Beetroot as a novel ingredient for its versatile food applications

Extraction and Analysis of Natural Color From Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Using Different Techniques, and Its Utilization in Ice Cream Manufacturing

A rich source of natural color, beetroot (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris) extracts and colorants offer deep red color to the dishes and boost their nutritional and antioxidant value. This research extracted beetroot color using Soxhlet, cold press, and ultrasonic methods. After testing the extracts for yield %, color (L*, a*, and b*), betalains, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity, the colorant was used to make ice cream. The results of three techniques revealed that the extract obtained from Soxhlet extraction (SE) has more total phenolic content (244.11 mg GAE/100 g), DPPH free radical scavenging activity (23.41%), significantly higher yield (48.05%), and better color results, as compared to the other extraction techniques. However, the contents of betalains (399.47 mg/L) were observed more in the extract obtained from ultrasonic extraction (UE). The extract obtained after the SE technique was further utilized in the ice cream manufacturing to check its acceptability in this product, compared to the artificial color. Six samples of ice cream were developed having different ratios of beetroot-derived color and artificial color. Control ice cream (T0) contained artificial color, whereas ice cream (T5) was developed by replacing complete artificial color with beetroot-derived color. The other treatments (T1), (T2), (T3), and (T4) contained a combination of both natural and artificial colors with different proportions. Various quality parameters of these ice cream formulations, such as pH, acidity, brix, melting rate, overrun, and specific gravity, were studied. The result signified that the addition of beetroot color did not have a considerable effect on these attributes. The result of color analysis of ice cream suggested that the mean value of L* is higher in T5 (73.16), which only contains 0.1% beetroot color, and is lowest in T0 (65.24), which contains 0.1% artificial color. The addition of natural colorant resulted in a higher L* value. Sensory characteristics including color, mouth coating, flavor, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability of T5 showed more acceptance and significant results as compared to other treatments that contained artificial colors. Therefore, the beetroot-derived natural colorants could be employed to develop nutritional, healthy, and acceptable ice cream.

Effect of Environmentally Friendly Betalain Extraction Methods on Antioxidant Compounds of Tunisian Opuntia stricta Fruit

This study focuses on the extraction of betalain compounds from Opuntia stricta as a natural alternative to synthetic colorants and sustainable environmentally friendly technology solutions. Non-conventional extraction technologies including microwave (MW) and ultrasound (US) were used alone or in combination. The extraction process was conducted for both undried Opuntia stricta (OS) and dried Opuntia stricta (DOS) plant material at two distinct drying temperatures, 40 °C and 60 °C, to assess the stability of betalain molecules. The colorant's potential was evaluated by determining the betalain content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity. The MW (2 min) and MW (2 min) + US (10 min) extraction processes yielded the greatest betalain content in OS fresh weight (FW), with 48.54 ± 0.29 mg/100 g FW and 51.01 ± 0.16 mg/100 g FW, respectively. Furthermore, the results showed a considerable drop in betalain content when the plant material was dried at 40 °C and 60 °C, with reduction rates of 53.75% and 24.82%, respectively, compared to the betalain content before the drying process. The LC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis supported this result, revealing the presence of 17-decarboxy betanin, 17-decarboxy neobetanin, and Cyclo-dopa5-O-βglucoside in DOS at 40 °C. This study highlights the potential future in the sustainable green extraction of betalain compounds with less heat degradation to offer a stable natural colorant.

