Development of a Sauce Using Gymnema sylvestre Leaves

Plant derived products have attracted enormous attention due to their diverse range of biological and therapeutic properties. Gymnema sylvestre is an underutilized medicinal herb that is widely distributed in different parts of the world. It is rich in phytochemicals with antidiabetic and antiobesity properties; however, it is less popular due to its bitter taste. This study was focused on developing a sauce using leaves of Gymnema sylvestre. The most acceptable composition (17.2% water, 4.8% vinegar, 3.2% sweet potato, 2.6% chili, 2.0% sugar, 2.0% cinnamon, 2.0% cardamom, 1.8% ginger, 1.8% garlic, 1.2% onion, 1.2% salt, 0.1% citric acid, and 0.1% sodium benzoate) of the sauce was with 60% leaf extract. Final product contains 73.54% ± 1.68 moisture, 19.92% ± 2.59 carbohydrate, 2.98% ± 0.44 ash, 2.61% ± 0.58 protein, 0.88% ± 0.05 fiber, and 0.05% ± 0.01 fat. The total flavonoid content was 243.67 ± 8.57 µ moles of rutin equivalent, total phenolic content was 65.44 ± 0.51 µ moles of gallic acid equivalent, and % of inhibition of DPPH of total antioxidant capacity was 43.70 ± 0.72. Sauce formulated with 1000 ppm sodium benzoate had six weeks of shelf life. The results showed that development of a sauce from G. sylvestre leaves is an effective way of delivering the health benefits to the potential consumers.

Effect of Maize Starch Substitution on Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes of Gluten-Free Cookies Produced from Nixtamalized Flour

Nixtamalized corn flour (NCF) has a good dietary fiber profile that makes it an alternative to produce gluten-free cookies because upon hydration and mixing it yields a cohesive and machinable dough. In order to improve the texture and acceptance of cookies, five different experimental treatments were devised and compared with a cookie made with refined wheat flour. A waxy native maize or pregelatinized cross-linked starches in concentrations of 5% and 10% were evaluated. Results showed that the spread factor, diameter, and thickness of the different types of cookies were not statistically different (p>0.05). With the exception of the control and cookies made with 10% waxy starch which were rated with lower scores, the rest of the treatments were not significantly different in terms of sensory attributes. The texture of cookies evaluated by panelists related to the objective texture was determined with the texture analyzer. Cookies made from the composite flour containing 10% pregelatinized cross-linked were softer or had lower maximum positive force after 5 days of storage. This particular gluten-free cookie contained 65% more dietary fiber compared to the wheat flour counterpart and had the best sensory attributes among all treatments including the cookie made with refined wheat flour.

Amino Acid Profiles, Total Nitrogen Contents, and Computed-Protein Efficiency Ratios of Manihot esculenta Root and Dioscorea rotundata Tuber Peels

Tuberous roots of cassava and yam are major sources of dietary carbohydrate to human, alternative sources of energy in livestock feeds, and sources of starch in small-scale industries. Investigations on amino acid profiles, total nitrogen contents, and computed-protein efficiency ratios (C-PER) of tuberous root peels of Manihot esculenta Crantz and Dioscorea rotundata Poir. were carried out. Amino acid analysis was carried out using ion-exchange chromatography methods. Total nitrogen content was measured using the micro-Kjeldahl methods. The C-PER was calculated using regression equation. The concentrations of amino acids detected in the cassava peels ranged from 0.54 to 6.54 g/100 g protein, whereas those of yam peels were between 0.37 and 6.25 g/100 g protein. The total amino acid concentration of the cassava peels was not significantly (p>0.05) higher than that of the yam peels. Essential amino acid scores showed that Phe + Tyr and Met + Cys were the most abundant and limiting amino acids, respectively, in cassava and yam peels. The percentage nitrogen content and C-PER of the cassava peels were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of the yam peels. The cassava and yam peels were not sources of good quality proteins. Therefore, the use of cassava or yam peels as livestock feeds should be supplemented with other sources rich in good quality proteins.

Interaction among Nutritive, Textural, and Sensory Properties of Rabbit Sausages

The nutritive, textural, and sensory properties of commercial fresh rabbit sausages and their interactions were evaluated. The mean contents of moisture, protein, fat, ash, and carbohydrate were 43.89 ± 1.66%, 9.82 ± 2.71%, 22.37 ± 1.7%, 2.99 ± 0.10%, and 20.94 ± 3.05%, respectively. Conversely, the mean values of hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness were 103.36 ± 3.48 N, −4.54 ± 1.58 N s, 3.38 ± 0.67 mm, 0.15 ± 0.03, 16.07 ± 3.20 N, and 55.73 ± 20.44 N mm, respectively. The moisture and protein contents showed significant negative correlation while three remaining nutritive properties showed significant positive correlation with textural properties (P<0.05 for all parameters). The score for nonparametric ranking of sensory properties like appearance/colour, flavour, juiciness, and tenderness ranged from 28.28 to 38.78, 29.41 to 35.91, 30.06 to 37.38, 26.75 to 40.69, and 29.03 to 36.75, respectively. In conclusion, rabbit sausages formulated with low quantities of moisture and protein result in hard sausages with low acceptability by sensory panellist. To improve the sausages, it is recommended that processors develop an optimal formulation.

