The effect of bacteria (Bacillus clausii) addition on the culturability and antioxidant activity of resveratrol prepared by spray drying was studied in this work. Inulin and lactose were employed as carrying agents and their performance compared. Resveratrol microencapsulated in inulin showed the highest antioxidant activity (26%) against free radicals. The co-encapsulated materials (bacteria and resveratrol) in inulin and lactose showed similar activities (21%, and 23%, respectively) suggesting that part of resveratrol was absorbed by the bacteria. Particles showed a regular spherical morphology with smooth surfaces, and size in the micrometer range (2−25 μm). The absence of bacteria in the SEM micrographs and the culturability activity suggested the preservation of the organisms within the micro and co-microencapsulated particles. The present work proposes the preparation of a functional food with probiotic and antioxidant properties.

This work assesses the behavior of organosolv lignin aggregates derived from Miscanthus x giganteus using different ethanol concentrations (10%, 25%, 50%, and 75% by volume). The percentage of lignin recovery was found to decrease from 75.8% to 71.4% and 25.1%, as the ethanol concentration was increased from 10% to 25% and 50%, respectively. Increasing the ethanol concentration further to 75% led to zero recovery. The purity of the precipitated lignin was consistently found to be ≥90%. Lignin derived from the dried supernatant obtained at 50% ethanol concentration resulted in high lignin purity (51.6%) in comparison with the other ethanol concentrations used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the precipitated lignin and dried supernatant at 50% ethanol concentration possessed the highest peak intensity apportioned to wavenumber of lignin as compared to that of at 25% and 10% ethanol concentrations, and the results linked with the percentage of lignin purity.... [more]

Raspberry extrudate residue has bioactive compounds in its matrix that are considered high-added value compounds. In the present study, different hydrothermal treatments were carried out using different operational systems, temperatures and times to solubilize raspberry extrudate in order to obtain these bioactive compounds (i.e., sugars and phenolic compounds). Hydrothermal treatment conditions were assessed in the range of 60 °C to 210 °C, with increments of 30 °C. The hydrothermal treatment at 210 °C for 5 min with direct steam and decompression was the most efficient process based on the solubilization of sugars and phenols, as well as on the antioxidant capacity of the products recovered in the liquid phase after treatment. Under these conditions, the concentration of soluble phenols was more than double the concentration in the raw raspberry extrudate, with more than 5000 mg phenols per kilogram of raspberry extrudate. The obtained values demonstrate the potential of applying thi... [more]

The effects of UV-C irradiation (at doses of 8.16, 10.93, 16.17, and 33.29 mJ/cm2) on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of Agave tequilana Weber extracts at various pH values (4.5, 5.5, and 6.5) were evaluated. Thermal treatment (TT) was used as a control (85 °C for 30 s). Both processed (UV-C or TT) and unprocessed (UP) extracts were investigated. The UV-C dose and the pH significantly (p < 0.05) affected the inactivation of total coliforms (TC), total aerobic mesophiles (TAM), and yeasts and molds (YM). UV-C doses of 10.93 mJ/cm2 at pH 4.5 and 33.29 mJ/cm2 at any agave extract pH completely inactivated the native microbial load compared to TT. The total polyphenols (TP), antioxidant activity (AA), and sugar content did not change in the agave extracts at any dose, but the total flavonoid (TF) content decreased at doses > 16.17 mJ/cm2 at the evaluated pH values. Although the color of the agave extracts (L*, a*, and b*) was significantly affected, the total color diffe... [more]

In this study, different amounts of cinnamomum essential oil (CEO) were encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) (CS-NPs) through oil-in-water emulsification and ionic gelation. An ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, synchronous thermal analysis, and X-ray diffraction were employed to analyze the CEO encapsulation. As observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, NP size analysis and zeta potential, the prepared CS-NPs, containing CEO (CS-CEO), were spherical with uniformly distributed sizes (diameters: 190−340 nm). The ranges of encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) were 4.6−32.9% and 0.9−10.4%, with variations in the starting weight ratio of CEO to CS from 0.11 to 0.53 (w/w). It was also found that the antioxidant activity of the CS-NPs loaded with CEO increased as the EE increased. The active ingredients of the CEO were prevented from being volatilized, significantly improving the chemical stability. The an... [more]

