Katlijn Moelants

Relation between particle size and carotenoid bioaccessibility in carrot- and tomato-derived suspensions.

To study the effect of particle size on the relative all-E-β-carotene and all-E-lycopene bioaccessibility in carrot- and tomato-derived suspensions, respectively, an in vitro digestion approach including oil was used. Adding olive oil (2%) during digestion, especially as an oil-in-water emulsion, resulted in a substantial increase in carotenoid uptake in the micellar phase. Carotenoid bioaccessibility decreased with average particle size. Only particles smaller than an individual cell resulted in high bioaccessibility values, pointing out the importance of the cell wall as the main barrier for carotenoid uptake. The relation obtained between particle size and bioaccessibility was used to predict the carotenoid bioaccessibility in carrot- and tomato-derived purées. These predictions indicated that carotenoid bioaccessibility in plant-based food suspensions is not only determined by the cell wall integrity (related with particle size) but is also affected by interactions between the structural compounds of the complex food matrix.

β-Carotene Isomerization Kinetics during Thermal Treatments of Carrot Puree

The effect of thermal processing on the stability of beta-carotene in carrot puree was investigated in a broad temperature range (80-150 degrees C). Heat induced changes in the stability of beta-carotene resulting in the conversion into its cis-isomers until an equilibrium state was reached after prolonged heating. By using nonlinear one-step regression analysis, the overall isomerization of all-trans-beta-carotene and the formation of individual cis-isomers could be modeled with a fractional conversion model. The Arrhenius equation was used to describe the temperature dependence of the reaction rate constants. As indicated by the low activation energies for all compounds (11 kJ mol(-1)), the isomerization rate constants showed little sensitivity toward the treatment temperature. The temperature dependence of the equilibrium concentration values after prolonged heating (C(f)) varied for the different compounds, but in all cases, a linear relation between the C(f) values and the treatment temperature could be noted. Although isomerization was observed as a result of thermal processing, it could be concluded that during industrially relevant heating processes, the retention of all-trans-beta-carotene in plain carrot puree was relatively high, which is most likely due to the presence of the protecting food matrix.

A Review on the Relationships between Processing, Food Structure, and Rheological Properties of Plant-Tissue-Based Food Suspensions

 Nowadays, there is much interest in controlling the functional properties of processed fruit- and vegetable-derived products, which has stimulated renewed research interest in process-structure-function relations. In this review, we focus on rheology as a functional property because of its importance during the entire production chain up to the moment of consumption and digestion. This review covers the literature of the past decade with respect to process-structure-rheology relations in plant-tissue-based food suspensions. It became clear that the structure of plant-tissue-based food suspensions, consisting of plant-tissue-based particles in an aqueous serum phase, is affected by many unit operations (for example, heat treatment) and that also the sequence of unit operations can have an effect on the final structural properties. Furthermore, particle concentration, particle size, and particle morphology were found to be key structural elements determining the rheological properties of these suspensions comprising low amounts of starch and serum pectin. Since the structure of plant-tissue-based products was shown to be changed during processing, rheological parameters of these products were simultaneously altered. Therefore, this review also comprises a discussion of the effect on rheological properties of the most relevant processing steps in the production of plant-tissue-based products. Linking changes in rheology due to processing with process-induced alterations in structural characteristics turned out to be quite intricate. The current knowledge on process-structure-function relations can form the basis for future improved and novel food process and product design.

Process–Structure–Function Relations of Pectin in Food

Pectin, a complex polysaccharide rich in galacturonic acid, has been identified as a critical structural component of plant cell walls. The functionality of this intricate macromolecule in fruit- and vegetable-based–derived products and ingredients is strongly determined by the nanostructure of its most abundant polymer, homogalacturonan. During food processing, pectic homogalacturonan is susceptible to various enzymatic as well as nonenzymatic conversion reactions modifying its structural and, hence, its functional properties. Consequently, a profound understanding of the various process–structure–function relations of pectin aids food scientists to tailor the functional properties of plant-based derived products and ingredients. This review describes the current knowledge on process–structure–function relations of pectin in foods with special focus on pectins functionality with regard to textural attributes of solid plant-based foods and rheological properties of particulated fruit- and vegetable-derived products. In this context, both pectin research performed via traditional, ex situ physicochemical analyses of fractionated walls and isolated polymers and pectin investigation through in situ pectin localization are considered.

Understanding the Effect of Processing on the Structure of Plant Cell Walls as a Mean to Design Novel Clean Label Ingredients

Plant cell walls are complex assemblies consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, proteins, lignin... These composite materials are synthesized by the plant in order to provide strength, shape, growth, integrity and protection to the cells. Food processes on the other hand aim at disrupting these tight networks in order to extract the high-value ingredients inside the cell and cell wall: oil, starch, proteins, pectin, carrageenan, vitamins... This leads to the generation of 2 main streams: a high-value ingredient stream (e.g. pectin) and a disrupted plant cell wall side stream. Until recently, limited attention was paid to these side streams and they were often poorly valorized or even discarded without added value. However, these plant cell wall streams have gained accrued interest over the last decade for various reasons: economical, sustainability, consumer behavior, cost of raw materials...