Due to the high level of antioxidant activity of acorn fruits, they can be used as an ingredient the production of functional foods. The goal of the this research was to partially substitute wheat flour with varying levels (10% - 50% w/w) of debittered acorn flour and to investigate its effects on the rheological characteristics of the dough, total phenolic content (TPC), staling, colour indices and sensory properties of toast bread. The farinograph degree of softening and water absorption of the dough decreased with increasing the acorn flour content, while the stability and time of development of the dough increased. Resistance and extensibility to deformation of the samples respectively increased and decreased compared to those of the control. Toast bread with 30% acorn flour replacement was observed to have lower staling than the control. The highest TPC (9.44 mg GAE/g) and the lowest peroxide value (0.36 m eq O2/kg) were obtained for the bread having 30% acorn flour substitution. Moreover, the breads showed darker crumbs with significantly lower specific loaf volumes. Overall, the bread with 30% of acorn flour substitution showed good rheological, staling properties and reasonable anti-oxidant content compared to the control bread as well as the highest sensorial acceptability.

Membrane process is an intelligent alternative way of concentration, preferably for organic juices rich in thermolabile natural components. The expectation is to scale up the extraction of desired compounds from agro-industrial wastes through modernized concentration method. Recovery of betalains, phenolic, and antioxidant from beetroot peel extracts was accomplished by nanofiltration membrane (NF 200) at a recirculation flow rate (400 L h-1) and feed temperature (30 ºC) under constant transmembrane pressure (40 bar). Characterization of betaxanthin, betacyanin, phenolic, and antioxidant activity by spectrophotometric analysis revealed that the final samples contain these compounds respectively: 202.25±3.26 mg.L-1, 360.07±8.43 mg.L-1, 987.79±19.18 mg.L-1, 642.06±14.78 mg.L-1 (pure water); 206.62±1.37 mg.L-1, 339.72±2.89 mg.L-1, 972.72±47.49 mg.L-1, 745.97±25.45 mg.L-1 (ethanol-water). Final samples exhibit vivid colour and a considerably large amount of desired compounds compared to crude extracts and could have industrial applications.

The present study was conducted to develop non-cereal starch extruded products. The effects of feed moisture (15-21%), temperature (130-170 °C) and screw speed (120-160 rpm) were evaluated on the physical and functional properties of extruded snacks using response surface methodology. Feed moisture and screw speed increased the bulk density and hardness of extruded snacks. Significant decreases in water absorption index and increases in water solubility index were observed with increases in extrusion temperature. The best conditions were determined by numerical optimization. The optimized value for non-cereal snacks for feed moisture is 18.22%, temperature 155.96 °C, screw speed 142.75 rpm and, desirability is 0.75. Verification of results showed decent agreement between the responses of experimental values at certain optimum conditions and the predicted values.

Understanding the causes of obesity epidemic requires examination of what contributes to preference of palatable foods. Using a sensorial-consumer approach, this research examined the relationship between the sensation of the hedonic liking of fat with psychological and weight profiles. The study began with preliminary testing of the hedonic ratings of 24 food items (12 low fat (LF), 12 high fat(HF)) and completion of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) investigating cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating aspects. Eight (8) out of the twelve (12) food pairs that had discriminating characteristics were selected, for inclusion in the study, by 347 panellists. Results showed that overweight individuals had significantly lower liking towards LF sensation (4.27±2.13, p= 0.001) but significantly higher liking towards HF sensation (5.26±2.33, p= 0.001), compared to normal BMI individuals who had a significantly higher liking towards LF sensation (5.69±2.35, p= 0.001) but significantly lower liking towards HF sensation (4.17±2.40, p= 0.001). The Pearson product-moment correlation revealed similar trends on the association between liking of fat sensation and eating behaviour regardless of weight statuses. Specifically, cognitive restrainers were found to prefer the LF sensation while HF sensation were more favoured among uncontrolled and emotional eaters. This highlights the importance of investigating the combined effect of psychological aspects of eating behaviour and weight profiles towards liking of fat sensation.

Food is a necessity of human beings, and the consumption of food is aimed at obtaining energy and nutrients necessary for the growth and proper functioning of the body. However, food can also be a vehicle for various diseases, and the causal agents can have physical, chemical or biological origin with relevance to health due to their incidence, mortality and negative consequences in the population. Bacteria are the main agents of biological origin associated with foodborne diseases. Among these microorganisms are species of the genus Campylobacter, which cause a zoonosis with one of the highest incidences globally, known as Campylobacteriosis. This document provides an overview of foodborne diseases, specifically the causal agents of Campylobacteriosis, including the different measures of control and prevention for this disease in different foods such as poultry, milk, meat, and fish, among others. It also covers the phenomenon of resistance to antimicrobials by these pathogens and the health implications to consumers. The above can generate and maintain safety practices in food production for the protection of public health in different regions around the world.