Application of R-phycoerythrin of different purities from Furcellaria lumbricalis in extruded food products

The unique spectral, fluorescent, bioactive properties, along with its water solubility, makes R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) a promising natural colorant for food applications. The aim of this study was to investigate stained extrudates with respect to color stability of different purities of R-PE from F. lumbricalis during cold storage in light and dark conditions. Furthermore, the color stability of R-PE during extrusion and in stained meat analogs before and after frying was investigated. The storage stability was evaluated based on the staining with R-PE (crude extract, membrane filtration and multi-step ammonium sulphate precipitation) with beetroot pigment as a reference and at different hydration temperatures (40 and 60 °C). R-PE stained extrudates preserved their structure and color throughout storage without light exposure, unlike beetroot-stained ones, which displayed color changes (ΔE*ab > 5) while keeping their structure intact. Under light exposure, R-PE extrudates shrunk slightly over time, with only subtle color changes (ΔE*ab < 5). The storage stability of R-PE stained extrudates differed based on the R-PE purity, both in light and dark conditions, and also varied with hydration temperature during light exposure. The addition of different purities of R-PE and beetroot pigment during extrusion with expansion resulted in lower color retention in all the resulting extrudates except in the extrudates without expansion. After frying, both unstained and stained R-PE meat analogs developed a darker brown color, but the interior of these analogs preserved their initial color, resembling the color of the meat analogs before frying.

Low Glycemic Index Biscuits Enriched with Beetroot Powder as a Source of Betaine and Mineral Nutrients

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of beetroot powder (BP) as a functional ingredient in biscuits by investigating its effects on nutritional composition, sensory properties, and glycemic response. The primary goal was to determine whether BP could serve as a natural alternative to synthetic additives while maintaining product stability and consumer acceptability. Biscuits were formulated by replacing spelt flour with 15, 20, and 25% BP. The functional impact of the BP was assessed based on betaine content, macro- and microelements, glycemic index (GI), and acrylamide concentration. Thermal analysis (DSC and TGA) and water activity measurements confirmed the BP's stability during six months of storage. Increased BP content led to higher betaine levels and mineral enrichment, particularly with potassium and phosphorus among the macroelements and zinc among the microelements. Sensory analysis identified biscuits with 20% BP as the most preferred, maintaining acceptable ratings even after six months. Hardness initially increased with BP incorporation but decreased over time (p < 0.05). The acrylamide content in the BP-enriched biscuits was significantly lower than in control samples and well below the reference safety threshold. Notably, consuming beetroot biscuits did not trigger a sharp postprandial glucose spike, with the GI of the most acceptable sample (20% BP) measured at 49 ± 11. These findings confirm that BP improves the nutritional and sensory characteristics of biscuits while ensuring product safety and stability, supporting its application as a natural functional ingredient in confectionery products.

Systematic evaluations and integration of Assam indigenous Joha rice starch in intelligent packaging films for monitoring food freshness using beetroot extract

It is becoming increasingly important to have starch sources with different physicochemical properties to meet the needs of new applications in food, packaging, bioplastic, and pharmaceutical industries. The first part of this study dealt with the isolation of starch from culturally, geographically, nutritionally esteemed, and high-yielding Assam Joha rice. Fine and uniform particle size (6.3 ± 0.09 μm), high amylose content (28 ± 1.03 %), swelling behavior, viscoelastic rheological behavior, moderate gelatinization temperature (66 ± 1.7 °C), thermostable nature, type A crystallographic pattern with high (45 ± 3.3 %) crystallinity, and suitable microbial quality make the Joha rice derived starch physico-chemically and functionally suitable for potential applications in diverse domains. The latter part of the study focuses on one of the applications of derived starch as a suitable matrix for intelligent packaging films with the incorporation of betanin-enriched beetroot extract (BRE) as a bio-based pH sensor. The addition of 1.0 % w/v BRE to the starch film (starch-BRE III) significantly increased its functionality by reducing UV-visible light transmittance and water vapor permeability, along with enhancing flexibility and hydrophobicity due to intermolecular bonding between BRE and the starch film matrix. Moreover, starch-BRE films with different BRE concentrations were successfully used to monitor the real-time freshness of white meat (chicken and fish) and Indian cottage cheese samples. Overall, the results indicated that starch-BRE III has great potential as an intelligent packaging material for monitoring food freshness.

