Okara, a nutrient dense by-product of soymilk and tofu processing, serves as a high potential fiber source in various food application. Nevertheless, the high insoluble fiber fraction in okara might negatively affect product characteristics. Several measures have been proposed to increase soluble fiber fractions such as via physical and chemical modifications. In this study, wet okara has been fermented at various duration (0, 4, 8 and 20 hours) with S. cerevisiae and the fermented okara powder was incorporated in high-fiber bread making. Physicochemical characteristics of dough and bread, namely dough expansion and stickiness, bread loaf volume, textural properties, and degree of retrogradation were determined. Control samples are bread made without addition of okara (C1) and with addition of 10% non-fermented okara (C2). Addition of okara significantly decreases dough expansion, but increases dough stickiness perhaps due to higher fiber content and increase in soluble fiber content in the dough, respectively. However, bread made with okara fermented at longest duration, FO20 (20 h) had the highest increment in dough expansion. Similar improvement was observed for dough stickiness, with FO20 creates dough with the lowest stickiness. Fermentation of okara improved bread loaf volume, with increasing fermentation duration enhanced the value. Similarly, longer fermentation duration resulted in okara enriched bread with lower firmness. A 5-days storage of the bread at room temperature showed that FO20 has the lowest degree of staling, therefore able to maintain the bread softness. The observed findings of bread-enriched fermented okara was an interplay of less disruption on gluten network, improved gas holding capacity and enhanced moisture absorption. In conclusion, manipulating fermentation duration of fiber source can be an alternative for enhancement for soluble fiber content in developing high-fiber products with improved quality.

Tannat (Vitis vinifera cv. Tannat) grape pomace is an abundant by-product of the Uruguayan wine industry, which is mainly composed of peels and seeds. Tannat skin from grape pomace is a sustainable source of bioactive compounds and dietary fiber. In previous studies we have seen that it has antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity and anti-inflammatory activity, with the potential to prevent the development of chronic diseases. In this work, the encapsulation of bioactive compounds of an ethanolic extract derived from Tannat grape skin by microparticles of whey protein isolate (without and with enzymatic hydrolysis) and inulin (3:1) is proposed, for its application in yogurt as a potential functional food. In addition, it is proposed to evaluate the bioaccessibility of the bioactive compounds for which an in vitro digestive simulation study is carried out simulating the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Among the most relevant results, it was found that the encapsulation efficiency was higher for the encapsulant without hydrolysis (29.7%). The incorporation of the encapsulated bioactive compounds in yogurt resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) of antioxidant capacity by ORAC-FL compared to the controls. Also, after in vitro digestion, the extract did not lose antioxidant capacity (determinated by ABTS and ORAC-FL) and the different yogurt formulations have antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, spray drying is a suitable methodology for encapsulating Tannat grape skin extract for its application in yogurts as a natural colorant and antioxidant ingredient.

Thinking of present gastronomic trends is inevitable when talking about innovation in haute pastry. Despite the rising demand for new creations, launching a successful product that meets the high expectations of consumers is increasingly complex. For this reason, sensory analysis studies are more and more interested in studying the emotions generated by these products, to understand and improve user experiences. The main goal of this work was to conduct an exploratory study to analyze the emotional arousal of consumers after the visualization of 5 special cakes. For data collection, an online questionnaire with EsSense Profile® scale and CATA methodology has been used. EsSense Profile® is a predefined and validated scale which measures emotions generated by food that includes 39 terms. When analyzing the emotions expressed by all the participants 22 are statistically significant, of which 14 are classified as positive, 6 as neutral and only 2 are negative. By analyzing the responses by gender, we observed differences in the number of attributes: women showed 18 significant attributes compared to 8 in the case of men. The results obtained support the importance of the emotional profile, in order to understand consumer’s expectations and behavior.

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important part of the diet in Mexico due to its high availability and low cost, which has also been associated with preventing and reducing non-communicable diseases. Due to this, the application of processing technologies has grown to improve the nutritional and bioactive profile of beans, thereby increasing the usefulness of beans being used as flour, where the functional properties depend mainly on proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, the processing of the raw material directly influences the techno-functional properties. The objective of this work was to demonstrate the advantage of ohmic heating over traditional cooking in bean flours, in their techno-functional characteristics and anti-nutritional factors. The results of ohmic heating did not show significant differences compared to traditional cooking; however, the condition at 110 ° C (10 and 15 min) obtained higher values in foaming capacity, emulsifying, and viscosity.

