Journal of Food Science and Technology

Tuli, Hardeep; Chaudhary, Prachi; Beniwal, Vikas; Sharma, Anil

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1601-6pmid: 26243889

Synthetic colors have been widely used in various industries including food, textile, cosmetic and pharmaceuticals. However toxicity problems caused by synthetic pigments have triggered intense research in natural colors and dyes. Among the natural Sources, pigment producing microorganisms hold a promising potential to meet present day challenges. Furthermore natural colors not only improve the marketability of the product but also add extra features like anti oxidant, anti cancer properties etc. In this review, we present various sources of microbial pigments and to explore their biological and clinical properties like antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer and anti inflammatory. The study also emphasizes upon key parameters to improve the bioactivity and production of microbial pigments for their commercial use in pharmacological and medical fields.

Iravani, Siavash; Korbekandi, Hassan; Mirmohammadi, Seyed

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1516-2pmid: 26243890

Fermented milk products containing probiotics and prebiotics can be used in management, prevention and treatment of some important diseases (e.g., intestinal- and immune-associated diseases). Microencapsulation has been used as an efficient method for improving the viability of probiotics in fermented milks and gastrointestinal tract. Microencapsulation of probiotic bacterial cells provides shelter against adverse conditions during processing, storage and gastrointestinal passage. Important challenges in the field include survival of probiotics during microencapsulation, stability of microencapsulated probiotics in fermented milks, sensory quality of fermented milks with microencapsulated probiotics, and efficacy of microencapsulation to deliver probiotics and their controlled or targeted release in the gastrointestinal tract. This study reviews the current knowledge, and the future prospects and challenges of microencapsulation of probiotics used in fermented milk products. In addition, the influence of microencapsulation on probiotics viability and survival is reviewed.

Lovayová, Viera; Dudriková, E.; Rimárová, K.; Siegfried, L.

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1619-9pmid: 26243891

The work studies the survival of added selected probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus (S1), Lactobacillus casei (S2), and Lactobacillus plantarum96 (S3) in semi-hard cheese with low-cooking curd during the maturation process. Cheeses were made according to the standard procedure (Polyfood SI 050 device). Probiotic lactobacilli strains Lactobacillus acidophilus (S1), Lactobacillus casei (S2), and Lactobacillus plantarum96 (S3) used in this study were added into the milk before the renneting process. The manufactured cheeses were matured for 6 months at the temperature of 10 °C. Cheese samples were taken for pH and titratable acidity measurements, lactobacilli enumeration, and chemical analysis at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days of maturation. At the end of the experiment (180 days) the cheese samples were analyzed also for the amount of lactic acid and protein contents. Initial numbers of lactobacilli inoculated into the milk (108 CFU mL−1) decreased during the first 2 weeks of maturation and reached from 2.15 107 CFU g−1 in S1 cheese to 4.32 107 CFU g−1 in S3 cheese. The number of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain bacteria at the beginning of the maturation period was 2.47.107 CFU g−1 and declined until day 120 of maturation to the number of 0.45 106 CFU g−1. In the last month of the experiment day 180 the viable cell numbers started to rise up to the final number of 0.41 107 CFU g−1. The numbers of Lactobacillus plantarum96 varied around 108 CFU g−1 during the whole period of the experiment. According to our results it was detected that in all experimental cheeses, the used probiotic lactobacilli reached the values above 106 CFU g−1. Thus the legislated and therapeutic minimum limits set for the products containing probiotic bacteria for human diet were fulfilled.

Subhan, Fazli; Ikram, Muhammad; Shehzad, Adeeb; Ghafoor, Abdul

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1652-8pmid: 26243892

Mammalian collagen is a multifactorial biomaterial that is widely used for beneficial purposes in the advanced biomedical technologies. Generally, biomedical applicable collagen is extracted from the mammalian body, but it can also be derived from marine species. Recently, mammalian tissues collagen proteins are considered a great pathological risk for transmitted diseases, because purification of such protein is very challenging and needs efficient tool to avoid structure alteration. Thus, difficult extraction process and high cost decreased mammalian collagen demands for beneficial effects compared to marine collagen. In contrast, marine collagen is safe and easy to extract, however this potential source of collagen is hindered by low denaturing temperature, which is considered a main hurdle in the beneficial effects of marine collagen. Characterization and biomedical applications of marine collagen are in transition state and yet to be discovered. Therefore, an attempt was made to summarize the recent knowledge regarding different aspects of marine collagen applications in the biomedical engineering field.

