The influence of galactomannans with different amount of galactose side chains on the gelation of soy proteins at neutral pH

The influence of diverse galactomannans, differing mainly on the degree of branching (amount of galactose side chains along the main mannan backbone), on the heat-induced gelation of soybean proteins at pH 7, was investigated using dynamic oscillatory rheological measurements at low strain amplitude and microstructural analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Rheological tests were performed during gel formation, induced by either isothermal heating or by heating/cooling at a constant rate. Two different protein concentrations were analysed, one in the vicinity of the critical gel conditions and the other corresponding to a well developed gel, whereas the galactomannan concentration ranged from 0 to 0.5%. The presence of the galactomannan promoted the gelation to occur for protein concentration below the critical gelation of soybean proteins alone, decreased the gelling temperature and had a positive effect on the gel strength of the heat-induced gels. These effects were more pronounced as the degree of branching decreases. The consequence of demixing and phase separation was dependent on biopolymer concentration and galactomannan branching, resulting in an array of microstructures, spanning emulsion-like, bicontinuous and aggregated morphologies. Structure development within the galactomannan-rich phases, dependent on the branching degree and on the capability of the galactomannan for self-association, may have played a role in the phase separation and viscoelasticity of the final gels. It was demonstrated that by using soybean proteins and galactomannan mixtures at above phase separation concentrations and controlling the polymer concentration and the length of the unsubstituted polysaccharide backbone, tailor-made viscoelasticities and microstructures can be obtained with useful applications in food formulation.     

Assessing Rubus honey value: Pollen and phenolic compounds content and antibacterial capacity

Twenty-three honey samples from Galicia (Northwest Spain) were analysed to determine their botanical origin, phenolic compounds and antibacterial activity. In all samples Rubus pollen was predominant, followed by that of Castanea sativa. Other important pollens found belong to Cytisus type, Trifolium repens, Echium, Eucalyptus globulus, Erica umbellata, Erica cinerea, Campanula type and Frangula alnus.Eight phenolic compounds (caffeic, p-coumaric and ellagic acids, pinocembrin, chrysin, galangin, tectochrysin and kaempferol) were determined by solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by HPLC/DAD analysis. p-Coumaric and ellagic acids were the main constituents of the phenolic fraction (ca. 5.5 mg/kg each, mean value), followed by the pair chrysin plus galangin (ca. 1.2 mg/kg, mean value) and pinocembrin (ca. 1.0 mg/kg, mean value). Antibacterial activity was checked against five Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus cereus) and four Gram-negative bacteria (Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium). B. cereus and P. mirabilis were the most sensitive microorganisms. This is the first study concerning the phenolic compounds and antibacterial activity of Rubus honey, which proved to be a good source of phenolic compounds and antimicrobial agents with potential health benefits.     

Comparative study of the physicochemical and palynological characteristics of honey from Melipona subnitida and Apis mellifera

Twenty‐four samples of Apis mellifera honey and twenty‐four samples of Melipona subnitida (Jandaira) honey were collected in the northeast of Brazil. Moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural, free acidity, insoluble solids in water, diastase activity, ashes, electrical conductivity, proteins, lipids, total carbohydrates, energy and sugars were the parameters analysed. The efficiency of the qualitative tests (Fiehe's test, Lugol's reaction, Lund's reaction) was tested. Pollen types and the corresponding plant species were identified in all samples (3 in Apis and 1 in Melipona). Apis mellifera honey samples demonstrated parameters in accordance with the Brazilian Legislation, while the Melipona subnitida honey samples displayed moisture (24.80%) and diastase activity (null) in discordance with the established by the regulation for Apis mellifera honeys. Apis honey samples presented higher values of electric conductivity (284.00 μS cm^?1) than the obtained from the Jandaira honey samples (102.77 μS cm^?1) as well as a darker colour (26.67 mmPfund) when compared with Jandaira honey (7.00 mmPfund). The concentration of the glucose, fructose and sucrose was higher in the Apis honeys than in the Jandaira honey. The characteristics of the two types of honey were very different, highlighting the need of developing specific legislation for stingless bees' honey.     

