Anet Režek Jambrak

Effects of cold atmospheric gas phase plasma on anthocyanins and color in pomegranate juice

The aim of the study was to evaluate effects of cold atmospheric gas phase plasma on anthocyanins and color in pomegranate juice. Outcomes of plasma treatment were observed at different operating conditions: (i) treatment time (3, 5, 7 min), (ii) treated juice volume (3, 4, 5 cm(3)), and (iii) gas flow (0.75, 1, 1.25 dm(3)/min). The greatest anthocyanin stability was found at: 3 min treatment time, 5 cm(3) sample volume, and 0.75 dm(3)/min gas flow. Plasma treatment yielded higher anthocyanin content from 21% to 35%. Multivariate analysis showed that total color change was not associated with sample volume and treatment time, however it declined with increased gas flow. The change of color increased in comparison treated vs. untreated pomegranate juice. Constructed mathematical equation confirmed that increase of anthocyanin content increased with gas flow, sample volume and change in color. In summary, this study showed that plasma treatment had positive influences on anthocyanins stability and color change in cloudy pomegranate juice.

Comparison of Conventional and Ultrasound Assisted Extraction Techniques of Yellow Tea and Bioactive Composition of Obtained Extracts

Yellow tea is the least investigated type of tea (Camellia sinensis), therefore, this study is focused on characterization of bioactive content of yellow tea extracts as well as application of inovative extraction techniques (ultrasound bath and probe) compared to conventional extraction, in water and aqueous ethanol media. Comparison of obtained extracts was based on total flavonoid (TFC) and nonflavonoid (TNC) content, HPLC analysis of individual polyphenols and methylxanthines, and antioxidant capacity. The highest TFC was detected in extracts obtained by ultrasound probe assisted extraction in aqueous ethanol as an extraction medium and the lowest in extracts obtained by ultrasound bath extraction (water and aqueous ethanol) with a trend of increase with prolonged extraction time. Conventional extraction was successful when combined with 75% aqueous ethanol as an extraction medium. Results of HPLC analysis and antioxidant capacity assays were generally in compliance with these results. This study proves that ultrasound probe extraction could succesfully be used for extraction of polyphenols and methylxanthines from yellow tea.

Innovative “Green” and Novel Strategies for the Extraction of Bioactive Added Value Compounds from Citrus Wastes—A Review

Citrus is a major processed crop that results in large quantities of wastes and by-products rich in various bioactive compounds such as pectins, water soluble and insoluble antioxidants and essential oils. While some of those wastes are currently valorised by various technologies (yet most are discarded or used for feed), effective, non-toxic and profitable extraction strategies could further significantly promote the valorisation and provide both increased profits and high quality bioactives. The present review will describe and summarize the latest works concerning novel and greener methods for valorisation of citrus by-products. The outcomes and effectiveness of those technologies such as microwaves, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields and high pressure is compared both to conventional valorisation technologies and between the novel technologies themselves in order to highlight the advantages and potential scalability of these so-called “enabling technologies”. In many cases the reported novel technologies can enable a valorisation extraction process that is “greener” compared to the conventional technique due to a lower energy consumption and reduced utilization of toxic solvents.

Gas phase plasma impact on phenolic compounds in pomegranate juice

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of gas phase plasma on phenolic compounds in pomegranate juice. The potential of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy combined with partial least squares for monitoring the stability of phenolic compounds during plasma treatment was explored, too. Experiments are designed to investigate the effect of plasma operating conditions (treatment time 3, 5, 7 min; sample volume 3, 4, 5 cm(3); gas flow 0.75, 1, 1.25 dm(3) min(-1)) on phenolic compounds and compared to pasteurized and untreated pomegranate juice. Pasteurization and plasma treatment resulted in total phenolic content increasing by 29.55% and 33.03%, respectively. Principal component analysis and sensitivity analysis outputted the optimal treatment design with plasma that could match the pasteurized sample concerning the phenolic stability (5 min/4 cm(3)/0.75 dm(3) min(-1)). Obtained results demonstrate the potential of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy that can be successfully used to evaluate the quality of pomegranate juice upon plasma treatment considering the phenolic compounds.

Thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and electrochemistry of external field-assisted nonthermal food technologies

ABSTRACT Interest in the development and adoption of nonthermal technologies is burgeoning within the food and bioprocess industry, the associated research community, and among the consumers. This is evident from not only the success of some innovative nonthermal technologies at industrial scale, but also from the increasing number of publications dealing with these topics, a growing demand for foods processed by nonthermal technologies and use of natural ingredients. A notable feature of the nonthermal technologies such as cold plasma, electrohydrodynamic processing, pulsed electric fields, and ultrasound is the involvement of external fields, either electric or sound. Therefore, it merits to study the fundamentals of these technologies and the associated phenomenon with a unified approach. In this review, we revisit the fundamental physical and chemical phenomena governing the selected technologies, highlight similarities, and contrasts, describe few successful applications, and finally, identify the gaps in research.

Experimental Design and Optimization of Ultrasound Treatment: Functional and Physical Properties of Sonicated Ice Cream Model Mixtures

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high power ultrasound on functional properties of ice-cream model mixtures. Mixture composed of sucrose, glucose, whole milk powder, whey protein concentrates (WPC) and distilled water was ultrasonically treated according to different parameters. Amplitude of ultrasounds, percentage of WPC in the sample and time of treatment are the three variables considered. Effect of ultrasound parameters on rheological properties (measurement of coefficient of consistency), thermal properties (measurement of initial freezing point) and foaming properties (measurement of maximal foam capacity) was observed. Experiment was designed using model called Central Composite Design (CCD) permitting to consider the significant factors for each property, and results were analyzed and process was optimized through response surface methodology-RSM. Through study, optimal conditions of ultrasound treatment (amplitude, treatment time and percentage of WPC) by which experiment should be performed were obtained. The factor “percentage of WPC” is significant from a rheological and thermal point of view. Regarding foaming properties, the significant factor that is to say affecting most the value of the maximum foam capacity is the duration of ultrasound treatment.