Bousmaha-Marroki, Leila; Marroki, Ahmed

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1556-7pmid: 26243893

The objective of this study was to identify and study the heterogeneity of technological traits of lactobacilli from goat’s milk of Algeria and to evaluate in vitro their safety aspect. Using API50 CHL system and 16S rDNA sequencing, 51 % of strains were assigned as Lactobacillus plantarum, 34 % as L. pentosus, 7 % as L. rhamnosus and 8 % as L. fermentum. A large variability was noted for the acidifying capacity in skim milk after 6, 12 and 24 h of incubation. All strains expressed aminopeptidase activity against alanine-ρ-NA and leucine-ρ-NA at different levels. All strains were resistant to vancomycin and most of strains showed more susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotic. High susceptibility toward the inhibitors of protein synthesis was also observed. Minimum inhibitory concentrations data obtained revealed that isolates were susceptible to penicillin and chloramphenicol, and resistant to gentamicin and vancomycin. Minimum inhibitory concentrations distribution of other antibiotics showed variability. The analysis of graphical representation of principal component analysis of technological properties of L. plantarum and L. pentosus strains showed diversity among the isolates. Finally, eight L. plantarum (LAM1, LAM3, LAM21, LAM25, LAM35, LF15, LAM34, and LAM35), four L. pentosus (LAM38, LAM39, LF9 and LF16) and two L. rhamnosus (LF3 and LF10) strains, could be good candidates as adjunct culture in dairy product in Algeria.

Pasko, Pawel; Gdula-Argasinska, Joanna; Podporska-Carroll, Joanna; Quilty, Brid; Wietecha-Posluszny, Renata; Tyszka-Czochara, Malgorzata; Zagrodzki, Pawel

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1602-5pmid: 26243894

Suitability assessment of amaranth sprouts as a new functional food was carried out. The optimisation of sprouting process and the influence of selenium supplementation, in doses 10, 15, and 30 mg/l of selenium as sodium selenite, on amaranth growth and fatty acid profile were examined. Methods such as FRAP, DPPH, polyphenols content and GPX activity were applied to characterize antioxidant potential of seeds and sprouts of four different edible amaranth genera. E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans were used to evaluate amaranth sprouts antimicrobial properties. Interaction between amaranth sprouts and biological systems was assessed by analysing antibacterial and antifungal properties with a disc diffusion test. The studies proved amaranth sprouts to be potentially attractive as functional food. As confirmed by all the data amaranth sprouts are suitable as a moderate selenium accumulator and are rich in essential fatty acids, especially linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids, which are precursors of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, it opens dietary opportunities for amaranth sprouts. They can also serve as a moderate source of antioxidant compounds. Nevertheless, the experiments revealed neither antibacterial, nor antifungal properties of sprouts. In general, amaranth sprouts biological activity under evaluation has failed to prove to be significantly impacted by selenium fertilization.

Borges, Anabela; Abreu, Ana; Ferreira, Carla; Saavedra, Maria; Simões, Lúcia; Simões, Manuel