Valorization of non-edible fruit seeds into valuable products: A sustainable approach towards circular bioeconomy

Global imperatives have recently shown a paradigm shift in the prevailing resource utilization model from a linear approach to a circular bioeconomy. The primary goal of the circular bioeconomy model is to minimize waste by effective re-usage of organic waste and efficient nutrient recycling. In essence, circular bioeconomy integrates the fundamental concept of circular economy, which strives to offer sustainable goods and services by leveraging biological resources and processes. Notably, the circular bioeconomy differs from conventional waste recycling by prioritizing the safeguarding and restoration of production ecosystems, focusing on harnessing renewable biological resources and their associated waste streams to produce value-added products like food, animal feed, and bioenergy. Amidst these sustainability efforts, fruit seeds are getting considerable attention, which were previously overlooked and commonly discarded but were known to comprise diverse chemicals with significant industrial applications, not limited to cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. While, polyphenols in these seeds offer extensive health benefits, the inadequate conversion of fruit waste into valuable products poses substantial environmental challenges and resource wastage. This review aims to comprehend the known information about the application of non-edible fruit seeds for synthesising metallic nanoparticles, carbon dots, biochar, biosorbent, and biodiesel. Further, this review sheds light on the potential use of these seeds as functional foods and feed ingredients; it also comprehends the safety aspects associated with their utilization. Overall, this review aims to provide a roadmap for harnessing the potential of non-edible fruit seeds by adhering to the principles of a sustainable circular bioeconomy.

Advances in the concept of functional foods and feeds: applications of cinnamon and turmeric as functional enrichment ingredients

Spices are a rich source of vitamins, polyphenols, proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, all of which play an important role in biological functions. Since ancient times, spices have been used in our kitchen as a food coloring agent. Spices like cinnamon and turmeric allegedly contain various functional ingredients, such as phenolic and volatile compounds. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the nutritional profiles of cinnamon and turmeric, as well as to analyze the clinical studies on their extracts and essential oils in animals and humans. Furthermore, their enrichment applications for food products and animal feed have also been investigated in terms of safety and toxicity. Numerous studies have shown that cinnamon and turmeric have various health benefits, including the reduction of insulin resistance and insulin signaling pathways in diabetic patients, the reduction of inflammatory biomarkers, and the maintenance of gut microflora in both animals and humans. The food and animal feed industries have taken notice of these health benefits and have begun to promote cinnamon and turmeric as healthy foods. This has resulted in the development of new food products and animal feeds that contain cinnamon and turmeric as primary ingredients, which have been deemed an effective means of promoting cinnamon and turmeric's health benefits.

Effect of extrusion processing on techno-functional, textural and bioactive properties of whole grain corn flour-based breakfast cereals sweetened with honey

The present study investigated the effect of honey and extrusion processing parameters on techno-functional and bioactive properties of wholegrain corn flour breakfast cereals. The central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to plan the experiments using feed moisture (FM), extrusion temperature (ET), and honey level as process variables and sectional expansion ratio (SER), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), and textural hardness as response variables. The feed containing honey and wholegrain corn flour was extruded through a twin-screw extruder according to CCRD. The data were fit in the appropriate regression models based on model significance and insignificant lack-of-fit. The selected experiments from CCRD were considered for studying the bioactive properties and the effect of ET and honey level on bioactive properties was determined. The results of the study indicated that FM and honey adversely affected the SER, BD, and textural hardness while ET augmented these properties of breakfast cereals. The WAI decreased with an increase in honey level and ET during extrusion. The incremental addition of honey in the mix as well extrusion at elevated temperature led to higher WSI. The whole grain corn flour added with 10.22% honey and extruded at 16.06% FM, and 138.07 ^o C ET produced optimum quality breakfast cereals with 0.70 desirability. The total phenolic content of breakfast cereals decreased and antioxidant activity, and hydroxymethylfurfural content increased upon extrusion at the higher temperatures. Honey addition lowers the loss of phenolic content during extrusion and improved the antioxidant activity of breakfast cereals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.