Strategies for fortified sustainable food: the case of watermelon-based candy.

The aim of this research was to design a new product, in particular a watermelon-based jelly candy, without generating waste. The study was divided in two steps: (i) optimization of candy formulation in terms of amount of rind, pulp and juice; (ii) fortification of the jelly candy with different concentrations of orange by-products (albedo and flavedo flours). The fortified jelly samples were assessed for sensory quality and chemical properties, before and after digestion. The new candy product was greatly appreciated. The addition of albedo and flavedo flours significantly improved the chemical composition compared to jelly candy without by-products, before and after digestion. A whole quality index was also calculated to determine the best combination of by-products to be added. Fortification with albedo 1.2% and flavedo ranged between 0.6 and 1.2% allowed recording the most interesting jelly candy.

Influence of different by-products addition on sensory and physicochemical aspects of Primosale cheese.

Food industry produces considerable amounts of by-products that represent a severe problem from both economic and pollution points of view. The bioactive compounds still present in food by-products offer the possibility to re-use them to develop added value products. In the current work some by-products were incorporated into curd during production of Primosale cheese. Specifically, two concentrations (i.e., 50 and 100 g Kg-1) of flours from different by-products (i.e., red and white wine grape pomace; tomato peel, broccoli and artichokes by-products), as source of dietary fibres and bioactive compounds were tested. The swelling and water retention capacity of flours, in addition to physicochemical characteristics of cheese (cheese weight loss, dry substance in the whey, cheese moisture content and pH), bioactive compounds (total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity) and sensory profile were evaluated. Results highlighted that addition of by-products to Primosale cheese improved the nutritional properties and some sensory attributes such as friability and adhesiveness. Among the tested by-products, the most attractive result was obtained for Primosale cheese with artichoke by-products.

Packaging optimisation to prolong the shelf life of fiordilatte cheese.

In this work, an active coating and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were investigated to prolong the shelf life of Fiordilatte packaged in traditional brine. First, the screening of MAP was performed in order to select the best gas composition. Then, the combined effect of MAP and coating was investigated. Finally, the coating was loaded with potassium sorbate and its effects under MAP conditions were also assessed. Results highlighted that MAP was able to control growth of the main spoilage microbial group (Pseudomonas spp.); however, the solubilisation of carbon dioxide into the brine compromised Fiordilatte texture. Therefore, the presence of the active coating avoided the damage of gas solubilisation and promoted a shelf life prolongation by about 157%.

Fiordilatte Cheese Fortified with Inulin from Cichorium intybus or Cynara cardunculus.

The influence of two different types of inulin added to fiordilatte cheese was assessed on product quality during the proper refrigerated storage period. To this aim, the fresh cheese was produced by a pilot plant, adding inulin, either from chicory (low degree of polymerization) or from cardoon (high degree of polymerization), during the stretching phase of the production process. Microbiological stability, sensory acceptability, texture and color changes of fortified dairy food during storage were measured and compared to the control cheese. Results suggest that inulin from different sources, even if characterized by a different degree of polymerization, can keep the texture and color of fiordilatte during storage. Microbiological analyses highlight that inulin seemed to promote a faster Pseudomonas spp. growth; however, the viable cell concentrations were found to be comparable in all the samples after one week. Enterobacteriaceae growth was faster when inulin from chicory was used. Sensory analysis shows that inulin addition to fiordilatte promoted the sensory quality preservation during storage; in fact, the fortified cheese overall quality was found to be always higher (p < 0.05) than that of the control sample, thus suggesting that inulin addition to fiordilatte represents a valid strategy for its fiber fortification.

Combined effects of thymol, carvacrol and temperature on the quality of non conventional poultry patties.

The combined effect of thymol (0-300ppm), carvacrol (0-300ppm), and temperature (0-18°C) on the quality of non conventional poultry patties packaged in air and modified atmosphere (MAP: 40% CO(2;) 30%O(2); 30% N(2)) was investigated using a simplex centroid mixture design. The patties were monitored for microbiological (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp.) physico-chemical (pH, colour) and sensory attributes. For the patties mixed with the antimicrobials and stored at low temperature (0-3°C) a reduction of the cell load of about 1-1.5logcfu/g was observed. The log reduction was lower at the end of storage time and decreased with the increase of the temperature. For the poultry patties packaged in MAP the higher log reduction for Pseudomonas spp. during all the storage time was observed. In both packaging atmospheres the combination of the essential oils and low temperature determined no modification for off-odour during the first 4days of storage.

