Physical properties of a composite film containing sunflower seed meal protein and its application in packaging smoked duck meat

Extraction of protein from apricot kernel oil press cake (AKOPC) through innovative techniques and the formulation of supplemented yogurt

The apricot kernel oil press cake (AKOPC) is a high protein natural by-product of oil mechanical expression with potential uses in cosmetics, medicines, and food. The purpose of this research was to improve the protein extraction process from apricot kernel oil press cake by using enzymatic extraction (EEP), aqueous extraction (AEP), and ultrasound extraction (UEP) process. Protein extraction by AEP was facilitated by a low solid-liquid ratio (SLR) (1:15.97) and prolonged reaction durations (3.30 h), resulting in extraction yields of 68%. When compared to the AEP by similar reaction time, increased enzyme utilization (0.90%) in the EEP resulted in greater protein extraction yields (70%) in a shorter reaction time. In addition to AEP and EEP, ultrasound extraction was also used to improve protein extractability. Temperature (50°C), power density (225 W/L), and extraction duration (20 min) were shown to be the best extraction points. Protein yield was found to be 56.47% at ideal UEP conditions. The experimental values for these reactions were found to be equivalent to the predicted values formed by the mathematical models. When supplementary skimmed milk powder (SMP) was substituted with apricot kernel protein (AKP) in the yogurt manufacturing process, the total solids, average titratable acidity, total protein, and fat contents of the yogurt were increased. In contrast, pH and syneresis values decreased as AKP increased in the resulting yogurt, whether fresh or after 7 days of cold storage. Substitution of additional SMP with AKP in yogurt production might be recommended up to 35%.

Turning Food Protein Waste into Sustainable Technologies

For each kilogram of food protein wasted, between 15 and 750 kg of CO₂ end up in the atmosphere. With this alarming carbon footprint, food protein waste not only contributes to climate change but also significantly impacts other environmental boundaries, such as nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, global freshwater use, change in land composition, chemical pollution, and biodiversity loss. This contrasts sharply with both the high nutritional value of proteins, as well as their unique chemical and physical versatility, which enable their use in new materials and innovative technologies. In this review, we discuss how food protein waste can be efficiently valorized not only by reintroduction into the food chain supply but also as a template for the development of sustainable technologies by allowing it to exit the food-value chain, thus alleviating some of the most urgent global challenges. We showcase three technologies of immediate significance and environmental impact: biodegradable plastics, water purification, and renewable energy. We discuss, by carefully reviewing the current state of the art, how proteins extracted from food waste can be valorized into key players to facilitate these technologies. We furthermore support analysis of the extant literature by original life cycle assessment (LCA) examples run ad hoc on both plant and animal waste proteins in the context of the technologies considered, and against realistic benchmarks, to quantitatively demonstrate their efficacy and potential. We finally conclude the review with an outlook on how such a comprehensive management of food protein waste is anticipated to transform its carbon footprint from positive to negative and, more generally, have a favorable impact on several other important planetary boundaries.

Regulating the Physicochemical Properties of Chitosan Films through Concentration and Neutralization

Chitosan offers real potential for use in food preservation, biomedicine, and environmental applications due to its excellent functional properties, such as ease in the fabrication of large films, biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties. However, the production and application of chitosan films were limited by their strong residual acetic acid taste, weak mechanical properties, and poor water vapor barrier properties. In this study, the effects of the chitosan concentration in the film-forming solutions and the neutralization treatment on the physicochemical properties of chitosan films were examined. The results demonstrated that the chitosan concentration affected the mechanical and barrier properties of chitosan films without the neutralization treatment. This was mainly due to the low acetic acid contents in chitosan films after drying. Acetic acid acted as a plasticizer within chitosan films resulting in a looser network structure. After neutralization, the chitosan films showed improvements in properties, with little effect on the chitosan concentration in the film-forming solutions. Moreover, chitosan films after neutralization showed no residual acetic acid. Therefore, neutralization could effectively improve the performance of chitosan films.

