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Summary: The number of vegetarians and vegans has been growing worldwide, increasing the food choices available to this public in the market. One way to recognise these products is the presence of a certification label, which guarantees, or should guarantee, the absence of animal ingredients. Despite the growing demand and supply of certified vegan foods, there is no overview on the nutritional composition of these products in Brazil. Thus, a survey was conducted to evaluate the labels of ninety‐five certified vegan products from the groups: breads, cookies and crackers, meat substitutes and dairy substitutes. Carbohydrates were the most present macronutrient in all food groups, except for plant‐based beverages. Protein was highest in meat substitutes, while saturated fat was highest in cheese and cookies/crackers substitutes. Sodium was found in higher amounts in the meat substitutes, reaching a maximum value of 510.64 mg/100 g. Breads and cookies/crackers presented twenty and sixteen different types of flours, respectively. Refined wheat flour was the most present (48%) in bread, and refined rice flour (96%) in cookies/crackers. None of the cookies/crackers contained wheat flour. In meat substitutes, the main protein sources were soy, lentil, and chickpea, with a wide variety of spices and natural ingredients (n = 49). Most of the plant‐based beverages (60%) had no added sugar, however, all of the yogurt substitutes contained sugar or sweetener. Additives were present in 92% of breads, 100% of cookies/crackers, 33% of meat substitutes, and 70% of dairy substitutes. Eighty‐one percent of the products were classified as ultra‐processed. As conclusion, there is a great variety of ingredients used in the products, emphasising the need to read and understand the label when choosing a food. Furthermore, the results indicate the commercialisation of more 'natural' products, given the variety of fresh and dried foods among the ingredients. However, there should be caution in the consumption of certified foods due to the high percentage of ultra‐processed products, with elevated presence of additives and high sodium content. In addition, they should not be used as simple substitutes for conventional foods, due to their nutritional composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the last ten or so years, potatoes with purple or blue‐flesh and derivative products, for example chips, have appeared on the European markets. The interest in this raw material and these products is increasing among both producers and consumers searching for novel and attractive choices. The anthocyanin content of the analysed potato varieties differed; a higher content of these pigments was determined in Blaue Elise var. potatoes. In blue‐flesh varieties, the prevailing anthocyanins were acylated glycosides: petunidin and malvidin. The production process of French fries, chips and puree caused a decrease in the content of glycoalkaloids in semi‐products and finished products, compared to the raw material. The greatest losses of α‐chaconine and α‐solanine were observed after tuber peeling (ca. 70%) and after frying (ca. 90%). French fries contained 3%, chips 16% and puree 17% of the initial amount of total glycoalkaloids. The losses of α‐chaconine and α‐solanine in the analysed semi‐products and finished products were at the same level, regardless of the processing technology applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation of crystals on the surface of dried scallop ( Chlamys farreri) adductor muscle is often observed during storage. The composition of these white crystals was determined, and the effect of relative humidity ( RH) during storage on their formation was also studied. The white crystals were determined as the crystal of free amino acids, mainly composed of taurine (Tau) and glycine (Gly). The main polymorphic form of glycine in the crystals was further confirmed as the γ-form. Besides free amino acids, another major part of the crystal composition was ions, such as Na+, NH4+, K+, PO43− and Cl−. The presence of various free amino acids and Na+ and K+ might contribute to the crystallisation of γ-glycine. RH particularly at 65% and above significantly increased the amount of crystals. RH of 43% and below was recommended to prevent the formation of amino acid-rich crystals on dried scallops during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dehydrated Hibiscus sabdariffa ( Roselle) is usually used as the raw material of popular beverages, where the exhausted calyx, still rich in polyphenols and fibre, is discarded. