Effect of Dietary Fiber and Thermal Conditions on Rice Bran Wax-Based Structured Edible Oils

A review on the hydration properties of dietary fibers derived from food waste and their interactions with other ingredients: opportunities and challenges for their application in the food industry

Dietary fiber (DF) significantly affects the quality attributes of food matrices. Depending on its chemical composition, molecular structure, and degree of hydration, the behavior of DF may differ. Numerous reports confirm that incorporating DF derived from food waste into food products has significant effects on textural, sensory, rheological, and antimicrobial properties. Additionally, the characteristics of DF, modification techniques (chemical, enzymatic, mechanical, thermal), and processing conditions (temperature, pH, ionic strength), as well as the presence of other components, can profoundly affect the functionalities of DF. This review aims to describe the interactions between DF and water, focusing on the effects of free water, freezing-bound water, and unfreezing-bound water on the hydration capacity of both soluble and insoluble DF. The review also explores how the structural, functional, and environmental properties of DF contribute to its hydration capacity. It becomes evident that the interactions between DF and water, and their effects on the rheological properties of food matrices, are complex and multifaceted subjects, offering both opportunities and challenges for further exploration. Utilizing DF extracted from food waste exhibits promise as a sustainable and viable strategy for the food industry to create nutritious and high-value-added products, while concurrently reducing reliance on primary virgin resources.

A Potentially Ecosustainable Hazelnut/Carob-Based Spread

Commercial cocoa and hazelnut-based sweet spreads typically present a poor nutribiochemical level due to their ingredients and recipes, while nowadays, there is the need of developing sustainable food products addressing both an improved nutritional and environmental profile. The aim of this work was then to develop an innovative hazelnut/carob-based spread with potential high sustainability and nutritional profile, including the exploitation of grape-processing residues (grape skin flour and grapeseed oil) and carob pulp as cocoa surrogate. Rheological (rotational/oscillatory), oxidative, and thermal features of the spread were assessed and compared with two commercial nut-cocoa-based products. Tribology was used to mimic and evaluate the spreads' behavior during oral consumption, and sensory profile (by quantitative descriptive analysis) was also assessed. All products exhibited a pseudoplastic behavior, with the elastic component prevailing over the viscous one. The innovative product showed the highest lubricity from both rheological and sensory analysis, thus well correlating to the obtained lowest viscosity and friction factor trends. Grapeseed oil provided a better nutritional profile, but the largest amount of unsaturated fatty acids promoted oxidation, despite the higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity coming from the use of carob and grape skin powders. The sensory perception investigation revealed a characteristic mouthfeel/flavor for the new spread identified having a more fluid consistency and a bitter/sour taste, together with a greater stickiness and a poorer smoothness due to a higher fiber content and solid fat absence.