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This study aimed to evaluate alfalfa meal's chemical and nutritional composition and effectiveness on broiler chicken thigh meat quality. Alfalfa contains significant content of crude protein and fibre, minerals (iron and zinc), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and antioxidant compounds, especially total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total polyphenols content (TPC). To test its effectiveness on chicken tight meat quality, we developed a trial on 60 Cobb 500 broilers, divided into two groups of 30 animals each and fed during growing-finishing phases (11–42 days) a control diet (C) and an experimental diet (A), in which 5% alfalfa meal was added. At the end of the trial, six animals from each group were selected for slaughter and sampling. The analyses on meat samples revealed that alfalfa significantly affected bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential, such as zinc, vitamin E and TPC, compared with the C samples. The utilisation of 5% alfalfa was also very effective on the fatty acids composition of thigh meat samples in the A group by increasing the concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid and significantly decreasing the n-6/n-3 ratio as well as cholesterol content with 10.41% in experimental samples. Therefore, alfalfa can be a potential alternative to synthetic feed additives in producing healthier chicken meat, with increased content of bioactive compounds and essential fatty acids for human health.

This research scrutinised the opportunity of upcycling waste from the food industry by extracting dietary fibre from purple aubergine. One of the challenges addressed was enzymatic browning, which negatively influenced the quality of the fibre extracted from fresh aubergine. Various pre-treatment procedures were assessed, including using citric acid, sulphite immersion, peeling and thermal processing, to determine their effects on extraction yield, colour, and the functionality of the resultant dietary fibre. Findings indicated that a pre-treatment method involving aubergine peeling, sulphite solution immersion, and subsequent steaming before extraction produced optimal results, enhancing both whiteness index and water-holding capacity. Experiments were conducted with traditional enzymes supplemented with cellulase, xylanase, and lipase for enzymatic extraction. The addition of lipase notably elevated the extraction yield and water-holding capacity, albeit with an undesired darkening effect on the dietary fibre. In contrast, the application of xylanase emerged as the most effective treatment, delivering the highest overall quality for the derived dietary fibre.

Reports have shown that meat production operations today contribute to the climate crisis, facilitating the occurrence of infectious diseases, and contributing to environmental pollution. Consequently, the public demands alternatives to traditional meat, such as in vitro manufactured meat. Several authors have suggested that improvements should be made in the manufacturing of cell-cultured meat to make a more sustainable and scalable process. They recently proposed using microalgae as a sustainable system to produce important nutrients such as oxygen from cellular waste molecules of animal cultures such as ammonia and carbon dioxide. In this review, we discuss recent advances of different microalgae applications in the production of lab-grown meat, with special emphasis on their use as a replacement for fetal bovine serum (FBS) or culture media, as well as its applicability as a source of cell oxygenation and waste upcycling to extend the life of animal cell cultures. Also, we discuss the implementation and limitations of these algae systems in large-scale in vitro meat manufacturing.

Sprouting has been used widely to enrich the nutritional quality of cereals and legumes. It improves the bioavailability of nutrients, especially those bound to phytic acid. However, sprouting is a good medium for microbial growth; thus, producing safe sprouts from harmful microbial growth is challenging. In food biotechnology, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be potentially used to improve nutrition and play a vital role as competitive microbes in food preservation. Therefore, supporting natural LAB growth by adding glucose sources during sprouting can produce a safer sprouting medium. Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) sprouted for up to 50 h with glucose (0.1% and 1%) under aero-anaerobic conditions, with recycled water periodically spraying on the sprouts to support the natural LAB growth. Results show increased LAB counts, lactic acid and acetic acid, and decreased pH. Moreover, the addition of glucose had no significant detrimental effects on sprout quality compared to the control sample relative to nutritional compounds, such as saccharides, which remained similar. This sprouting method can be scaled up to production levels and is considerably cheaper than other treatments.

