Moisture adsorption behaviour of biscuit during storage investigated by using a new Dynamic Dewpoint method

Paper-based material with hydrophobic and antimicrobial properties: Advanced packaging materials for food applications

The environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution have prompted the exploration of eco-friendly alternatives to disposable plastic packaging and utensils. Paper-based materials, derived from renewable resources such as wood pulp, non-wood pulp (bamboo pulp, straw pulp, reed pulp, etc.), and recycled paper fibers, are distinguished by their recyclability and biodegradability, making them promising substitutes in the field of plastic food packaging. Despite their merits, challenges like porosity, hydrophilicity, limited barrier properties, and a lack of functionality have restricted their packaging potential. To address these constraints, researchers have introduced antimicrobial agents, hydrophobic substances, and other functional components to improve both physical and functional properties. This enhancement has resulted in notable improvements in food preservation outcomes in real-world scenarios. This paper offers a comprehensive review of recent progress in hydrophobic antimicrobial paper-based materials. In addition to outlining the characteristics and functions of commonly used antimicrobial substances in food packaging, it consolidates the current research landscape and preparation techniques for hydrophobic paper. Furthermore, the paper explores the practical applications of hydrophobic antimicrobial paper-based materials in agricultural produce, meat, and seafood, as well as ready-to-eat food packaging. Finally, challenges in production, application, and recycling processes are outlined to ensure safety and efficacy, and prospects for the future development of antimicrobial hydrophobic paper-based materials are discussed. Overall, the emergence of hydrophobic antimicrobial paper-based materials stands out as a robust alternative to plastic food packaging, offering a compelling solution with superior food preservation capabilities. In the future, paper-based materials with antimicrobial and hydrophobic functionalities are expected to further enhance food safety as promising packaging materials.

Modelling desorption isotherm for durable meat products

The desorption isotherms of two durable meat products (sample 1 - durable fermented meat product and sample 2 - unheated durable meat product) by Dynamic Dewpoint Isotherm (DDI) at 20, 25, and 30 °C and Saturated Salt Slurry (SSS) method at 20 °C has been studied. The data acquired from these measurements for 7 models (GAB, DLP, Henderson, Chin, Smith, Oswin, Halsey) were used and statistically evaluated. Based on our collected data, the most suitable model for these types of durable meat products is the DLP model. For the DDI method, DLP model (20–30 °C) reached the R² = 0.999, P value 3.48–4.22 of sample 1 and R² = 0.999, P value 1.51–3.24 of sample 2. For SSS method DLP model (20 °C) reached R² = 0.999, P value 4.23 of sample 1 and R² = 0.998, P value 3.68 of sample 2. The most commonly used GAB model according to statistical treatment was very accurate only for the DDI method, GAB model (20–30 °C) reached R² ≥ 0.994, P value 1.93–7.12 of sample 1 and R² = 0.999, P value 1.76–5.54 of sample 2. In general, for DDI method for both samples have models (DLP, GAB, Halsey, Henderson, and Oswin) a P value of less than 10% for all three measured temperatures. For the SSS method, only the DLP and Henderson models are below 10% for both samples. It has been verified that the DDI method is a suitable and accurate method for measuring desorption isotherms for durable meat products.

•

A new Dynamic Dewpoint Isotherm and Saturated Salt Slurry method were compared.

•

Technological solution for a new type of durable meat product was designed.

•

A new Dynamic Dewpoint Isotherm was more accurate than Saturated Salt Slurry method.

•

The new DLP model best fits for durable meat products than commonly used models.

Use of front face fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis for monitoring biscuits' quality during aging

In this study, the potentiality of front face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS) for the evaluation of the quality of biscuits manufactured with butylated hydroxytoluene and pomegranate peel extract during aging was investigated. By using the principal component analysis, vitamin A and tryptophan spectra allowed a clear discrimination between biscuit samples according to the nature of antioxidants, while fluorescent Maillard reaction products spectra showed clear differentiation between samples according to the storage time. Clear differentiation between biscuits according to the used antioxidants and storage time was achieved by using common components and specific weights analysis. Using partial least-squares regression, excellent prediction of water activity (R ² = 0.95), and L* values (R ² = 0.92), and approximate prediction of hardness (R ² = 0.78), b* values (R ² = 0.74), and moisture content (R ² = 0.74) were shown. However, the FFFS failed to predict a* values, primary and secondary oxidation products (R ² < 0.6).

