This Special Issue entitled “Application of Proteomics and Enzyme Technologies in Foods” explores the latest progress and perspectives on the development and application of enzyme technologies, proteomics, and bioprocessing in the context of food science [...]

In order to study the effect of inorganic salt additives on the surface tension of a sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) solution, the surface tension of the mixed system of six common inorganic salt additives, NaCl, CaCl2, AlCl3, Na2SO4, Na2CO3, and NaHCO3, and SDBS was measured, and the effects of the inorganic salt types, surfactant concentrations and inorganic salt concentrations on the surface tension of the SDBS solution were studied. On this basis, three inorganic salts, NaCl, CaCl2 and Na2SO4, were selected, and their effects on the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the SDBS solution were studied. The experimental results showed that different inorganic salts had different effects on the surface tension of the SDBS solution. The order of effect of the six inorganic salts on the surface tension of the SDBS solution was CaCl2 > NaCl > Na2SO4 > NaHCO3 > Na2CO3 > AlCl3; when the mass fraction of the SDBS solution is high, the influence of the inorganic salts on the surface... [more]

Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant and antimicrobial in vitro activity of ethanolic (EE) and hydroethanolic (HE) extracts of mango peel Ataulfo were evaluated. The highest TPC, TFC and antioxidant capacity were as shown in EE. Ethanolic extract was incorporated into ground beef at 1000 (BBEA) and 2000 mg/kg meat (BEEB) concentrations and then compared with 250 mg of sodium ascorbate/kg meat (ASC) along with a control (without antioxidant). The effects of adding EE on instrumental colour, metmyoglobin content, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), pH, microbial load and sensorial analysis of ground beef were evaluated for 11 days at 4 °C. BEEB added in raw ground beef improved colour stability while the lipid oxidation in raw and raw-cooked ground beef was inhibited with a greater antioxidant effect than ASC and a similar overall acceptability score (cooked ground beef). However, incorporating BEEB into ground beef did not show significan... [more]

Different extraction techniques were used to exploit fruit processing residues for their use as a source of phenolic compounds. Three different extraction methods, namely microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), subcritical water extraction (SWE), and maceration (M), were assessed to gauge their respective efficacies. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and radical scavenging activity ABTS assay were evaluated. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to assess the polyphenolic profile. MAE was the extraction technique that allowed the highest recovery of polyphenolic compounds. Concerning the fruit by-products analyzed, the extract of pomegranate peels obtained using M60C and MAE had the highest TPC (313 ± 24 mg GAE/g dry weight (dw)) and TFC (36.0 ± 2.8 mg EE/g dw), respectively, and the highest antioxidant activity (FRAP = 740 ± 67 mg AAE/g dw and ABTS (628 ± 27 mg TE/g dw) corresponded to M60C. The phenolic co... [more]

The new energy context since 2021 has led to dramatic increases in the energy bills of agribusinesses, affecting the price of foodstuffs. A considerable part of energy consumption is due to the heating of water at high temperatures. The present study analyzed the feasibility of using a Solar Water Heating System (SWHS) with an evacuated tube collector. In particular, the required sizing changes, potential savings and cost-effectiveness were analyzed. The results show that the new energy context makes the SWHS investment highly attractive: a payback of less than 4 years in most of the scenarios analyzed; energy savings of more than 60% in the scenarios with higher irradiation; a reduction in total energy expenditure of more than 50% in the favorable scenarios close to the current reality. The new context especially favors cold and temperate climates, with very sharp drops in payback compared to the previous situation. To achieve these values, it is necessary to design an optimized sizin... [more]

In this paper, the two-dimensional Kelvin−Helmholtz (KH) instability occurring in the shear flow of polymer fluids is modeled by the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method at the coarse-grained molecular level. A revised FENE model is proposed to properly describe the polymer chains. In this revised model, the elastic repulsion and tension are both considered between the adjacent beads, the bond length of which is set as one segment’s equilibrium length. The entanglements between polymer chains are described with a bead repulsive potential. The characteristics of such a KH instability in polymer fluid shear flow can be successfully captured in the simulations by the use of the modified FENE model. The numerical results show that the waves and vortexes grow more slowly in the shear flow of the polymer fluids than in the Newtonian fluid case, these vortexes become flat, and the polymer impedes the mixing of fluids and inhibits the generation of turbulence. The effects of the polymer... [more]

