A harmonized gastrointestinal digestion method developed in the COST action INFOGEST was adapted for the evaluation of sterol bioaccessibility in a plant sterol (PS)-enriched beverage [1]. Recent results have demonstrated that the individual addition of gastric lipase (GL) or cholesterol esterase (CE) to the INFOGEST digestion increases the bioaccessibility of cholesterol provided by the digestion reagents, thus reducing PS bioaccessibility by 18-62% [2]. In addition, the use of CE did not allow cholesterol quantification in the bioaccessible fraction [2]. In order to evaluate the effect of the simultaneous addition of these enzymes on sterol bioaccessibility, the INFOGEST digestion using GL (60 U/mL) and CE (0.075 or 2 U/mL) is applied to a PS-enriched (1%, w/v) milk-based fruit beverage. Digestion blanks (ultrapure water) are also carried out and sterols are determined by GC-FID [1]. The bioaccessibility of individual and total PS ranges between 5.1–16.6 and 6.9–7.9%, respectively, regardless of the CE enzymatic activity assayed. These values are similar to those obtained by the individual addition of GL or CE (4.2 – 17.9%) [2]. Cholesterol bioaccessibility ranged from 20.9 to 26.1%, similar to the individual addition of GL [2]. Additionally, cholesterol content in the blank is 19.2–21.2 mg/100 g water, also similar to those when GL or CE were individually added (18.9–20.4 mg/100 g) [2]. This fact indicates that the solubility of cholesterol provided by the digestion reagents is not improved by the simultaneous addition of both enzymes, resulting thus in similar values of PS bioaccessibility vs. individual addition. These results suggest that GL could favour the formation of free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols, known to improve the solubility of lipophilic compounds. In conclusion, the INFOGEST method considering the use of GL and CE is an adequate protocol for the evaluation of sterol bioaccessibility since reproduces more faithfully the physiological gastrointestinal conditions.

References: 1. Blanco-Morales et al. Food Funct, 2018, 9, 2080-2089; 2. López-García et al. 2021, pp 44. Available at: https://www.cost-infogest.eu/content/download/4051/35805/file/V-ICFD%20Book%20of%20Abstracts.pdf

Acknowledgements: Authors thank the financial support from project PID2019-104167RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain). Mussa Makran holds an FPU19/00156 grant from the Ministry of Universities (Spain). Gabriel López-García holds a junior doctor researcher contract within the aforementioned project (CPI-17-025).

Vicine and convicine, common antinutrients in faba beans, are the precursors of aglycones, divicine and isouramil, the main causative factors of favism. Recently, a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) method was proposed for determination of low quantities of vicine and convicine in faba bean seeds (Purves et al, 2018). The HILIC-UV based method was adapted and validated for in-house use for quantification of vicine and convicine in faba bean products: protein concentrates and plant-based meat analogue extrudates. Vicine and convicine were determined in different commercial faba bean protein concentrates intended for production of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. It was shown that the method of extraction and concentration of plant proteins has obviously influenced the content of antinutrients in protein concentrates. Determination of vicine and convicine in two faba bean containing ingredients before and after the extrusion showed differences in the degree of degradation of antinutrients, depending on the nature of raw ingredient fed into extruder. The relationship between the composition of the faba bean containing ingredient, the extrusion parameters, chosen to obtain the sensory acceptable meat analogues from these ingredients, and the resulting degradation of vicine and convicine should be a matter for further investigation.

Purves, R.W.; Khazaei, H.; Vandenberg, A. Quantification of vicine and convicine in faba bean seeds using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. Food Chem. 2018, 240, 1137-1145. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.08.040.

Cooking vegetables in microwave-bags has become a popular cooking method. However, information about the effect of this cooking method on phytochemicals content and microbiological safety of vegetables is limited. The aim of this work was to study the effect of microwave-bag cooking vs. conventional microwaving on phytochemical content and microbiological quality of broccoli florets. The influence of cooking time on these quality parameters was also evaluated.

