Aromagrams – Aromatic profiles in the appreciation of food quality

In this review a new approach to the food aroma analysis using various instrumental techniques is described. In the last decade extensive studies have been performed concerning aroma profiles (called in this article ‘aromagrams’) of food products and beverages. Aromagram is characteristic or even individual fingerprint of the odour, obtained usually by chromatographic methods or electronic nose. Basing on the fact that each product has its own unique pattern of volatile components, it is possible to get desired information about organoleptic quality and health safety of the product by qualitative and quantitative comparison of aromagrams of different foodstuffs. Appearance of aromagrams and their usefulness depend on the assay method, particularly on the extraction step. The paper reviews the methods developed to analyse volatiles in food products basing upon their aroma profiles.     

Agricultural produces: synopsis of employed quality control methods for the authentication of foods and application of chemometrics for the classification of foods according to their variety or geographical origin

A review of quality control methods and applications of multivariate statistical techniques on the authentication and classification of agricultural products is presented. The products reported within the frame of this article were vegetables, fruits, juices, jams, wines, cereals, bakery products, oils, tea, coffee, honey, sugar-syrups, salad dressings, and gums. The perspective of multivariate statistics as a promising tool to authenticate and classify these food products according to their geographical origin or variety was demonstrated. Several representative figures and informative synoptical tables for agricultural food products were provided both for the quality control methods employed and the multivariate analyses implemented.     

Rapid quality control of spirit drinks and beer using multivariate data analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectra

Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis is introduced for the quality control and authenticity assessment of spirit drinks and beer in official food control. The spectra were measured using a FTIR interferometer, which is purpose-built for the analysis of alcoholic beverages and includes an injection unit for liquids with automatic thermostating of the sample. Only 2 min are required for FTIR measurement. For spirit drinks, no sample preparation is required at all. Carbon dioxide containing samples, such as beer were prepared by degassing.     

基于1H NMR的代谢组学技术在食品掺假及溯源分析中的研究进展

受产地、加工、贮存以及运输过程中的各种影响,引起食品的复杂性和可变性,导致食品的掺假及溯源分析具有一定的挑战性。现有的食品掺假溯源方法主要集中在理化测试及分子生物学技术等方面,相关鉴别的准确性有待提高。基于核磁共振氢谱（1H NMR）的代谢组学技术与多元统计分析相结合,可以完整地描述食品的整体特征,收集食品的产地、品质等信息,近来在食品领域应用较为广泛,已成为食品质量分析和溯源等的有力工具。本文阐述了1H NMR组学技术在农产食品掺假及溯源分析中的应用进展,在概述1H NMR技术原理的基础上,针对1H NMR与化学计量学分析方法的结合及其应用进行了介绍,对其在典型性食品的掺假及产地溯源上的研究进行了概括总结,旨在为1H NMR组学技术在食品品质分析中的研究及应用提供理论参考。     

Gas Chromatography‐Combustion‐Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry for Traceability and Authenticity in Foods and Beverages

As consumers demand more certainty over where their food and beverages originate from and the genuineness of ingredients, there is a need for analytical techniques that are able to provide data on issues such as traceability, authenticity, and origin of foods and beverages. One such technique that shows enormous promise in this area is gas chromatography‐combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐C‐IRMS). As will be demonstrated in this review, GC‐C‐IRMS is able to be applied to a wide array of foods and beverages generating data on key food components such as aroma compounds, sugars, amino acids, and carbon dioxide (in carbonated beverages). Such data can be used to determine synthetic and natural ingredients; substitution of 1 ingredient for another (such as apple for pear); the use of synthetic or organic fertilizers; and origin of foods and food ingredients, including carbon dioxide. Therefore, GC‐C‐IRMS is one of the most powerful techniques available to detect fraudulent, illegal, or unsafe practices in the food and beverages industries and its increasing use will ensure that consumers may have confidence in buying authentic products of known origin.     

