Vilbett Briones-Labarca

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on bioaccessibility, as well as antioxidant activity, mineral and starch contents in Granny Smith apple

The aim of this work was to study the effect of high hydrostatic pressure on the bioaccessibility of specific nutrients (antioxidant, minerals and starch) in apple and to establish processing conditions that maximise the health benefits. The apple was pressurised at 500MPa during 2, 4, 8 and 10min. The antioxidant activity, mineral and starch content and bioaccessibility of apple samples were significantly affected by the processing and digestion conditions. Therefore, these results indicated that in vitro digestion has a noticeable effect on the antioxidant concentration, IC50, with much lower values (a smaller IC50 value corresponds to a higher antioxidant activity) of apple samples compared with those untreated and non-digestion. Apple has the highest calcium content (30.33±1.94mg/100g), iron (14.46±3.49mg/100g) and zinc (6.22±0.91mg/100g). High hydrostatic pressure increased the mineral contents availability by 2.11-303.00% for calcium, 4.63-10.93% for iron and 8.68-28.93% for zinc. The dialysability and solubility of calcium, iron and zinc with respect to the values for the untreated sample were reduced by this high pressure technique. Consumption of apple under high hydrostatic pressure may supply substantial antioxidants, mineral and starch, which may provide health promoting and disease preventing effects.

The impact of different agroecological conditions on the nutritional composition of quinoa seeds

Quinoa cultivation has been expanded around the world in the last decade and is considered an exceptional crop with the potential of contributing to food security worldwide. The exceptional nutritional value of quinoa seeds relies on their high protein content, their amino acid profile that includes a good balance of essential amino acids, the mineral composition and the presence of antioxidants and other important nutrients such as fiber or vitamins. Although several studies have pointed to the influence of different environmental stresses in certain nutritional components little attention has been paid to the effect of the agroecological context on the nutritional properties of the seeds what may strongly impact on the consumer food’s quality. Thus, aiming to evaluate the effect of the agroecological conditions on the nutritional profile of quinoa seeds we analyzed three quinoa cultivars (Salcedo-INIA, Titicaca and Regalona) at different locations (Spain, Peru and Chile). The results revealed that several nutritional parameters such as the amino acid profile, the protein content, the mineral composition and the phytate amount in the seeds depend on the location and cultivar while other parameters such as saponin or fiber were more stable across locations. Our results support the notion that nutritional characteristics of seeds may be determined by seed’s origin and further analysis are needed to define the exact mechanisms that control the changes in the seeds nutritional properties.

Quality Assessment and Mathematical Modeling of Hot-Air Convective Drying of Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) Fruit

Abstract The influence of drying on the color, porosity, shrinkage and moisture of persimmon fruit during convective drying was determined by computer vision. The experiments were performed with persimmon fruit that were cut into slab 20 × 20 mm, which were arranged into a bigger slab, 60 × 60 mm. Drying process was carried out at 60 °C. Noticeable changes in quality parameters (color, porosity and shrinkage) could be observed during the drying process, where the central region of the sample evidenced less changes. Persimmon’s physical properties were experimentally obtained as the temperature function and heat and mass convective coefficients were adjusted as a time function. A numerical simulation using the Finite Volume Method allowed to describe the evolution of temperature and moisture content distributions during drying. The numerical and experimental results of temperature and moisture during persimmon drying were found to be in a good agreement.

Oenological and Quality Characteristic on Young White Wines (Sauvignon Blanc): Effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has shown to have an effect of enhancing some properties without detrimental effects on important quality characteristics, such as colour, pH, and turbidity. This suggests that this technique can be used as an alternative to the existing methods used in wine industry processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HHP on aroma compounds and also sensory and quality properties of young white wine. HHP treatment did not influence physicochemical parameters, total phenols, and flavonoid contents of white wine; however, the results from analysis of wine indicate that there was a great variation in the concentration of free and total sulphur dioxide (SO2) values and antioxidant capacity of white wine after HHP application. The sensory attributes, such as taste, odour, and overall quality, were not affected by HHP processing at 300 MPa. The chromatic characteristics changed slightly after applying HHP, but these changes could not be visually perceived because they were less than 5%. The use of this technique has the potential to decrease the amount of SO2 added to raw grapes thus maintaining the same properties found in untreated wine. This study provided valuable insights into the biochemical and sensory composition of commercial white wine and how this might change during HHP processing.