Broccoli florets were placed into microwaveable bags and cooked in a microwave oven for 3 and 5 min. Product cooked under the same conditions, without using bag, was used as a control. Samples were taken before and after cooking. Glucosinolates (GSL) content and hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) content were analyzer by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. To evaluate microbiological quality, aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria and moulds and yeasts were analyzed.

Microwaved broccoli for 3 min showed no significant losses of total GSL content, regardless of cooking method. For 5 min cooking, microwave bag cooked broccoli showed higher total GSL content (32.3 ± 2.6 μmol g^-1) than conventional microwaved broccoli (26.4 ± 1.3 μmol g^-1). HACs content declined by 40% compared to fresh broccoli, in all conditions (from 2.52 ± 0.08 μmol g^-1 to 1.52 ± 0.31 μmol g^-1).

Microwave-bag cooking showed higher reduction of mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria than conventional microwaving. The counts of moulds and yeasts were < 10² cfu/g, independently of cooking method and time applied.

Microwave-bag cooking is a novel method that showed to be microbiologically safe and preserved GSL content, main bioactive compound of broccoli. Furthermore, this option is fast, easy and clean cooking option to fulfill modern consumers' needs.

The aim of this work is to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties, antinociceptive and antioxidant activities of rubiscolin-6, soymorphin-6 and their C-terminal amides. Rubiscolin-6 and soymorphin-6 are two exhorphins derived from spinach and soybean respectively. The four peptides were synthesized following Fmoc-SPPS strategy to give the final peptides in excellent overall yields and purity following analytical RP-HPLC analysis. None of them shows antioxidant activity and a-tyrosinase inhibition in vitro. All compounds are able to activate G-protein coupled receptor at the d-opioid receptor (DOR) at 100 mM concentration however, rubiscolin-6-amide exhibits significative antinociceptive effect after i.c.v. administration in the tail flick test (TF) and s.c. administration in the formalin test (FT). Rubiscolin-6 shows the best in vitro intestinal bioavailability in CaCo2 cell monolayer and stability to the brush border exopeptidases in the apical compartment. In silico experiments show the interaction of rubiscolin-6 and rubiscolin-6 amide at the binding cavity of DOR compared with the crystallographic ligand TIPP-NH₂.

The simple definition of encapsulation is “enclosing something in a capsule”. Encapsulation is applied as micro and nanotechnology in Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences for varied materials. Inasmuch as the technology is promising, in the forthcoming, we will see much more implementations of encapsulation. However, the adverse effects of encapsulated tiny materials are unknown, and the health authorities of countries do not follow specific legislations on micro and nano-encapsulated foods. Indeed, applications in micro and nanotechnology are observed with varied regulations in different countries. For instance, in the USA by the FDA: No regulation for encapsulation studies. Standard tests are applied to those micro and nano foods like other food products. In European Union by EFSA: No strict rules, requests approval from the authorized institutions regarding the safety of the products to be applied by the technologies. Besides, there are no regulations in Argentina, Canada, China, and the Republic of Korea for nanomaterials used in foods. Thus, encapsulated food products are tiny, and accumulations of materials in the human body are unknown. More importantly, encapsulated foods might change human DNA and might create dangerous by-products to the environment as well.