现制饮料中腐败微生物及其检测与防控技术研究进展

我国现制饮料种类丰富,产业发展快速且前景广阔。然而,近年来现制饮料中由腐败微生物引起的食品安全问题频发,受到了人们的高度重视。因此,本文归纳并总结了现制饮料中存在的主要腐败微生物种类、污染源及其产生的不良影响。介绍了传统检测法和快速检测法在腐败微生物检测中的应用,其中近红外光谱技术和高光谱成像技术等快速检测法具有样本量少、检测结果快、识别准确率较高等优点。阐述了物理杀菌法和食品防腐剂法等在腐败微生物防控中的应用,具有高效抗菌性、成本低、对现制饮料的感官品质和活性成分影响较小等优点。现制饮料行业的可持续发展离不开对腐败微生物的有效防控。本文为现制饮料腐败微生物控制和产业的可持续发展提供了理论依据和技术支撑。     

Quality analysis,classification, and authentication of liquid foods by near-infrared spectroscopy: A review of recent research developments

Nowadays, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) has become one of the most efficient and advanced techniques for analysis of food products. Many relevant researches have been conducted in this regard. However, no reviews about the applications of NIR for liquid food analysis are reported. Therefore, this review summarizes the recent research developments of NIR technology in the field of liquid foods, focusing on the detection of quality attributes of various liquid foods, including alcoholic beverages (red wines, rice wines, and beer), nonalcoholic beverages (juice, fruit vinegars, coffee beverages, and cola beverages), dairy products (milk and yogurt), and oils (vegetable, camellia, peanut, and virgin olive oils and frying oil). In addition, the classification and authentication detection of adulteration are also covered. It is hoped that the current paper can serve as a reference source for the future liquid food analysis by NIR techniques.     

Wine Expertise Predicts Taste Phenotype

Taste phenotypes have long been studied in relation to alcohol intake, dependence, and family history, with contradictory findings. However, on balance - with appropriate caveats about populations tested, outcomes measured and psychophysical methods used - an association between variation in taste responsiveness and some alcohol behaviors is supported. Recent work suggests super-tasting (operationalized via propylthiouracil (PROP) bitterness) not only associates with heightened response but also with more acute discrimination between stimuli. Here, we explore relationships between food and beverage adventurousness and taste phenotype. A convenience sample of wine drinkers (n=330) were recruited in Ontario and phenotyped for PROP bitterness via filter paper disk. They also filled out a short questionnaire regarding willingness to try new foods, alcoholic beverages and wines as well as level of wine involvement, which was used to classify them as a wine expert (n=110) or wine consumer (n=220). In univariate logisitic models, food adventurousness predicted trying new wines and beverages but not expertise. Likewise, wine expertise predicted willingness to try new wines and beverages but not foods. In separate multivariate logistic models, willingness to try new wines and beverages was predicted by expertise and food adventurousness but not PROP. However, mean PROP bitterness was higher among wine experts than wine consumers, and the conditional distribution functions differed between experts and consumers. In contrast, PROP means and distributions did not differ with food adventurousness. These data suggest individuals may self-select for specific professions based on sensory ability (i.e., an active gene-environment correlation) but phenotype does not explain willingness to try new stimuli.     

A review on selection of fermentative microorganisms for functional foods and beverages: the production and future perspectives

Fermentation has been employed as a traditional means of improving the shelf life and nutritional contents of foods, thus making fermented foods and beverages functional and therapeutic. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) plays a major role in determining the health benefits of fermented milk and related products. This review takes into cognizance numerous investigations reporting certain microbial strains and mixes to contribute safety, quality, stability, health and organoleptic properties to fermented foods, due to increased consumers’ awareness of food products with health claims. A look was taken at selection criteria for the ideal fermentative microbial species and strains, their usefulness and prospective ‘OMICS‘-based approaches to elucidating fermentative complex communities in relation to their effects on fermented food products. Moreover, recommendations were given for improved fermentation of beverages and functional foods. It is projected that fermented foods and beverages will continually be a paramount in the global food and emerging functional food market.     

A review on tomato authenticity: quality control methods in conjunction with multivariate analysis (chemometrics)

Authenticity and traceability have been two of the most important issues in the food chain. Authenticity in particular, is closely related with both food quality and safety issues. Vegetables stand for a category of foods heavily affected by adulteration either in terms of geographic origin (national or international level) or production methods (organic or conventional production, fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified vegetables). This review aims at addressing most of the currently applied methods for ensuring quality control of vegetables; a) instrumental: ion chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, electronic nose and mass spectroscopy and b) sensory analysis. The results of all the above mentioned methods were analyzed by means of multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, discriminant analysis, cluster analysis, canonical analysis, and factor analysis). All ensuing results and conclusions are summarized in eight comprehensive tables.     