Fruit and Vegetable By-Products to Fortify Spreadable Cheese.

In this work, spreadable cheese was enriched with flours from by-products (red and white grape pomace, tomato peel, broccoli, corn bran, and artichokes) as sources of fibres and antioxidant compounds. The physicochemical and the sensory properties of all the cheese samples were analysed. Results revealed that total phenolic content, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of samples containing grape pomace significantly increased, followed by broccoli, artichoke, corn bran, and tomato peel by-products, compared to the control cheese. Specifically, cheeses containing white and red grape pomace recorded high phenolic content (2.74 ± 0.04 and 2.34 ± 0.15 mg GAEs/g dw, respectively) compared to the control (0.66 mg GAEs/g dw).

Food applications of natural antimicrobial compounds.

In agreement with the current trend of giving value to natural and renewable resources, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds, particularly in food and biomedical applications, becomes very frequent. The direct addition of natural compounds to food is the most common method of application, even if numerous efforts have been made to find alternative solutions to the aim of avoiding undesirable inactivation. Dipping, spraying, and coating treatment of food with active solutions are currently applied to product prior to packaging as valid options. The aim of the current work is to give an overview on the use of natural compounds in food sector. In particular, the review will gather numerous case-studies of meat, fish, dairy products, minimally processed fruit and vegetables, and cereal-based products where these compounds found application.

Synergic antimicrobial activity of lysozyme, nisin, and EDTA against Listeria monocytogenes in ostrich meat patties.

UNLABELLED: Synergic antimicrobial activity of lysozyme (250 ppm), nisin (250 ppm), and disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) (20 mM) against Listeria monocytogenes and meat-borne spoilage bacteria in ostrich patties packaged in air and vacuum was studied. The antimicrobial treatment decreased the L. monocytogenes population in ostrich patties below the official limit of the European Union (<2 log CFU/g). The total viable counts for the treated samples (air and vacuum) showed a reduction of 1 log cycle until to 2 d of storage; after this period the cell load increased. Moreover, the reduction of 2 log cycle for the lactic acid bacteria was observed. Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. were not affected by the antimicrobial treatment in both packaging atmospheres. Sensory evaluation did not differ between treated and untreated samples as regard to the color. The ostrich patties packaged in vacuum had a desirable odor during the storage time and were not affected by antimicrobial treatment. The off-odors for the patties packaged in air developed faster in the control while the odor scores for the treated samples remained above the rejection point up to the end of storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Great interest is developing in food bio-preservation, because of the ever-increasing needs to protect consumers' health and to valorize the naturalness and safety of food products.

Use of lysozyme, nisin, and EDTA combined treatments for maintaining quality of packed ostrich patties.

UNLABELLED: The antimicrobial effectiveness of lysozyme, nisin, and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) combination treatments (Mix(1): 250 ppm lysozyme, 250 ppm nisin, 5 mM EDTA; Mix(2): 500 ppm lysozyme, 500 ppm nisin, 5 mM EDTA) on bacterial growth of ostrich patties packaged in air, vacuum, and 2 different modified atmospheres (MAP(1): 80% O(2), 20% CO(2); MAP(2): 5% O(2), 30% CO(2), 65% N(2)) was evaluated. Moreover, the lipid oxidation was evaluated as well as color and sensory characteristics. The growth of total viable counts and lactic acid bacteria were strongly inhibited by the antimicrobial treatments in all the running time (Inhibition Index >97%) whereas for Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. lower inhibition indices from 12% to about 28% were observed. The lipid oxidation was more pronounced in the control respect to the treated meat patties. Moreover, the mixture at low concentration of lysozyme and nisin showed the best antioxidative effect. High concentrations of lysozyme and nisin showed the greatest color loss. Also, off-odors for the untreated patties developed faster than the treated samples. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Great interest is developing in food bio-preservation, because of the ever-increasing needs to protect consumers' health and to valorize the naturalness and safety of food products.