Valorization of an Old Variety of Triticum aestivum: A Study of Its Suitability for Breadmaking Focusing on Sensory and Nutritional Quality

Reduced Doses of Diatomaceous Earth and Basil Essential Oil on Stored Grain Against the Wheat-Damaging Sitophilus oryzae: Influence on Bread Quality and Sensory Profile

Stored grain pests like Sitophilus oryzae pose significant challenges to food security and quality, necessitating eco-friendly pest management strategies. This study investigates the combined efficacy of reduced doses of diatomaceous earth (DE) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (EO) as an alternative to conventional pesticides. Laboratory trials evaluated the effectiveness of the treatments-DE, EO, and a mixture of both (at halved doses)-against S. oryzae in wheat, alongside their impact on bread quality and sensory attributes. Results showed that DE and the DE + EO at halved doses combination achieved over 82% pest mortality, comparable to standard DE doses but with reduced mechanical and environmental drawbacks. EO alone demonstrated limited insecticidal activity. Bread made from treated wheat retained high sensory acceptability, with DE enhancing elasticity and crumb aroma. EO-enriched bread exhibited a complex aromatic profile due to methyl chavicol, though with reduced crumb elasticity and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Shelf-life assessments indicated that DE and DE + EO at halved doses extended mold-free storage by one day compared to untreated bread. These findings highlight the potential of combining DE and EO at reduced doses to manage stored grain pests sustainably, aligning with integrated pest management (IPM) and organic farming principles, while preserving the technological and sensory qualities of derived food products.

Salty Biscuits Enriched with Fresh and Dried Bee Pollen: Chemical, Technological, and Sensory Characterization

Bee pollen is a potential functional food ingredient as it contains essential nutrients and a wide range of bioactive compounds. Among bakery products, sweet or salty biscuits are very popular, because they can be consumed quickly, have a long shelf life, and have a favorable taste and texture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the enrichment of salty biscuits with bee pollen (fresh and dried) through their chemical-technological and sensory characteristics. The biscuit formulations were created by replacing the flour with an increasing amount (5% and 10%) of fresh (FP) and dried (DP) pollen. A formulation without pollen was used as the control (CB). To evaluate its potential as a fortification ingredient, pollen as well as salty biscuits were analyzed in terms of their chemical composition and sensory characteristics. In particular, biscuits with 5% fresh pollen (FPB5%) proved to be the formulation with the optimal combination of chemical-compositional and sensory characteristics. Given the increase in their antioxidant component, fortified biscuits can represent an interesting vehicle for phenolic compounds and carotenoids, with a characteristic sensory profile.

Accelerated oxygenation for the production of fortified (mystelle-type) sweet wines: effects on the chemical and flavor profile

BACKGROUND

Fortified wine is an important category in the wine world with very famous wines such as Porto or Jerez-wine type. The quality of fortified wines increased significantly with barrel aging not only because of a long oxidation process, but also because, in Porto wines such as Ruby or Vintage styles, the long period in bottle permits their fining. Reducing the time of oxidation can favor the development of this technique even for less known sweet wines, making them good quality and less expensive. In the present study, we have used Gamay red variety subjected to postharvest controlled dehydration at 20-22 °C and 70-75% relative humidity with an airflow of 1 m s-1. Then the grapes were pressed, and alcohol was added to the must up to an alcohol content of 15.85% (mystelle-type wine). The mass was split into six glass jars, three were oxygenated (OX) and three not (Control), and the oxygenation lasted 62 days.

RESULTS

Wine that was oxygenated had a slightly higher volatile acidity, lower alcohol content (13.00%), and lower anthocyanins and polyphenols content. In term of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the Control wine had a higher content of alcohols, whereas the OX sample had a higher content of lactones, furans and esters. Sensory evaluation confirmed the VOCs analysis; the two wines had a statistically different profile depending on the oxidation treatment. In general, OX wine was more appreciated in terms of visual attractiveness, taste and olfactory pleasantness.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the technique described in the present study could be a valid alternative to traditional aging of fortified sweet wines, reducing time and costs. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-performance bioelectronic tongue for the simultaneous analysis of phenols, sugars and organic acids in wines

BACKGROUND

Electronic tongues have been widely used to analyze wines. However, owing to the complexity of the matrix, the problem is not completely solved and further improvements are required.

RESULTS

A high-performance potentiometric bioelectronic tongue (bio-ET) specifically devoted to the assessment of wine components is presented. The novelty of this system is due to two innovative approaches. First, the improved performance is obtained through the use of potentiometric biosensors based on carboxylated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membranes, where enzymes (glucose oxidase, tyrosinase, laccase, and lyase) specific to compounds of interest are linked covalently. Second, the performance is further enhanced by introducing electron mediators (gold nanoparticles or copper phthalocyanine) into the PVC membrane to facilitate the electron transfer process. Individual sensors exposed to target analytes (glucose, catechol, cysteine, or tartaric acid) show a linear behavior, with limits of detection in the region of 10-4 mol L-1 for all the compounds analyzed, with excellent reproducibility (coefficient of variation lower than 3%). Sensors combined to form a bio-ET show excellent capabilities. Principal component (PC) analysis can discriminate monovarietal white wines (PC1 77%; PC2 15%) and red wines (PC1 63%; PC2 30%). Using partial least squares, the bio-ET can provide information about chemical parameters, including glucose, total polyphenols, total anthocyanins, free and total sulfur dioxide, total acidity, and pH with R2 between 0.91 and 0.98 in calibration and between 0.89 and 0.98 in validation.

