Search Results (35)

As the global demand for sustainable, nutrient-rich protein sources intensifies, microalgae have emerged as a promising alternative due to their unique biochemical, environmental, and functional properties. This narrative review synthesises the nutritional value, protein composition, functional behaviour, processing technologies, and food applications of microalgae proteins. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with keywords including “microalgae proteins”, “nutritional value”, “functional properties”, and “alternative protein sources”. Priority was given to peer-reviewed articles from the past decade that addressed nutritional quality, extraction methods, and food applications. Key species, Spirulina, Chlorella, Nannochloropsis, and Haematococcus, are highlighted for their high protein content (up to 70% dry weight), complete amino acid profiles, and rich bioactive compound content. Microalgae proteins show excellent solubility, emulsification, gelation, and foaming abilities, enabling use in dairy alternatives, baked goods, snacks, and 3D-printed foods. Advances in extraction, purification, and protein modification have improved their functionality, while cultivation on non-arable land and integration into circular biorefineries enhance sustainability. Remaining challenges include scalability, sensory optimisation, and regulatory clarity. Future studies should focus on improving sensory acceptance, optimising cost-effective processing, and expanding consumer awareness. Overall, microalgae proteins offer a robust and eco-efficient solution to meet global nutrition and sustainability goals. Full article

The growing global demand for healthy, gluten-free snacks has driven the food industry to explore innovative products that fit consumer preferences. This study focused on developing a gluten-free, energy-dense, and crunchy snack called Quispiño, made from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), an ancient crop native to the Andes and particularly significant in Puno, Peru. Natural and desaponified quinoa samples were compared, revealing decreased carbohydrate content (69.75 g to 64.02 g per 100 g) and protein content (13.27 g to 12.90 g per 100 g) after desaponification. Moisture remained around 11.5%, while fiber content significantly decreased in the desaponified quinoa (from 4.39 g to 2.76 g per 100 g). The extrusion process influenced the color of the extrudates, reducing the L* value (from 75.28 to a range of 63.70–69.12), indicating darkening due to the Maillard reaction. Moisture in the extrudates ranged from 3.08% to 6.12%, while firmness varied between 7.25 N and 25.86 N, significantly influencing extrusion temperature. The water solubility index (WSI) ranged from 0.17% to 71.61%, with high values attributed to starch dextrinization during extrusion. The water absorption index (WAI) showed a significant increase, highlighting the physical changes induced by extrusion. The sectional expansion index (SEI) also varied considerably, ranging from 7.33 to 13.08, reflecting the impact of the extrusion process on the final product structure. The optimal sample was identified and subjected to an acceptability test with an untrained panel of 45 evaluators who assessed flavor, color, odor, appearance, and texture. The best-performing treatment was further analyzed for proximate composition, calcium, and iron content to compare with the raw material. The results demonstrate the potential of quinoa as a key ingredient in developing new, expanded, gluten-free snacks that meet the growing demand for nutritious and appealing food products in the global market. Full article

The global market for potato and corn chips is rapidly expanding due to the modern fast-paced lifestyle. However, the high fat content, especially saturated fats in these deep-fried snacks, poses significant health risks such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. In this study, fatty acid profiles of commercially available corn and potato chips are analyzed and their impacts on consumer preferences in Turkey is examined. The findings reveal notable differences in the nutritional content between potato and corn chips, with potato chips generally having higher fat and protein content. The survey results indicate that consumer preferences are significantly influenced by age, education level, and occupation. The factor analysis identified three main components affecting purchasing decisions: nutritional value and additives, hygiene and brand quality, and price and affordability. Considering these insights, manufacturers should be encouraged to reformulate their products to meet the increasing demand for healthier options, emphasize food safety standards, and balance product quality with affordability to appeal to a broader range of consumers. Full article

Third-generation snacks were developed from a triad of flours made up of chestnut, spelt, and chickpea flour. Optimal snack formulations and processing parameters have been established to ensure acceptable workability of the raw dough while protecting the bioactive components of the raw materials. The parameters examined were mixing time, speed, and temperature. The properties of the snack were evaluated by analyzing the expansion ratio, hardness, moisture content, and phenolic and volatile compounds. The optimal mixing conditions that ensure maximum expansion were a temperature of 30 °C, a speed of 30 rpm, and a time of 6 min. The results showed that the proper percentage of water and sodium bicarbonate was 35% and 2%, respectively, and that the developed snacks had an alveolar and homogeneous structure. The proposed approach brings several advantages, including the preservation of bioactive compounds during the production process. Furthermore, the mild operating conditions prevented the development of unwanted or unpleasant compounds, as confirmed by the analysis of volatile compounds. Therefore, this study opens new perspectives in the food industry, satisfying the growing demand for functional products and healthy snacks. Full article