Plant protein-based nanocomposite films: A review on the used nanomaterials, characteristics, and food packaging applications

Consumer demands to utilize environmentally friendly packaging have led researchers to develop packaging materials from naturally derived resources. In recent years, plant protein-based films as a replacement for synthetic plastics have attracted the attention of the global food packaging industry due to their biodegradability and unique properties. Biopolymer-based films need a filler to show improved packaging properties. One of the latest strategies introduced to food packaging technology is the production of nanocomposite films which are multiphase materials containing a filler with at least one dimension less than 100 nm. This review provides the recent findings on plant-based protein films as biodegradable materials that can be combined with nanoparticles that are applicable to food packaging. Moreover, it investigates the characterization of nanocomposite plant-based protein films/edible coatings. It also briefly describes the application of plant-based protein nanocomposite films/coating on fruits/vegetables, meat and seafood products, and some other foods. The results indicate that the functional performance, barrier, mechanical, optical, thermal and antimicrobial properties of plant protein-based materials can be extended by incorporating nanomaterials. Recent reports provide a better understanding of how incorporating nanomaterials into plant protein-based biopolymers leads to an increase in the shelf life of food products during storage time.

Sunflower seed byproduct and its fractions for food application: An attempt to improve the sustainability of the oil process

The sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) is one of the main oil crops in the world grown for the production of edible and biodiesel oil. Byproducts of the extraction of sunflower oil constitute a raw material with potential for several applications in the food area due to its chemical composition, including the high content of proteins and phenolic compounds. Thoughtful of a consumer increasingly concerned with the environmental impact, we try to clarify in this review the potential of using sunflower seed byproducts and their fractions to enhance the production of potentially functional foods. The applications of sunflower seed byproduct include its transformation into flours/ingredients that are capable of improving the nutritional and functional value of foods. In addition, the protein isolates obtained from sunflower seed byproduct have good technological properties and improve the nutritional value of food products. These protein isolates can be used to obtain protein hydrolysates with technological and bioactive properties and as matrices for the development of edible, biodegradable, and active films for food. The sunflower seed byproduct is also a source of phenolic compounds with bioactive properties, mainly chlorogenic acid, which can be extracted by different methods and applied in the development of functional foods and active and bioactive food packaging. The use of sunflower seed byproduct and its fractions are promising ingredients for the development of healthier and less expensive foods as well as the alternative to decrease the environmental problems caused by the sunflower oil industry.

Protein based packaging of plant origin: Fabrication, properties, recent advances and future perspectives

Huge plastic waste is receiving worldwide attention nowadays due to its resistance to degradation and toxicity on environmental components including humans. Improper disposal of plastics affect the food chain and compromise various activities of aquatic life. Each facet of the plastic waste problem requires a significant attention and compels its elimination from the environment due to its ecologically deleterious threats. Therefore, this problem of plastic pollution and issues related thereof merits an attention regarding the alternatives wherein biopolymer based packaging has a potential role to play. This line of research has received a renewed focus where biodegradable films are being developed from proteins which are obtained from animals (include fish myofibrillar protein, collagen, gelatine, etc), and plants especially graminacea (rice, wheat, maize, barley etc), leguminaceae (soya beans, pea, etc.), asteraceae (sunflower) but little attention has been paid towards the potential of aquatic plants for development of packaging material. The present review provides a comprehensive account of biodegradable films developed from plant proteins viz. soy protein, wheat gluten, corn zein and sunflower protein as emerging supplement to plastics. Moreover, this article also tip-offs the potential of macrophytes for fabrication of protein based packaging films incorporated with bioactive materials extracted from macrophytes.

