Journal of Food and Bioprocess Engineering
Volume:5 Issue: 1, Winter-Spring 2022

Agrimonia eupatoria (AE) is commonly used as a medicinal plant in Iran. In this study, microwave and ultrasound-assisted extraction (MAE and UAE) methods have been developed to extract phenolic compounds from AE. In addition, the impact of operational variables such as the solvent composition (ethanol and water), microwave and ultrasonic power, and extraction time on the content of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated through response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized conditions of MAE were as follows: microwave power was 200 W, extraction time was 15 min and ratio of ethanol to water was 0.78 v/v. Under these conditions, the maximum content of TPC and AA were 326.11 mg GAE/100g and 52.25% respectively. The maximum amount of TPC in UAE method was 355.12 mg GAE/100g. Antioxidant activity of about 75.92% was also achieved. The optimum extraction ultrasonic power, time and ratio of ethanol to water were defined as 100 W, 41.82 min and 1.17 v/v, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the presence of five different types of phenolic compounds, namely chlorogenic acid, quercetin, rutin, cumaric acid and apigenin in the MAE and UAE extracts. The results indicated UAE was more efficient than the MAE to extract phenolic compounds from AE.

Active films are the new generation of packaging in the food industry that can maintain and develop the shelf life of food products. The aim of this study was to fabricate and characterize an antioxidant film using fish gelatin and Coleus scutellarioides extract (CSE). The CSE was added to the gelatin film solutions in three levels (10, 20, and 30 mL from the extract to 100 mL film solution). The results showed that increasing the extract level increased the thickness of films, and water vapor permeability decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The addition of CSE had no significant effect on the moisture content of films. Based on SEM images and FTIR spectra, the fabricated active films have a uniform and uneven structure and fracture were observed in the film structure at high levels of CSE. Chemical bonds were established between the protein-polymer and the phenolic compounds of extract. The incorporation of the CSE also increased the total phenol content, and the antioxidant activity of films and the highest amounts of them were observed in the sample containing the highest level of extract (28.73 mg GA/g of film and 83.24%, respectively). In summary, fish gelatin films containing CSE have the potential to be used as active packaging to extend the shelf life of food products.

Today, the discussion of droplet-fluid interaction is one of the most challenging topics in multiphase (liquid-liquid) flows. In the present study, the behavior of two edible oils (olive oil and canola oil) droplets during the rising in the static fluid of water and passing through the water-oil interface was experimentally investigated. Droplet diameters were controlled in the range of 3.8 to 5.6 mm. First of all, the range of dimensionless numbers was compared to experimental data from other researchers and validated. The results revealed that the droplet shape is elliptical, and that the Weber number decreases in the range of 1 to 2, as the aspect ratio increases. Furthermore, the droplet residence time at the two-phase interface was measured, and the parameters that affected it were examined. Although the results showed that the residence time did not follow a consistent pattern, the conclusion was not far off. Weber dimensionless number was used to introduce hydrodynamic forces and internal surface tension of the droplets. It was shown that none of the theoretical relationships can accurately or even roughly predict the residence time of the oil droplets. Finally, the Weber number has been proven to be dependent on the droplet terminal velocity. Terminal velocity increases with the Weber number and the equivalent diameter.

There is now a growing awareness of a healthy lifestyle in the community and people are looking for useful products in their diet. Functional foods are therefore of great importance to health. Lycopene is a carotenoid that causes the red color in fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is one of the most effective antioxidants among the carotenoids. Lycopene is synthesized by some plants and microorganisms and is the predominant carotenoid found in human serum, and as a pharmaceutical supplement, it protects important cell biomolecules - such as DNA, proteins and fats - from the oxidation and destruction of their radicals. It plays an important role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as treating metabolic syndrome, liver disease and cancers. In this article, the characteristics of lycopene and its effect on human health and treatment of diseases are reviewed.

