects of cluster dextrin encapsulation on the properties and antioxidant stability of fractionated Riceberry protein hydrolysate powder prepared by bromelain.

In this work, the biological properties of fractionated Riceberry bran protein hydrolysate obtained by ultrafiltration (URBPH) were evaluated and the possibility of using cluster dextrin to produce hydrolysate powder by spray-drying was investigated. Fractionation into peptides < 3 kDa was observed to improve antioxidant activity. URBPH < 3 kDa was then freeze-dried (FD-URBPH) and spray-dried (SD-URBPH) at different inlet air temperatures of 100-160 °C. The water solubility and antioxidant activity of FD-URBPH were higher than those of SD-URBPH. Nevertheless, encapsulation of hydrolysate with 10% cluster dextrin and an inlet temperature of 120 °C was also successful in maintaining protein qualities, which showed high 2,2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic (ABTS•+) scavenging activity (89.14%) and water solubility index (92.49%) and low water activity (aw = 0.53). Moreover, encapsulation preserved the antioxidant activity of peptides during gastrointestinal digestion better than the free form. URBPH and its spray-dried microcapsules could be used as bioactive ingredients in functional drinks or foods.

Pre-harvest supplemental LED treatments led to improved postharvest quality of sweet basil leaves.

This study determined the effects of supplemental light-emitting diode (LED) treatments on the nutrient quality and volatile compounds of sweet basil leaves during stimulated shelf-life. Basil plants were grown in a greenhouse under different supplemental LEDs (white, blue, red, or red + blue each at 100 µmol m-2 s-1), while plants grown under sunlight served as the control. The findings revealed that plant height and canopy of basil showed a significant increase under red LED irradiation, while the leaf area was improved by the blue LED exposure. Moreover, blue LEDs enhanced the levels of phenolic compounds, total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, and PAL (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase) activity in harvested sweet basil leaves. Additionally, red + blue LEDs lighting stimulated the production of volatile compounds. During storage, the samples treated with blue LEDs maintained a higher quality compared to the control samples. In conclusion, the application of blue or red + blue LEDs prior to harvest can be beneficial for promoting and preserving the nutritional quality of sweet basil.

Comparative physicochemical characteristics and in vitro protein digestibility of alginate/calcium salt restructured pork steak hydrolyzed with bromelain and addition of various hydrocolloids (low acyl gellan, low methoxy pectin and κ-carrageenan).

Physicochemical and in vitro protein digestibility of alginate/calcium (AC) restructured pork steak hydrolyzed with bromelain with addition of LA gellan, LM pectin and κ-carrageenan at various concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2% w/w) was evaluated for masticatory dysfunction people. The AC samples with κ-carrageenan showed the lowest cooking losses and highest water holding capacity (WHC). Moreover, addition of κ-carrageenan showed the highest Kramer shear force (KSF) and higher hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness, and gumminess, but the adhesiveness value was lower than those of the other treatments. According to SEM, the gel network of AC samples with κ-carrageenan was more clearly than those with the other treatments. FTIR demonstrated that the addition of polysaccharides to AC sample enhanced the hydrogen bonds in the gel system. For in vitro protein digestibility results, addition of 0.5% (w/w) LA gellan and κ-carrageenan samples showed the highest pepsin (73-74%) and trypsin (79-80%) digestibility.

Influence of hot air drying on capsaicinoids, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activities of 'Super Hot' chilies.

Hot air drying is an alternative technique to either maintain or increase bioactive compounds in agricultural products because temperatures can be controlled. The effects of different hot air oven drying temperatures and times on the physicochemical changes, bioactive compounds (capsaicinoids, phenolic and flavonoid profiles and contents) and antioxidant activities in dried 'Super Hot' chili fruits were evaluated. The chilies were dried in a hot air oven at low (60-100 °C) or high (120-160 °C) temperatures for 30, 60, 120 min and at 12-13% moisture content (MC). The main compounds presented in chili fruits were capsaicinoids, limonene, pinene, tocopherol and oleic acid, regardless of drying temperature and time. Although the total flavonoid contents decreased during the drying process, the total phenolic contents increased (38-51%), and capsaicinoids, the primary pungent compounds, increased six-times at 120-160 °C compared to the fresh chilies. The phenolic profiles showed that chlorogenic acid was the most stable and abundant amongst the nine quantified phenolic compounds. In the flavonoid profile, both rutin and quercetin can be detected at a high temperature of 160 °C, with a decreasing trend. The main pungent compounds, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, were found to increase compared to the fresh chilies, especially at 12-13% wet basis (w.b.). Although the antioxidant activities (ABTS• + and DPPH•) of dried chilies at all temperatures decreased with increasing drying time, these activities were still detected. Therefore, drying chilies at 160 °C (120 min) can not only maintain the capsaicinoids, phenolics and flavonoids that can be utilized by the pharmaceutical and food industry, but can also reduce the production time.

