Isolation and characterisation of collagen from the ribbon jellyfish (Chrysaora sp.)

Pepsin‐solubilised collagen from the ribbon jellyfish (Chrysaora sp., morphotype 1) umbrella (JPSC) was isolated and characterised. The yield of collagen varied (9–19%, based on ash‐free dry weight) depending on the amount of pepsin used. Type II collagen was the major component of extracted collagen. The peptide map of JPSC differed from that of standard collagen type II, which indicates their different primary structures. FTIR spectra of JPSC, however, did not differ significantly from those of type II collagen. The T_max of JPSC was 37.38 °C, which is higher than that of other marine collagens. Glycine was the main amino acid in JPSC (320 residues per 1000 residues), followed by glutamic acid, alanine, proline, aspartic acid and hydroxyproline. The isoelectric point of JPSC was 6.64. These results indicate that this jellyfish species has the potential to be a marine source of type II collagen that can be used in place of land‐based sources.     

Determination of Mineral Composition and Heavy Metal Content of Some Nutraceutically Valued Plant Products

Minerals and heavy metal concentrations of 23 plants (arial parts, leaves, bark, stem, root, rhizome, dried berries, seeds) possessing health-promoting effects and used in indigenous medicines (as medicinal food) were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic spectrometry. Vital essential minerals and heavy metals were present in all the samples analyzed. The majority of the plant materials were rich in some of the essential minerals like Na, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Zn, which are known to be beneficial for health. The plant material of Vitiveria zizinalis had highest concentration of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic (53.1 mg/100 g), chromium (6.74 mg/100 g), cobalt (10.2 mg/100 g), mercury (3.6 mg/100 g), and nickel (3.28 mg/100 g). Results of the present study provide vital data on the availability of some essential minerals, which can be useful to provide dietary information for designing value-added foods and for food biofortification. Apart from this, data on the contaminant levels of heavy metals highlights the necessity on the quality and safety concerns about their use.     

The Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Process as a New Post-harvesting Treatment of Paddy Rice: Impacts on Drying Kinetics and End Product Attributes

The instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) process was used as a post-harvesting treatment, followed by hot air drying and shade polishing. DIC treatment, which is carried out at P = 0.4–0.6 MPa, has many advantages in terms of processing time (not exceeding 30 s) and drying kinetics (about 3 h instead of 1 day under standard 50 °C hot air flow conditions). Shade polishing gives high quality rice with a whole-grain yield of 68-70% rather than the usual 52-60%. A tasting evaluation was carried out by an international panel and the rice was found to be perfect after a cooking time of 6 min, with an overcooked time of 18 min as against 17 min and 20 min, respectively, for conventional products. The shaded shelf life of the final product is much longer than 18–24 months.     

Effects of Na2CO3 and NaOH on Pasting Properties of Selected Native Cereal Starches

ABSTRACT: Using a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA), it was revealed that 2 alkalizing agents (Na2CO3 and NaOH) had a far larger effect on pasting properties of nonwaxy starches (wheat, corn, rice) compared with their effect on waxy starches (waxy corn and waxy rice). It was hypothesized that the alkalizing agents have a greater propensity to attack the amorphous regions of the nonwaxy starch granules, thereby causing increased leaching of amylose molecules and possibly also some hydrolysis of starch chains. As a result, the RVA pasting profile of a nonwaxy starch, in the presence of alkali, was drastically altered to one that more closely resembled that of its waxy counterpart without added alkali.     

Effects of Na2CO3 and NaOH on Retrogradation of Selected Native Cereal Starches Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

ABSTRACT: Using differential scanning calorimetry and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), it was found that the presence of Na2CO3 and NaOH retarded retrogradation of aged starch (wheat, corn, waxy corn, rice, and waxy rice) gels during storage at 4°C. At the same level of addition (based on a fixed starch/water ratio), the effect of NaOH was observed to be more pronounced than that of Na2CO3. Kinetic studies using pulsed NMR showed a progressive reduction in rate of starch retrogradation with increasing concentration of alkali (up to a level of 1 g/100 starch).     

Nonmeat Protein Alternatives as Meat Extenders and Meat Analogs

Abstract: The direct consumption of vegetable proteins in food products has been increasing over the years because of animal diseases, global shortage of animal protein, strong demand for wholesome and religious (halal) food, and economic reasons. The increasing importance of legume and oilseed proteins in the manufacturing of various functional food products is due to their high‐protein contents. However, the greatest obstacle to utilizing these legumes and oilseeds is the presence of antinutrients; but these antinutrients can be successfully removed or inactivated by employing certain processing methods. In contrast, the potential negative impact of the antinutrients is partially balanced by the fact that they may have a health‐promoting role. Legumes and oilseeds provide well‐balanced amino acid profiles when consumed with cereals. Soybean proteins, wheat gluten, cottonseed proteins, and other plant proteins have been used for texturization. Texturized vegetable proteins can extend meat products while providing an economical, functional, and high‐protein food ingredient or can be consumed directly as a meat analog. Meat analogs are successful because of their healthy image (cholesterol free), meat‐like texture, and low cost. Mycoprotein is fungal in origin and is used as a high‐protein, low‐fat, health‐promoting food ingredient. Mycoprotein has a good taste and texture. Texturized vegetable proteins and a number of mycoprotein products are accepted as halal foods. This article summarizes information regarding the molecular, nutritional, and functional properties of alternative protein sources to meat and presents current knowledge to encourage further research to optimize the beneficial effects of alternative protein sources.     

Changes in fatty acid and essential oil composition of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) leaves under NaCl stress

Fatty acids and essential oils from hydroponically cultivated Salvia officinalis leaves were analyzed by GC and GC–MS. Four different levels of NaCl (25, 50, 75 and 100 mM) were applied. The first results showed that salt treatment reduced significantly the plant growth by 61% and the total fatty acids (TFA) content by 32% at 100 mM NaCl. Alpha-linolenic, gadoleic, palmitic and oleic acids were the major fatty acids. Moreover, the polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased, while the monounsaturated ones increased with respect to increasing salinity. Regarding the essential oil composition, the main compounds were α-and β-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-humulene, viridiflorol and manool at all salt treatments. The yield had a maximum increase at 75 mM NaCl. Hence, sage can be considered as moderately salt sensitive.