Loading...
24 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 24
- Food additives from fruit and vegetable by-products and bio-residues: a comprehensive review focused on sustainabilityPublication . Ueda, Jonata Massao; Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, LillianFood waste is one of the fundamental issues when it comes to environmental impacts, and this type of waste results in the food’s loss itself, but also that of water, energy, fertilizers, and other resources used for its production. Many vegetable parts are removed from the final product before reaching retail (peels, roots, and seeds), and these raw materials are rich sources of highly valuable molecules such as phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and other compounds with health benefits (prevention of several diseases, improvement of the immune system, regulating gastrointestinal transit, and others). Therefore, substantial efforts have been made to find technological solutions to avoid food waste, namely through its reuse in the food chain, thus promoting the circular economy and sustainability. This review focuses on the biggest wastes generated by the food industry, the most common destinations, and case studies applying these by-products or biowaste in the food industry.
- Nutritional enrichment of "Económicos" through the incorporation of chestnut flourPublication . Fernandes, Filipa Alexandra; Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Ferreira, Elisabete; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian“Económicos” are traditional Portuguese cakes from the region of Trás-os-Montes, made from inexpensive ingredients, such as flour, sugar, margarine, olive oil, eggs and brandy. Although widely consumed, the combination of ingredients does not provide any significant nutritional benefit [1]. The species Castanea sativa Mill. represents a valuable natural resource in Northern Portugal, however not all fruits are commercialized due to fruit calibre requirements [2]. There are several studies that demonstrate the nutritional importance of chestnuts [3], thus, increasing the nutritional value of "Económicos" with chestnut, which could be an opportunity to improve these cakes. Therefore, in the present work, “económicos were incorporated with chestnut flour and analyzed over 32 days of storage time. The nutritional profile analysis, including proteins, crude fat, moisture, ash, fibers, carbohydrates and energy were carried out following the AOAC official methods [4]. Soluble sugars were determined using HPLC-RI, organic acids by UPLC-DAD and fatty acids by GC-FID. Two batches of “Económicos” were used, one with 9% of chestnut flour and the other one without any incorporation, and a two-way analysis of variance was applied (storage time and type of flour as the main factors). This traditional Portuguese pastry product showed a relatively low moisture content (13.1±0.8 g/100 g fw), with carbohydrates being the macronutrient present in the highest quantity (57±2 g/100 g fw), followed by proteins (7.4±0.5 g/100 g fw), offering an energy value of 417±8 kcal/100 g fw. Sucrose (28±4 g/100 g fw) was the only feee sugar present, while two organic acids were identified, with oxalic acid (0.04±0.01 g/100 g fw) standing out. Fourteen fatty acids were also found, with greater abundance of butyric (C4:0 – 11.4±1.6 g/100 g fw) and linoleic (C18:2n6c – 1.9±0.4 g/100 g fw) acids. Regarding the nutritional value of "Económicos", for moisture and ash, the interaction of both factors was significant, which did not allow for an individual classification of these factors; there was a statistically higher amount of crude fat in the control samples, but lower carbohydrates, meaning that the flour significantly influences the content of these two nutrients. Regarding the content in proteins, fibers and energy, no significant differences were verified. For the sucrose content and for the individual and total content of organic acids, a significant interaction between both factors was detected, although through the estimated marginal means, a higher amount of all these molecules was detected in the cakes with chestnut flour. Finally, concerning the fatty acid composition, the interaction of the two factors was significant, not allowing an individual classification. It could be concluded that the chestnut flour does not significantly influence the composition of the traditional "Económicos" at 9% of total flour, contributing to a market diversification and valorisation of this traditional product, while also providing higher nourishment and bioactive molecules to the traditional cakes. Sensorial analysis will be performed on the developed Económicos, as well as the bioactive analysis to understand other positive effects that chestnut flour can add to the “Económicos”.
