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This research studies the influence of the addition of defatted press cakes (from the production of hazelnut, camelina, pumpkin, and hemp seed oil) on nutritionally important components: fibre, resistant starch, polyphenols, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and acrylamide in directly and indirectly expanded snacks. The amounts of press cakes added to corn grits were 3, 6, and 9%. Extrusion was carried out in a laboratory single-screw extruder. For indirectly expanded products (SCFX), supercritical CO2 was injected during extrusion, and secondary expansion was completed in the microwave oven. The type and content of press cake, as well as the type of product, significantly influenced total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Press cakes increased the contents of both soluble and insoluble fibre (from 1.94% d. m. and 1.28% d. m. for extrudates without press cakes up to 3.17% d. m. and 6.94% d. m. for SCFX extrudates with press cakes, respectively), and resistant starch was not markedly influenced by their addition. The influence of the content of press cake on HMF was not significant, whereas the type of cake and the type of extrusion influenced HMF significantly. In a raw mixture of corn grits with 3% of pumpkin press cake, HMF was below the limit of detection, and the highest content was found in the classically extruded sample with the addition of 9% of camelina press cake (580 ppb). In all samples, the acrylamide content was below the limit of detection, indicating that safe products were obtained. This research shows potential for the implementation of supercritical CO2 extrusion in the production of safe, nutritionally improved snack products. Future research might bring about the design of cost-effective processes applicable in the industry.

Resistant starch (RS) is a part of insoluble dietary fiber, and it could be recognized as a functional food ingredient in some types of confectionery products that lack dietary fiber. Unlike dark and milk chocolate, white chocolate does not contain fat-free cocoa solids rich in dietary fiber. In the present study, 5%, 10%, and 15% of white chocolate were substituted with RS in order to improve the nutritional value of enriched white chocolate. The influence of RS on rheological, textural, and thermal properties of the chocolate fat phase was firstly investigated, and then further influence on physical properties, dietary fiber content, and sensory characteristics of enriched white chocolates were investigated. The obtained results showed that enriched chocolates had increased content of total dietary fiber and reduced total fats and protein content in accordance with the added amount of RS. At the same time, RS increased viscosity and reduced the hardness and volume mean diameter in enriched chocolates in accordance with the added amount. RS improved the nutritional composition of white chocolate by increasing the content of dietary fiber. At the same time, RS did not impair the color and sensory characteristics of enriched white chocolates.

Chocolate is considered as both caloric and functional food. Its nutritional properties may be improved by addition of fiber; however, this may reduce polyphenols content. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of cocoa shell addition (as a source of fiber) and its combination with different ingredients (cocoa butter equivalents (CBE), emulsifiers, dairy ingredients) on polyphenols of dark and milk chocolates. Total polyphenol (TPC) and total flavonoid (TFC) contents were determined spectrophotometrically, identification and quantification of individual compounds by high pressure liquid chromatography and antioxidant capacity by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Results showed that even though addition of cocoa shell to chocolate results in reduced contents of TPC, TFC, and individual compounds, it is not significant compared to ones reported by other authors for commercial chocolates. Other ingredients influence determined values for all investigated parameters; however, additional research is needed to reveal exact mechanisms and implications.

Cabbage is an important source of bioactive compound, which is available throughout the year. However, a lot of different traditional, and hybrid varieties with different levels and composition of bioactive compounds can be found on the market. The aim of the study was to obtain quantitative results showing comparative differences between different white cabbages (“Čepinski”, “Varaždinski”, “Bravo”, “Ogulinski”) from Croatia. Morphometric parameters and physicochemical composition were determined while using standard procedures. Phenolic acids were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and volatile compounds were analysed by the solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) smethod. The results showed that studied cabbage cultivars differed in physicochemical composition and morphological traits. Six phenolic acids were identified and quantified, whereas a sinapic acid was the most dominant component (65.9–78.15 mg/kg). Aldehydes, esters, alcohols, and terpenes were the major classes of organic volatile compounds present in the studied cabbages. “Čepinski”, which has never been analysed before, showed to contain the highest amount of d-limone (40.75 µg/L) and allyl isothiocyanate (1090.26 µg/L), the most important volatile compounds responsible for the fresh cabbage flavour. The presented results mark off “Čepinski” cultivar as valuable for larger production and further examination.

