Molecular Properties of Cereal Based Breakfast Foods

Molecular status of starch in ready-to-eat breakfast cereal foods and its relationship with cereal produkt functional properties such as water solubility index and water absorption index were studied. Gel chromatographic separation of cereal product polymers dispersed in DMSO gave three major fractions. Factions I and II reflected starch content, whereas Fraction III reflected the sugar content in the product formulation. Contents of Fraction I, II and III varied from 0.31 to 3.53 mg, 0.06 to 2.82 mg, and O to 4.63 mg, respectively. Water absorption index increased while water solubility index decreased with increasing Fraction I or Fraction II contents. Conversely, water absorption index decreased whereas water solubility index increased with increasing Fraction III content. Iodine blue values showed that Fraction I and Fraction II mainly composed of amylopectin and amylose, respectively. λ_max values of Fraction I and II varied from 511 to 584 nm, 490 to 661 nm, respectively. Iodine binding capacity which was indicative of the amount of amylose present, varied from 0.37% (Kellogg's Corn Flakes) to 2.84% (Kellogg's Honey Smacks).     

Impact of nonthermal food processing techniques on mycotoxins and their producing fungi

Mycotoxins are a significant threat to food safety and quality. Over the years, mycotoxins have been detected in almost all food and feed crops without any regional barrier. Conventional techniques for decontamination of mycotoxin involve physical, chemical, and biological methods, but these technologies often impact the quality of food in terms of changes in nutritional and sensory attributes. We examined the effects of nonthermal techniques on mycotoxins and their producing fungi to remove or reduce mycotoxin levels in food products without compromising food quality. Nonthermal technologies employ different lethal agents (including ozone, cold plasma, light, pressure, radiation, ultrasound, electric field, and magnetic field) to degrade mycotoxins while minimising product thermal exposure. However, the degradation pathway and toxicology of treated products need further research for a better understanding. With such food process development and optimisation efforts, food processors can employ various nonthermal technologies as tools for delivering consumer-desired mycotoxin-free food products with intact nutritional and sensory quality.     

An investigation of bread-baking process in a pilot-scale electrical heating oven using computational fluid dynamics

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed for bread-baking process in a pilot-scale baking oven to find out the effect of hot air distribution and placement of bread on temperature and starch gelatinization index of bread. In this study, product (bread) simulation was carried out with different placements of bread. Simulation results were validated with experimental measurements of bread temperature. This study showed that nonuniform air flow pattern inside the oven cavity leads to uneven temperature distribution. The study with respect to placement of bread showed that baking of bread in upper trays required shorter baking time and gelatinization index compared to those in the bottom tray. The upper tray bread center reached 100 °C at 1200 s, whereas starch gelatinization completed within 900 s, which was the minimum baking index. Moreover, the heat penetration and starch gelatinization were higher along the sides of the bread as compared to the top and bottom portions of the bread.     

A comparative study on conventional and microwave-assisted extraction for microencapsulation of Garcinia fruit extract

(?)-Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is the principal acid present in the fruit rinds of certain species of Garcinia and is reported to have various health benefits. However, HCA is highly hygroscopic in nature and becomes lactonised during evaporation and drying. To reduce the lactonisation of HCA, Garcinia cowa fruit extract was obtained through two different extraction techniques, autoclave and microwave-assisted extractions, and was then microencapsulated using whey protein isolate (WPI) and denatured whey protein isolate (DWPI) with a 1:1 wall-to-core ratio using a spray drying technique. The microwave-assisted extracts encapsulated with WPI and DWPI had higher free HCA and net HCA recovery than the autoclaved extract encapsulated with similar wall materials. Furthermore, the microwave-assisted extracts and the associated encapsulated samples had higher antioxidant activity than their counterparts. The encapsulation of the microwave-assisted extracts with both wall materials had little variations in their free (55.04 and 54.58% for WPI and DWPI, respectively) and net HCA recovery (84 and 82%) and antioxidant activity (13.3 and 13.6%), which signified a smaller influence of the wall materials. These results indicated that microwave-assisted extraction had a higher extraction efficiency, encapsulation efficiency and antioxidant activity with both wall materials.     

