The present investigation was designed to characterize the phenolic profile of Lima beans (Phaseolus Lunatus) and also to evaluate the antioxidant indices: total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and amino acid composition at different stages of simulated gastrointestinal digestion (oral, gastric, intestinal). High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-DAD) analysis revealed the presence of some phenolic compounds (gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, rutin, quercitrin, quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin), with a reduced amount (mg/g) after cooking: gallic acid (raw: 1.96 ± 0.02; cooked: 1.82 ± 0.01); catechin (raw: 0.83 ± 0.01; cooked: 0.73 ± 0.01); rutin (raw: 2.61 ± 0.03; cooked:1.74 ± 0.03); quercitrin (raw: 5.73 ± 0.01; cooked: 5.68 ± 0.01); apigenin (raw: 2.09 ± 0.01; cooked: 1.79 ± 0.02), with exception of quercetin (raw: 2.11 ± 0.02; cooked: 5.73 ± 0.02) and caffeic acid (raw: 2.08±0.04; cooked 2.95 ± 0.04). The results of the antioxidant indices of in vitro enzyme digested lima beans revealed higher values for cooked Lima beans compared to the raw counterpart, with a stepwise increase at the different stages of in vitro digestion, with the exception of ferric reducing antioxidant power; TPC (oral digestion: 65.44 ± 0.96; gastric digestion:134.87 ± 0.46; intestinal digestion: 517.72 ± 4.70; mg/g tannic acid equivalent), TFC (oral digestion: 199.30 ± 6.43; gastric digestion: 1065.97± 1.22; intestinal digestion: 3691.87 ± 4.2; mg/g quercetin equivalent), DPPH (oral digestion: 85800.00 ± 305.50; gastric digestion: 99066.66 ± 115.47; intestinal digestion: 211354.20 ± 360.84; µmol TE/g sample). The results also revealed a progressive increase in the antioxidant indices and amino acid composition (mg/kg) for both raw and processed lima beans at various stages of the in vitro digestion, with the intestinal phase of simulated digestion ranking higher. This implied that the Lima beans contained some essential amino acids and antioxidant molecules that would be readily available after passing through the gastrointestinal tract and could therefore be explored as functional food in the management of free radical mediated diseases.

The use of acid whey in food formulations is one way to reduce the environmental problems associated with its disposal. In the present study, a new formulation of a drinking dessert was prepared using Lactic cheese whey, milk, xanthan gum at 4 levels (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%), resistant corn starch at 4 levels (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5%), cocoa powder and sugar. Samples containing starch and gum had higher viscosity and were completely stable, with no syneresis and sedimentation after a month of storage at 4 oC. Samples containing 0.3% xanthan gum and 1% corn starch were considered as the desired drink based on sensory analysis. Study of the optimal flow behavior indicated that the drinking dessert is a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluid, and the Herschel-Bulkily model was the best model to describe the flow behavior. The pH of the synbiotic dessert containing L. GG was almost constant after 7 days of storage at 4 oC, while the pH of samples containing L. paracasei decreased by 0.7. The population of both probiotic bacteria decreased during storage time at 4 oC. The rate of decrease was higher for L. paracasei than L. GG. However, both contained >106 CFU mL−1 , which is necessary for the health benefits of probiotic bacteria.

Currently, nanoencapsulation of bioactive compounds is promising, and is one of the methods that has been proven very effective. The development of food-grade nanoemulsions is in a state of constant innovation due to the interesting features that this method of encapsulation has, such as small droplet size, kinetic stability and appearance. With this technology, it is possible to control some food properties, such as texture, taste and stability. In this article, we present a review of the most commonly used methods in the creation of nanoemulsions, the recent developments of these dispersions, the relevant applications of nanoemulsions in food matrices, the most commonly used food-grade materials and the functionality of nanoemulsions, which are designed primarily to encapsulate compounds with biological activity. Nanoemulsions have been shown to be effective in preventing degradation and improving the bioavailability of bioactive compounds, such as oil-soluble vitamins, antimicrobials, flavours and antioxidants. At the end of this article, facts of interest about acceptance issues and nanotechnology regulatory policies in the food industry are presented.

The manufacture of food during distribution, a concept known as “made-in-transit” (MIT) manufacture, has the potential to expand the distribution range, extend shelf-life, and provide the customer with the freshest possible product. Benefits for the manufacturer include maximising throughput while minimising manufacturing space and inventory. This concept is new, with mushrooms being the only MIT food developed so far. The feasibility of developing an MIT product from a fermented food was reviewed using yoghurt as a model system. Through the alteration of some of the yoghurt manufacturing parameters (e.g. milk base formulation, heat treatment, starter culture composition and fermentation temperature) it is possible to develop this form of yoghurt production. A predictive microbiology approach is suitable for predicting the effects of both time and temperature on designing and predicting the fermentation process. This review demonstrates the potential of the MIT concept for a fermented food.

The objectives of this study were to optimize the conditions for cell growth and exopolysaccharides (EPS) production by using pure and mixed microbial cultures of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of EPS in vitro. The mixed cultures of two strains showed a higher cell growth whereas the higher EPS production was detected in pure culture with S. thermophilus. The optimal medium were determined as follows (g/l): sucrose 50, yeast extract 10, KH2PO4 3 , MgSO4.7H2O 0.05 and pH initial 6.5 at 30°C. Under the optimized conditions, the values of dry cell weight (DCW) and EPS were 5.2± 0.8 g/l and 56.8 ± 0.62 mg/ml, respectively.  The EPS demonstrated a positive antioxidant potential on DDPH radical scavenging. The agar diffusion assay showed that purified EPS exhibited antibacterial activities against tested pathogens such as Escherichia coli ATCC 250922 and Staphyloccocus aureus ATCC 250923 at (62-1000) μg/mL. In conclusion, EPS have an antioxidant activity and could have applications in the food industry.

