Fruit fillings development: A multiparametric approach

Sour Cherry Pomace Valorization as a Bakery Fruit Filling: Chemical Composition, Bioactivity, Quality and Sensory Properties

Sour cherry pomace filling (SCPF) and commercial sour cherry filling (CSCF) produced on a semi-industrial scale were tested and compared in terms of food safety, chemical composition, bioactivity, quality, sensory properties and thermal stability. Both samples were safe for human consumption, thermally stable and there was a lack of syneresis. SCPF had a significantly higher fiber concentration (3.79 g/100 g) due to higher skin fraction and is considered a "source of fibers". The higher skin fraction in SCPF also resulted in a higher mineral quantity (Fe-3.83 mg/kg fw) in comparison to CSCF (Fe-2.87 mg/kg fw). Anthocyanins concentration was lower in SCPF (7.58 mg CGE/100 g fw), suggesting that a significant amount of anthocyanins was removed from SC skin during juice extraction. However, there was a lack of statistical differences in antioxidant activity between the two fillings. CSCF was more spreadable, not as firm and less sticky, with lower storage and loss modulus values than SCPF. However, both fillings exhibited acceptable rheological and textural behaviour for fruit fillings. According to the consumer pastry test, 28 participants preferred each pastry; thus, there was a lack of preference toward any of the tested samples. SCP could be used as a raw material for the bakery fruit fillings industry, which leads to the valorization of food industry by-products.

Suitability of pitaya fruit fermented by sourdough LAB strains for bread making: its impact on dough physicochemical, rheo-fermentation properties and antioxidant, antifungal and quality performance of bread

The objective of this study was to investigate the suitability of incorporating pitaya fruit fermented by antifungal LAB strains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus at 1: 30 °C for 24h or 2: 31 °C for 19.5h as an ingredient with respect to bread making performance and bio-preservation effect. Underlying mechanisms related to gluten protein hydrolysis, starch hydrolysis, and yeast activity in dough were explored. The antioxidant activity, antifungal activity and bread making performance of the resulted breads were analyzed. Also, the antifungal phenolic acids in the breads were identified and quantified. Incorporation of fermented substrates in dough increased yeast activity and gas production capacity, but decreased gas retention capacity. This was attributed to increased dough acidity after incorporating fruit substrates. As a result, reducing sugar and free sulfhydryl (SH) groups increased in these doughs which indicated higher starch and gluten protein hydrolysis, respectively. However, SH groups increased at lower rate in presence of substrates fermented by L. plantarum and P. pentosaceus at condition 2 than 1. This could be due to improvement of gluten network as revealed by decreased α-helix (%) and increased β-turn (%) in secondary gluten structures in these doughs which subsequently resulted in more homogeneous microstructural properties than in presence of unfermented substrate compared to wheat dough. Subsequently, bread specific volume increased (6.6–20.0%) in presence of fermented substrates, especially fermented by L. plantarum at (2). Moreover, bread incorporated with fermented substrates (P. pentosaceus than L. plantarum at 1 than 2) had enhanced antioxidant activities, lower fungal growth rates based on challenge tests and mold free shelf life. Antifungal phenolic acids such as gallic acids, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid were only detected in bread incorporated with fruit substrates, and their total content higher in fermented substrates.

Incorporation of polyphenols in baked products

Bakery foods, including breads, cakes, cookies, muffins, rolls, buns, crumpets, pancakes, doughnuts, waffles, and bagels, etc., have been an important diet of humans for thousands of years. As the nutraceuticals with various biological activities, polyphenols, especially polyphenol-enriched products are widely used in bakery foods. The polyphenol-enriched products are mainly from fruits and vegetables, including fruits in whole, juice, puree, jam, and the powder of dried fruits, pomace, and peels. Incorporation of these products not only provide polyphenols, but also supply other nutrients, especially dietary fibers for bakery products. This chapter discussed the thermal stability of different types of polyphenols during baking, and the effect of polyphenols on the sensory attributes of baked foods. Moreover, their role in mitigation of reactive carbonyl species and the subsequent formation of advanced glycation end products, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities have been also discussed. Since polyphenols are subjected to high temperature for dozens of minutes during baking, future works need to focus on the chemical interactions of polyphenols and their oxidized products (quinones) with other food components, and the safety consequence of these interactions.

Optimal fermentation parameters for processing high quality African locust bean condiments

Fermented African locust bean (ALB) condiments are widely used to enhance the aroma and the taste of various dishes in West Africa. They are a good source of proteins. Sonru is one of the ALB condiments processed in Benin using a traditional starter called yanyanku. The variability in sonru processing unit operations (e.g. fermentation) presumably affects the quality (microbiological, biophysical and sensorial) of the final product. This study aimed at optimizing the fermentation step of sonru based on response surface methodology including three-factors [i.e. proportion of yanyanku, fermentation duration and thickness/depth of the layer of ALB (TALB)] and three-level factorial Box Behnken design with four central point replicates. The pH, softness of fermented cotyledons, Bacillus spp. and aerobic mesophilic bacteria count of sonru were evaluated. In addition, consumer acceptability was assessed by 7-hedonic box scale and Just About Right analysis. The pH had an upward trend with the increasing of all factors, and particularly Bacillus spp. count had similar trend with the fermentation duration and TALB whereas maximal penetration force (referred as the softness) had a downward trend with the fermentation duration. The optimal fermented ALB condiment resulted from processing conditions set at 1‰ of yanyanku, 24 h of fermentation and 8.5 cm for TALB. The optimized sonru appeared to be ideal in color, softness and taste. These findings can be used to improve fermented ALB condiments processing and better control the product quality in African countries. Further studies are needed to improve the odor of sonru.

Influence of Carob Flour and Carob Bean Gum on Rheological Properties of Cocoa and Carob Pastry Fillings

The aim of this study was to develop a new cocoa and carob based pastry filling and explore the influences of carob flour and carob gum on the rheological and textural properties, specifically (i) the effect of increasing the amount of carob flour and (ii) the effect of carob bean gum naturally present in the carob flour with seeds versus the commercially available carob bean gum. All samples analyzed in this study exhibited shear thinning behavior. The texture analysis revealed a significant (p < 0.01) increase in consistency and firmness in samples with higher amounts of carob flour added, while higher temperatures significantly (p < 0.01) decreased adhesiveness. When comparing naturally occurring and commercially available LBG (locust bean gum), it was concluded that lower concentrations (up to 0.45% w/w) of naturally occurring LBG work just as well at the same concentrations of commercially available LBG, but this effect cannot be confirmed for higher LBG concentrations, nor for rheological properties determined at higher temperatures (80 °C).

Use of JAR-Based Analysis for Improvement of Product Acceptance: A Case Study on Flavored Kefirs

A common question of dairy product developments is the possible success of the new product. Several publications reported successful results using just-about-right (JAR) scales; although there is some debate about their advantages/disadvantages. This study highlights the limitations and opportunities of JAR scales and penalty analysis of fruit flavored kefirs. The first question is whether penalty analysis results help to improve the product and thus its overall liking (OAL)? The second question is what happens to those who rated the products "ideal" (JAR) before product development when evaluating the new products? Fruit flavored live-flora stirred-type kefir samples were formulated and evaluated by 92 consumers before and after the JAR-based product development. The OAL of two products significantly increased after product development. A new visualization tool is introduced, which shows what happens to those who rated the attribute as JAR but the attribute has been modified. A general product development scheme is also introduced for JAR-based kefir product development.