Freeze drying technique for microencapsulation of Garcinia fruit extract and its effect on bread quality

Microencapsulation is an enduring technology for protection and controlled release of food ingredients. The Garcinia cowa fruit rinds are rich source of (−)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is reported to have various health benefits. But, HCA is hygroscopic in nature and thermally sensitive. Hence, G. cowa fruit extract was microencapsulated using three different wall materials such as whey protein isolate (WPI), maltodextrin (MD) and combination of whey protein isolate and maltodextrin (WPI + MD in 1:1 ratio) by freeze drying at 30% concentration. The microencapsulated powders were evaluated for their impact on bread quality and free HCA concentration. The microcapsules exhibited wider particle size range of 15–100 μm and HPLC analysis showed that all the three encapsulates yielded higher free (above 85%) and net (above 90%) HCA recovery. Moreover, bread with WPI encapsulates exhibited higher volume, softer crumb texture, desirable colour and sensory attributes and had higher free HCA concentration. This indicated that WPI has excellent encapsulation efficiency than other two wall materials during bread baking.     

Valorisation of grape pomace (cv. Muscat) for development of functional cookies

Fruit juice industries and wineries generate considerable amount of grape pomace as waste from fresh grapes. However, the nutritional assets of grape pomace that include antioxidants, mainly polyphenols, should not be neglected, and be further processed in developing food supplements. In this study, grape pomace (cv. Muscat) was found to be indeed nutrient-rich. This pomace was subsequently employed in development of grape pomace cookies, as a functional snack. The characterisation of the grape pomace cookies delineated their healthfulness in terms of antioxidant potential, and storability in terms of higher shelf life, at 6% w/w in cookie dough. The present study highlights the importance of utilising a wasted bioresource in adding functional value to a common food that otherwise is only a fat-rich snack.     

Pretreatment eliminates throat irritation by water yam and facilitates the development of functional cookies

Water yam (Dioscoreaalata) provides sufficient nutrients in terms of protein (10.075 ± 0.02%), fibre (3.40 ± 0.03%) and minerals (potassium and phosphorous). However, due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, water yam causes throat irritation. Consequently, it is less preferred among consumers, and thus, the commercial importance of yam tubers has been limited. The current investigation aims to reduce the saponin content of water yam by pretreatment of yam tubers at the optimised conditions (blanching with 0.2% potassium metabisulphite, 0.5% tartaric acid and 0.5% citric acid) that rendered a 50% reduction in the saponin content (1.65% to 0.86%). The said nutritious yam flour was utilised as a replacement of refined wheat flour (13%) in the development of functional cookies. The yam cookies showed higher mineral content (phosphorous: 116.20 ± 0.80 mg/100 g; potassium: 221.11 ± 0.98 mg/100 g). Reduced water activity and incorporation of antioxidants in yam cookies decreased the peroxide value of the same during storage attesting its higher shelf-life.     

Disinfestation techniques for major cereals: A status report

Management of stored product insects is a major concern and widely researched topic in the food and grain processing and storage industry. In the scenario of estimated utilization of produces exceeding the production, postharvest losses should be properly controlled to feed the growing population. The prevailing disinfestation techniques are forced to meet regulatory standards and market demands. The resistance developed by insects, environmental concerns, and occupational hazards lead to the vanishing of many chemicals used in insect and pest management programs. Some of the major disinfestation techniques such as the use of chemical fumigants, ozone, irradiation, dielectric heating, extreme temperature treatments, and bio rational approaches are discussed, particularly on the storage of cereal grains and its products, as they contribute to a significant proportion of food consumed worldwide. Newer techniques such as nonthermal plasma and metabolic stress disinfestation and decontamination for stored pest control are developed and evaluated in different parts of the world. The knowledge about the mode of action of these disinfestation techniques is important to avoid the cross‐resistance and multiple resistance developed by insects with frequently used techniques. Various alternatives to conventional fumigants are discussed in this review as there is a growing demand for toxic‐free, environment‐friendly, and, at the same time, efficient techniques.     

Multilayer packaging: Advances in preparation techniques and emerging food applications

In recent years, with advantages of versatility, functionality, and convenience, multilayer food packaging has gained significant interest. As a single entity, multilayer packaging combines the benefits of each monolayer in terms of enhanced barrier properties, mechanical integrity, and functional properties. Of late, apart from conventional approaches such as coextrusion and lamination, concepts of nanotechnology have been used in the preparation of composite multilayer films with improved physical, chemical, and functional characteristics. Further, emerging techniques such as ultraviolet and cold plasma treatments have been used in manufacturing films with enhanced performance through surface modifications. This work provides an up‐to‐date review on advancements in the preparation of multilayer films for food packaging applications. This includes critical considerations in design, risk of interaction between the package and the food, mathematical modeling and simulation, potential for scale‐up, and costs involved. The impact of in‐package processing is also explained considering cases of nonthermal processing and advanced thermal processing. Importantly, challenges associated with degradability and recycling multilayer packages and associated implications on sustainability have been discussed.