This work aimed to optimize the extraction conditions of bioactive compounds obtained from three squash by-products (e.g., peel, endocarp, and seeds) using the response surface methodology (RSM). The selected independent variables were ethanol concentration, extraction time, and extraction temperature. Squash by-products’ bioactive molecules were extracted according to the matrix proposed by the experimental plan. Significant variability in total phenolic compound content (TPC) and antioxidant activity, depending on the extraction time, the solvent concentration, and the extraction temperature, was recorded for the tested by-products. The experimental results adequately fitted with second-order polynomial models and showed significant linear, quadratic, and interaction effects of the independent variables. Data analysis suggested that the optimal extraction conditions were 12.2% ethanol for 11.2 min at 55 °C for peels; 28.5% ethanol for 10.5 min at 37 °C for endocarp; and 20% ethanol f... [more]

Humankind has been unknowingly utilizing food fermentations since the first creation of bread, cheese, and other basic foods. Since the beginning of the last century, microbial fermentation has been extensively utilized for production of commodity chemicals. It has also gained substantial interest in recent decades due to its underlying applications in the preparation of natural and safe food ingredients including enzymes, antimicrobial agents, vitamins, organic acids, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, oligosaccharides, amino acids, and thickening agents. In addition, some novel food ingredients that were conventionally made from some other sources such as plant tissue cultures or animals are now being introduced in the industry as ‘fermentation products.’ Some examples of such novel fermentation food ingredients include flavonoids, cultured meat products, food colorants, antioxidants, lipids, and fatty acids. This review summarizes some of the most prominent food ingredients and n... [more]

Mushrooms have a long history of use as food and medicine. They are rich in various nutrients and bioactive compounds, particularly phenolic compounds. In this study, ten mushroom species were selected, and solvent extraction using 80% ethanol was used to extract phenolic compounds. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total condensed tannin content (TCT) were measured to evaluate phenolic content in different mushroom varieties. In the mushroom varieties tested, brown portobello mushroom had the highest TPC (396.78 ± 3.12 µg GAE/g), white cup mushroom exhibited the highest TFC (275.17 ± 9.40 μg CE/g), and shiitake mushroom presented the highest TCT (13.80 ± 0.21 µg QE/g). Antioxidant capacity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azino-bis-3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays. The highest DPPH free radical scavenging ability was found in whi... [more]

Grinding chatter is a kind of self-excited vibration in which the grinding system continuously absorbs energy from the grinding machine, increasing the mechanical energy of the system. Grinding chatter can damage the surface of the workpiece and accelerate the abrasion of the grinding wheel. The theoretical analysis of the grinding chatter for the beam surface was launched based on the behavior of a single abrasive grain, whose cutting thickness is a key factor affecting grinding stability. The dynamic grinding force model has been developed, which is the interaction interface between the grinding wheel and the workpiece. In this paper, rail beam grinding was taken as an example. The vibration performance of the rail beam was described with the Timoshenko beam. The characteristics of the frequency domain of the grinding wheel-workpiece system were observed, and the condition of the stability at any position in the longitudinal direction of the beam was gained, which could be quantitati... [more]

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) as the major byproduct in the brewing industry is a promising feedstock to produce value-added products such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Synergistic ball mill−enzymatic hydrolysis (BM-EH) process is an environmentally friendly pretreatment method for lignocellulosic materials before bioprocessing. This study investigated the potential of raw and BM-EH pretreated BSG feedstocks to produce VFAs through a direct thermophilic anaerobic fermentation process without introducing a methanogen inhibitor. The highest VFA concentration of over 30 g/L was achieved under the high-solid loading fermentation (HS) of raw BSG. The synergistic BM-EH pretreatment helps to increase the cellulose conversion to 70%. Under conventional low TS fermentation conditions, compared to the controlled sample, prolonged pretreatment of the BSG substrate resulted in increased VFA yields from 0.25 to 0.33 g/gVS, and butyric acid became dominant instead of acetic acid.

In the era of digitalization, the process industry is one of the sectors most affected by the need for change. The adoption of IoT-based intelligent monitoring systems for the collection of real-time measurements of energy and other essential operational variables, on one hand, makes it possible to accumulate big data useful for the company management to monitor the stability of the production process over time, and on the other hand, helps to develop predictive models that enable more efficient work and production. The OTTORTO project stems from the need of the FARRIS company to adapt its production line to agriculture 4.0 policies, responding to the higher goals of digitization and technological transition imposed at the national and EU level. The objectives of the current study are (i) to present an “ad hoc” customized intelligent and multi-parameter monitoring system to derive real-time temperature and humidity measurements inside the company’s industrial drying kilns; and (ii) to... [more]

The objective of the study is to evaluate a new proposal for a coating based on corn starch (CS) enriched with basil essential oil (BEO) to overcome the rapid deterioration of quail eggs under nonrefrigerated conditions. One hundred and seventy-one quail eggs were divided into treatments of uncoated eggs (control), eggs coated with CS, and eggs coated with CS/BEO, and analyzed over four weeks at room temperature. The CS/BEO coating reduced the growth of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, molds, and yeasts on the surface of eggshells to <2 log10 CFU/mL compared to the control treatment at week four storage. The average Haugh unit (HU) of the four weeks of storage of the CS/BEO treatment was notably higher compared to the control. There was no significant difference between the sensory parameter scores of coated eggs and control treatment. Based on the findings, the CS/BEO coating can be used to mitigate the contamination of quail eggs and preserve their internal q... [more]

