Rapid determination of partition and diffusion properties for salt and aroma compounds in complex food matrices

Assessment of calcium alginate gels as wall materials for encapsulation systems

BACKGROUND

Calcium alginate gels are widely used to encapsulate active compounds. Some characteristic parameters of these gels are necessary to describe the release of active compounds through mechanistic mathematical models. In this work, transport and kinetics properties of calcium alginate gels were determined through simple experimental techniques.

RESULTS

The weight-average molecular weight (M ¯ w  = 192 × 103  Da) and the fraction of residues of α-l-guluronic acid (F G  = 0.356) of sodium alginate were determined by capillary viscometry and 1 H-nuclear magnetic resonance at 25 °C, respectively. Considering the half egg-box model, both values were used to estimate the molecular weight of calcium alginate asM g  = 2.02 × 105  Da. An effective diffusion coefficient of water (D eff , w  = 2.256 × 10-9  m2  s-1 ) in calcium alginate was determined using a diffusion cell at 37 °C. Finally, a kinetics constant of depolymerization (k m  = 9.72 × 10-9  m3  mol-1  s-1 ) of calcium alginate was obtained considering dissolution of calcium to a medium under intestinal conditions.

CONCLUSION

The experimental techniques used are simple and easily reproducible. The obtained values may be useful in the design, production, and optimization of the alginate-based delivery systems that require specific release kinetics of the encapsulated active compounds. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-pressure processing enhances saltiness perception and sensory acceptability of raw but not of cooked cured pork loins-leveraging salty and umami taste

The salt (NaCl) content in processed meats must be reduced because of its adverse effects on cardiovascular health. However, reducing salt in meat products typically leads to a lower taste intensity and, thus, consumer acceptability. Industry interventions must reduce salt content while maintaining taste, quality, and consumer acceptability. In this context, high-pressure processing (HPP) has been proposed to enhance saltiness perception, though there are contradictory reports to date. The present work aimed to conduct a targeted experiment to ascertain the influence of HPP (300/600 MPa) and cooking (71°C) on saltiness perception and sensory acceptability of meat products. HPP treatment (300/600 MPa) did enhance those two sensory attributes (approx. +1 on a 9-point hedonic scale) in raw (uncooked) cured pork loins but did not in their cooked counterparts. Further, the partition coefficient of sodium (PNa+), as an estimate of Na+ binding strength to the meat matrix, and the content of umami-taste nucleotides were investigated as potential causes. No effect of cooking (71°C) and HPP (300/600 MPa) could be observed on the PNa+ at equilibrium. However, HPP treatment at 300 MPa increased the inosine-5'-monophosphate (IMP) content in raw cured pork loins. Finally, hypothetical HPP effects on taste-mediating molecular mechanisms are outlined and discussed in light of boosting the sensory perception of raw meat products as a strategy to achieve effective salt reductions while keeping consumer acceptability.

Molecule structural factors influencing the loading of flavoring compounds in a natural-preformed capsule: Yeast cells

Yeast cells are efficient microcapsules for the encapsulation of flavoring compounds. However, as they are preformed capsules, they have to be loaded with the active. Encapsulation efficiency is to a certain level correlated with LogP. In this study, the effect of structural factors on the encapsulation of amphiphilic flavors was investigated. Homological series of carboxylic acids, ethyl esters, lactones, alcohols and ketones were encapsulated into the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Although, in a single homological series, the length of the molecule and thus the LogP were correlated with encapsulation efficiency (EY%), big differences were observable between series. For instance, carboxylic acids and lactones exhibited EY% around 45%-55%, respectively, for compounds bigger than C8 and C6, respectively, whereas ethyl esters reached only about 15-20% for C10 compounds. For a group of various C6-compounds, EY% varied from 4% for hexanal to 45% for hexanoic acid although the LogP of the two compounds was almost similar at 1.9. In total our results point out the importance of the level of polarity and localization of the polar part of the compound in addition to the global hydrophobicity of the molecule. They will be of importance to optimize the encapsulation of mixtures of compounds.

Determination of Aroma Compound Partition Coefficients in Aqueous, Polysaccharide, and Dairy Matrices Using the Phase Ratio Variation Method: A Review and Modeling Approach

The partition of aroma compounds between a matrix and a gas phase describes an individual compound's specific affinity toward the matrix constituents affecting orthonasal sensory perception. The static headspace phase ratio variation (PRV) method has been increasingly applied by various authors to determine the equilibrium partition coefficient K in aqueous, polysaccharide, and dairy matrices. However, reported partition coefficients are difficult to relate and compare due to different experimental conditions, e.g., aroma compound selection, matrix composition, equilibration temperature. Due to its specific advantages, the PRV method is supposed to find more frequent application in the future, this Review aims to summarize, evaluate, compare, and relate the currently available data on PRV-determined partition coefficients. This process was designed to specify the potentials and the limitations as well as the consistency of the PRV method, and to identify open fields of research in aroma compound partitioning in food-related, especially dairy matrices.

Challenges in computational modelling of food breakdown and flavour release

A dynamic, three dimensional (3D) computational model that predicts the breakdown of food and the release of tastants and aromas could enhance the understanding of how food is perceived during consumption. This model could also shorten the development process of new foods because many virtual foods could be assessed, and discarded if unsuitable, before any physical prototyping is required. The construction and testing of a complete 3D model of mastication presents many challenges including an accurate representation of: the anatomical movements of the oral cavity (including the teeth, tongue, cheeks and palates), the breakdown behaviour of the food, the interactions between comminuted food and saliva as the bolus is formed, the release and transport of taste and aromas and how these physical and chemical processes are perceived by a person. These challenges are discussed in reference to previous experimental and simulation work and using results of new applications of a coupled biomechanical-smoothed particle hydrodynamics (B-SPH) model. The B-SPH model is demonstrated to simulate several complicated aspects of mastication including: (1) the sensitivity of particle size to changes in the movements of the jaw and tongue; (2) large strain behaviour of food due to softening by heating; (3) interactions between solid and liquid food components; (3) the release of tastants into the saliva; and (4) the transport of tastants to the taste buds. These applications show the possibilities of a model to viably simulate mastication, but highlight the many modelling and experimental challenges that remain.