Gluten-free cookies with low glycemic index and glycemic load: optimization of the process variables via response surface methodology and artificial neural network

The emerging role of biotechnological advances and artificial intelligence in tackling gluten sensitivity

Gluten comprises an intricate network of hundreds of related but distinct proteins, mainly "gliadins" and "glutenins," which play a vital role in determining the rheological properties of wheat dough. However, ingesting gluten can trigger severe conditions in susceptible individuals, including celiac disease, wheat allergy, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, collectively known as gluten-related disorders. This review provides a panoramic view, delving into the various aspects of gluten-triggered disorders, including symptoms, diagnosis, mechanism, and management. Though a gluten-free diet remains the primary option to manage gluten-related disorders, the emerging microbial and plant biotechnology tools are playing a transformative role in reducing the immunotoxicity of gluten. The enzymatic hydrolysis of gluten and the development of gluten-reduced/free wheat lines using RNAi and CRISPR/Cas technology are laying the foundation for creating safer wheat products. In addition to biotechnological interventions, the emerging artificial intelligence technologies are also bringing about a paradigm shift in the diagnosis and management of gluten-related disorders. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments and the potential these technologies hold for tackling gluten sensitivity.

Gluten-Free Corn Cookies Incorporated With Stinging Nettle Leaf Flour: Effect on Physical Properties, Storage Stability, and Health Benefits

The consumption of gluten-free corn cookies is becoming very popular among nonceliac and celiac individuals. However, the absence of gluten and other nutrients in corn generally leads to cookies of lower quality in terms of nutritional value, texture, colour, and shelf life. To improve the quality characteristics of corn cookies, this study investigated the effect of incorporating an underutilised herb (Urtica dioica L. leaves) on its nutritional and physical properties. Stinging nettle leaf flour was incorporated at different levels (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) and compared with a control (100% corn cookies). The storage stability of the formulated corn cookies was also investigated at room and frozen (-18 ± 2°C) temperature. The incorporation of stinging nettle leaf flour increased (p < 0.05) the ash and protein content of corn cookies from 0.32% (control) to 2.56% (20% stinging nettle leaf flour incorporation) and 6.44% (control) to 21.52% (20% stinging nettle leaf flour incorporation), respectively. After in vitro starch digestion, the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) also increased approximately 27 and seven times, respectively, and the estimated glycaemic index (GI) (eGI) decreased (p < 0.05) from 48.60% (control) to 33.18% (20% stinging nettle incorporated). Shelf life characteristics (water activity, peroxide value (PV), and microbial count) of formulated corn cookies were within acceptable limits for human consumption upon storage for 6 months. The findings indicated that stinging nettle leaves could serve as a potential food ingredient in gluten-free bakery products, particularly where low GI foods are desirable.

Macromolecular, thermal, and nonthermal technologies for reduction of glycemic index in food-A review

Consumers rely on product labels to make healthy choices, especially with regard to the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), which identify foods that stabilize blood sugar. Employing both thermal and nonthermal processing techniques can potentially reduce the GI, contributing to improved blood sugar regulation and overall metabolic health. This study concentrates on the most current advances in GI-reduction food processing technologies. Food structure combines fiber, healthy fats, and proteins to slow digestion, reducing GI. The influence of thermal approaches on the physical and chemical modification of starch led to decreased GI. The duration of heating and the availability of moisture also determine the degree of hydrolysis of starch and the glycemic effects on food. At a lower temperature, the parboiling revealed less gelatinization and increased moisture. The internal temperature of the product is raised during thermal and nonthermal treatment, speeds up retrogradation, and reduces the rate of starch breakdown.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Testing of Golden Rice Cookies With Piper Crocatum Active Extract for Preventing Foot Ulcers in Patients With Diabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) present a formidable challenge to both patients and health care systems. DFUs significantly reduce the quality of life for patients, prolong hospital stays, and are the cause of approximately 70,000 lower limb amputations across the globe annually. Prevention of DFUs primarily involves the optimization of blood sugar levels and the effective management of complications, particularly peripheral neuropathy. Golden Rice has been proven to lower blood sugar levels due to its beta-carotene content, and Piper crocatum (P. crocatum) has been found to be effective in reducing the risk factors of DFUs through biomolecular regulation because of its polyphenol content.

