The Institute of Food Technologists Partners with Mexico Section IFT to Support Global Science of Food Community

Stabilization and valorization of tomato byproduct: A case study for the bakery industry September 29, 2023

Worldwide, tomato production is estimated at 180 million tons per year, which generates a byproduct with highly variable characteristics and volumes. According to the principles of the circular economy, a semi-industrial method for the integral use of the tomato byproduct as an ingredient in the bakery industry is proposed. Using two different dehydration processes (convection or freeze-drying), a tomato byproduct formed by peels and seeds was stabilized and ground into flours that were used as ingredients in focaccia-type flatbread elaboration through a wheat flour partial substitution trial (from 0% to 20% w/w). Based on the kinetics of convection drying and remaining lycopene content results, conditioning of the byproduct at 60°C was proposed. The higher the percentage of substitution, the greater the firmness of the flatbread. However, the cutting force was maximum with 15% replacement. The flatbreads with 5%–15% replacement were rated positively according to consumer acceptance studies. Substitution of up to 15% tomato byproduct is suggested for the formulation, as the higher the byproduct flour content, the lower the volume, the higher the firmness, and reddish-brown tones. Realistically, for the industrial setting, this processing proposal reached the whole food chain, from field to fork.

A Stellar Startup September 28, 2023

R&D Chefs Chrissy Camba and Emily Knapp discuss the ins and outs of starting a granola company—from product development challenges to plans for scaling up.

Modeling of soluble solid content of PE‐packaged blueberries based on near‐infrared spectroscopy with back propagation neural network and partial least squares (BP–PLS) algorithm September 27, 2023

Blueberries are a nutritious and popular berry worldwide. The physical and chemical properties of blueberries constantly change through the cycle of the supply chain (from harvest to sale). The purpose of this study was to develop a rapid method for detecting the properties of packaged blueberries based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. NIR was applied to quantitatively determine the soluble solid content (SSC) of polyethylene (PE)-packaged blueberries. An orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model was established to show the correlation between spectral data and the measured SSC. Multiplicative scattering correction, standard normal variable, Savitzky–Golay convolution first derivative, and normalization (Normalize) were used for spectra preprocessing. Uninformative variables elimination, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling, and iteratively retaining informative variables were jointly used for wavelength optimization. NIR-based SSC prediction models for unpacked blueberries and PE-packaged blueberries were developed using partial least squares (PLS). The prediction model for PE-packaged samples (R_P ²= 0.876, root mean square error of prediction [RMSEP] = 0.632) had less precision than the model for unpacked samples (R_P ²= 0.953, RMSEP = 0.611). To reduce the effect of PE, the back propagation (BP) neural network and PLS were combined into the BP–PLS algorithm based on the residual learning algorithm. The model of BP–PLS (R_P ²= 0.947, RMSEP = 0.414) was successfully developed to improve the prediction accuracy of SSC for PE-packaged blueberries. The results suggested a promising way of using the BP–PLS method in tandem with NIR for the rapid detection of the SSC of PE-packaged blueberries.

Study of chemical constituents, antioxidants and antimicrobial activities of Tamarindus indica L. seed September 27, 2023

The fruits of Tamarindus indica L. are consumed worldwide, with various parts of the plant being used for medicinal purposes. The residues (pericarp and seeds) generated during cellulose processing are of significant value as they contain bioactive compounds with diverse biological activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate fraction as possible substitutes for synthetic compounds with biological properties using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) analysis and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP], 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid [ABTS], and 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and antimicrobial activity of the hydroalcoholic extract and tamarind seed fractions were also performed. The chemical investigation of the acetate fraction using UHPLC-HRMS/MS resulted in the putative identification of 14 compounds, including flavonoids, (+)-catechin/(−)-epicatechin, procyanidin B2, procyanidin C2, isoquercetin, quercetin, luteolin, rutin, taxifolin, eriodictyol, kaempferide, hydroxybenzoic acid, protocathecuic acid, and protocathecuic acid methyl and ethyl esters derivatives. The crude hydroalcoholic extract exhibited the best results in terms of TPC: 883.87 gallic acid equivalent (GAE; mg/g) and antioxidant activity: FRAP: 183.29 GAE (mg/g), ABTS: 39.67%, and DPPH: 91.08%. The extract exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria, specifically Staphylococcus aureus minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC; 62.5/125 g/mL) and Bacillus cereus MIC/MBC (125/250 g/mL), and gram-negative bacteria, specifically Aeromonas hydrophila MIC/MBC (125/250 µg/mL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa MIC/MBC (250/500 g/mL). Morphological damage to cells was observed using flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy. Tamarind seeds contain unique bioactive compounds that should be explored for their use as novel food preservatives.

Effect of dielectric barrier discharge nonthermal plasma treatment on physicochemical, nutritional, and phytochemical quality attributes of pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.)] juice September 27, 2023

Forward feed multilayered perception and central composite rotatable design were used to model the nonthermal plasma (NTP) experimental data in artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface methodology, respectively. The ANN was found to be more accurate in modeling the experimental dataset. The NTP process parameters (voltage and time) were optimized for pineapple juice within the range of 25–45 kV and 120–900 s using an ANN coupled with the genetic algorithm (ANN-GA). After 176 generations of GA, the ANN-GA approach produced the optimal condition, 38 kV and 631 s, and caused the inactivation of peroxidase (POD) and bromelain by 87.24% and 51.04%, respectively. However, 100.32% of the overall antioxidant capacity and 89.96% of the ascorbic acid were maintained in the optimized sample with a total color change (ΔE) of less than 1.97 at all plasma treatment conditions. Based on optimal conditions, NTP provides a sufficient level of POD inactivation combined with excellent phenolic component extractability and high antioxidant retention. Furthermore, plasma treatment had an insignificant effect (p > 0.05) on the physicochemical attributes (pH, total soluble solid, and titratable acidity) of juice samples. From the intensity peak of the Fourier‑transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, it was found that the sugar components and phenolic compounds of plasma-treated juice were effectively preserved compared to the thermal-treated juice.

FIRST Fireside Chat Presentations September 1, 2023

Fireside Chats bring the future into focus and discuss current trends and opportunities.

Business FIRST Presentations at IFT FIRST September 1, 2023

The Business FIRST Stage tackles global issues and showcase trends in food, food tech, and the science of food. Business FIRST is presented by IFT's flagship magazine, Food Technology.

Reaching Gen Z On Their Terms July 18, 2023

Speaking as a part of a Tuesday Scientific & Technical Forum on consumer mistrust, Center for Food Integrity’s Roxi Beck highlighted some recent research on Gen Z’s purchase behavior.

Consumers Share How Crises Affected Their Food Choices July 18, 2023

Sharing their personal stories, a panel of three consumers addressed how their food choices were and are impacted by crisis at a Tuesday IFT FIRST featured session.