A review combining emerging techniques with classical ones for the determination of biscuit quality: advantages and drawbacks

The production of biscuit and biscuit-like products has faced many challenges due to changes in consumer behavior and eating habits. Today's consumer is looking for safe products not only with fresh-like and pleasant taste, but also with long shelf life and health benefits. Therefore, the potentiality of the use of healthier fat and the incorporation of natural antioxidant in the formulation of biscuit has interested, recently, the attention of researchers. The determination of the biscuit quality could be performed by several techniques (e.g., physical, chemical, sensory, calorimetry and chromatography). These classical analyses are unfortunately destructive, expensive, polluting and above all very heavy, to implement when many samples must be prepared to be analyzed. Therefore, there is a need to find fast analytical techniques for the determination of the quality of cereal products like biscuits. Emerging techniques such as near infrared (NIR), mid infrared (MIR) and front face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS), coupled with chemometric tools have many potential advantages and are introduced, recently, as promising techniques for the assessment of the biscuit quality.

Effect of powdering on critical water activity estimate from dynamic dewpoint isotherm of a crispy starch-based snack: a case study with fish cracker

The moisture sorption isotherm (MSI) and critical water activity (a _w,crit ) of a dry food determine the moisture barrier properties required of packaging for desired shelf life of starchy dry food. These can be obtained with the novel rapid dynamic dewpoint isotherm method (DDI), but with such rapid measurement incomplete equilibration is of concern, and this relates to suitable particle size of the sample tested. Further, an MSI curve without clear inflection point can make it difficult to extract the a _w,crit. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of particle size of a starch based snack on its MSI and on a _w,crit . A novel model to fit the MSI data was also created to obtain the a _w,crit . Fish cracker samples were prepared in three particle sizes (< 180 µm, 250-425 µm, and ~ 3000 µm) and tested at 25 and 35 °C for MSI using DDI. The sample comminution by grinding had clear and consistent effects, with finer particles absorbing more moisture. For this crispy snack, the rapid dense measurements enabled estimating the critical point that was robust against a 10 °C temperature change with about 200 µm particle diameter. This suggests near complete equilibration by the lack of rate effects from temperature, which were seen with larger particles. The results indicate that powdering dry crispy foods enables proper DDI measurements, while without powdering the isotherms can be degraded by particle size effects. The broken-stick type model fit the data extremely well and showed the critical transition clearly as a jump discontinuity in the derivative (slope).

Influence of different baking powders on physico-chemical, sensory and volatile compounds in biscuits and their impact on textural modifications during soaking

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different type of leavening agents (ammonium bicarbonate-A, cream of tartar-B, grape-based leavening agent-C, baking powder-D) on the structural (also after soaking), physico-chemical and other quality characteristics of biscuits made with the same formulation. The major changes observed between samples were related to their textural properties, volatile profile and sensory characteristics. The presence of ammonium bicarbonate in sample A, gave arise to a biscuit with the most homogeneous surface appearance, the less hard structure and highest fracturability and spread, that promoted their greater milk uptake during soaking. The B and C biscuits, made with baking powder having tartaric acid, were characterized by a crisper texture and lower sensory overall acceptability. The presence in formulation of baking powders made with cream of tartar (B) and ammonium bicarbonate (A) mostly influenced the biscuit volatile profiles. Biscuit sample obtained with the most common baking powder (diphosphates powder) showed in general intermediate characteristics between A and B-C samples. Results obtained in this study demonstrate that a lot of final properties of biscuits can be strongly influenced by the type of leavening agents used in formulation.

Chemical and physical changes during storage of differently packed biscuits formulated with sunflower oil

Various innovative materials are already present on the market, but there is scarce knowledge on their performances when used in real food system. In this study, two innovative packaging materials were investigated for the evaluation during storage of biscuits formulated with sunflower oil and compared to a traditional one. To this aim, three different flexible and composite film containing a metalized plastic layer and a paper layer were used. The control included orientated polypropylene (OPP), while the innovative materials contained poly-lactic acid or OPP with a pro-oxidant additive, ethylene vinyl acetate. The physical (moisture, water activity, hardness/crispness) and chemical (peroxide value, conjugated dienes and trienes, and hexanal and nonanal formation) changes of biscuits were monitored during accelerated storage (35 °C and 50% of relative humidity for 105 days). Packaging materials did not have significant impact on textural quality of biscuits. Instead remarkable differences were observed during storage in the evolution of different lipid oxidation compounds, moisture content and water activity among differently packed biscuits. A new ecofriendly packaging showed the best performances in terms of physico-chemical quality of biscuits. The obtained results provide useful information for industrial application.