Physicochemical characteristics and textural parameters of restructured pork steaks hydrolysed with bromelain.

Enzymatic tenderisation including bromelain enhances underused cuts of meat in emerged restructuring technology. Physicochemical and textural characteristics of restructured pork steak hydrolysed with bromelain for masticatory dysfunction people were evaluated. Restructured pork steak treated with bromelain at 0.05 and 0.1% (w/w) was hydrolysed at 50 °C for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 min. The cooking losses of 0.05% (w/w) bromelain for 0, 3 and 6 min were lower than 0.1% (w/w) bromelain samples. The ΔE increased after increasing the enzyme concentration and hydrolysis time. Bromelain-treated samples at higher concentrations showed lower WBSF, KSF and TPA parameters, but cohesiveness of 0.05% (w/w) had higher than 0.1% (w/w) bromelain samples. Total protein, sarcoplasmic protein solubility, TCA-soluble peptide, total collagen and soluble collagen contents were the highest in 0.1% (w/w) bromelain-treated samples for 12 min (P < 0.05). According to SDS-PAGE and SEM, various proteins in the enzyme-treated samples were degraded.

Plant growth and metabolic changes in 'Super Hot' chili fruit (Capsicum annuum) exposed to supplemental LED lights.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors improve plant growth and increase levels of secondary metabolites. This study aimed to determine the effect of red, blue, and red + blue LEDs (1:1) on the secondary metabolites composition in chili, focusing on capsaicinoids, at the top and middle of the plant canopy in 'Super Hot' chili. The accumulated yield of the chili fruit was the highest for control, followed by blue, red and red + blue LEDs, with the top canopy giving twice more yield than the middle canopy. UPLC-MS/MS analysis of chili fruit's methanolic extracts was used to determine capsaicinoids levels. Blue LEDs significantly increased nordihydrocapsaicin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin and homodihydrocapsaicin contents by 57 %, 43 %, 56 %, 28 %, and 54 %, respectively, compared to the control. Also, 24 tentatively annotated metabolites, including phenylalanine, cinnamate, and valine, which are involved in the biosynthesis of capsaicinoids, were semi-quantitatively evaluated to determine the impact of LED exposure on the biosynthetic pathway of capsaicinoids. Supplemental blue LED placed at the top and between the canopy may boost the levels of capsaicinoids in chili fruit grown in greenhouses.

Impact of electron beam irradiation on the chlorophyll degradation and antioxidant capacity of mango fruit.

At the present, the mechanism of chlorophyll degradation in response to ionizing irradiation in harvested fruits have not been examined. To understand the effect of electron beam (E-beam) irradiation on the chlorophyll degrading pathway in relation to chlorophyll degrading enzymes activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant capacities of harvested mangoes stored at 13 °C for 16 days were studied. E-beam-treated fruit significantly suppressed the activities of chlorophyll degrading enzymes especially pheophytinase (PPH) and chlorophyll degrading peroxidase (Chl-POX) in the late stage of storage. This resulted in the chlorophyll content being maintained. However, E-beam irradiation did not affect the activities of chlorophyllase (Chlase) and magnesium de-chelatase (MD). The respiration rate, ethylene production, ROS accumulation (hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] and superoxide radical [O-. 2]) immediately increased after E-beam treatment, following which they significantly decreased in comparison to the control. E-beam treatment enhanced the fruit's antioxidant capacity by activating the activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione (GSH) content, and inactivated the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Further, it did not affect the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), vitamin C content, or total phenolic content. These results imply that E-beam treatment has the potential to delay chlorophyll degradation by suppressing the Chl-POX and PPH activities as well as reduce ROS production via CAT, APX, and SOD activities and GSH content.

Effect of harvest seasonal and gamma irradiation on the physicochemical changes in pineapple fruit cv. Pattavia during stimulated sea shipment.

Gamma irradiation is used as a phytosanitary treatment for tropical fresh fruit from some producing countries. An experiment was carried out to study the effect of gamma irradiation and season of harvest on the quality 'Pattavia' pineapple fruit. Fruit harvested in the summer and the rainy cool (winter) seasons were exposed to gamma radiation at dose levels of 0 and 400-600 Gy from a 60 Cobalt source and the fruit stored at 13°C and 90% RH for up to 21 days. Gamma irradiation did not affect the ratio of TSS/TA, antioxidant content, or ascorbic acid concentration. However, gamma irradiation did delay color development and also induced internal browning over 50% of flesh discolored in fruit stored for 14 days, especially harvested winter fruit. Moreover, harvesting fruit in different seasons had a significant effect on fruit quality after harvest and during stimulated sea shipment storage. The result showed that gamma irradiation can be used as a phytosanitary treatment with minor changes in eating quality. However, the internal browning was greater if fruit were stored longer than 1 week at 13°C.