Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Khosravi-Darani, Kianoush

doi: 10.1080/10408390802248759pmid: 20544439

This article serves as an overview, introducing the currently popular area of supercritical fluids and their uses in food biotechnology. Within each application, and wherever possible, the basic principles of the technique, as well as a description of the history, instrumentation, methodology, uses, problems encountered, and advantages over the traditional, non-supercritical methods are given. Most current commercial application of the supercritical extraction involve biologically-produced materials; the technique may be particularly relevant to the extraction of biological compounds in cases where there is a requirement for low-temperature processing, high mass-transfer rates, and negligible carrying over of the solvent into the final product. Special applications to food processing include the decaffeination of green coffee beans, the production of hops extracts, the recovery of aromas and flavors from herbs and spices, the extraction and fractionation of edible oils, and the removal of contaminants, among others. New advances, in which the extraction is combined with reaction or crystallization steps, may further increase the attractiveness of supercritical fluids in the bioprocess industries. To develop and establish a novel and effective alternative to heating treatment, the lethal action of high hydrostatic pressure CO2 on microorganisms, with none or only a minimal heating process, has recently received a great deal of attention.

Costa, Ana I.A.; Jongen, Wim M.F.

doi: 10.1080/10408390802544553pmid: 20544440

Today's ageing population is an ever-increasing, highly diverse group of people wanting to live a healthy and enjoyable life. Seniors increasingly see the importance of eating healthy and delicious food in a pleasant environment in achieving happiness and well-being. Up until now, the food industry has been rather slow in transforming the wealth of available knowledge regarding the nutritional needs and sensory perception of the ageing into new food products. Based on our own and the published research of others, we discuss here how the design of new meals for an ageing population can be tackled by a consumer-led approach to food product development. After a brief overview of the underlying concepts and practices, a detailed description is given of how this approach could be used in the design of Home Meal Replacements for senior households. This description includes also a comprehensive review of the major determinants of food preference and meal choice behavior in a later age. Finally, relevant implications are derived from the work presented and future trends in the technological development of foods for the ageing highlighted.

Bansal, Geeta; Zhou, Weibiao; Barlow, Philip J.; Joshi, Pranav S.; Lo, Hui Ling; Chung, Youne Kow

doi: 10.1080/10408390802544611pmid: 20544441

Repeated use of oils and fats for frying of food brings about many changes in their physical and chemical properties. Due to increasing health concerns, the assessment of the quality of reused oils has received much attention, since such assessment is useful in determining the discarding point of the oils. The official analytical methods used in laboratories for this purpose need skill, time, and a large consumption of solvents. To make the oil testing simpler, several rapid test kits have been developed based on either physical parameters (such as viscosity or dielectric changes) or chemical parameters (such as free fatty acids, oxidized fatty acids, or carbonyl compounds). These test kits usually comprise a portable instrument or colorimetric reaction sticks, capable of providing a direct or indirect measurement of a single parameter. The review presented in this paper evaluates the use of such rapid test kits and highlights the need to develop multi-parameter test kits in order to establish the quality of reused oil and the point at which it should be discarded. The review also encompasses pertinent details on the standard analytical methods, and deterioration of frying oils that occur during and after their use and the associated health consequences.

Boon, Caitlin S.; McClements, D. Julian; Weiss, Jochen; Decker, Eric A.

doi: 10.1080/10408390802565889pmid: 20544442

In recent years, a number of studies have produced evidence to suggest that consuming carotenoids may provide a variety of health benefits including a reduced incidence of a number of cancers, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and improved eye health. Evolving evidence on the health benefits of several carotenoids has sparked interest in incorporating more carotenoids into functional food products. Unfortunately, the same structural attributes of carotenoids that are thought to impart health benefits also make these compounds highly susceptible to oxidation. Given the susceptibility of carotenoids to degradation, particularly once they have been extracted from biological tissues, it is important to understand the major mechanisms of oxidation in order to design delivery systems that protect these compounds when they are used as functional food ingredients. This article reviews current understanding of the oxidation mechanisms by which carotenoids are degraded, including pathways induced by heat, light, oxygen, acid, transition metal, or interactions with radical species. In addition, several carotenoid delivery systems are evaluated for their potential to decrease carotenoid degradation in functional food products.

Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis S.; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Tserkezou, Persefoni; Mouchtouri, Varvara; Kremastinou, Jenny; Nichols, Gordon

doi: 10.1080/10408390802437121pmid: 20544443

The high number of people moving around by ferries and cruise ships in conjunction with great amounts of food and potable water transported (occasionally overloaded) and consumed by passengers constitute a possible risk for communicable diseases. Another issue of equally great importance is the food handlers who come from diverse origin and have a different mentality, habits, and background. In this paper an attempt is made to present comparatively EU and US legislation that could be potentially applicable to passenger ships food premises and potable water supplies. Moreover, food and water related hazards, not currently covered by EU legislation, were assessed together with US legislation and other guidelines for cruise ships.

Armenta, S.; Moros, J.; Garrigues, S.; Guardia, M. De La

doi: 10.1080/10408390802606790pmid: 20544444

The enormous possibilities offered by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for the (on/in/at-line) quality control process of olive fruits, pastes, and oils are summarized throughout this paper. Special attention has been paid to the combination of NIR and chemometric treatments for the on-line analysis of olive fruits and also for the quality parameters evaluation on olive oils and pastes which can enhance the production of a high quality olive oil and the selection of olive fruit with superior properties. The implementation of NIR sensors in olive mills with successful results has also been reviewed and the commercial olive fruit and oil analyzers highlighted.