This study aimed to determine the effect of carob molasses pulp flour (CMP) at 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% on the chemical composition and properties of eggless semolina pasta in terms of colour, nutritional value, cooking quality, and sensory properties. As presumed, carbohydrate and energy values of CMP-added pasta (carbohydrates 73.31–77.40%) were lower than the control (82.17%), whereas dietary fibre values were up to 4 times higher (8.18–12.60% vs. 3.71%). There was not a significant difference in the amount of fat (0.48–0.70%), optimum cooking time (6.56–7.06 min), or cooking loss (10.43–12.57%) of CMP-added pasta compared to the non-enriched counterpart (P > 0.05). All formulations were sufficient in terms of sensory properties; colour shift occurred in the direction from standard yellow to the dark brown area. The results showed that even the maximal tested dosage of the CMP equal to 10.0% could produce pasta with satisfying overall quality.

This research investigated the influence of the storage duration on the health promoting tyrosine, tryptophan and total phenolics in potato tubers. In the course of storage, the total amount of accumulated compounds in the dry mass of organically grown potato tubers increases. This is determined by individual properties of potato variety, storage time, and interaction of these two factors (P < 0.05). Organic potato tubers show increased total phenolic compounds in their dry matter during storage. This is due to a variety of characteristics, storage time and the interaction of these two factors (P < 0.05). A more pronounced increase in total phenolic compounds during storage was observed in 2022 than in 2021.

Determining gallic acid in honey can provide information for assessing the nutritional value and tracing the source of honey. However, the complex matrix of honey and the low content of gallic acid may hamper the detection. Therefore, it is important to select an appropriate sample preparation method. This work established an air-assisted dispersive micro-solid phase extraction combined with a high-performance liquid chromatography method to determine gallic acid in honey. Zinc/nickel/aluminium layered double hydroxides were selected as the adsorbent to extract gallic acids in diluted honey samples. Under air-assisted extraction, the adsorbents adsorbed gallic acid in honey via anion exchange. Subsequently, the isolated adsorbents were dissolved in a 1% phosphoric acid solution. A high-performance liquid chromatography-UV-Vis detector was used for gallic acid detection. Under the optimised conditions, gallic acid showed good linearity over the concentration range of 0.005–10.0 mg·L^–1 with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.999. The detection limit and quantification limit were 13.5 and 45 ng·g^–1, respectively. The recoveries were 89.8–93.4%, with the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations in the range of 0.71–1.17% and 0.76–1.27%, respectively. The method possesses the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, economy and environmental friendliness and is suitable for detecting gallic acid in honey.

Aronia melanocarpa is one of the many fruit types rich in polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, we used this fruit in our research as a possible natural antioxidant, which was added to pork sausages. Four groups were prepared: control group, a group with ascorbic acid, and groups with 3 and 5 mL·kg^–1 of chokeberry extract. During storage, we monitored changes in pH, colour, texture and oxidative stability of pork sausages and sensory evaluation. We did not observe any negative effects of the extract on the quality of pork sausages during storage. Regarding oxidative stability, the lowest increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) was observed in the group with 5 mL·kg^–1 of chokeberry extract, which was comparable to the group with ascorbic acid.

Because grape pomace powder (GPP) contains abundant phenolic chemicals and fibres, GPPs can serve as a filler in developing novel food products. This study examined how the GPP amounts affected a composite flour's physicochemical properties and bakery snacks' chemical, technical, and sensory properties. The experimental procedure involved replacing wheat flour (WF) with GPP at 5–20% while maintaining 100% WF as the control. The addition of GPP resulted in a significant decrease in the oil absorption capacity (P ≤ 0.05), while the rehydration index and water absorption capacity increased (P ≤ 0.05). The peak length (5.44–5.90 min), pasting temperature (70.20–80.92 °C), peak viscosity (124.72–172.80 RVU; RVU – relative value unit), trough viscosity (60.76–82.04 RVU), breakdown viscosity (69.56–93.74 RVU), final viscosity (162.70–222.30 RVU), and setback viscosity were measured. The addition of GPP to the composite flour and snacks decreased the lightness (L*) and increased the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*). The items' higher dietary fibre (DF) allowed them to claim 'high fibre content' when the maximum GPP was added. The GPP also increased the snacks' total solids, protein, ash, fibre, total phenolics content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity. The sensory acceptability of the snacks made with 5–10% GPP instead of WF was higher.

