Safflower cake as an ingredient for a composite flour development towards a circular economy: extrusion versus conventional mixing.

Food waste is responsible for the loss of 1.3 billion tons of food, some of which are related to by-products with great nutritional and energy potential that are still underexplored, such as safflower cake derived from the oil extraction industry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of incorporating safflower cake (Carthamus tinctorius) and the mixing method used to produce composite wheat-based flour in order to develop a new ingredient. The results were analyzed using ANOVA, and the Tukey test was applied at a significance level of 5 %. The composite flours obtained by the conventional mixing method showed, when compared to wheat flour, a higher concentration of proteins (+5g 100 g-1), minerals (+86 mg kg-1 of Fe, +30 mg kg-1 of Zn), phenolic compounds (15 mg GAE g-1), flavonoids (0.3 mg QE g-1), and lower oil absorption (-0.5 g oil g sample-1), making them suitable for hot flour-based sauces, salad dressings, frozen desserts, cookies and fried products. While extruded composite flours presented better homogenization, reduction of moisture (1 g 100 g-1), lipids (3 g 100 g-1), and mycotoxin concentrations, increased antioxidant activity (DPPH -0.07 IC50 mg/L and ORAC +9 µmol Trolox Eq/g), water absorption and solubility indexes, and oil absorption index, making it suitable for bakery products, meat, and dairy sausages. The developed composite flour proved to be a good nutritional ingredient; thus, its consumption can represent an important nutritional strategy with low production costs, as well as a sustainable solution, reducing food waste and, therefore, toward the concepts of the circular economy.

Oral Films Printed with Green Propolis Ethanolic Extract.

Oral film (OF) research has intensified due to the effortless administration and advantages related to absorption in systemic circulation. Chitosan is one of the polymers widely used in the production of OFs; however, studies evaluating the maintenance of the active principles' activity are incipient. Propolis has been widely used as an active compound due to its different actions. Printing techniques to incorporate propolis in OFs prove to be efficient. The objective of the present study is to develop and characterize oral films based on chitosan and propolis using printing techniques and to evaluate the main activities of the extract incorporated into the polymeric matrix. The OFs were characterized in relation to the structure using scanning and atomic force electron microscopy; the mechanical properties, disintegration time, wettability, and stability of antioxidant activity were evaluated. The ethanolic extract of green propolis (GPEE) concentration influenced the properties of the OFs. The stability (phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity) was reduced in the first 20 days, and after this period, it remained constant.

Assessment of quality and safety aspects of homemade and commercial baby foods.

Dietary Guidelines in some countries recommend avoiding commercially processed baby food, while others encourage the consultation of ingredients and nutritional information. Therefore, the objective of this study was to systematically analyze different baby foods obtained from commercial market and "homemade" produced, in order to verify whether comercial products have low nutritional and unsafety attributes. The samples were analyzed for chemical composition, physicochemical aspects, texture, microbiological and mycotoxin contamination, and pesticide residues. Results showed that, in general, commercial samples have a higher energy density and better ratio of macronutrients. The sodium, pH, and texture of both products were in accordance with the recommendations. None of the baby foods evaluated were contaminated with yeast and molds, total coliforms, or Escherichia coli; however, Salmonella sp. was confirmed in one homemade sample. Pesticide residues were detected in all analyzed baby food samples; however, at lower levels than the limit of quantification. Ochratoxin A was detected in one homemade baby food sample (5.76 µg /kg). Considering the samples evaluated, commercial baby food samples appeared to be safer in relation to microbiological, pesticide residue standards, and mycotoxin contamination. Therefore, it could be concluded that the quality of commercial and homemade baby foods still needs to be improved, as well as more studies related to a critical analyses of both types of processes used.

Bioactive Ingredients for Safe and Health-Promoting Functional Foods.

A full ingredient or a portion of food utilized as food for specific therapeutic purposes is referred to as a functional food [...].

Properties of Paperboard Coated with Natural Polymers and Polymer Blends: Effect of the Number of Coating Layers.

Paper is one of the packaging materials that presents a biodegradable character, being used in several areas; however, its barrier properties (gases and fat) and mechanics are reduced, which limits its application. Coating papers with synthetic polymers improve these properties, reducing their biodegradability and recyclability. The objective of this work was to develop and characterize coated paperboard, using the tape casting technique, with different ratios of film form agar-agar/chitosan (AA:CHI, 100:0, 50:50, and 0:100) and different numbers of coating layers (operating times for application of 14.25 min and 28.5 min for one and two layers, respectively). A significant reduction in water absorption capacity was found by applying a 0:100 coating (approximately 15%). Considering all coating formulations, the water vapor permeability reduced by 10 to 60% compared to uncoated paperboard, except for two layers coated with 0:100. The tensile index (independent of AA:CHI) was higher in the machine direction (22.59 to 24.99 MPa) than in the cross-section (11.87-13.01 MPa). Paperboard coated only with chitosan showed superior properties compared to the other formulation coatings evaluated.