This paper aimed to evaluate the chemical compositions, water absorption capacity (WAC), solubility, extraction yield, and steady shear rheological properties of sage seed gum (SSG) extracted by the dry method (DEM) in comparison with the SSG extracted by the conventional wet method (WEM). The chemical compositions (w.b.%) including moisture, ash, protein, fat, and carbohydrate of the gum extracted by DEM were 7.64, 4.11, 7.02, 10.41, and 68.74%, respectively, while the values using WEM were 7.51, 8.69, 3.21, 0.97 and 77.21%, respectively. The solubility and WAC were 41% and 72% in DEM, and 13.73%, and 18.32% in WEM, respectively. Rheological results showed that the best model to fit the time-dependent rheological data was the first-order stress decay model with a non-zero equilibrium stress value. Based on this model, the extent and rate of thixotropy were obtained as 0.042 and 0.0038 s-1 for the DEM-SSG sample and 0.048 and 0.0082 s-1 for the WEM-SSG sample, respectively. The time-independent shear-thinning behavior was described by the Herschel-Bulkley model with excellent correlation. Based on this model, the yield stress, consistency coefficient, and flow behavior index for the WEM-SSG were 3.82 Pa, 3.22 Pa.sn, and 0.41 while the relevant values for DEM-SSG were 1.07 Pa, 0.47 Pa.sn, and 0.56, respectively. According to the findings of this research, the dry extraction method can be used as a fast, single-stage, low energy consumption, cost-effective and environment-friendly process.

Edible flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis have been identified as a source of antioxidant phenolics. Thus, effective extraction of phenolics is important to efficiently utilize these flowers. The present study aims to make use of a central composite design, to investigate the effects of extraction variables on the three response variables; total phenolic content, total anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. Central composite design with four independent variables including solid: liquid ratio, ethanol concentration, temperature and time were used for the simultaneous optimization of response variables. The optimum process parameters generated were 24.0% ethanol, 1:40 solid: liquid ratio, 44°C temperature and 41 minutes of extraction. The experimental values obtained for the response variables under the generated optimum conditions confirmed the validity of the proposed second-order polynomial model. The results from the simultaneous optimization demonstrated the application of feasible process parameters for the extraction of phenolics from Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flowers and the effective utilization of these flowers in food as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

In this study, the effect of infrared (IR) on decontamination of Bacillus cereus, color, weight losses, and temperature profiles at paprika powder was determined in difference IR radiation power (100, 200, and 300 W), different sample distances from a radiation source (5, 10, and 15 cm), and various holding times. The most reduction of B. cereus count (2.3 log CFU/g) was achieved after 1 min holding time at 200 W IR power and 5 cm distance. The highest D-value (0.18 min) was achieved after a holding time of 0.5 min at 300 W IR power and 5 cm distance. The a* value of paprika powder was slightly affected and the highest color change was observed at 100 W IR power, 10 cm distance, and 8 min resulting in a decrease of a* from 42.537 ± 0.201 to 38.645 ± 0.429. Data were analyzed to predict the antibacterial effects of IR on B. cereus in paprika powder through an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The developed GA-ANN, which included 20 hidden neurons, could predict the B. cereus population with R2 = 0.9561. The results indicated that the GA-ANN model could give a good prediction for the population of B. cereus. Sensitivity analysis results showed that IR irradiation time was the most sensitive factor for the prediction of the B. cereus population.

Investigating the physicochemical and rheological properties of sugar syrups is important in specifying their usage in the food and beverage industries. In this study, some of the physicochemical properties of sugarcane syrup (72 °Brix at 25 ℃), including specific gravity, ash content, sugar content, soluble solids content, acidity, and pH were determined. Results showed the following average values: 4.266 for specific gravity, 1.4% for ash content, 57.25 (g/100 g) for sugar content, 77.8 (g/100g) for soluble solids content, 0.32% (Glycolic acid) for acidity, and 4.88 for pH. The rheological properties of sugarcane syrup were also measured using a rotational viscometer at three temperature levels (25, 45, and 65 ℃) and concentrations of 35, 55, and 72 °Brix. The power-law model describes well the rheological behavior of sugarcane syrup. According to the results based on Mitchka method, sugarcane syrup is a non-Newtonian, shear-thickening (Dilatants) fluid. The consistency coefficient (k) varied between 2075.58 and 194852.86 Pa sn. Furthermore, the dependence of the consistency coefficient on temperature was evaluated by the Arrhenius equation, and the activation energy was found between 23695.75 to 42402.93 KJ/mol. Finally, the relationship between the consistency coefficient and concentration was evaluated using the exponential model (R2 = 0.9925).