A sensitive electrochemical method was used for the determination of the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Echinacea purpurea extracts. In this study, 3 glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) were used: one unmodified and the other two newly manufactured glassy carbon electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and chitosan (CS) in different concentrations, having the following composition: 1 mg/mL CNTs/CS 5%/GCE and 20 mg/mL CNTs/CS 0.5%/GCE. The determinations were performed on 3 different pharmaceutical forms (capsules, tablets and tincture), which contain E. pururea extract from the root or aerial part of the plant. Standard chicoric and caftaric polyphenolic acids, as well as food supplements extracts, were characterized using voltammetry, in a Britton-Robinson (B-R) electrolyte buffer. The modified 1 mg/mL CNTs/CS 5%/GCE electrode has superior properties compared to the other two (the unmodified and 20 mg/mL CNTs/CS 0.5%/GCE-modified) electrodes used in the study. E... [more]

The in situ determination of metals in plants used for phytoremediation is still a challenge that must be overcome to control the plant stress over time due to metals uptake as well as to quantify the concentration of these metals in the biomass for further potential applications. In this exploratory study, we acquired hyperspectral images in the visible/near infrared regions of dried and ground stems and roots of Jatropha curcas L. to which different amounts of copper (Cu) were added. The spectral information was extracted from the images to build classification models based on the concentration of Cu. Optimum wavelengths were selected from the peaks and valleys showed in the loadings plots resulting from principal component analysis, thus reducing the number of spectral variables. Linear discriminant analysis was subsequently performed using these optimum wavelengths. It was possible to differentiate samples without addition of copper from samples with low (0.5−1% wt.) and high (5% w... [more]

Six yeast strains belonging to Rhodosporidium toruloides, Lipomyces starkeyi, Rhodotorula glutinis and Cryptococcus curvatus were shake-flask cultured on xylose (initial sugar—S0 = 70 ± 10 g/L) under nitrogen-limited conditions. C. curvatus ATCC 20509 and L. starkeyi DSM 70296 were further cultured in media where process waters were partially replaced by the phenol-containing olive mill wastewaters (OMWs). In flasks with S0 ≈ 100 g/L and OMWs added yielding to initial phenolic compounds concentration (PCC0) between 0.0 g/L (blank experiment) and 2.0 g/L, C. curvatus presented maximum total dry cell weight—TDCWmax ≈ 27 g/L, in all cases. The more the PCC0 increased, the fewer lipids were produced. In OMW-enriched media with PCC0 ≈ 1.2 g/L, TDCW = 20.9 g/L containing ≈ 40% w/w of lipids was recorded. In L. starkeyi cultures, when PCC0 ≈ 2.0 g/L, TDCW ≈ 25 g/L was synthesized, whereas lipids in TDCW = 24−28% w/w, similar to the experiments without OMWs, were recorded. Non-negligible dephe... [more]

Magnetic fields (MF) are increasingly being applied in food processing to preserve food quality. They can be static (SMF), oscillating (OMF) or pulsed (PMF) depending on the type of equipment. The food characteristics can be influenced by several configurations of the applied magnetic field as its flux density, frequency, polarity and exposure time. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the effects of magnetic fields on foods. Some of them propose interactions at the subatomic particle level that show quantum behavior, such as the radical pair and cyclotron resonance mechanisms. Other proposals are at the level of DNA, compounds, subcellular organelles and cells. The interactions between food and magnetic fields are addressed in a general way in this work, highlighting the applications and action models involved and their effects on the physicochemical, enzymatic and microbiological characteristics of food.