This research studies the influence of the addition of defatted press cakes (from the production of hazelnut, camelina, pumpkin, and hemp seed oil) on nutritionally important components: fibre, resistant starch, polyphenols, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and acrylamide in directly and indirectly expanded snacks. The amounts of press cakes added to corn grits were 3, 6, and 9%. Extrusion was carried out in a laboratory single-screw extruder. For indirectly expanded products (SCFX), supercritical CO₂ was injected during extrusion, and secondary expansion was completed in the microwave oven. The type and content of press cake, as well as the type of product, significantly influenced total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Press cakes increased the contents of both soluble and insoluble fibre (from 1.94% d. m. and 1.28% d. m. for extrudates without press cakes up to 3.17% d. m. and 6.94% d. m. for SCFX extrudates with press cakes, respectively), and resistant starch was not markedly influenced by their addition. The influence of the content of press cake on HMF was not significant, whereas the type of cake and the type of extrusion influenced HMF significantly. In a raw mixture of corn grits with 3% of pumpkin press cake, HMF was below the limit of detection, and the highest content was found in the classically extruded sample with the addition of 9% of camelina press cake (580 ppb). In all samples, the acrylamide content was below the limit of detection, indicating that safe products were obtained. This research shows potential for the implementation of supercritical CO₂ extrusion in the production of safe, nutritionally improved snack products. Future research might bring about the design of cost-effective processes applicable in the industry. Full article

Planetary Health is an expanding scientific field around the world, and actions in different areas are essential to minimize the environmental damage that compromises the future of humanity. This project report aims to describe the development of Planetary Health actions in a rural school in the Brazilian Amazon, to understand and raise awareness of themes related to Planetary Health. To implement the educational activities, a booklet entitled “Planetary Health: Guide for Rural Education” was created. Subsequently, didactic sequences were applied to 37 ninth-grade students in the first semester of 2023. The activities were diversified, including: (1) investigative activities (pre-tests, interviews with family members, ecological footprint adapted to the Amazonian riverside context), (2) interpretative activities (image reading, identification and problem-solving for Planetary Health stories in the Amazon, educational cartoons, and graphs of the sectors with the highest pollution in Brazil and diseases associated with climate change), (3) audiovisual activities (educational videos), (4) playful activities (educational games), (5) practical and field activities (forest tracking, planting seedlings, sanitation trail, construction of a school garden, preparation of a healthy school snack, greenhouse effect simulation, and basic analysis of lake water with a probe). The results of the educational actions allowed students to undergo new experiences on Planetary Health themes, as well as understand the centrality of the Amazon for the planet and how the environmental impacts in this biome are compromising the future of humanity. The experiences during the educational actions showed that young riverside residents are concerned about the future of the Amazon, especially given the environmental destruction that is frequently evident, such as deforestation, fires, illegal mining, and land grabbing. Inserting these themes into riverside education makes it possible to look at the Amazon in a resilient, responsible way and to discuss scientific and local knowledge so that students can develop initiatives to face environmental challenges in their community. We conclude that Planetary Health education needs to be an effective part of the school curriculum, prioritizing reviewing the documents that guide education to prioritize transdisciplinary actions with children and young people, as they are the voices of the future and future leaders in emerging causes. Educational actions in Planetary Health in the Amazon region are an example that can inspire actions in other places with similar characteristics. Full article

Fried foods occupy a large portion of the fast-food market. However, growing consumer health awareness is driving research to minimize the oil content of products. The use of specific barriers such as hydrocolloid coatings can avoid high oil absorption. Herein, the physicochemical characteristics of banana fruit cultivars and the effects of hydrocolloid coatings on the quality attributes of banana chips were evaluated. The unripe fruits were analyzed for length, diameter, mass, pulp/peel ratio, firmness, and color. The pulps were analyzed for moisture, total and reducing sugars, crude fat, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and maturation index. Pulp slices were coated before frying with four hydrocolloid solutions: guar gum, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate, and maltodextrin. The fruits of the cultivar BRS Platina were larger, with a more yellowish pulp and those of FHIA 18 had smaller lengths and diameters. After frying, higher moisture losses were observed in the control and in the treatment with maltodextrin. Hydrocolloids promoted reductions in oil absorption from 26.54 to 9.14%, in addition to changes in the color and hardness of the chips. A coating pretreatment can be used to produce low-fat banana chips, with better results using guar gum. Our results are useful in expanding the commercialization of fruits that fall easily and the chip coating technology can be applied in snack industries. Full article