Two different morphologies of nanocellulose – cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with different contents were added to emulsified sausages to replace pork back fat in different proportions (10%, 30%, and 50%), and the colour, emulsion stability, texture characteristics and dynamic rheological behaviour of emulsified sausages were analysed. The results indicate substituting fat with nanocellulose led the L* (lightness) and a* (redness) values increased and the b* (yellowness) values decreased of the emulsified sausages. Increasing nanocellulose concentration improved the emulsion stability of the sausages. In terms of emulsion stability, the use of CNFs outperformed CNCs, especially for samples substituted with 50% fat. In terms of texture, emulsified sausages where CNCs replaced fat showed lower hardness, viscosity, and chewiness compared to those with CNFs. The dynamic rheological results indicated that when the fat replacement levels were 10% and 30%, samples using CNFs as fat substitute had slightly higher storage modulus (G') values than those using CNCs. However, for 50% fat replacement, samples using CNFs as fat substitute had significantly higher G' values than those using CNCs, which demonstrates that higher CNFs concentrations are more conducive to the formation of a three-dimensional network structure.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is one of the most important cereals in the world; is an important source of bioactive compounds. The germination is a very useful tool to improve the nutraceutical value of cereals, associated with the reduction of chronic-degenerative diseases; the extrusion has a positive effect on microbiological stability and sensory properties. The response of the combined germination-extrusion processes applied under optimised conditions, on proximal composition, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant activity (AoxA), hypoglycemic potential and microbiological quality of sorghum grains were studied. Sorghum was processed by germination (37 °C for 69 h) and extrusion [137 °C for 134 rpm (revolutions per minute)]. The germination increased protein content (+21%), insoluble dietary fibre (+50%), IVPD (+10%), TPC (+26%), AoxA (+97%). The extrusion increased soluble dietary fibre (+100%) and IVPD (+13%). The combined germination-extrusion processing reduced the content of total coliforms, total mesophilic aerobics and molds below the maximum limits established by the Mexican Official Standards NOM-147-SSA1-1994. Regarding hypoglycemic potential, germinated sorghum and germinated-extruded sorghum presented the best half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value. The combination of germination-extrusion processes is an effective strategy to increase bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity and inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes.

Two varieties of palm date seeds (PDS), Sukkari and Khalas, were examined for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Total phenol content was 2 014.37 ± 212.05 and 2 060.40 ± 176.0 mg GAE 100 g-1 dry weight (DW); and total flavonoid content was 83.98 ± 1.10 and 94.97 ± 1.36 mg QE 100 g-1 DW for Sukkari and Khalas, respectively. PDS extracts showed potential scavenging activity against ABTS, DDPH, and hydroxyl radical; the calculated IC50s were 431.17 ± 12.45, 400 ± 10.87 and 680 ± 18.12 µg for Sukkari, and 476 ± 20.25, 302.24 ± 14.08 and 284.18 ± 11.62 µg for Khalas, respectively. PDS extracts did not show potential activity against superoxide anion. Both extracts showed a high percentage of reducing power as the calculated FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) concentrations were 12.66 ± 1.08 and 16.14 ± 1.94 mmol ascorbic acid equivalent 100 g-1 for Sukkari and Khalas, respectively. Bacillus subtilis showed a remarkable sensitivity to PDS extracts; the inhibition zones were 21 ± 0.82 and 22 ± 0.67 mm for Sukkari and Khalas, respectively. PDS extracts possess good antioxidant and antibacterial activity, and therefore PDS could be effectively used as a natural source of antioxidants and to be detected against gram-positive bacteria.

Washing and blanching are two important steps for the processing of fresh good grade small shiitake into casual snacks and prepared foods. This study explored their effects on the dimensions, weights, proximate compositions, taste and bioactive compounds of the shiitake caps and stipes. Results showed that the dimensions and weights of the caps and stipes increased after washing but decreased after blanching. On a dry basis, washing did not affect the nutrients and bioactive compounds contents of shiitake except sugars and polyols compared to fresh samples. However, blanching greatly reduced all the quality contents of the shiitake. The major minerals in the caps and stipes were potassium, magnesium and calcium. The main polyol, sugar, free amino acid, and 5'-nucleotide of shiitake were mannitol, trehalose, glutamine and 5'-adenosine monophosphate, respectively. Equivalent umami concentration (EUC) in the caps was three-fold higher than that in the stipes. Ergosterol, ergothioneine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and total phenols contents in the caps were significantly higher than those of the stipes, but the polysaccharides showed the reversed. Overall, both caps and stipes contain the necessary nutrients and bioactive compounds, and the blanching significantly affected the above-mentioned components of all tested samples.

