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Donkey milk is a very promising matrix for the isolation of new potential starter cultures with probiotic properties. We isolated, identified, and compared the technological properties of the donkey milk isolate D23 with those of goat milk isolates G15 and G17 and bovine milk isolates C3 and C9. All isolates were identified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays (determination of species-specific DNA fragments). Like the bovine and goat isolates, the donkey milk isolate D23 was able to grow in De Man–Rogosa–Sharpe (MRS) broth at various temperatures (10, 25, 30, 37, and 45 °C) and at different NaCl concentrations (0–6.5% w/v). Additionally, D23 showed notable proteolytic and autolytic activity, could grow in and acidifying ultra high temperature (UHT) bovine milk but exhibited very weak diacetyl production. None of the isolates displayed hemolytic activity, nor produced histamine, fenylethylamine and cadaverine. Finally, isolate D23 demonstrated interesting antibacterial and antifungal properties compared to the goat and bovine isolates, especially against staphylococcus aureus CCM 3953.

Growth inhibition and time-kill properties of Hallabong, Redhyang, Cheonhyehyang, and orange peel essential oils against foodborne pathogens were evaluated. Hallabong, Redhyang, Cheonhyehyang, and orange peel essential oils prolonged the lag phase of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Shigella sonnei, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus for > 24 h and extended the lag phase by 4–24 h against other food poisoning bacteria. Citrus fruit peel essential oil and their constituents after 12 and 24 h of incubation showed almost complete growth inhibition against all foodborne pathogens, except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hallabong, Redhyang, Cheonhyehyang, and orange peel essential oils exhibited > 40% killing activity against B. cereus, B. subtilis, and S. sonnei, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus after 12 and 24 h of incubation. Additionally, B. subtilis showed the highest microbial killing rate of over 16% per hour, followed by Vibrio sp. Hallabong, Redhyang, Cheonhyehyang, and orange peel essential oil are anticipated to replace chemical preservatives against foodborne pathogens.

The present investigation explored the possible use of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (TVEO) as a beverage antifungal preservative instead of chemical ones. The chemical profile of TVEO exposed carvacrol (60.47%) as the predominant compound. The antifungal properties of TVEO were assessed on various food spoilage yeast and mould species using two tests. TVEO showed a powerful antimicrobial effect against all the fungal strains at the three volumes of essential oil (EO) used (i.e. 10, 20, and 30 µL). The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of TVEO was also evaluated and ranged from 0.0625% to 0.015% (v/v). Furthermore, the potency of TVEO as a beverage antimicrobial preservative was tested at four distinct concentrations (0.6, 1.25, 4, and 6 μL·mL^–1) against Saccharomyces cerevisiae alone and combined with medium heating (70 °C for 2 min) in a real food matrix (Orangina^® drink) for eight storage days. TVEO exhibited a significantly higher preservative effect than chemical preservatives (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate). Lastly, a molecular docking examined the mechanism of action of carvacrol against two crucial enzymes in S. cerevisiae viability [ERG2 (sterol C8-isomerase) and ERG3 (sterol C5-desaturase)] compared to a chemical preservative (potassium sorbate). The two ligands highly interacted with the two target enzymes. However, carvacrol achieved a better score than potassium sorbate against ERG2 and ERG3, with binding energy of –10.19 kcal·mol^–1 and –11.73 kcal·mol^–1, respectively. Our results open up the perspective of using TVEO as a natural food preservative.

Abstract: To eliminate the unpleasant odour and produce more flavour, enzymatic hydrolysis with bromelain (Bro), papain (Pap), and Bro + Pap and boiled with maltose were applied in pig trotters. In this study, Pap, Bro, and a combination of Bro + Pap were dissolved in a saline solution to treat pig trotters. Results showed that the Bro + Pap treatment produced more amino acids, and the boiled + roasted with sugar of Bro + Pap treatment could significantly reduce aldehydes (nonanal and octanal) associated with the formation of off-flavour. Additionally, it increased the content of esters (ethyl propionate, ethyl isobutyrate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, and butyl acetate) in pig trotters, resulting in a more pleasing flavour. Electronic nose signals and sensory evaluation experiments further confirmed these findings. Moreover, the deodorising and aroma-enhancing process also improved their overall eating quality.

