A. Andrés-Bello

Effect of pH on Color and Texture of Food Products

Color and texture are important quality characteristics and major factors affecting sensory perception and consumer acceptance of foods. pH has an important effect on pigments (e.g., chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins, etc.) responsible for fruit color, vegetables and meat color. Also pH has a great impact on water-holding capacity and tenderness of muscle foods that are improved at acidic conditions below the typical pH of post-mortem. Moreover, during processing of food, the pH value affects many phenomena and processes such as protein properties as denaturizing, gelification, enzymatic activities, growth and mortality of microorganisms, germinating or inactivation of bacterial spores and chemical reactions such as the Maillard reaction. Thus, knowledge of pH effects and its control during processing is necessary to produce safe, high-quality and value-added products. The goal of this paper is to identify the effect of pH on color and texture of food products to show the importance of control this parameter.

Production of cold-setting restructured fish products from gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) using microbial transglutaminase and regular and low-salt level

In order to extract salt-soluble proteins, such as myofibrillar proteins, sodium chloride is added to restructured products that serve as a binding agent among fish particles. Various additives, such as microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), have been used to reduce NaCl level in restructured products to improve water holding capacity (WHC) and textural properties. The aim of this work was to study the effect of salt level in the physicochemical and mechanical properties of uncooked restructured fish products using MTGase as cold binding agent. Except adhesiveness, the mechanical properties were affected by both salt and MTGase levels (p < 0.05). Samples with regular-salt level (20 g/kg) showed higher values of hardness, springiness and chewiness than low-salt (10 g/kg) samples (p < 0.05). Expressible water ranged from 7% to 10% for low-salt samples and from 4.3% to 4.5% for regular-salt samples, a decrease of the salt level induced a decrease in the WHC. El cloruro sódico se adiciona a los productos reestructurados con el fin de extraer las proteínas solubles, como las miofibrilares, que sirven de agentes de unión en la pasta de pescado. Algunos aditivos, como la transglutaminasa microbiana, han sido utilizados en productos reestructurados bajos en sal para mejorar la capacidad de retención de agua y las propiedades texturales. En este trabajo se estudió el efecto del nivel de sal y transglutaminasa (MGTasa), sobre las propiedades mecánicas y las características fisicoquímicas, de un producto reestructurado no cocido de dorada (Sparus arata). Las propiedades mecánicas, a excepción de la adhesividad, presentaron valores más altos en las muestras con un nivel regular de sal (p < 0,05). Los valores de los parámetros del Análisis de Textura TPA se incrementaban de forma significativa (p < 0,05) al aumentar la MTGasa adicionada de 3 a 6 g/kg para muestras con nivel regular de sal. El agua extraíble incrementaba con el nivel de MTGasa para muestras con un contenido bajo de sal indicando un descenso en la capacidad de retención de agua.

Effects of vacuum cooking (cook-vide) on the physical-chemical properties of sea bream fillets (Sparus aurata).

Vacuum cooking (cook-vide) may be an option for production of ready-to-eat dishes with high organoleptic quality. It is defined as the cooking process that is carried out under pressures well below atmospheric levels. Due to the decreased pressure, both the boiling points of the water and the moisture in the foods are lowered. Due to the low temperature and oxygen content during the process, cook-vide presents some advantages including preservation of natural color and flavors of the product. In this work, the effects of cooking temperature (70–100°C), time (3–20 min), and treatments (atmospheric pressure and cook-vide) on Sea Bream fillets were investigated. Changes in weight, water content, fat, protein and color were analyzed. Steam cooking treatments under vacuum conditions did not imply significant changes in compositional and colour attributes, but improved the cooked fillets appearance and reduced weight loss.

Evaluation of Textural and Sensory Properties on Typical Spanish Small Cakes Designed Using Alternative Flours

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of wheat flour substitution with toasted corn, quinoa, and sorghum flours on the overall perception and texture of typical Spanish small cakes named madeleine. In order to evaluate these characteristics, a texture profile analysis (TPA) and a sensory analysis were carried out. TPA showed that the replacement of wheat flour by sorghum flour did not affect significantly texture parameters of cakes. Hedonic sensory tests were also conducted revealing that the cake prepared with sorghum flour was highly appreciated by the consumers as it got scores similar to traditional cakes made with wheat flour.

Replacing Sugar in Ice Cream: Fruit Up® as a Substitute

Consumers desire new foods that are simultaneously delicious, indulgent, and healthy. In the last few decades, food companies have been interested in developing foods with reduced lipid and sugar contents. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of roasted apple ice cream made with sucrose and glucose versus Fruit Up® (natural fruit sweetener) using a dry oven and a moist oven to bake the apples used to make the ice cream mixture. A panel of 45 untrained consumers evaluated the products based on color, texture, sweetness, and apple flavor. The results of the sensory analysis showed that Fruit Up is a possible substitute for sugar in ice cream.