On the other hand, there were no differences in the concentration of soluble proteins and an increase of 32 and 41% of resistant starch. Likewise, ohmic treatment reduced trypsin inhibitors by 25.42 to 57.44%, did not modify the protein solubility profile, and increased resistant starch from 6.89% (crude) to 9.73% (OH). The results suggest that bean processing by ohmic heating can be an alternative to conventional treatments, in addition to reducing processing time, with greater energy efficiency, not presenting nutrient leaching, with a prebiotic potential.

Talipot starch obtained from the trunk of talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera L.) is starch with a high yield (76 %) and high amylose content (28.13 %). Resistant starch (RS) possesses varied physiological benefits by acting as a dietary fiber and reduces the risk of many degenerative diseases. The process of starch esterification considerably increases the RS and improves other starch characteristics like reducing gelatinization temperature and retrogradation tendency. In the present study, talipot starch was esterified with two organic acids; lactic acid and acetic acid. By the introduction of the ester group (C = O), the modified starch showed a significant reduction (p ≤ 0.05) in amylose content, relative crystallinity, and swelling power of starch. The lactic acid and acetic acid modified starch showed a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in syneresis value, gelatinization temperature and peak viscosity. Lactic acid showed a higher impact on starch characteristics and RS formation than acetic acid between the organic acids. Esterified talipot starch with a comparatively high yield can be used in the preparation of low-calorie foods.

Quinoa has a high nutritional value, is based on protein content, oil, and phenolic compounds. The production of protein hydrolysates with antioxidant peptides has gained importance due to their properties against oxidation-related diseases and as an antioxidant in food, however, there is a lack of information on the operating costs of production on an industrial scale. In the present study, two technologies to extract the oil and separate the phenolic compounds prior to enzymatic hydrolysis were evaluated: (1) supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), using 35 g CO₂/min at 55 °C, 23 MPa and ethanol as cosolvent, and (2) Conventional solvent extraction (CSE) whit petroleum ether. The aim of this study was to compare the oil extraction yield, remaining phenolic compounds and quinoa protein hydrolysed (QPH) yield. Furthermore, an economic evaluation and sensitivity study was performed using SuperPro Designer 9.0 software, quinoa grain batches of 1.5 kg (laboratory) and 2500 kg (industrial scale) were considered. Oil extraction yield was 27.30% higher, remaining phenolic compounds was 0.4 times lower and QPH yield was 18.50% higher when using SFE compared to CSE. For both cases, the scale-up reduced the COM, the COM was lower in SFE compared to CSE, US$ 90.10/kg and US$ 109.29/kg, respectively and higher net present value (NPV), US$ 205,006,000 and US$ 28,159,000 compared to CSE. The sensitivity study considered the sale of by-products such as saponins and oil. The best scenario is when the sale of both by-products is included, the COM is reduced to US$ 28.90/kg (SFE) and US$ 57.06/kg (SCE), and profitability also improves. In addition, the significance the COM and NPV was statistically evaluated, there are no significant differences on an industrial scale. Both processes are economically promising, especially when the QPH and by-products are produced in large scale and sold at the current market price.

Functional foods are considered beneficial to human health due to their high nutritional values. Nowadays, there is a development in research to identify natural functional food sources high in bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants and polyphenols, as they are shown to contribute towards decreasing oxidative stress and maintaining wellbeing in human health. The objective of the present study was to determine the total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of Mediterranean medicinal natural herbs and wild greens aiming to create a database of medicinal plants for future potential use as functional food ingredients. A total of seventeen selected herbs and wild greens from Lemnos Island (Greece) were purchased between June and July of 2021. Extracts were prepared with an ultrasound water bath at 70^oC for 60min. The antioxidant capacity was measured with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and the total polyphenolic content was determined with the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. The mean phenolic values ranged from 0.18 to 2282.80 mg of gallic acid / g of sample; whereas Hypericum perfoliatum L. and Hypericum perforatum L., Salvia spp., and Sideritis sp. displayed the highest contents, with a value greater than 12.20mg of gallic acid / g (p<0.05). Melissa officinalis L., Mentha Spicata, and Thymbra capitata L. obtained the highest total antioxidant capacity with an average range of 0.06 to 30.58 mmol of Fe²⁺/ L of extract (p<0.05). Pistacia lentiscus var. chia, Crataegus azarolus L., and Pancratium maritimum obtained the lowest contents from both methods. Studies have shown that medicinal plants with total antioxidant values higher than 0.87mmol/L could be applicable in the fortification of food products (i.e. yogurt). Therefore, this study suggests that most of the above medicinal plants could be a potential source of antioxidants for functional food applications while their use can enhance Mediterranean diet principles.