- Fermented food/beverage and health: current perspectivesPublication . Durazzo, Alessandra; Carocho, Márcio; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Barros, Lillian; Souto, Eliana B.; Santini, Antonello; Lucarini, MassimoFermented products have been gaining a notable importance in recent years due to the health benefits that they can provide in relation to the initial unfermented food matrix, i.e. in the enhancement of nutrients, effect on glucose metabolism and bioactivity, the presence of probiotics in some foods. The paper gives a current analysis of the fermented food/beverage and health relationship studies present in the literature and it is based on a literature quantitative analysis approach. VOSviewer software was utilized to extract and elaborate bibliometric data. 1504 publications ranged from the year 1970 to 2022 were retrieved by literature search and were collectively cited in 25,868 documents. The subject areas mainly covered are: “Agricultural and Biological Sciences”, “Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology”, “Immunology and Microbiology” and “Medicine”. 1148 terms, in total, are identified and the top recurring terms on the fermented food/beverage and health research are: metabolism, lactobacillus, food microbiology, lactic acid, animals. The functionality of fermented foods are here explored. Innovation is represented towards obtaining specific fermented foods (i.e. yogurts), by changing the fermentation conditions, or by adding or removing compounds that alter the fermentation, and thus, with the improvement of technologies like nanotechnology, targeted nutrition and others, it is expected that fermented food will consolidate their position in the food market.
- Development of statin-like and ergosterol enriched extracts from mushrooms bioresiduesPublication . Ueda, Jonata Massao; Benhassen, Yosra; Carocho, Márcio; Barros, Lillian; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Heleno, Sandrina A.Although cholesterol is essential for the functioning of the human body, its excess is responsible for causing atherosclerosis, along with several other diseases that affect the bones, liver, hormones, and immune system1. As a natural solution, mushrooms are being studied for their ability to reduce cholesterol due to their richness in molecules capable of reducing both cholesterol absorption and synthesis2,3. Therefore, the present work investigated two mushrooms species (Agaricus bisporus L. and Pleurotus ostreatus L.), aiming at extracting the highest contents of statins and ergosterol. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) optimization was performed followed by quantification of ergosterol and statins of the extracts by HPLC-UV4,5, as well as the effect of the temperature on both extractions (with and without iced bath), since statins are described as sensitive to high temperatures. For A. bisporus, there was no significant differences in the concentration of ergosterol and pravastatin when applying ice bath during the UAE. For P. ostreatus, the ice bath resulted in a 6% decrease in the ergosterol concentration and a 35% increase in pravastatin content, suggesting that the best extraction method to obtain an extract rich in hypocholesterolemic compounds is a cold extraction. For optimization, the P. ostreatus extract revealed the highest amount of pravastatin and ergosterol (63.85 and 23.95 mg/g of extract, respectively), in which the best extraction conditions were 400 W of ultrasonic power, 4 minutes and 44 seconds of extraction time, and 15.2 g/L of solid:liquid ratio, using methanol as solvent, besides using an ultrasound extraction with ice bath.
- New challenges and opportunities from secondary metabolitesPublication . Oliveira, Izamara; Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Alves, Maria José; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian; Heleno, Sandrina A.Secondary metabolites (SMs), usually of complex structure and low molecular weight, have remarkable biological activities and, unlike the primary metabolites, are presented in low concentrations and in certain groups of plants. These, in turn, arouse great interest, not only for the biological activities exerted by plants in response to environmental stimuli, but also for the immense pharmacological activity they possess. Many are of commercial importance, not only in the pharmaceutical area, but also in the food, agronomy, perfumery, and other important sectors. In general, secondary metabolites are natural compounds produced in plants with the main objective of protection against abiotic and biotic stresses, besides having important nutritional and pharmacological aspects in human nutrition, they are also sources of aromatic additives, dyes, antioxidants and exert numerous functions. There are many ways to extract these compounds, but green chemistry can generate economic benefits in industrial chemical processes, such as reducing the need for investments in storage and effluent treatment, as well as the payment of compensation for any environmental damage. In addition, the use of bioresidues as promising sources of secondary metabolites is a promising way to promote the circular economy and take advantage of these by-products through bioactive compounds and their application as additives in new food sources. Currently one of the challenges is to produce sources of secondary metabolites from domesticated plants, since these have differences from wild ones, and the domestication process could preserve defense traits, such as changing the significantly, in addition to domestication-related climate changes, which may also attribute other characteristics to the secondary metabolites. Moreover, another interesting biotechnology applied to obtain large-scale SMs naturally produced by fungi is heterologous expression, which consists in the transcription of one or more genes from the cluster data gene of the fungi producing the target compound in a secondary host, which in most studies are yeasts or filamentous fungi. The use of these compounds in turn must be in force within the parameters allowed by legislation for food incorporation and in the industry in general, since they differ according to the sources, uses, toxicological levels, and the regulations regarding their certifications. However, secondary metabolites emerge as a promising source for new opportunities of application, emphasizing their potential to act as strong and natural additives for several industrial purposes.