Energy being one of the largest operating expenses in most organizations especially manufacturing and processing industries leading to considerable scope for energy conservation and hence cost. Information on energy utilization and conservation pattern were obtained based on time taken, number of person involved and sources of energy using standard energy equations. A total of 445.40 ± 17.32MJkg−1 where thermal energy (420MJ ≈ 94%) and manual energy (25.40MJ ≈ 6%) were the only forms of energy used during production process. Conservation approach I resulted in mean energy of 72.08 ± 1.73MJkg−1 where electrical energy, manual energy and thermal energy accounted for 1.75MJ (3%) 7.34MJ (10%) and 62.99MJ (87%) respectively. Conservation approach II reduced the energy further to 57.24 ± 1.73MJkg−1 as the operation was thermal energy dependent, followed by manual and electrical energy with energy values of 48.13, 7.33 and 1.78MJ equivalent to 84.10%, 12.80% and 3.10% accordingly. Conclusively, traditional method of processing utilized highest energy (445.40MJ) followed by conservation approach I (72.08MJ) and conservation approach II (57.24MJ) was least in energy demand. Conservation approach II permits energy conservation to be 87% as compared with traditional method.

The food sector frequently faces difficulties in implementing food safety standards. Indeed, there are many barriers to appropriation of quality management standards which make effective implementation difficult for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such as limited access to information, lack of financing and cognitive resources, food hazard perception, and insufficient access to adequately trained personnel. Consequently, one fundamental objective for practitioners such as managers, public bodies and development agencies is to help these food SMEs in improving their implementation capacity, which is usually done through the launch of different forms of collective initiatives such as associations, clubs, learning platforms, regional actions and other forms of collaboration. Globally speaking, the objective of these initiatives typically is to develop a step by step approach providing guidance on good practices associated with the implementation of these systems. The objective of the article is to explore and test the validity of this hypothesis, rooted in a general idea of “organizational network learning”: the capacity of SMEs to adopt new food safety schemes is seen as a whole and necessitates mobilizing, at the same time, 1) formal innovation networks, which bring cognitive resources and institutional credibility, and 2) the practice by managers of informal network activities through interactive exchanges of information, benchmarking, knowledge transfer and translation, and experiential learning.

The potential of pineapple peel as a source of cellulose nanocrystals was evaluated. Peels skin from fresh-cut fruit was used as raw material. These residues were purified to remove pigments, lipids and hemicellulose, and a bleaching process for delignification was carried out for 4-6 h. All resulting products were characterised for their lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose and ash contents using standard techniques. Dry matter at the end was low (ca. 50%) compared with the raw material (ca. 90%). The process applied resulted in ca. 20% (m/m) of purified cellulose (ca. 80% purity), with ineligible levels of lignin and hemicellulose present, especially when using 6h of bleaching. The purified cellulose was subject to acid hydrolysis for nanocrystal extraction with two testing times, 30 and 60 minutes. These cellulose nanocrystals had small sizes (< 1000 nm), with high variability and negative zeta potential values. The time of extraction did not affect the nanocrystals’ chemical and physical properties. The use of 6 h of bleaching treatment during purification was shown to be more effective than 4 h. Pineapple peel was demonstrated to be a good source of cellulose for the production of cellulose nanocrystals. 

Osmotic dehydration of chestnut slices in sucrose was optimized for the first time by Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Experiments were planned according to a three-factor central composite design (α=1.68), studying the influence of sucrose concentration, temperature and time, on the following parameters: volume ratio, water activity, color variation, weight reduction, solids gain, water loss and normalized moisture content, as well as total moisture, ash and fat contents. The experimental data was adequately fitted into second-order polynomial models with coefficients of determination (R2 ) from 0.716 to 0.976, adjusted-R2 values from 0.460 to 0.954, and non-significant lacks of fit. The optimal osmotic dehydration process conditions for maximum water loss and minimum solids gain and color variation were determined by the “Response Optimizer” option: 83% sucrose concentration, 20 °C and 9.2 hours. Thus, the best operational conditions corresponded to high sugar concentration and low temperature, improving energy saving and decreasing the process costs.

Rose petals have been applied as food additives in teas, cakes and flavor extracts. The aim of this research study was to explore and reveal the antioxidant potential of aqueous extracts of rose petals belonging to nine genotypes of rose (wild as well as hybrid). The in vitro antioxidant activities of roses were studied by lipid peroxidation assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay, iron chelation assay, phosphomolybdenum reduction assay and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The aqueous extract showed inhibition against lipid peroxidation (TBARS), induced by prooxidants (10 µM FeSO4) in mice liver homogenate. The free radical scavenging activities of the extracts were determined by scavenging of the DPPH radical. Extracts also showed metal chelating activities and high antioxidant activity in the phosphomolybdenum assay. The high content of phenolics and flavonoids detected in aqueous extracts may be responsible for the antioxidant activity. Amongst the different rose genotypes, screened, Rosa moschata (musk rose) was found to carry slightly higher antioxidant potential, owing to its higher phytochemical content.