Enzymatic impregnation by high hydrostatic pressure as pretreatment for the tenderization process of Chilean abalone (Concholepas concholepas)

Studying process variables to obtain undisturbed shaped soft meat for people with poor oral health

This study evaluated injection (I) and vacuum impregnation (VI) as the best methods to apply papain, and other important processing conditions (batch, aging and cooking conditions), to obtain soft meat (suitable for people with poor oral health) without disturbing its original shape. Two aging times were evaluated and four cooking conditions by immersion in soup. Meat samples were injected or vacuum-impregned (0.85 kPa) with a papain solution (5% w/v). After cooking, they were analyzed by the compression test, and by image and sensory analyses. The results indicated that by using both methods to apply the enzyme, the obtained meat was suitable for people with poor oral health, even if VI was the better method because it minimized the factors batch, aging and cooking condition. Therefore, the best meat processing method to obtain panelists' highest softness values and the best appreciation was employing aged meat pretreated by VI and cooked at 65 °C for 10 min.

Thermal treatment alternatives for enzymes inactivation in fruit juices: Recent breakthroughs and advancements

Fruit juices (FJs) are frequently taken owing to their nutritious benefits, appealing flavour, and vibrant colour. The colours of the FJs are critical indicators of the qualitative features that influence the consumer's attention. Although FJs' intrinsic acidity serves as a barrier to bacterial growth, their enzymatic stability remains an issue for their shelf life. Inactivation of enzymes is critical during FJ processing, and selective inactivation is the primary focus of enzyme inactivation. The merchants, on the other hand, want the FJs to stay stable. The most prevalent technique of processing FJ is by conventional heat treatment, which degrades its nutritive value and appearance. The FJ processing industry has undergone a dramatic transformation from thermal treatments to nonthermal treatments (NTTs) during the past two decades to meet the requirements for microbiological and enzymatic stability. The manufacturers want safe and stable FJs, while buyers want high-quality FJs. According to the past investigation, NTTs have the potential to manufacture microbiologically safe and enzymatically stable FJs with low loss of bioactive components. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that different NTTs combined with or without other NTTs or mild heating as a hurdle technology increase the synergistic effect for microbiological safety and stability of FJs. Concise information about the variables that affect NTTs' action mode has also been addressed. Primary inactivates enzymes by modifying the protein structure and active site conformation. NTTs may increase enzyme activity depending on the nature of the enzyme contained in FJs, the applied pressure, pH, temperature, and treatment period. This is due to the release of membrane-bound enzymes as well as changes in protein structure and active sites that allow substrate interaction. Additionally, the combination of several NTTs as a hurdle technology, as well as temperature and treatment periods, resulted in increased enzyme inactivation in FJs. Therefore, a combination of thermal and non-thermal technologies is suggested to increase the effectiveness of the process as well as preserve the juice quality.

Non-thermal Technologies for Food Processing

Food is subjected to various thermal treatments during processes to enhance its shelf-life. But these thermal treatments may result in deterioration of the nutritional and sensory qualities of food. With the change in the lifestyle of people around the globe, their food needs have changed as well. Today's consumer demand is for clean and safe food without compromising the nutritional and sensory qualities of food. This directed the attention of food professionals toward the development of non-thermal technologies that are green, safe, and environment-friendly. In non-thermal processing, food is processed at near room temperature, so there is no damage to food because heat-sensitive nutritious materials are intact in the food, contrary to thermal processing of food. These non-thermal technologies can be utilized for treating all kinds of food like fruits, vegetables, pulses, spices, meat, fish, etc. Non-thermal technologies have emerged largely in the last few decades in food sector.