Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) Powder as a Functional Ingredient for the Formulation of Bread Loaves: Physical Properties, Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, and Sensory Attributes.

In the current study, Cornelian cherry powder (CCP, Cornus mas) was investigated as a functional ingredient for bread production. Experimental bread loaves were prepared using five levels of CCP (0, 1, 2, 5, and 10% w/w) to replace wheat flour in bread formulation. The final products were analyzed regarding their proximate composition, content of selected biologically active substances, antioxidant activity (AA), volume, and sensory attributes. Increasing the incorporation of CCP led to significantly (p < 0.05) higher concentrations of carbohydrate, ash, energetic value, total polyphenols, phenolic acids and AA, and reduced fat and protein contents (p < 0.05). Moreover, up to 5% addition of CCP positively affected the volume (642.63 ± 7.24 mL) and specific volume (2.83 ± 0.02 cm3/g) of bread loaves, which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher compared to the control (no addition of CCP; 576.99 ± 2.97 mL; 2.55 ± 0.002 cm3/g). The sensory attributes chewiness, crumb springiness, bitterness, and sourness had lower scores (p < 0.05) in bread formulated with 10% CCP compared to the control. Overall, results show that the bread loaves produced with up to 5% CCP addition were considered the preferred formulation among the experimental samples tested, taking into consideration their composition, bioactive content, sensory, and physical properties.

Impact of Freeze- and Spray-Drying Microencapsulation Techniques on ß-Glucan Powder Biological Activity: A Comparative Study.

The study compares the impact of freeze- and spray-drying (FD, SD) microencapsulation methods on the content of ß-glucan, total polyphenols (TP), total flavonoids (TF), phenolic acids (PA), and antioxidant activity (AA) in commercially ß-glucan powder (Pleurotus ostreatus) using maltodextrin as a carrier. Morphology (scanning electron microscopy- SEM), yield, moisture content (MC), and water activity (aw) were also evaluated in the samples. Our examinations revealed significant structural differences between powders microencapsulated by the drying methods. As compared to non-encapsulated powder, the SD powder with yield of 44.38 ± 0.55% exhibited more reduced (p < 0.05) values for aw (0.456 ± 0.001) and MC (8.90 ± 0.44%) than the FD one (yield: 27.97 ± 0.33%; aw: 0.506 ± 0.002; MC: 11.30 ± 0.28%). In addition, the highest values for ß-glucan content (72.39 ± 0.38%), TPC (3.40 ± 0.17 mg GAE/g), and TFC (3.07 ± 0.29 mg QE/g) have been detected in the SD powder. Our results allow for the conclusion that the SD microencapsulation method using maltodextrin seems to be more powerful in terms of the ß-glucan powder yield and its contents of ß-glucan, TP, and TF as compared to the FD technique.

Selected Physico-Chemical, Nutritional, Antioxidant and Sensory Properties of Wheat Bread Supplemented with Apple Pomace Powder as a By-Product from Juice Production.

The present article aimed to study the effects of four selected concentrations (1%, 2%, 5%, and 10%) of apple pomace powder (APP), obtained from juice production, on the nutritional value and selected physico-chemical, antioxidant, and sensory properties of wheat bread. We have found that the ash and total carbohydrate contents, total polyphenols content, and antioxidant activity of the supplemented bread loaves were markedly higher (p < 0.05) as compared to the control ones. On the other hand, values for protein and fat contents and loaf volume in APP-containing bread samples were statistically lower (p < 0.05). Finally, sensory evaluation revealed no significant differences in all tested attributes between the investigated groups of bread samples. The current results suggest that 10% APP addition appears to be an attractive ingredient applied to bread formulation to obtain a bakery product with high nutritional value and required qualitative and sensory properties. In such a manner, apple pomace as by-products from apple juice processing can be efficiently utilized in an eco-friendly way by the food industry to decrease unnecessary waste and environmental pollution.

Essential and xenobiotic elements in cottage cheese from the Slovak market with a consumer risk assessment.

The examination of various elements in the milk products is very important in the food sector in respect of food quality and safety. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of calcium (Ca), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in white cottage cheese or cottage cheese supplemented with various additives (white, lacto-free, chive, tzatziki, mustard + onion, chili, active protein) available on the market of Slovakia. All essential elements were within the reference range. Cottage cheese enriched with tzatziki showed higher amount of Cu, Fe, K, and Zn. Mustard + onion cheese contained high values of Ca, Co, Mg, and Ni. In white cottage cheese high amount of Cr, Mn, and P was measured. The content of xenobiotic metals was below permitted limit. The contribution to PTWI (Provisional tolerable weekly intake) suggested very low dietary exposure to heavy metals as Cd, Hg, and Pb as well as other metals (Cu, Ni, and Zn) in cottage cheese. Numerous correlations between concentrations were observed. MOE (Margin of Exposure) evaluation denoted that average consumption of cottage cheese does not pose any high cardiovascular and nephrotoxicity threat.