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β-bonded polysaccharides are biopolymer substances used as functional ingredients that provide nutritional benefits and health implications. They are extracted from several sources which include higher plants, yeasts, fungi, etc. Applications of β-bonded polysaccharides cover a wide range of benefits, which include new sensorial properties, texture, less use of fat, and improvement to gut health. Incorporation of β-bonded polysaccharides in food formulations is set to grow worldwide and some of them are already used as food ingredients. In this article, we attempted to review recent studies on chemical characteristics, functional properties, and therapeutic values of different β-bonded polysaccharides. Some gaps in knowledge that require further research are also highlighted.

This study was carried out to compare the antioxidant and nutritional properties of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) sap with other natural sources of sugar such as sugar palm (Borassus flabellifer) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). Coconut sap and juice from sugar palm and sugarcane were analyzed for proximate composition, pH and total soluble solid (TSS), color, sugar profile, vitamin profile, antioxidant properties (total phenolic contents, DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS), and mineral content. The results indicated that coconut sap possesses high DPPH (23.42%), FRAP (2.09 mM/ml), and ABTS (21.85%) compared with the juices. Coconut sap also had high vitamin C (116.19 µg/ml) and ash (0.27%) contents, especially in potassium (960.87 mg/L) and sodium (183.21 mg/L) which also indicating high content of minerals. These properties showed that coconut sap could be served as a potential healthier sugar source compared with sugar palm and sugarcane juices., Coconut sap could be served as a potential healthier sugar source compared with sugar palm and sugarcane juices as it carries more minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) sugar is a more nutritious alternative sugar source as compared to sugar palm (Borassus flabellifer) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). This work was aimed to investigate the browning index (BI), vitamin profile and antioxidant properties of coconut sap sugar syrups, which were produced by different processing methods: rotary evaporation (RE), microwave evaporation (ME) and open-heat evaporation (OHE). The results obtained showed that coconut sugar syrup produced by RE-60 contained high antioxidant activities [DPPH (36.71%) and ABTS (34.84%), TPC (299.87 mg per 100 g sample) and FRAP (3.74 mm)]. These values were slightly lower than those of ME and OHE. Coconut sugar syrup (RE-60) also contained higher amounts of vitamin C (1587.27 mg L−1), vitamin B1 (97.44 mg L−1) and vitamin B3 (19.84 mg L−1) compared with those of ME and OHE coconut sugar syrups. RE-60 was the best method to produce coconut sugar syrup in a shorter time with lower browning index and higher vitamin contents.

Lauric fat blends aimed for bakery shortening were prepared as a ternary mixture characterised by three distinct melting peaks on their differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) melting thermograms. Those melting peaks closely correlated to the high, medium, and low melting fractions (HMF, MMF and LMF) in the blends. In the simpler binary mixture, hard fats, (i.e. palm stearin and fully hydrogenated rapeseed oil) formed an ideal solubility in different liquid oils [i.e. medium chain triacylglycerol oil (MCI-oil) and high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO)]. However, slight deviations from ideality were observed when liquid oils were replaced by lauric oils (i.e. palm kernel oil and coconut oil). In the more complex ternary mixture, the I HMF formed an ideal solubility in both the MMF and LMF within the range of given formulas. In addition, the interaction of solid crystals in lauric fat blends was of monotectic behaviour as shown in the isosolid diagram. Nevertheless, the influence of solubility seemed to override that of solid interaction. Both the solubility curves and isosolid lines can provide valuable information about the interaction of HMF, MMF and LMF in lauric fat blends. Therefore, they are useful for improving the formulation of plastic fats.

Sweet potato starch (SPS) films from local Malaysia varieties particularly, VitAto (orange-fleshed) and Anggun (purple-fleshed) were developed to characterize the physical, mechanical, thermal, and antimicrobial properties. The SPS films were fabricated by solvent casting technique, incorporating different types and concentrations of plasticizer including sorbitol (S) and glycerol (G) at 0, 15, and 30 % of starch. The VitAto SPS films exhibited higher brightness and lower solubility in water than the Anggun SPS films. The plasticized SPS films with 15 % plasticizer demonstrated better tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EaB) than the films containing 30 % plasticizer. For the plasticized VitAto SPS films at 15 % loading, the glycerol and sorbitol-plasticized films demonstrated better mechanical and thermal properties than the plasticized Anggun SPS films. The addition of 5 % thymol into SPS films increased the film solubility in water and improved the EaB, while the TS was reduced remarkably. Functional chemical analysis confirmed the presence of intermolecular interaction between the film’s components. The SPS films with thymol showed positive inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in liquid media. Qualitative observations revealed that the active SPS films was able to reduce the growth of fungal on cherry tomato samples and retained the firmness of the food sample. The active SPS films have the potential to be used in food packaging in order to prolong the shelf life of perishable food products.

