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Ultrasound with water as a green solvent is an effective strategy for reducing losses and increasing the utilization of by-products. The extraction of proteins and specialized plant metabolites from sugar beet leaves (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. altissima) promotes sustainability in the agro-food chain. Guided by sustainability, samples treated with ultrasound showed lower energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the spectrophotometric determination revealed higher protein and phenol yields in ultrasonically treated samples compared to thermally treated ones. The highest yield of total proteins, 147.91 ± 4.58 mg (gd.m.)−1, was observed during ultrasound treatment (amplitude 100%, treatment time 9 min). Under the same extraction conditions, the same trend was observed in the yield of total phenols 17.89 ± 0.38 mg (gd.m.)−1. High-power ultrasound, compared to the thermal extraction method, has increased the yield of proteins and specialized plant metabolites with significantly lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The obtained results are in accordance with the foundations of sustainable development. From an economic and environmental point of view, ultrasound with the use of green solvents would be an excellent replacement for conventional extraction methods.

There has been a growing demand for soft and nutritious foods in recent years. However, general food processing applies heat to food, which destroys nutrients in it. For this reason, many researchers have devised several non-thermal food processing methods so far. However, these methods have potential for improvement in terms of manufacturing cost and processing time. Thereby, we proposed the Dickson voltage multiplier which has bipolar topology suitable for low output voltage conditions in order to provide efficient food processing with low cost. The system is equipped with a high-speed driver using IGBTs, which allows the high-voltage multiplier to operate at high speed. In addition, by using Dickson multiplier with a bipolar topology, the voltage stress on each circuit component is reduced. Furthermore, we performed theoretical analysis to calculate the internal resistance and voltage gain of proposed multiplier. Moreover, we confirmed experimentally the possibility of the proposed multiplier by using the prototype.

The effect of the temperature and concentration on rheological behavior of Merlot juice concentrates was assessed using a rheometer over a wide range of temperature (1-66°C) and concentrations (13.6-45.0Brix) at shear rates of 0.84-212.1 1/s. The Ostwald-De Waele was the best rheological model fitted the data (R2=0.99967 and relative error=7.99%). The consistency levels were significantly reduced with the increase of temperature and increased with the increase of the concentrations, ranging from 0.1766 (13.6Brix at 66°C) to 19.1140Pa·sn (45.0Brix at 1°C). The flow behavior index presented no up or downward pattern when the temperatures were compared. The flow activation energy ranged from 13.95 (45.0Brix) to 24.88KJ/mol (21.0Brix) with a R2=0.9822 and 0.9812, respectively. Density and specific heat were influenced by both temperature and concentration; however, thermal conductivity was only influenced by concentration and temperature in two cases (13.6 and 29.0Brix). The data showed the potential use of Merlot juice concentrates as wine chaptalization agent in winemaking.

AbstractThe nutrient content of different samples of bouza, either prepared in the laboratory or brought from the local market, were determined and compared with the individual ingredients.Changes that occur in the pH values, diastatic power, alcohol and nutrient content of bouza when fermented for 24, 48 and 72 h were also studied.

Corn has six main varieties grown globally for animal feed, human consumption, and commercial/industrial purposes. Flour is an end-product of corn dry-milling. Products that are derived from corn flour often show differences in physical, chemical, and pasting properties due to corn varietal differences, milling methods, differences in flour particle sizes, and drying temperatures. The study aimed to determine the effect of different moisture contents of yellow dent corn and roller gap sizes, on the physical properties of the resulting corn flour. The possibility to use the flour in the manufacturing of animal feed and ethanol production was also considered. Yellow dent corn grain with moisture contents (MC) of 8%, 14.0%, and 18%, and roller gap sizes (GAP) of 0.1016 mm, 0.2032 mm, and 0.3048 mm were used. The Witt corrugated roller mill equipment with rollers of 1/32 inches corrugations was used to produce fine grits and flours. The particle sizes obtained were between 0.54 mm and 0.75 mm which increased with an increase in MC and GAP. Grain with 8% MC and GAP of 0.1016 mm and 0.2032 mm, and grain with 14.0% MC and GAP of 0.1016 mm can produce flour of particle sizes good for swine feed. Grain with 8% MC and GAP of 0.3048 mm and grain with 14.0.0% MC and GAP of 0.1016 mm and 0.2032 mm can produce flour of particle sizes good for ruminant feed. Grain with 18% MC and GAP of 0.1016 mm, and grain with 14.0% MC and GAP of 0.2032 mm can produce flour of particle sizes good for poultry feed. GAP of 0.1016 mm and 8% MC can produce flour of particle sizes suitable for the ethanol production industry. Flour preparation should purposely be done based on grain MC and GAP. The geometric mean diameter of particle sizes ranged from 0.54 mm-0.75 mm, and the geometric mean diameter of particle sizes increased with increasing MC and GAP. Also, grains with 8% MC had the highest loss in flour, and the higher moisture of 18% significantly affected the red color of flour.