OBJECTIVE

The principal objective of this study is to identify the efficacy of P. crocatum-enriched cookies, with Golden Rice as their primary ingredient, in preventing DFUs. The evaluation will center on their impact on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), a pivotal factor in the development of DFUs.

METHODS

This study is an experimental clinical research that follows the randomized controlled trial method and uses a single-blind design. The participants in the study are outpatients from primary health centers in Makassar, Indonesia, who have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The sample for the study will be randomly selected and subsequently categorized into 2 groups: the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group consumes P. crocatum-enriched Golden Rice cookies, while the control group receives cookies without these additives. The participants from both groups will consume their respective cookies (packaged identically) twice a day for 14 days. The cookies will be prepared according to a modified recipe with an emphasis on low glucose content, resulting in 51 calories per cookie, comprising 1% carbohydrates, 6% fat, 4% cholesterol, and 4% fiber, excluding gluten, sugar, and salt. They will be baked at 158°C for 20 minutes. The process involves the addition of 20% Golden Rice and 10% P. crocatum ethanol extract, both prepared via maceration with 96% ethanol. The dependent variable in this study is the expression of gelatinases matrix metalloproteinase, to be assessed at 2 distinct time points-preintervention (pretest) and postintervention (posttest)-with the evaluation conducted through the western blotting method.

RESULTS

The recruitment and testing phase started in January 2024. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2024. Data analysis will commence in April 2024, and the publication of the results is anticipated in the same year (2024). The study will report on the changes in primary data, encompassing gelatinases matrix metalloproteinase, as well as secondary data, including the ankle-brachial index, neuropathy score, and random blood glucose level.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this trial are expected to significantly impact the selection of strategies by health care practitioners to enhance diabetes self-management, particularly in the domain of therapeutic snacking, for patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Thai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20230502001; https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20230502001.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/49940.

Gluten-Free Crackers Based on Chickpea and Pumpkin Seed Press Cake Flour: Nutritional, Functional and Sensory Properties

Research background

Despite the growing trend of the gluten-free market and the presence of a wide range of gluten-free products, there are still some shortcomings in nutritional and sensory quality of these products. The commercially available gluten-free products are characterised as products of inferior nutritional quality, particularly in terms of protein and dietary fibre content and with high glycaemic index. On the other hand, from a sensory point of view, gluten-free products usually have inappropriate textural and mechanical properties, poor mouthfeel and flavour. This is a consequence of the limiting choice of raw materials that mainly possess large amount of carbohydrate components.

Experimental approach

Chickpea flour and two types of pumpkin seed press cake flour (virgin and cold pressed), at two substitution mass fractions (20 and 35%), were blended to produce gluten-free crackers without the presence of conventional gluten-free starch-rich ingredients. This study aims to investigate the effect of these non-conventional flours on nutritional and physicochemical properties, sensory acceptability, antioxidant activity and glycaemic index of crackers.

Results and conclusions

All produced crackers can bear nutritional claims 'high fibre', 'source of protein' and 'source of minerals'. Replacing chickpea flour with pumpkin seed press cake flour increased protein and total phenolic content and enhanced antioxidant activity. The selected combination of raw materials allows the production of gluten-free crackers with a moderate glycaemic index. Besides nutrient content, the addition of cold-pressed flour increased overall sensory acceptability, noticeably improving taste and flavour scores compared to the control and crackers with virgin pumpkin seed flour.

Novelty and scientific contribution

To the best of our knowledge, there is no study investigating the use of chickpea and pumpkin seed press cake flour blend without using conventional gluten-free flour and starch. The used non-conventional flour represents complementary raw materials in terms of protein quality and valuable alternatives to produce nutrient-rich, health-promoting gluten-free crackers with reduced glycaemic response and acceptable sensory properties.