Apium graveolens L. also known as celery or wild celery belongs to the family Apiaceae. Celery is a regularly consumed vegetable, also providing strong and distinctive flavours to dishes as well as health benefits to consumers. The constituents of the celery flavour profile include a variety of volatile compounds (terpenes, phytalides and aldehydes) that contribute to its characteristic odour and taste. This work aimed to perform a nutritional characterization of celery and some bioactive properties such as antimicrobial properties through the microdilution method and the antioxidant capacity by TBARS (Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) method. According to the results from the nutritional analysis, celery consisted mainly of 95% water, followed by ash content (16.40 ± 0.04 g/100 g dw), protein (10.6 ± 0.4 g/100 g dw) and low fat content (1.50 ± 0.01 g/100 g dw), leading to an energy value of 341.8 ±0.2 kcal. Three different soluble sugars were quantified, namely glucose (42 ± 1g/100 g dw) in highest amounts, followed by fructose (14.6 ± 0.1 g/100 g dw) and sucrose (3.20 ± 0.04 g/100 g dw). Of the 19 fatty acids identified, linoleic (48.0 ± 0.1%), palmitic (24.2 ± 0.2%), linolenic (7.96 ± 0.04%) and cis-Docosahexaenoic (3.95 ± 0.05%) acids, were the major molecules. As for organic acids, malic (6.8 ± 0.3 g/100 g dw) and oxalic (5.15 ± 0.09 g/100 g dw) acids were the main compounds, followed by ascorbic(0.104 ± 0.002 g/100 g dw) and fumaric (0.052 ± 0.002 g/100 g dw) acids. For the antifungal activity, both Aspergillus brasiliensis and Aspergillus fumigatus were inhibited at MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration)/MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) values of 10/>10 mg/mL, respectively; while for bacterial strains, the extract caused greater inhibition on Salmonella Thyphimurium (2.5 mg/mL). Overall, it can be concluded that celery has a good nutritional profile; thus, exploring this food in terms of nutritional benefits in addition to its good bioactive properties is a valuable research topic. Future work will be further conducted regarding its bioactivities testing its anti-proliferative, toxic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Sprouting may be regarded as a natural bioreactor and could be used to improve the nutritional profile of bread and enhance its technological properties such as bread volume and texture. The purpose was to examine the effect of temperature and time on the sprouting process to obtain sprouted whole wheat flour (SWWF) with an improved nutritional and technological profile for its use as a functional ingredient. Klein Valor (KV) and INTA 815 (IN) wheat varieties were incubated for 18, 24, and 48 h at different temperature conditions (15, 20, and 25 °C) and dried up at 50°C. The dried samples were milled by using a cyclonic mill and the resulting SWWF was analysed. Degree of sprouting, residual α-amylase activity, degree of protein hydrolysis, reducing sugar and water-soluble arabinoxylans content were determined. In addition, the viscosity profile of SWWF suspensions and partial replacements of whole wheat flour with SWWF were carried out. Ungerminated whole wheat flour (UWWF) was used as a control. The germination rate was temperature-dependent. However, the degree of sprouting varied among wheat varieties. IN grain sprouted faster than KV grains. Overall, wheat sprouted at 15 and 20 °C for 48 h equated to the α-amylase activity, free amino acid, and water-soluble arabinoxylans content of those grain sprouted at 25 °C. The values reached at these conditions were between 15-25 times, 5-9 times, and 2 times higher than UWWF, respectively. Moreover, the sprouting process led to a decrease in the peak viscosity of SWWF suspensions. The lower viscosity indicates that part of the starch was hydrolysed, generating reducing sugars that could favour yeasts fermentation and also improve the crust colour and flavor of bread. In this way, sprouting in controlled conditions represents a promising strategy to obtain SWWF with a balance between nutritional improvement and enzymatic activity. That could be used as a functional ingredient to partially replace commercial additives on whole wheat bread formulation.

Whey protein-stabilized emulsion potentially may be used as a carrier system for micronutrient-rich red palm oil (RPO). This study aims to investigate the rheological properties of the whey protein-stabilized RPO emulsions as affected by the type and concentration of whey proteins. The RPO emulsions were prepared using three types of whey protein (i.e., WPCa, WPCb, and WPI) at four levels concentration (i.e., 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 % w/v) to carry 30% (v/v) oil phase. The emulsification was carried out by two-steps rotor-stator homogenization. Rheological characterization was done using Modular Compact Rheometer 92, Anton Paar GmbH. Parameters studied were the flow behavior, viscoelastic properties, apparent viscosity, and linear viscoelastic range limit of the emulsions. The results showed that the type and concentration of whey protein affect the rheological characteristics of the emulsions. All emulsions produced exhibit shear-thinning flow behavior and predominantly have viscous properties. The resulting emulsions can be characterized according to the Casson fluids behavior, except for the emulsion stabilized with 15% WPCa and 15% WPCb which is better explained using the Herschel-Bulkley fluid's behavior. Based on its limit of the linear viscoelastic region, the RPO emulsion stabilized with 15% WPCb is considered to have the best physical stability, which is in accordance with our visual observation on the physical stability. The RPO emulsion stabilized with 15% WPCb can be described by the Herschel–Bulkley model, characterized by consistency coefficient (K) of 0.4392 Pa.s, Herschel-Bulkley flow behavior index (n) of 0.6960, apparent viscosity (ƞ_app) of 101.28 ± 13.98 mPa.s, and linear viscoelastic limit (LVE) of 7.9%. Further research is needed to investigate the more detailed rheological characteristics including the thixotropic test (time-dependent behavior), thermal stability test (temperature-dependent behavior), and hysteresis test, especially to understand its relationship with its physical stability.