Influence of high power ultrasound on selected moulds, yeasts and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in apple, cranberry and blueberry juice and nectar

HighlightsA. acidoterrestris DSM 3922 number were not significantly reduced by ultrasound.There was a growth activation of A. acidoterrestris DSM 3922.Complete inactivation of the of yeasts and moulds were achieved at treatments at 60 °C and times of 3, 6 and 9 min.Significant effect of temperature on the inactivation of yeasts and moulds were observed. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of non‐thermal technology, high power ultrasound (HPU) on inactivation of Aspergillus ochraceus 318, Penicillium expansum 565, Rhodotorula sp. 74, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 5 and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris DSM 3922 in clear juices and nectars from apple, blueberry and cranberry juice concentrate. Inoculated juice and nectars were treated by high power ultrasound (20 kHz) according to procedure set by central composite design (CCD). Three operational parameters, amplitude (60, 90 and 120 &mgr;m), temperature (20, 40 and 60 °C), and treatment time (3, 6 or 9 min) were varied in order to observe the influence of ultrasound and combination of ultrasound and slight heating (thermosonication) on growth and inactivation of selected microorganisms. Number of vegetative cells of A. acidoterrestris DSM 3922 were not significantly reduced by high power ultrasound (p > 0.05), except in apple juice, where statistical significant (p < 0.05) influence of quadratic interaction of amplitude on bacteria reduction were observed. In all samples of fruit juices and nectars in terms of ultrasonic treatment at 60 °C and times of 3, 6 and 9 min, regardless of the value of the amplitude, complete inactivation of the growth of yeasts and moulds were achieved, while at 20 and 40 °C it is not observed. The value of reduction of cells of selected yeasts and moulds for ultrasound treatments at 60 °C and the duration of the 3, 6 and 9 min ranged from 3.556 to 5.934 log units, depending on the initial number of selected yeasts and moulds before treatment.

Aromatic profile and sensory characterisation of ultrasound treated cranberry juice and nectar

Ultrasonication is a nonthermal food processing technology that is used in several applications (extraction, pretreatment before drying, freezing, inactivation of microorganisms etc.). The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high power ultrasound and pasteurisation on the aroma profile and sensory properties of cranberry juice and nectar. Samples were treated according to the experimental design, with high power sonicator at ultrasound frequency of 20kHz under various conditions (treatment time 3, 6 and 9min, sample temperature: 20, 40 and 60°C and amplitude 60, 90 and 120μm). The aromatic profiles of juices showed that, compared to the untreated samples of juices and nectars, the ultrasonic treatment led to the formation of new compounds or to the disappearance of compounds that were found in the untreated samples. Samples treated at the highest amplitude (120μm) were used for evaluation and comparison with untreated and pasteurised samples using electronic tongue study. Principle component analysis (PCA) confirmed the results of electronic tongue study, which showed that the ultrasound-treated and pasteurised juices had different scores compared to the untreated samples. Sensory evaluation showed that ultrasonically treated and pasteurised juices received lower scores in comparison with the untreated samples.

Application of Pulsed Electric Field Treatment for Food Waste Recovery Operations

Food industry is generating annually huge quantities of by-products and waste, which are generally considered as problem, as their disposal is associated with environmental and health related issues. During the last decade, numerous research groups and industries have been interested in valorizing these by-products by extracting valuable compounds and incorporating them generally in food and/or cosmetic products, which enhances the profitability of the process. Conventional extraction methods (i.e., maceration, thermal extraction) are exten- sively used for such purposes and showed high yields in many cases. However, the need to replace toxic organic solvents, shortening the extraction time, and reducing the energy consumption has incited the researchers to develop and evaluate alternative methods (i.e., electrotechnologies, high pressure processing, ultrasound- and microwave-assisted extractions), which are more environmental friendly and cost effective. Among electrotechnologies, pulsed electric fields (PEF) technology has been widely evaluated for the extraction of high-added value compounds from waste and by-products, showing promising results, com- pared to conventional methods. This chapter describes the features of PEF as well as its use as sustainable and green recovery technology of valuable compounds from food by-products.

Modification of Physico-Chemical Properties of Acryl- Coated Polypropylene Foils for Food Packaging by Reactive Particles from Oxygen Plasma

This investigation was focused on the influence of long-living neutral reactive oxygen species on the physico-chemical properties of acryl-coated polypropylene foils for food packaging. Reactive species were formed by passing molecular oxygen through a microwave discharge and leaking it to a processing chamber of a volume of 30 L, which was pumped by a rotary pump. The density of neutral O-atoms in the chamber was tuned by adjustment of both the effective pumping speed and the oxygen leak rate. The O-atom density was measured with a catalytic probe and was between 3 × 1018 and 5 × 1019 m−3. Commercial foils of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) coated with acrylic/ poly(vinylidene chloride) (AcPVDC) were mounted in the chamber and treated at room temperature by O atoms at various conditions, with the fluence between 1 × 1021 and 3 × 1024 m−2. The evolution of the surface wettability versus the fluence was determined by water contact angle (WCA) measurements, the formation of functional groups by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The WCA dropped from the initial 75° to approximately 40° after the fluence of a few 1022 m−2 and remained unchanged thereafter, except for fluences above 1024 m−2, where the WCA dropped to approximately 30°. XPS and AFM results allowed for drawing correlations between the wettability, surface composition, and morphology.