Stability of anthocyanins in frozen and freeze-dried raspberries during long-term storage: in relation to glass transition

Abstract: Anthocyanins, natural plant pigments in the flavonoid group, are responsible for the red color and some of the nutraceutical benefits of raspberries. This study explores anthocyanin degradation in frozen and freeze‐dried raspberries during storage in relation to glass transition temperatures. Frozen raspberries were stored at ?80, ?35, and ?20 °C, while freeze‐dried raspberries were stored at selected water activity (a_w) values ranging from 0.05 to 0.75 at room temperature (23 °C) for more than a year. The characteristic glass transition temperatures (T′_g) of raspberries with high water content and glass transition temperature (T_g) of raspberries with small water content were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter. The pH differential method was used to determine the quantity of anthocyanins in frozen and freeze‐dried raspberries at selected time intervals. The total anthocyanins in raspberries fluctuated during 378 d of storage at ?20 and ?35, and ?80 °C. Anthocyanin degradation in freeze‐dried raspberries ranged from 27% to 32% and 78% to 89% at a_w values of 0.05 to 0.07 and 0.11 to 0.43, respectively, after 1 y. Anthocyanins were not detectable in freeze‐dried raspberries stored at a_w values of 0.53 to 0.75 after 270 d. First order and Weibull equations were used to fit the anthocyanin degradation in freeze‐dried raspberries. The 1^st‐order rate constant (k) of anthocyanin degradation ranged from 0.003 to 0.023 days^?1 at the selected water activities. Significant anthocyanin degradation occurred in both the glassy and rubbery states of freeze‐dried raspberries during long‐term storage. However, the rate of anthocyanin degradation in freeze‐dried raspberries stored in the glassy state was significantly smaller than the rate of anthocyanin degradation in the rubbery state.     

Microwave‐Osmotic/Microwave‐Vacuum Drying of Whole Cranberries: Comparison with Other Methods

A novel drying method for frozen‐thawed whole cranberries was developed by combining microwave osmotic dehydration under continuous flow medium spray (MWODS) conditions with microwave vacuum finish‐drying. A central composite rotatable design was used to vary temperature (33 to 67 °C), osmotic solution concentration (33 to 67 °B), contact time (5 to 55 min), and flow rate (2.1 to 4.1 L/min) in order to the determine the effects of MWODS input parameters on quality of the dried berry. Quality indices monitored included colorimetric and textural data in addition to anthocyanin retention and cellular structure. Overall it was found that the MWODS‐MWV process was able to produce dried cranberries with quality comparable to freeze dried samples in much shorter time. Additionally, cranberries dried via the novel process exhibited much higher quality than those dried via either vacuum or convective air drying in terms of color, anthocyanin content, and cellular structure.     

Effect of vacuum‐drying,hot air‐drying and freeze‐drying on polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of lemon (Citrus limon) pomace aqueous extracts

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of freeze‐drying, hot air‐drying and vacuum‐drying at 70, 90 and 110 °C, on dried lemon pomace polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. The total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were higher in lemon pomace dried by hot air or under vacuum than those dried by freeze‐drying and increased as the temperature increased. The highest total flavonoid content was recorded in the pomace dried under vacuum at 70 and 90 °C. Lemon pomace dried by freeze‐drying had the highest neohesperidin content, whereas pomace dried under vacuum at 70 °C had the highest rutin and p‐coumaric acid content. The highest gallic acid content was recorded in the pomace dried by hot air at 110 °C. The results of this study indicate that drying technique should be carefully selected according to the bioactive compounds aimed to be extracted.     

