Empar Llorca

Microstructural, Physical, and Sensory Impact of Starch, Inulin, and Soy Protein in Low‐Fat Gluten and Lactose Free White Sauces

UNLABELLED The microstructural, physical, and sensory properties of low-fat sauces made with different starches, soy protein, and inulin as a fat replacer were analyzed. Gluten-free waxy starches-rice and corn-were selected as well as soy protein to obtain sauces suitable for celiac and lactose intolerant consumers. Light microscopy was used to visualize the swollen starch granules dispersed in a protein-amylopectin-inulin phase. Inulin seemed to limit protein network development, which was related with a higher dispersion of starch granules within the sauce matrix. Therefore, the sauces made with inulin had a lower apparent viscosity (η(app)) values (P < 0.05) in comparison with oil sauces. The sauces made with rice starches also exhibited a lower viscosity (P < 0.05) since these granules did not swell as corn granules do. All the sauces had a remarkable physical stability since there were no syneresis phenomena and color did not change significantly (P < 0.05) after 15 d of refrigeration storage (4 °C). Finally, the sensory test suggests that oil could be substituted by inulin in the preparation of low-fat sauces since no significant differences (P < 0.05) in texture and flavor were found. These results encourage further research to optimize the formulations of these types of alternative white sauces. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Nowadays there is a great demand of ready-to-eat products due to new consumptions habits. In this context, it would be interesting to develop low-fat sauces with inulin that could be used in this type of products improving their nutritional profile. The requirement of processed food for specific groups of population, such as celiac and lactose intolerant consumers, makes it necessary to use gluten free starches and soy protein in the formulation of sauces. The characterization of structural, physical and sensory properties is required to understand the product acceptability and its behavior during its shelf life.

Designing dairy desserts for weight management: Structure, physical properties and in vitro gastric digestion

The first aim of this study was to observe the effect of adding dairy proteins and reducing the cream content in order to obtain healthier dairy desserts for use in weight management. The extra-whey protein low-cream sample had the densest, firmest matrix, which is related to increased satiety. The second aim was to investigate the in vitro gastric digestion behavior of whey and casein proteins in a heat-treated semisolid real food. The extra-casein protein sample matrix broke down more slowly than the others because the caseins clotted at the gastric pH. Despite being heated, the whey proteins in the panna cottas were more resistant to pepsin digestion than caseins; this is related with a higher satiety capacity. These findings suggest that the combination of reducing fat content (to obtain a reduced energy density product) and adding whey protein (to increase satiety capacity) allows obtaining dairy desserts for weight management.

New formulations of functional white sauces enriched with red sweet pepper: a rheological, microstructural and sensory study

Red sweet peppers are good sources of antioxidant compounds, such as fibre and carotenoids. Therefore, innovative products that may replace traditional ones, such as white sauces enriched with red sweet pepper, should be developed to improve their functionality. The aim of this work was to study the rheological behaviour, microstructure, syneresis, colour, sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of new white sauces enriched with red sweet pepper. The results of the rheological studies (viscoelastic behaviour) showed that in the available frequency window all the sauces showed a predominance of the elastic modulus versus the viscous modulus. The effect of incorporating red pepper on the rheological properties depended upon the type of starch used. Microstructure of native starch sauces showed a complex matrix composed of protein and amylose and amylopectin leached from the granules that have been disintegrated during the sauce elaboration. Fat globules were homogenously dispersed and associated with the protein phase. Modified starch sauces showed more swollen starch granules compared with native starch sauces and a protein matrix stabilising the fat globules. All the sauces exhibited considerable intrinsic autofluorescence due to the presence of carotenoids from the red pepper. Consumers scored the modified starch sauces regardless of the starch concentrations based on their highest overall liking and found them beneficial for health. Therefore, new white sauces with high nutritional value, high acceptability, good rheological properties and stability against syneresis could be formulated using red pepper and modified starch.

Understanding the effect of emulsifiers on bread aeration during breadmaking: Emulsifiers role in bread aeration

BACKGROUND Much research has been done to explain the action of emulsifiers during breadmaking, but there is still plenty unknown to elucidate their functionality despite their diverse chemical structure. The aim of the present study was to provide some light on the role of emulsifiers on air incorporation into the dough and gas bubbles progress during baking and their relationship with bread features. Emulsifiers like diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides (DATEM), sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL), distilled monoglyceride (DMG-45 and DMG-75), lecithin and polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (PGEF) were tested in very hydrated doughs. RESULTS Emulsifiers increase the maximum dough volume during proofing. Emulsifiers increase the number of bubbles incorporated during mixing, observing higher number of bubbles, particularly with PGEF. Major changes in dough occurred at 70 K when bubble size augmented, becoming more heterogeneous. DMG-75 produced the biggest bubbles. As a consequence, emulsifiers tend to increase the number of gas cells with lower size in the bread crumb, but led to greater crumb firmness, which suggested different interactions between emulsifiers and gluten, affecting protein polymerization during baking. CONCLUSION The progress of the bubbles during baking allowed the differentiation of emulsifiers, which could explain their performance in breadmaking.

Use of berry pomace to replace flour, fat or sugar in cakes

The authors are grateful to Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-Spain) for financial support through the BERRYPOM - Adding value to fruit processing waste: innovative ways to incorporate fibres from berry pomace in baked and extruded cereal-based foods project included in the ERA-NET - SUSFOOD programme. The German contribution was funded through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research via PTJ (grant 031B0004).

Using different fibers to replace fat in sponge cakes: In vitro starch digestion and physico-structural studies

This study assessed the effect of substituting 30% of fat by soluble, insoluble fiber, or a mix of both fibers in sponge cake quality, structure, acceptability, and starch digestibility. The apparent viscosity of the different formulations was measured and micro-baking was simulated. Texture profile tests were carried out and the crumb structure was examined. In vitro digestion was performed to study the digestibility of starch and a sensory test was carried out to know consumer acceptance. The soluble fiber (maltodextrin) affected the structure and quality of the cakes less than the insoluble fiber (potato fiber) and the use of soluble fiber in the formulation resulted in lower glucose release under in vitro conditions. Moreover, the consumer did not find differences among the control cake and the cakes prepared with soluble fiber. Considering the results as a whole, soluble fiber may be used for partial replacement of fat in sponge cake formulations and may constitute an appropriate strategy for obtaining healthy sponge cakes.

Microstructure of model systems for sauces based in polysacharides observed by Cryo-SEM

The demand for foodstuffs which are easily and fast prepared has increased considerably in recent years. Sauces are often used in this kind of products and their formulation usually includes polysaccharides (starch and/or gums) as thickening agents [1]. Sauce microstructure gives information about the components arrangement and how it affects physical and chemical properties such as viscosity. The aim of this work is to study the effect of different thickeners and salt concentrations on the microstructure of model systems.