Recent Advances in the Processing and Preservation of Agricultural Products

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2024 | Viewed by 1809

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: analytical chemistry; food chemistry; food packaging; valorisation of waste and by-products; biopolymers; nutrients; bioactive compounds; innovative extraction technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global production of agricultural products, such as cereals, sugar, fruit and vegetables, has increased rapidly due to consumer demand for fresh, safe and high-quality products. However, a large proportion of agricultural products are lost from the field to the plate due to infestation by microorganisms. Among various agricultural products, fruits and vegetables have higher post-harvest losses due to high water activity, which is not only associated with microbial but also chemical and enzymatic reactions that negatively affect product quality. In order to extend the shelf life of agricultural products and avoid changes in colour, nutritional value and phytochemical properties, various preservation and processing techniques have been developed in combination with packaging methods.Thermal (e.g., cold treatment and drying) and non-thermal methods (e.g., UV radiation, cold plasma, ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure) and their combinations have been developed to determine the suitability for processing various agricultural products. The aim of this Special Issue is, therefore, to compile the latest findings on the processing and preservation of agricultural products, their principles and process design, as well as the effectiveness of the nutritional and bioactive composition of the newly obtained products. Both original studies and reviews on advances, strategies and the quality of processed and preserved agricultural products are welcome.

Dr. Antonela Ninčević Grassino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agricultural products
  • processing
  • preservation
  • thermal technique
  • non-thermal technique
  • drying methods
  • drying pretreatment
  • ultrasound-assisted extraction
  • physicochemical properties
  • bioactive composition

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 14246 KiB  
Article
Quality and Process Optimization of Infrared Combined Hot Air Drying of Yam Slices Based on BP Neural Network and Gray Wolf Algorithm
by Jikai Zhang, Xia Zheng, Hongwei Xiao, Chunhui Shan, Yican Li and Taoqing Yang
Foods 2024, 13(3), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13030434 - 29 Jan 2024
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Abstract
In this paper, the effects on drying time (Y1), the color difference (Y2), unit energy consumption (Y3), polysaccharide content (Y4), rehydration ratio (Y5), and allantoin content (Y6) of yam slices were [...] Read more.
In this paper, the effects on drying time (Y1), the color difference (Y2), unit energy consumption (Y3), polysaccharide content (Y4), rehydration ratio (Y5), and allantoin content (Y6) of yam slices were investigated under different drying temperatures (50–70 °C), slice thicknesses (2–10 mm), and radiation distances (80–160 mm). The optimal drying conditions were determined by applying the BP neural network wolf algorithm (GWO) model based on response surface methodology (RMS). All the above indices were significantly affected by drying conditions (p < 0.05). The drying rate and effective water diffusion coefficient of yam slices accelerated with increasing temperature and decreasing slice thickness and radiation distance. The selection of lower temperature and slice thickness helped reduce the energy consumption and color difference. The polysaccharide content increased and then decreased with drying temperature, slice thickness, and radiation distance, and it was highest at 60 °C, 6 mm, and 120 mm. At 60 °C, lower slice thickness and radiation distance favored the retention of allantoin content. Under the given constraints (minimization of drying time, unit energy consumption, color difference, and maximization of rehydration ratio, polysaccharide content, and allantoin content), BP-GWO was found to have higher coefficients of determination (R2 = 0.9919 to 0.9983) and lower RMSEs (reduced by 61.34% to 80.03%) than RMS. Multi-objective optimization of BP-GWO was carried out to obtain the optimal drying conditions, as follows: temperature 63.57 °C, slice thickness 4.27 mm, radiation distance 91.39 mm, corresponding to the optimal indices, as follows: Y1 = 133.71 min, Y2 = 7.26, Y3 = 8.54 kJ·h·kg−1, Y4 = 20.73 mg/g, Y5 = 2.84 kg/kg, and Y6 = 3.69 μg/g. In the experimental verification of the prediction results, the relative error between the actual and predicted values was less than 5%, proving the model’s reliability for other materials in the drying technology process research to provide a reference. Full article
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16 pages, 4077 KiB  
Article
Unraveling the Formation Mechanism of Egg’s Unique Flavor via Flavoromics and Lipidomics
by Zheng Zhou, Shuang Cui, Jing Che, Yuying Zhang, Dayong Zhou, Xuhui Huang and Lei Qin
Foods 2024, 13(2), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020226 - 10 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Egg products after thermal treatment possess a unique flavor and are favored by consumers. In this study, the key aroma-active compounds of egg yolk products and their formation mechanism during thermal treatment were investigated. The volatile aroma compounds in egg yolks were monitored [...] Read more.
Egg products after thermal treatment possess a unique flavor and are favored by consumers. In this study, the key aroma-active compounds of egg yolk products and their formation mechanism during thermal treatment were investigated. The volatile aroma compounds in egg yolks were monitored using an electronic nose, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography–olfactometry–mass spectrometry (GC–O–MS), and the lipid molecular species were explored using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography– mass spectrometry with a Q-Exactive HF-X Orbitrap (UPLC-Q-Exactive HF-X). A total of 68 volatile compounds were identified. Boiled eggs mainly derived their flavor from hexanal, 2-pentyl-furan, 2-butanone, 3-methyl-butanal and heptane. Meanwhile, fried eggs relied mainly on 14 compounds, the most important of which were 2-ethyl-3-methyl-pyrazine, 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, nonanal and 2,3-diethyl-5-methyl-pyrazine, providing a baked and burnt sugar flavor. A total of 201 lipid molecules, belonging to 21 lipid subclasses, were identified in egg yolks, and 13 oxidized lipids were characterized using a molecular network. Phosphoethanolamines (PEs) containing polyunsaturated fatty acids were the primary flavor precursors contributing to the development of egg yolks’ flavor, participating in lipid oxidation reactions and the Maillard reaction and regulating the production of aldehydes and pyrazine compounds. This study provides reference and guidance for the development of egg yolk flavor products. Full article
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