Influence of color on acceptance and identification of flavor of foods by adults

The sensory characteristics color and flavor of food play an important role not only in the selection, but also in the determination of consumption, satiation, and ingestion. With the objective to determine and evaluate the influence of color on the acceptance and identification of flavor of foods for adults, sensory analysis was performed on jellies by non-trained tasters of both sexes aged between 18 and 60 years (1750 tests). A hedonic scale and combinations of five colors (red, yellow, green, blue and purple) and three flavors (strawberry, pineapple, and limes) were used in the acceptance test totaling 15 samples. In the duo-trio discrimination test, together with the reference sample (R), one sample identical to the reference and another of identical color and different flavor were offered, and the judges were requested to identify the sample that was different from the reference sample. The colors used did not influence the acceptance of the samples (P > 0.05), and as there was not significant interaction between color and flavor. However, the limes flavor negatively influenced acceptance when compared to the other flavors. With regard to flavor differentiation, the colors used did not influence flavor identification (P > 0.05); However, differentiated behavior was identified between females and males, and the latter were more error-prone. Therefore, under the experimental conditions tested, color did not influence the acceptance and identification of the flavor of the samples by adults.

Prevalent fatty acids in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation in different stages of processing

Brazil is one of the three largest producers of fruits in the world, and among those fruit trees, the cashew tree stands out due to the high nutritional and commercial value of its products. During its fruit processing, there are losses in some compounds and few studies address this issue. Over the last decade the conventional system of food production has been substituted for the organic cultivation system, which is a promising alternative source of income given the global demand for healthy food. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize and quantify the prevalent fatty acids found in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation during various stages of processing. The prevalent fatty acids found were palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acid. The average of these fatty acids were 6.93 ± 0.55; 16.99 ± 0.61; 67.62 ± 1.00 and 8.42 ± 0.55 g/100 g, respectively. There was no reduction in the palmitic, oleic and stearic fatty acid contents during processing. Very little difference was observed between the nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation, indicating that the method of cultivation used has little or no influence on the content of cashew nut fatty acids.

The influence of peeling and type of drying on chemical and sensorial analysis of organic coffee

Organic coffee is characterized by being produced without the use of chemical products and by having a similar or superior quality in comparison to that of coffee produced by traditional methods. The production of organic coffee does not include the use of highly soluble nutrients, which makes consumers concerned with environmental issues and healthy eating habits realize its true value. This paper aims to analyze the influence of harvesting, peeling and drying on the quality of organic coffee, in order to present the best way of producing high quality coffee. Samples of organic coffee were harvested by both conventional and selective ways, and some were peeled. They were then dried on concrete patio and on suspended terraces. The beans were analyzed for potassium leaching, electrical conductivity, titratable acidity, and submitted to coffee cupping-test. The results obtained indicated that the selective harvesting of the peeled or unpeeled cherry coffee dried on concrete terrace is feasible for production of fine coffees. This type of processing effectively influenced the final quality of the organic coffee, thus being an alternative to improve the quality and market value of the product, especially for small producers, cooperatives, and associations of coffee producers.

Bioactive and volatile organic compounds in Southern Brazilian blackberry (Rubus Fruticosus) fruit cv. Tupy

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus, cultivar Tupy), an expanding fruit crop in southern Brazil, is greatly appreciated for its flavor and bioactive potential with limited characterization of its metabolite content. The purpose of this study was to characterize the bioactive and volatile organic compound (VOC) content of mature blackberry fruit of cultivar Tupy. Gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin, ferulic acid, and quercetin were the main phenolic compounds found in mature fruit. Among the VOCs identified in 'Tupy' blackberry were important flavor components characteristic of fruit berries, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and terpenoids. Some of the VOCs had not been previously found in blackberry, while others have been associated with typical blackberry flavor.

Screening and kinetics of glutaminase and glutamate decarboxylase producing lactic acid bacteria from fermented Thai foods

L-glutaminase and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-glutamine and glutamate, respectively. L-glutaminase widely used in cancer therapy along with a combination of other enzymes and most importantly these enzymes were used in food industries, as a major catalyst of bioconversion. The current investigation was aimed to screen and select L-glutaminase, and GAD producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB). A total of 338 LAB were isolated from fermented meat, fermented fish, fermented soya bean, fermented vegetables and fruits. Among 338 isolates, 22 and 237 LAB has been found to be positive for L-glutaminase and GAD, respectively. We found that 30 days of incubation at 35 ºC and pH 6.0 was the optimum condition for glutaminase activity by G507/1. G254/2 was found to be the best for GAD activity with the optimum condition of pH 6.5, temperature 40 ºC and ten days of incubation. These LAB strains, G507/1 and G254/2, were identified as close relative of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869 and Lactobacillus fermentum NBRC 3956, respectively by 16S rRNA sequencing. Further, improvements in up-stream of the fermentation process with these LAB strains are currently under development.

Physicochemical composition, minerals, and pesticide residues in organic grape juices

Demand for organic products is intensified in many countries each year. Following this trend, Brazil produces increasing volumes of organic grape juice. In this way, a survey of organic grape juices made from grapes produced according to this system was carried out where physicochemical composition, minerals, trace elements, and pesticide residues were determined. Variables related to grape juice composition were performed by physicochemical procedures; minerals and trace elements, by inductively plasma optical emission spectrometry; pesticide residues, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main results show that the physicochemical composition of organic grape juices was in general in accordance to the Brazilian legislation. The mean concentrations of trace elements were very low, varying from 0.002 (Cd) to 0.970 (Ba) mg L–1. Pesticide residues were not detected in any sample analyzed (MRL= 10 µg L–1). These results show that the Serra Gaúcha viticultural region present conditions to produce organic grape juices, despite the adverse climate factors that occurs in some years. Nevertheless, these products should be made with grape varieties, such as the labrusca ones, less susceptibles to the main grapevine pathogens.

Alternatives to reduce sodium in processed foods and the potential of high pressure technology

Abstract In most industrialized countries, the sodium intake exceeds the nutritional recommendations. In this sense the search for healthier foods has led the food industry to review their formulations in relation to food components such as salt, which is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. As a result, different strategies for reducing salt levels in processed foods have been investigated. Among the technological options available, the high-pressure processing has stood out by presenting intrinsic technological advantages that can contribute to optimization of food formulations with low / reduced sodium contents. This review provides a brief overview of the key strategies and use of high pressure in the development of reduced-salt products.

Critical levels of organic acids on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat

The objective of this study was to determine the responses of the wheat cultivars CD 108 and CD 111 for tolerance to organic acids. The effects of five concentrations of the three main acids formed in the soil were studied: acetic acid (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mM), propionic acid (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mM) and butyric acid (0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 mM). Tests included germination, shoot length, root length and dry weight of shoot and root. The variable root length is the most responsive variable for all the acids tested and the critical level of toxicity of acetic, propionic and butyric acids, which reduced root length by at least 50% was 9.0, 8.5 and 4.0 mM respectively. It was concluded that the presence of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in the germination substratum of wheat seeds of the cultivars CD 111 and CD 108 reduced seedling development, mainly by reducing the length of the radicles.