A Comprehensive Overview on Microalgal-Fortified/Based Food and Beverages

ABSTRACT

Microalgae produce a variety of compounds that can be used for aquaculture, nutraceutical purposes, and third-generation biofuel sectors. Moreover, they have been considered for the production of fortified food and beverages claiming to be healthier than other foods. Using microalgal oil or incorporating microalgae biomass or their metabolites in food and beverages provides health benefits due to properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune-enhancing, and to their role against various diseases such as cardiovascular metabolic, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. This review focuses on the worldwide research carried out about the incorporation of microalgae – either biomass or their high-value compounds – in food and beverages, and on the microalgal fortified/based food and beverages currently present worldwide on the market. The metabolites bioavailability aspect and the current legislation are considered. There is an ever-growing interest in this field but the volume of production is still limited. Various challenges, one of which is the cost of producing biomass, need to be overcome for a profitable market. More effort, involving different expertise, is needed to improve the microalgal production system, from cultivation to harvesting and biorefinery, to produce improved novel products.     

Antioxidant evaluation protocols: Food quality or health effects

Increasing research on natural antioxidants in foods and development of new assays has prompted critical reflection on the field. It has been common practice to identify health benefits from antioxidant activity on the cellular level with antioxidant capacity of food measured in vitro. The use of antioxidants and their positive effects on food quality has been demonstrated in a large variety of foods and beverages using various methods for detection of lipid and protein oxidation or various assays based on electron transfer or hydrogen-atom transfer. A direct positive effect on markers of oxidative status after dietary intervention has, however, been difficult to confirm and much has still to be learnt about antioxidant action in vivo including synergistic or inhibitory roles, the uptake, biotransformation, and tissue distribution of potential antioxidants. This review critically evaluates various types of assays for antioxidative capacity, i.e. the stoichiometry, and antioxidative activity, i.e. the kinetics of the antioxidant action, with focus on the antioxidant mechanism of natural dietary antioxidants, particularly phenolic compounds, on lipid oxidation. It is concluded that it is difficult to transfer antioxidant mechanisms established in model systems and in foods to the in vivo situation and that no simple relationship has been recognized so far between antioxidant capacity determined for various foods and beverages and health benefits for humans. Screening of antioxidant capacity using simple assays in order to predict positive health effects of food are not scientifically justified. Different protocols will have to be used for evaluation of the protection of food by antioxidants and for evaluation of the health effect of antioxidants.     

豆奶、杏仁露、椰子汁等植物蛋白饮料的品质控制

用质量管理体系中的危害性分析方法，对豆奶、杏仁露、椰子汁等植物蛋白饮料的生产工艺进行了分析，对影响产品品质的主要工序进行了分析研究，确定了关键控制点及范围，以提高植物蛋白饮料的质量管理水平，确保产品质量的稳定．     

固相微萃取技术在食品风味分析中的应用

食品的风味是食品的典型特征之一,能够反映食品的质量与品质。进行风味分析需采用合适的分离分析技术,而提取方法极大地影响了分析结果的可靠性和准确性。固相微萃取(SPME)是一种无溶剂萃取技术,它集采样、萃取、浓缩、进样于一体,具有简单、快速、高效、无污染、便携、易于与其他仪器联用等优点,已被广泛应用于食品风味分析。本文综述了SPME技术在肉品、乳品、酒类、果蔬等食品风味分析上有代表性的应用研究,总结了食品风味分析所采用的萃取涂层和SPME与其他样品前处理技术的对比情况,重点分析了为提高SPME方法选择性、准确性和灵敏度所采取的措施,如衍生化SPME技术、萃取条件的优化方法、与多维色谱和电子鼻等分析仪器联用技术及SPME定量分析方法,并对SPME在食品风味分析上的发展趋势进行了探讨。     

Application of flow injection analysis for determining sulphites in food and beverages: A review

Sulphites have been widely used as preservatives in food and beverages. Preservative determination is essential for the purposes of legislation and consumer safety. Among the analytical methodologies available, those based on flow injection analysis (FIA) can be highlighted. FIA offers interesting advantages such as versatility, accuracy, low cost, speed and automation, among others. These advantages make FIA an important alternative to conventional methods. This review considers the present status of published FIA methodology for determining sulphites in food and beverages. A detailed analysis of the technique is done, stressing its impact on the aspects of the extraction, separation, detection and quantification procedures in different matrices.     