The oils obtained from three Indonesian avocado (Persea americana) cultivars namely Merah bundar, Ijo bundar and Ijo panjang, were compared to the oils obtained from imported Fuerte and Shepard avocado varieties in terms of lipid characteristics and tocopherol content. The oils of all avocado varieties existed in a semisolid form, except that of the Fuerte variety. Free fatty acids and peroxide levels in the oils obtained from locally grown avocado were lower than the levels in the oils obtained from imported avocados, implying that local avocado oils have a better oxidative stability. Interestingly, the tocopherol (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) content of local avocado oils was also much higher than that of imported avocado oils. Meanwhile, differences in the FTIR spectrum of avocado oils were found at frequencies of 1034 and 968 cm−1. There were also some differences in the fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition of avocado oils. Due to these differences, the physicochemical characteristics and the solidification and thermal profiles of the oils obtained from local avocado cultivars were completely different from those of the imported avocado varieties (Fuerte and Shepard).

Gelatin and collagen are considered halal-critical ingredients as they are typically derived from either bovine or porcine animals. Current analytical methods for determining the sources of gelatin and collagen suffer from limitations in terms of robustness and false positives in peptide matching. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the utility of monitoring hydroxyproline, a signature amino acid for gelatin and collagen, for identifying potentially haram foodstuffs. To determine the hydroxyproline profiles among animal- and plant-based samples, one-way univariate analysis of variance followed by pair-wise comparison was used to establish statistical significance. Multivariate chemometric analysis through principal component analysis revealed a discrete distribution pattern among 59 samples due to hydroxyproline variability. Finally, inter- and intra-laboratory comparisons demonstrated the validity and robustness of hydroxyproline determination according to ISO 17025. Thus, this preliminary identification technique will aid the identification of potentially haram foodstuffs.

Background Coconut sugar has a caramel color with a taste like brown sugar. It is commonly used as natural sweetener. However, coconut sugar has been produced from coconut sap using a traditional method that involves heating the sap at high temperature (>100 °C) in an open pan for a long period (3-5 h). This conventional method results in an over-cooked sugar, which leads to quality deterioration in terms of both its physical and chemical properties. The current study aimed to investigate the processing of coconut sap into sugar syrup using alternative processing techniques such as rotary vacuum evaporation (RE) and microwave evaporation (ME), comparing them with open-heat evaporation (OHE) technique. Results Coconut sugar syrup produced by rotary evaporation at 60 °C and 250 mbar vacuum (RE-60) required the shortest production time (12.2 min) and the lowest processing temperature (54.8 °C) when compared with ME (13 min and 103.2 °C) and OHE (46.8 min and 101.6 °C). It also had a light brownish color with a higher L* value (35.17) than the ME (29.84) and OHE (23.84) methods. It was found to contain higher amounts of monosaccharides (fructose and glucose) and lower amounts of disaccharides (sucrose). Furthermore, the amount of energy required for RE-60 (0.35 kWh) was much less than for OHE (0.83 kWh). Conclusion This study provided an alternative processing method for the sugar processing industry to produce coconut sugar using the rotary evaporation method at 60 °C under 250 mbar vacuum with better physicochemical qualities, shorter processing time, and minimum input energy. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fish oil is a common source of fat in fish feed production. However, there is a tendency to substitute fish oil with other fats such as lard to reduce production costs. Thus, an efficient method for lard detection is highly needed for fish feed’s authenticity. In this study, sn-2 fatty acids (sn-2 FAs) and fatty acid (FA) compositions were incorporated with chemometric techniques namely Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Regression (OPLS-R) to identify lard adulteration in the fish feeds. The inclusion of sn-2 FAs into PCA model 2 exhibited a preferable variation pattern relative to PCA model 1. The PCA identified C14:0, C18:0, C18:2, C18:3, C20:0 sn-2 C16:0, sn-2 C18:0, sn-2 C18:1, and sn-2 C18:2 were the most significant FAs to discriminate the fish feeds. The inclusion of sn-2 FA composition improved the OPLS-DA model 2 performance by providing more significant class discrimination between lard-adulterated, and non-adulterated fish feeds as compared to OPLS-DA model 1. The OPLS-DA model 2 identified C18:0, C18:2, C18:3, and sn-2 C16:0 FAs as markers of lard adulteration with an increment in the value of the coefficient of determination (R2) and decrement in the Root Mean Square Error of Estimation (RMSEE) and Root Mean Standard of Cross-Validation (RMSECV) values. The Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), Multilayer Perceptron-Artificial Neural Network (MLP-ANN), and internal and external validations corroborated the OPLS-DA model 2 and OPLS-R model 2 performances. Therefore, the incorporation of sn-2 FA and FA compositions coupled with the chemometric techniques had improved the detection and quantification of lard adulteration in fish feeds.

Identification of honey origin based on specific chemical markers is important for honey authentication. This study is aimed to differentiate Malaysian stingless bee honey from different entomological origins (Heterotrigona bakeri, Geniotrigona thoracica and Tetrigona binghami) based on physicochemical properties (pH, moisture content, ash, total soluble solid and electrical conductivity) and volatile compound profiles. The discrimination pattern of 75 honey samples was observed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA), Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The profiles of H. bakeri and G. thoracica honey were close to each other, but clearly separated from T. binghami honey, consistent with their phylogenetic relationship. T. binghami honey is marked by significantly higher electrical conductivity, moisture and ash content, and high abundance of 2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, 2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-acetaldehyde and ethyl 2-(5-methyl-5-vinyltetrahydrofuran-2-yl)propan-2-yl carbonate. Copaene was proposed as chemical marker for G. thoracica honey. The potential of different parameters that aid in honey authentication was highlighted.

