Cardiovascular diseases represent the principal cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is well-known that oxidative stress and inflammatory processes are strongly implicated in their ...pathogenesis; therefore, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agents can represent effective tools. In recent years a large number of scientific reports have pointed out the nutraceutical and nutritional value of extra virgin olive oils (EVOO), strongholds of the Mediterranean diet, endowed with a high nutritional quality and defined as functional foods. In regard to EVOO, it is a food composed of a major saponifiable fraction, represented by oleic acid, and a minor unsaponifiable fraction, including a high number of vitamins, polyphenols, and squalene. Several reports suggest that the beneficial effects of EVOO are linked to the minor components, but recently, further studies have shed light on the health effects of the fatty fraction and the other constituents of the unsaponifiable fraction. In the first part of this review, an analysis of the clinical and preclinical evidence of the cardiovascular beneficial effects of each constituent is carried out. The second part of this review is dedicated to the main operating conditions during production and/or storage that can directly influence the shelf life of olive oil in terms of both nutraceutical properties and sensory quality.
While in the last few years the use of olive cake and mill wastewater as natural sources of phenolic compounds has been widely considered and several studies have focused on the development of new ...extraction methods and on the production of functional foods enriched with natural antioxidants, no data has been available on the production of a phenol-enriched refined olive oil with its own phenolic compounds extracted from wastewater produced during physical refining. In this study; we aimed to: (i) verify the effectiveness of a multi-step extraction process to recover the high-added-value phenolic compounds contained in wastewater derived from the preliminary washing degumming step of the physical refining of vegetal oils; (ii) evaluate their potential application for the stabilization of olive oil obtained with refined olive oils; and (iii) evaluate their antioxidant activity in an in vitro model of endothelial cells. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of using the refining wastewater as a source of bioactive compounds to improve the nutraceutical value as well as the antioxidant capacity of commercial olive oils. In the conditions adopted, the phenolic content significantly increased in the prototypes of phenol-enriched olive oils when compared with the control oil.
The nutraceutical properties of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) can be further improved by the addition of olive leaves during olive pressing. However, while
leaves are rich sources of bioactive ...substances, no data are available in the literature about the effect of
leaf addition on the nutraceutical and sensorial profiles of olive oil. This study aimed at comparing the chemical and sensorial qualities of olive oils obtained from ripe olives pressed together with either
or
spp. (lemon or orange) cryomacerated leaves. General composition parameters as well as major antioxidants and antioxidant activity were measured. A panel test evaluation, as well as headspace volatile characterization (headspace solid phase microextraction, HS-SPME), were also performed. All data were compared with an EVOO extracted from the same olive batch used as control. It was possible to obtain Leaf Olive Oils (LOOs) characterized by a higher (
< 0.05) content of antioxidants, compared to the control sample, and the highest oleuropein concentration was detected in the olive oil extracted in presence of olive leaf (+50% in comparison with the control). All the LOOs showed a higher smell complexity and the scent of ripe fruit was generally mitigated. Lemon and olive LOOs showed the best smell profile.
Ozone is widely used in the agri-food and food processing industries mainly as a sanitizing agent. However, it has recently become clear that ozone exposition leads to another important benefit: in ...living tissues, the induced-oxidative stress triggers the antioxidant response, and, therefore, it enhances the production of antioxidant and stress-related secondary metabolites. As such, ozone can be considered an abiotic elicitor. The goal of the present review was to critically summarize knowledge about the possibility of improving bioactive compounds and, consequently, the health-related properties of grapes and wine, by using ozone. The greatest interest has been given not only to the pre- and post-harvest treatment of table and wine grapes, but also to the explanation of the mechanisms involved in the ozone-related response and the main secondary metabolites biosynthetic pathways. From the literature available, it is clear that the effect of ozone treatment on health-related properties and secondary metabolites accumulation depends on many factors, such as the cultivar, but also the form (water or gaseous), doses, and application method of ozone. Most of the published papers report an increase in antioxidant compounds (e.g., polyphenols) and stress-related volatiles, confirming the hypothesis that ozone could be used to improve berry and wine compositional and sensory quality.
The short shelf-life of PDO Tuscan bread limits its distribution to markets close to the production area, affecting its commercial success and the economic return by supply chain operators. While the ...application of MAP to store bread is widely accepted, the suitability of this technique to extend the shelf life of the PDO Tuscan bread is still to be explored. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge no data are available in the literature about the use of argon as filling gas neither in pure atmosphere nor in combination with CO2. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different modified packaging atmospheres on the shelf-life of sourdough bread. Slices of bread were stored individually in plastic bags at 23 °C in five different atmospheres (Ar (100%), N2 (100%), CO2 (100%), Mix CO2/N2 (70% CO2, 30% N2), Mix CO2/Ar (70% CO2, 30% Ar)), and Air was selected as a control. To select the best storage conditions, both chemical-physical, rheological, and organoleptic features were evaluated. Results showed that pure gases (CO2, N2, Ar) displayed good qualities as storage atmospheres compared to Air. In contrast, both Mix CO2/N2 and Mix CO2/Ar were the best in slowing down the staling process, thus doubling the shelf-life of bread, compared to other atmospheres. In conclusion, argon, as a preservation atmosphere, seems to be the best solution to extend the shelf-life of PDO Tuscan bread.
