Modelling of perceived sweetness in biscuits based on sensory analysis as a new tool to evaluate reformulation performance in sugar reduction studies.

Sugar reduction in foods is of global interest in food science and industry to limit excessive calorie intake for healthier nutrition. Therefore, a modified Weibull model-based approach is presented here to relate sweetness perception with sugar concentration for the first time. The model was tested by using sweetness perception data obtained from sensory analysis of biscuits (wholewheat flour, whey or hydrolysed pea protein, different sucrose forms, ethylvanillin, furaneol, phenylacetaldehyde) using a line scale and untrained panellists. Sweetness scores increased 56%, 59%, 41% by the addition of wholewheat flour, proteins, or aroma compounds at 17% sucrose containing biscuits, respectively. Wholewheat flour and proteins boosted Maillard reaction products imparting baked/caramel-like flavour. The Weibull model well fitted to the sweetness perception data with a sigmoidal curve and high predicting power. This approach allows to explain how much sugar reduction can be achieved to reach a targeted sweetness perception without performing further sensory analysis.

Acrylamide in Corn-Based Thermally Processed Foods: A Review.

Widely consumed thermally processed corn-based foods can have a great contribution to acrylamide dietary intake, thus bearing a high public health risk and requiring attention and application of strategies for its reduction. This paper reviews the literature on the acrylamide content of corn-based food products present in the market around the world. The potential of corn for acrylamide formation due to its content of free asparagine and reducing sugars is described. Human exposure to acrylamide from corn-based foods is also discussed. The content of acrylamide in corn/tortilla chips, popcorn, and corn flakes, as widely consumed products all over the world, is reported in the literature to be between 5 and 6360 µg/kg, between

Investigation of serotonin, free and protein-bound tryptophan in Turkish hazelnut varieties and effect of roasting on serotonin content.

Hazelnuts and their skins are important sources of health-promoting compounds. In this study, serotonin, a neuroactive compound, and its precursor tryptophan in 14 hazelnuts, almost all hazelnut varieties in Turkey, in two consecutive harvest years were investigated. Serotonin content of hazelnut skins and the effect of roasting on the serotonin content of hazelnuts were also revealed for the first time. Serotonin and free tryptophan concentrations were determined after water extraction while an alkaline hydrolysis was performed for bound tryptophan before UPLC-MS/MS analysis. Free tryptophan ranged from 42 to 127 µg/g and bound tryptophan was between 3670 and 8904 µg/g in hazelnut varieties. Serotonin content of hazelnut varieties was ranged from 0.1 µg/g (Kalinkara) to 2.0 µg/g (Palaz). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in free, bound tryptophan, and serotonin contents of most of the hazelnut varieties depending on the harvest year. Mean serotonin content of hazelnut skins was 4 times higher than hazelnuts. Moreover, it was found that roasted hazelnuts were as valuable as raw hazelnuts in terms of their serotonin content as no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed after roasting at 150 °C for 30 min.

Determination of serotonin in nuts and nut containing products by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of serotonin in raw and roasted nuts (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, coconut, hazelnut, Macadamia nut, pecan, peanut, pine nut, pistachio and walnut) as well as nut products (nut containing snack bars, chocolate and spreads) for the first time. Water extraction without prior defatting was performed to leach serotonin from complex matrices of nuts. Mean recoveries ranged from 64.2 ±â€¯9.6 to 94.7 ±â€¯20.1%. Limit of detection and limit of quantification were between 0.4 and 2.3 and 1.0-7.4 ng/g, respectively. Repeatability and reproducibility values were below 2%. Serotonin content of nuts ranged from 0.05 ±â€¯0.01 (pine nut) to 155 ±â€¯57.0 µg/g (walnut) in raw nuts while it was between 0.03 ±â€¯0.00 (Macadamia nut) and 15.3 ±â€¯1.27 µg/g (pecan) in roasted nuts. Serotonin in nut products was found to range from 0.09 ±â€¯0.00 to 8.99 ±â€¯0.92 µg/g, depending on the nuts they contain.

Effect of Roasting and Storage on the Formation of Maillard Reaction and Sugar Degradation Products in Hazelnuts ( Corylus avellana L.).

This study investigated the effect of roasting (150 °C for 30 min) and storage (12 months at 4 °C, 25 °C, and 25 °C in vacuum package), conditions of which are generally applied in the industry and markets, on the formation of Maillard reaction and sugar degradation products, namely dicarbonyl compounds, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, N-ε-fructosyllysine, and N-ε-carboxymethyllysine in Tombul and Levant hazelnuts. Roasting increased all dicarbonyl compounds significantly ( p < 0.05). The concentration of methylglyoxal was the highest while 1-deoxyglucosone was the lowest in roasted hazelnuts. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and N-ε-carboxymethyllysine also increased significantly ( p < 0.05) with roasting while furosine decreased. Roasting changed the progress of the Maillard reaction from the early stage to the advanced stage. On the other hand, there were no significant changes ( p > 0.05) in the concentration of Maillard reaction and sugar degradation products independent of the storage conditions or time and hazelnut variety, except for glyoxal, diacetyl, and 1-deoxyglucosone. Therefore, neither 5-hydroxymethylfurfural nor furosine is suggested as a storage marker of the Maillard reaction and sugar degradation.