Application of spray drying, spray chilling and the combination of both methods to produce tucumã oil microparticles: characterization, stability, and β-carotene bioaccessibility

The aim of this work was to produce tucumã oil (PO) microparticles using different encapsulation methods, and to evaluate their properties, storage stability and bioaccessibility of the encapsulated β-carotene. Gum Arabic was used as carrier for spray drying (SD), while vegetable fat was the wall material for spray chilling (SC) and the combination of the methods (SDC). Powders were yellow (hue angle around 80°) and presented particles with small mean diameters (1.57-2.30 µm). PO and the microparticles possess high β-carotene contents (∼0.35-22 mg/g). However, some carotenoid loss was observed in the particles after encapsulation by SD and SDC (around 20%). After 90 days of storage, SDC particles presented the lowest degradation of total carotenoids (∼5%), while SD samples showed the highest loss (∼21%). Yet, the latter had the lowest contents of conjugated dienes (4.1-5.3 µmol/g) among treatments. At the end of simulated digestion, PO and the microparticles provided low β-carotene bioaccessibility (<10%), and only SC increased this parameter compared to the pure oil. In conclusion, carotenoid-rich microparticles with attractive color were obtained through microencapsulation of PO by SD, SC and SDC, revealing their potential as natural additives for the development of food products with improved nutritional properties. The SC method stood out for providing microparticles with high carotenoid content and retention, high oxidative stability, and improved β-carotene bioaccessibility.

The loss and fate of BaA, Chr, BbF, and BaP (PAH4) tracked by stable isotope during frying

The objective of this work was to accurately quantify the loss of benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene (PAH4) and investigate the fate of the lost PAH4 into their derivatives during frying. Stable isotopes (PAH4-d12) were used to simulate the loss and track the conversion of PAH4. The results showed that the rate of loss of PAH4-d12 increased with the increase of frying temperature and the loss rate of benzo(a)pyrene-d12 was the largest, indicating that benzo(a)pyrene had the strongest chemical reactivity during frying. Moreover, the identification of five PAH4 derivatives has confirmed the conversion of lost PAH4. Finally, the loss of PAH4 during frying positively correlated with the oxidation of oil, and a conversion mechanism of PAHs to derivatives was proposed. This work directly proved the loss and conversion of PAH4 and provided a comprehensive perspective for studying the changes in PAH4 during frying.

Exogenous ethylene application on postharvest oil palm fruit bunches improves crude palm oil quality

Quality and food safety are of paramount importance to the palm oil industry. In this work, we investigated the practicability of ethylene gas exogenous application on post-harvested oil palm fruit bunches to improve the crude palm oil (CPO) quality. The bunches were first exposed to ethylene gas for 24 hr to induce abscission of palm fruits from bunches. The detached fruits were then subjected to heat treatment, mechanical extraction, clarification and drying to produce CPO. Critical quality parameters of CPO produced, that is free fatty acid, deterioration of the bleachability index and triacylglycerol showed improvement with ethylene gas treatment. Contaminant content that is phosphorus, chloride, iron, and copper also showed a reduction in the CPO derived from ethylene-treated bunches. These findings corresponded with low levels of contaminants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters and glycidyl esters in refined oil. The implementation strategy and practicability of this method is herein proposed and discussed. Ethylene application not only improves the CPO quality, but could potentially enhance the process sustainability of palm oil mills.

Red Wine-Enriched Olive Oil Emulsions: Role of Wine Polyphenols in the Oxidative Stability

The benefits associated with the consumption of red wine due to its rich pool of phenolic compounds are well-recognized, thanks to the antioxidant activity related to these kinds of molecules. However, wine drinking should be done in moderation, or is forbidden for some populations for ethnic or religious reasons. One way to still enjoy the advantages of red wine is to use its dry extract. In order to test the ability of the red wine dry extract to reveal its antioxidant activity, it was solubilized in water to produce water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions based on olive oil. After the selection of the right emulsion composition, kinetics of oil oxidation were carried out in oil and emulsions in the presence of an increasing amount of red wine extract, whose presence influenced the rate of oxidation by slowing it down. This behavior was confirmed by monitoring the oxidation reaction in two ways; i.e., with the classical method that consists of the determination of the peroxide value, and with an accelerated test making use of 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN) and diphenyl1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP). The first is a molecule that triggers the reaction at 40 °C, and the other is a molecule that by reacting with hydroperoxides becomes fluorescent (DPPP=O). Moreover, by comparing the emulsion structures observed by optical microscopy, no differences in the size of the dispersed aqueous phase were detected with the increase of the wine dry extract, which is an aspect that confirmed that the antioxidant activity was directly proportional to the wine extract concentration, and thus to the phenolic content.