Carbohydrates are important compounds in natural products where they primarily serve as a source of energy, but they have important secondary roles as precursors of aroma or bioactive compounds. They are present in fresh and dried (cured) tobacco leaves as well. The sugar content of tobacco depends on the tobacco variety, harvesting, and primarily on the curing conditions (temperature, time and moisture). If the process of curing employs high temperatures (flue-curing and sun-curing), final sugar content is high. In contrast, when air curing has a lower temperature, at the end of the process, sugar level is low. Beside simple sugars, other carbohydrates reported in tobacco are oligosaccharides, cellulose, starch, and pectin. Degradation of polysaccharides results in a higher yield of simple sugars, but at the same time reduces sugars oxidization and transfer into carbon dioxide and water. Loss of sugar producers will compensate with added sugars, to cover undesirable aroma properties and achieve a better, pleasant taste during smoking. However, tobacco carbohydrates can be precursors for many harmful compounds, including formaldehyde and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Keeping in mind that added sugars in tobacco production are unavoidable, it is important to understand all changes in carbohydrates from harvesting to consuming in order to achieve better product properties and avoid the formation of harmful compounds. This review summarizes current knowledge about tobacco carbohydrates, including changes during processing with special focus on carbohydrates as precursors of harmful compounds during smoking.

Starch has been an inexhaustible subject of research for many decades. It is an inexpensive, readily-available material with extensive application in the food and processing industry. Researchers are continually trying to improve its properties by different modification procedures and expand its application. What is mostly applied in this view are their chemical modifications, among which organic acids have recently drawn the greatest attention, particularly with respect to the application of starch in the food industry. Namely, organic acids naturally occur in many edible plants and many of them are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), which make them ideal modification agents for starch intended for the food industry. The aim of this review is to give a short literature overview of the progress made in the research of starch esterification, etherification, cross-linking, and dual modification with organic acids and their derivatives.

Chocolate production is a complex process during which numerous chemical reactions occur. The most important processes, involving most of the reactions important for development of the proper chocolate flavor, are fermentation, drying and roasting of cocoa bean, and chocolate conching. During fermentation, formation of important precursors occurs, which are essential for further chemical reactions in the following processes of chocolate production. Roasting is one of the most important processes due to the occurrence of Maillard’s reactions, during which aroma compounds are formed. In this paper, we have reviewed the most important chemical reactions that occur with proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and polyphenols. Additionally, we present other components that may be naturally present or form during the production process, such as methylxanthines, aldehydes, esters, ketones, pyrazines, acids, and alcohols.

The aim of this study was to develop a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in corn snack products enriched with food industry by-products: brewer’s spent grain (BSG), sugar beet pulp (SBP) and apple pomace (AP). Development of the method included the study of different sources for ionization, different mobile phases, different extraction conditions as well as different methods of sample preparation. Finally, the single LC-MS/MS method was developed for the analysis of both analytes in one step with a duration of 20 min using a simple single-step extraction. The method with apparent recoveries of 91.4 and 90.4 for acrylamide and HMF, respectively, was applied for the analysis of non-extruded and extruded samples. The obtained results shown that the acrylamide content was

Solving the problem of large quantities of organic waste, which represents an enormous ecological and financial burden for all aspects of the process industry, is a necessity. Therefore, there is an emerged need to find specific solutions to utilize raw materials as efficiently as possible in the production process. The cocoa shell is a valuable by-product obtained from the chocolate industry. It is rich in protein, dietary fiber, and ash, as well as in some other valuable bioactive compounds, such as methylxanthines and phenolics. This paper gives an overview of published results related to the cocoa shell, mostly on important bioactive compounds and possible applications of the cocoa shell in different areas. The cocoa shell, due to its nutritional value and high-value bioactive compounds, could become a desirable raw material in a large spectrum of functional, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic products, as well as in the production of energy or biofuels in the near future.