The results presented in this study highlight the level of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and protein-precipitating capacity (PPC) correlated with the antioxidant capacity of new cider varieties enriched with valuable bio compounds by the addition of blueberry and black carrot extracts. The cider variants were treated with ultrasound (constant frequency of 20 kHz) at 20%, 30% and 40% amplitude (A) for two, five or seven minutes. TPC determination was performed by Folin−Ciocâlteu method and TFC was determined by an aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The antioxidant capacity was determined by ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the antioxidant performance indicators (FRAP, ABTS and DPPH) were positively correlated with the TPC and TFC of the ultrasound-treated cider variants, suggesti... [more]

Based on fifteen European plant species, a statistical model for the estimation of the anaerobic biodegradability of plant material was developed. We show that this new approach represents an accurate and cost-effective method to identify valuable energy plants for sustainable energy production. In particular, anaerobic biodegradability (Bo) of lignocellulosic material was empirically found to be related to the amount of cellulose plus lignin, as analytically assessed by the van Soest method, i.e., the acid detergent fiber (ADF) value. Apart from being theoretically meaningful, the ADF-based empirical model requires the least effort compared to the other four proposed conceptual models proposed, as individual fractions of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin do not need to be assessed, which also enhances the predictive accuracy of the model’s estimation. The model’s results showed great predictability power, allowing us to identify interesting crops for sustainable crop rotations. Fin... [more]

The aim of this study was to characterize the properties of lactoferrin (LF) obtained in a process developed for its isolation from acid whey derived from the production of fresh curd cheese, using a unique technology of ion-exchange chromatography on CIM® monolithic columns. The freeze-dried lactoferrin samples produced on the pilot plant (capacity 1 m3) were examined for the purity, iron-binding capacity, antibacterial activity, and pH- and temperature-stability. Apo-LF inhibited several tested strains (enterobacteria, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus salivarius) except clostridia, lactic acid bacteria, and bifidobacteria. Sample of LF intentionally saturated with Fe3+ lost its antibacterial activity, indicating the involvement of mechanisms based on depriving bacteria of an iron source. All samples, regardless of the iron-saturation level, exhibited stability in pH range 4.0 to 11.0. LF with higher iron content (A-value = 41.9%) showed better thermal stability. Heat treatment up to 72... [more]

This study aimed to investigate the performance of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) as a green approach for the recovery of polyphenols and pigments from wild nettle leaves (NL). ASE was operated at different temperatures (20, 50, 80 and 110 °C), static times (5 and 10 min) and cycle numbers (1−4) using ethanol (96%) as an extraction solvent. In order to compare the efficiency of ASE, ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) at 80 °C for 30 min was performed as a referent. Polyphenol and pigment analyses were carried out by HPLC and antioxidant capacity was assessed by ORAC. Seven polyphenols from subclasses of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids, along with chlorophylls a and b and their derivatives and six carotenoids and their derivatives were identified and quantified. Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant polyphenol and chlorophyll a represented the dominant pigment. ASE conditions at 110 °C/10 min/3 or 4 cycles proved to be the optimal for achieving the highest yields of analyz... [more]

The employment of used vegetable oils (UVOs) as raw materials in key sectors as energy production or bio-lubricant synthesis represents one of the most relevant priorities in the European Union (EU) normative context. In many countries, the development of new production processes based on the circular economy model, as well as the definition of future energy and production targets, involve the utilization of wastes as raw material. In this context, the main currently applied EU regulations are presented and discussed. As in the EU, the general legislative process consists of the definition in each State Member of specific legislation, which transposes the EU indications. Two relevant countries are herein considered: Italy and Spain. Through the analysis of the conditions required in both countries for UVOs’ collection, disposal, storage, and recycling, a wide panorama of the current situation is provided.

Despite the utilization of dusting flour and oil to reduce dough stickiness during the production process in food industry, they do not effectively help in eliminating the problem. Stickiness remains the bane of the production of bakery and confectionery products, including cookies. In addition, the high moisture content of cookie dough is unduly important to obtain a high breaking and compression strengths (cookies with high breaking tolerance). This study was conducted in light of insufficient research hitherto undertaken on the utilization of response surface methodology and superimposition to enhance the stickiness and moisture content of quick oat-based cookie dough. The study aims at optimizating, validating and superimposing the best combination of factors, to produce the lowest stickiness and highest moisture content in cookie dough. In addition, the effect of flour content and resting time on the stickiness and moisture content of cookie dough was also investigated, and micros... [more]

