Optimization of vacuum drying and determination of functional properties of Kadam ( Neolamarkia cadamba) fruit powder

Optimizing vacuum drying process of polyphenols, flavanols and DPPH radical scavenging assay in pod husk and bean shell cocoa

The objective of this study was to optimize different vacuum drying conditions for cocoa pod husk and cocoa bean shell in order to enhance these by-products for commercial applications. To carry out the optimization, the response surface methodology was applied using a Box-Behnken experimental design with 15 experiments for which different conditions of temperature (X1), drying time (X2) and vacuum pressure (X3) were established. The response variables were the content of total polyphenols, the content of flavanols and the radical scavenging activity evaluated in the extracts of the different experiments. Temperature (50-70 °C), drying time (3-12 h) and vacuum pressure (50-150 mbar) were considered as independent variables. The main factors affecting the response variables were temperature, followed by vacuum pressure. For the content of polyphenols, the optimal response values predicted for the cocoa pod husk was 11.17 mg GAE/g with a confidence limit (95%) of 9.05 to 13.28 mg GAE/g (optimal conditions: 65 °C, 8 h and 75 mbar), while for the cocoa bean shell cocoa was 29.61 mg GAE/g with a confidence limit (95%) of 26.95 to 32.26 mg GAE/g (optimal conditions: 50 °C, 5 h and 100 mbar). Therefore, results of this study suggest a high content of phenolic compounds obtained from these by-products that show relevance as functional ingredients for application in the food, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical industries.

Sustainable Nonfarm Approaches to Achieve Zero Hunger and Its Unveiled Reality

Millions of people worldwide are deprived of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food required for an everyday and healthy life. The hunger crisis is worsening over time, even though many attempts have been made to minimize it. Increasing world population and competition for natural resources, climate change, natural disasters, urbanization, poverty, and illiteracy are the main causes that need to be addressed to reduce the hunger crisis. Various nonfarm technologies are being used to eradicate hunger but their long-term impact on the environment should also be considered. The real sustainability of several novel technologies being implemented to deal with hunger is an issue to tackle. This paper discusses the potential applications of storage facilities, underutilized crops, waste valorization, food preservation, nutritionally enriched novel food products, and technological advancement in food processing to achieve zero hunger. An attempt has also been made to address the sustainability of various nonfarm technology utilized to minimize the global hunger crisis.