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the possibility of adding Roselle's whole calyx to a confectionery product elaborated with gelatin, quantifying the concentration of released polyphenols ( Folin- Ciocalteu) during an in vitro digestion and the expression of antioxidant activity [Ferric reducing antioxidant power ( FRAP) and N, N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride ( DMPD)] during this process. Results show that hardness and elongation of Roselle-gelatin gums respond to a quadratic model where single components and binary mixtures show significant contributions to hardness and elongation behaviour respectively. Ten grams of Roselle-gelatin gum express a higher antioxidant activity ( FRAP) than 250 mL of the infusion prepared by a traditionally procedure. A significant proportion of the radical scavenging ( DMPD) activity could have been lost during the elaboration process of the gums, and although more studies should be done, a hypothesis explaining this effect is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papaya was subjected to osmotic dehydration (OD) prior to hot air drying (HA; 70 °C) and microwave vacuum drying (MVD; 3.75 W g−1 and 13.3 kPa). An increase in immersion time in a sucrose solution [65/100 g (w/w)] at 40 ± 2 °C from 0 to 4 h decreased moisture content from 7.5802 to 1.2215 kg water kg dry solid−1. During HA and MVD, effective moisture diffusivity was in the range 7.09 × 10−8 to 9.13 × 10−8 m2 s−1 and 2.85 × 10−6 to 3.50 × 10−6 m2 s−1, respectively, depending on immersion time. The hue angle of HA samples was 0.83-0.91, whereas that of MVD samples was 48.55-50.32. Both drying methods decreased springiness. Porosity was clearly observed in MVD samples. Rehydration rate was enhanced by increased immersion time and MVD ( P ≤ 0.05). From preference mapping, MVD samples were more preferable than HA samples. Moreover, MVD samples with 1-3 h OD were more preferable than those with 4 h OD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish gelatins extracted from shark ( Isurus oxyrinchus) cartilage were dried by three different methods: freeze drying, hot-air drying and spray drying; and their functional properties were investigated. Freeze-dried gelatin was found to have the strongest gel strength, while gelatins made at high temperatures formed weaker gels. The 135-kPa gel strength of freeze-dried gelatin was relatively high. While foam formation ability of the freeze-dried gelatin was the highest, its foam stability was the lowest. In addition, spray-dried gelatin had the best emulsion capacities. Dynamic viscoelastic properties of shark cartilage gelatins prepared by these drying methods were closely correlated with their gel strength. Elasticity modulus ( G’; Pa) and loss modulus ( G”; Pa) of the freeze-dried gelatin had higher values than those prepared by hot-air drying and spray drying; viscoelastic properties of the freeze-dried gelatin were maintained longer than those of other drying methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), together with glucose, fructose and sucrose, has been determined in commercial dehydrated samples of onion ( Allium cepa L.) and garlic ( Allium sativum L.). No qualitative differences were detected among the FOS identified in both onion and garlic. Results show a lower FOS content in garlic than in onion in all samples analysed. In garlic samples, FOS with degree of polymerisation from 3 to 7 were identified and quantified for the first time. In addition, a study on the effect of the storage in these carbohydrates has been carried out under controlled conditions (50 °C, aw 0.44). The storage seemed to promote important changes in the content of glucose and fructose, which could participate in the Maillard reaction and in the composition of sucrose and FOS, whose hydrolysis was noticeable during the storage time. Therefore, all these chemical changes should be considered to evaluate the quality of these foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study on the effect of antioxidants on the lipid and pigment oxidation in Bulgarian dry-fermented sausage type lukanka is described. A commercial mix of antioxidants, called ‘grindox 1021’ (GR), restricted the development of the peroxidation processes in dry-fermented sausages (type lukanka) to a greater extent than either rosemary (RS), rutine (RT), sodium erythrobate (SE) or l-ascorbic acid, when applied at the same concentration. The latter compounds did not effectively stabilize lipids in sausages against oxidation; they only slowed down the lypolysis and did not greatly change the colour of the cross-sectional surface. However, the sausage lipids were best stabilized when 1 g kg−1 GR, RS or RT was added. The addition of 1 g kg−1 RS and GR most efficiently suppressed the hydroperoxides – primary derivatives of lipid peroxidation, while the secondary derivatives in the final product were most reduced when 1 g kg−1 GR and SE were added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pestil is a traditional dried fruit snack, which is consumed in Turkey. Wheat starch is mixed with different clarified fruit juices such as grape, mulberry, apricot or plum and cooked using traditional techniques. In this work the proximate