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1533-1pmid: 26243895

Plants contain numerous components that are important sources of new bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are plant secondary metabolites found in cruciferous vegetables that are arising as promising antimicrobial agents in food industry. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity of two isothiocyanates (ITCs), allylisothiocyanate (AITC) and 2-phenylethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The antibacterial mode of action was also characterized by the assessment of different physiological indices: membrane integrity, intracellular potassium release, physicochemical surface properties and surface charge. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AITC and PEITC was 100 μg/mL for all bacteria. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the ITCs was at least 10 times higher than the MIC. Both AITC and PEITC changed the membrane properties of the bacteria decreasing their surface charge and compromising the integrity of the cytoplasmatic membrane with consequent potassium leakage and propidium iodide uptake. The surface hydrophobicity was also non-specifically altered (E. coli and L. monocytogenes become less hydrophilic; P. aeruginosa and S. aureus become more hydrophilic). This study shows that AITC and PEITC have strong antimicrobial potential against the bacteria tested, through the disruption of the bacterial cell membranes. Moreover, phytochemicals are highlighted as a valuable sustainable source of new bioactive products.

Khoshtaghaza, Mohammad; Darvishi, Hosain; Minaei, Saeid

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1557-6pmid: 26243896

Moisture content of soybean kernel at harvest time is too high for storage, and needs to be reduced. In this research, drying characteristics, quality and energy requirement for microwave-fluidized bed drying of soybean kernels were studied. The results showed that air temperature (80–140 °C), velocity (1.8–4.5 m/s) and microwave power (200–500 W) significantly influenced drying time, moisture diffusivity, rehydration capacity, cracking, and specific energy consumption (P ≤ 0.05). Among the applied models, Page’s model has the best performance to estimate the microwave-fluidized bed drying behavior of the soybean kernels. Moisture diffusivity values increased (6.25 × 10−10 to 42.14 × 10-10 m2/s) as the air velocity decreased and air temperature and microwave power increased. Activation energy was foundto be between 3.33 and 17.70 kJ/mol. Minimum cracking percentage of soybean kernels (12.96 %) was obtained at 80 °C, 1.8 m/s and 200 W treatments. The increase in microwave power and decrease in air velocity level decreased the rehydration capacity. Specific energy consumption varied from 50.94 to 338.76 MJ/kg water and the lowest specific energy consumption were obtained at 80 °C, 4.5 m/s and 500 W.

Aleid, S; AL-Hulaibi, A; Ghoush, M; Al-Shathri, A

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1618-xpmid: 26243897

Arabic breads is produced mainly from hard red winter wheat (HRWW) and have relatively little crumb, dense texture, form pocket and are often round with golden brown crust color. The objectives of this research were to investigate the effect of different bread improvers combinations addition in enhancing the quality parameters of Arabic bread. Therefore, the ability of Arabic bread for rolling, folding and overall quality were evaluated during the Arabic bread storage period for 2 days. It was found that there was significant effect of bread improvers combinations (Arabic gum “AG” * Mongglycerides “MG” *alpha-amylase) addition on the ability of Arabic bread for rolling and folding on the second day (P ≤ 0.1). The highest white Arabic bread quality was obtained significantly from addition of low AG, high of MG and high alpha-amylase combination and high AG, low of MG and high alpha-amylase combination. While, low of AG, high of MG and low alpha-amylase combination and high of AG, high of MG and low alpha-amylase combination significantly exhibited the highest overall quality for the Arabic bread made from whole flour.

Hamzah, N.; Sarbon, N.; Amin, A.

doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1622-1pmid: 26243898

This study aimed to determine the effects of 2–5 wash cycles and the addition of tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) (0 %, 0.05 Surimi% and 0.1 % w/w)—with or without the addition of 0.4 % calcium chloride (CaCl2)—on the physical properties such as texture, colour, expressible moisture and microstructure of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) surimi gel. The highest breaking force (484.85 g) was obtained with the addition 0.1 % TSPP alone on the fifth wash. However, a combination of 0.1 and 0.4 % CaCl2 in surimi gels at wash cycle 5 resulted in the highest degree of whiteness (86.8 %), as well as total expressible moisture (2.785 %) and deformation (17.11 mm). The highest surimi gel strength (6,923 g.mm) was obtained after three wash cycles with the addition of 0.1 % TSPP +0.4 % CaCl2. The physical properties of Cobia fish surimi gels were affected by the number of wash cycles and treatments with TSPP and CaCl2.