Lard extracted from adipose tissue of swine was traditionally used as shortening in the production of bread, biscuit, cake, etc. Inclusion of lard in any consumer products is, however, prohibitive under the Halal and Kosher food regulations, as well as vegetarian dietary rules. Hence, there were attempts by several research groups to produce fat blends using plant lipids to replace lard in food formulations. Blend formulation simulating the properties of lard was done in combination of binary, tertiary, and quaternary mixtures of plant fats of various origins. The formulated blends were evaluated against lard in terms of composition, thermal properties, and rheological characteristics. In a number of instances, selected best blends were evaluated for their performance characteristic in real products such as cookies, meat products, etc. This chapter provides a concise overview of the developments taken place on this area.

The present study investigates the detection of lard in cocoa butter through changes in fatty acids composition, triacylglycerols profile, and thermal characteristics. Cocoa butter was mixed with 1% to 30% (v/v) of lard and analyzed using a gas chromatography flame ionization detector, high performance liquid chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results revealed that the mixing of lard in cocoa butter showed an increased amount of oleic acid in the cocoa butter while there was a decrease in the amount of palmitic acid and stearic acids. The amount of POS, SOS, and POP also decreased with the addition of lard. A heating thermogram from the DSC analysis showed that as the concentration of lard increased from 3% to 30%, two minor peaks at −26 °C and 34.5 °C started to appear and a minor peak at 34.5 °C gradually overlapped with the neighbouring major peak. A cooling thermogram of the above adulterated cocoa butter showed a minor peak shift to a lower temperature of −36 °C to −41.5 °C. Values from this study could be used as a basis for the identification of lard from other fats in the food authentication process.

The seeds (6.9±0.2% by weight of fruit) of the red-skin rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) contain a considerable amount of crude fat (38.0±4.36%) and thus, the aim of the study was to determine the physico-chemical properties of this fat for potential applications. The iodine and saponification values, and unsaponifiable matter and free fatty acid contents of the seed fat were 50.27 g I2/100g fat, 182.1 mg KOH/g fat, 0.8% and 2.1%, respectively. The fat is pale yellow with a Lovibond color index of 3.1Y+1.1R. The fatty acid profile indicates an almost equal proportion of saturated (49.1%) and unsaturated (50.9%) fatty acids, where oleic (42.0%) and arachidic (34.3%) acids were the most dominant fatty acids. It also contained small amounts of stearic (8.0%), palmitic (4.6%), gadoleic (5.9%), linoleic (2.2%), behenic (2.1%) palmitoleic (0.7%) myristic (0.1%) and erucic (0.1%) acids. HPLC analysis showed that the fat comprised mainly unknown triacylglycerols (TAG) with high retention times indicating they have higher carbon numbers compared with many vegetable oils. The fat has melting and cooling points of 44.2°C and -42.5°C, respectively, making it a semi-solid at room temperature. The solid content at 0°C was 53.5% and the fat melted completely at 40°C. z-Nose analysis showed that the presence of high levels of volatile compounds in red-skin rambutan seed and seed fat.

BACKGROUND: The seeds of musk lime (Citrus microcarpa) represent a substantial waste product of small-scale citrus-processing factories, as they constitute about 100.0 ± 3.2 g kg−1 of the whole fruit and contain a considerable amount of crude fat (338.0 ± 11.3 g kg−1). Thus the aim of the present study was to determine the physicochemical properties of this fat with a view to potential applications. RESULTS: The iodine and saponification values and unsaponifiable matter and free fatty acid contents of the freshly extracted oil were 118.0 g I2 per 100 g oil, 192.6 mg KOH g−1 oil, 22 mg g−1 oil and 18 mg oleic acid g−1 oil respectively. The oil had a Lovibond colour index of 33.1 Y + 1.1 B. Its fatty acid profile indicated that 73.6% of the fatty acids present were unsaturated. Linoleic (L, 31.8%), oleic (O, 29.6%) and palmitic (P, 21.4%) acids were the predominant fatty acids, existing mainly as the triacylglycerols POL (18.9%), PLL (13.7%) and OLL (11.9%). The melting and cooling points of the oil were 10.7 and − 45.2 °C respectively. Electronic nose qualitative analysis of the oil showed the presence of volatile (aroma) compounds, although the concentrations of the more volatile compounds were lower than those present in the seeds. CONCLUSION: Musk lime seeds are a rich source of oil, which is unusual in having linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids dominating the fatty acid composition. This property should make the oil both relatively stable to thermal oxidation owing to the combined presence of oleic and palmitic acids (61.0%) and highly nutritive owing to its high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (73.6%). Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry