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Special Issue "Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food"

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2024 | Viewed by 8375

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Belen Diaz

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Sciences, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
Interests: biomass; saccharification; enzymes; solid state fermentation; lactic acid; delignification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Cristina Lasanta

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technologies, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cádiz, Cadiz, Spain
Interests: handcrafted beer; yeast; fermentation; phenolic compounds; volatile compounds; sensory analysis; wine making

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, there has been an increased consumer demand for functional food, as such food provides health benefits beyond its nutritional characteristics and represents a growing segment of the food industry. Indeed, functional food represents a promising vehicle for nutrients and bioactive compounds, including antioxidants, vitamins, proteins, minerals, etc. Moreover, consumers look for specific functionality that matches their needs and lifestyles (heart performance, immune system, antioxidant capacity, etc.), making the development of new products with these properties necessary. Incorporation of a new ingredient the modification of the manufacturing process might cause different effects, so proper physicochemical characterization of these new products is required. Furthermore, the search for innovative functional food which are palatable and well as nutritionally adequate is required. In this regard, special attention must be paid to the sensory properties of such food to achieve acceptance by consumers.

Dr. Ana Belen Diaz
Dr. Cristina Lasanta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

functional foods
physicochemical characterization
sensory analysis
volatile compounds
bioactive compounds

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1970 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Clean-Label Formulation of Fortified Yogurt Based on Rhododendron Flower Powder as a Functional Ingredient

Alina Narcisa Postolache

Ionuț Dumitru Veleșcu

Florina Stoica

Ioana Cristina Crivei

Vlad Nicolae Arsenoaia

Marius Giorgi Usturoi

Cristina Gabriela Constantinescu (Pop)

and

Foods 2023, 12(23), 4365; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234365 - 04 Dec 2023

Viewed by 246

Abstract

The world-wide-dispersed Rhododendron is a tiny, evergreen plant with vivid red or pale pink blossoms that is a member of the Ericaceae family and is well-known for its stunning flowers. To improve yogurt’s nutritional profile and sensory qualities, this study investigates an innovative application of Rhododendron flower powder (RFP). The potential health benefits of Rhododendron flowers, which are a rich source of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidants, have attracted attention. Consequently, the physicochemical, phytochemical, and sensory qualities of fortifying yogurt with RFP at various concentrations were studied. The results showed that the texture and color of the yogurt were highly influenced by the addition of RFP. The addition of this functional ingredient also resulted in a significant increase in the yogurt’s polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. These findings demonstrate the suitability of RFP in yogurt formulations as a functional food ingredient, being a good source of phenolics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food)

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14 pages, 1661 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Walnut Flour as an Ingredient for Producing Low-Carbohydrate Bread: Physicochemical, Sensory, and Spectroscopic Characteristics

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Foods 2023, 12(17), 3320; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173320 - 04 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1311

Abstract

Walnut flour (WF) is a nutrient-rich source that can be used as an alternative for individuals on a gluten-free diet. This study aimed to assess the physical, chemical, and sensory changes in low-carbohydrate bread when supplemented with WF. Molecular-level changes were also examined using ATR-FTIR spectra. The bread recipe, containing buckwheat and flaxseed, was enriched with WF at levels ranging from 5% to 20%. The addition of WF resulted in increased loaf volume and decreased baking loss. Enriched bread samples showed higher protein content, while fat and available carbohydrate content decreased. Additionally, WF incorporation led to a decrease in crumb brightness and an increase in redness (from 23.1 to 25.4) and yellowness (from 23.8 to 26.7). WF also increased crumb hardness and chewiness. Moreover, the tested additives primarily influenced the intensity of FTIR spectra, indicating changes in protein, carbohydrate, and fat content, with increased band intensity observed in the protein region. We particularly recommend bread with a WF content of 15%. This type of bread is characterized by high consumer acceptance. Furthermore, compared to bread without the addition of WF, it has a higher content of phenolic compounds, protein, and fat by approximately 40%, 8%, and 4%, respectively. The antioxidant activity of this bread, determined using the ABTS and DPPH methods, is also significantly higher compared to the control bread. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food)

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16 pages, 2493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Characterization of Probiotic Beers with Saccharomyces boulardii as an Alternative to Conventional Brewer’s Yeast

