Vegan shrimp alternative made with pink oyster and lion's mane mushrooms: Nutritional profiles, presence of conjugated phenolic acids, and prototyping

The increasing demand for seafood is responsible for many environmental impacts, especially caused by aquaculture. Shrimp accounts for a substantial part of seafood production and therefore also for negative effects associated with it. This work aimed to develop a mushroom-based shrimp analogue with a texture similar to shrimp using the fruiting bodies of pink oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor) and lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus). Three flushes of pink oyster mushrooms and a first flush of lion's mane mushroom were analysed regarding their nutritional composition and whether they are suitable shrimp alternatives. The two mushrooms are rich in proteins (∼32% and ∼26% w/w for the first flush of pink oyster and lion's mane, respectively). The protein content of pink oyster mushroom decreased and the dietary fibre content increased across the different flushes. The antioxidants in the mushrooms were extracted using different methods, whereby aqueous extracts mostly excelled in terms of antioxidant activity. Hydrolysis confirmed the presence of conjugated p-coumaric acid in both mushrooms and possibly conjugated caffeic acid in pink oyster. Texture analysis results of the prototypes were close to the values of fried shrimp. However, although the sensory qualities of the final prototypes were perceived as similar to shrimp, further improvements in the recipe are necessary to make the prototypes indistinguishable from shrimp.

Modelling strawberry quality in a longitudinal study under the marketing concept of branding

Background

Marketing strategies, such as branding, redefine how consumers perceive quality and create new requirements related to season length and quality homogeneity, among others. For short-day (SD) strawberry cultivar brands, the commercial season is short due to a dependency on temperature and photoperiod. A plausible strategy to extend the commercialization period is to use different varieties within a single brand; however, this has led to inconsistent quality in other fruit crops. A form of quality assessment to evaluate the impact of a multi-varietal brand on sensory quality is a critical longitudinal study with several sources of variability, such as the inherent variation among assessors and fruit replicates that can affect the reliability of the results. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a methodology to assess the sensorial and physicochemical quality of strawberry brands in two contexts: a short-term season composed of two SD cultivars and a long-term season with one SD and one day-neutral (DN) cultivar.

Results

New statistical models are proposed in this study. An ANOVA mixed model with assessors and replicates as random terms and a multiple factor analysis highlighted a lack of homogeneity with regard to texture parameters and sourness, while partial least square models identified aroma and sweetness as the best quality indicators.

Conclusions

This work has successfully illustrated a methodology that is capable of handling critical aspects of longitudinal studies by using univariate models that account for different sources of variability and constrained multivariate models to relate parameters with overall liking. A long-term brand is a viable solution to valorise strawberries, as parameter heterogeneity did not affect overall quality.

Physiological relevant in vitro evaluation of polymer coats for gastroretentive floating tablets

Gastroretentive drug delivery systems are retained in the stomach for a sufficient time interval, releasing the drug in a controlled manner. According to literature, the floating principle is the most frequently used formulation approach for gastric retention. However, many publications lack information of the floating forces, the impact of different pH-values and almost no information exist concerning the resistance of the floating performance against physiological relevant stress. Therefore, we evaluated the performance of CO2-generating floating bilayer (drug and floating layer) tablets with respect to robustness, drug release profile, pH dependence and floating behaviour. Bilayer tablets were coated with a flexible and water permeable, but CO2-retaining polymer film of either polyvinyl acetate or ammonio-methacrylate copolymer type A. Metformin-HCl was used as a relevant model drug due to its dose-dependent and saturable absorption from the proximal part of the small intestine. To mimic physiological relevant mechanical stress conditions, recently developed dissolution stress tests with pulsed pressures were applied in addition to release studies according to the pharmacopeia. Bilayer tablets coated with polyvinyl acetate showed short floating lag times, reasonable floating strength values, floating durations of more than 24h in simulated gastric fluid and a robust and pH independent release of Metformin-HCl. Tablets coated with ammonio-methacrylate copolymer type A showed a higher permeability for the active ingredient combined with a decreased robustness of the inflated tablets. Both polymers can be used for balloon-like floating devices. The appropriate polymer has to be chosen dependent from the properties of the active ingredient and requested application of the delivery device. Furthermore, the dissolution stress test analysis is able to indicate possible safety issues of gastroretentive formulations as well as to characterise the robustness of formulation principles towards mechanical stresses of bio-relevant intensity.