Pulse-based snacks as functional foods: Processing challenges and biological potential

Despite their high nutritional value and potential health benefits, pulse intake has not increased in the last three decades. Several strategies have been implemented to increase pulse consumption, such as their incorporation in bakery products, breakfast cereals, and snacks. The inclusion of pulses in these products could be an alternative to satisfy the consumers’ demand for healthy foods. However, pulse-based snacks face important challenges, including reducing antinutritional factors, achieving consumer acceptance, and consolidating the pulse-based snacks as functional foods. This review summarizes and discusses methods for producing snacks where cereals or tubers were replaced with at least 50% pulses. Also, it briefly assesses their effect on nutritional composition, antinutritional factors, sensory acceptance, and different health benefits evaluations. Extruded snacks exhibited high protein and dietary fiber and low fat content, contrary to the high fat content of deep fat–fried snacks. Meanwhile, baked snacks presented moderate concentrations of protein, dietary fiber, and lipids. Pulses must be pretreated using process combinations such as soaking, dehulling, cooking, fermentation, germination, and extrusion to reduce the antinutritional factors. Pulse-based snacks show good sensory acceptance. However, sensory evaluation should be more rigorous using additional untrained judges. Several studies have evaluated the health benefits of pulse-based snacks. More research is needed to validate scientifically the health benefits associated with their consumption. Pulse-based snacks could be an alternative to improve the nutritional composition of commercially available snacks. The use of pulses as ingredients of healthier snacks represents an important alternative for the food industry due to their low cost, sensory characteristics, high nutritional profile, and environmental benefits.     

STC power for 15 MW of PV comparing nameplate,initial power and power after 4 years

To date, the majority of quality controls performed at PV plants are based on the measurement of a small sample of individual modules. Consequently, there is very little representative data on the real Standard Test Conditions (STC) power output values for PV generators. This paper presents the power output values for more than 1300 PV generators having a total installed power capacity of almost 15.3 MW. The values were obtained by the INGEPER‐UPNA group, in collaboration with the IES‐UPM, through a study to monitor the power output of a number of PV plants from 2006 to 2009. This work has made it possible to determine, amongst other things, the power dispersion that can be expected amongst generators made by different manufacturers, amongst generators made by the same manufacturer but comprising modules of different nameplate ratings and also amongst generators formed by modules with the same characteristics. The work also analyses the STC power output evolution over time in the course of this 4‐year study. The values presented here could be considered to be representative of generators with fault‐free modules. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of varying oxygen concentrations on the shelf-life of fresh pork sausages packaged in modified atmosphere

A total of 105 fresh pork sausages were packaged in atmospheres varying in oxygen concentration, using the following mixtures (%O₂/%CO₂/%N₂): 0/20/80, 0/20/80 + O₂ scavenger, 20/20/60, 40/20/40, 60/20/20, and 80/20/0. In addition, two batches were subjected to vacuum packaging or over-wrap with O₂-permeable film. They were stored for 20 days at 2 ± 1 °C in the dark. Values of pH, CIE L*, a* and b* color parameters, surface metmyoglobin percentage, TBA-reactive substances, psychrotroph aerobe bacterial numbers and sensory discoloration and off-odor were assessed throughout storage. Packaging in the absence of O₂, either under vacuum or in atmosphere with O₂ scavenger, led to extension of shelf-life in terms of both color and odor stability due to low oxidation rates. Increase of O₂ caused a significant enhancement of oxidation, decrease of shelf-life due to discoloration and off-odor development. The highest O₂ concentration gave rise to a significant color improvement, though only for a limited period of 8 days.     

Impact of Commercial Precooking of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) on the Generation of Peptides,After Pepsin–Pancreatin Hydrolysis,Capable to Inhibit Dipeptidyl Peptidase‐IV

The objective of this research was to determine the bioactive properties of the released peptides from commercially available precook common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Bioactive properties and peptide profiles were evaluated in protein hydrolysates of raw and commercially precooked common beans. Five varieties (Black, Pinto, Red, Navy, and Great Northern) were selected for protein extraction, protein and peptide molecular mass profiles, and peptide sequences. Potential bioactivities of hydrolysates, including antioxidant capacity and inhibition of α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase, dipeptidyl peptidase‐IV (DPP‐IV), and angiotensin converting enzyme I (ACE) were analyzed after digestion with pepsin/pancreatin. Hydrolysates from Navy beans were the most potent inhibitors of DPP‐IV with no statistical differences between precooked and raw (IC₅₀ = 0.093 and 0.095 mg protein/mL, respectively). α‐Amylase inhibition was higher for raw Red, Navy and Great Northern beans (36%, 31%, 27% relative to acarbose (rel ac)/mg protein, respectively). α‐Glucosidase inhibition among all bean hydrolysates did not show significant differences; however, inhibition values were above 40% rel ac/mg protein. IC₅₀ values for ACE were not significantly different among all bean hydrolysates (range 0.20 to 0.34 mg protein/mL), except for Red bean that presented higher IC₅₀ values. Peptide molecular mass profile ranged from 500 to 3000 Da. A total of 11 and 17 biologically active peptide sequences were identified in raw and precooked beans, respectively. Peptide sequences YAGGS and YAAGS from raw Great Northern and precooked Pinto showed similar amino acid sequences and same potential ACE inhibition activity. Processing did not affect the bioactive properties of released peptides from precooked beans. Commercially precooked beans could contribute to the intake of bioactive peptides and promote health.     

