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Studies of Crop Products and Food Processing Technology from a Sustainable Food Perspective

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Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable food production increases the ability of the system to maintain stable levels of food production and quality for the long term, which is a great challenge due to the growth of inequality and global warming, and the current political and economic situation that affects the growth of ingredient costs. For this reason, designing new crop products and food processing techniques for the future, food producers must take into account economic viability, social responsibility and environmental concerns. Sustainable crop production refers to agricultural production in such a way that it does not cause any harm to biodiversity, the environment of the quality of agricultural crops. Biodiversity is essential for the sustainable production of food and other agricultural products because it enables food security, nutrition and livelihoods. In addition, biodiversity directly supports agriculture systems by helping to ensure soil fertility, pollination and pest control. The use of eco-friendly bio-pesticides based on essential oils, plant extracts, etc., can represent an alternative methodology to conventional chemically synthesized insecticides, reducing the demand for agricultural chemical inputs to control the system.

Food processing is a critical element in the food supply chain. Sustainable food processing is all about finding new ways of meeting present needs without compromising future viability, given the constantly changing economic and environmental conditions. This is why this Special Issue is concerned with the future protection of resources via sustainable usage and the future prospects of the sustainability of crop products and food processing technology.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the knowledge base on the following topics:

Crop systems;
Agricultural sustainability;
Biodiversity;
Pest management – natural compounds;
Organic farming as a sustainable approach ;
Crop processing by-products;
Sustainable food processing technology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ante Lončarić
Guest Editor

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Keywords

agricultural sustainability
biodiversity
crop processing by-products

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technological Characteristics of Wheat-Fiber-Based Fat Mimetics in Combination with Food Additives

by Ivana Nikolić, Biljana Pajin, Ivana Lončarević, Drago Šubarić, Antun Jozinović, Ante Lončarić, Jovana Petrović, Zita Šereš, Ljubica Dokić and Dragana Šoronja-Simović

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 1887; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031887 - 18 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1196

Abstract

In addition to the fact that the “ideal” fat mimetic should have all functional characteristics of fat, it is preferable to be from natural sources. Dietary fibers from different natural sources have large potential for fat mimetic roles in low-energy food products. This work observes the functional characteristics of wheat-fiber-based fat mimetics (microstructure, rheological and textural properties), as well as the influence of addition of small molecules of additives, which are usually necessary during the production of food products. Different concentrations of fat mimetics were analyzed (from 1–10% of fibers) alone and also in combination with a mixture of additives (sodium ascorbate, trisodium citrate and sodium acetate). The concentration of hydrated wheat fibers above 3% formed viscoelastic gel structures with an antithixotropic type of Newtonian flow, with a domination of elastic properties (G′) and ability for partial recover. Firmness and consistency were also stable at higher fiber concentration (5–10%). Thus, these fat mimetics have high ability to imitate fat functional properties and to provide the role of continuous phase in food systems. The application of food additives significantly reduced all observed properties of wheat fibers’ fat mimetics by disturbing the proper hydration process during gel formation and crosslinking of the three-dimensional structure of fat mimetics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies of Crop Products and Food Processing Technology from a Sustainable Food Perspective)

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13 pages, 1523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Whey as a Carrier Material for Blueberry Bioactive Components: Incorporation in White Chocolate

by Petar Jovanović, Biljana Pajin, Ante Lončarić, Antun Jozinović, Jovana Petrović, Aleksandar Fišteš, Danica Zarić, Vesna Tumbas Šaponjac, Đurđica Ačkar and Ivana Lončarević

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114172 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1499

Abstract

White chocolate is considered an unhealthier product than dark and milk chocolate due to the absence of cocoa solids containing polyphenols and other valuable components such as minerals and dietary fiber. This paper aimed to improve the nutritional value of white chocolate (C) by adding blueberry bioactive compounds. Since natural polyphenols are easily degradable because of their sensitivity, whey, as a rich source of proteins, was used as a material for encapsulating blueberry juice. Whey proteins protect blueberry anthocyanins and increase their bioaccessibility in the human body. Blueberry juice encapsulates (B) were added to white chocolate, replacing 8% (C-B8) and 10% (C-B10) of white chocolate mass. Blueberry encapsulates significantly (p < 0.05) increased the viscosity of chocolates (from 0.63 Pa·s in C to 1.13 Pa·s in C-B8 and 1.40 Pa·s in C-B10) with no significant impact on their melting peak. Both enriched chocolates had significantly (p < 0.05) higher protein and dietary fiber content and lower fat content than white chocolate. The total polyphenol content increased 3.7-fold, while antioxidant capacity increased 5.2-fold in C-B10. The oxidation stability, determined by pressurized accelerated oxidation, was also improved in enriched chocolates. Blueberry juice encapsulated in whey positively influenced the color and sensory characteristics of fortified white chocolates, where C-B10 had higher sensory scores for blueberry odor and taste than C-B8. The obtained results open up a possible pathway and indicate opportunities and limitations for the incorporation of other materials, such as various dietary/fruit components, in white chocolate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies of Crop Products and Food Processing Technology from a Sustainable Food Perspective)

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