Effect of mixing time, freeze-drying and baking on phenolics, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity of raspberry juice during processing of muffins

BACKGROUND: Consumption of baked products constitutes an important part of a daily breakfast considering that people are continually grabbing meals on the go. Among baked products, muffins rank third in breakfast products and attract a broad range of consumers. Incorporation of red raspberry juice into muffins can add value to the product while preserving health benefits to the consumer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of mixing time, freeze‐drying and baking on the phenolic and anthocyanin contents and antioxidant capacity of raspberry juice during the preparation of muffins. RESULTS: Freeze‐drying of raspberry batters reduced their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity regardless of mixing time. Non‐freeze‐dried raspberry batter mixed for 5 min had the highest phenolic content (0.88 mg gallic acid equivalent g^?1 dry matter (DM)). Non‐freeze‐dried raspberry muffins had the highest antioxidant capacity (0.041 µmol Trolox equivalent g^?1 DM). Freeze‐dried raspberry batters mixed for 5 and 10 min had the highest anthocyanin content (0.065 mg cyanidin‐3‐glucoside g^?1 DM). Baking reduced the anthocyanin content of both non‐freeze‐dried and freeze‐dried raspberry muffins. CONCLUSION: Despite the reduction in valuable compounds, muffin is a vehicle for the delivery of these compounds. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tomato peel drying and carotenoids stability of the extracts

Tomato peels were firstly dried by different methods (hot air, freeze‐drying, and fluidized bed drying) to evaluate the recovery of lycopene, β‐carotene and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Comparison of the results showed that hot air drying at 50 °C was a suitable method and alternative to freeze‐drying to preserve carotenoids compounds and antioxidant activity in tomato peels. Then, ethanol/ethyl acetate (1:1) extracts from tomato peel, previously dried at 50 °C by hot air, were submitted to heat (100 °C) and light treatment (1000 lumen) to evaluate their stability as natural food dyes. Heating of the extracts caused a progressive reduction of total carotenoids, up to about 30% after 250 min of treatment, whereas the colour at the end of heat treatment showed small changes, with an overall colour difference (?E) equal to 7. Fluorescent lighting treatment showed an almost total degradation of carotenoids in the extracts after 48 h combined with a fading colour.     

Effect of Dehydration on Raspberries: Polyphenol and Anthocyanin Retention, Antioxidant Capacity, and Antiadipogenic Activity

ABSTRACT:  Fresh and dried raspberries prepared by freeze drying (FD), microwave-vacuum (MIVAC), hot-air drying (HAD), and a combination of hot-air drying and microwave-vacuum (HAD/MIVAC) drying methods were evaluated for polyphenol retention, total polyphenol and anthocyanin contents, total antioxidant capacity, and antiadipogenic activity (the inhibition of fat cell development). Ellagic acid and quercetin were present in the largest concentrations in fresh and dehydrated raspberries. Dehydration led to a loss of polyphenols and anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity. Polyphenols (aglycone form) were retained in the greatest amount: 20% (freeze dried) to 30% (HAD/MIVAC) (fresh = 100%). A total of 30% of polyphenols (glycoside form) were retained in raspberries dried by the HAD/MIVAC methods with 5% of retention observed for raspberries dried by FD, HAD, or MIVAC. FD and MIVAC resulted in higher retention of anthocyanins (aglycone form) than other drying methods. It was also observed that antioxidant activity was reduced by dehydration. Adipogenesis was inhibited by polyphenolic glycosides (30%) and aglycones (30% to 40%) in fresh and HAD/MIVAC raspberries. Extracts from dried raspberries by HAD/MIVAC methods were relatively more effective at inhibiting adipogenesis compared to HAD and FD dried raspberries.     

Effects of Ultrasound Assistance on Dehydration Processes and Bioactive Component Retention of Osmo‐Dried Sour Cherries

Despite having numerous health benefits, dried sour cherries have proven to be more acceptable to consumers when infused with sugar or other sweeteners to enhance their flavor, which, in turn, leads to serious anthocyanin losses. For this reason, a consideration was made for the application of ultrasound to accelerate solid gain and shorten drying time, thus favoring bioactive component retention. To determine the usefulness of ultrasound as a tool for sour cherry osmotic infusion enhancement, the effect of sonication time on dehydration effectiveness, as well as the stability of bioactive components during osmotic treatment and consecutive convective drying, was investigated. Fruits were osmo‐dehydrated using a 60% sucrose solution for 120 min (40 °C), during which, ultrasound of 25 kHz (0.4 W/cm²), was applied for 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min, after which, the fruits were convectively dried. In the range of the applied ultrasound energy no significant effect of sonication on mass transfer intensification was observed; moreover, longer acoustic treatment seemed to retard moisture removal during subsequent convective drying, which can be related to the breakdown of the parenchyma cell walls caused by the prolonged ultrasound (US) action. It was concluded that although US assistance could be considered neutral for bioactive component retention, excessive sonication time can lead to some anthocyanin deterioration. According to high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, the particular anthocyanin alterations, both during dehydration and final drying, occurred in a similar way. Sonication time prolongation caused approximately 10% more bioactive compound deterioration, than earlier, shorter trials.     