This study aims to evaluate the sugar yield from enzymatic hydrolysis and the interactive effect pretreatment parameters of microwave-assisted pretreatment on glucose and xylose. Three types of microwave-assisted pretreatments of sago palm bark (SPB) were conducted for enzymatic hydrolysis, namely: microwave-sulphuric acid pretreatment (MSA), microwave-sodium hydroxide pretreatment (MSH), and microwave-sodium bicarbonate (MSB). The experimental design was done using a response surface methodology (RSM) and Box−Behenken Design (BBD). The pretreatment parameters ranged from 5−15% solid loading (SL), 5−15 min of exposure time (ET), and 80−800 W of microwave power (MP). The results indicated that the maximum total reducing sugar was 386 mg/g, obtained by MSA pretreatment. The results also illustrated that the higher glucose yield, 44.3 mg/g, was found using MSH pretreatment, while the higher xylose yield, 43.1 mg/g, resulted from MSA pretreatment. The pretreatment parameters MP, ET, and SL... [more]

Fluctuation in fossil fuel prices and the increasing awareness of environmental degradation have prompted the search for alternatives from renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is the most efficient alternative to fossil fuel substitution because it can be properly modified for current diesel engines. It is a vegetable oil-based fuel with similar properties to petroleum diesel. Generally, biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable, and highly efficient alternative for fossil fuel substitution. In Malaysia, oil palm is considered as the most valuable commodity crop and gives a high economic return to the country. However, the ethical challenge of food or fuel makes palm oil not an ideal feedstock for biodiesel production. Therefore, attention is shifted to non-edible feedstock like Jatropha curcas Linnaeus (Jatropha curcas L.). It is an inedible oil-bearing crop that can be processed into biodiesel. It has a high-seed yield that could be continually produced for up to 50 years. Furthermore,... [more]

Recently, the global population has increased sharply, unfortunately, the availability of fossil fuel resources has significantly decreased. This phenomenon has become an attractive issue for many researchers in the world so that various studies in the context of finding renewable energy are developing continuously. Relating to this challenge, this research has been part of scientific work in the context of preparing an energy briquette employing palm oil stems and glycerol crude of biodiesel byproducts as inexpensive and green materials easily found in the Riau province, Indonesia. Technically, the palm oil stems are used for the production of charcoal particles and the glycerol crude as an adhesive compound in the production of energy briquettes. The heating value of palm oil stem is 17,180 kJ/kg, which can be increased to an even higher value through a carbonization process followed by a densification process so that it can be used as a potential matrix to produce energy briquettes.... [more]

Contents of selected volatile esters and fusel alcohols and their relation to the sensory quality of a bottom-fermented lager beer fermented under high-gravity conditions (15.5 °P) were analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM, Box−Behnken design). The influence of various pitching rates (6−10 mln cells/mL), aeration levels (8−12 mgO2/mL), times (4.5−13.5 h) of filling CCTs (cylindroconical fermentation tanks; 3850 hL), and fermentation temperatures (8.5−11.5 °C) on the contents of selected esters, as well as on concentrations of amyl alcohols and on the sum of higher alcohols in beer, was determined in a commercial brewery fermentation plant. Beers produced throughout the experiments met or exceeded all criteria established for a commercial, marketed beer. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that within the studied ranges of process parameters, models with diversified significance described the concentrations of volatiles in beer. The multiple response optimization pr... [more]

The achievement of carbon neutrality till 2050 will require the deployment of negative carbon emission technologies like the production and soil incorporation of biochar, produced from pyrolyzed plant-based residues. The carbon sequestration potential of biochar (BC) from hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) shells (HNS) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) husks (SFH) was evaluated when the biomass was carbonized in a fixed bed reactor, in a rotary kiln and in a screw reactor. In all tested reactors, higher temperatures (>500 °C) and longer retention times increased the C concentration and stability of the biochar, with negligible effects of the reactor type and feedstock. A national case study was developed for Austria concerning the potential use of SFH- and HNS-BC in combination with compost for reaching the “4 per mille” objective. An annual soil organic carbon increase of 2.5 Mt C would be needed, requiring amendment rates of 2.2 Mt C a−1 for all annual crop areas and 0.3 Mt C a−1 for... [more]