Electronic nose (E-nose) devices represent one of the most trailblazing innovations in current technological research, since mimicking the functioning of the biological sense of smell has always ...represented a fascinating challenge for technological development applied to life sciences and beyond. Sensor array tools are right now used in a plethora of applications, including, but not limited to, (bio-)medical, environmental, and food industry related. In particular, the food industry has seen a significant rise in the application of technological tools for determining the quality of edibles, progressively replacing human panelists, therefore changing the whole quality control chain in the field. To this end, the present review, conducted on PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science, screening papers published between January 2010 and May 2021, sought to investigate the current trends in the usage of human panels and sensorized tools (E-nose and similar) in the food industry, comparing the performances between the two different approaches. In particular, the focus was mainly addressed towards the stability and shelf life assessment of olive oil, the main constituent of the renowned “Mediterranean diet”, and nowadays appreciated in cuisines from all around the world. The obtained results demonstrate that, despite the satisfying performances of both approaches, the best strategy merges the potentialities of human sensory panels and technological sensor arrays, (i.e., E-nose somewhat supported by E-tongue and/or E-eye). The current investigation can be used as a reference for future guidance towards the choice between human panelists and sensorized tools, to the benefit of food manufacturers.
Potato is a source of different bioactive compounds, and the potato transformation industry produces conspicuous quantities of potato peels as waste. In this context, the objective of this research ...was twofold: (i) the evaluation of the recovery of bioactive compounds from organic potato byproducts through an innovative multistep green extraction process; (ii) to evaluate the preservation during storage of the main quality-physicochemical parameters of minimally processed apples treated with two different natural extracts obtained. The potato extracts were obtained by solid CO2 cryomaceration followed by solid/liquid extraction based on water or 10% ethanol/water solutions. The efficacy of potato extracts, with or without 1% of citric acid, was tested in comparison with traditional preserving compounds in minimally processed apple preparation. All the extracts were characterized by a high antioxidant power and were rich in phenol compounds, showing a good activity in keeping the qualitative parameters of fresh-cut apple. A significant anti-browning effect as well as a slowing down of the softening of fruits during storage were observed. The obtained results suggest the suitability of the potato extracts as antioxidant additives for fresh-cut fruits, thus avoiding the use of unsafe chemicals.
When bottled wine is opened, a completely different scenario occurs that can accelerate the oxidation of the product. This is called the secondary shelf life (SSL), which is generally shorter and ...less predictable than the primary shelf life (PSL). In this context, the research aim was to evaluate the changes that occur in two types of red wine during two tests to evaluate the secondary shelf life as a function of the packaging systems. The variation of Total SO
and Free SO
and the other chemical parameters (polyphenols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, color, and volatile acidity) were used to assess the oxidation rate of the packaging samples after opening during the SSL. In both tests and for the two types of stored red wine, the polymeric cap showed the best results. The other types of closure (screw cap, natural cork, crow cap, and Tetra Brik) showed a negative trend and a reduced SSL for both red wines. Finally, the sensory results confirmed that with the polymeric cap, the SSL increases considerably compared to other capping systems. These results may be due to the technical characteristics of polymeric materials, which tend to vary slightly in shape after repeated usage.
At present, food quality is of utmost importance, not only to comply with commercial regulations, but also to meet the expectations of consumers; this aspect includes sensory features capable of ...triggering emotions through the citizen’s perception. To date, key parameters for food quality assessment have been sought through analytical methods alone or in combination with a panel test, but the evaluation of panelists’ reactions via psychophysiological markers is now becoming increasingly popular. As such, the present review investigates recent applications of traditional and novel methods to the specific field. These include electronic senses (e-nose, e-tongue, and e-eye), sensory analysis, and wearables for emotion recognition. Given the advantages and limitations highlighted throughout the review for each approach (both traditional and innovative ones), it was possible to conclude that a synergy between traditional and innovative approaches could be the best way to optimally manage the trade-off between the accuracy of the information and feasibility of the investigation. This evidence could help in better planning future investigations in the field of food sciences, providing more reliable, objective, and unbiased results, but it also has important implications in the field of neuromarketing related to edible compounds.
In the last few decades, while the sensory evaluation of edible products has been leveraged to make strategic decisions about many domains, the traditional descriptive analysis performed by a skilled ...sensory panel has been seen to be too complex and time-consuming for the industry needs, making it largely unsustainable in most cases. In this context, the study of the effectiveness of different methods for sensory training on panel performances represents a new trend in research activity. With this purpose, wearable sensors are applied to study physiological signals (ECG and skin conductance) concerned with the emotions in a cohort of volunteers undergoing a short, two-day (16 h) sensory training period related to wine tasting. The results were compared with a previous study based on a conventional three-month (65 h) period of sensory training. According to what was previously reported for long panel training, it was seen that even short, intensive sensory training modulated the ANS activity toward a less sympathetically mediated response as soon as odorous compounds become familiar. A large-scale application of shorter formative courses in this domain appears possible without reducing the effectiveness of the training, thus leading to money saving for academia and scientific societies, and challenging dropout rates that might affect longer courses.
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