In Indonesia, school feeding programs have not been established nationally due to the government’s limited budget. To examine the possibility of copayment for school feeding programs, parents’ intentions to use the school feeding programs and their willingness to pay (WTP) for these programs should be considered. We conducted an online questionnaire survey among the parents of junior high school students in all five public junior high schools in the Kepanjen District of Malang Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia. We used the contingent valuation method to elicit parents’ WTP for school feeding and calculated the price elasticity of school feeding. Factors associated with the WTP were examined using logistic regression analysis. Of the 940 participants, 90% intended to use school feeding programs, and 30% were willing to pay Rp 15,000 (USD 1.05) or higher per meal. Of the 944 students (participants’ children), all but two students consumed meals or snacks at school, with 74% consuming foods three or more times daily. Higher WTP for school feeding was associated with frequent food consumption at school, higher income, and a better perception of meals at school. In contrast, lower WTP was associated with more household members. Most parents intended to use school feeding programs with certain WTP irrespective of the price of school feeding. Therefore, school feeding in Indonesia might be expanded through copayment. Full article

The aim of the study was to obtain a new type of potato-based snack pellets fortified with fresh broccoli addition and to estimate their extrusion-cooking parameters (processing stability) and selected physical properties. In this work, fresh broccoli was added at varying levels (10, 20, and 30%) to potato-based pellets—a half-product for expanded ready-to-eat food snacks. The obtained results showed that the assessed variables: moisture content, screw speed, and amount of added fresh broccoli, have significantly affected the extrusion-cooking process and final product physical properties. Accordingly, increasing fresh broccoli by up to 30% induced higher efficiency of the extrusion-cooking process, lower energy consumption, a lower expansion index, lower bulk density values, and proper durability. Application of fresh broccoli may also significantly reduce water consumption during processing and save energy due to the omission of the vegetable drying step. We recommend the application of up to 30% fresh broccoli in newly developed extruded snack pellet formulations. Fresh broccoli, a valuable vegetable source of health-promoting substances, may be an attractive additive in snack pellet half-products with no negative effect on processing. Full article

Andean tubers and tuberous roots have nutritional and medicinal properties transferred through ancestral generations. In this study, we aim to promote cultivation and consumption by developing a snack based on these crops. Corn grits were thoroughly mixed with sweet potato, mashua, and three varieties of oca flour (white, yellow, and red) in an 80:20 ratio, and a single-screw laboratory extruder was utilized to produce third-generation (3G) dried pellets. Microwave expansion was studied, and the dried 3G pellets and expanded snacks were characterized. The microwave expansion curves of the dried 3G pellets were adjusted to the Page, logarithmic, and Midilli–Kucuk models. During the characterization, the influence of the raw material composition was observed in sectional expansion, water content, water activity, water absorption, water solubility, swelling, optical and textural properties, and bioactive compounds. According to global color variation (mixture vs. expanded and dried vs. expanded) and bioactive compound analysis, the mashua suffered little chemical change or nutritional loss during the process. The extrusion process was shown to be an ideal method for manufacturing snacks from Andean tuber flours. Full article

The aim of this work was to evaluate the structure of novel potato-based snack foods supplemented with various levels of fresh carrot pulp by using X-ray micro-computed tomography, texture profile, and sensory analysis. Three different methods of extruded snack pellets expansion were used to obtain ready-to-eat crisps: deep-fat frying, microwave, and hot-air toasting. The obtained results revealed that the pellets expansion method affected the porosity, size of pores and wall thickness, texture properties, and notes of sensory analyses of the obtained crisps. Deep-fat frying had a similar influence to microwave heating on ready-to-eat crisps properties, and both methods were significantly different in comparison to hot-air toasting. Crisps based on snack pellets supplemented with the addition of fresh carrot pulp in the amount of 10 to 30% expansion through hot-air heating showed unsatisfactory expansion and texture, but it is highly advisable to use deep-fat frying and microwave heating to achieve attractive potato-carrot crisps. Full article

