Physical and sensory aspects of maltodextrin gel addition used as fat replacers in confectionery filling systems

Physico-Chemical, Textural and Sensory Evaluation of Emulsion Gel Formulated with By-Products from the Vegetable Oil Industry

The aim of this study was to obtain low fat mayonnaise-like emulsion gels using sesame cake and walnut cake by-products resulting from vegetable oil extraction. The ingredients used to formulate the mayonnaise like emulsion gel samples were corn starch, sesame seed cake (SSC), walnuts seed cake (WSC), lemon juice, sunflower oil, mustard, sugar, salt, gelatin and water. Five different samples were prepared: one control lab sample (M) containing only corn starch and the other ingredients (without SSC and WSC), two samples (SO1 and SO2) with 2 and 4% of SSC (without corn starch and WSC) and two samples (WO1 and WO2) with 2 and 4% of WSC (without corn starch and SSC). Also, an egg-free commercial mayonnaise (CM) was purchased and used for comparison. Physicochemical (fat, protein, moisture, ash, carbohydrate, water activity, emulsion stability, viscosity, density and color), textural (hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness), and sensory (aspect, color, texture/firmness, flavor, taste and acceptability) attributes of all samples were investigated. The results showed that carbohydrate content decreased in all four seed cakes samples compared to the control sample, while protein and fat content increased in all seed cakes samples, with the largest increases observed in the sesame seed cake samples. It was observed that the CM sample has a carbohydrate content value close to that obtained for the M sample, while the protein content has the lowest value for the CM sample compared to all samples analyzed. The stability of the emulsion gels increased from 70.73% (control sample) to 83.64% for the sample with 2% addition sesame seed cake and to 84.09% for the 2% walnut cake added, due to the coagulation capacity of the added cakes. The type and concentration of oil seeds cake added in emulsion gels affected their textural properties such as hardness, adhesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness. The hardness and adhesiveness of low-fat mayonnaise-like emulsion gels samples decreased with the addition of oil seeds cake. However, the addition of by-products improved the sensory properties of emulsion gels. This study provided a theoretical basis for the food industry's application of oilseed cakes, especially for the development of low-fat mayonnaise.

Fat mimicking compounds as grease thickeners in Poly(ethylene glycol)/water: Adopting the solution from history

Water-based lubricants are thought to be the next generation green lubricants, however, there are very few developments of aqueous grease lubricants. Here, water-based grease lubricants were developed using the food fat replacers. The concept of using fat replacers was inspired by the historical usage of fat as a lubricant. Dextrins were chosen as the fat replacers and mixture of water and PEG as the base fluid. Dextrins with different molecular weights were selected to study its effect on the rheological, tribological and thermal behavior of the gels. It was found that only higher molecular weight dextrins will form the colloidal gels, whereas low molecular weight dextrins will form the colloidal solution. The SEM images of the dried samples showed the agglomerated micro-spherical network with the void to hold the base fluid. It was found that, at an optimum concentration, the fat replacers showed 35-58% lower friction and 29-41% lower wear than the pure PEG200/water solution regardless of their molecular weight. The spherical shaped colloidal particles will form the film over the metal surface by nano-filling and these particles will act as nano-bearings which will reduce the wear and friction. These gel lubricants can be used where the highly biodegradable and bio-compatible green lubricant is needed.

Effects of chicken by-product gelatin on the physicochemical properties and texture of chocolate spread

Chocolate spread has a fat-based formulation and the application of gelatin as a fat replacement is related to the demand for healthier foods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of gelatin as a by-product from the poultry industry in the fat replacement of chocolate spread. Vegetable fat was replaced (15, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) with gelatin (0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2%) using a central composite rotatable design and the effects were evaluated by a response surface methodology. Formulations with a greater proportion of fat were lighter, of higher volume and lower density. As expected, water activity was intensified in low-fat formulations. The consistency was controlled mainly by the properties of the gelatin phase. The formulations with 50 and 75% fat replacement and 0.5-1.0% gelatin had satisfactory spreadability at 10C. All formulations were spreadable at 20C. Low-fat samples with low gelatin concentrations, at 30C, had very low consistency. Statistically, the properties were significantly influenced by the factors analyzed according to the mathematical models.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Although several studies have been conducted on obtaining alternative gelatin sources for mammals, the extracted gelatin from poultry by-product is still little explored and the knowledge on the application in food products, particularly in complex systems such as emulsions, has not been well established. The development of a low-fat food should take into account the complexity of the system involved, such as the emulsion spreads. The incorporation of gelatin in aqueous solution is a challenging task because the physical properties and the rheological behavior can be strongly influenced. Given the nutritional and functional properties of the gelatin and chocolate and its wide acceptability among the consumers, the incorporation of these two ingredients in the development of a new product sets up a promising study.

Insights into the structural and physicochemical properties of small granular starches from two hydrophyte duckweeds, Spirodela oligorrhiza and Lemna minor

The structure and physicochemical properties of starches from two hydrophyte duckweeds, Spirodela oligorrhiza and Lemna minor, were investigated and compared in this study. The amylose content and average size of starches were determined to be 20.85%, 4.70 μm and 27.77%, 6.17 μm for Spirodela oligorrhiza and Lemna minor, respectively. The average chain length of two duckweed starches was measured to be around DP 28. The chain length distribution was observed to be greatly different from other reported starches for the high proportion of long chains (DP ≥ 37) over 50%. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction profiles of the two starch samples displayed typical B-type diffraction pattern. The gelatinization enthalpy-changes (ΔH_gel) of two starch samples was about 10.40 J/g for two duckweed starches. The present results suggested the potential utilization of small granular starches from duckweed in functional foods and dietary supplement products.