- Physical properties of 29 colored potato varietiesPublication . Oliveira, Izamara; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Rodrigues, Christian Teixeira; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Petropoulos, Spyridon Α.; Alexopoulos, Alexios; Carocho, Márcio; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.The use of different varieties of potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) with different colors may be appealing to consumers, namely in terms of their visual appearance, allowing their use as “chips” and other ready-to-eat snacks. This work studied the physical properties of 29 varieties of colored potatoes, analyzing their external color and the different dimensions of texture. The external color was measured with a portable colorimeter, analyzing the CIELab color space according to the L* (lightness), a* (red-green) and b* (blue-yellow) coordinates. The texture was determined using a “texture profile analysis” assay allowing the classification of their hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness and resilience. The samples were classified through an analysis of variance using Tukey’s test as a post-hoc, and finally were subjected to a linear discriminant analysis for further discrimination based on the studied parameters. According to the obtained results, the color of the potatoes showed significant statistical differences, although many of the samples were related to each other. The sample with the darkest color was “Blaue veltlin” variety, with an L* of 27.8, whereas the sample with the lightest colour was “Blaue ajanhuiri” variety. In terms of the values of parameter a* the cultivar with the greenest tone was also the “Blaue ajanhuiri”, while the one closer to the red quadrant was "Purple from Peru”. Finally, the analysis of parameter b* showed that “Blaue Neuseeländer” sample was the one with the highest blue tone and “Purple fiesta” the one with the highest intensity of yellow. Regarding the different texture dimensions, the samples showed homogenous values. All samples revealed no statistical difference for springiness, whereas regarding adhesiveness, the sample “Purple from Congo” was the most adhesive at -144 g/sec and “Linzer blaue” the less adhesive at -15 g/sec. Concerning the hardness parameter, “Blaue Anneliese” and “Blaue neuseeländer” were the samples with the hardest and softest texture, respectively. In addition, the most cohesive sample was “Pink from Bolivia”, whereas the least cohesive one was “Linzer blaue”. Chewiness had three different levels of significant difference with “Blaue Anneliese” being the least chewy and “Black princess” the most, while for resilience, the least resilient were “Pink from Bolivia” and “Hermanns blaue” and the most resilient was “Linzer blaue”. In terms of the linear discriminant analysis, the first two of five functions described 84.8% of variability (function 1 – 72.0%, function 2 – 12.8%), while the varieties that presented the highest variability were “Lilly rose”, “Red salad potato”, “Purple from Peru”, “Königspurpur” and “Highland burgundy”. In conclusion, the presented results showed a great variability among the tested potato varieties indicating that these could dictate the different uses of the final food product.
- A breakthrough on bread formulation: natural mineral water as a novel functional ingredientPublication . Ferreira, Fernanda; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Guimarães, Rafaela; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Lemos, André; Pintado, Manuela; Alves, Maria José; Barros, LillianThe food industry has a significant impact on global economy. The development of new products and food ingredients that improve the nutritional, functional, and organoleptic properties play a critical role in the discovery of higher-quality products. Bread is one of the most common foods found in most people's daily diets. Water plays a crucial role in its preparation, since it hydrates the flour, amide, and proteins. In this way, natural mineral waters (thermal and carbonated) are rich in trace elements, presenting great potential in the development of new enriched products [1,2] . The main purpose of this study was to create bread, biju, and chapata formulations that used natural mineral water instead of regular water to better understand the impact of different liquids on the physicochemical properties and centesimal composition of bread (thermal and carbonated). After cooking, parameters such as carbohydrates, ash, fat, protein, salt content, pH, water activity, minerals and fatty acids were determined. With regards to the centesimal composition, the carbonated and thermal biju breads showed significant increase in the energy value when compared to normal bread. Although the chapata thermal bread had the highest protein and salt content, the energy value remained unchanged. Noteworthy, analyzing the fatty acid profile for the thermal biju bread there was a significant decrease in the PUFA content. Considering the chapata bread (carbonated and thermal) highest contents of mainly SFA and MUFA were found. When comparing normal bread with carbonated and thermal chapata breads in pH parameter, these breads showed the highest values, while the water activity increased in the carbonated and thermal biju bread. Finally, a highest total mineral content, was observed in the carbonated and thermal biju bread. Overall, the results suggest that thermal and carbonated waters could be useful ingredients in the development of novel functional products
- Promising preserving agents from sage and basil: a case study with yogurtsPublication . Ueda, Jonata Massao; Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Fernandes, Filipa Alexandra; Rodrigues, Paula; Melgar Castañeda, Bruno; Dias, Maria Inês; Pinela, José; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Ivanov, Marija; Soković, Marina; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Ineu, Rafael P.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, LillianIn the present work, sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were exploited for their preservative purposes, as viable alternatives to artificial ones. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds was pre-optimized using factorial screening analysis, prior to applying response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained extracts were characterized in terms of phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector and mass spectrometer HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and bioactivities, namely the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential. In addition, the most promising extracts were incorporated into yogurts, that were further screened for nutritional and physico-chemical properties and microbial load, over a shelf life of 14 days. According to the obtained results, the solvent percentage is the most relevant factor for obtaining rosmarinic acid-rich extract, followed by the extraction time and ultrasonic power. For the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, sage showed the best result for both analysis and none of the two plant extracts were hepatotoxic. Finally, both extracts did not show changes in the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of the yogurts and did not interfere with the growth of lactic acid bacteria, an important microorganism during yogurt fermentation. These results highlight the high potential of sage and basil as natural preservatives.