Comparative study of physicochemical, nutritional, phytochemical, and sensory properties of bread with plantain and soy flours partly replacing wheat flour

Plantain flour (PLF) and soy flour (SF) were used to substitute wheat flour (10% and 20% w/w) in composite bread. Physicochemical, phytochemical, and sensory properties were investigated. Partial substitution by PLF significantly increased (p < .05) starch, amylose, ascorbic acid, and potassium content in bread samples. In contrast, a significant improvement (p < .05) in protein, fat, amylopectin, and calcium content was observed with SF substitution. Composite bread with PLF and SF together lowered the hydrolysis index (HI) and glycemic index (GI) as compared with whole wheat flour. The molar phytate to minerals (iron, zinc, and calcium) ratio in all composite loaves was lower than reported critical values, except for phytate to iron. Significant differences (p < .05) were found in color, specific volume, and texture characteristics of loaves made from partial substitution with PLF and SF. Sensory evaluation revealed that bread with 10% PLF exhibited better scores for appearance and willingness to pay than the control. In contrast, SF negatively affected (p < .05) the appearance, texture, color, overall acceptance, and willingness to pay. The trade-off analysis indicated that PLF can be utilized to produce bread that meets consumers' demands, while incorporating SF as an alternative high-nutrient density bread will be beneficial to health.

Lignocellulose, dietary fibre, inulin and their potential application in food

In recent years, due to food insecurity, lignocellulose, dietary fibre as well as inulin have received wider attention owing to their abundance and being relatively low-cost indigestible polysaccharides. Since the recognition, acceptance of the consumption and utilization of these polysaccharides, as well as their attraction in science and industry has grown tremendously. There have been further researches carried out to ascertain the fact that people who consume or utilize these polysaccharides have low exposure to some fatal life-threatening illnesses. Rich sources of indigestible polysaccharides such as vegetables, cereals, fruits and nuts are beneficial to good health as consuming them reduce the occurrence of degenerating diseases such as colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Despite these increasing facts depicting their advantages in the state of human health, their intake and utilization still fall below the acceptable limit and the knowledge of how they work in the human body are minimal with their explicit actions not easily shown. Hence, this review gives a better understanding of the significance of lignocellulose, dietary fibre and inulin, their functions, classifications, types and applications in the food industry, thereby exposing their various uses as these polycarbohydrates were considered a waste before now.

Understanding how different modification processes affect the physiochemical, functional, thermal, morphological structures and digestibility of cardaba banana starch

In this study, starch was isolated from cardaba banana starch and was subjected to modification by heat-moisture treatment, citric acid, octenyl succinic anhydride, and sodium hexametaphosphate. Both the native and modified cardaba banana starches were examined for chemical, functional, pasting, thermal, morphological, structural, and antioxidant properties, as well as in vitro starch digestibility. Modification significantly influenced the properties of the cardaba banana starch. Cross-linking treatment improved the water, oil absorption, alkaline hydration capacity, swelling power, solubility and paste clarity of the starch. The final viscosity of the banana starch paste was increased alongside succinic anhydride modification which in turn enhanced the suitability of the starch in the production of high viscous products. Both FTIR spectra and X-ray diffractograms confirmed the starch had a C-type starch which was not affected by modification. Modification led to a decrease in relative crystallinity of the starch with succinylation having the maximum effect. The starch fractions; both SDS and RS significantly increased due to modification while the hydrolysis and glycemic index of the starch were significantly decreased by chemical modification. In conclusion, both physical and chemical modification of cardaba banana starch produced a starch that can serve as functional food or functional food ingredients.

Machine learning-based modeling in food processing applications: State of the art

Food processing is a complex, multifaceted problem that requires substantial human interaction to optimize the various process parameters to minimize energy consumption and ensure better-quality products. The development of a machine learning (ML)-based approach to food processing applications is an exciting and innovative idea for optimizing process parameters and process kinetics to reduce energy consumption, processing time, and ensure better-quality products; however, developing such a novel approach requires significant scientific effort. This paper presents and evaluates ML-based approaches to various food processing operations such as drying, frying, baking, canning, extrusion, encapsulation, and fermentation to predict process kinetics. A step-by-step procedure to develop an ML-based model and its practical implementation is presented. The key challenges of neural network training and testing algorithms and their limitations are discussed to assist readers in selecting algorithms for solving problems specific to food processing. In addition, this paper presents the potential and challenges of applying ML-based techniques to hybrid food processing operations. The potential of physics-informed ML modeling techniques for food processing applications and their strategies is also discussed. It is expected that the potential information of this paper will be valuable in advancing the ML-based technology for food processing applications.