Nano-/microstructure of extruded Spirulina/starch foams in relation to their textural properties

Expanded porous-starch matrix as an alternative to porous starch granule: Present status, challenges, and future prospects

Exposing the hydrated-soft-starch matrix of intact grain or reconstituted flour dough to a high-temperature-short-time (HTST) leads to rapid vapor generation that facilitates high-pressure build-up in its elastic matrix linked to large deformation and expansion. The expanded starch matrix at high temperatures dries up quickly by flash vaporization of water, which causes loss of its structural flexibility and imparts a porous and rigid structure of the expanded porous starch matrix (EPSM). EPSM, with abundant pores in its construction, offers adsorptive effectiveness, solubility, swelling ability, mechanical strength, and thermal stability. It can be a sustainable and easy-to-construct alternative to porous starch (PS) in food and pharmaceutical applications. This review is a comparative study of PS and EPSM on their preparation methods, structure, and physicochemical properties, finding compatibility and addressing challenges in recommending EPSM as an alternative to PS in adsorbing, dispersing, stabilizing, and delivering active ingredients in a controlled and efficient way.

An Overview of Ingredients Used for Plant-Based Meat Analogue Production and Their Influence on Structural and Textural Properties of the Final Product

Plant-based meat analogues are food products made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients that are intended to mimic taste, texture and appearance of meat. They are becoming increasingly popular as people look for more sustainable and healthy protein sources. Furthermore, plant-based foods are marketed as foods with a low carbon footprint and represent a contribution of the consumers and the food industry to a cleaner and a climate-change-free Earth. Production processes of plant-based meat analogues often include technologies such as 3D printing, extrusion or shear cell where the ingredients have to be carefully picked because of their influence on structural and textural properties of the final product, and, in consequence, consumer perception and acceptance of the plant-based product. This review paper gives an extensive overview of meat analogue components, which affect the texture and the structure of the final product, discusses the complex interaction of those ingredients and reflects on numerous studies that have been performed in that area, but also emphasizes the need for future research and optimization of the mixture used in plant-based meat analogue production, as well as for optimization of the production process.

Applications of Plant Polymer-Based Solid Foams: Current Trends in the Food Industry

Foams are a type of material of great importance, having an extensive range of applications due to a combination of several characteristics, such as ultra-low density, tunable porous architecture, and outstanding mechanical properties. The production of polymer foams worldwide is dominated by those based on synthetic polymers, which might be biodegradable or non-biodegradable. The latter is a great environmental concern and has become a major waste management problem. Foams derived from renewable resources have aroused the interest of researchers, solid foams made from plant polymers in particular. This review focuses on the development of plant polymer-based solid foams and their applications in the food industry over the last fifteen years, highlighting the relationship between their material and structural properties. The applications of these foams fall mainly into two categories: edible foams and packaging materials. Most plant polymers utilized for edible applications are protein-based, while starch and cellulose are commonly used to produce food packaging materials because of their ready availability and low cost. However, plant polymer-based solid foams exhibit some drawbacks related to their high water absorbency and poor mechanical properties. Most research has concentrated on improving these two physical properties, though few studies give a solid understanding and comprehension of the micro- to macrostructural modifications that would allow for the proper handling and design of foaming processes. There are, therefore, several challenges to be faced, the control of solid foam structural properties being the main one.

Latest advances in imaging techniques for characterizing soft, multiphasic food materials

Over the last two decades, the development and production of innovative, customer-tailored food products with enhanced health benefits have seen major advances. However, the manufacture of edible materials with tuned physical and organoleptic properties requires a good knowledge of food microstructure and its relationship to the macroscopic properties of the final food product. Food products are complex materials, often consisting of multiple phases. Furthermore, each phase usually contains a variety of biological macromolecules, such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, as well as water droplets and gas bubbles. Micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, might also play an important role in determining and engineering food microstructure. Considering this complexity, highly advanced physio-chemical techniques are required for characterizing the microstructure of food systems prior to, during and after processing. Fast, in situ techniques are also essential for industrial applications. Due to the wide variety of instruments and methods, the scope of this paper is focused only on the latest advances of selected food characterization techniques, with emphasis on soft, multi-phasic food materials.