Search

Effect of fruit and cereal grain-based beverage studies on the lipid profile are limited. Pomegranate fruit and quinoa grains are known for their abundance of polyphenols with several health beneficial effects. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of oral administration of beverage containing pomegranate juice and quinoa seed extract in obese rats. Different beverage combinations of pomegranate juice and quinoa extracts were formulated and screened by sensory evaluation. The selected beverage product containing 80% pomegranate juice and 20% quinoa extract maintained at 15° Bx was evaluated for its effect on the serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) among the experimental rats. Administration of 5 and 10 mL of beverage product reduced the cholesterol and triglycerides levels ranging between 18.65 and 19.54 and 16.51 to 17.02%, respectively. Similarly, VLDL and LDL were reduced in the obese rats fed with beverage product ranging between 12.93 and 14.69 and 13.66 to 14.64%, respectively. There was increment of 18–20% in the HDL content by administration of the beverage product in obese rats. The impact of the formulated beverage was found to have significant effect on the lipid profile, which can be utilized as a functional food beverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we achieved the biosynthesis of novel 7–8 nm iron-oxide nanoparticles in the presence of different concentrations (5 to 50% w/v) of commercial white quinoa extract. Initially, quinoa extract was prepared at various concentrations by a purification route. The biosynthesis optimization was systematically monitored by X-ray diffraction, and the Rietveld quantitative analysis showed the presence of goethite (5 to 10 wt.%) and maghemite phases. The first phase disappeared upon increasing the organic loading (40 and 50% w/v). The organic loading was corroborated by thermogravimetric measurements, and it increased with quinoa extract concentration. Its use reduces the amount of precipitation agent at high quinoa extract concentrations with the formation of magnetic nanoparticles with hard ferrimagnetic character (42 and 11 emu g−1). The enrichment of hydroxyl groups and the negative zeta potential above pH = 7 were corroborated by a reduction in the point of zero charge in all the samples. For alkaline values, the zeta potential values were above the stability range, indicating highly stable chemical species. The evidence of hydroxyl and amide functionalization was qualitatively observed using infrared analysis, which showed that the carboxyl (quercetin/kaempferol), amide I, and amide III chemical groups are retained after biosynthesis. The resultant biosynthesized samples can find applications in environmental remediation due to the affinity of the chemical agents present on the particle surfaces and easy-to-handle them magnetically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds found in plants have an unstable structure and can easily exhibit degradation reactions in external environmental factors. It is important to protect these active ingredients from environmental conditions. The encapsulation process emerges as an effective solution to this situation. In this study, microencapsulation studies of quinoa plant extract, which is known to have useful active ingredients, were carried out. Microcapsules loaded with quinoa extract (QE) were prepared by the complex coacervation method using two natural polymers, gelatin, and gum Arabic, as wall material. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the conditions for encapsulation efficiency. The encapsulation efficiency of the microencapsulated quinoa extract (MQE) was investigated in terms of three variables: stirring speed, core material amount, and surfactant concentration. The highest efficiency obtained as a result of experiments was found at 70.895%. Morphological analysis images of the microcapsules confirmed the capsule structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the interaction between gelatin and gum Arabic and similarities in the quinoa extract and microcapsule bands showed that the extract was encapsulated. Thermogravimetric analysis results also proved the thermal stability of microcapsules. The microcapsules obtained with the experimental design formulation were observed to have general sizes of ∼4–120µ. Quinoa extract containing phenolic compounds was microencapsulated. The effects of three different variables (mixing speed, core material amount, and surfactant concentration) on encapsulation efficiency were investigated. The highest encapsulation efficiency was obtained at 1500 rpm, 5.00 g core material amount, and 0.5% surfactant concentration, and the yield was achieved at 70.895%. Microcapsules were prepared under optimum conditions in the reaction surface methodology and the obtained microcapsules were characterized morphologically and chemically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fermented foods, probiotic, prebiotics, and symbiotic, are among the most important groups of functional food that have attracted the attention of researchers during the last years. Proteolytic activity of lactic acid bacteria can lead to the production of peptides in the fermented product. The produced peptides can exhibit different biological activities such as antioxidant, antihypertensive, etc. that are influenced by the type of protein source, type of bacteria, time and conditions of fermentation process. Fermentation of various cereals such as quinoa seeds with high sugar and protein content by lactic acid bacteria can lead to the production of antioxidant peptides and improving their nutritional properties. Materials and Methods: In this study, the role of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus and the combination of two bacteria on the progress of fermentation and antioxidant activity of quinoa extract was investigated. The fermentation process was started by separate and simultaneous inoculating of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus and continued for 72 hours at 