The correlations between water state and the key factors affecting sourdough quality, including cell activity and acidification capacity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), were established in this study. Results revealed that with the increase of frozen storage time, the cell density (CD), total titratable acidity (TTA), and organic acids content declined, whereas the pH value rose. Further, the freezable water content (FWC) and free water quantity (FWQ) decreased, but the total water loss rate (WLR) and immobilised water quantity (IWQ) increased. The CD showed a highly inversely correlation with WLR, and the pH value was strongly inversely correlated to the FWQ. The confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observed that the ice crystals had larger volumes during frozen storage. Our data, for the first time, disclosed that the total water content and the FWQ may play a crucial role in maintaining the viability and acidification capacity of LAB in frozen sourdough.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune gluten-sensitive entheropathy. The only available treatment for it is the life-long adherence to a gluten-free diet although these products are often poor in proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The current study was designed to investigate the effect of buckwheat flour incorporation to a gluten-free experimental formulation on the size-related parameters, and microelements and proteins contents. Buckwheat flour affected positively the technological quality of bread, like bread specific volume index and loaf size. Increasing concentration of buckwheat flour (10-40%) in bread affected the proportional enrichment in proteins and microelements, especially in copper and manganese.

This study provides the first insight into the biologically active potential (total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins and antioxidant activity) of Moldavian сarob beans and pod pulp in comparison with carob grown in Algeria, Spain, and Italy. The results showed that the samples of Moldavian carob contain significant amounts (P ≤ 0.05) of biologically active compounds, the content of some of these compounds is far exceeding that of сarob from the above-mentioned regions. Thus, the total content of phenolic compounds in Moldavian carob samples is 1.4 times higher, of flavonoids 1.9 times higher compared to the imported ones. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) antioxidant activity of Moldavian carob samples proved to be about 10-12% higher than the antioxidant activity of samples from other regions. It has been proved that Moldavian carob pod pulp and beans have a high biologically active potential making them possible ingredients for functional food products.

Corrigendum in: CJFS. 2023 Feb 27; 41(1):78. doi:10.17221/26/2023-CJFS

Growing consumer awareness is forcing food producers to supply raw material and products of increasingly high quality and health-promoting properties. Knowledge of the genetic background of quality characteristics is taking on great importance, enabling selection based on molecular markers. The increasing throughput of molecular techniques, in combination with an expanding bioinformatics infrastructure, is leading to continual improvement in understanding of the molecular mechanisms influencing meat quality. This has resulted in the identification of polymorphic nucleotides [single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] showing a relationship with meat characteristics such as tenderness [polymorphism in the calpain (CAPN) and calpastatin (CAST) genes], marbling [diacylglycerol o-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1)], colour, pH and water-holding capacity (WHC) [CAST, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and others], and fatty acid profile (SCD1). An increasingly wide range of methods is used for analysis, from techniques based on amplification of nucleic acids [polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and amplification refractory mutation system-PCR (ARMS-PCR)] through Sanger sequencing to high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. This paper is a review of the literature on polymorphism of genes determining the quality characteristics of meat and molecular methods used to detect them.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate current nutritional guidelines of modern diets based on medical and nutrition facts and their effect on gut microbiota and health, considering current recommendations of world authorities such as FAO and WHO. For this purpose, the first part is devoted to the impact of microbiota on human health, and special attention is committed to the effect of fibre on gut microbiota. The second part is dedicated to the fundamental division of diets and the evaluation of concrete nutritional guidelines of modern diets into microbiota and health, followed by the recommendations of global authorities. Modern diets include diets from the point of view of medical science (e.g. Mediterranean), promoted by nutritionists and authorities (e.g. Nordic) and by social trends (e.g. vegan). The evaluation summarises that high-fibre diets have tremendous benefits on human health. Diets with fresh, local and naturally fermented food positively impact the gut microbiota, hence human health (agrarian diets). The results of the review show that the nutritional guidelines associated with the lowest mortality are the Mediterranean with the Atlantic or Nordic diet, which is in line with the recommendation of the world authorities (FAO, WHO, UN). The low-fibre western diet with highly processed foods with no or very low levels of live bacteria appears to be high-risk in terms of preventing civilisation diseases with a negative impact on gut microbiota, which is in line with current FAO and WHO guidelines.

