Mustafa Çam

Characterisation of Pomegranate Juices from Ten Cultivars Grown in Turkey

Pomegranate juices obtained from ten pomegranate cultivars of Turkey were analysed for their sugars, organic acids and the other quality parameters including pH, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity. Statistically significant differences were determined among the cultivars for parameters analysed. Citric acid was the predominant acid of all the cultivars studied. Cultivar “Zivzik,” one of the most popular cultivar in Turkey, showed best scores for total soluble solids (16.9 ± 0.06 °Brix), glucose (84.18 ± 0.42 g/l) and fructose (83.34 ± 0.81 g/l). Pomegranate juices were classified into three groups according to principal component analysis and cluster analysis.

Bioactive and Physicochemical Properties of Persimmon as Affected by Drying Methods

In this study, the effects of three different drying methods (freeze drying, oven drying, and vacuum oven drying) on bioactive (total phenolics, total flavonoids, condensed tannin and total hydrolyzable tannin contents, antiradical activity, and antidiabetic activity) and some physicochemical (dry matter, ash, water activity (a w ), color, protein, hydroxymethylfurfural, glucose and fructose content) properties of persimmon fruit were investigated. Simplex lattice mixture design methodology was applied to determine the best solvent mixture for the extraction of phenolics from the samples. It was found that the mixture of acetone:water at the ratio of 50:50 % (v/v) was the best solvent mixture for the extraction. The persimmon powder sample obtained from freeze drying showed significantly (p <0.05) higher bioactivity values than oven- and vacuum-oven-dried samples. Antiradical activity changed significantly depending on the drying method employed and it was superior in freeze-dried samples than that of the other drying methods.

Physicochemical, bioactive, and sensory properties of persimmon-based ice cream: Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to determine optimum concentration

In the present study, persimmon puree was incorporated into the ice cream mix at different concentrations (8, 16, 24, 32, and 40%) and some physicochemical (dry matter, ash, protein, pH, sugar, fat, mineral, color, and viscosity), textural (hardness, stickiness, and work of penetration), bioactive (antiradical activity and total phenolic content), and sensory properties of samples were investigated. The technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution approach was used for the determination of optimum persimmon puree concentration based on the sensory and bioactive characteristics of final products. Increase in persimmon puree resulted in a decrease in the dry matter, ash, fat, protein contents, and viscosity of ice cream mix. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose were determined to be major sugars in the ice cream samples including persimmon and increase in persimmon puree concentration increased the fructose and glucose content. Better melting properties and textural characteristics were observed for the samples with the addition of persimmon. Magnesium, K, and Ca were determined to be major minerals in the samples and only K concentration increased with the increase in persimmon content. Bioactive properties of ice cream samples improved and, in general, acetone-water extracts showed higher bioactivity compared with ones obtained using methanol-water extracts. The technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution approach showed that the most preferred sample was the ice cream containing 24% persimmon puree.

Enrichment of Functional Properties of Ice Cream with Pomegranate By-products

Pomegranate peel rich in phenolics, and pomegranate seed which contain a conjugated fatty acid namely punicic acid in lipid fraction remain as by-products after processing the fruit into juice. Ice cream is poor in polyunsaturated fatty acids and phenolics, therefore, this study was conducted to improve the functional properties of ice cream by incorporating pomegranate peel phenolics and pomegranate seed oil. Incorporation of the peel phenolics into ice cream at the levels of 0.1% and 0.4% (w/w) resulted in significant changes in the pH, total acidity, and color of the samples. The most prominent outcomes of phenolic incorporation were sharp improvements in antioxidant and antidiabetic activities as well as the phenolic content of ice creams. Replacement of pomegranate seed oil by milk fat at the levels of 2.0% and 4.0% (w/w) increased the conjugated fatty acid content. However, perception of oxidized flavor increased with the additional seed oil. When one considers the functional and nutritional improvements in the enrichment of the ice cream together with overall acceptability results of the sensory analysis, then it follows from this study that ice creams enriched with pomegranate peel phenolics up to 0.4% (w/w) and pomegranate seed oil up to 2.0% (w/w) could be introduced to markets as functional ice cream. Enrichment of ice creams with pomegranate by-products might provide consumers health benefits with striking functional properties of punicalagins in pomegranate peel, and punicic acid in pomegranate seed oil.

Utilization of fermented soybeans paste as flavoring lamination for Turkish dry-cured meat.

The effects of utilizing fermented soybeans paste (miso) as an alternative flavor-coating material for eliminating unpleasant odor of sulphuric and sotolone compounds from cemen in commercial pastirma were investigated. Results showed that miso-pastirma (MP) and commercial pastirma (CP) had higher L* values in comparison with the fresh meat. While no pathogen was detected in all the meat samples, statistically significant stearic acid was increased (P<0.05) and also oleic and arachidic acids were observed in MP. SDS-PAGE patterns indicated that miso had higher impacts on muscle proteins than cemen suggesting that miso can generate proteins and peptides with better technological or nutritional properties. None of the sulphur containing compounds responsible for unpleasant odor was detected in MP. Limonene, 5 esters, beta-pinene and saponins in MP contributed to citrus fruit aroma with smoother, roasty flavor and delicious taste. These findings suggest that miso contain good flavoring molecules for enhancing fruity smell and quality of pastirma. Thus, laminating cured meat with miso can be used as an alternative to cemen for producing healthier pastirma with extended shelf life and better flavor.

PÜSKÜRTMELİ KURUCUTU İLE MİKROENKAPSÜLE EDİLMİŞ NANE (MENTHA PIPERITA VE MENTHA SPICATA) ESANSİYEL YAĞININ SALINIM PROFİLİ

Bu calismada gam arabik-maltodekstrin (GA-MD) (%38-62) kombinasyonu ve %100 gam arabik (GA) nane ( Mentha piperita ve Mentha spicata ) esansiyel yaginin mikroenkapsulasyonu icin kaplama materyali olarak kullanilmistir. 4 farkli nane ( Mentha piperita ve Mentha spicata ) esansiyel yagi puskurtmeli kurutucu ile toz haline getirilmistir. Mikroenkapsule haldeki ornekler fanli etuvlerde 160, 180 ve 200 °C’de belirli araliklarla ornekleme yapilarak hizlandirilmis depolamaya alinmistir. Mikroenkapsule orneklerde kalan yag miktari Gaz kromotografisi-Alev iyonizasyon dedektoru (GC-FID) ile belirlenerek orneklerin reaksiyon kinetikleri incelenmistir. Nane ( Mentha piperita ve Mentha spicata ) esansiyel yag saliniminin 0. derece reaksiyon kinetigine uygun oldugu belirlenmistir. Ayrica mikroenkapsule edilmis orneklerin aktivasyon enerjileri, z ve Q10 degerleri birbirinden farkli bulunmus ve sicaklik arttikca orneklerin yarilanma suresi ve desimal azalma suresinin (D) azaldigi gorulmustur.

Antioxidant Capacity of Pomegranate Juice and Its Role in Biological Activities

Pomegranate was a popular fruit in ancient civilizations as a symbol of fertility, longevity, and even immortality. It is believed that polyphenols, the potent antioxidant constituents of pomegranate juice, can prevent obesity, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, and the onset of some degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers disease, atherosclerosis, and certain types of cancer. The beneficial effects of pomegranate juice are mostly attributed to punicalagins. However, recent studies indicate the synergistic properties of the components in pomegranate juice and suggest consumption of the juice without any enhancement. The objective of this review is to explore and discuss some beneficial effects of pomegranate juice and its bioactive components in the biological systems.