CONCLUSIONS

This advanced instrument is able to assess the levels of seven parameters in a single measurement, providing an advantageous method to the wine industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of the drying process of Cascade hop and the dry-hopping technique on the chemical, aromatic and sensory quality of the beer

Drying techniques are important for hop storage and quality. The stage of hop addition in beer is another important issue. This study focuses the impact of two drying techniques [freeze-dryer (F) and hot-stove (H)] of Cascade hop, on the chemical, aromatic and sensory quality of beer, comparing beers produced without (BF and BH) and with dry-hopping technique (BFDH and BHDH). Dry-hopping with H significantly increased the bitterness index and reduced the titratable acidity. Isoamyl acetate (450.60 μg/L) and ethyl caprylate (313.60 μg/L) were in high content especially in BH while, ethyl-n-caproate (359.37 μg/L) had the highest content in BF. The beers made with dry-hopping technique, had a significantly higher content in terpenes especially in BFDH (1006.18 μg/L). Sensory evaluation indicated difference preferences, with freeze-dried hop beers generally favored. In conclusion, depending on the type of beer desired, hops dried in different way and a specific hopping technique can be chosen.

Effects of Temperature and Packaging Atmosphere on Shelf Life, Biochemical, and Sensory Attributes of Glasswort (Salicornia europaea L.) Grown Hydroponically at Different Salinity Levels

Halophytes, such as Salicornia species, are promising new foods and are consumed for their pleasant salty taste and nutritional value. Since Salicornia is perishable, modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) can be a useful tool, in combination with proper temperature, to halt further quality degradation in this type of product. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of MAP, with or without refrigeration, to extend the shelf life of glasswort (Salicornia europaea L.) grown hydroponically (floating raft system) in a greenhouse with a nutrient solution containing 0 g/L (C) or 12.5 g/L of NaCl (T). The dry matter content, weight loss, respiration rate, biochemical composition, color, antioxidant capacity, and sensorial attributes were determined in shoots after harvest and during storage in plastic bags filled with technical air or with MAP at 4 or 20 °C for 120 h. At harvest, plants supplied with salt-enriched solution (T) showed a significant improvement in nutritional value and sensory profile. Storage in air at room temperature (20 °C) accelerated weight loss and diminished color stability, particularly in non-salinity samples (C), while MAP extended the shelf life of all the samples regardless of the storage temperature adopted. Optimal storage conditions were observed when MAP was combined with refrigeration, which allowed to effectively preserve shoots sensory acceptability for a period of about seven days. Future research could further explore the long-term effects on the nutritional value and sensory quality of S. europaea under various combinations of MAP and different storage temperatures ranging between 4 °C and 20 °C.

Innovative Biobased and Sustainable Polymer Packaging Solutions for Extending Bread Shelf Life: A Review

Sustainable packaging has been steadily gaining prominence within the food industry, with biobased materials emerging as a promising substitute for conventional petroleum-derived plastics. This review is dedicated to the examination of innovative biobased materials in the context of bread packaging. It aims to furnish a comprehensive survey of recent discoveries, fundamental properties, and potential applications. Commencing with an examination of the challenges posed by various bread types and the imperative of extending shelf life, the review underscores the beneficial role of biopolymers as internal coatings or external layers in preserving product freshness while upholding structural integrity. Furthermore, the introduction of biocomposites, resulting from the amalgamation of biopolymers with active biomolecules, fortifies barrier properties, thus shielding bread from moisture, oxygen, and external influences. The review also addresses the associated challenges and opportunities in utilizing biobased materials for bread packaging, accentuating the ongoing requirement for research and innovation to create advanced materials that ensure product integrity while diminishing the environmental footprint.

Novelty of Italian Grape Ale (IGA) beer: Influence of the addition of Gamay macerated grape must or dehydrated Aleatico grape pomace on the aromatic profile

A new category of fruit style beer resulting from the addition of grape matrices is named Italian Grape Ale (IGA). In this paper, we report data on an experimental work to produce IGA beers, adding macerated (CO2 or N2) red Gamay grape must or Aleatico grape pomace resulting from a grape dehydration process. Our hypothesis, that these wine processes can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to characterize these IGA beers which was confirmed by chemical, sensory and aromatic results. IGA beers especially the one with gas-macerated grape musts (IGA-C and IGA-N) showed higher alcohol content than ALE beer (Control) and a higher polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. As regards VOCS, IGA beers increased the concentration of some classes (i.e., alcohols, esters, norisoprenoids) and IGA-N was better characterized by specific compounds such as isobutyric acid, phenylacetate, tyrosol, ethyl hydrogen succinate. Finally, E-nose and sensory evaluation discriminated significantly all the IGA beers.

Effect of Fertilization Regime of Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum) on Flour Quality and Shelf-Life of PDO Tuscan Bread

The shelf-life of bread is influenced by flour components, such as starch, composed of amylose and amylopectin. The aim was to test the effect of different balances of N (45, 90, 135 kg/ha) and P (48, 96 kg/ha) fertilizers on the flour characteristics and consequently the shelf-life of PDO Tuscan bread, stored in different modified atmosphere packaging (Ar, N₂, Air). The amylose and phytochemical compounds were increased by N and decreased by the addition of P, but excessive doses of N (135 kg/ha) had a negative effect on flour quality. In the bread, the study highlighted the tendency of N₂ and Ar, as storage filler gases, to reduce water loss, slow down the staling process, and prolong shelf-life. However, the most significant influence on shelf-life was related to the different fertilizations of wheat. In fact, when N was present in equal dose to P (90/96 or 45/48 kg/ha) or slightly higher (90/48 kg/ha), the bread tended to last longer over time. Instead, when these ratios were unbalanced in favor of N (135/48 or 135/96 kg/ha) and in favor of P (45/96 kg/ha), the shelf-life decreased considerably.