This review explores the diverse applications and health benefits of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) through biotechnological applications in the food industry. While all LAB are indispensable for the production of fermented foods thanks to their ability to produce lactic acid and bacteriocins that act as natural preservatives, specific strains of probiotic LAB offer targeted health benefits. In addition to general benefits of LAB, probiotic strains significantly enhance gut microbiota, enhance human immunity, and exhibit antimicrobial properties. This review also delves into the mechanisms of action of probiotic LAB, focusing on adhesion, colonisation, and antioxidant production, emphasising their potential to advance nutritional innovations. Beyond food production, the broader category of LAB has transformative potential in industrial applications, particularly in the sugar industry, where their metabolic activity can improve sucrose extraction processes, promote microbial management, and reduce unwanted by-products. By understanding these aspects, the review underscores the importance of probiotic LAB in promoting health, efficiency, and sustainability across sectors.

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.

This study compares the bioactive compound contents and volatile profiles of products obtained from the ‘Nero’ variety of aronia (Aronia melanocarpa L.) fruits subjected to three different drying methods: freeze drying, vacuum drying, and hot air drying. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity were evaluated. The highest values were observed in the freeze-dried samples, with 67.9 mg GAE·g^–1 dry weight (DW), 41.7 mg CE·g^–1 DW, and 88.6% antioxidant activity, respectively. Vacuum drying resulted in moderate levels of bioactive compounds, while hot air drying yielded the lowest values. Volatile compound analysis, based on relative peak areas obtained from Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), indicated that freeze drying retained the highest levels of key aroma compounds, including hexanal (15.4%), ethyl acetate (13.9%), methyl acetate (5.7%), benzaldehyde (5.2%), 1-butanol (4.4%), linalool (3.5%), hexane (3.3%), and 2-nonanol (3.1%). The heatmap and ANOVA analyses consistently demonstrated that the drying method had a significant effect on volatile compound retention, with freeze drying identified as the most effective technique for preserving the native aroma profile. One-way ANOVA showed statistically significant differences between groups (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed clear distinctions in both bioactive profiles and volatile compositions across the drying methods. Overall, freeze drying proved to be the most effective method for preserving both bioactive and volatile components in dried ‘Nero’ aronia fruits.

Dragon fruit peel (Hylocereus spp.), often discarded as waste has gained interest for its anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. Peels make up to 22–44% (w·w^–1) of the fruit's weight and this waste could make a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a drinking yoghurt using dragon fruit peel extract as a natural colorant and evaluate its physicochemical, proximate, functional, and shelf-life properties. The sugar concentrations (4, 6, and 8% w·w^–1) and incubation times (4, 6, and 8 h) were changed to optimise the product. Sensory evaluation by 30 semi-trained panellists using a 5-point hedonic scale identified 6% (w·w^–1) sugar and an 8 h incubation as optimal. Compared to plain drinking yoghurt, the dragon fruit peel (DFP) drinking yoghurt showed higher crude fat (2.87%), fibre (0.72%), ash (0.66%), moisture (84.08%), total antioxidants (824.3 mg TE·100 g^–1), flavonoids (0.22 mg QE^–1·mL^–1), and betalains content (0.0064 mg·mL^–1). During storage, DFP yoghurt's pH declined, with minimal betalain loss, and it remained stable for three weeks at 4 °C without preservatives. This study demonstrates the potential of dragon fruit peel as a functional ingredient in yoghurt, offering nutritional and environmental benefits.

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.

High salt (sodium chloride) consumption is a significant public health concern worldwide. There is strong scientific evidence that a high-sodium diet is associated with increased rates of several health problems. This article aims to replace the salt content of sliced bread with salt encapsulated in xanthan gum, providing a non-homogeneous distribution of salt to maintain the perception of salty taste. The key focus of this research is to maintain the product's sensory characteristics and ensure consumer acceptance, a crucial aspect in the success of any food product. For this purpose, three sliced bread formulations were developed and compared: Formulation 1 (F1) as the standard, and Formulations 2 (F2) and 3 (F3) using the encapsulated salt technique, with respective reductions of 30% and 50% in salt. Physicochemical analyses were performed on the products of the three bread formulations. Sensory analysis was also performed on the products from the three bread formulations, involving 80 untrained tasters, to evaluate and compare salt intensity. Thus, it was evaluated that F1 and F2 did not present statistical differences in the sodium content, while F3 presented a difference between the others. Therefore, it was possible to conclude that reducing sodium by 29% using xanthan gum encapsulation can be an alternative to reducing salt without lowering flavour perception.