The influence of different factors on biosynthesis of extracellular alpha-amylase of Aspergillus sp. 55 grown at submerged cultivation has been studied. The optimal composition of nutrient medium (1 g of starch and 0.5 g of NaNO3 per 1 l) was chosen. The enzyme preparation has a wide pH optimum of activity (4.5-9.0), thermooptimum at pH 6.5 was 60 degrees C, at pH 4.5 and 9.0--50 degrees C. The inhibitory effect of coordinative germanium compounds on amylolytic activity of the preparation was shown. The paper is presented in Ukrainian.

Abstract Background Environmental awareness and consumer demand for healthy diets and wellness have directed the attention of academia and the food industry towards discovering sustainable packaging materials, including active edible type of packaging. Numerous active edible films and coatings use milk proteins in their formulations. Milk proteins, comprising of caseins and whey proteins, are important for human nutrition, but also gain importance as natural product polymers with potential to be used as encapsulation carriers for nutraceuticals for various food and biotechnological applications. Scope and approach This review provides an overview of the recent trends and advances in active edible packaging materials originating from milk proteins and their technological characteristics (delaying moisture loss, providing oxygen barriers, exhibiting good tensile strength and elongation, offering flexibility, and generally having neutral taste and flavour). Recently, significant achievements have been made to increase the shelf life of perishable food and control the release and transport of nutraceuticals and bioactive molecules by using milk proteins. The results presented here show that packaging materials comprised of milk proteins can be optimised by the food industry and be employed as active edible packaging for improved quality and safety features of fresh food products. Key findings and conclusions Active edible packaging materials made from milk proteins provide great potential for improving food safety, quality and versatility, and could potentially decrease the number of concerns from suppliers and consumers. Nevertheless, certain critical aspects, such as regulatory issues (migration of active substances, labelling, and allergenicity), economics and customer desires, should be considered for the successful introduction of active edible packaging solutions in the food sector. It is to be expected that the milk protein-based vehicle systems present alone or as part of novel sustainable packaging forms will become an essential strategy for launching safe food products, and therefore have the potential for increasing profit margins for the food industry.

AbstractThe baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) can be found in sub-Saharan Africa, and its fruit presents high nutritional value. However, baobab seeds are often discarded and their potential remains underutilized. This study aimed to investigate the effect of roasting time (30/55/80/105 min at 200 °C) on the physical–chemical properties of baobab seeds and the bioactive compounds in a coffee-like beverage. The results showed a decrease in moisture, Aw (water activity), and hardness of baobab seeds with increasing roasting time. These changes resulted from moisture loss, caramelization, and Maillard reactions, which also affected appearance when compared with unroasted baobab seeds. The pH of the beverage decreased to a value of around 6.01 after 105 min of roasting. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the beverage increased with roasting time, reaching 851.2 mg GAE/100 g (after 80 min) and 18.9 mmol Fe2+/100 g (after 55 min), respectively. The caffeine content remained stable around 16 mg/100 g from 55 to 105 min, lower than that of unroasted coffee beans and decaffeinated coffee. These findings suggest the potential for valorizing baobab seeds in the development of a new coffee-like beverage with lower caffeine content.