Physico-Chemical Characteristics of pH-Driven Active Film Loading with Curcumin Based on the Egg White Protein and Sodium Alginate Matrices.

The low solubility and stability of fat-soluble curcumin in water limit its application in active packaging. This study explored the use of a pH-driven method to investigate the preparation and enhancement of the performance of films loaded with curcumin in a matrix of sodium alginate (Alg) and egg white protein (EWP). In this study, the EWP, Alg, and curcumin primarily bind through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic interactions. Compared to EWP films, the films loaded with curcumin through the pH-driven method exhibited enhanced extensibility and water resistance, with an elongation at break (EB) of 103.56 ± 3.13% and a water vapor permeability (WVP) of 1.67 ± 0.03 × 10-10 g·m/m2·Pa·s. The addition of Alg improved the encapsulation efficiency and thermal stability of curcumin, thereby enhancing the antioxidant activity of the film through the addition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, which resulted in 106.95 ± 2.61 µg TE/g and 144.44 ± 8.89 µg TE/g, respectively. It is noteworthy that the detrimental effect of Alg on the color responsiveness of films containing curcumin has also been observed. This study provides a potential strategy and consideration for the loading of low water-soluble active substances and the preparation of active packaging.

Polysaccharides from Brassica rapa root: Extraction, purification, structural features, and biological activities. A review.

Brassica rapa (B. rapa) roots are attracting increased attention from nutritionists and health-conscious customers because of their remarkable performance in supplying necessary nutrients. Polysaccharides are major biologically active substances in B. rapa roots, which come in a variety of monosaccharides with different molar ratios and glycosidic bond types. Depending on the source, extraction, separation, and purification methods of B. rapa roots polysaccharides (BRP); different structural features, and pharmacological activities are elucidated. Polysaccharides from B. rapa roots possess a range of nutritional, biological, and health-enhancing characteristics, including anti-hypoxic, antifatigue, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, and antioxidant activities. This paper reviewed extraction and purification methods, structural features, and biological activities as well as correlations between the structural and functional characteristics of polysaccharides from the B. rapa roots. Ultimately, this work will serve as useful reference for understanding the connections between polysaccharide structure and biological activity and developing novel BRP-based functional foods.

Composition, Structure, and Techno-Functional Characteristics of the Flour, Protein Concentrate, and Protein Isolate from Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) Seeds.

One potential avenue to increase the production of valuable protein ingredients for the food industry is developing vegetable proteins from non-traditional plant sources. In the present study, the composition, structure and techno-functional characteristics of defatted purslane flour (DF), protein concentrate (PC), and protein isolate (AP) were investigated. The results revealed that DF, PC, and PI contained low levels of moisture, ash, and fat. However, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in protein content between DF, PC, and PI (32.9, 60.8 and 90.9%, respectively). The techno-functional characteristics of purslane proteins were enhanced by processing purslane flour into PC and PI products. Furthermore, the ratios of total essential amino acids to total amino acids in purslane protein samples were well above that stated for ideal food proteins. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated three subunits of protein in DF, PC, and PI. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that DF exhibited a compact-like structure; PC had a small, flaky, but porous type of particle, and PI had an intact flake-like structure. The FTIR analysis revealed that some alterations in the secondary structure of protein were occurred. In summary, purslane proteins can be considered new functional food ingredients with different nutritional and technological characteristics.

Fabrication and digestive characteristics of high internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilized by ovalbumin-pectin complexes for improving the stability and bioaccessibility of curcumin.

In this study, ovalbumin (OVA) interacted with pectin (PE) to form soluble electrostatic complexes to improve the functional properties of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) under extreme conditions. The results showed that the stability of the OVA-PE soluble complexes-stabilized HIPEs was significantly better than that of the free OVA-stabilized HIPEs and was modulated by the biopolymer ratio. In particular, the complexes at an OVA:PE ratio of 1:1 (C-1:1) may form particulates with a core-shell structure by a flocculation mechanism. The C-1:1-stabilized HIPEs had the smallest oil droplet size (11.34 ± 1.14 µm) and the best resistance to extreme environmental stresses due to their strong, rigid structure and dense interfacial architecture. The in vitro digestion results showed that the bioaccessibility (from 18.3% ± 0.5% to 38.8% ± 4.8%) of curcumin improved with increasing PE content. Our work is helpful in understanding OVA-PE complexes as stabilizers for HIPEs and their potential applications in food delivery systems.

Preparation and evaluation of Quinoa-Kishk as a novel functional fermented dairy product.

