Bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in raw and pickled capers.

Capers are excellent sources of phenolic compounds, which possess antioxidant activity and a variety of health benefits. Capers are often not eaten fresh due to their bitterness, instead, they are usually brined and eaten as pickles. For phenolics to display beneficial effects, they should be bioaccessible. This research aimed to investigate the bioaccessibility values of phenolics in raw and pickled capers. Before and after in vitro digestion, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidant activities and individual phenolics were determined in raw (RC) and pickled capers (PC). TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity of capers were not affected by pickling. The bioaccessibility of TPC in RC and PC was 77.8% and 72.9%, respectively. In vitro digestion decreased ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidant activity values in RC and PC significantly (p < 0.05). Rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside) and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were found to be the main phenolic compounds before and after in vitro digestion in all caper samples. After in vitro digestion, rutin content decreased, while kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside content in capers was stable. The results suggest that capers are really good sources of bioaccessible phenolics. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05824-x.

Functional and physicochemical properties of whole egg powder: effect of spray drying conditions.

Pasteurized liquid whole egg was subjected to spray drying to determine the effect of spray drying conditions on moisture content, water activity, peroxide value, emulsion stability, gel texture, foaming stability and colour change of the powder product. Drying process was carried out in a pilot scale spray dryer (Mobile Minor Niro-Atomizer, Denmark). The inlet (165-195 °C) and outlet air temperatures (60-80 °C) and the atomization pressure (196-392 kPa) were investigated as spray drying process variables. Perturbation and 3-D graphs revealed that outlet air temperature and atomization pressure had more effect than inlet air temperature, on the properties of whole egg powder. Optimum spray drying conditions of whole egg powder were determined according to the specific end-product requirements (bakery foods, omelette and mayonnaise and salad dressing) targeting to obtain the desired value of functional properties, i.e.; emulsion stability, gel texture, foaming stability and colour change.

Improving functionality of whole egg powder by the addition of gelatine, lactose, and pullulan.

The addition of gelatine (G), lactose (L), pullulan (P), and their mixtures at equal ratios (gelatine + lactose [GL] and gelatin + pullulan [GP]) to whole egg prior to drying was studied. Their effects on the functional properties (emulsion and gelling ability, water holding capacity of gel, foaming, color) and soluble protein content of spray dried egg powder during the 6 mo of storage at 20 °C and 50% relative humidity were investigated. It was demonstrated that the emulsion and foaming stability, water holding capacity of gel, and color change were significantly affected by the storage time, whereas storage time did not affect the strength of gel texture prepared by egg powders. Gelatine and pullulan improved the foaming stability and water holding capacity. Lactose caused a decrease in emulsion and foaming stability values. The maximum color change was observed for the plain egg powder, showing that mixing whole egg with carbohydrate- and/or protein-based additives before the drying process preserved the color of egg powder. Adding carbohydrate and/or protein caused significant changes in functional properties of egg powder.

Ground red peppers: capsaicinoids content, Scoville scores, and discrimination by an electronic nose.

High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and total capsaicinoids levels of different ground red pepper samples obtained from local retail markets in Izmir, Turkey. Scoville scores were determined using sensory tests. An electronic nose (EN) was used to discriminate ground red pepper samples by headspace volatiles. EN data were analyzed using discriminant function analysis (DFA). An overall correct classification rate of pepper varieties by EN of 91% was obtained. A linear correlation between capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and total capsaicinoids and Scoville scores was also observed, and R (2) values of 0.89, 0.85, and 0.91 were obtained, respectively.