Investigation of the physicochemical, antioxidant, rheological, and sensory properties of ricotta cheese enriched with free and nano-encapsulated broccoli sprout extract

Cereal sprout-based food products: Industrial application, novel extraction, consumer acceptance, antioxidant potential, sensory evaluation, and health perspective

Cereal grains are a good source of macronutrients and micronutrients that are required for metabolic activity in the human body. Sprouts have been studied to enhance the nutrient profile. Moreover, secondary metabolites are examined as green food engineering technology that is used in the pharmaceutical, functional ingredients, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. The sprout-based food is commonly used to enhance the quality of products by softening the structure of the whole grain and increasing the phytochemicals (nutritional value and bioactive compounds). These sprouting grains can be added to a variety of products including snacks, bakery, beverage, and meat. Consuming whole grains has been shown to reduce the incidence and mortality of a variety of chronic and noncommunicable diseases. Sprouting grains have a diversity of biological functions, including antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Cereal sprout-based products are more beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal tract diseases. The novel extraction techniques (microwave-existed extraction, pulse electric field, and enzyme-associated) are applied to maintain and ensure the efficiency, safety, and nutritional profile of sprout. Nutrient-dense sprouts have a low environmental impact and are widely accepted by consumers. This review explores for the first time and sheds light on the antioxidant potential, sensory evaluation, industrial applications, and health perspective of cereal sprout-based food products.

Effect of Microencapsulated Basil Extract on Cream Cheese Quality and Stability

The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of plant extracts are well known, but their use is limited because they affect the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of products. Encapsulation presents an option to limit or prevent these changes. The paper presents the composition of individual polyphenols (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS) from basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extracts (BE), and their antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Abony. The BE was encapsulated in sodium alginate (Alg) using the drop technique. The encapsulation efficiency of microencapsulated basil extract (MBE) was 78.59 ± 0.01%. SEM and FTIR analyses demonstrated the morphological aspect of the microcapsules and the existence of weak physical interactions between the components. Sensory, physicochemical and textural properties of MBE-fortified cream cheese were evaluated over a 28-day storage time at 4 °C. In the optimal concentration range of 0.6-0.9% (w/w) MBE, we determined the inhibition of the post-fermentation process and the improvement in the degree of water retention. This led to the improvement of the textural parameters of the cream cheese, contributing to the extension of the shelf life of the product by 7 days.

The Effect of Aromatic Plant Extracts Encapsulated in Alginate on the Bioactivity, Textural Characteristics and Shelf Life of Yogurt

The article investigated the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of extracts from two aromatic plants—Satureja hortensis L. (SE) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (RE), encapsulated in alginate, on—yogurt properties. The encapsulation efficiency was controlled by FTIR and SEM analysis. In both extracts, the individual polyphenol content was determined by HPLC–DAD–ESI-MS. The total polyphenol content and the antioxidant activity were spectrophotometrically quantified. The antimicrobial properties of SE and RE against gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Geobacillus stearothermophilus), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Salmonella abony) and yeasts (Candida albicans) were analyzed in vitro. The encapsulated extracts were used to prepare the functional concentrated yogurt. It was established that the addition of 0.30–0.45% microencapsulated plant extracts caused the inhibition of the post-fermentation process, the improvement of the textural parameters of the yogurt during storage, thus the shelf life of the yogurt increased by seven days, compared to the yogurt simple. Mutual information analysis was applied to establish the correlation between the concentration of the encapsulated extracts on the sensory, physical-chemical, and textural characteristics of the yogurt.