Shelf life of ready‐to‐cook cauliflower mixtures as affected by packaging film mass transport properties

In this work, the influence of packaging mass transport properties on quality loss of fresh‐cut cauliflower mixtures was addressed. The study was organised in two subsequent experimental steps; first, the selection of micro‐perforated packaging films was carried out by monitoring the package headspace gas concentrations of fresh‐cut white, green cauliflower and roman cabbage. Then, the effects of the barrier properties of the selected micro‐perforated film on shelf life of two different fresh‐cut cauliflower mixtures, stored at 4 ± 1 °C, were addressed. Results suggested that, among the investigated films, the micro‐perforated polymeric matrix with the lowest oxygen transmission rate value showed the best performance as it created the optimum headspace gas composition for each cauliflower variety, as well as, for the product mixtures. The appearance of visible moulds was the factor limiting product shelf life that accounted for about 18 days for both the investigated cauliflower mixtures.     

Juice and by-products from pomegranate to enrich pancake: characterisation and shelf-life evaluation

In this study, a fortified pancake with all parts of pomegranate as juice and by-products, added in the formulation, was designed. The influence of pomegranate addition on nutritional and sensory quality of pancake, as well as on its shelf-life, was assessed. As one would expect, the enrichment significantly improved the pancake polyphenolic content as compared to the control sample. Surprisingly, pomegranate addition did not affect its sensory quality. In fact, the enriched pancake was greatly appreciated from the sensory point of view. Results also suggested that the addition of pomegranate improved the glycemic index (GI). In fact, while a value of GI equal to 100 was obtained for the control sample, a GI of 71 was measured for the fortified sample. In terms of shelf-life, 30 days were obtained for the enriched pancake, whereas the control sample remained acceptable for about 26 days.     

Environmental and individual exposure to secondhand aerosol of electronic cigarettes in confined spaces: Results from the TackSHS Project†

Secondhand electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) aerosol (SHA) might impair indoor air quality and expose bystanders. This study aims to investigate exposure to SHA in controlled conditions of enclosed settings simulating real-world scenario. An experiment was performed in a car and in a room, in which SHA was generated during a 30-minute ad libitum use of an e-cigarette. The experiment was replicated on five consecutive days in each setting. We measured PM_2.5, airborne nicotine concentrations, and biomarkers of exposure to SHA, such as nicotine metabolites, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, propylene glycol, and glycerol in bystanders’ saliva samples before, during, and after the exposure period. Self-reported health symptoms related to exposure to SHA were also recorded. The results showed that the highest median PM_2.5 concentration was recorded during the exposure period, being 21 µg/m³ in the room setting and 16 µg/m³ in the car setting—about twofold increase compared to the baseline. Most concentrations of the airborne nicotine and all biomarkers were below the limit of quantification in both settings. Bystanders in both settings experienced some short-term irritation symptoms, expressed as dry throat, nose, eyes, and phlegm. In conclusion, short-term use of an e-cigarette in confined spaces increased indoor PM_2.5 level and caused some irritation symptoms in bystanders.     

Hydrolytic degree and antioxidant activity of purified casein characterised by different haplotypes (αs1-, β- and k-casein) after enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin and enzymatic extract from Pleurotus eryngii

The aim of this study was to estimate the hydrolytic degree and antioxidant activity of purified casein characterised by different haplotypes (α_s1-, β- and k-casein) after in vitro digestion with two different enzymatic systems: pepsin from porcine gastric mucosa (EP) and a crude enzymatic extract from the edible mushroom Pleurotus eryngii. The used enzymes showed a different mode of casein catalysis with a consequent production of peptides of different antioxidant activity. The CN haplotype significantly influenced peptides production; in fact, the amino acid substitutions caused by genetic polymorphisms at the α_s1-, β- and k-CN loci influenced the sites of enzymatic cleavage and therefore the produced peptides. The above is evidenced by the different antioxidant activity found in the hydrolysates depending on the used enzymatic system, the CN haplotype, and the CN haplotype × enzymatic treatment interaction. The findings of this study are a perspective for the production of specific foods that exert a biological effect in addition to the nutritional one.     

