Characterization of gluten-free cupcakes without sucrose based on defatted soybean flour and monk fruit.

This study aimed to produce and characterize a novel gluten-free cupcake for celiac and diabetes people. For this purpose, wheat flour and sugar in the cupcake formulation were fully replaced with soy flour and monk fruit. Also, samples containing wheat flour with sugar and monk fruit were prepared for comparison. The gluten-free cupcake without sucrose had a less specific volume and porosity index. To improve these properties, Cydonia oblonga (Cydonia Vulgaris) and Plantago ovata (Plantago genus) were used individually and in combination at concentrations of 1 and 2%. The cake containing no gum was made as a control as well. It was observed that addition of gums had positive effects on the specific volume, porosity index, and weight loss of cakes, but their incorporation increased their hardness. Based on the results, the fabrication of a novel and successful gluten-free cupcake replaced with soy flour, monk fruit, and gum is possible.

Betalains as promising natural colorants in smart/active food packaging.

Betalains are water-soluble nitrogen pigments with beneficial effects, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and pH-indicator properties. The development of packaging films incorporated with betalains has received increasing attention because of pH-responsive color-changing properties in the colorimetric indicators and smart packaging films. As such, intelligent and active packaging systems based on biodegradable polymers containing betalains have been recently developed as eco-friendly packaging to enhance the quality and safety of food products. Betalains could generally improve the functional properties of packaging films, such as higher water resistance, tensile strength, elongation at break, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These effects are dependent on betalain composition (about its source and extraction), content, and the kind of biopolymer, film preparation method, food samples, and storage time. This review focused on betalains-rich films as pH- and ammonia-sensitive indicators and their applications as smart packaging to monitor the freshness of protein-rich foods such as shrimp, fish, chicken, and milk.