Bioactive peptides derived from plant origin by-products: Biological activities and techno-functional utilizations in food developments - A review

Agro-industrial by-products containing considerable amounts of protein (10-50%) such as soybean meal, rice bran and coconut pulp are promising bioactive peptide sources with annual disposal rate of 800 million tons in the world. More recently, plant by-products rich in protein content have been studied under various prisms that include recovery techniques, peptide production methods, determination of technological benefits and functional properties, and their applications in foods. The researches in bioactive peptides provide evidence over the techno-functional properties and the health benefits are highly dependent upon their amino acid sequences, molecular weights, conformations and surface properties. Research findings compared bioactive properties of the obtained peptides with respect to their amino acid sequences and also reported that hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties have direct effect on both functional and health effects. In addition, the resultant properties of the peptides could be affected by the conducted extraction method (alkaline, enzymatic, ultrasound assisted, microwave assisted, etc.), extraction solvent, precipitation and purification techniques and even by the final drying process (spray, freeze, vacuum, etc.) which may alter molecular weights, conformations and surface properties. Latest studies have investigated solubility, emulsifying, foaming, water/oil holding capacity and surface properties and also antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, hypocholesterolemic, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory and opioid activities of bioactive peptides obtained from plant by-products. Moreover, the application of the bioactive peptides into different food formulations has been a recent trend of functional food development. These bioactive peptides' bitter taste and toxicity are possible challenges in some cases that need to be resolved before their wider utilization.

Effects of hydrocolloids on the quality characteristics of cold-cut duck meat jelly

In this study, we examined the effects of various hydrocolloid (alginate, carrageenan, and konjac) treatments on the quality characteristics of cold-cut duck meat jelly. Seven different types of cold-cut duck meat jelly were prepared: control, without hydrocolloids; T1, 0.5% alginate; T2, 0.5% carrageenan; T3, 0.5% konjac; T4, 0.25% alginate + 0.25% carrageenan; T5, 0.25% carrageen + 0.25% konjac; and T6, 0.25% alginate + 0.25% konjac. The pH and moisture content of the cold-cut duck meat jelly with hydrocolloids was higher (p < 0.05) than that of the control. The highest lightness value was recorded for T4 and T6 (p < 0.05), and the hardness was lower (p < 0.05) in the meat jelly with hydrocolloids than in the control, except for T2 and T5. The springiness of the meat jelly was the highest (p < 0.05) in T1 and T4. The onset, peak, and end temperatures were the lowest (p < 0.05) in the control. The highest appearance score of the meat jelly was observed in T6, and its overall acceptability was higher (p < 0.05) than that of the control, indicating that, of all the treatments, 0.25% alginate + 0.25% konjac yielded the most desirable results. Thus, the combined use of duck skin and gelatin with alginate and konjac is potentially applicable for the development of new cold-cut duck meat products.

Effect of hydrocolloids on the quality of restructured hams with duck skin

We investigated the quality of duck ham restructured with various hydrocolloids (Alginic acid, Konjac, Carrageenan) on proximate composition, cooking loss, emulsion stability, pH, color, texture profile analysis (TPA), protein solubility, sensory characteristics, and apparent viscosity. Restructured duck ham was prepared as follows: control with no hydrocolloids, T1 (Alginate 1%), T2 (Alginate 0.5% + Konjac 0.5%), T3 (Alginate 0.7% + Konjac 0.3%), T4 (Alginate 0.5% + Carrageenan 0.5%), and T5 (Alginate 0.7% + Carrageenan 0.3%). The restructured duck hams with hydrocolloids had higher value for moisture content, ash content, and apparent viscosity than the control (P < 0.05). The cooking loss, total expressible fluid and fat separation, redness, hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of restructured duck hams with hydrocolloids was lower than those of the control (P < 0.05). The sensory score for overall acceptability of restructured duck ham with T1 (1% alginate) and T2 (0.5% alginate + 0.5% konjac) was higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). Thus, this study showed that adding 1% alginate or 0.5% alginate + 0.5% konjac in restructured duck ham formulations results in optimized quality characteristics.

