Calcium Lactate Effect on the Shelf Life of Osmotically Dehydrated Guavas

Edible coatings as osmotic dehydration pretreatment in nutrient-enhanced fruit or vegetable snacks development: A review

Edible coatings (ECs) are thin layers applied on food to protect it and improve quality. They are made from bio-based materials such as polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, or their composites. The incorporation of functional agents, such as bioactive compounds, vitamins, or antimicrobials into the EC, has been investigated to control the shelf life of many food products from horticulture ones to processed food. Osmotic dehydration (OD) as a mild technology may also positively impact the availability of innovative fruit snacks and consequently influence consumer health. Combination of the EC with the OD aims to remove water through the semipermeable membrane while limiting the transfer of solutes from the dehydrated tissue and in the opposite direction from the osmotic solution to the food. The development trend of the snack market is expanding, especially with health-promoting properties. Consumers pay increasing attention to quality of food and its beneficial effects on health. This review attempts to provide the advancement of recent studies on the application of the EC before the OD of different fresh or fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. A fundamental theory related to the methodology of creating the EC, their composition, and the influence on the physicochemical properties of products that are osmo-dehydrated to a medium water content or additionally dried to a low water content have been described. Efforts have been exerted to introduce hydrocolloids used in the production of the EC, including new sources of biopolymers such as agricultural waste and by-products. The perspectives of using ECs in the technology of producing pro-healthy snacks are emphasized.

Open fermentative production of L-lactic acid using white rice bran by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation

To reduce raw material cost for lactic acid production, white rice bran as an important byproduct in rice milling, was used in l-lactic acid production by open simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Although one thermotolerant strain was used at a temperature as high as 50°C, the open fermentation was still inefficient due to the indigenous thermophilic bacteria from corn steep liquor powder. A stepwise controlled pH was proposed in open SSF process, and no complicated pretreatment or sterilization was needed before fermentation. In batch fermentation, 117 gL(-1) lactic acid was obtained, and the productivity and yield reached 2.79 gL(-1) h(-1) and 98.75%, respectively. These results showed an efficient way to develop high value-added products from white rice bran.