This work examined the relationships between quality characteristics of raw milk and climatic conditions. Over a period of three years, a total of 5,065 samples were collected encompassing two types of farms. The quality characteristics analysed were titratable acidity (TA), total plate count (TPC) and somatic cells count (SCC). Climatic conditions were evaluated in respect to the outdoor air temperature, pressure, humidity and precipitation. Big farms showed a stronger correlation between TA and climatic conditions as opposed to SCC and climatic conditions. TPC was out of limit in big farms when the outdoor air temperature was higher than 19.8 °C (p<0.05) and during periods with accumulated precipitation over 4.2 mm (p>0.05). Small farms showed a stronger correlation between SCC and climatic conditions as opposed to TA. In these farms, occurrence of acidity out of limit was detected in less than 7.2% of samples. Samples with TA out of limit were observed when air temperature was higher than 18.4 °C (p<0.05) and accumulated precipitation was below 3.1 mm (p>0.05). These results can be used to improve good agricultural practices in respect to climatic conditions and size of farms.

Whole mango peel powder and fibre extracted from mango peel were investigated as potential ingredients to replace salt and phosphate in chicken marinade. Whole mango peel powder possessed higher water absorption capacity than mango peel fibre, 4.57% and 1.47%, respectively (P < 0.05). Similar oil absorption capacity was observed in both mango peel ingredients (P > 0.05). Purified pectin and sorbitol syrup were also used to compare the water holding capacity in marinated chicken breasts. Mango peel ingredients exhibited less cooking loss than pectin and sorbitol syrup, however, higher cooking loss than sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and NaCl (P > 0.05). Marinating with mango peel ingredients significantly increased a* value of chicken breasts after cooking, while L* and b* values were similar in marinating with NaCl (P > 0.05). Hardness of frozen fully cooked chicken breast was measured after thawing. The lowest shear force of 7.13 N was observed in chicken breasts marinated with mango peel fibre (P < 0.05), while the hardness of chicken breasts marinated with whole mango peel powder was not significant different from STPP and NaCl treatments. Results from this study revealed a potential approach of utilizing fruit waste as an ingredient to substitute phosphate and salt in chicken marinade.

The mucosal surfaces of the intestinal tract harbor a complex microbiota. Bacteria enter in contact with intestinal cells and bestow important nutritional, metabolic and protective functions which benefit the host. Various factors are able to alter the balances between different intestinal bacteria. Dysbiosis has been described in various pathologies and metabolic diseases in humans, such as cancer. Colorectal cancer pathology can benefit from gut microbial imbalance. Its overgrowth may lead to acute symptoms. An alternative strategy to restore this balance is the use of plant extracts which exhibit a prebiotic activity by stimulating of probiotic bacteria and antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria colonization. The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activity of phenolic extracts (Aqueous extract "AE" and Methanolic extract "ME" ) from Zizyphus lotus. It aims also to investigate the effect of this extract as a prebiotic on the aggregation of probiotic and inhibitory effects of pathogenic bacteria isolated from faeces of patients with colorectal cancer. Phytochemical analysis of different extracts from Zizyphus lotus by HPLC showed that all are rich in phenolic compounds (225.40 mgAGE/gDW for AE and 63.04 mgAGE/gDW for ME extracts). Moreover, all extracts showed an important antioxidant activity (227 µg/ml for AE and 195 µg/ml for ME). These extracts also exhibited a significant prebiotic effect and antibacterial activity. Characterization of the in vitro effect of the aqueous extract showed that the percentage of autoaggregation and adhesion of probiotic and inhibitory effects of pathogenic bacteria increased in the presence of aqueous extracts.

Noodle consumption has been increasing in Nigeria as a result of rapid urbanization, increase in population growth, and desire for convenience food. Noodles are produced from wheat our which is not grown in Nigeria. In order to reduce wheat imports and improve utilization of local crops, various options have been developed to replace wheat flour partially or wholly in noodle production. This study was aimed at optimizing the level of major ingredients to obtain the best flour blend for noodle preparation with optimum nutritional quality. Pro-vitamin A cassava roots (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and African yam bean seeds (AYB) (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) were processed into ours. The ranges of these flours, based on preliminary findings, were computed into a central composite design of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to obtain 13 flour blends with five central points. The chemical compositions, anti-nutritional factors, and pasting properties of these flour blends were analyzed and measured. By maximizing total β-carotene, protein content, and minimizing fat content, the predicted model indicated the optimum blend of 70.52% cassava flour to 29.48% AYB flour. The best our blend sample of 69.23% cassava our to 30.77% AYB flour gave the actual value of total β-carotene 6.76 μg/g, with proximate analysis composition of protein 6.17%, fat 0.82%, moisture 8.95%, ash 1.77%, crude fiber 5.09%, and carbohydrate 82.30%. The anti-nutritional factors of the best blend were 8.21 mg HCNeqv/kg, 1.69 mg phytate/g and 0.37 mg tannin/g.

Azanza garckeana is among the least utilized indigenous wild fruit trees of interest in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. The tree's fruit and seeds have found their importance as food while their barks and leaves as medicine because of their vast nutritional and functional components. This paper reviews the utilization of the fruit in food processing demonstrating the potential this species has in the preparation of novel foods. There are few reports on macronutrients and micronutrient composition of the fruit and the seeds, and their utilization in food processing. Some researchers have identified key functional ingredients in the fruits as well as their seeds that could be of benefit when incorporated in the production of value-added food products. This paper not only advocates for the production of value-added food products from this fruit, but also its integration into farming systems to enhance nutritional security and provide ready income for communities in the dry areas in sub Saharan Africa.