Physicochemical properties of sour orange (Citrus aurantium) seeds including its length, weight, density (bulk, tapped, and true), porosity, 1000-grains weight, approximate analysis were assessed.  Color parameters (L*, a*, b*), total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents were evaluated. While soaking seeds in water, prior to oil extraction by n-hexane, an aqueous oily layer (AQO) was formed where its characteristics was determined. The oil content of seeds was extracted by conventional (Soxhlet) and two fairly novel methods (ohmic-assisted extraction (OAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)). To facilitate the oil extraction by OAE, a novel approach was established. In the latter, brine was added to n-hexane to ensure a suitable conductivity was established between the two platinum electrodes. The extraction yield and specific energy consumption for each method were evaluated and oil characteristics including color profile (in terms of ΔE), fatty acid composition, refractive index, total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity and anisidine value were assessed. The highest and lowest oil yield of about 50% and 3% was obtained using Soxhlet and maceration, respectively. The lowest specific energy consumption of 5 kWh/kg was achieved when oil extraction was performed by OAE. The extracted oil contains substantial amount of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Interestingly, the highest total phenolic content (about 0.9 mg GAE/ g oil) was associated with the aqueous oil. The extraction of valuable components from a waste in a fruit processing plant not only reduces the environmental impact of waste disposal but also present a new valorization method in the food industry.

Gluten hydrolysates (GHs) were prepared using endopeptidases, alcalase, and neutrase. Characteristics of both enzymes including UV spectrophotometry, protein content, enzyme activity, and productivity, temperature, pH, hydrolysis time, and the combination ratio of the enzymes were determined. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and alcalase to neutrase ratio was determined 2:1 ratio with 97% product yield. A study on emulsification properties of gluten hydrolysates revealed that oil in water emulsions obtained by a combination of two enzymes and 8 hours’ hydrolysis time were more stable compared with the resulting hydrolysates with less or more than 8 hours. The molecular weight of the resulting peptides compared with natural gluten by sodium dodecyl sulfate-Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) indicated 20-245 KDa for gluten and 45-55 KDa for gluten hydrolysates. Comparison of the effect of the combination of sodium caseinate (SC), sodium polyphosphate (SP), and xanthan gum (XG) with gluten hydrolysates on oil in water emulsion stability indicated that a combination of hydrolysates with sodium caseinate has been the best effect on emulsion stability.

Recent studies show that the extraction of active ingredients from medicinal plants is subject to various parameters includes plant type, cultivation conditions and the extraction method. This research aimed to compare the callus cultivated of Zataria multiflora with its native plant. Thus, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium were used to grow the plant in vitro and then the callus was obtained. Then a combined ultrasound-microwave method was applied to extract the chemical compounds of the native plant as well as its callus. Herein, extraction conditions were 20 min for ultrasound time, 350 watts for ultrasonic power, and 800 watts for microwave power. According to the results, the cultivated callus obtained from Zataria multiflora could not produce measurable amounts of oily compounds found in the native plant. Therefore, callus extracts were studied in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the highest compositions for essential oil of the native plant were carvacrol (86.1%) and thymol (2.01%). Whereas, the major chemical compounds for callus extract were also carvacrol (71.65%) and thymol (11.25%). In addition, the study of antioxidant activity by DPPH method revealed that the callus has a weaker antioxidant activity than the native plant. Whereas, the results were opposite in the case of antimicrobial characteristics. To put it another way, callus did better in antimicrobial properties.

Cheese is one of the dairy products that have an important role in a family’s food basket. Different types of cheese are produced in the world. In Iran, Lighvan cheese is very popular among people due to its special flavor, but the produced whey from this type of cheese is discarded. Due to its high biological oxygen demand (BOD), whey has a detrimental effect on the environment, and providing solutions to reduce these effects can pave the way for the cheese industry, especially Lighvan cheese. One of the proposed solutions is to produce wheyless cheese. Some studies have been done in this field, if the method of producing cheese without whey does not reduce the unique features of Lighvan cheese it could be a very suitable option for producing this type of popular cheese. So, in this study, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of various aspects of Lighvan cheese, environmental disadvantages of whey, and methods of reduction of its destructive effects including the production of wheyless cheese.