chemical composition (moisture, ash, fat, crude protein and total carbohydrate), energy value and thickness of grape, apricot and mulberry pestils were investigated. The colour properties (Hunter L, a and b) were determined by a Minolta Chroma-Meter and the mineral content (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn, Mn) of each product was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The carbohydrate value of pestil samples ranged between 73.7 and 82.4% and energy value was between 321.5 and 356.4 kcal 100 g−1. Mulberry pestil was a better source of energy than grape and apricot pestils. Apricot pestils were rich in calcium, sodium and zinc, and mulberry pestil samples were rich in magnesium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain dehydrated bamboo shoot slices of high quality, a two-stage hybrid method of drying was tested to see if it could be cost-effective. While freeze-drying provides the best quality bamboo shoot it is a very expensive process. In this study, the drying techniques (a) hot airflow drying followed by vacuum freeze drying and (b) the reverse of the process (a) were examined. The quality of bamboo shoots dried by process (b) was found to be approximately equal to that of freeze-dried bamboo shoots but at a significantly lower cost. This paper reports results comparing the two processes in terms of energy consumption and the physico-chemical properties of the dried bamboo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the addition of two sugars (trehalose and sucrose) on the retention of volatiles responsible for the characteristic aroma in dehydrated apricot puree was studied. Aroma compounds of fresh and both freeze-dried and foam-mat-dried apricot puree were analysed by manual headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography (GC-FID and GC-MS). The best retention of aroma compounds in dehydrated apricot puree was obtained when trehalose was added, regardless of the dehydration process used (freeze drying or foam-mat drying), although, generally, a much higher retention of flavour volatiles was obtained in freeze-dried purees. Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis were applied to all the apricot purees studied to obtain a simplified view of the relationship among the aroma compounds in dehydrated apricot purees. This study gives further insights into the mechanisms that occur when trehalose is applied as an additive and will enable the development of new processes to maximize this effect and to produce superior dried products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Members of one hundred and twenty five households from 19 villages producing dried cassava products were interviewed in Ghana. Kokonte was the most important cassava product in 19% of the households processing it. Most kokonte was produced between January and March. Mould growth during processing or storage was a problem during June and July, which is part of the rainy season. Most producers and market traders preferred non-mouldy kokonte, although many (59%) would consume a mouldy product. There was a price premium for non-mouldy kokonte. The most commonly isolated fungi were yeasts and Cladosporium spp. (44 out of 49 samples). Other fungi isolated included Aspergillus spp. (20 samples); Penicillium spp. (15 samples) and Fusarium spp. (30 samples). Sterigmatocystin was detected in 10 samples at 0.17–1.67 mg kg–1; patulin in 4 samples at 0.55–0.85 mg kg–1; cyclopiazonic acid in 4 samples at 0.08–0.72 mg kg–1; penicillic acid in 5 samples at 0.06–0.23 mg kg–1 and tenuazonic acid in 3 samples at 0.02–0.34 mg kg–1. Mycotoxin contamination of mouldy kokonte was a potential problem; there is therefore the need to improve kokonte processing to avoid mould growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary We tested the hypothesis that an optimum method of drying fruit could be designed. The effect of the method used for drying on colour of apple, banana, potato and carrot was investigated for five different methods of drying: conventional, vacuum, microwave, freeze and osmotic drying. Colour characteristics were studied by measuring lightness (L), redness (a) and yellowness (b) using a Hunter Lab chromatometer. The method used to dry the material was found to significantly affect the three colour parameters. The changes in redness (a) and yellowness (b) were found to follow a first order kinetic model. Air-, vacuum- and microwave-dried materials caused extensive browning in the fruits and vegetables, this was manifested by a significant drop of the L parameter and an increase of the a and b parameters. Osmotically pretreated samples did not brown as much as the untreated samples and the value for lightness (L) decreased only slightly while a and b increased slightly. Freeze drying seems to prevent colour changes, resulting in products with improved colour characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]