Changes in Characteristics of Kithul (Caryota urens) Flour Prepared by Different Modification Techniques

Flour has been an ample source of research and most abundant material for a number of food applications. The aim of this study is to introduce modified Kithul flour for certain industrial requirements. Several physical and chemical treatments were employed to modify Kithul (Caryota urens) flour. The effects of pregelatinization (PG-I and II), acid modification (AC), and dextrinization (DX) on their swelling power, solubility, granular morphology, viscosity, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were studied. At 75°C, pregelatinized treated (PG-II) flour had a high solubility (5.31), while at 70°C pregelatinized treated (PG-I) flour had a low solubility (4.47) as compared to the solubility of native flour sample (RW = 4.88). Same pattern has been followed by the swelling power while viscosity showed the highest value for PG-II (7296.51 Cp) and lowest value for DX treatment (873.40 Cp) as peak viscosities. There were no significant changes in granular size of all treatments compared with the native Kithul flour (45.52 μm). X-ray diffraction (XRD) also followed the same pattern by presenting Bragg’s angle (2θ) positions near 15 (Peak 1), 17 (Peak 2), 18 (Peak 3), and 23 (Peak 4) providing evidence for the presence of crystallites which belong to type A in all modified and native Kithul flour treatments.

Temperature Distribution Pattern of Brassica chinensis during Vacuum Cooling

The temperature distribution of leafy vegetables is often less uniform than that of other vegetables during the vacuum cooling process, a factor that can cause undesired effects such as frostbite. Brassica chinensis, a type of classical leafy vegetable, was used as a model in this paper to optimize vacuum cooling technology for the whole and fresh-cut leafy vegetables. We found that noticeable temperature differences between the leaf and the petiole occurred, which resulted from their structural difference. Temperature variations of different parts of the leaf were also observed, indicating that cooling rate of leaf margin was quicker than the other parts. Our experiments show that using a moderate volumetric displacement of the chamber (0.033 s−1) is beneficial for obtaining a relative uniform temperature distribution of the leaf part.

Formulation Optimization and Evaluation of Probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes-Loaded Sodium Alginate with Carboxymethyl Cellulose Mucoadhesive Beads Using Design Expert Software

The present study deals with the formulation optimization of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate mucoadhesive beads containing probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes through ionotropic gelation using 32 factorial design. The effect of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate concentration on the probiotic entrapment efficiency (PEE, %), viability in simulated gastric fluid (log CFU/g), and mucoadhesion over 8 hr (%) was optimized. The optimized beads containing probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes showed entrapment efficiency of 93.7±1.97%, viability of probiotic in simulated gastric fluid (log CFU/g) of 9.34, mucoadhesion of 71.75±1.38%, and mean diameter of 1.21±0.11 mm. The beads were also characterized by SEM, FTIR, and XRD. The swelling and degradation of these beads were influenced by pH of the test medium. Finally, stability tests performed at room temperature (25~28°C) highlighted a bacterial viability of about 91% and 86% after 1 and 2 months, respectively. The advantageous properties of probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes-loaded mucoadhesive beads make them suitable for incorporation in functional food and/or pharmaceutical products.

Influence of Hydrocolloids on the Quality of Major Flat Breads: A Review

Flat breads are popular all over the world. There are several forms of flat bread, which differ in their methods of preparation. In comparison to pan breads, the leavened flat breads have shorter fermentation period. Nowadays, the use of additives has become a common practice in the baking industry. In this paper, supplementation of several hydrocolloids having different chemical structure and diverse origin to the flatbread making process is presented. Hydrocolloids comprise a number of water-soluble polysaccharides providing a range of functional properties that make them suitable to this application. They provide proper texture, control moisture, improve overall product quality and stability, reduce cost, and facilitate processing in the flat breads. Various gluten-free formulations have applied hydrocolloids to mimic the viscoelastic properties of gluten. Hydrocolloids have been used for retarding the staling and for improving the quality of the fresh products. In addition to this, good sensory properties for visual appearance, aroma, flavor, crunchiness, and overall acceptability were obtained.

Technological Properties of Wheat/Trifoliate Yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) Hardened Tubers Composite Flours

The ability of trifoliate hardened-yam flours to partially substitute wheat flour in food formulations was assessed. Three varieties of hardened-yam flour were incorporated in wheat flour in proportions of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (w/w). Samples were evaluated for protein content, Zeleny sedimentation index, Hagberg falling number, functional properties (WAC, WSI, and OAC), and some rheological properties including dough rupture pressure (P), extensibility (L), stability (P/L), and deformation energy (W). Results showed that trifoliate hardened-yam flours do not have acceptable baking properties as pictured by the low Zeleny sedimentation index and the low Hagberg falling number. Protein quality (Zeleny index, 31) of wheat flour helped to compensate gluten deficit of yam flours, but the amylasic activity determined by the Hagberg falling number could not be adjusted, which resulted in a loss of extensibility (L) of the paste at 10% substitution. Multivariate analysis of experimental data regrouped wheat flour and all wheat/hardened-yam treated with kanwa composite flours in one homogeneous cluster. Although wheat/hardened-yam treated with kanwa composite flours had physicochemical and functional properties similar to wheat, the inadequate diastasic activity makes them inappropriate for bread making, marking the strongest influence of that parameter.