Sharing meals together, or commensality, is a practice shared by all cultures around the world. Commensality can induce social facilitation and subsequently influence an individual’s dietary choice and meal intake. Meanwhile, the effect of commensality on food liking or sensory perception has not been studied extensively. While physical commensality is already a common occurrence, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has imposed strict social distancing protocols to limit the spread of the virus, making digital commensalism a popular option to virtually gather together via video conference applications. Currently, there is limited information regarding the effects of digital commensality on consumption experience and food sensory perception. Thus, this study was designed to examine how the medium of social presence (physical versus digital) can influence consumption experience. Twenty-eight co-habituating pairs, composed of 56 healthy participants (29 females) ranging from 19 to 61 years old (mean age = 37 years), evaluated meals on three separate days under randomized conditions: (1) physically together, (2) digitally together, and (3) alone, at their respective places of residence under the virtual supervision of the researchers. Participants rated attribute intensities and hedonic impressions of the meal items on 9-point categorical scales, as well as meal items-evoked emotions using EsSense® terms following a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) procedure. The results showed that, as participants consumed the same meal item three times over the three weeks, their hedonic impression on flavor or texture aspects of the meal item decreased. Participants were also found to spend more time in consuming meals when they ate the meals together than when they ate alone. Overall impression of the meal items was also found to vary with social presence. In conclusion, our findings showed the potential influence of commensality (or the presence of others) on meal evaluations.

A gelled emulsion (GE) prepared with flax oil and peanut flour was used to replace pork back-fat in Frankfurt-type sausages. Three different formulations were prepared: Control (CS) with 30% pork back fat), and the following two to achieve 50% and 100% fat substitution by GE (GE50 and GE100, respectively). Chemical composition, physico-chemical, and sensorial properties of frankfurter-type sausages were determined. For proteins, moisture, and ash content no statistical differences (p>0.05) were found between CS and Frankfurters containing GE. For fat content, GE50 and GE100 showed a reduction (p<0.05) of 17.25% and 23.48% with respect to CS. In addition, GE50 and GE100 had a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, increased omega 3 amount, and reduced saturated fatty acids by up to 45 and 60%, respectively. The replacement of pork backfat by GE significantly (p<0.05) alter all physico-chemical properties of Frankfurt-type sausages thus the pH values were ranged between 6.29 and 6.12 for CS and GE100, respectively, hardness varied from 59.72 to 50.14 N for CS and GE100. As regard, color properties GE100 showed the highest (p<0.05) values for L* (63.40), a* (5.83), and b* (17.40) coordinates. Similarly, the emulsion stability also was affected being the CS that showed the highest (p<0.05) stability with values of total expressible fluid (TEF) of 3.56 following by GE50 and GE100 with TEF 6.94 and 9.90, respectively. In reference to lipid oxidation values, the higher the degree of fat replacement, the higher the lipid oxidation values. In sensorial analysis, GE50 sausages had similar scores that control Frankfurter being GE100 the worst valued. So, this study demonstrated that the use of GE elaborated with peanut flour and flax oil may be a promising strategy in the reformulation of healthier meat products.

Food plays a crucial role both in healthy and diseased condition. Healthy life starts with heathy food. In Ayurveda, ahara comes under one among the three supporting pillars of life. One should take food only depending on his digestive fire. In Ayurveda, six ritus (seasons) have been detailed and specific dietary and life style regimens are also well explained. There is a great inter-connection between ahara, gut microbiome and seasons. Adopting Ritucharya (seasonal regimen) could provide great opportunity to make aware of the dynamics of human gut flora and save the host from the pathological manifestations of seasonal variations and other diverse causes. Strict compliance to the seasonal regimens, resorting to seasonal foods etc., can alter the gut microbiome in sync to one that is favourable to health promotion. The lifestyle and dietary factors can profoundly alter the commensal microbial communities, the dysbiosis of which can augment pathogen susceptibility, inflammatory diseases and the current epidemic of metabolic health problems like non-communicable diseases. Modern science has particularly described Ahara according to the nutritional value of its components like carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals etc. They have not described about Hita-ahita (good and bad effects), Pathya-apathya Ahara (do’s and don’ts) etc. for each individual. In Ayurveda, such classification is based on the biological action of the ahara and their rasa(taste). For example, on the basis of carbohydrate content all type rice may be treated as one group. But Ayurveda considers freshly harvested rice is heavy for digestion. But old rice stored for over six months is considered to be light and more useful for an average person. Entire life of an individual depends upon food. If proper food is consumed it provides satisfaction, nourishment, firmness/steadiness of the body, strength, immunity etc. In Ayurveda, foods are used to support and bring out the three qualities of mind namely, satvika (Quality of purity and harmony), rajasika (Quality of Passion and Manipulation) and thamasika (darkness, destruction). Satvik diet is best for maintaining physical strength, good mind, health and longevity and also helps in calming and purifying mind and appears to be similar to a modern but prudent dietary pattern.