Exposure of the Croatian adult population to acrylamide through bread and bakery products.

The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the levels of acrylamide in different types of bread and bakery products using a LC-MS/MS method, before and after the new European regulation on acrylamide reduction (Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158) became valid. Also, one of the aim was to estimate the average exposure to acrylamide through this food category. Of the total of 100 analysed samples, acrylamide content ranged from below the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 237 µg/kg in the period before the application of a new European Regulation, and from

A Review of Factors Affecting Anthocyanin Bioavailability: Possible Implications for the Inter-Individual Variability.

Anthocyanins are dietary bioactive compounds showing a range of beneficial effects against cardiovascular, neurological, and eye conditions. However, there is, as for other bioactive compounds in food, a high inter and intra-individual variation in the response to anthocyanin intake that in many cases leads to contradictory results in human trials. This variability could be caused at two levels, one at the bioavailability level and the other at the effect and mechanisms of action. In this context, we have thoroughly reviewed the scientific literature on anthocyanins variability caused by variation in bioavailability. Based on the literature reviewed, we have concluded that the variability in anthocyanins bioavailability might be produced by the lack of homogeneity introduced at three different levels: food matrix and food processing, enzymes involved in anthocyanin metabolism and transport, and anthocyanin metabolizing gut microbiota. However, it should be noted that the literature on anthocyanins bioavailability considering inter or intra-individual variability is still very scarce, which makes it difficult to reach any firm conclusion on the main metabolizing enzymes or bacteria that would be responsible for the variability in anthocyanin bioavailability.

Analytical tools used for the identification and quantification of pectin extracted from plant food matrices, wastes and by-products: A review.

Pectin is the methylated ester of polygalacturonic acid and has a wide range of applications. It can be used in food and animal feed as well as in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Pectin is traditionally used as a gelling agent in fruit-based products, as a stabilizer in some fruit juices and milk drinks and fruit filling for bakery and confectionary products, but their potential applications differ according to their chemical composition. Therefore, at this stage of development, it is of a great importance to find fast, reliable methods to not only identify and quantify pectin, but also to determine its chemical structure and composition when it is extracted from plant matrices, wastes and by-products. The present review will focus on the analytical tools used to identify and quantify the amount of pectin obtained from plant matrices, wastes and by-products as well as determining its chemical and structural composition.

Ultrasound assisted extraction and characterization of pectin from tomato waste.

Pectin was extracted from tomato waste using two different extraction methods to assess its potential utilization as an alternative source of commercial pectin production. Tomato waste was treated with ammonium oxalate/oxalic acid by conventional extraction (CE), under reflux and ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) at 37 kHz and temperatures of 60 °C and 80 °C. The pectin obtained from these methods was analysed and compared in terms of yield, chemical properties and structure. Among examined methods, CE at 60 °C resulted with the highest yield, but UAE during 15 min of sonication produced the pectin of better quality (anhydrouronic acid, methoxy and calcium pectate contents and degree of esterification). NMR and FTIR spectroscopy of isolated pectins revealed predominantly esterified structure, irrespective of extraction conditions. The comparison of the pectin yields obtained after extraction at 80 °C, indicate that similar values were found at times of 24h and 15 min for CE and UAE, respectively. According to obtained results it can be concluded that main advantage of UAE is considerable shortening of extraction procedure with strong emphasis on environmental friendly processing approach. Therefore, these results suggested that UAE could be used as an efficient technique for the extraction of pectin from tomato waste and by-products.