One of the efforts to produce functional foods is using ingredients containing health-beneficial bioactive compounds. Another way to produce functional foods is fermentation generating bioactive compounds or fortification with the bioactive compound extract. An ingredient historically believed to have benefits on health is moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf powder. Moringa leaf powder is a valuable source of functional ingredients, including protein, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients such as carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins. However, moringa is a plant that is distributed in various tropical countries in the world. Its quality depends on geographical differences, cultivars, environmental conditions, seasons, genotypes, and varieties. This article reviews the bioactive compounds of moringa leaf powder and the characteristics of moringa leaf powder extract. The effect of moringa leaf powder fortification on food product characteristics is also discussed. Moringa leaf powder possesses many pharmacological properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and antioxidant ones. The bioactivity of leaf extract is extracting solvent dependent. Therefore, fortification results in nutritional improvement and increasing health benefits of food products. However, the adverse effect is found in sensory. Thus properties, thus the moringa leaf powder fortification level usually is less than 10%. Changes in the functional properties of foods due to moringa leaf powder fortification have been studied to a limited extent. A low level of fortification might not affect the properties of food products. Therefore, moringa leaf powder is potentially used as a functional food ingredient. Some studies reported the toxicological effects of moringa leaf powder and the use of this ingredient, should be below the harmful doses.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important grain legume foods for the human diet. Common bean seed is gaining attention due to its content of secondary metabolites with positive effects on human health. The present work analysed the effect of common bean germination on the essential amino acid profile, active compound content, and expansion index after extrusion processing. The content of tryptophan (Trp) in raw common bean (RCB) and in germinated common bean (GCB) seeds was 6.1 and 7.9 mg·g^–1 of protein, respectively. The limiting amino acids in RCB were sulphur amino acids and Trp, and in GCB only the sulphur amino acids were the limiting amino acids. The germination process in beans increases the levels of quercetin and kaempferol and allows the synthesis of daidzein and genistein, and significantly increases the expansion index after extrusion processing. The germination of common bean could be used as a strategy to improve nutritional, nutraceutical, and processing properties.

Coumarins and pyridines are a promising class of naturally occurring bioactive heterocycles with unique physical and chemical properties. Compounds containing the coumarin framework possess a wide range of pharmacological, biological, and physiological activities, which makes them important for application in medicine, the food industry and agriculture. Among all coumarins' properties, it was found that coumarins may prevent fungal growth, depending on substituents linked to the coumarin core. Therefore, many coumarin derivatives have been investigated as potentially powerful agents in preventing and controlling fungal pathogens. This review summarises the latest research on coumarins and their antifungal activity to provide useful information for further developing more efficient coumarin-based fungicides.

The shelf life of a food product is a finite period after manufacturing and packaging, during which it retains a required and acceptable level of quality for consumption. The objective was to characterise and describe the transparent and comprehensible processing process to collect, select, critically evaluate and summarise available evidence regarding the use of mathematical models in the estimation of the shelf life of coffee under accelerated storage conditions. Of the 183 articles identified, nine studies were included in the review: four evaluated various types of packaging containing roasted and ground coffee, three coffee-based beverages, one infusion and one in bean format; the models frequently used were Weibull-Hazard Analysis, first-order, and zero-order kinetic model, which requires the decay kinetic constant, the same as that acquired by the Arrhenius model or a proposed model. Quality descriptors and mathematical models have been identified that allow estimating the shelf life of coffee and its derivative products under accelerated storage conditions, in addition to primary sources with experimental designs.