Weissella cibaria short-fermented liquid sourdoughs based on quinoa or amaranth flours as fat replacer in focaccia bread formulation

Production of the traditional Italian Focaccia bread (FcBread) requires reformulation to meet the new rules for healthier foods. We tested the applicability of a short-fermented (15 h) liquid sourdough (LS) (dough yield, DY, 250), obtained using quinoa (Q) or amaranth (Am) flour fermented with a Weissella cibaria strain (C43-11) producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) as fat replacer in yeast-leavened FcBread. The LSs were applied during the FcBread-making process at industrial pilot plant, reducing the added fat amount by 20% (FcBread-QLS and FcBread-AmLS) and products were compared with reference samples not containing EPS. All the products were analysed for physico-chemical properties (pH, TTA, organic acids, protein content and profile, instrumental colour), textural properties, sensory quality and glycemic index. The application of both pseudo-cereal-based W. cibaria LSs in FcBread allowed obtaining products with a reduced amount of fat, increased protein amount, mainly due to the albumin and glutenin/glutelin fractions, reduced glycemic index, improved texture and preserved in the traditional sensory profile of ‘focaccia’.     

Design für Kostentransparenz in Anlageberatungsgespr?chen

Investment advisory services of financial service providers (FSPs) exhibit several characteristics that are detrimental to advisory quality. The interaction of advisor and client is strained by a lack of transparency regarding the advisory process (what activities are performed and why) and the information used therein (what information is used for what purpose and with what effect), as well as regarding the precise costs of the service and the recommended products. In prior research, we suggested that process and information transparency issues may be appropriately addressed with collaborative information technology (IT) artifacts. In this paper, we argue that collaborative, transparent artifacts may also be a premise of enabling cost transparency. To this end, we describe a complete research cycle of designing, implementing, and evaluating a shared cost-transparent IT artifact to support client-advisor interaction in investment advisory encounters. Evaluation results suggest the efficacy of our design in improving the clients?? perceived cost transparency as well as increase their satisfaction and their willingness to pay for the received investment advice. These findings may also challenge the common belief of FSPs that transparent, fee-based advisory services would neither be accepted by clients nor be economically viable. Practical implications of these findings for designing advisory encounters with supportive IT are discussed.     

A comparative study of the physico‐chemical properties affecting the organoleptic quality of fresh and thermally treated yellow tomato ecotype fruit

In recent years, yellow commercial tomatoes have attracted great interest from consumers. The goal of this work was to characterise the parameters of three yellow genotypes that affect the fruit quality, in comparison with those of a red fruit genotype. Compared to the other genotypes, the GiaGiù ecotype was characterised as having the highest titratable acidity, organic acids content and pectin content before and after a thermal treatment simulating industrial pasteurisation. Most of the analysed parameters influence the taste and aroma of fresh fruit and processed products, particularly the high glutamic acid content measured in the GiaGiù ecotype. This genotype was also distinctive for its higher pectin content, which influences the texture. These features might allow the development of new food products that require a specific viscosity, such as sauces and ketchup. Interestingly, the beneficial properties of GiaGiù were preserved after thermal processing.     

Chemical Composition and Physical Properties of High Oleic Safflower Oils (Carthamus tinctorius,Var. CW88-OL and CW99-OL)

Chemical composition and physical properties of CW88‐OL and CW99‐OL cultivars of high oleic safflower seeds and their hexane‐extracted oils were determined. Dry‐based seed composition of CW88‐OL and CW99‐OL was: moisture = 4.29 and 4.23 %, oil = 42.29 and 46.44 %, Crude protein = 20.94 and 16.41 %, neutral detergent fiber = 28.11 and 28.49 %, ash = 1.55 and 2.01 %, phosphorus content = 2033 and 3995 mg/kg, respectively. Major fatty acids in oils were ~78 % oleic (O), ~13 % linoleic (L), ~5 % palmitic (P) and ~2 % stearic (St) acids, for both cultivars. The main triacylglycerols were OOO (~50 %), OOL (~20 %), SOL + OPO (~10 %), and LLP (~5 %). The oil composition of CW88‐OL and CW99‐OL in main minor components was: α‐tocopherol = 582 and 551 mg/kg, total sterols = 3996 and 3362 mg/kg, phospholipids = 22 and 21 mg/kg and wax content = 70 and 74 mg/kg. For both cultivars, density and viscosity of the oils between 25 and 55 °C varied from 903.4 to 912.6 kg/m³ and 63 to 23 mPa.s showing linear and exponential behaviors, respectively. The refractive index was 1.4694. The CIELab color parameters were: 89.69 and 89.53 (L*), ?3.72 and ?3.07 (a*), and 47.28 and 47.78 (b*) (CW88‐OL and CW99‐OL, respectively). Thus, the high oil content of the seeds and nutritional quality of the oil accompanied by low levels of waxes and phospholipids makes the cultivars studied promising for producers and consumers.