Steaming Maintains Fatty Acids, Antioxidants, and Proximate Content in Snack Bar Products from Cocoa Beans

Chocolate products on the market are generally in the form of chocolate bars as snacks made from cocoa powder. Fat and powder are separated first through a pressing process to obtain the cocoa powder. Cocoa powder loses most of its fat content during processing. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the effect of steaming time on the cocoa bean content of fatty acids, free fatty acids, proximate levels, and antioxidant activity of snack bar products made from steamed cocoa beans. Seven steaming time intervals for cocoa beans were studied. The results showed that a longer steaming time affects the fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and proximate in cocoa beans. Steaming time treatment at 45 minutes increased oleic acid, palmitic acid, and antioxidant activity. In addition, reducing free fatty acids represents a quality improvement that meets international Codex Alimentarius standards, offering a competitive advantage in the market. The food industry can adopt this steaming technique to develop snack bars and new products that are healthier and more sustainable by using steaming as an effective processing method in maintaining and increasing the nutritional value of products.

Influence of 10 MeV electron beam irradiation on the lipid stability of oat and barley during storage

This study investigated the effect of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the lipid stability of oat and barley during long-term storage. Results showed that the initial free fatty acid content in oat was higher than that in barley. This may mean that lipid hydrolysis started under the function of lipase when oat and barley were milled into flours. Both storage and EBI factors influenced lipid-degrading enzyme activity and promoted lipid oxidation in oat and barley. However, it seemed that storage had higher impacts because the DPPH scavenging activity decreased greatly, and the contents of both malondialdehyde and volatile lipid oxidation products increased in all samples. Thus, the antioxidant capacity and level of lipid oxidation after EBI treatment should be considered when producing oat and barley foods. Overall, this study shows the high potential of EBI for use as a non-thermal technique in stabilising the storage quality of oat and barley.

Effects of Pretreatment on the Volatile Composition, Amino Acid, and Fatty Acid Content of Oat Bran

Pretreatment improves the edible quality of oat bran and prolongs the shelf life, whereas the effect of pretreatments (i.e., steaming(S-OB), microwaving(M-OB), and hot-air drying(HA-OB)) on the flavor characteristics of oat bran is unknown. This study identified volatile composition using HS-SPME/GC−MS and an electronic nose of oat bran. The amino acid compositions were determined by a High-Speed automatic amino acid analyzer and the fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography. The results showed that steaming and microwaving pretreatments enhanced the nutty notes of oat bran. Sixty-four volatile compounds in four oat brans were identified. OB exhibited higher aroma-active compounds, followed by S-OB, and M-OB, and the HA-OB had the lowest aroma-active compounds. Hexanal, nonanal, (E)-2-octenal,1-octen-3-ol, 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, and 2-pentylfuran were the key volatile compositions in oat bran. The aldehyde content decreased and the esters and ketones increased in steamed oat bran. Microwaving and hot air drying increased the aldehyde content and decreased the ester and alcohol content. Steamed oat bran had the lowest levels of total amino acids (33.54 g/100 g) and bitter taste amino acids (5.66 g/100 g). However, steaming caused a significant reduction in saturated fatty acid content (18.56%) and an increase in unsaturated fatty acid content (79.60%) of oat bran (p < 0.05). Hot air drying did not result in an improvement in aroma. The results indicated that steaming was an effective drying method to improve the flavor quality of oat bran.