Apples represent a category of products frequently consumed by people, owing both to their beneficial effects on human health and to their antioxidant effects. Microwave (MW) treatment is a simple and fast method that can be used successfully in the food industry to obtain dry apple slices, rich in bioactive compounds and with a pleasant aspect. This study presents the effect of applying microwave treating to apple slices from two cultivars (Golden Delicious and Idared), for three, four, and five minutes, respectively, at a power of 450 W, in order to reduce the browning effect. For this purpose, the browning index (BI), chromatic parameters (CIE L*a*b*), total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocâlteu method), and antioxidant capacity (by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP assay) were evaluated in the case of apple slices before and after MW treatment. Based on the results obtained, it can be argued that the microwave treatment results in a significant increase in the total phenolic cont... [more]

In this study, coriander leaves were subjected to three different drying techniques; direct sun, shade, and using an indirect solar dryer. In the developed dryer, hot air obtained from a black-body solar collector was pushed by a blower powered by a solar panel, and sent to the drying chamber with multiple trays for thin-layer drying. Experiments were conducted for summer and winter seasons, and temperature and relative humidity variations in the drying chamber were measured using a data acquisition system. Indirect solar dryer performance was evaluated and compared with sun drying and shade drying for drying kinetics, moisture diffusivity, and product quality. The drying rate curves show a linear falling rate throughout the drying process. The drying kinetic models are well-fitted with the Midilli and Kucuk thin-layer drying model. The effective moisture diffusivity of the dried coriander shows a decreasing trend, sun drying (2.63 × 10−10 m2/s and 1.05 × 10−10 m2/s) followed by solar... [more]

Ru catalysts supported on activated carbon obtained by hydrothermal treatment of rice husk were evaluated in the hydrogenation reaction of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone. The hydrothermally treated carbon was characterized by nitrogen physisorption, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis, and the catalysts were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, and temperature-programmed desorption of pyridine (acidic properties). Prior to the reaction, the catalysts were reduced at different temperatures in the range of 100−350 °C to evaluate the effect of the reduction temperature on the performance in the hydrogenation of levulinic acid. The reaction was carried out in a batch reactor at 70 °C and 1.5 MPa. The results of conversion and selectivity to γ-valerolactone showed that the catalyst with the best performance was the sample reduced at 200 °C. After 2 h of reaction, a γ-valerolactone yield of 74% was achieved.... [more]

As the four-way shuttle vehicle is prone to overturning in finished grain storage during acceleration and deceleration, an overturning mechanical model is constructed. The design factors analyzed include grain bag height, vehicle and grain bag mass, and the type of grain’s effect on the vehicle’s anti-overturning stability. The critical overturning condition of the shuttle vehicle during operation is also determined as a result of this analysis. With the critical overturning condition, the speed control of the shuttle vehicle based on the fuzzy PID method is carried out to improve the anti-overturning stability. Significant details are made about the fuzzification of input and output variables, determination of membership function, establishment of the fuzzy rule base, fuzzy reasoning, and defuzzification. Finally, the comparative simulation model of fuzzy PID and conventional PID in the MATLAB/Simulink platform showed that the fuzzy PID control method had the advantages of fast conver... [more]

The agri-food industry generates significant quantities of plant-based food waste from processing, which offers a valuable research opportunity aimed at minimizing and managing these wastes efficiently in support of zero waste and/or circular economies. In order to achieve food security, all of these wastes can be valorized using downstream processes in an integrated manner, which results in the conversion of waste into secondary raw materials. Specifically, plant-based food wastes and/or byproducts are recognized sources of bioactive chemicals, including dietary fibers that are beneficial as food additives or functional food ingredients that can meet the technological and functional requirements of health-promoting value-added products. Additionally, cellulosic ingredients can be utilized directly within nonfood industries, such as textiles, resulting in a reduction in the environmental impact of secondary raw materials, as well as an increase in market acceptance compared to those cu... [more]

Fig fruits have recently received more attention by consumers for their quality as either fresh or dried fruits and, consequently, growers are becoming more interested in the cultivation of this species. Figs are mainly consumed as processed fruits (dried, marmalade, jam, etc.), but limited attention has been paid to new possible processing applications of several local cultivars grown in Mediterranean countries. This study aimed to investigate both the morpho-pomological characteristics and consumer sensory ratings (two groups: students and technicians) for four fig cultivars processed as a new type of product, ‘dried fig disks’. The results showed that three out of the four cultivars (Processotto Nero, Natalese Nera, and Verde di Natale) had good pomological characteristics such as fruit weight and skin color, as well as easy peeling, yield, ripening time, and TSS. The same cultivars received positive hedonic scores for appearance (>5 on a 10-point hedonic scale), flavor (4−6 on a 10... [more]