37° C. Sampling was performed every 24 hours of fermentation and samples were kept at -20° C for further analysis. The parameters such as pH, acidity, amount of soluble protein, degree of hydrolysis, amount of phenolic compounds and DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity were determined. Results and Discussion: Lactobacillus acidophilus showed higher acidification capacity than Lactobacillus reuteri. The amount of acidity in the sample fermented by Lactobacillus acidophilus increased from 0.27 to 1.13 % after 72 hours, while this amount was measured as 0.80 % for sample fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri. The amount of soluble protein and the degree of hydrolysis increased in samples fermented by both species. However, the largest increase was related to the sample fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri, so that the amount of soluble protein increased from 0.72 to 0.88 mg / ml and the value of free amino groups increased from 20.28 to 58.14 µM leucin/ mg protein during 72 hours of fermentation. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity increased in all fermented samples. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in samples fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri, followed by a combination of two bacteria (50:50) and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The amounts of phenolic compounds increased in all fermented samples. However, the highest increase was related to the sample fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri, so that it increased from 0/73 to 16.21 mg Gallic acid / ml after 72 hours of fermentation. Therefore, the results showed that despite the higher acidifying power of Lactobacillus acidophilus in quinoa extract, but Lactobacillus reuteri exhibited higher proteolytic activity, more ability to produce antioxidant peptides and also release phenolic compounds during the fermentation process.Simultaneous use of the two bacteria did not intensify the proteolytic activity and antioxidant activity of peptides, and the greatest increase in acidity, proteolysis, and antioxidant activity occurred in the first 24 hours of fermentation. Fermented extracts showed higher ABTS radical inhibitory activity than DPPH radical inhibition, indicating the hydrophilic nature of most produced antioxidant compounds. The highest levels of antioxidant activity were observed in samples fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri, a combination of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus (50:50) and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively. The results showed that fermentation by Lactobacillus reutri has the greatest effect on the production of antioxidant peptides and the release of phenolic compounds. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of fermentation methods on improving the healing properties of quinoa extract and Lactobacillus reuteri was a more effective bacterium in fermentation and production of antioxidant peptides compared to Lactobacillus acidophilus. Simultaneous use of two bacteria did not increase the intensity of fermentation and did not improve the antioxidant activity compared to single use of each bacteria. Finally, the results of this study showed that fermentation of quinoa extract improves its antioxidant properties and has the potential to be used as a fermented beverage.

This study investigated the impact of supplementing goats' milk with quinoa extracts, in the range of 5, 10 and 15 g/100 g on the milk fermentation. The properties of yoghurt produced from this milk, which include viscosity, microstructure and sensory acceptability, were assessed. The supplementation of goats' milk with quinoa extracts, particularly permeate extract, reduced the fermentation time and enhanced the viability of lactic acid bacteria. Supplementation of yoghurt with increased levels of quinoa extracts increased the apparent viscosity and changed the yoghurt protein matrix. Panellists highly accepted the yoghurt that contained quinoa permeate extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quinoa powders were obtained by suspending quinoa flour at pH9 and spray-drying. • Spray-drying conditions were set-up in terms of inlet temperatures and feed flow. • High inlet T(180 °C) and moderate feed flows (7.5 mL/min) improved the yield of powders. • Powders retained the quinoa nutritional components (lipids, antioxidants, proteins). • Powders could be suitable ingredients to diversify the offer of quinoa-based products. The relevance of an appropriate nutrition requires innovation in the design of food ingredients. The goal of this work was to obtain a powdered extract of quinoa by using spray-drying. To this aim, quinoa flour was suspended in water to obtain a soluble fraction mainly composed of proteins, starch, fiber, lipids, antioxidants and minerals. The spray-drying conditions of this quinoa soluble fraction were set-up in terms of inlet temperatures (150, 160, 170 and 180 °C) and feed flow (4.5, 7.5, 10.5 mL/min). The obtained powders were characterized by determining the proximate composition, antioxidant activity, microstructure, fatty acids' profile, and starch and proteins' structures. A correlation among the drying parameters and the chemical and functional attributes of the powders was addressed using principal component analysis. From a technological viewpoint the use of moderate feed flows (7.5 mL/min) and high inlet temperatures (180 °C) was the best combination to obtain high powder yields (85% d.b.), low a w (0.047 ± 0.005) and high solids content (0.956 ± 0.005). The drying temperature positively affected the structure of starch, improving swelling and favoring moderate agglomeration which increases the encapsulation properties of quinoa. These results support the use of spray-drying as a suitable method to obtain powdered extracts of quinoa without affecting the nutritional value, thus supporting their use as functional ingredients in the formulation of ready-to-eat foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]