Conditioning films on surfaces employed in the dairy industry serve as the precursors to the formation of pathogenic biofilms that impact product quality and consumer safety. Conditioning films have been studied from several aspects. However, there has been no study that evaluated the effect of raw milk conditioning film on the adhesion of Escherichia coli. This study investigated the adhesion of E. coli on glass and stainless-steel surfaces conditioned with raw milk and explored the surface properties potentially influencing this adhesion using the contact angle method. The results showed that after treating surfaces with raw milk, the adhesion of the bacteria on stainless steel and glass was significantly altered. Adhesion increased significantly on stainless steel (from 0.55 log₁₀ to 2.8 log₁₀) but it decreased on glass (from 1.56 log₁₀ to 0.8 log₁₀). Significant alterations were observed in the physicochemical properties of the surfaces. Glass was initially relatively hydrophilic (46.33°), while stainless steel was relatively hydrophobic (82.5°). After treatment, the glass became relatively more hydrophobic (74.6°), and stainless steel became relatively more hydrophilic (69.4°). The electron donor/acceptor components of glass decreased after the treatment, while these components increased for stainless steel. The significant changes in adhesion were hypothesized to be due to the modification of surface properties by the raw milk.

Chickpeas and oats are rich in essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, such as phenolics and flavonoids. Extrusion technology enhances food digestibility, nutrition, and shelf life, thus meeting consumer demands. Instant food products are experiencing market growth due to advancements in processing technologies that cater to healthier ingredients. This study aims to evaluate pre-gelatinised flours produced through extrusion using different proportions of chickpeas and oats (100 : 0, 90 : 10, and 80 : 20) and compare them with their respective raw versions. The physicochemical properties, technological characteristics [Rapid Viscosity Analysis (RVA) and Water Absorption Index (WAI)], applications within the instant food industry, and their potential for acceptance were evaluated. The extruded flours showed lower moisture content and water activity – finally, their application in instant soups, mainly at 10%, increased consumer acceptance. Incorporating oats in the flours resulted in higher water activity, WAI, final viscosity, peak viscosity and pasting temperature. Our results demonstrate that flours with suitable physicochemical and technological properties could be obtained using chickpeas, oats, and extrusion. Its incorporation into instant soups resulted in products with suitable acceptance by consumers.

The unique structural and biological diversity found in plants renders them a distinctive and sustainable source for discovering new antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic compounds. In the present study, antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of essential oils of citrus varieties of Northeast India were studied against selected foodborne pathogens using both in vitro and in silico approaches. These essential oils showed significant antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against foodborne pathogens. i.e. Bacillus cereus MTCC430 and Yersinia enterocolitica MTCC859. It was observed that the treatment with essential oil disturbed the membrane integrity of the pathogens, thereby causing the release of nucleic acids. This study also postulated that active compounds of the essential oils interact with different target proteins of the pathogens and provide an explanation for the mechanisms of antimicrobial and antibiofilm action of the essential oils of citrus varieties against foodborne pathogens.

With the growing population, increasing income, and high-speed lifestyle, people pay more attention to a healthy diet and nutritional food. Organic food, also regarded as healthy, sustainable, or eco-friendly eating, has gained global popularity. This trend has been particularly amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a surge in demand for nutritious foods worldwide. Organic food originated in Europe, with the highest development globally. Its progress varies by country. China's organic food industry began decades ago, growing rapidly. As globalisation advances and China's economy accelerates, it is valuable to examine the organic food industries in Hungary and China. In order to understand the willingness of consumers to buy organic food, we conducted a survey for a month in 2021 from 581 respondents in Hungary (185), China (374), and other countries, compared the respondents' demographic data, organic food consumption and their buying willingness and attitude to recommend organic food to other consumers. The decision tree analysis was deployed to analyse the statistical data via SPSS software. It showed that organic food has a positive demand in both Hungary and China, but some purchase habits are different in these two countries.

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.