Food waste is becoming a growing and important concern at both local and global levels. One-third of all food production is lost or wasted globally. It is necessary to look for alternatives that allow the use of agri-food waste or byproducts and that can provide value to other foodstuffs. The utilization of beetroot byproducts for producing value-added third generation (3G) snacks was the main aim of this work. These snacks are obtained by indirect expansion by extrusion and later heat expansion. In order to achieve this aim, a corn grits base was used and the influence of water content and beetroot byproduct content effect was studied on expansion kinetics by microwave energy and on texture, colour, extrusion parameters and bioactive compounds of expanded 3G snacks. The microwave expansion kinetics study determined the appropriate time to expand the formulations studied. Samples with higher water content in the mixtures needed more expansion time. In terms of expansion, all samples presented acceptable values; however, samples with 25% water in the mixtures showed better results. Furthermore, these snacks showed more crunchiness and less hardness. Beetroot byproduct incorporation provided additional functional value to the snacks. The betalains and phenols contained in the beetroot byproduct were presented in the expanded snacks and increased the antioxidant capacity of the snacks. With this study, it can be recommended to use 25% water content and 10% beetroot byproduct in corn mixture to obtain a third-generation snack with added value. Full article

This research aimed to produce gluten-free snacks on a pilot scale from quinoa flour. These snacks experienced an extrusion process, followed by baking. The effects of these technological processes on carbohydrate and protein digestibility, extractable phenolic compounds (EPP), hydrolyzable phenolic compounds (HPP), antioxidant capacity, and physical properties were evaluated in raw quinoa flour and extruded snacks. Extrusion increased digestible starch (RDS) from 7.33 g/100 g bs to 77.33 g /100 g bs. Resistant starch (RS) showed a variation of 2 g/100 g bs. It is noteworthy that protein digestibility increased up to 94.58 g/100 bs after extrusion and baking. These processes increased HPP content, while EPP and carotenoid content decreased. The samples showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the antioxidant properties determined through the DPPH and ABTS methods. Values of 19.72 ± 0.81 µmol T/g were observed in snacks and 13.16 ± 0.2 µmol T/g in raw flour, but a reduction of up to 16.10 ± 0.68 µmol T/g was observed during baking. The baking process reduced the work of crispness (Wcr) from 0.79 to 0.23 N.mm, while the saturation (C*) was higher in baked ones, showing higher color intensity. The baking process did not influence the viscosity profile. The results in this study respond to the growing interest of the food industry to satisfy consumer demand for new, healthy, and expanded gluten-free snacks with bioactive compounds. Full article

A Brabender Kompakt extruder KE 19/25 was used to create third-generation corn pellets using a high moisture content (25, 30, and 35%) and moderate temperature. The pellets were subjected to microwave expansion, and the drying curves were fitted to Page, Logarithmic, and Midilli–Kucuk mathematical models. The Page model best fits the experimental data, closely followed by the Midilli–Kucuk model. The variables evaluated were appearance, sectional expansion index (SEI), and volumetric expansion index (VEI), and they showed a strong dependency on moisture content. According to the results, the recommended expansion times for mixtures with a 25, 30, and 35% moisture content are 50, 60, and 60–75 s, respectively. Full article

Expanded popcorn grain is widely consumed as a healthy snack all around the world; however, the study of the behavior of its components by processes such as nixtamalization is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize the nanomechanical, structural, and antioxidant properties of nixtamalized popcorn grain pericarp. FT-IR results showed that the secondary structure of proteins of the nixtamalized pericarp was α-helix with 42.10%, the turn was 21.5% and 36.33% β-sheet, and proteins of the pericarp did not present the random coil structure. Pericarp showed antioxidant activity, as their values were 550.1 ± 2.9 and 44.2 ± 1.6 (TE)/mL for ABTS and DPPH, respectively; total phenols content was 0.21 ± 0.008 (TE)/mL; reducing power values were around 29 to 31%; hydroxyl radical scavenging ranged from 36 to 55% and iron chelation around 115 to 140% compared to the standard acids. Thickness values of the nixtamalized pericarp by SEM image analysis were 0.15 ± 0.1 mm near the pedicel inferior tip, 0.07 ± 0.01 mm at middle, and 0.03 ± 0.02 mm at upper of the grain. Young’s modulus value was 261.72 ± 23.58 MPa with a Gaussian function fitting at the distribution of all values. This research provides novel and valuable information for understanding the nanomechanical and protein arrangement, as well as and the antioxidant activity of nixtamalized popcorn grain pericarp in order to promote other processes and uses for this kind of pericarp maize. Full article