Quinoa is gaining more attention throughout the world because of its high nutritional, antioxidant and antimicrobial impacts. This study aimed to develop a novel functional Kishk prepared from wheat burghul replacement with quinoa seeds at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% levels. Changes in chemical, microbial, and sensory properties were followed during storage at room temperature for 3 months. The obtained results revealed that Kishk samples fortified with quinoa seeds had higher protein (17.18-18.37%), fat (3.00-5.99%), ash (6.64-8.01%) and fiber (1.32-2.05%) compared to control sample (16.52, 2.82, 6.00 and 1.18%), respectively for fresh samples. Furthermore, incorporation of quinoa into Kishk formulations improved amino acid profile, mineral contents, antioxidant activity and total phenols. However, addition of quinoa affected the color attributes and significant decreases in L* and b* values were noticed compared to control sample. During the storage period, overall bacterial and lactic acid bacteria counts for all samples were reduced. Coliform, mould and yeast counts of all fresh samples were less than 10 CFU/g and not detected throughout the storage. Sensory evaluation results revealed that Kishk fortified with 50% quinoa seeds exhibited good sensory properties. Therefore, fortification with quinoa could improve nutritional and functional properties of fermented dairy products. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05110-8.

Preparation and physicochemical properties of protein concentrate and isolate produced from Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne ssp. raddiana.

The composition and physicochemical properties of defatted acacia flour (DFAF), acacia protein concentrate (APC) and acacia protein isolate (API) were evaluated. The results indicated that API had lower, ash and fat content, than DFAF and APC. Also, significant difference in protein content was noticed among DFAF, APC and API (37.5, 63.7 and 91.8%, respectively). Acacia protein concentrate and isolates were good sources of essential amino acids except cystine and methionine. The physicochemical and functional properties of acacia protein improved with the processing of acacia into protein concentrate and protein isolate. The results of scanning electron micrographs showed that DFAF had a compact structure; protein concentrate were, flaky, and porous type, and protein isolate had intact flakes morphology.

Enrichment of rice-based extrudates with Cactus Opuntia dillenii seed powder: a novel source of fiber and antioxidants.

The present study investigated the effects of adding the powder of cactus Opuntia dillenii (O. dillenii) seeds on the functional properties, fiber, antioxidants and acceptability of rice-based extrudates. The control blend consisting basically of rice flour was replaced with O. dillenii seed powder at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15 and 20% then extruded at the optimum processing conditions. The extruded products were evaluated for their chemical composition, functional properties, color attributes, antioxidant activity and sensory characteristics. The results revealed that adding O. dillenii seeds powder enhanced the fiber, phenolics, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of extrudates. Expansion, bulk density and breaking strength were significantly decreased, while water absorption index, water solubility index and oil absorption index were significantly increased compared to the control. Furthermore, the mean scores of sensory evaluation indicated clear improvements in all tested sensory attributes, which significantly increased by increasing the level of O. dillenii seed powder up to 15%. The results confirmed that O. dillenii seed powder could be incorporated in rice to develop snack products of acceptable functional, nutritional and sensory properties.

Chemical composition and nutritional evaluation of the seeds of Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne ssp. raddiana.

Chemical composition and nutritional evaluation as well as physicochemical and functional properties of seed flour of Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne ssp. raddiana were studied. The results indicated that seeds contained 5.30% moisture, 3.99% ash, 9.19% fat, 14.31% fiber, 27.21% protein and 45.30% carbohydrates. Potassium was the predominant element followed by calcium and then phosphorous. Phytic acid, tannins and trypsin inhibitor as antinutrients were detected. The amino acid profile compared well with FAO/WHO recommended pattern except for cystine/methionine, isoleucine, tyrosine/phenylalanine, lysine and threonine. Also, the first limiting amino acid was lysine. Fatty acid composition showed that linoleic acid was the major fatty acid, followed by palmitic, stearic, oleic and arachidic acids. The seed oil showed absorbance in the ultraviolet ranges, thus it can be used as a broad spectrum UV protectant. For physicochemical and functional properties, acacia seeds flour had excellent water holding index, swelling index, foaming capacity and foam stability.

Compositional analysis of genetically modified corn events (NK603, MON88017×MON810 and MON89034×MON88017) compared to conventional corn.

Compositional analysis of genetically modified (GM) crops continues to be an important part of the overall evaluation in the safety assessment for these materials. The present study was designed to detect the genetic modifications and investigate the compositional analysis of GM corn containing traits of multiple genes (NK603, MON88017×MON810 and MON89034×MON88017) compared with non-GM corn. Values for most biochemical components assessed for the GM corn samples were similar to those of the non-GM control or were within the literature range. Significant increases were observed in protein, fat, fiber and fatty acids of the GM corn samples. The observed increases may be due to the synergistic effect of new traits introduced into corn varieties. Furthermore, SDS-PAGE analysis showed high similarity among the protein fractions of the investigated corn samples. These data indicate that GM corn samples were compositionally equivalent to, and as nutritious as, non-GM corn.