Peanut as an important crop, plays an important role in agricultural production, which is rich in edible vegetable oil and protein. The variety of peanut affects the content of vegetable oil and protein. Therefore, the classification of peanut variety can better promote the sustainable development of agriculture. In this study, hyperspectral imaging technology is used to achieve peanut variety classification. In addition, the spatial-spectral extreme learning machine (SS-ELM) is proposed to process the hyperspectral data to get the final classification label. To fully explore the spatial structure information of hyperspectral data, propagation filtering is integrated into the framework of extreme learning machine (ELM). The average accuracy of the improved ELM model on five varieties of peanuts dataset (Luhua 11, Dabaisha, Xiaobaisha, Fenghua, and Luohanguo 308) is 98.32%, which is higher than other classic models. The experimental results show that the improved ELM can classify peanut of different varieties by hyperspectral imaging.

Rice is prone to be contaminated with spoilage or toxigenic fungi during harvest, storage and processing, with Aspergillus species being the most frequent. It is crucial to develop effective sterilisation technologies for mycotoxin prevention and food safety. In this study, sterilised rice infected by Aspergillus parasiticus strain was treated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) cold plasma. Various parameters, including moisture content, oxygen content, treatment time and voltage were tested. Furthermore, sterilisation mechanism of Aspergillus parasiticus by cold plasma was also explored. Results indicated that decontamination effect could be significantly affected by moisture content, oxygen concentration, voltage and treatment time. A 99.89% degradation rate against Aspergillus parasiticus was achieved at 90 kV after 5 min. Cold plasma could reduce the initial concentration of 6.05 to 2.28 CFU·mL^–1 within 240 s, and to thoroughly decontamination within 360 s. In addition, cold plasma treatment destroyed the integrity of Aspergillus parasiticus cell membrane, resulting in a reduction in mycelium biomass and dry weight, as well as a significant decrease in intracellular Ca²⁺Mg²⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity. These findings demonstrate the potential of cold plasma technology for environmentally friendly sterilisation of hazardous fungi in grain system.

Sweet cherry juice rich in phenols and anthocyanins is highly perishable and typically undergo thermal pasteurisation, which can diminish its nutritional composition. High pressure processing (HPP), a non-thermal technique using pressure to inactivate the microbes while preserving nutrients, offers a more effective alternative for extending the shelf life of fruit juice. Accordingly, present study evaluated comparative impact of high pressure processing and thermal pasteurisation on phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, microbial and sensory attributes of cherry juice during storage. For study, cherry juice subjected to two different HPP levels (400 and 600 MPa) for 5 min and thermal pasteurisation (95 °C) for 30 s, followed by storage (60 days at 4 °C). Results showed HPP and thermal pasteurisation had significant impact (P < 0.05) on phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants compared to control, however, thermally pasteurised juice showed rapid deterioration compared to HPP juice, whereas anthocyanin and cyanidin-3-glucoside levels remarkably different in both groups. Microbial findings revealed safety of HPP pasteurisation juice with shelf life (45 days) however, better sensory acceptability for HPP treated juice. In nutshell, HPP pasteurisation is pragmatic approach for enhancing shelf life with better nutrients for cherry juice and findings useful for beverage industry and health professionals.

Pink oyster mushrooms are rich in protein, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, making them a great addition to any diet. However, pink oyster mushrooms have the ability to accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals, some of which, such as cadmium, can cause adverse effects on human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of pink oyster mushrooms to absorb Cd from substrates contaminated with Cd and to assess the human health risks associated with the consumption of these mushrooms. An experiment was carried out in a completely randomised design and included four treatments (four Cd contamination levels i.e. 0, 20, 50 and 100 mg·kg^–1) with three replications. Cd accumulation in mushrooms increased with increasing Cd content in substrates and ranged from 1.8 mg·kg^–1 (non-contaminated substrate) to 23.8 mg·kg^–1 of dry mass (substrate contaminated with 100 mg·kg^–1 of Cd). On the other hand, total mushroom yield showed a decreasing trend with increasing Cd levels in substrates. The results of the present study suggest that pink oyster mushrooms possess the capability to absorb Cd from the substrate in which they grow. The obtained results for target hazard quotient (THQ) of Cd point to the conclusion that the consumption of mushrooms cultivated on the Cd-contaminated substrates could produce negative health effects.