In this study, conditions were determined to obtain a solid wax with a waxy ester content of more than 25% from the hydrotreating of palm oil. The experiments were conducted in a pilot-scale fixed-bed reactor. The influence of temperature, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), and pressure on the conversion of triglycerides were evaluated using a nickel molybdenum catalyst (NiMo/Al2O3). The variables were evaluated between 240 and 260 °C, 1 and 2 h−1 and 41 and 55 bar, respectively. Based on these results, the best conditions were T:240−260 °C; P: 90 bar; LHSV: 1.5 h−1; hydrogen/oil ratio 472 LN/L with a conversion around 60 wt%; and a selectivity towards waxy esters of 40 wt%. These conditions were then validated with a second catalyst (NiMoB/Al2O3), yielding a triglyceride conversion of about 60 wt% and a waxy ester concentration of around 30 wt%.

“Seong-Yeun Yoo, In-Kook Kang, Namhyun Kim, Sanggyu Kim, Kangil Choe” were not included as authors in the original publication [...]

This research aimed to assess the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of methanol extract of Wilckia maritima, a plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae, which is enriched with natural antioxidants. Qualitative phytochemical studies showed the presence of numerous compounds including glycosides, phenols, triterpenoids, and GC-MS studies revealed the presence of 35 bioactive components, including n-hexadecanoic acid (26.96%), 9,12,15 octadecatrienoic acid (cis) (25.52%), 3,5 di-hydroxy-6-methyl 2,3-di-hydro-4-pyran 4-one (14.35%), and 3-tertiary butyl-4-hydroxy-anisol (11.68%) as major components, which are thought to be responsible for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials of methanol extract of W. maritima., flavonoids, steroids, tannins, and saponins. The antioxidant potential of the extract was determined by performing various assays, including DPPH free radical scavenging, ferrous reducing, and hydrogen peroxide assays, which showed significant percentage inhibiti... [more]

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack), developed by crossing rye and wheat, is increasingly applied in food production. The aim of this paper was to study the grinding process of eight new triticale grain (TG) varieties harvested in 2020 and 2021. TG was tempered to 12% of moisture and a knife mill was used for the size reduction. The following parameters characterizing the grinding process of TG were determined: specific grinding energy, Sokołowski grinding index, particle size distribution and average particle size. Additionally, the basic chemical composition, total phenolic content and antiradical activity of TG were determined. The protein content of TG was strongly influenced both by the variety and harvesting year, while other components were mostly affected by the genetic factor. The strongest influence on the grinding indices has a variety of TG. Specific grinding energy varied in the range of 14.0 kJ kg−1−17.8 kJ kg−1 and was positively correlated with the size of ground parti... [more]

Nanotechnology is an emerging field in the food industry that will be important for future industrial production to address rising customer concerns and expectations for natural, nutritious, and healthful food items. People are increasingly motivated to purchase unprocessed food or even high-quality processed foods with minimum chemical additives, highlighting the need to investigate natural alternatives for commercial purposes. Natural compounds are becoming more popular among consumers since they are safer than synthetic chemical additions; however, their most functional compounds are sensitive to the adverse conditions of processing and the digestive tract, impairing their use in food matrices, and industrial-scale applications. Nowadays, nanoencapsulation of natural products can be the most suitable nanotechnology to improve stability, solubility, and bioavailability. The nanostructure can be incorporated into food during production, processing, packaging, and security. Despite the... [more]

In this study, the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antidiabetic properties of S. elaeagnifolium flower (SEFl), fruit (SEFr), and leaf (SEFe) extracts were investigated in vitro and in silico. HPLC-DAD analysis was used to determine the chemical components. Colorimetric techniques were used to identify polyphenols and flavonoids. The antioxidant capacity was determined using DPPH and TAC assays. The antidiabetic activity was examined using the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Molecular docking methods were used to assess the anti-dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) activity. According to HPLC findings, extracts of S. elaeagnifolium flowers, leaves, and fruits are rich in salicylic acid, sinapic acid, chlorogenic acid, naringin, quercetin, quercetin-3-O-beta-glucoside, kaempferol, and chalcone. The IC50 for flower, leaf, and fruit extracts were 132 ± 5.59 μg/mL, 43.19 ± 1.46 μg/mL, and 132 ± 5.59 μg/mL, respectively. The total antioxidant capacity of SEFr, SEFe, and SEFl we... [more]