Red Dragon Fruit Peels: Effect of Two Species Ratio and Particle Size on Fibre Quality and Its Application in Reduced-Fat Alpaca-Based Sausages.

This research aimed to assess the influence of red dragon fruit peels ratio (RDF-PR) from two species, Hylocereus hybridum (HH) and Hylocereus undatus (HU), and particle size (PS) on quality parameters of red dragon fruit peel powder (RDF-PP) and its further application in emulsified alpaca-based sausages as partial substitutes of pork-back fat. A three-level full factorial design (nine treatments) was employed to evaluate the effect of RDF-PR (HH(0%):HU(100%), HH(50%):HU(50%), and HH(100%):HU(0%)) and PS (499-297, 296-177, and <177 µm) on the dependent variables: L*, a*, b*, C, h°, water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, swelling capacity, pectin yield, degree of esterification (analysed through FT-IR), and crude fibre content. The data analysed through a response surface methodology showed that treatment one (T1) is the best with the optimised conditions at 100% HU RDF-PR and PS of <177 µm. The statistical validation of T1 exhibited the highest water-holding capacity (32.1 g/g peel), oil-holding capacity (2.20 g oil/g peel), and pectin yield (27.1%). A completely randomised design (four formulations) was then used to assess the effect of partial replacement of pork-back fat by T1 in emulsified alpaca-based sausages on the colourimetric, physicochemical, and texture properties (hardness, chewiness, cohesiveness, springiness, adhesiveness, and adhesive force). Likewise, a sensory hedonic scale was employed to evaluate the appearance, colour, odour, flavour, texture, and overall acceptability of sausages. The results revealed that 65.7% of pork-back fat content was successfully replaced compared with a control formulation. Additionally, F3 showed significantly (p < 0.05) better colourimetric, physicochemical, and textural characteristics, such as lower hardness (34.8 N) and chewiness (21.7 N) and higher redness (a* = 19.3) and C (22.9), compared to a control formulation. This research presents RDF-PP as a promising fat substitute for developing healthier, reduced-fat meat products using fibre-rich agroindustry by-products.

Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Dietary Fiber from Yellow Dragon Fruit Peels and Its Application in Low-Fat Alpaca-Based Sausages.

The main objective of this study was to optimize the extraction of dietary fiber (insoluble dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber) and degree of esterification from yellow dragon fruit peels using ultrasound-assisted extraction. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the potential application of this fiber as a fat replacement in alpaca-based sausages. The optimization process for extracting dietary fiber and degree of esterification involved considering various factors, including the liquid-to-solid ratio, pause time, and total ultrasound application time. A Box-Behnken design consisting of 15 treatments was employed to determine the optimal levels for ultrasound-assisted extraction. The optimized conditions were found to be a liquid-to-solid ratio = 30 mL/g, pause time = 1 s, and total ultrasound application time = 60 min, which resulted in the highest values of insoluble dietary fiber (61.3%), soluble dietary fiber (10.8%), and the lowest value of degree of esterification (39.7%). The predicted values were validated against experimental data and showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Furthermore, a completely randomized design was utilized to assess the effect of dietary fiber on replacing fat content during the production of alpaca-based sausages. The findings revealed that up to 78% of the fat content could be successfully replaced by soluble dietary fiber obtained from yellow dragon fruit peels when compared to high-fat sausages. Additionally, experimental sausages using soluble dietary fiber showed similar (p > 0.05) quality characteristics, such as hardness (24.2 N), chewiness (11.8 N), springiness (0.900), cohesiveness (0.543), redness (a* = 17.4), and chroma values (20.0), as low-fat commercial sausages.

Melhoramento do processo de extração de polpa de cherimóia (Annona cherimola) a nível industrial e o impacto sob sua qualidade microbiológica e sensorial / Improvement of the process of extraction of cherimoya pulp (Annona cherimola) at industrial level and the impact under its microbiological and sensorial quality

Atualmente no Peru, o processamento para obter a polpa de cherimoia é muito delicado e complexo devido ao fato deste fruto precisar de condições específicas para evitar a sua deterioração durante a fabricação, pois a carga de micro-organismos não pode ser reduzida pela pasteurização por causar sérios problemas nas características sensoriais da polpa. Este trabalho apresenta e avalia oito novos tratamentos para o processo de polpa de cherimoia, com trocas focadas na etapa de descascamento termoquímico, a fim de melhorar sua qualidade microbiológica e manter suas características sensoriais. Os resultados mostraram que todos os tratamentos influenciaram na redução da carga dos micro-organismos indicadores de alteração, enquanto que coliformes totais, E. coli e Salmonella spp. não foram detectados nas amostras avaliadas, assegurando sua inocuidade. Nenhum dos tratamentos influenciou negativamente as características sensoriais, ficando conformes segundo as provas realizadas por um painel treinado e qualificado. Em relação aos processos com pasteurização, que geram alterações indesejáveis do sabor, cor e aroma na polpa de cherimoia, os novos processos com descascamento termoquímico apresentados nesta pesquisa conservaram a qualidade sensorial enquanto que melhoraram a qualidade microbiológica, representado assim boas alternativas na produção deste fruto a nível industrial.(AU)