Hokkaido brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis) meats are used as ingredients of game cuisines. In contrast, shank meats are unsuitable as edible meats due to gamy tastes and tough meats. Here, new meat sauces were developed using glutinous rice koji and food enzymes for the application of the underutilised meat i.e. shank meat. The proximate analysis showed that the obtained sauces were reduced-salt sauces at approximately 6.4–7.7 g·(100 g)^–1 as salt equivalent. The sauces had a light colour, no unacceptable odours, and strong sweetness and umami taste. The sauce with good sensory acceptability was rich in glutamic acid, leucine, lysine, and alanine. Besides, the essential amino acid contents were remarkably high at approximately 55.6%. In addition, the tested sauces had good antioxidative activities, scavenging activities against reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion radicals and hydroxyl radicals, and angiotensin I-converting enzyme and hyaluronidase inhibitory activities. These results suggested that Hokkaido brown bear shank meat sauces, which had positive effects for human health, could be used as one of novel condiment with consumer demands.

Trehalose is a disaccharide composed of two glucose that can be found in various plant and animal species. Mammals are not able to synthesize trehalose but it is usually easily enzymatically broken down into 2 molecules of glucose. As a structural additive, trehalose can be used in food mainly for stabilizing proteins. Low trehalase activity (primary trehalase deficiency) leading to intolerance is rare but may appear manifest as a complication of enteropathy from other causes (celiac disease, Crohn's disease, etc.). We present the case of a young 27-year-old male with repeated tenesmus followed by enterorrhagia, weight loss, and elevated markers of inflammation caused by combined lactase and trehalase deficiency. Unique exome sequencing analysis of gene TREH was performed to distinguish between primary and secondary trehalase deficiency.

The investigation was aimed to evaluate the physical (total solids, melting rate, viscosity, and overrun) and sensory properties of vanilla gelato (VG) made by substituting soya curd (SC) for milk. Samples were VG without SC (F₀) and with SC, i.e. 25% (F₁), 50% (F₂), and 75% (F₃). Each sample criterion consisted of 5 repetitions (n = 20). Results showed that F₃ possessed the lowest total solids, viscosity, and overrun while its melting rate was the highest among other SC substitution levels (P < 0.05). The sensory test delineated that F₃ had a less soft texture, although its aroma and flavour were not different from others (P < 0.05). Thus, the greater portion of SC substitution for milk in the VGmaking process would substantially affect the physical properties of its final product in which the total solids, viscosity, and overrun were lower while the melting rate was higher. Substituting SC for milk in VG did not affect the sensory properties, except the texture. The higher SC amount used for milk substitution would result in VG with a less soft texture. SC at a certain level of substitution was potentially expected as an innovation of the phyto-gelato product, namely soy gelato.

In Mexico there is an important production of soybeans; however, no evidence of the analysis of organoleptic attributes in Mexican soybean products was found, so the objective of this work was to sensorially characterise soymilk made from commercial beans grown in northern Mexico based on seven organoleptic attributes. A panel of trained judges evaluated 11 soymilks made from commercial soybeans grown in Mexico, two soymilks made from commercial soybeans reported to be free of lipoxygenases, and one control soymilk. Evaluated flavour attributes were beany, milky, greasy, toasted, bitter, metallic and rancid. The results showed that the soymilks from the JP 30790 and JP 28955 genotypes generated low beany notes. The Mexican variety Guayparime S-10 obtained the lowest beany flavour note. Among Mexican soybeans, the soymilks of Huasteca 700 and Vernal varieties got the highest values of the milky flavour and the JP 30790 and JP 28955 materials obtained intermediate values in this attribute; in the rancid attribute, the zero value was given to all the soymilks. The scarce beany notes and the high milky attribute, as well as the zero value in the rancid attribute favour an acceptable flavour in the soymilks.

Heat-resistant moulds (HRMs) are the spoilage factors of thermally processed products such as pasteurised items and fruit products, which may cause financial losses and decrease food quality. Various variables may play a role in food contamination by HRMs, such as the processing environment, packaging, staff practices and air in the production site. Prevention of spoilage by HRMs for processed food products can be done through the reduction and decontamination of these microorganisms. This review aims to provide a perception of HRM and mycotoxin contamination, assessment, prevention and their consequences for food and human health.

One of the most important machines in the olive oil extraction line is the horizontal three-phase centrifugal separator machine or Tricanter. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the machine designed on the basis of Tricanter and to evaluate the quality of extracted olive oil. For this purpose, four different olive cultivars from Gilan Province in Iran were used. In this research the rotational speed of the Tricanter machine was tested at three levels of 2 500, 3 000, and 3 500 rpm and the content of water added to olive paste was used at three levels of 10, 20, and 30% of the paste mass. Peroxide value (PV) and percentage of acidity were measured for oil extracted from all four olive cultivars. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed that rotational speed and the content of added water had an effect on the acidity and PV for all samples of olive cultivars. The measured values showed that the best speed for the Tricanter machine is 3 500 rpm. At this rotational speed, the peroxide and acidity values are lower than the standard values.