Effects of calcium chloride and calcium lactate applications with osmotic pretreatment on physicochemical aspects and consumer acceptances of dried papaya

This study explored the effects of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and calcium lactate (Ca‐L) pretreatments prior to osmotic dehydration on physicochemical characteristics and consumer acceptance of dried papaya. Three different calcium concentrations [0.5, 1.5 and 2.5% (w/v)] were applied to samples before they were soaked in a 30 °Brix sucrose solution and subsequently dried at 70 °C. The results showed that the dried samples treated with calcium exhibited significantly lower moisture content, water activity, apparent density and shrinkage, while volume was higher when compared to the control. Calcium applications did not obviously influence sugar content of samples and maintained the quality of dried papaya in terms of colour and textural characteristics. Calcium chloride at 2.5% (w/v) was found to particularly impart undesirable bitterness to the dried papaya. In contrast, using 2.5% (w/v) Ca‐L provided the best acceptance scores. Thus, the use of Ca‐L could be an alternative to CaCl₂ in the pretreatment of fruits prior to drying as it offers improved quality.     

The effect of osmosis pretreatment on hot‐air drying and microwave drying characteristics of chili (Capsicum annuum L.) flesh

Chili flesh pretreated with or without osmotic dehydration (OD) was dried in the hot‐air drying (AD) oven at 50–80 °C or in the microwave drying (MD) oven at 60–180 W. Results showed that the samples osmotically treated in mixed solution (10% salt + 50% sucrose) had the best dehydration effect as compared with single salt or sugar solutions. During the drying process, osmotically treated samples had one falling‐rate period and their effective moisture diffusivities (D_eff) showed a rapidly linear increase with the decrease in moisture content, while directly drying samples showed a three‐phase falling‐rate period and their D_eff increased gradually at the initial period and then rapidly at the final period. When the moisture content decreased, the activation energy increased gradually; however, for AD after OD, it decreased. Among all the processes, MD at 60 W after OD presented the largest vitamin C retention rate and the best colour difference, needing less drying time.     

Influence of the commercial processing and floral origin on bioactive and nutritional properties of honeybee‐collected pollen

Pollen is characterised for having a low fat content, a relatively high content of dietary fibre and an important amount of minerals and essential amino acids. With regard to bioactive compounds, honeybee‐collected pollen exhibits an important source of phytochemical compounds and antioxidant activity. The purpose of this research was to study how the nutritional properties and the stability of the bioactive compounds found in honeybee‐collected pollen were affected by the commercial processing and its floral origin. To achieve this goal, pollen pellets of different floral origin were harvested directly from hives and immediately stored at ?80 °C. Pollen pellets were dried by placing them into hot‐air chambers (traditional drying methodology) or by means of freeze‐drying. We found a slight influence of floral origin on the nutritional properties of pollen pellets (multifloral pollen had higher contents of fat, carbohydrates, proteins and mineral elements than monofloral‐type pollen), whereas the abundance of bioactive compounds was correlated with the origin factor as well as the methodology employed to dry the fresh pollen pellets, especially carotenoid pigments such as lutein (5.73 ± 1.80, 4.93 ± 1.16 and 0.81 ± 0.16 μg of lutein per g of pollen for fresh, lyophilised and hot‐air‐dried multifloral pollen).     

