Volume 16, Issue 3 -

This study investigated the changes in physicochemical and functional properties of water-soluble protein from mussels (MWP) induced by high-pressure homogenization (HPH). The results indicated that HPH treatment unfolded or disrupted the initial structure of MWP, exposing free sulfhydryl groups and buried hydrophobic groups. As the homogenization pressure increased, the aggregation of MWP particles gradually decreased. Moreover, protein solubility and dispersion stability increased in aqueous solution. Foaming and emulsifying properties were also improved. HPH treatment has proven to be an effective technique for enhancing the functional properties of shellfish protein, and 120 MPa was the optimum homogenization pressure to modify MWP.

Mochi is a popular snack in Asia, but few studies explored applications of konjac glucomannan (KGM) combined with mochi. The textural and thermal properties, sensory and microstructural changes were measured from mochi, which performed mainly from glutinous rice flour and KGM blends of which KGM shared 1–5 %. About 1–3 % KGM substitution could improve sensory qualities of mochi. The color of mochi with different KGM concentration could be distinguished by the naked eye. The variants with 4–5 % KGM concentration exhibited high hardness, stickiness of texture parameters, and obvious changes in temperature peak of thermodynamic parameters. The reticular gelatinized microstructures of mochi showed increased aperture of cavities with enhanced matrix surrounded. These changes could be due to high water binding capacity of KGM. In general, 3 % KGM concentration could lead to desirable sensory and textural properties of mochi, indicating a potential of KGM for widespread usage in glutinous rice starch-based foods industry.

The aim of this study was to develop an environmentally friendly process to extract anthocyanins from blueberry pomace using water as a solvent and directly microencapsulate anthocyanins by spray drying. The anthocyanins in water and ethanol extracts were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The malvidin-3-O-galactoside and malvidin-3-O-glucoside were identified as the main anthocyanins in the blueberry pomace. The anthocyanins profiles of water extracts were similar to that by ethanol extraction. The effects of extraction parameters including solid-to-liquid ratio and temperature on the extraction efficiency and anthocyanins concentration were studied. The blueberry anthocyanins degraded at temperatures higher than 60 °C and all anthocyanins showed similar degradation tendency. The result showed that the artificial neural network (ANN) modeling could be well used to portray the effects of these parameters. Finally, the water extracts were successfully spray dried to produce microencapsulation of blueberry anthocyanins with maltodextrin (MD) as wall materials.

Increase in energy demand and limited sources of fossil fuels force the world’s population to seek new energy sources Biodiesel obtained by transesterification of oils with an alcohol in the presence of catalysts is an example of renewable fuel. The aim of the study was to assess the best conditions for enzymatic biodiesel synthesis by direct transesterification of rapeseed cake using Taguchi method. The influence of alcohol (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol), temperature (30–60 °C), C. antarctica lipase B concentration (0.5–2 %), time (6–48 h) and rapeseed cake to alcohol ratio (1:2–1:5) was examined in the synthesis of fatty acid alkyl esters. Optimum conditions for direct enzymatic transesterification of rapeseed cake are: 30 °C, 12 h, 0.5 % of lipase and ethanol in 4:1 ratio to rapeseed cake.

This study evaluated the combined effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) substitutes, including potassium chloride (KCl) and calcium ascorbate, on physicochemical and sensory properties of low-sodium Chinese bacon. When KCl replaced 40 % NaCl, it had no significant ( P  > 0.05) effect on the physicochemical properties but had a certain effect on the sensory score. Using 30 % KCl and with 10 % calcium ascorbate (T2 group) replacing 40 % NaCl had good color score (6.73) and the overall acceptability score (6.90) was the highest in the experimental group. The color score of T2 group was significantly ( P  < 0.05) higher than that of control group (6.33). However, there was no significant difference ( P  > 0.05) in the overall acceptability score between the T2 group (6.90) and the control group (7.00). Therefore, a compound salt consisting of KCl and calcium ascorbate can be used in Chinese bacon, leading to sodium content about 40 % reduction.

This work describes the research aimed at determining the value of the basic parameters of fish cutting on treatment with a high-pressure water jet. Assuming a constant feed speed, distance of the nozzle from the processed raw material, and spray angle of the water jet for six diameters of the water nozzles, the supply pressure value was determined. Supply pressure at which the water stream has enough energy to fully cut the muscle flap is also determined. The tests were carried out on samples obtained from rainbow trout, considering the size of the carcasses and the place of cutting. Analysis of the obtained results showed that both the size of the carcass and the cutting site affect the value of the supply pressure. However, regardless of this, the full cut of the lobe without the skin can be obtained by feeding the jet with a pressure of 3.5 MPa. This amount of pressure can easily be achieved using a Karcher pressure washer. To effectively apply this technology to the fish processing industry, it is necessary to extend the tests with further processing parameters such as the feed speed of the nozzle.

The work is a compilation of the research results concerning the evaluation of the hardness of pumpkin pulp depending on the implemented methods of heat treatment, i. e. scalding pumpkin in hot water and acting on it with water steam. Extended time of pumpkin heat treatment, both in hot water and combi steamer with steam during 6 min resulted in the reduction of the pulp hardness at 46 % after steaming and 88 % after boiling and softening of the skin, which eased its mechanical removal (cleavage) from the pumpkin fruit. The study was targeted to search for the methods allowing the facilitation and mechanisation of skin removal process in the course of acquiring pumpkin pulp for food purposes.