Phenolic extract from nejayote flour: Bioactive properties and its potential use as an antimicrobial agent of alginate‐based edible coatings

Environmental prospective of valorizing corn processing effluent to produce ferulic acid grafted chitosan polymer

The food industry requires new production models that include more environmentally friendly waste management practices, considering that the environmental loads of solid waste and wastewater associated with this sector cause damage to the receiving ecosystems. The approach considered in this study focuses on the design and environmental assessment of an enzymatic process for the valorization of ferulic acid present in the effluent of a corn tortilla plant. The ferulic acid can be immobilized on chitosan so that the ferulic acid grafted chitosan can be used as a bioactive film with enhanced antioxidant properties with potential applications in the biotechnology sector. Its real projection approach requires the evaluation of its environmental and economic performance, trying to identify its benefits and potential in the value chain, using the Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) as a phase for the conceptual design of the process and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for the environmental evaluation. It should be noted that the TEA indicators are promising, since the values of the financial indicators obtained are representative of the economic profitability, which makes the ferulic acid valorization a viable process. In terms of the environmental impact of the process, the buffer dose and the chitosan production process are identified as the main critical points. This double benefit in environmental and economic terms shows that the valorization of ferulic acid for chitosan functionalization is a promising alternative to improve the sustainability performance of corn processing.

Flowered Grain Quality and Phytochemical Content of Non-Conventional Maize Hybrids from the Mexican Subtropics across Three Growing Cycles

Development of non-conventional hybrids responds to the demand for the Elotes Occidentales land-race for production of pozole. The effect of growing cycle (2019, 2020, and 2021) on physical characteristics, flowered grain quality, and phytochemical content of two non-conventional hybrids of pozolero maize, as well as the effect of the presence or absence of pedicel, type of pollination (open and controlled, 2019), and parents (female and male, 2020) on flowered grain quality and content of phytochemical compounds, were evaluated. Size, hardness, color, total phenols, and anthocyanins in unprocessed grain were determined. Yield, volume, and puncture force were measured in flowered grain. Results were analyzed with a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. There were significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in most of the variables studied by effect of crop cycle and hybrid. Non-conventional hybrids had large grains (40 g 100 grains^-1), soft endosperm (flotation index > 60), pink-purple color, and phenol and anthocyanin contents similar to those reported for the Elotes Occidentales land-race. The presence or absence of the pedicel did not affect flowered grain quality. Controlled pollination favored anthocyanin synthesis. The female parent determined the anthocyanin content of non-conventional hybrids. Thermal processing reduced anthocyanins by 60%; however, they leached into the flowering broth, so that the pozole made from non-conventional hybrids can have improved nutraceutical value, relative to that of pozole made with Cacahuacintle land-race.

Development of alginate-based edible coatings of optimized UV-barrier properties by response surface methodology for food packaging applications

Despite the outstanding characteristics of alginate, it suffers from bad UV-barrier, water barrier, and antimicrobial properties limiting its wide usage in food packaging. For this concern, Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to prepare an alginate-based edible coating of the best optimized UV-shielding properties upon the incorporation of both Aloe vera (AV) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). The optimized minimum UV-transmittance was 4.96% when the optimized compositions of alginate (1.05 g), AV (2.95 g), and ZnO-NPs (4.93 wt%) were used. FTIR was used to verify the successful edible coating preparation while the wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the interactions between the film's components. The incorporation of both AV and ZnO-NPs significantly improved alginate's thermal, water vapor permeability (WVP), mechanical and antimicrobial properties. In addition, the films incorporated with both AV and ZnO-NPs exhibited excellent UV-barrier properties compared with neat alginate. The optimized alginate film incorporated with both ZnO-NPs and AV significantly extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits up to 16 days without any defects. Due to the outstanding physical, UV-shielding, and antimicrobial properties of the optimized alginate/AV/ZnO-NPs film, it could be used potentially in food packaging industries.