The reduction of NaCl content in cheeses is nutritionally desirable but quite challenging due to NaCl's key role during cheese production and ripening. We focused on reformulated Dutch-type cheeses ripened for 120 days and their microbiological and sensory characteristics, including of determining organic acids (electrophoresis) and volatile substances (SPME-GC-MS analysis). Experimental batches contained 0.64, 0.90, and 1.19% NaCl or 0.77% NaCl together with 0.33% KCl. The influence of salts on lactose and citrate metabolism (the formation of lactic, acetic, and formic acid, ethanol, diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-butanediol), proteolysis (the formation of glutamic acid), lipolysis and β-oxidation of fatty acids (the formation of 2-butanone, 2-butanol, hexanal, hexanoic and octanoic acid) was undetected. Contrarily, brining conditions affected the contamination of cheese surfaces with yeasts and halotolerant microorganisms and cheese consistency. While a typical consistency was formed only in the cheeses with 1.19% NaCl acceptable saltiness was declared in the cheeses with the content of salts 0.90% or higher. The partial replacement of NaCl with KCl caused metallic off-taste in the cheeses that ripened longer than Consistent acceptance seems to be the most limiting factor for the tested reformulation appears.

The objective of this study was to quantify the concentration of acrylamide in biscuits, bread, and cake obtained from industrial and local bakeries, classified based on their colour intensity as light, medium, or dark. The analysis was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sugar, moisture, and asparagine analyses were also carried out simultaneously. The results demonstrated that the acrylamide content in biscuits, bread, and cakes varied according to the colour (light 109.9 ± 7.95, 214.7 ± 27.40, and 128.6 ± 7.05; medium 176.3 ± 15.16, 387.0 ± 87.71, and 804.3 ± 17.16; and dark 407.6 ± 105.13, 555.8 ± 16.20, and 1 015.0 ± 83.68 µg·kg^–1, respectively). Statistically, significant differences were observed between acrylamide content and product colour density (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that the acrylamide content increases as the product colour intensity rises due to the increased baking temperature at which the reaction between reducing sugars and asparagine takes place, resulting in the formation of acrylamide. The results suggest that selecting commercial bakery products based on colour may be beneficial for reducing the daily intake of acrylamide by consumers. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid dark-coloured bakery products.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of propolis ethanol extract collected from the Tarsus district of Mersin province, Kilis province, Yayladagi district of Hatay province in southern Türkiye and Sarkoy district of Tekirdag province of northwestern Türkiye against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Helicobacter pylori (ATCC 43504), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). Their chemical constituents were detected via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). They were used in a molecular docking approach to search the interactions between the propolis compounds. A total of 24 phenolic compounds were detected in all samples. 3–4 dimethoxycinnamic acid, caffeic acid and genistein were indicated to be the predominant phenolic compounds in propolis extracts by LC-MS/MS, while rutin was found in the lowest concentration. Phenolic compounds were detected in a high concentration of the propolis samples collected from the Tarsus district of Mersin province. The broth microdilution method determined minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values. MIC values ranged from 0.02 to 14 mg·mL^–1. E. coli and S. aureus examined were as susceptible to the propolis extracts except for Mersin and Tekirdag propolis samples. The propolis sample collected from the Tarsus district of Mersin province presented the highest antibacterial activity on P. aeruginosa with MIC values of 1 mg·mL^–1. Active substances in propolis were docked to the relevant target proteins (5LMM, 4NX9, 5YHG, and 5FXT) representing E. coli (ATCC 25922), H. pylori (ATCC 43504), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and S. aureus (ATCC 29213), and with the help of molecular simulation. With this study, we indicated that the ethanol extract of propolis had a stronger antibacterial activity on S. aureus isolates than that of E. coli, H. pylori, and P. aeruginosa. Although each component of propolis contributed to the antibacterial activity, the contribution of the vitexin component to the antibacterial activity was found to be quite significant.