Quantification of soluble solids in reconstituted açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp using near‐infrared spectroscopy

Açaí consumption is increasing worldwide because of the growing recognition of its nutritional and therapeutic properties. This product is classified based on its soluble solids content (SS), but the determination of SS in pulp is time consuming, tedious and not suitable for modern food processing plants. As near‐infrared (NIR) systems have been implemented to measure various quality attributes of food products, the objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to quantify the SS content of açaí pulp. Partial least squares (PLS) regression models were constructed to predict the SS. An optimum PLS model required one latent variable [principal component (PC)1 = 97%] with a root‐mean‐square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 1.06% for the calibration data set and the root‐mean‐square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.03% for internal cross‐validation. External validation using an independent data set showed good performance (RMSEP = 1.33% and Rp² = 0.82). NIR spectroscopy is a reliable method with which to determine SS in açaí pulp and thereby to classify açaí pulp according to established minimum quality standards.     

Controlling rheology and structure of sweet potato starch noodles with high broccoli powder content by hydrocolloids

Incorporating high volume fractions of broccoli powder in starch noodle dough has a major effect on its shear modulus, as a result of significant swelling of the broccoli particles. Several hydrocolloids with distinct water binding capacity (locust bean gum (LBG), guar gum, konjac glucomannan (KG), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and xanthan gum), were added to systems with 4 and 20% (v/v dry based) broccoli particles, and the effect of this addition on dough rheology, mechanical properties and structure of cooked noodles was investigated. Hydrocolloids with low (LBG and guar gum) and intermediate (KG) water binding capacity had no significant effect on shear rheology of the dough. Adding hydrocolloids with high water binding capacity (HPMC and xanthan gum) decreased the shear modulus of dough with 20% broccoli particles significantly. CLSM analysis of cooked noodles showed that in samples containing xanthan gum there was also an inhibition of swelling of starch granules. Strength and stiffness of cooked noodles with 20% broccoli particles were higher for samples containing xanthan gum, than samples without xanthan gum. The cooking loss and swelling index of samples with added hydrocolloids were slightly lower than samples without hydrocolloids. Our results showed that hydrocolloids with high water binding capacity can be used to control the degree of swelling of vegetable particles and starch granules in starch noodle products, and thereby control both dough rheology and textural properties of the cooked noodles.     

Classification of juices and fermented beverages made from unripe,ripe and senescent apples based on the aromatic profile using chemometrics

The aim of this study was to assess differences between apple juices and fermented apple beverages elaborated with fruits from different varieties and at different ripening stages in the aroma profile by using chemometrics. Ripening influenced the aroma composition of the apple juice and fermented apple. For all varieties, senescent fruits provided more aromatic fermented apple beverages. However, no significant difference was noticed in samples made of senescent or ripe fruits of the Lisgala variety. Regarding the juices, ripe Gala apple had the highest total aroma concentration. Ethanal was the major compound identified in all the samples, with values between 11.83 mg/L (unripe Lisgala juice) and 81.05 mg/L (ripe Gala juice). 3-Methyl-1-butanol was the major compound identified in the fermented juices. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied and classified the juices and fermented juices based on physicochemical and aroma profile, demonstrating their applicability as tools to monitor the quality of apple-based products.     

Deacidification of Soybean Oil by Ion Exchange

This work investigated the deacidification of soybean oil by ion exchange using a fixed bed loaded with the strong anionic resin Amberlyst A26 OH. Degummed soybean oil was dissolved in isopropanol and the deacidification process was studied according to an experimental design based on two factors, the feed flow rate and its content of free fatty acids. The responses of interest were the solute recovery efficiency and the bed utilization efficiency, both calculated from breakthrough curves. Oil samples before and after deacidification by ion exchange, as well as samples deacidified in the industrial plant by the chemical method, were characterized according to the usual indexes for quality and identity. The results revealed that the flow rate was an important and statistically significant factor with 95 % of confidence. The deacidification by ion exchange decreased the oil acidity and also removed undesirable compounds, such as phospholipids and peroxides. However, a decrease in the concentration of tocopherol was also observed.