Production trials to improve the nutritional quality of biscuits and to enrich them with natural anthocyanins

The aim of the work was to improve the nutritional quality of biscuits and to enrich them with anthocyanins. The steps were (i) evaluation of various raw materials as sources of anthocyanins and optimization of anthocyanin extraction procedure; (ii) conduction of six biscuit-production trials by using anthocyanins extracted from the selected source, at different enrichment levels and with progressively less fat and sugar; and (iii) conduction of a paired-preference test to compare the best anthocyanin-enriched biscuits to control plain biscuits. Grape marc extract was selected for biscuit making. Also, the use of durum wheat semolina and extra virgin olive oil was proposed. A fat level as low as 100 g/kg was achieved, with a notable decrease of saturated fatty acids. Total anthocyanins accounted for 103 × 10−3 g/kg. The color of biscuits was characterized by more intense redness and minor lightness compared to the control, and acceptability was adequate, as assessed by 103 consumers

Evaluation of different natural antioxidants as affecting volatile lipid oxidation products related to off-flavours in corn flakes

none4noDifferent types of natural antioxidants (tocopherols - alone, in two different doses, or combined with ascorbic acid - and a rosemary extract) were employed in the production of corn flakes, to select the most effective ones for achieving low levels of volatile lipid oxidation products, related to off-flavours, after long-term storage. Samples were submitted to SPME/GC/MS and sensory analyses. Multivariate analysis elucidated the contribution of the volatile compounds to the sensory properties of corn flakes. Under the experimental conditions, tocopherols conferred better antioxidant activity than did rosemary extract, leading to low levels of off-flavour compounds, with a further improvement provided by the synergistic activity of ascorbic acid. This could be attributed to interfacial and phase partitioning phenomena involving antioxidants, depending on their lipo- or hydrophilicity, in heterogeneous food products. Acids, n-alkanols, lactones and some aldehydes appeared to have a considerable influence on the intensity of the off-flavours. © 2008.noneParadiso V.M.; Summo C.; Pasqualone A.; Caponio F.Paradiso, V. M.; Summo, C.; Pasqualone, A.; Caponio, F

Vacuum-packaging of ripened sausages: assessment of the sensorial and chemical characteristics and of the lipid fraction degradation

In order to determine the influence of vacuum-packaging on the sensorial characteristics and on the degradation of the sausages’ lipid fraction, vacuum-packaged ripened sausages were stored for forty days and compared with the same sausages before the packaging at the end of their ripening period. As regards the sensory properties, vacuum-packaged sausages showed, after the storage period, significantly lower mean scores of red intensity (p < 0.01), global flavour (p < 0.05) and ripened flavour (p < 0.001), thus indicating a minor overall appreciation by the panellists, while no significant differences were found in relation to the descriptors that are considered defects for this category of products. Moreover, the obtained data showed a significant increase of the oxidative and hydrolytic degradation during the storage in vacuum packaging

Influence of the drying conditions on the volatile compounds of pasta

The effect of drying temperatures on the profile of volatile compounds of pasta was studied. The solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry allowed to identify 72 volatile compounds in the samples of not-dried, low-temperature-dried (LT-dried), high-temperature-dried (HT-dried), and wrongly very-high-temperature-dried (WVHT-dried) pastas. The samples of not-dried pasta contained alcohols, aldehydes, short-chain ketones, esters, furans, and some sulfur compounds. In the LT-dried pasta, the volatile aldehydes derived from lipid oxidation were more abundant than in HT-dried pasta. HT-dried pasta showed higher levels of furan and furan derivatives (especially 2-furanmethanol), derived from the Maillard reaction, than LT-dried pasta (p < 0.05). Pyrazines arose from WVHT treatment. Significant differences were observed also for the color indices when comparing pasta subjected to LT and HT drying (p < 0.001). Several volatile Maillard reaction products were significantly correlated (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01) to a* and 100 − L*. The ratio aldehydes/furans allowed distinguishing in a significant way the treatments, independently from the lot characteristics