Broken rice are by-products of rice milling industries that could be refabricated to produce fortified rice kernels (FRK), a novel health product. FRK are manufactured by blending broken rice flour with vitamin-mineral premix and extruding it to rice-shaped kernels. These FRK are then mixed with raw rice in a specific ratio to produce micronutrient fortified rice, which reduces the cost of rice fortification. For this purpose, the FRK produced from a rice variety must match with the properties of the same rice variety. Therefore, the study was aimed to collect the broken rice of different varieties (raw and parboiled) and produce FRK.

In this study four parboiled and three raw rice varieties were collected and processed to produce FRK. The FRK's apparent amylose content (AAC), color, density, functional properties, and cooking time were compared with that of the corresponding native rice variety.

The AAC of the native rice varieties was in the range of 20 to 24%. After extrusion, the AAC of the FRK (18.02 to 22.79%.) decreased. The lightness, redness, and yellowness values of the FRK varied between 68 to 77, 0.9 to 3, and 16.02 to 19.06, respectively. The total color change (Delta E) of FRK were < 3.6 for the raw rice, while were 7.19 - 10.29 for parboiled rice. The difference between the bulk density of all varieties of native rice and FRK was < 9%. The WAI, WSI, and cooking time of the FRK were lower than that of the native rice.

This study showed that there were significant differences between the properties of FRK of different rice varieties. Furthers studies on optimization of the processing conditions for rice varieties based on amylose: amylopectin ratio would help the production of FRK that matches the characteristics of native rice variety, thus facilitating sustainable production of low-cost novel health food.

Australia is a minor producer of chilli, with the industry producing around 2,500 tonnes of chillies per year. Due to the small size of the industry, there is currently limited research on the typical levels of capsaicinoids in the Australian crop and the relationship between these constituents and other agronomic and nutritional factors. This study applied a rapid, maceration-based extraction protocol with end-over-end shaking, coupled with a HPLC-DAD method for the analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in 20 Habanero chilli samples from Queensland, Australia. All samples were from the same growing season (2020) but were taken from different within-field locations to ensure that all of the variability within the growing site was sampled. In addition to the capsaicinoid measurements, the total phenolic content was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, while antioxidant activity was measured using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) method.

The capsaicin concentration of the samples ranged from 1500-4000 mg/kg, while the dihydrocapsaicin content ranged between 600-1800 mg/kg, giving total pungencies of approximately 34,000 to 89,000 Scoville Heat Units. Similarly, the total phenolic content varied from 1000-1600 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g, while the antioxidant activity ranged from 300 to 450 mg Trolox equivalents/100 g.

Pearson linear correlation analysis revealed that the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents were strongly positively correlated with one another (R² = 0.73; P<0.001), with a mean capsaicin: dihydrocapsaicin ratio of 2.4:1. Furthermore, there was a moderate positive correlation between the total capsaicinoid content and total phenolic content of the samples (R² = 0.58; P<0.01), as well as a strong correlation between the total capsaicinoid content and FRAP (R² = 0.81; P<0.001). However, dry matter content was not significantly correlated with capsaicinoid content, total phenolic content or antioxidant activity (P>0.05 for all). These results may be used to inform future breeding programs for high-capsaicin chilli varieties and support further research into the agronomic and genetic factors driving capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin content.