Double-nozzle 3D-printed bean paste buns: Effect of filling ratio and microwave heating time

With the aggravation of the global aging process, more and more elderly people are facing the problem of dysphagia. The advantages of three-dimensional (3D) printing in making chewy food are increasingly prominent. In this study, the two-nozzle 3D printer was used to explore the effects of different proportions of buckwheat flour, printing filling ratio, microwave power, and time on the quality of bean-paste buns. The results showed that the bean paste filling containing 6% buckwheat flour had the best antioxidant and sensory properties. When the filling ratio was 21.6%, the microwave power was 560 W, and the time was 4 min, the obtained sample was the most satisfactory. Compared with the microwave-treated and steamed traditional samples, the chewiness of the samples was reduced by 52.43% and 15.14%, respectively, and the final product was easier to chew and swallow.

Predicting the Textural Properties of Plant-Based Meat Analogs with Machine Learning

Plant-based meat analogs are food products that mimic the appearance, texture, and taste of real meat. The development process requires laborious experimental iterations and expert knowledge to meet consumer expectations. To address these problems, we propose a machine learning (ML)-based framework to predict the textural properties of meat analogs. We introduce the proximate compositions of the raw materials, namely protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, ash, and moisture, in percentages and the "targeted moisture contents" of the meat analogs as input features of the ML models, such as Ridge, XGBoost, and MLP, adopting a build-in feature selection mechanism for predicting "Hardness" and "Chewiness". We achieved a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 22.9%, root mean square error (RMSE) of 10.101 for Hardness, MAPE of 14.5%, and RMSE of 6.035 for Chewiness. In addition, carbohydrates, fat and targeted moisture content are found to be the most important factors in determining textural properties. We also investigate multicollinearity among the features, linearity of the designed model, and inconsistent food compositions for validation of the experimental design. Our results have shown that ML is an effective aid in formulating plant-based meat analogs, laying out the groundwork to expediently optimize product development cycles to reduce costs.

Medicated Chewing Gums (MCGs): Composition, Production, and Mechanical Testing

Medicated chewing gums (MCGs) represent a unique platform for drug delivery. They have been defined as solid single-dose preparations, which may contain more than one active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) with base consisting primarily of gum that has to be chewed for a certain period of time. They mainly contain a tasteless masticatory gum base as the core with other minor nonmasticatory ingredients, such as flavors and sweeteners. Despite their advantages in drug delivery, MCGs remain a niche product due to the complexity of their formulation, lack of acceptable testing methods, and intricacy of their manufacturing. Few studies have been reported on their use, and most of the information on their composition and production could be found in patent search. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of gum composition, manufacturing process, and characterization. Due to the scarcity of studies concerning the evaluation of the mechanical properties of MCGs, greater emphasis was placed on the available performance tests and procedures for the estimation of their mechanical and textural properties. While very few tests have been recommended by the official pharmacopeias, several tests have been suggested for assessing the mechanical properties of MCGs in vitro. Properties, such as chewiness, elasticity, and firmness, of chewing gums during mastication are imperative quality attributes that have been found to strongly correlate with gum composition and mouth feel.

Development of postcompressional textural tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of medicated chewing gum tablets with high drug loadings

Medicated chewing gum tablets (CGTs) represent a unique platform for drug delivery. Loading directly compressible gums with high concentrations of powdered medication, however, results in compacts with hybrid properties between a chewable gum and a brittle tablet. The aim of the present study was to develop textural tests that can identify the point at which CGTs begin to behave like a solid tablet upon drug incorporation. Curcumin (CUR) CGTs made with Health in gum were prepared with increasing CUR load from 0 to 100% and were characterized for their mechanical properties by a single-bite (knife) and a two-bite tests. From each test several parameters were extracted and correlated with drug loading. In the single-bite test, the change in the resistance of the compacts to plastic deformation was found to give a definitive guide on whether they behave as gums or tablets. A more in depth analysis of the impact of CUR loading on the chewability of the CGTs was provided by the two-bite test where CUR loading was found to have a nonlinear impact on the mechanical properties of compacts. An upper limit of 10% was found to yield compacts with gum-like properties, which were abolished at higher CUR loads. The textural test procedure outlined in this study are expected to assist those involved in the formulation of medicated gums for pharmaceutical applications in making an informed decision on the impact of drug loading on gum behavior before proceeding with clinical testing.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

There is a growing interest in utilizing medicated chewing gums for drug delivery, especially those made using directly compressible gum bases, such as Health in gum. Directly compressing a gum base with high amounts of solid drug powder, however, poses a challenge as it may result in compressed compacts with hybrid properties between a chewing gum and a hard tablet. Currently, official Pharmacopeias do not specify a testing procedure for the estimation of the mechanical and textural properties of chewing gum tablets. To fill in the knowledge gap, we demonstrated in the present study how complementing a single-bite (knife) test with a modified two-bite test could be used to discriminate between chewing gums and hard tablets that were prepared by directly compressing Health in gum base with increasing concentration of curcumin powder in the blend. By utilizing these two tests, it was possible to identify clear demarcations between conventional tablets and chewing gums. In this study, we found that a 10% load by weight is the upper limit for curcumin loading in a binary blend with Health in gum to maintain the mastication properties of the compacts, which become brittle tablets at 30% load.

Nutritional and sensory profile of two Indian rice varieties with different degrees of polishing

Traditional hand-pounded rice has been replaced today with highly polished white rice in the Asian Indian diets. The study aimed to evaluate the nutritional as well as the sensory differences between the brown (0% polish) and the rice milled to different degrees of polish (2.3, 4.4 and 8.0%). Bapatla and Uma (red pigmented) varieties in both raw and parboiled forms were used. The protein, fat, dietary fibre, γ-oryzanol, polyphenols, vitamin E, total antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging abilities of the brown rice decreased while the available carbohydrates increased with polishing. Sensory attributes of the cooked rice samples (whiteness, grain intactness, fluffiness, firmness, stickiness, chewiness and the cooked rice aroma) were evaluated by trained panelists. Scores for branny taste and chewiness decreased with polishing. On the whole, brown rice of both the varieties was readily accepted by the well-informed sensory trained panelists.