The evaporation process, boiler, and turbine are the main components of the cogeneration system of the sugar factory. In the conventional process, the evaporator requires extracted steam from the turbine, and bled vapor from the evaporator is supplied to the juice heater and the pan stage. The evaporation process may be modified by using extracted steam for the heating duty in the pan stage. This paper is aimed at the investigation of the effects of this process modification. Mathematical models of the conventional and modified processes were developed for this purpose. It was found that, under the conditions that the total evaporator area is 13,000 m2, and the inlet juice flow rate is 125 kg/s, the optimum modified evaporation process requires extracted steam at a pressure of 157.0 kPa. Under the condition that the fuel consumption rate is 21 kg/s, the cogeneration system that uses the optimum modified evaporation process yields 2.3% more power output than the cogeneration system that... [more]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different drying methods and drying temperature on the drying kinetics, total bioactive compounds, phenolic profile, microstructural properties, rehydration kinetics, and color change of cherry laurel fruit. For this aim, hot air drying (HAD), ultrasound-assisted vacuum drying (USV), and freeze-drying (FD) were conducted on drying of cherry laurel. HAD and USV were conducted at 50, 60, and 70 °C. Drying times of the samples were 1980, 1220, and 770 min for HAD at 50, 60 and 70 °C, and 950, 615, and 445 min at 50, 60, and 70 °C, respectively, for USV. The total bioactive compound was significantly affected by both drying methods and temperature (p < 0.05). FD exhibited the highest total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), total anthocyanin (TAC), and antioxidant capacity value USV showed a higher amount of bioactive compounds than those of HAD at the same drying temperature. The content of total bioactive compounds significantly increa... [more]

Avocado seeds are an agroindustrial residue widely produced in Mexico that are causing various environmental problems due to their accumulation. The evaluation of avocado residues to recover biopolymers by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and the characterization of avocado starch properties were studied in the present work. A central-composite design was used to optimize the MAE process. Moreover, a comparison was performed between MAE non-isothermal mode (NO−ISO) and conventional extraction. Starch optimization by MAE was obtained at 161.09 °C for 56.23 min with an extraction yield of 49.52% ± 0.69%, while with NO−ISO at 161 °C was obtained 45.75% ± 2.18%. Conventional extraction was 39.04% ± 2.22%. Compared with conventional starch, MAE starch showed similar proprieties and molecular spectra. In contrast, MAE starch showed high solubility, low water absorption capacity, a non-granular structure with small particle size (<2 µm) and polydispersity of fragments at different sizes... [more]

The current research work is an endeavor to study the chemical profiling and enzyme-inhibition potential of different polarity solvent (n-hexane, dichloromethane—DCM and methanol—MeOH) extracts from the aerial and stem parts of Buxus papillosa C.K. Schneid. All the extracts were analyzed for HPLC-PDA phenolic quantification, while both (aerial and stem) DCM extracts were studied for UHPLC-MS phytochemical composition. The inhibitory activity against the clinically important enzymes having crucial role in different pathologies like skin diseases (tyrosinase), inflammatory problems (lipoxygenase—LOX) and diabetes mellitus (α-amylase) were studied using standard in vitro bioassays. The DCM extracts upon UHPLC-MS analysis conducted in both negative and positive ionization modes has led to the tentative identification of 52 important secondary metabolites. Most of these belonged to the alkaloid, flavonoid, phenolic and triterpenoid classes. The HPLC-PDA polyphenolic quantification identifie... [more]

The traditional ageing of wine spirits is done in wooden barrels, however, high costs have led to the search for alternative technologies, such as the use of stainless steel tanks with wooden staves and the application of micro-oxygenation. This work evaluates the changes in the major volatile compounds of wine spirits aged for 6, 12 and 18 months in wooden barrels and stainless steel tanks with micro-oxygenation. For both ageing technologies, two types of wood (Limousin oak and Portuguese chestnut wood) were used. The samples were analysed concerning their alcohol strength (electronic densimetry) and volatile composition, namely of methanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate and other major volatile compounds ((GC-FID) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR)). The results show that the ageing technology was more influential than the wood species for the volatile composition of wine spirits, namely acetaldedehyde, methanol, 2-methylpropan-1-ol and 2+3-methylbutan-1-ol. However, the opposite beh... [more]