Effect of genotype,maturity stage and post‐harvest storage on phenolic compounds,carotenoid content and antioxidant capacity,of Andean mashua tubers (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavón)

The total phenolics, anthocyanins, flavan 3‐ols, carotenoids and antioxidant capacity of mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavón) tubers from 10 yellow and purple cultivars were determined at different maturity stages (5–7.5 months after planting) and sunning post‐harvest storage periods (7–35 days). Both the antioxidant capacity (ORAC and ABTS assays) and the content of the bioactive compounds tested varied markedly between cultivars. Purple varieties reached the highest antioxidant capacity during tuber development (271–446 µmol Trolox equiv g^?1 DM, ORAC assay). The kinetics of accumulation or disappearance of the bioactive compounds tested during maturation was dependent both on the cultivar and on the compound considered. For anthocyanins, there was a marked increase during maturation in all the purple cultivars. During the sunning post‐harvest storage, the changes in antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) and content of the bioactive compounds tested also varied between cultivars. A marked decrease in anthocyanins was observed for the anthocyanin‐containing cultivars. In general, the correlation between antioxidant capacity and the content of bioactive compounds varied markedly between cultivars. Antioxidant capacity in purple varieties correlated with total phenolics or flavan 3‐ols while only in some yellow varieties antioxidant capacity correlated with total phenolics. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of the antioxidant properties of extracts obtained from nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes after convective drying

BACKGROUND: The process of convective drying was evaluated in terms of the bioactive compounds contained in nopal samples before and after dehydration. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonol, carotene and ascorbic acid contents were determined in undehydrated and dehydrated samples. Two drying temperatures (45 and 65 °C) and two air flow rates (3 and 5 m s^?1) were evaluated. The rheology of samples under the best drying conditions was also studied, since it provides important information regarding processing (mixing, flow processing) as well as the sensory attributes (texture) of rehydrated samples. RESULTS: Non‐Newtonian shear‐thinning behaviour was observed for samples dried at 45 °C, while samples dried at 65 °C showed shear‐thickening behaviour, possibly caused by thermal chain scission of high‐molecular‐weight components. CONCLUSION: The best conditions for bioactive compound preservation were a drying temperature of 45 °C and an air flow rate of 3 m s^?1, resulting in 40.97 g phenols, 23.41 g flavonoids, 0.543 g β‐carotene and 0.2815 g ascorbic acid kg^?1 sample as shown in table 3. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

DNA tests based on coat colour genes for authentication of the raw material of meat products from Iberian pigs

Traceability in the meat supply chain depends on systems based on electronic identification, but DNA tests would be suitable to audit the genetic origin of some labelled meat products. Differentiated labelling is required for highly prized meat products from purebred Iberian pigs and from animals crossbred with the Duroc breed. A panel of breed specific markers based on polymorphisms found in two coat colour genes was investigated in the present study. The genotyping of the G/C or A/G polymorphisms at nucleotide positions ?160 and 727 bp of the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) gene can be indistinctly used to discriminate the Duroc specific allele (MC1R*4) from all the alleles (MC1R*3, MC1R*6 and MC1R*7) found in the Iberian breed. It allows one to differentiate unambiguously samples from purebred Iberian and Duroc crossbred genotypes. The additional genotyping of the A/G polymorphism at position 2462 of the pink‐eyed dilution (OCA2) gene, four microsatellites (SW24, SW413, SW874 and SW1057) and nine amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers would allow one to detect Duroc crossbred genotypes with a probability of exclusion of the pure Iberian origin greater than 0.968. The validation of batches of marketed products may be achieved with more single tests on pooled DNA samples. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Monitoring the transesterification reaction with laser spectroscopy

The production of biodiesel is rapidly expanding around the world, making it more important to produce this fuel with more energy efficiency. In this paper, we observed a series of transesterification reactions of soy bean oil and methyl alcohol catalyzed by potassium hydroxide. The observations were made using a non-invasive optical technique. This technique is useful to indicate the endpoint of a transesterification reaction or to determine when this reaction is reaching the state of chemical equilibrium. This study made it possible to improve the follow-up of the transesterification reaction, by optimizing the reaction time with a better monitoring system.     

Sinanodonta woodiana (mollusca: bivalvia: unionidae): isolation and characterization of the first microsatellite markers

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is a large Unionid species with a real invasion success. It colonized Europe, Central America, the Indonesian Islands and recently North America. The species life cycle involves a larval parasitic stage on freshwater fish species which contributes to the spread of the mussel. In this paper we describe, for the first time, eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for the species Sinanodonta woodiana. The genetic screening of individuals confirmed that all loci were highly polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 14 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.650 to 0.950. These loci should prove useful to study the species population genetics which could help to infer important aspects of the invasion process.     

Cohesive strength of nanocrystalline ZnO:Ga thin films deposited at room temperature

In this study, transparent conducting nanocrystalline ZnO:Ga (GZO) films were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature on polymers (and glass for comparison). Electrical resistivities of 8.8 × 10-4 and 2.2 × 10-3 Ω cm were obtained for films deposited on glass and polymers, respectively. The crack onset strain (COS) and the cohesive strength of the coatings were investigated by means of tensile testing. The COS is similar for different GZO coatings and occurs for nominal strains approx. 1%. The cohesive strength of coatings, which was evaluated from the initial part of the crack density evolution, was found to be between 1.3 and 1.4 GPa. For these calculations, a Young's modulus of 112 GPa was used, evaluated by nanoindentation.