Production of Cookies Enriched with Bioactive Compounds through the Partial Replacement of Wheat Flour by Cocoa Bean Shells.

Approximately 500 thousand tons of cocoa bean shells (CSs) are generated annually and treated as waste. However, their composition is of great nutritional, technological, and economic interest due to their dietary fiber (46.4 to 60.6%), protein (11.6 to 18.1%), and lipid contents (2 to 18.5%), as well as the presence of flavonoids and alkaloids. Thus, this study aimed to obtain CS flour by milling the CSs, characterizing the flour according to its chemical composition and functionalities, and then applying it in the production of cookies, substituting a wheat flour portion (10, 20, 30, and 40%) with CS flour. Cookies were characterized in terms of water, lipids, proteins, phenolic (PC), and total flavanol (FLA) contents, and specific volume (SV), hardness (H), and L*, a*, and b color scale parameters. Increasing the amount of CS showed positive results, as the cookies were enriched with PC (0.68 to 2.37 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of sample) and FLA (0.10 to 0.19 mg epicatechin equivalents/g of sample) but increased hardness (353 to 472 N). By associating the responses, it was concluded that the wheat flour replacement with 30% CS presented values of PC and FLA 3 and 1.6 times higher than the control and could be a formulation of interest to consumers.

Characterization of Films Produced with Cross-Linked Cassava Starch and Emulsions of Watermelon Seed Oils.

Starches are promising molecules in the production of edible films. However, the hydrophilic nature of these materials is among the main limitations of packaging based on natural polymers. An underexplored alternative is the incorporation of emulsions. This work aimed to produce films based on crosslinked cassava starch with emulsions based on watermelon seed oil (WSO) extracted with pressurized ethanol. The effect of incorporating watermelon seed oil emulsion (WSOE) on the microscopic, structural, mechanical, hydrophilic, and thermal properties of films was analyzed. The internal structure and roughness of the films were significantly affected by increasing WSOE concentration. The WSOE incorporation increased the elongation capacity of the films and reduced the strain at break. WSOE concentrations did not significantly affect the water solubility, permeability, and X-ray diffraction but decreased the wettability of the films. The analysis of the thermal properties showed that the films did not present phase separation in the studied temperature range. Overall, WSOE improved the properties of the films based on cross-linked cassava starch, but it is necessary to optimize the production conditions of the films. These materials may potentially be used as biodegradable food packaging, controlled-release films, and edible coatings in food protection.

Consumers' Understanding of Ultra-Processed Foods.

Food classification systems have been proposed to improve food quality criteria. Among these systems, "processing level" has been used as a criterion. NOVA classification, as the denotation "ultra-processed" food (UPF), has been widely used in different countries. However, even though some studies have pointed out some controversial aspects, no study has evaluated its comprehension by the population where it is used as reference. Therefore, this study explored the understanding of the term UPF for Brazilian consumers, where this denotation has been used in the last 8 years. A questionnaire was used, with questions referring to different aspects of self-assessment of knowledge about UPF. Altogether, 939 valid participants completed the questionnaire, and 81.9% of them declared to know the term UPF. For 78.2%, a better definition for UPF should be "foods that have gone through many processes in industry". Finally, it was concluded that the term UPF is still confusing for most Brazilians, indicating the risk of use and the urgent necessity to improve the classifications systems and consequently consumer understanding. Only when all parties interested in healthy food work together could this problem be solved.

Oral Films with Addition Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) as a Source of Active Compounds.

The purpose of this study was to develop oral films (OFs) based on agar-agar with the incorporation of mushroom powder (MP) as a source of phenolic compounds. To this end, three different OFs were produced using different concentrations of MP, containing sorbitol and agar-agar. The OFs were characterized based on visual assessment, mass, thickness, moisture content, folding endurance, surface pH, contact angle, and phenolic compound content, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and FTIR, as well as an assessment of their antioxidant capacity. In general, all the OFs showed film-forming capacity after the incorporation of MP, although their mass, thickness, moisture content, and folding endurance differed significantly. The surface pH value remained close to neutrality (∼6.7), regardless of MP concentration. The incorporation of MP increased the crystallinity of the OFs in comparison to that of the agar-based film, but all the OFs showed similar FTIR spectra. The oral films containing 2 g of MP showed antioxidant capacity by ABTS●+ and FRAP of 3.68±0.23 and 14.61±0.66 mMol ET/g OF, respectively, and total phenolic content of 3.55±0.27 µmol GAE/g OF. Thus, oral films offer an innovative source of delivery of active compounds, and their consumption does not cause oral mucosal irritation.