Trehalose improves flavour retention in dehydrated apricot puree

The influence of the addition of two sugars (trehalose and sucrose) on the retention of volatiles responsible for the characteristic aroma in dehydrated apricot puree was studied. Aroma compounds of fresh and both freeze‐dried and foam‐mat‐dried apricot puree were analysed by manual headspace solid‐phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography (GC‐FID and GC‐MS). The best retention of aroma compounds in dehydrated apricot puree was obtained when trehalose was added, regardless of the dehydration process used (freeze drying or foam‐mat drying), although, generally, a much higher retention of flavour volatiles was obtained in freeze‐dried purees. Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis were applied to all the apricot purees studied to obtain a simplified view of the relationship among the aroma compounds in dehydrated apricot purees. This study gives further insights into the mechanisms that occur when trehalose is applied as an additive and will enable the development of new processes to maximize this effect and to produce superior dried products.     

Effect of hydrocolloid addition and microwave-assisted freeze drying on the characteristics of foamed raspberry puree

Foamed fruit purees can be dried and consumed as snacks. This study compares the characteristics of foamed raspberry puree dried via microwave-assisted freeze drying and conventional freeze drying. The effect of potato protein (PP) (as a foaming agent), maltodextrin (MD) (as a foam stabilizer), and microwave power on the product characteristics was investigated. The puree contained 18%–20% higher content of anthocyanins and ascorbic acid than unprocessed raspberries. The retention of ascorbic acid and anthocyanins increased with increasing concentrations of MD and PP. Both drying methods resulted in 66%–81% retention of ascorbic acid and 53%–84% retention of total anthocyanins. The higher drying rates obtained at higher maltodextrin concentrations resulted in higher ascorbic acid and anthocyanin retention. The total color difference was significantly higher for the foam with 30% MD (w/w) at 2.0 W g⁻¹, accounting for the formation of hot spots. Protein concentration did not have a considerable effect on product color. Increasing the maltodextrin concentration yielded a harder foam structure, while increasing the protein concentration had the opposite effect. Overall, microwave-assisted freeze drying was found to be a promising alternative to conventional freeze drying, as it offers a more efficient drying process with comparable product quality.     

Processing of pigmented‐flesh potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) on the retention of bioactive compounds

Retention of bioactive compounds in white‐ (WFP), yellow‐ (YFP), red‐ (RFP) and purple (PFP)‐fleshed potatoes after drum‐drying (DD) and Refractance Window? drying (RW) was compared with freeze‐drying (FD). Processing, generally, did not influence total phenolics. Total carotenoid was high in YFP, but decreased with DD. Both DD and RW decreased lutein concentration in YFP. The RFP and PFP had the highest total anthocyanin, and their concentrations were decreased by DD. RW decreased total anthocyanin in PFP only. Total antioxidant activity in WFP was higher with DD but lower with RW. In contrast, DD and RW drying had no significant effect on total antioxidants in YFP, RFP and PFP. Therefore, drying generally decreased antioxidants, with FD and RW retaining the highest concentration of bioactive compounds.     

Effect of different drying methods and storage time on the retention of bioactive compounds and antibacterial activity of wine grape pomace (pinot noir and merlot)