Effects of two sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L., cvv. 'Ferrovia' and 'Lapins') on the shelf life of an innovative bakery product

Sweet cherries are important fruits for human health, but their consumption is quite limited because of their seasonality and short shelf life. Consequently, these fruits are often subjected to technological treatments, but as a result, their consumption may involve significant intake of sugar and calories that tend to enhance many metabolic diseases. Agricultural science has characterized the different cultivars of fresh sweet cherries, but less literature is available about the suitability of different cultivars for industrial applications. The aim of this research was to design a model system to create an innovative bakery product with minimally processed fruits. Moreover, an evaluation of the suitability of two sweet cherry cultivars was performed to determine how to use these cultivars in an innovative bakery product and the effects on their shelf life. The results showed that the 'Ferrovia' cultivar is more suitable for use as a bakery product filling than 'Lapins' sweet cherries. During 75 days of storage at room temperature, 'Lapins' sweet cherries had aw and moisture values lower than those of 'Ferrovia'. Moreover, samples filled with 'Lapins' sweet cherries were harder than samples filled with 'Ferrovia' cherries. The technological processing of the sweet cherries caused a loss in antioxidant capacity that was more pronounced for 'Lapins' than 'Ferrovia' cherries (from 13.63 to 0.67 TEAC µmol g-1 DW and 11.37-2.70 TEAC µmol g-1 DW, respectively). This research highlights the importance of the cultivar for fresh consumption and processing of sweet cherry fruits, and the results show that if both cultivars are equally ripe, the cherry cultivar that retains a higher flesh firmness is more preferable for use.

Greening in sunflower butter cookies as a function of egg replacers and baking temperature

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) binding to proteins in alkaline conditions results in the production of green trihydroxy benzacradine (TBA) derivatives. The formation of TBA derivatives could decrease product quality due to the potential losses in soluble protein and antioxidants and the production of an undesirable green color. To determine how cookie formulation affected the formation of TBA derivatives in sunflower butter cookies, two egg replacers (chia and banana) and two baking temperatures (162.8 and 190.6 °C) were used. Moisture, greening intensity, CGA content and antioxidant capacity were measured. Cookies made with egg and baked at 162.8 °C had the highest moisture, internal greening intensity, and TBA derivative formation, in addition to lower CGA content and antioxidant capacity. Cookies made with banana baked at 190.6 °C produced the opposite outcome with 35, 4, and 23% less internal greening, moisture, and TBA derivatives, respectively, and 90 and 76% higher CGA and antioxidant capacity. Internal greening was positively correlated with moisture and adduct concentration, and negatively correlated with spread factor and CGA content. Moisture had a significant impact on greening, which indicates that baking temperature and cookie dough formulation can be modified to produce a less green cookie with more unreacted antioxidants and protein.

Inactivation of Lipase and Lipoxygenase of Wheat Germ with Temperature-Controlled Short Wave Infrared Radiation and Its Effect on Storage Stability and Quality of Wheat Germ Oil

Wheat germ (WG) is quite susceptible to deterioration due to the presence of lipase (LA) and lipoxygenase (LOX). Therefore it is indispensable to adopt a stabilization step to decrease the activity of LA and LOX while retaining a maximum level of nutrients. But over-drying can make foodstuffs more susceptible to autoxidation. So a stabilization protocol for inactivating LA and LOX of WG with a temperature- controlled short wave infrared (SIR) radiation system was adopted to retard its rancidity and retain a maximum level of fat-soluble nutrients. Meanwhile, the critical storage water activity (Aw) of WG for inhibiting both hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity was appraised. Results indicate that WG irradiated at 90°C for 20 min acquired the optimal stabilization effect, and its residual LA and LOX activity were 18.02% and 19.21%, respectively. At this condition, the free fatty acids (FFA) content and peroxide value (PV) increment of WG oil at 40°C remained below 5% and 2.24 meq O2/kg for 60 days, respectively. The residual Aw of this WG sample was 0.13, and it is near the Aw corresponding to its monolayer. No significant decrease of fatty acids was observed during SIR processing, while about 96.42% of its original tocopherols still retained in WG treated at 90°C for 20 min.

Effect of flameless catalytic infrared treatment on rancidity and bioactive compounds in wheat germ oil

FCIR was used to inhibit lipase and lipoxygenase activities of WG to extend its shelf life. FCIR inhibits rapid hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity of WG in minutes. The optimum water activity for inhibiting both hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity of WG is about 0.186.