Factors associated with food liking and their relationship with metabolic traits in Italian cohorts

Food preferences are influenced by a large number of physiological, nutritional, environmental, sociocultural and genetic factors. From previous studies, survey-reported food likings may reflect habitual intake, being cognitively simple to recall than intake, and have associated with risk factor for diet-related diseases.This work was secondary analysis of a large dataset of personal, clinical and lifestyle measures from 3219 Italian adults to investigate: 1) factors associated with food liking; 2) the relationship between food liking and metabolic phenotypes.Seven food liking groups (alcoholic beverages, cheeses, fish, fruit, meat, sweets foods and vegetables) were defined based on a questionnaire completed by each participant.Multivariate regression analyses showed that factors such as age, gender, education and food behaviour were related with food liking groups. For example, males reported significantly greater liking for alcoholic beverages, fish and meat and a lower liking for vegetables, fruit and sweet foods. Greater liking for all foods was associated with greater self-reported willingness to try unfamiliar foods (food adventurousness).In multivariate regression models and independently from other measures, food liking groups were associated with adiposity, serum lipids, fasting glucose and systolic blood pressure. For instance, greater adiposity was associated with higher liking for meat and cheeses, while higher HDL-cholesterol was associated with higher vegetables liking.Our results from a large adult cohort highlight that many factors may shape survey-reported food liking and suggest their link with metabolic measures.     

Towards an updated methodology for measurement of dietary fiber,including associated polyphenols,in food and beverages

The analytical dietary fiber (DF) methods most widely used today were developed to determine non-starch polysaccharides and lignin. Updated dietary fiber definition includes all indigestible plant food constituents. Recent methods have proposed the measurement of resistant starch and oligosaccharides, but other major indigestible constituents such as polyphenolic compounds and resistant protein are still omitted in dietary fiber analysis. There is scientific evidence that an appreciable amount of dietary polyphenols are associated with the dietary fiber matrix, being a fermentable substrate for bacterial microflora. The objective of this work was to show polyphenols compounds are major constituents of dietary fiber and to propose a procedure for their measurement. Results showed that polyphenols are major constituents of DF, accounting from 1.4% to 50.7% (dry weight) of insoluble dietary fiber in plant foods and from 2.9% to 62.8% of soluble dietary fiber in common beverages.     

Energy and nutrient supply according to food insecurity severity among Mexican households

Studies from Latin America have shown that food insecurity reduces dietary diversity. However, dietary diversity measures do not account for the energy and nutrient supply in households. The objective of our study was to know whether there are differences in food, energy and nutrients supplies in Mexican households according to their food insecurity level. We analyzed the database of the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey performed in Mexico in 2014. The modified Latin-American and Caribbean Food Security Scale was used to determine the existence of household food security or insecurity. Participants registered foods and beverages available at their homes during the previous week. The supply of energy and nutrients was estimated using Mexican and American food composition references. Mexican food secure households had greater supply of healthy (e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, and fresh meats) and unhealthy (e.g., processed meats, fries, sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, and alcoholic beverages) foods. By contrast, food insecure households rely on cheap staple food (e.g. maize, rice, pulses, eggs, and sugar). There was a linear relationship between the energy density and severity of food insecurity. Households with mild and moderate food insecurity had greater total energy supplies than households with food security and severe food insecurity. Food insecure households had greater supplies of carbohydrates, cholesterol, iron, and magnesium, but lower supplies of protein, fat, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and sodium. Most of the results suggest that food insecure households are exposed mostly to negative aspects of the nutrition transition because they have greater access to energy and lower availability of some micronutrients.     

Traditionally Processed Beverages in Africa: A Review of the Mycotoxin Occurrence Patterns and Exposure Assessment

African traditional beverages are widely consumed food‐grade liquids processed from single or mixed grains (mostly cereals) by simple food processing techniques, of which fermentation tops the list. These beverages are very diverse in composition and nutritional value and are specific to different cultures and countries. The grains from which home‐processed traditional beverages are made across Africa are often heavily contaminated with multiple mycotoxins due to poor agricultural, handling, and storage practices that characterize the region. In the literature, there are many reports on the spectrum and quantities of mycotoxins in crops utilized in traditional beverage processing, however, few studies have analyzed mycotoxins in the beverages themselves. The available reports on mycotoxins in African traditional beverages are mainly centered on the finished products with little information on the process chain (raw material to final product), fate of the different mycotoxins during processing, and exposure estimates for consumers. Regulations targeting these local beverages are not in place despite the heavy occurrence of mycotoxins in their raw materials and the high consumption levels of the products in many homes. This paper therefore comprehensively discusses for the 1st time the available data on the wide variety of African traditional beverages, the mycotoxins that contaminate the beverages and their raw materials, exposure estimates, and possible consequent effects. Mycotoxin control options and future directions for mycotoxin research in beverage production are also highlighted.