Changes in the content of free phenolic acids and antioxidative capacity of wholemeal bread in relation to cereal species and fermentation type Abstract Only low molecular, simple phenolic acids and their dimers can be easily absorbed by intestinal cells. In this study, the changes in free (unbound) phenolic acids and antioxidative capacity were tracked from flour, through bread to final in vitro bread hydrolysate. The initial material of the study included wholemeal flours made of common wheat, spelt wheat and rye, fermented with baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae or by the use of baking starter made of lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus casei and L. brevis cultures with S. chevalieri yeast. A significant overall increase in free phenolic acids in breads and their hydrolysates was found, with the highest increase found for rye samples. The impact of the fermentation type was not consistent, showing additional crucial factors of used flours, which can affect final results. The free phenolic acid content in all the samples was correlated with the antioxidant capacity.

Dietary selenium intake in lactating dairy cows modifies fatty acid composition and volatile profile of milk and 30-day-ripened caciotta cheese Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary selenium supplementation of dairy cows on chemical–nutritional and aromatic properties of milk and related caciotta cheese. 34 Friesian cows were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group (CG) received a conventional feeding strategy, while the experimental group (EG) was fed with a daily selenomethionine supplementation. Dietary selenium integration did not induce variations on milk yield and composition, but induced a marked decrease in somatic cell count. Both in milk and cheese the EG samples showed an increase in linoleic and rumenic acids. The volatile profile of dairy products was also positively affected by dietary selenium intake, with a decrease in concentration of hexanoic acid, hexanal, heptanal, and an increase in ethyl hexanoate, δ-octalactone, δ-decalactone, 2-heptanone, and 2-nonanone. Such findings could contribute to the production of cheeses with interesting nutritional and organoleptic properties, although further sensorial evaluations should be performed to deeply investigate the consumer acceptability.

Functional properties of Cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas L.): a comprehensive review Abstract Cornus mas, also known as the Cornelian cherry, is a plant that grows in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Its green leaves and reddish oval fruits are associated with many beneficial properties such as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. These features are driven by the rich polyphenolic composition, with anthocyanins and iridoids in Cornelian cherry fruits as well as flavonoids and phenolic acids in leaves. The antioxidant behavior as well as the composition significantly depends on the cultivar of the plant and its genotype. The functional properties of Cornelian cherry have been recognized in many in vitro and toxicological studies. Cornus mas fruits and their extracts have been found to have significant antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. The beneficial effect of C. mas fruits as a food component has been determined in numerous papers focused on functional food. However, there is no information in existing literature about C. mas leaves in functional food applications. This paper presents the results of current studies including their synthesis to answer the question whether the Cornelian cherry exhibits positive properties due to its bioactive compound content.

A multiplex real-time PCR method applied to detect eight pollen species in food for the prevention of allergies Abstract Pollen-induced anaphylaxis is recognized as the most common allergic disease. Methods for pollen species identification are thus regarded as important and urgent for the protection of sensitive consumers. In our study, a multiplex real-time PCR assay was established targeting eight pollens that have been reported recently as potential allergens or were uncommon species that have been newly exploited for marketing purposes (pine pollen, canola bee pollens, kiwi bee pollens, willow bee pollens, corn poppy bee pollens, rose bee pollens, lotus bee pollens, and camellia bee pollens). This method proved to be highly specific and efficient, with four pollen species being identified simultaneously from a single reaction. The absolute sensitivity was 1 pg/μL to 1 ng/μL for DNA from the eight pollen species, and as low as 0.5% (w/w) mixed bee pollen powder could be discriminated. A microscopy method using SEM was compared with our multiplex real-time PCR method. Results demonstrated that SEM was much less sensitive than multiplex real-time PCR, with the sensitivity of the former being approximately 10–50% (w/w).

Development of gluten-free and egg-free pasta based on quinoa ( Chenopdium quinoa Willd) with addition of lupine flour, vegetable proteins and the oxidizing enzyme POx Abstract The aim of this research was to develop gluten-free (GF) and egg-free quinoa pasta with high nutritional value. Extruded and non-extruded quinoa (red and white) flour, potato starch, tara gum, and potato, pea and rice protein isolates were investigated in different recipes, some of them included egg white as an initial reference point. Results showed that extruded quinoa flour, potato starch and tara gum had deteriorating effects on GF and egg-free pasta firmness and cooking quality. Lupine flour addition itself was not able to replace egg white when added in the same amounts, but after increasing the concentration to 12%, the firmness and cooking quality decreasing effects could be improved again, especially when tara gum was absent in the formulations. In the final recipe, the content of lupine flour was increased to 30% because its protein is complementary to the quinoa protein. From the three studied protein isolates, pea protein was superior to potato or rice protein, addition of the oxidizing enzyme POx could even further improve texture firmness. After these trials, the final recipe containing lupine flour, pea protein and POx showed satisfying GF noodle quality and possessed a valuable nutritional composition with high protein and dietary fibre content.

