Enzyme-Assisted Process for Production of Superior Quality Vanilla Extracts from Green Vanilla Pods Using Tea Leaf Enzymes

Vanilla planifolia Andrews is a perennial tropical vine and is an orchid grown for its pleasant flavor. There is an increasing trend world over for using natural flavors. Vanilla being an important food flavoring ingredient, the demand for natural vanilla extract is increasing. Hence, the aim of the present study was to prepare vanilla extract from green beans without going through the elaborate and time-consuming conventional curing process. Vanilla beans after size reduction were mixed in a suitable proportion with tea leaf enzyme extract (TLEE) and incubated to facilitate action of enzymes on vanilla flavor precursors. The beans mix was squeezed, and the filtrate was treated with ethanol to extract the vanilla flavor. TLEE-treated extracts had higher vanillin content (4.2%) compared to Viscozyme extract (2.4%). Also, it had higher intensity of vanilla flavor, sweet, and floral notes. Further, electronic nose analysis confirmed the discrimination between extracts. It was concluded that the use of TLEE is very much useful to obtain higher yield of vanilla extract and superior quality vanilla flavor, which avoids the traditional laborious and time-consuming curing process.     

Simple HPLC Method for Resolution of Curcuminoids with Antioxidant Potential

ABSTRACT:  Development of methodology for qualitative analysis and quantitative separation of individual curcuminoids in curcumin removed turmeric oleoresin (CRTO) and study of antioxidant activity of individual curcuminoids have been achieved in the present study. A simple HPLC protocol was outlined for optimal resolution of curcuminoids (I), (II), and (III) on an Exil-NH₂ column using isocratic elution with a mixture of isopropanol and water. CRTO is shown to be good source for the compounds II and III, as they are in an enriched form. The optimum resolution of the curcumin and its analogs in the present method developed, affords a facile method for estimation of individual curcuminoids in turmeric samples, which is an improvement over the standard AOAC method which estimates only total curcuminoids. The free radical scavenging capacity of pure curcuminoids I, II, and III, as determined by DPPH method at 100 ppm concentration was 88%, 80%, and 68% with IC₅₀ values being 56, 62, and 73 ppm, respectively. Their antioxidant potential could render them useful as important nutraceuticals or functional food ingredients.     

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the husk and endosperm of fenugreek seeds

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is used as a spice, vegetable and a medicinal plant. In the present study, fenugreek seeds were separated into husk and endosperm. The proximate composition of fenugreek seeds, husk and cotyledons showed that endosperm had the highest saponin (4.63 g/100 g) and protein (43.8 g/100 g) content. In contrast, husk had higher total polyphenols (103.8 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g, and TDF (77.1 g/100 g), comprising IDF (31.9 g/100 g) and SDF (45.2 g/100 g). At 200 μg concentration, extracts of husk, fenugreek seed, and endosperm exhibited 72%, 64%, and 56% antioxidant activity respectively by free-radical scavenging method. The study indicated that separation of fenugreek seeds into husk and endosperm could have advantage of process viability with respect to prior selective fractionation of bioactive components for their effective isolation.     

Effect of Drying Methods on the Quality Characteristics of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) Greens

Different drying methods were investigated for efficient dehydration of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) greens for optimal retention of color and its constituents. Accordingly, hot air (HA, 40°C, 58–63% RH), low humidity air (LHA, 40°C and 28–30% RH), and radiofrequency (RF, 40°C, 56–60% RH) were explored for efficient drying of fenugreek greens. The three single-layer drying models (Exponential, Page, and Modified Page) tested showed excellent fit (R² = 0.92–0.99) for all three drying methods. The time required for drying with LHA and RF was less (～27%), as compared to HA drying. LHA-dried fenugreek had superior green color and a more porous and uniform structure than those obtained from RF and HA drying. Aqueous methanolic (60:40) extract of fenugreek greens dehydrated by LHA exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity. Dehydrated fenugreek greens showed good consumer acceptance as well as shelf life.