- Value-added lipids from plant foods and respective applicationsPublication . Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Reis, Filipa S.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, LillianSince ancient times, man has used plants as a food source, associating their consumption with nutritional and health benefits. Among the nutrients obtained from plants, which the consumer associates more with beneficial health effects than those obtained from the animal diet, we can highlight the lipids. Lipids play a vital role in plant or animal biology, as they are a source of energy and can also act as hormones or signaling molecules. In plants, the lipid content varies according to the species, but this fraction is mainly constituted by polar and nonpolar lipids and acyl glycerides. The main classes of lipids found in plants include glycerols, phospholipids, glycolipids, sterols, free fatty acids, vitamins, waxes, carotenes, terpenes, hydrocarbons, phenolics, tocols, chlorophyll pigments, and their derivatives. Given the importance of these nutrients and their effects on human health, obtaining and using them as value-added molecules with a potential industrial application at different levels can and should be analyzed. Nowadays, several sectors (e.g. food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical) invest in the search and characterization of different molecules to be used, such as functional and/or nutraceutical ingredients. Hence, promoting the concept of circular 92economy and sustainability of processes and products, byproducts have been identified as an excellent source of interest compounds. With these aspects in mind, this chapter presents the main vegetable sources of lipids, emphasizing food byproducts, the beneficial effects of these molecules on human health, ways of obtaining and extraction methodologies, and the potential for application in different sectors.
- Económicos” cakes strengthened with chestnut: effects on texture and colorPublication . Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Ueda, Jonata Massao; Fernandes, Filipa Alexandra; Ferreira, Elisabete; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.Cereals grains, such as wheat, rice and corn starch are one of the main sources of nutrients and energy contributors to the human diet. Furthermore, wheat baked products are historically the basis of the diet in Europe [1]. The “económicos” are traditional cakes from Portugal, made with flour, sugar, margarine, olive oils, eggs and brandy and quite appreciated by consumers, because of the good taste [2]. Different sources of flour can be used in pastry products, however, the gluten present in wheat flour, along with starch maintain the union between the ingredients, provide the structure of the baked product and also the elasticity and extensiveness of the mass. Therefore, with the use of other sources of flour, the presence of gluten becomes minimal and the cake tends to become brittle and compact [3,4], usually with an inferior quality compared to foods which contain it, namely at the level of low nutritional value, weak coloration, higher tendency to crumble and, mainly, low volume [3]. Thus, the main objectives of this work were to analyse the texture and color of “económicos” incorporated with chestnut flower, thus strengthening the económicos nutritional value and not fully reducing gluten. Color was analysed using a portable colorimeter, with analysis of the L*, a* and b* coordinates on the top, bottom and inside sections of the “económicos”. Texture was analysed using a texturometer and a texture profile analysis, rendering the dimensions of hardness, adhesiveness, resilience, cohesiveness, springiness, gomosity, chewiness and firmness. Both analysis were carried out over the course of 25 days and the samples were compared with control económicos with only wheat flour. Overall, significant interaction was sought for all analysis of color, except for red-green on the top of the “económico” and lightness of the inside, being the chestnut samples significantly darker than the control ones. Storage time showed, as expected, a higher influence on the texture profile, especially in terms of hardness, cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness, with statistical differences found from the first to the 11th day. The chestnut flower only influenced the springiness, making thus reducing this dimension. Chestnut flour can be useful to fortify these cheap snacks, although analysis on the chemical, nutritional and microbial analyses are being processed
- «
- 1 (current)
- 2
- 3
- »