Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) Preparations in the Design of Novel Functional Pasta.

This study investigated the design of novel pasta enriched with different forms of wild garlic (WG): a powder, an extract and an encapsulated extract applied at three enrichment levels (low/middle/high). The effect of cooking on changes in the content of bioactive compounds, antioxidative activity, cooking behaviour, texture, colour and sensory properties of the cooked pasta was evaluated. WG preparations significantly increased the antioxidant potential (by 185-600%) as well as the content of phenolics (by 26-146%), flavonoids (by 40-360%) and potassium (up to three-fold) in the cooked pasta, depending on WG type and enrichment level. Flavonoids were dominantly present in the free form. Cooking resulted in a significant loss of flavonoids (39-75%) whereas phenolics were liberated from the matrix. The highest increase in total phenolics and antioxidant activity was exerted by the WG powder and extract. Pasta hardness and adhesiveness were increased, but encapsulated WG deteriorated cooking behaviour. The best-scored enriched pasta regarding sensory quality and texture was that enriched with WG powder at the low/moderate level.

The chemical characterisation of nettle (Urtica dioica L.) seed oil.

The past decade has seen increasing interest in plant oils in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries due to their diverse functional and nutritional properties, as well as the high levels of consumer acceptance. As a result, there has been a spike in research interest in finding new sources of oils with good potential for industrial use. In this paper, the chemical characterisation (saponification, iodine, acid and ester numbers, as well as fatty acid composition) of nettle seed oil was given. Oil was analysed for its thermooxidative stability by differential scanning calorimetry. The kinetic parameters of oxidation (Ea, A, and k) were also determined. The results showed that nettle seed oil belongs to the group of edible oils of the linoleic type and it is nutritionally highly valuable, it has pronounced thermooxidative stability and could be an alternative source of raw material for the food, cosmetics, and other non-food industries.

Bioaccessibility and uptake by Caco-2 cells of carotenoids from cereal-based products enriched with butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata L.).

Enriching cereals-based products with bioactive compounds is a valuable strategy to improve product quality. We studied carotenoid bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake from a pumpkin-enriched porridge, cookies and sponge cakes by using in vitro digestion coupled with Caco-2 cell uptake. Among the carotenoids recovered in different products, α-carotene was the most important abundant one. However, lutein displayed a significantly higher bioaccessibility compared to α-carotene and ß-carotene in baked products (up to 10.28% compared to 1.22% and 0.88%, respectively). α-Carotene was the only carotenoid recovered in Caco-2 cells after micelle incubation. Cookie micelles led to the highest percentage of α-carotene cell uptake (2.33% and 1.38% for cookies with butter and cookies with vegetable oil, respectively) compared to the other baked products, followed by dry pumpkin puree micelles (1.31%). Overall, our data show that both bioaccessiblity and cell uptake of carotenoids from cereal-based products are variable and highly depend on food formulation and structure.

Breadmaking performance and textural changes during storage of composite breads made from spelt wheat and different forms of amaranth grain.

The objectives of the present study were to assess the baking properties of composite spelt wheat-amaranth blends and to study the staling of composite breads during a six-day storage. Different forms of amaranth grains were added to spelt bread formulation: native amaranth flour and flour from popped amaranth, including their scalded and non-scalded variants. Native amaranth flour (both scalded and non-scalded) gave loaves with the highest volume and contributed to significantly softer crumb but not in comparison to the control bread. Crumb resilience did not show significant differences among the breads but there were differences in the crumb stress relaxation parameters which indicated certain influence on the crumb viscoelastic properties. During storage, all samples developed firmer and less elastic crumbs. Drying loss and staling degree significantly increased with increased storage time. The staling rate was the highest in the bread with non-scalded amaranth flours (native and flour from popped amaranth). The changes in the crumb textural and elastic properties caused by staling turned significant after six days of storage. In general, inclusion of different forms of amaranth flour did not alter the staling of breads and they exerted similar behaviour during storage.

Sugar beet molasses as an ingredient to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of gluten-free cookies.

Sugar beet molasses is a raw material with high potential to be a functional ingredient in baked goods. This paper investigated the nutritional and functional properties of gluten-free cookies enriched with sugar beet molasses. At all enrichment levels and forms tested (liquid and dry), the addition of beet molasses improved the micronutrient pattern and antioxidative status of gluten-free cookies. The cookies prepared with molasses were significantly higher in potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, betaine, total phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging abilities. Molasses contributed to wider spectra of phenolic compounds. The dominating phenolic compounds in the molasses-enriched cookies were catechin, ferulic, syringic and vanillic acid. Molasses also contributed to the presence of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in the cookies. Addition of molasses increased the content of hydroxymethyfurfural in the cookies, but not above values commonly reported for this product type. Molasses addition improved the overall acceptance of gluten-free cookies up to 30% enrichment level.

Quality of gingernut type biscuits as affected by varying fat content and partial replacement of honey with molasses.

Gingernut type biscuits were prepared with varying fat content (10, 20, and 30 % w/w flour basis) and with sugar beet molasses replacing 0, 25, and 50 % w/w of the honey in the formulation. To evaluate the effects of these modifications, dough properties, and the physical, and sensory properties, and chemical composition of the biscuits were determined. Dough properties were significantly affected by the fat content; higher fat gave softer dough with reduced adhesiveness, cohesiveness and springiness. Biscuit height and diameter were also significantly affected only by the fat content. The tested biscuit variants showed no difference with respect to hardness and fracturability. During storage, hardness, fracturability and brittleness of the biscuits significantly increased but significant differences within the biscuits variants were observed after two months of storage in terms of fracturability which was least impaired in the biscuits with 30 % fat. Higher fat content also contributed to better flavour keeping during storage. Substitution of honey with molasses resulted in products with darker colour, less yellow and more red tone. Molasses also contributed to better nutritive value of biscuits by increasing significantly the content of proteins, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

Antioxidant activity of medicinal plant extracts in cookies.

UNLABELLED: The antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts of parsley, buckthorn, mint, caraway, and their mixture "Vitalplant" was evaluated, and the potential of "Vitalplant" mixture extract to retard the process of lipid oxidation in cookies was tested. The antioxidant activity was estimated by 2 direct (ESR) and 4 indirect (spectrophotometric) tests and correlated with the total phenolic and flavonoid content. The potential of "Vitalplant" mixture extract to retard the process of lipid oxidation in cookies was measured by thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive-substances assay (TBARS) and DPPH˙ (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) test. Significantly different (P < 0.05) amounts of total phenolics were found among extracts in the following order: mint > buckthorn > "Vitalplant" > parsley > caraway. Total flavonoid content varied from 0.510% (parsley) to 2.05% ("Vitalplant"). A statistically significant correlation was found between IC(50) values on DPPH˙ and total flavonoid content of the samples (r=- 0.94, P < 0.05) and between IC(50) values on DPPH˙ and IC(50) values on O(2) (·-) scavenging activity (r= 0.89, P < 0.05). A correlation between reducing activity and total phenolic content was found to be positive and statistically significant (r= 0.94, P < 0.05). "Vitalplant" mixture exhibited a relatively high antioxidant activity in most of the tests, which can be explained by synergistic effects of the ingredients of which it is composed. Finally, "Vitalplant" extract addition (2%, 4%, and 6%) improved antioxidant activity and oxidative stability of the cookies in dose-dependent manner. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Supplementation of cookies with a mixture of Petroselini fructus, Frangulae cortex, Mentha piperitae folium, Carvi fructus can retard the process of lipid oxidation and elevate antioxidant activity of the final product.