The effect of instant rice mash (IRC) addition to rice bread was evaluated. Six samples containing different amounts of IRC (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%) were added to rice dough. Quality parameters (baking loss, specific volume, and textural properties) were evaluated. Texture properties were analysed in fresh bread and in bread after 24 h of storage. Additions of 10% and 20% of IRC increased baking loss from 15% to 22%, and the specific volume of rice bread from 1.5 mL g^-1 to 2.1 mL g^-1 (10% of IRC) and 1.9 mL g^-1 (20% of IRC). Increasing additions of IRC significantly decreased the hardness and chewiness of both fresh bread and bread stored for 24 h. By adding IRC, the cohesiveness of rice bread was increased. These findings are useful for increasing the quality of rice bread by adding IRC to rice dough.

In this paper, desorption isotherms of two jerky products were studied (whole-muscle jerky – sample 1 and minced jerky – sample 2). The work focused on the comparison of the Dynamic Dewpoint Isotherm (DDI) method and the Saturated Salt Slurry (SSS) method and testing the newly applied model for modelling desorption isotherms for dried meat. Data were statistically processed using 8 models [Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB), Double Log Polynomial (DLP), Henderson, Chin, Smith, Oswin, Hasley, and newly applied model] and statistically evaluated using coefficient of determination (R²), root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean relative percentage deviation (P-value). The DLP model (25 °C) reached R² ≥ 0.999, P-value ≤ 1.84 for DDI, and R² ≥ 0.998, P-value ≤ 4.37 for SSS method. The GAB model reached R² ≥ 0.997, P-value ≤ 2.58 for DDI, and for SSS method the GAB model reached R² ≥ 0.998, P-value ≤ 5.47. The new model reached P-value ≤ 5.73 for DDI and P-value ≤ 3.48 for SSS method. All models reached the P-value < 10% except for Smith and Chin models. The DDI method and newly applied model prove to be a suitable and precise approach to the evaluation of isotherms of dried meat products.

Cereus hildmannianus is a species with various nutritional and medicinal properties; however, the fruits and flowers have scarcely been explored. In this regard, the study investigated the bioproduction of total sugar content (TSC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant [DPPH – 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ABTS – 2,2'-azino-bis-(-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)], iron chelation, and prebiotic activities of methanolic extracts from fruits (epicarps – EE, mesocarps – ME) and flowers (sepals – SE, petals – PE) of C. hildmannianus. The chemical profiles of the extracts were determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The highest accumulations of TSC were observed in the ME (64%), while the SE also had a high TFC (17 µg QE per mg DW; QE – quercetin equivalents, DW – dry weight) and the EE had a high TPC (646 µg GAE per mg DW; GAE – gallic acid equivalents). A total of 24 compounds (phenolic and organic acids; and glycosylated flavonoids) were putatively identified. The greatest antioxidant activities were obtained with the PE (DPPH: 199 µmol Trolox per mg DW; and ABTS: 59 µmol Trolox per mg DW), while the highest prebiotic effect was obtained with ME and EE regarding both fermentability and production of lactic and acetic acids by multiple species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These promising results of bioactive compounds in the fruits and flowers of C. hildmannianus have potential applications for food and pharmaceutical purposes.

An unstructured mathematical model is proposed to describe the fermentation kinetics of growth, lactic acid production, pH and sugar consumption by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus WDCM 00102 (National Bank for Industrial Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Sofia, Bulgaria) as a function of the buffering capacity and initial dry matter concentration of pretreated biomass of Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis) ('Simbiotex' Ltd., Sofia, Bulgaria) in the culture media. Initially the experimental data of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus WDCM 00102 fermentations in algae-based media with different buffering capacities and dry matter concentrations were fitted to a set of primary models. Later the parameters obtained from these models were used to establish mathematical relationships with the independent variables tested. The models were validated with 6 fermentations of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus WDCM 00102 in different algae-based media. In most cases, the proposed models adequately describe the biochemical changes taking place during fermentation and are a promising approach for the formulation of algae-based probiotic foods.