Ana Belén Díaz

Enrique Durán-Guerrero

Sergio Valiente

Remedios Castro

and

Cristina Lasanta

Foods 2023, 12(15), 2912; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152912 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3831

Abstract

The development of new non-dairy probiotic foods is interesting, given lactose intolerance, milk allergies, and the growing trend of vegetarianism. In this paper, beer has been used as a probiotic delivery matrix, using Saccharomyces boulardii as an alternative to conventional brewer’s yeast. The strain was able to grow in worts prepared with hops containing different alpha-acid concentrations, attaining in all cases a final cell concentration above 1·10⁸ cells mL⁻¹. Some differences were found in the physicochemical parameters of beers brewed with S. boulardii compared to those brewed with a standard brewer’s yeast. Probiotic beers turned out to be less cloudy, which could help with a possible filtering step; less alcoholic in some cases; a healthier alternative; and with a slightly lower pH, interesting for the reduction of spoilage risk. Thirty volatile compounds were determined in the samples, and, in general, the beers brewed with the probiotic yeast presented significantly higher concentrations for the majority of the studied volatile compounds. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis was successfully performed to differentiate the beers obtained in terms of their volatile composition. Probiotic and standard beers were also subjected to sensory analysis, and they presented similar results in their overall impression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food)

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18 pages, 6273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development, Analysis, and Sensory Evaluation of Improved Bread Fortified with a Plant-Based Fermented Food Product

Miriam Cabello-Olmo

Padmanaban G. Krishnan

and

Foods 2023, 12(15), 2817; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152817 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1307

Abstract

In response to the demand for healthier foods in the current market, this study aimed to develop a new bread product using a fermented food product (FFP), a plant-based product composed of soya flour, alfalfa meal, barley sprouts, and viable microorganisms that showed beneficial effects in previous studies. White bread products prepared with three different substitution levels (5, 10, and 15%) of FFP were evaluated for physical characteristics (loaf peak height, length, width), color indices (lightness, redness/greenness, yellowness/blueness), quality properties (loaf mass, volume, specific volume), protein content, crumb digital image analysis, and sensory characteristics. The results revealed that FFP significantly affected all studied parameters, and in most cases, there was a dose–response effect. FFP supplementation affected the nutritional profile and increased the protein content (p < 0.001). The sensory test indicated that consumer acceptance of the studied sensory attributes differed significantly between groups, and bread with high levels of FFP (10 and 15% FFP) was generally more poorly rated than the control (0%) and 5% FFP for most of the variables studied. Despite this, all groups received acceptable scores (overall liking score ≥ 5) from consumers. The sensory analysis concluded that there is a possible niche in the market for these improved versions of bread products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food)

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21 pages, 3933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valorization of Second-Grade Date Fruit Byproducts and Nonstandard Sweet Potato Tubers to Produce Novel Biofortified Functional Jam

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Foods 2023, 12(9), 1906; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091906 - 06 May 2023

Viewed by 1048

Abstract

Byproducts of second-grade dates and sweet potato tubers of noncommercial standard are produced along with the main product and are just as important as the main product but cannot be sold in the open market, as they may not be considered acceptable by consumers. Such byproducts can be valorized through the manufacture of a wide range of functional food products with high market appeal, such as jams. The research approach of this study included measuring antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, polyphenols, physicochemical and color indices, pH, and total sugar, as well as conducting a sensory evaluation, of mixed jams composed of different ratios of date jam (DFJ) to sweet potato jam (SPJ), namely, DP1 (80:20), DP2 (70:30), DP3 (60:40), and DP4 (50:50). To date, no other studies have considered producing mixed jam from dates and sweet potato byproducts. The sensory evaluation results indicated that jam DP4 (consisting of 50% date and 50% sweet potato) had the maximum overall acceptability. This investigation reveals the potential of using mixed byproducts in jams as natural functional ingredients, suggesting the economic value of valorization byproducts as low-cost ingredients to expand the properties, nutritional value, antioxidant content, and overall acceptability of jams. The discovered optimal mixed fruit jam has significant potential for further development as a commercial product. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Evaluation and Physicochemical Characterization of New Functional Food)

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