Drying of Acerola (Malpighia emarginata D. C.) by-Product: Evolution of Active Compounds in Function of Time

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of active compounds concentration present in the industrial by-product of acerola during drying using convective dehydration at 40, 50 and 60 °C. For this, flavones and flavonols, total proanthocyanidins, vitamin C, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity as function of drying time were determined. The drying data were adjusted using the models of Page, Lewis, Henderson & Pabis, Modified Page and Logarithmic. In relation to the applied models, Page model presented the best fit. Acerola by-products dried at 40 °C showed higher concentrations of active compounds and higher antioxidant capacity. Although the drying process provoked changes in concentration of the active compounds, in the studied temperature range, significant concentrations of those bioactive compounds were observed. Thus, acerola by-product may present potential for application in different foods.

Electron beam irradiation to reduce the mycotoxin and microbial contaminations of cereal-based products: An overview.

The contamination of food commodities in various conditions along the production chain is the point of concern, especially among recent years. While different conventional methods for microbial and mycotoxin decontamination of cereal and cereal-based products were introduced, approaching of newly introduced techniques such as Electron Beam Irradiation (EBI) attracted notable attention. EBI is classified as a non-thermal method for decontamination with several advantages over conventional thermal treatments, including environmental friendly, time effective, and lower detrimental effects on the nutritional value of food products. By contrast, the high needed investment for providing accelerators and low penetration power of the electron beam are among the limitations for the use of EBI in food industries. Importantly, the effectiveness of this method increased when applied in combination with other traditional approaches. In this paper, a review of available data regarding the application of EBI in reducing of the mycotoxin and microbial contaminations of cereal-based products is presented, indicating potential applications of this technique to significantly reduce the microbial load and main mycotoxins, especially when combined with fermentation methods. This promising technology can be considered as one of available alternatives in microbial and mycotoxin decontamination of cereal and cereal-based products.

The effect of baking conditions on protein digestibility, mineral and oxalate content of wheat breads.

Different baking conditions were used in order to evaluate its effects on bread aspects. Doughs were baked at 160, 190 and 220 °C, during 9, 12, 15 and 20 min, and characterized in relation to color change, oxalate and mineral concentration, and protein digestibility. The higher the baking temperature and time, the higher the crust color change, the lower the oxalate concentration, and the higher the amount of some macro minerals. Protein digestibility may also be favored, however it does not follow a linear correlation. Although it is not possible to obtain a condition that favors the content of all minerals, protein digestibility and reduces oxalate content, the use of high temperatures and times is important as it can reduce oxalate and thereby prevent its associated problems. Understanding how to optimize it during baking could be used to produce breads with a higher mineral bioavailability, an important strategy for food industry and also when using alternative flours.

From Orange Juice By-Product in the Food Industry to a Functional Ingredient: Application in the Circular Economy.

In the orange juice industry, more than 50% of raw material becomes by-products that are rich in active compounds and have high nutritional content. Improved use of these by-products could represent a key strategy for a circular economy. The objective of this study was to produce a flour from orange juice by-product, characterize it, and then apply this flour to produce cookies. Orange by-product flour (OBPF) was characterized in terms of its chemical composition, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, antioxidant potential, and hygroscopic properties. Subsequently, the effect of substituting wheat flour by OBPF in cookies was evaluated. OBPF presented a very high content of dietary fiber (73.61% dry matter (DM)), minerals (ash = 2.72% DM), and total phenolic compounds (534 ± 30 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g of DM). In general, the properties of cookies were not significantly influenced by using OBPF as a substitution for wheat flour. Sensorial analyses showed that cookies produced with 10% OBPF presented the higher scores. Therefore, OBPF showed interesting characteristics, suggesting its possible use in the development of fiber enriched foods such as cookies; and its production represents a key strategy for the orange juice processing industries towards the application of a circular economy in the food system.

Evaluation of wheat flour substitution type (corn, green banana and rice flour) and concentration on local dough properties during bread baking.

Different bread formulations, which provide different dough structures, were studied in order to better understand the effect of wheat flour substitution, flour type and concentration on dough development during baking, and their relationship with physical properties of the final product. Breads were produced with partial substitution of wheat flour by corn (CF), green banana (GF) and rice flour (RF), at different concentrations, and then baked at different times. Wheat flour substitution by CF, GF and RF in bread reduces heat transfer to the dough center by about 21%, 35% and 20%, respectively; and the water loss by about 5%, 15% and 0%, respectively. Those reductions were more influenced by flour type, than flour concentration. When wheat flour is substituted, the mechanisms of water migration are modified, once the pore system of bread dough is more discrete and stiffens later. Calculated thermal conductivity and diffusivity of the different flours used, and its correlations with average composite-bread heating rates (0.93) and water loss (0.85), respectively, indicates that thermal properties of composite bread dough could represent an important issue to be explored in dough systems with reduced gluten concentration.