The recovery and utilization of onion processing waste would contribute to the solution of environmental problems. This research presents the way of successful supplementation of onion processing waste in mayonnaise. Different levels (0, 1, 2, and 3%) of onion waste powder (OWP) were used as an additive to mayonnaise, based on sunflower oil. The final mayonnaise formulations were evaluated for sensory properties, rheological behaviour, oxidative stability, total phenolic content, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The results indicated that OWP could be used as a potential health-promoting functional ingredient in amounts of 2% to produce mayonnaise enriched with total phenolic compounds and flavonoids, having high antioxidant activity, acceptable quality, and overall consumer preference.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of fat levels (200 g·kg^–1 meat and 500 g·kg^–1 meat) and types [lard, glycerolised lard (GL), and purified glycerolised lard (PGL)] on the quality and sensory characteristics of emulsion-type sausages. As observed, at the same type of fat, the low-fat sausage (200 g·kg^–1 meat) had a significantly higher L*-value (lightness) and lower cooking loss and total expressible fluid (P < 0.05) than the high-fat sausage (500 g·kg^–1 meat) and exhibited a denser and more homogeneous microstructure. Additionally, T₂₃ (relaxation time) of the low-fat sausage shifted toward a slower relaxation time, and higher A₂₃ (peak area) was found, which suggested the water mobility was restricted. However, at the same fat content, the low-GL and low-PGL sausages showed better textural properties and superior overall acceptability from sensory evaluation compared with the low-lard sausage (P < 0.05). Still, they have no significant differences (P > 0.05). Therefore, lard-based diacylglycerol could be effectively applied as a fat replacer in emulsion-type sausages with low-fat contents to produce healthier meat products.

Chips made from maize semolina are rarely mycotoxin analysed because they are classified as low-risk foods in routine legal control plans. It is essential to foresee the health risks these snack foods may pose in the medium and long term, whose consumption frequency and quantity have increased with the changing consumer behaviours during the pandemic. The most outstanding development in mycotoxin analysis in recent years has been the use of high-pressure liquid chromatography together with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a detector. For aflatoxin (AF) B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂, ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), fumonisin B₂ (FB₂), citrinin (CIT), HT-2 toxin, and T-2 toxin determination in our samples, the LC-MS/MS analysis method with electrospray ionisation interfaces was utilised. Aflatoxin B₁ levels in 22.7% of the samples (2.01–17.49 μg·kg^–1) and total aflatoxins (TAF) in 26.7% of the samples (6.71–24.67 μg·kg^–1) were determined to exceed the limits defined in the Turkish Food Codex Contaminants Regulation. CIT could not be detected in any of the samples. ZEN + DON + OTA was found in 21.3% of the samples, DON + TAF + total fumonisins (FUM) in 19.3%, and TAF + ZEN + FUM in 18.7%.

Among the varieties of pineapples, honey pineapple is suitable to be processed as a probiotic beverage. The study aimed to evaluate the honey pineapple juice as a growth medium for Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum Dad-13 probiotic strain. The pineapple juice was fermented by adding a starter culture of L. plantarum Dad-13. The fermentation time (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 h) was used as a variable. The number of L. plantarum Dad-13 cells increased significantly after fermentation (P < 0.05). In acidic pineapple juice L. plantarum Dad-13 can still grow more than 2 log cycles. After 16 h, the results showed the best characteristics with cell count (8.86 log CFU·mL^–1), pH (3.52), and titratable acidity (0.59%). To balance the sour taste, the 8% sucrose addition was the most preferred by the panellists (n = 67), with a 5.74 (slightly like) overall acceptance score. After 42 days, there was no significant decrease in cell viability. The number of cells on day 42 was 8.81 log CFU·mL^–1 with significant changes in pH and titratable acidity. The study showed that honey pineapple juice is a suitable growth medium for L. plantarum Dad-13.

Mulberry is gaining attention for its potential health benefits. However, post-harvest deterioration of quality necessitates drying to prolong storage. This study aimed to investigate the effects of natural drying (ND), hot air drying (HAD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD) on bioactive compounds and volatile organic compounds of fresh mulberries. The results showed that VFD had the highest retention of total phenols (5 553.87 ± 744.97 µg GAE·g^–1), total flavonoids (3 575.51 ± 465.98 µg rutin·g^–1), and total anthocyanins (64.98 ± 13.15 µg C3C·g^–1) after prolonged drying. Additionally, flavour was identified as the most important indicator influencing consumer preference for dried mulberries, and VFD was found to be effective in retaining the natural flavours of mulberries. Although thermal treatment leads to a significant loss of organic compounds, HAD showed good retention of active substances and lower energy consumption in a shorter processing time.