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Verjuice is an acidic unfermented unripe grape juice that has recently been proposed as an alternative to vinegar in different food preparations. In this study, pickled cucumber preserves were industrially prepared using two dilutions of verjuice as acidifying agent and compared with the traditional vinegar-pickled samples. Samples were chemically characterized and subjected to sensory analyses using a trained panel and consumers. The different acidifying agents resulted in pickled cucumbers giving different olfactory and gustatory evaluations. No differences in appearance and texture were found. Despite showing chemical and sensory differences, pickles preserved with verjuice and vinegar had similar overall liking scores for visual, olfactory and gustatory aspects. A key feature of pickles prepared with verjuice is their lack of acetic acid potentially conferring them an additional value, suggesting that verjuice represents a viable alternative to vinegar for the production of pickles with distinctive sensorial properties.

Research background. Consumption of spontaneously fermented camel’s milk is common in Algeria, making it a feasible source of diverse lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with the potential to be used as adjunct cultures to improve quality and safety of fermented dairy products. Experimental approach. Twelve raw camel´s milk samples were used as a source of indigenous LAB, which were further characterised by examining 39 phenotypic traits with technological relevance. Results and conclusions. Thirty-five non-starter LAB (NSLAB) were isolated from 12 Algerian raw camel's milk samples and they were microbiologically, biochemically and genetically characterised. Some isolates showed proteolytic activity, acidifying capacity, the ability to use citrate, and to produce dextran and acetoin. Ethanol, acetaldehyde, methyl acetate, acetoin and acetic acid were the major volatile compounds detected. Cluster analysis performed using the unweighted group with arithmetic average (UPGMA) method, and based on the thirty-nine phenotypic characteristics investigated, reflected the microbial diversity that can be found in raw camel´s milk. Novelty and scientific contribution. The isolated strains, from a non-typical source, showed interesting technological traits to be considered as potential adjunct cultures. Cluster analysis based on the examined phenotypic characteristics proved to be a useful tool for the typification of isolates when no genetic information is available. These findings may be of use towards an industrialised production of camel's milk dairy products, This work was funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) (AGL2016-78708-R, AEI/FEDER, UE), by the Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Principality of Asturias 2018–2020, co-financed by FEDER (IDI/2018/000114, FICYT/FEDER, UE), and by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC201870I091, CSIC).

WOS: 000280021200008 In this study, daily amount of biogas of different mixtures of cheese whey and dairy manure, rates of production of methane, removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solid (TS) matter and volatile solid (VS) matter from the mixtures were investigated at 25 and 34 degrees C. In the experimental studies, two different solid matter rates (8% and 10%) were studied. The hydraulic retention times (HRTs) were 5, 10 and 20 days. Removal efficiencies and amount of biogas produced in each HRT were determined. Maximum daily biogas production was obtained as 1.510 m(3) m(-3) d(-1) at HRT of 5 days in the mixture containing 8% total solid matters at 34 degrees C and the methane production rate was around 60 +/- 1% in all experiments. Maximum removal efficiencies for TS, VS and COD were found as 49.5%, 49.4% and 54%, respectively at HRT of 10 days in the mixture containing 8% total solid matters at 34 degrees C. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.