The effects of different drying methods (40 °C conventional and vacuum oven, 25 °C ambient air and freeze dry) on the stability of two red wine grape (Pinot Noir, PN and Merlot, M) byproducts, pomace containing skins and seeds (P) and pomace containing skins only (S) were investigated. Freeze dried samples retained the highest bioactive compounds with total phenolic content (TPC) of 21.19-67.74 mg GAE/g d.m., anthocyanin content (ACY) of 0.35-0.76 mg Mal-3-glu/g d.m., DPPH antiradical scavenge activity (ARS) of 22.01-37.46 mg AAE/g d.m., and total flavanol content (TFC) of 30.16-106.61 mg CE/g d.m., followed with ambient air dried samples. All samples lost significant amount of bioactive compounds during 16 wk of storage at 15 ± 2 °C, in which ambient air and freeze dried samples had TPC reduction of 32-56% and 35-58%, respectively, but ARS in PN-P and M-P still remained more than 50 mg TE/g d.m. Overall, TPC, ARS, and TFC were higher in PN than in M, and higher in pomace than in skins, while reverse results were observed in ACY. Pomace extracts showed higher antibacterial efficiency against Listeria innocua ATCC 51142 than Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 with minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of 3%, 6%, 4%, and 9% against E. coli, and 2%, 7%, 3%, and 8% against L. innocua for PN-P, PN-S, M-P, and M-S samples, respectively. Dietary fiber content of samples was 57-63% of total dry matter. This study demonstrated that Pinot Noir and Merlot pomace are good sources of antioxidant dietary fibers and may be incorporated into various food products as a functional ingredient. Practical Application: Wine grape pomace (WGP), the byproduct of wine making, is a good source of polyphenols and dietary fibers and may be incorporated into various food products as a functional ingredient. This study reported the effect of four drying methods and storage at 15 ± 2 °C up to 4 months on the retention of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in two types of red WGP (with and without seeds). Antibacterial activity, dietary fiber content and the basic physicochemical properties of dried pomace powder were also reported. The information is essential for developing specific applications of the pomace.     

Drying characteristics and thermal degradation kinetics of hardness,anthocyanin content and colour in purple‐ and red‐fleshed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) during hot air drying

Purple‐fleshed potatoes (PFP) and red‐fleshed potatoes (RFP) were dried using hot air. The hardness, anthocyanin content and colour in PFP and RFP during drying were evaluated at 60, 70 and 80 °C. The hardness was characterised by a softening stage in the early drying period, followed by a hardening stage. The times to reach at the transition were 420, 300 and 240 min at 60, 70 and 80 °C, respectively, for PFP, and 480, 360 and 240 min for RFP. However, the moisture content of both PFP and RFP at the transition time was identical at 0.3 (d.b.). The two stages of hardness changes were well described by combining two modified first‐order kinetics models. The activation energy (E_a) for the degradation of anthocyanin in PFP and RFP was 25.12 and 28.43 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The E_a values demonstrated that the thermal sensitivity of PFP was higher than that of RFP.     

Assessment of convection,hot‐air combined with microwave‐vacuum and freeze‐drying methods for mushrooms with regard to product quality

Combined drying of hot air and microwave‐vacuum has been proposed as an alternative method to improve the quality of dried mushrooms, especially the structural and textural properties. In the present study, the effect of different drying methods namely, convective hot‐air drying, hot air combined with microwave‐vacuum drying and freeze‐drying on qualitative attributes of pretreated mushrooms was investigated. The quality assessment was based on colour, texture, density, porosity and rehydration characteristics of the dried mushrooms. Combined drying of hot air and microwave‐vacuum resulted in a dried product of superior quality when compared to the slices dried completely by conventional hot air, exhibiting lower overall colour variation, higher porosity, greater rehydration ratio and softer texture. In a dry state, mushrooms with a puffy structure and unique crispy texture were created by the combined drying method, which might be considered as important characteristics for developing nonfat snack‐type food products.     

Retention of Ginsenosides in Dried Ginseng Root: Comparison of Drying Methods

North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has a long history of use and is currently a commercially reliable natural health commodity. Ginsenosides or triterpene saponins are generally regarded as bioactive constituents for several observed health effects associated with ginseng. North American ginseng was dried using 3 different drying techniques to assess the ginsenoside content of prepared extracts. Drying methods included freeze‐drying (FD), air‐drying (AD), and vacuum microwave‐drying (VMD) of ginseng root. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that FD ginseng processing gave greater (P≥ 0.05) amounts of the fingerprint ginsenosides Rg1 (28 ± 0.9 mg/g, dry weight) and Re (45 ± 0.1) compared with AD (Rg1 19 ± 0.7, Re 29 ± 0.1) and VMD (Rg1 22 ± 0.8, Re 24 ± 0.1); whereas, VMD produced greater amounts of Rb1 (83 ± 0.1) and Rd (13 ± 0.0) than FD (Rb1 62 ± 0.1, Rd 9 ± 0.1) and AD (Rb1 69 ± 0.1, Rd 5 ± 0.0), respectively. Total ginsenoside content was similar for FD and VMD and was the lowest (P≥ 0.05) for AD. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) analysis showed a total of 12 compounds detected in FD ginseng compared with 10 compounds in ginseng dried by both VMD and AD. Our results support the fact that FD and VMD drying methods of North American ginseng can improve both extraction efficiency and actual retention of individual ginsenoside in root material.     

