Utilization of Electron Beam Irradiated Almond Skin Powder as a Natural Antioxidant in Ground Top Round Beef

Investigation of decontamination effect of argon cold plasma on physicochemical and sensory properties of almond slices

Cold plasma is a novel technology for surface decontamination. Almond slices can be contaminated with different microorganisms during their production. In the current research, the atmospheric argon plasma treatment (5, 10, 15, and 20 min) was used to decontamination of almond slices surface. Microbial load, Color, peroxide value, hardness, and sensory properties of slices was comprised with untreated samples (control). Descriptive sensory evaluation about color, flavor, crispiness, crunchiness, and hardness of almond slices were performed. According to the results of the microbial tests, Total count, molds and yeasts, and Staphylococcus aureus of almond surface decreased about 2.95 log cfu/g, 1.81 log cfu/g, and 2.72 log cfu/g after 20 min of plasma treatment, respectively, provided that microbial reduction increased more by increasing the treatment time. Coupled with the color evaluation, peroxide value and sensory attributes didn't change during plasma treatment. Having said that, the hardness of slices was changed by increasing treatment time. Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis and cluster analysis were performed for sensory evaluation. In light of the consumer's point of view, firstly 10 min and secondly 15 min plasma treatment can be more desirable.

Almonds (Prunus Dulcis Mill. D. A. Webb): A Source of Nutrients and Health-Promoting Compounds

Almonds (Prunus dulcis Miller D. A. Webb (the almond or sweet almond)), from the Rosaceae family, have long been known as a source of essential nutrients; nowadays, they are in demand as a healthy food with increasing popularity for the general population and producers. Studies on the composition and characterization of almond macro- and micronutrients have shown that the nut has many nutritious ingredients such as fatty acids, lipids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, as well as secondary metabolites. However, several factors affect the nutritional quality of almonds, including genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, investigations evaluating the effects of different factors on the quality of almonds were also included. In epidemiological studies, the consumption of almonds has been associated with several therapeutically and protective health benefits. Clinical studies have verified the modulatory effects on serum glucose, lipid and uric acid levels, the regulatory role on body weight, and protective effects against diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent researchers have also confirmed the prebiotic potential of almonds. The present review was carried out to emphasize the importance of almonds as a healthy food and source of beneficial constituents for human health, and to assess the factors affecting the quality of the almond kernel. Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SciFinder were used to investigate previously published articles on almonds in terms of components and bioactivity potentials with a particular focus on clinical trials.

Evaluations of physicochemical and anti-oxidant properties of powdered leaves from lotus, shepherd's purse and goldenrod in restructured duck/pork patties

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of powdered leaves of lotus (LP), shepherd's purse (SP) and goldenrod (GP) on oxidation stability and quality characteristics of cooked duck/pork patties. Fresh duck tenderloin (M. pectoralis) and pork meat (M. biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) were ground, formulated with LP, SP, GP or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and mixed with other non-meat ingredients. The manufactured patties were cooked, packaged, and stored at 3 °C for 4 weeks. The patties containing 1% of LP, SP and GP had significantly lower values in redness, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, conjugated dienes and total volatile basic nitrogen compared to control. No significant differences in sensory tenderness between the control and treated samples were observed. Addition of LP had a similar warmed-over flavor extent compared to patties with BHT. These results indicate that incorporation of the natural leaves could effectively inhibit oxidation and maintain freshness of cooked patties without any detrimental effects on sensory attributes during storage.

Effect of Persimmon Peel (Diospyros kaki Thumb.) Extracts on Lipid and Protein Oxidation of Raw Ground Pork During Refrigerated Storage

The inhibition effect of persimmon peel extracts (PPE) (0.05(PPE-0.05), 0.1(PPE-0.1), and 0.2 g(PPE-0.2) per meat sample) on lipid and protein oxidation of pork patties during chilled storage for 12 days were investigated and compared to ascorbic acid (As-0.05) and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) (BHT-0.01). The meat samples treated with PPE had greater (p<0.05) a* values comparing control in raw pork patties meat from day 4 of storage. The addition of PPE at all concentrations on meat samples effectively inhibited the formation of oxidation products as shown by decreasing conjugated dienes (CD), peroxide values (POVs), thiobarbituric acid reaction substances (TBARS), and carbonyl content during chilled storage for 12 d. The PPE-0.2 and BHT-0.01 had the lowest in decrease rate of free thiol content (0.24 and 0.22 times) during chilled storage. Therefore, results of this study suggest that PPE can be considered a potential antioxidant against lipid and protein oxidation of raw meat products.

A comparison of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of sword beans and soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis

This study was conducted to determine the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of non-fermented or Bacillus subtilis-fermented soybeans and sword beans (red and white). The total flavonoid content in both sword bean types was higher (1.9-2.5-fold) than that in soybeans. The total phenolic content in fermented red sword beans was 2.5-fold greater than that in non-fermented red sword beans. HPLC profiles revealed that gallic acid, methyl gallate, and ellagic acid were major phenolic components of non-fermented/fermented red sword beans. DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power were higher in fermented red sword beans than in other beans. Non-fermented/fermented red sword beans had higher nitrite scavenging activity than butylated hydroxytoluene and non-fermented/fermented soybeans. The hyaluronidase inhibitory activity of non-fermented/fermented red sword beans was higher (1.5-2.6-fold) than that of non-fermented/fermented soybeans. These results suggest that B. subtilis-fermented sword beans are potential natural antioxidant sources and anti-inflammatory agents for the food industry.

Effect of grape seed powder on oxidative stability of precooked chicken nuggets during frozen storage

The inhibitory effect of grape seed powder (GSP) on lipid oxidation in chicken nuggets during frozen storage for 5 months was investigated. Chicken nuggets were prepared by dipping into batter containing GSP and pre-fried at 180 °C and then stored at -18 °C. Prefried chicken nugget crusts showed antioxidant properties. Primary oxidation products, determined by the peroxide value (POV) and conjugated diene (CD) concentration, gradually increased until month 2 and then declined, which is an indication of secondary lipid oxidation. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values slowly increased during the first 2 months of storage and then slightly decreased. However, at the end of the storage period, the levels were increased to 0.4 mg MDA/kg meat and were lowest in 10 % GSP (0.104 mg MDA/kg meat). The para-anisidine values (pAV) increased in all samples during storage. Generally, samples treated with GSP had lower POV, pAV, TBARS, and CD values compared to the control. These findings indicated that GSP significantly (p < 0.05) retarded lipid oxidation in precooked chicken nuggets.