Novel Gluten-Free Breakfast Cereals Produced by Extrusion Cooking from Rice and Teff: Effects on Microstructural, Physical and Nutritional Properties.

Current gluten-free products often have nutritional inadequacies. Teff is generating a growing interest for its excellent nutritional value. In this study, the effects of teff enrichment of extruded gluten-free breakfast cereals based on rice flour and two process parameters-feed moisture and temperature-were investigated based on their physical, microstructural and nutritional properties. The independent variables were modulated and examined by a Box-Behnken design. The incorporation of teff flour affected the sensory properties of extruded cereals, particularly lightness and crispness, with estimated linear effects of -6.91 and -8.49, respectively. The enrichment of breakfast cereals with teff flour also increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in both free and bound fractions, as well as the amount of insoluble dietary fibre. By varying all independent variables, the microstructural and physical properties of samples changed considerably. At the lowest feed moisture, wall thickness was small while showing the highest expansion. Samples with the highest teff flour addition exhibited an increased number of small pores which decreased crispness. These findings suggest that, by optimized extrusion cooking, the use of teff flour seems to be promising for the preparation of gluten-free breakfast cereals with superior nutritional properties and good structural characteristics.

Effects of Texture Modifiers on Physicochemical Properties of 3D-Printed Meat Mimics from Pea Protein Isolate-Alginate Gel Mixture.

Meat mimics were prepared from pea protein isolate-alginate gel via 3D printing. The texture of 3D-printed meat mimics was modified by incorporating transglutaminase (TGase) or κ-carrageenan (κc) at 0.3, 0.6 or 0.9% (w/w) into printing material prior to 3D printing. Rheological properties of modified printing material were measured; results were used to support 3D printing results. Textural properties of raw and cooked meat mimics were determined and compared with those of selected animal meats, namely, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, salmon meat and Spanish mackerel. Cooking losses of meat mimics were also determined. G', G″ and tan δ of TGase-modified material were not significantly different from those of the control. In contrast, increasing κc content resulted in increased G' and G″; tan δ of all κc-modified samples decreased from that of the control. Addition of TGase at 0.9% into printing material increased the hardness of raw meat mimics, while κc at 0.9% increased hardness of cooked meat mimics. Raw meat mimics treated with 0.9% TGase exhibited texture closest to raw salmon. Texture of cooked meat mimics treated with 0.9% κc was closest to that of cooked salmon. TGase-treated meat mimics tended to experience lower cooking losses, while κc-treated meat mimics exhibited an opposite trend.

Characterizing the Rheological and Bread-Making Properties of Wheat Flour Treated by "Gluten FriendlyTM" Technology.

After discovering an innovative technology for the reshaping of gluten proteins-the "Gluten FriendlyTM" system-that confers to wheat flour some unprecedented characteristics, such as reduced epitope antigenicity and a positive modulation of the gut microbiota, its effects on the production and quality of bread have been studied. Mainly, we have investigated the chemical, rheological and pasting properties of Gluten Friendly Flour (GFF) and of control flour (CF) with the aim of analyzing and interpreting potential differences. Furthermore, the bread made from GFF and CF was evaluated in terms of microstructure properties and sensory quality. The experiments demonstrated that GFF became soluble in aqueous solution, making it unfeasible to isolate using the Glutomatic apparatus. Although the water absorption of GFF increased by 10% compared to CF, dough elasticity was reduced, and dough stability decreased from 5 to 2 min. A significant increase in the alveograph index (P/L) from 0.63 to 6.31 was detected, whereas pasting properties did not change from the control flour. Despite these profound modifications in the rheological properties, GFF exhibited a high ability to shape dough and to produce bread with high quality and negligible differences from the control bread in terms of appearance, taste, aroma, color and texture.

Manufacturing personalized food for people uniqueness. An overview from traditional to emerging technologies.

Personalized nutrition means that we are unique in the way to absorb and to metabolize nutrients as a consequence of our genetic profile and the microbiome that we host in the gut. With the terminology of Personalized Food Manufacturing we want not only to stress the idea of the capability to manufacture food meeting our unique nutritional needs but - based on the idea that eating is a global experience - also to broad this to meet additional personal requirements and expectations, i.e. taste, texture, color, aspect, etc. To address this aim, traditional and advances technologies will have to be employed in new ways and new technological solutions will have to be implemented. All these considerations motivated our paper by which we want to explore and to discuss the technological options having the potential to produce personalized food. After pointing out the main diet styles, firstly we have analyzed the modern approaches of agricultural and animal nutrition in use to manufacture food for narrow group of consumers. Secondly, we have explored emerging technologies at disposal employable to manufacture customized food that meet our uniqueness. Finally the most important market products belonging in the sector of personalized food production have been considered.

How grinding level and brewing method (Espresso, American, Turkish) could affect the antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds in a coffee cup.

BACKGROUND: Depending on geographical origin and cultural traditions, different brewing procedures are used all over the world to prepare a cup of coffee. In this work, we explored how three grinding levels of coffee powder and three coffee preparation methods - filtration (American), boiling (Turkish) and extraction under pressure (Espresso) - affect healthy compounds and physicochemical attributes in coffee served to consumers. RESULTS: Grinding level slightly affected the quality of coffee, whereas the preparation method significantly influenced all in-cup attributes. When the content per cup was compared, the American coffee presented higher values of antioxidant activity and total phenol content than espresso and Turkish coffees. Caffeine content was 316, 112 and 64 mg for the American, Turkish and espresso coffee cup, respectively. CONCLUSION: One American, three Turkish and five Espresso coffee cups contain similar amount of caffeine of 316, 336 and 320 mg, respectively which are below the maximum daily consumption (400 mg per day) suggested by the European Food Safety Authority. The extraction method affects the intake of bioactive and antioxidant substances with specific properties. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of Phenolic Antioxidant Capacity in Grains of Modern and Old Durum Wheat Genotypes by the Novel QUENCHERABTS Approach.

The QUENCHERABTS (QUick, Easy, New, CHEap and Reproducible) approach for antioxidant capacity (AC) determination is based on the direct reaction of 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation with fine solid food particles. So, it may resemble the antioxidant action in foods or in human gastrointestinal trait. Here, the QUENCHER approach was used to study AC of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) grains. Firstly, it was assessed which kind of antioxidants determines QUENCHER response. This has been performed by comparing AC measured by QUENCHERABTS and that measured by classical TEACABTS (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) in four different extracts from whole flour of 10 durum wheat varieties containing: lipophilic, hydrophilic, insoluble-bound phenolic (IBP) and free-soluble phenolic (FSP) compounds. QUENCHERABTS data were unrelated to AC of water-extractable antioxidants and weakly correlated (r = 0.405, P < 0.05) to AC of the lipophilic ones; on the contrary, QUENCHERABTS response was mainly related to AC of IBP (r = 0.907, P < 0.001) and to a lesser extent of FSP extracts (r = 0.747, P < 0.001). Consistently, correlation was also found with the phenolic content of IBP and FSP (r = 0.760, P < 0.001 and r = 0.522, P < 0.01, respectively), thus confirming that QUENCHERABTS assay mainly assesses AC due to IBP. So, this assay was used in a first screening study to compare AC of bioactive IBP of thirty-six genotypes/landraces covering a century of cultivation in Italy. Interestingly, no relevant AC difference between modern and old genotypes was found, thus suggesting that a century of plant breeding did not decrease phenol-dependent health potential in durum wheat.