Drying kinetics,physico‐chemical properties,antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of foam‐mat dried germinated rice bean (Vigna umbellata) hydrolysate

This research was aimed to study physico‐chemical properties and antioxidant activities of foam‐mat dried germinated rice bean (Vigna umbellata) hydrolysate. Germination led to an increase in released phenolic content and antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP) of rice bean hydrolysate. The hydrolysate obtained from germinated rice bean (GRB) and non‐germinated rice beans (NGRBs) was foam‐mat dried at 60 and 70 °C. Semi‐theoretical and empirical model could suitably describe the drying characteristic of foamed bean hydrolysate. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of foam‐mat dried samples decreased with increasing air‐drying temperature (P ≤ 0.05). Gallic acid, catechol and epicatechin were major phenolic compounds in foam‐mat dried samples prepared from both GRB and NGRB. The higher phenolic content and antioxidant activities were found in foam‐mat dried hydrolysate of GRB. Electron spin resonance spectrometry revealed that foam‐mat dried rice bean hydrolysate showed a strong ability to scavenge free radicals, especially carbon‐centred radicals.     

Studies on different combined microwave drying of carrot pieces

Three different combined microwave (MW) drying methods were compared, namely microwave‐assisted vacuum drying (MWVD), microwave‐assisted freeze drying (MWFD), microwave‐enhanced spouted bed drying (MWSD), in terms of drying rate, drying uniformity, product colour, rehydration ratio, retention of β‐carotene and vitamin C, and energy consumption. The drying rate of MWVD and MWSD were much faster than that of MWFD. The largest drying rate was obtained in MWSD with 3.5 W g^?1. In general, the colour of MWSD products was very uniform. Rehydration ratio of MWFD carrot pieces was almost the same as the freeze‐dried (FD) products and better than MWVD and MWSD products. In addition, the highest retention of carotene and vitamin C was observed in MWFD carrot pieces. No significant differences were observed in carotene and vitamin C between MWVD and MWSD products. However, the energy consumption in MWFD was the highest.     

Preparation of High‐Grade Powders from Tomato Paste Using a Vacuum Foam Drying Method

We present a rapid and gentle drying method for the production of high‐grade tomato powders from double concentrated tomato paste, comparing results with powders obtained by foam mat air drying and freeze dried powders. The principle of this method consists of drying tomato paste in foamed state at low temperatures in vacuum. The formulations were dried at temperatures of 50, 60, and 70 °C and vacuum of 200 mbar. Foam stability was affected by low serum viscosity and the presence of solid particles in tomato paste. Consequently, serum viscosity was increased by maltodextrin addition, yielding optimum stability at tomato paste:maltodextrin ratio of 2.4:1 (w/w) in dry matter. Material foamability was improved by addition of 0.5% (w/w, fresh weight) egg white. Because of solid particles in tomato paste, foam air filling had to be limited to critical air volume fraction of Φ = 0.7. The paste was first pre‐foamed to Φ = 0.2 and subsequently expanded in vacuo. After drying to a moisture content of 5.6% to 7.5% wet base (w.b.), the materials obtained were in glassy state. Qualities of the resulting powders were compared with those produced by freeze and air drying. Total color changes were the least after vacuum drying, whereas air drying resulted in noticeable color changes. Vacuum foam drying at 50 °C led to insignificant carotenoid losses, being equivalent to the time‐consuming freeze drying method. In contrast, air drying caused lycopene and β‐carotene losses of 18% to 33% and 14% to 19% respectively. Thus, vacuum foam drying enables production of high‐grade tomato powders being qualitatively similar to powders obtained by freeze drying.