Effect of the Duck Skin on Quality Characteristics of Duck Hams

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of duck skin on cooking loss, emulsion stability, pH, color, protein solubility, texture profile analysis (TPA), apparent viscosity, and sensory characteristics of press type duck ham with different ratio of duck breast meat and duck skin. Five duck ham formulations were produced with the following compositions: T1 (duck breast 70% + duck skin 30%), T2 (duck breast 60% + duck skin 40%), T3 (duck breast 50% + duck skin 50%), T4 (duck breast 40% + duck skin 60%), and T5 (duck breast 30% + duck skin 70%). The cooking loss and fat separation were lower in T1, and the total expressible fluid separations were lower in T1 and T2 than others. The pH ranged from 6.48 to 6.59, with the highest values in T4 and T5. T5 had the highest CIE L*-value, and T1 and T2 had the highest CIE a*-values; however, CIE b*-values did not differ significantly between the duck ham samples. The protein solubility and TPA (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness) were the highest in T1. T1 and T2 had higher scores for color, tenderness, and overall acceptability. T1, T2, and T3 showed significantly higher values, but there were no significant differences for flavor and juiciness. Regarding apparent viscosity properties, T1 and T2 had higher viscosity values than the other formulations. In conclusion, the T1 (duck breast 70% + duck skin 30%) and T2 (duck breast 60% + duck skin 40%) duck hams show the highest quality characteristics.

Characterization of a starfish gelatin film containing vanillin and its application in the packaging of crab stick

To explore the use of starfish gelatin (SFG) films as a biodegradable material, SFG from starfish was extracted and used as a film material. In addition, to provide antimicrobial activity and enhanced flavor of SFG films, vanillin was incorporated. As the concentration of vanillin increased, the tensile strength of the films increased and water vapor permeability decreased. With regard to the structural characteristics of SFG films containing vanillin, the microstructure of the SFG films was not affected by the addition of vanillin. In addition, the SFG films containing vanillin exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes. As the application of the SFG films, crab sticks were packed with SFG films containing 0.05% vanillin. During storage, the populations of L. monocytogenes inoculated on crab sticks wrapped with SFG films containing vanillin were lower than those on the control sample, suggesting that SFG films containing vanillin can be useful in active food packaging.

Effect of removal of phenolic compounds on structural and thermal properties of sunflower protein isolate

The present study evaluated the effect of removal of polyphenols on the structural properties of protein isolates extracted from sunflower seed and kernel. The structural and thermal changes in protein upon phenolic interaction were studied using circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Presence of phenolic compounds in proteins decreased the ordered structure content with parallel increase in unordered structure content. Denaturation temperature was higher for protein isolates with phenolic compounds while, enthalpy decreased upon phenolic interaction. In the presence of phenolic compounds, higher mass loss was observed upon heating. Crystalinity and crystal size got increased after removal of phenolic compounds. Protein isolates from kernels had higher percentage of crystalinity and crystal size as compared to seed protein isolates. Higher molecular weights were observed for protein isolates with phenolic compounds. Presence of polyphenols reduced the hydrophobicity as well the sulfhydryl content and increased the particle size of proteins.

Optimizing the Combination of Smoking and Boiling on Quality of Korean Traditional Boiled Loin (M. longissimus dorsi)

The combined effects of smoking and boiling on the proximate composition, technological quality traits, shear force, and sensory characteristics of the Korean traditional boiled loin were studied. Cooking loss, processing loss, and shear force were lower in the smoked/boiled samples than those in the control (without smoking treatment) (p<0.05). The results showed that the boiled loin samples between the control and treatment did not differ significantly in protein, fat, or ash contents, or pH values (p>0.05). The treated samples had higher score for overall acceptability than the control (p<0.05). Thus, these results show that the Korean traditional boiled loin treated with smoking for 60 min before boiling had improved physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics.

Preparation of a porcine plasma protein composite film and its application

To use blood released from slaughtering houses, a porcine plasma protein (PPP)/nanoclay composite film was prepared. The tensile strength and elongation at break values of the PPP composite film with 5% nanoclay were 10.01 MPa and 6.55%, respectively. The PPP composite film containing 1% grapefruit seed extract (GSE) was applied to pork meat, and the populations of inoculated Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in the pork meat packaged with the PPP composite film decreased by 0.8 and 1.0 log CFU/g, respectively, after 7 days of storage compared to the populations of the control. In addition, thiobarbituric acid values in the pork meat packaged with the PPP composite film were less than those of the control sample during storage. These results suggest that the PPP nanocomposite film containing 1% GSE can be used as a packaging material to maintain the quality of pork meat.