Pressure Shift Freezing of Pork Muscle: Effect on Color, Drip Loss, Texture, and Protein Stability

Cylindrical specimens (50 mm diameter and 160 mm length) of fresh pork muscle (boneless rib portions) packed in plastic bags were frozen by pressure shift freezing (PSF) at 100, 150, and 200 MPa, air blast freezing (ABF), and liquid immersion freezing (LIF). Temperature and phase transformations of the muscle tissue were monitored during the freezing process at three locations: center, midway between the center and the surface, and near the surface. Pork muscle quality changes [color, drip loss (both thawing and cooking), texture (shear force), and protein stability (DSC thermal profiles)] were evaluated after thawing the frozen samples at room temperature (20 degrees C). Employing pressures above 150 MPa caused very significant (P < 0.01) color changes in pork muscle during the PSF process. The PSF process reduced thawing drip loss of pork muscle but did not cause obvious changes in total drip loss following thawing and subsequent cooking. PSF at 150 and 200 MPa resulted in considerable denaturation of myofibrillar proteins of pork muscle. The PSF process also caused an increase in the pork muscle toughness as compared with that of unfrozen, ABF, and LIF samples.

Impact of local hydrothermal treatment during bread baking on soluble amylose, firmness, amylopectin retrogradation and water mobility during bread staling

The impact of hydrothermal processing undergone by bread dough during baking on the degree of starch granule disruption, on leaching of soluble amylose, on water mobility, on firmness and on amylopectin retrogradation during staling has been investigated. Two heating rates during baking have been considered (4.67 and 6.31 °C/min) corresponding respectively to baking temperature of 220 and 240 °C. An increase in firmness and in the amount of retrogradated amylopectin accompanied by a decrease in freezable water has been observed during staling. Although a lower heating rate yielded in larger amount of retrogradated amylopectin retrogradation, it resulted in a lower firmness. Additionally, the amount of soluble amylose and the relaxation times of water measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance NMR (T20, T21 and T22) decreased during staling. It was demonstrated that the amount of soluble amylose was higher for bread crumb baked at lower heating rate, indicating that an increasing amount of amylose is leached outside the starch granules. This was corresponding to a greater amount of retrograded amylopectin during staling. Moreover, it was found that the degree of gelatinization differs locally in a same bread slice between the top, the centre and the bottom locations in the crumb. This was attributed to the differences in kinetics of heating, the availability of water during baking and the degree of starch granule disruption during baking. Based on first order kinetic model, it was found that staling kinetics were faster for samples baked at higher heating rate.

Acute and two-week effects of neotame, stevia rebaudioside M and sucrose-sweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine response in adults with overweight/obesity-a randomised crossover trial from the SWEET consortium

BACKGROUND

Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SE) are used to replace energy yielding sugars and maintain sweet taste in a wide range of products, but controversy exists about their effects on appetite and endocrine responses in reduced or no added sugar solid foods. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the acute (1 day) and repeated (two-week daily) ingestive effects of 2 S&SE vs. sucrose formulations of biscuit with fruit filling on appetite and endocrine responses in adults with overweight and obesity.

METHODS

In a randomised crossover trial, 53 healthy adults (33 female, 20 male) with overweight/obesity in England and France consumed biscuits with fruit filling containing 1) sucrose, or reformulated with either 2) Stevia Rebaudioside M (StRebM) or 3) Neotame daily during three, two-week intervention periods with a two-week washout. The primary outcome was composite appetite score defined as [desire to eat + hunger + (100 - fullness) + prospective consumption]/4.

FINDINGS

Each formulation elicited a similar reduction in appetite sensations (3-h postprandial net iAUC). Postprandial insulin (2-h iAUC) was lower after Neotame (95% CI (0.093, 0.166); p < 0.001; d = -0.71) and StRebM (95% CI (0.133, 0.205); p < 0.001; d = -1.01) compared to sucrose, and glucose was lower after StRebM (95% CI (0.023, 0.171); p < 0.05; d = -0.39) but not after Neotame (95% CI (-0.007, 0.145); p = 0.074; d = -0.25) compared to sucrose. There were no differences between S&SE or sucrose formulations on ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 or pancreatic polypeptide iAUCs. No clinically meaningful differences between acute vs. two-weeks of daily consumption were found.

INTERPRETATION

In conclusion, biscuits reformulated to replace sugar using StRebM or Neotame showed no differences in appetite or endocrine responses, acutely or after a two-week exposure, but can reduce postprandial insulin and glucose response in adults with overweight or obesity.

FUNDING

The present study was funded by the Horizon 2020 program: Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability (acronym: SWEET, grant no: 774293).

Could 'Isochoric Freezing' Revolutionise Food Preservation?

The present article responds to the food engineering community's growing interest in an emerging and lauded approach to food preservation, popularised by its developers as 'isochoric freezing'. A strong campaign in the scientific literature and mass media has recently promoted this technique as a universal replacement for traditional food freezing and the frozen supply chain by highlighting a number of alleged advantages of 'isochoric freezing'. Some of these claims therefore require a more neutral and critical assessment against the background of the today's state of the art in food freezing technologies. Hence, this article spotlights several concerns regarding the plausibility, energy expenditure, resource efficiency, process rate, throughput and safety of 'isochoric freezing', as well as the correct use of food refrigeration terminology. The aspects considered are intended to make food scientists, technologists and engineers more aware of the real capabilities and the application perspectives of this still immature mode of refrigerated food processing.