Compositional characterization of commercial sparkling wines from cv. Ribolla Gialla produced in Friuli Venezia Giulia Abstract Ribolla Gialla (RG) is a white grape variety used in the production of high-quality sparkling wines. It is cultivated in a limited area between Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG—Northeast Italy) and Slovenia; for this reason, there is little information about the composition and chemical characteristics of the sparkling wines produced. This work used different analytical approaches (FTIR spectroscopy, UHPLC–MS/MS, liquid–liquid extraction, SPE and SPME–GC–MS) to characterize thirty-three commercial sparkling RG wines from different areas of FVG. The characteristics included the overall volatile profile and content of terpenes, C13-norisoprenoids, lipids, and metabolites of aromatic amino acids. The aroma profile of RG wines was mainly characterized by fermentative esters and β-damascenone, whereas other norisoprenoids and varietal aromas were below the odor threshold. Appreciable amounts of certain fatty acids were found (e.g., palmitic acid), which could be potentially correlated with greater foam stability. However, high concentrations of aromatic amino acids metabolites highlighted a higher risk of developing atypical aging defects.

Irrigation effects on the volatile composition and sensory profile of Albariño wines from two different terroirs Abstract Volatile composition plays a fundamental role in wine aroma and quality. However, the concentrations of volatiles depend on climate conditions and agricultural practices, such as irrigation. The aim of the current study was to assess the effects of irrigation on the volatile composition and sensory characteristics of wines from Vitis vinifera (L.) cultivar ‘Albariño’ in two zones of NW Spain (Rías Baixas and Ribeiro) during three consecutive years (2012, 2013, and 2014). Irrigation was scheduled by the vine grower in Rías Baixas, whereas it was fixed at 50% of the estimated crop evapotranspiration in Ribeiro. Water was applied in August, mainly, in Rías Baixas and from mid-July to mid-August in Ribeiro. Irrigation significantly altered the concentrations of several volatiles, which differed between zones and years. For instance, wines from the irrigated treatment had lower concentrations of isoamyl acetate, 2-phenylethyl acetate, and ethyl hexanoate than those from the rain-fed treatment in Rías Baixas. In contrast, irrigation increased the concentrations of ethyl hexanoate and ethyl octanoate, while reduced those of free terpenes in wines from Ribeiro. Mainly, these differences between zones were caused by the climate conditions of each region.

Identification of X-ray-irradiated hazelnuts by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy Abstract Food irradiation is used to preserve food from pathogenic microorganisms, deterioration and to extend shelf life. The EU legislation states that any irradiated food or food ingredients must be labeled with the word “irradiated”. The ESR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to enhance official checks; hence, it has been used to detect irradiated hazelnuts. The results from the ESR studies on hazelnuts before and after X-ray irradiation are reported. Before irradiation hazelnuts exhibit one singlet ESR line characterized with a g-factor of 2.0046 ± 0.0006. After irradiation, a typical “cellulose-like” triplet ESR spectrum appears. To investigate the radio-induced free radical stability, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the ESR satellite signals was considered. Fading measurements indicate that the intensity of the ESR spectra of hazelnuts is reduced to about 70% after 30 days. In addition, the microwave power behavior and a dose–response relation were investigated. The study confirmed the applicability of ESR technique to detect irradiated hazelnuts also when a long time after treatment was passed.

Multivariate and machine learning models to assess the heat effects on honey physicochemical, colour and NIR data Abstract We evaluated the effects of pre-processing thermal treatments on the physicochemical, colour and near-infrared (NIR) spectral data of 30 honey samples. The trial was settled as a bi-factorial experimental design that considered nine experimental groups according to the fixed effects of heating treatment and honey phase: none, mild (39 °C for 30′) and high heating (55 °C for 24 h) per crystallised, bi-phase and liquid honey samples. Increasing temperatures significantly modified moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural content and lightness. The multivariate classifier models showed that NIR data of warmed crystallised and bi-phase honeys were significantly different from that of the untreated ones, while they sorted a similar assignment for all the liquid samples. The support vector machine model confirmed that the highest tested temperature represented a bias in the informative feature of NIR data, if they would be used in further analytical assessment of the intrinsic qualities of crystallised or bi-phase honey.

Modulation of infusion processes to obtain coffee-derived food ingredients with distinct composition Abstract Coffee infusion experiments were conducted to infer how operational variables (time, temperature, mass to volume ratio, and grinding) might affect the efficiency and/or selectivity of compounds extraction. Although the different variables have extensively been reported independently, to the best of our knowledge, no experimental design was yet delineated to study the simultaneous effect of variables in coffee composition. This study fulfills this gap by constructing surface models that reflect the responses in a wide-ranging design space. The freeze-dried extracts were compared regarding the overall yield of extraction, carbohydrate content and composition, caffeine, chlorogenic acid (5-CQA) content, color, and viscosity. Temperature was the major factor for coffee extracts differentiation, regarding both overall and carbohydrates yield and composition. The extraction process efficiency is more related to galactomannans extraction than arabinogalactans. Varying operational conditions, coffee extracts with distinct chemical properties are obtained from the same roasted coffee, broadening their applications in food formulations. Graphic abstract