Food waste produced in homes represents the largest fraction of food waste generated along the food chain. Therefore, adequate prevention measures based on the quantitative and qualitative dimensions ...of the problem need to be put in place to reduce waste. The objective of the review was to identify areas of interest in relation to the food waste in households, considering the family unit as a whole as well as individual family members. Quantifying the problem is an important aspect in order to know its scope and dimension, but prevention also involves knowing the causes in a home. This is a complex issue, which, on a family level, is related to socioeconomic status, educational level, composition and number of members of the household as well as culinary and buying food habits. Individual variables such as age, sex, values, awareness, lifestyle and time spent on food preparation were included to characterize consumers. The focus of the problem is also important because most consumers consider food waste from a social perspective, without being aware of the serious environmental and economic problems. Habits and customs of consumers are considered the leading cause of food waste in homes and knowledge of this issue raises consumer awareness as a preventive tool.
The total antioxidant capacity (hydrophilic plus lipophilic) of sixteen different commercial samples of pasteurized and ultra high temperature (UHT) treated milk was determined using the oxygen ...radical absorbance capacity assay using fluorescein as a fluorescent probe. A significant correlation between the percentage of fat and the value of the total antioxidant capacity was found in milk samples obtained from the same batch of raw milk. Analyses of the whole milk, whey and deproteinized milk showed that the major contributor to the total antioxidant capacity of whole milk was the casein fractions, while albumin was the major contributor to the total antioxidant capacity of whey protein. Hydrophilic antioxidant compounds, such as vitamin C and uric acid, were the main contributors to the total antioxidant capacity of the deproteinized milk. Significant differences in total antioxidant capacities were found between whey and deproteinized samples obtained from pasteurized and UHT-treated milk, the values being higher for the former.
A better knowledge of the effect of refrigerated storage on the nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of foods processed by emerging technologies with regard to unprocessed juices is ...necessary. Thus, blueberry juice was processed by high pressure (HP) (600MPa/42°C/5min) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) (36kV/cm, 100μs). The stability of physicochemical parameters, antioxidant compounds (ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total anthocyanins) and antioxidant capacity was studied just after treatment and during 56days at refrigerated storage at 4°C. Just after treatment, all treated blueberry juices showed a decrease lower than 5% in ascorbic acid content compared with the untreated one. At the end of refrigerated storage, unprocessed and PEF juices showed similar ascorbic acid losses (50%) in relation to untreated juice, although HP juices maintained better the ascorbic acid content during storage time (31% losses). All juices exhibited fluctuations in total phenolic values with a marked decrease after 7days in refrigerated storage, however prolonged storage of the juices at 4°C, up to 56days resulted in another in the total phenolic content for all juices in comparison with day 7. HP preserved antioxidant activity (21% losses) more than unprocessed (30%) and PEF (48%) juices after 56days at 4°C. Color changes (a*, b*, L, Chroma, hº and ΔE) were slightly noticeable after refrigerated storage for all juices.
Non-thermal technologies allow the acquisition of drinks that keep their characteristics similar to the fresh product. They must join second conservation treatment such as refrigerated storage. A better knowledge of the effect of refrigerated storage on the nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of foods processed by emerging technologies with regard to unprocessed juices is necessary.
► PEF and HP blueberry juices showed a decrease lower than 5% in ascorbic acid. ► HP juices maintained better the ascorbic acid content during storage. ► HP preserved antioxidant activity more than PEF juices after storage.
The degradation of ascorbic acid was determined in a ready-to-drink orange juice–milk beverage treated by high intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF). The effects of PEF treatment were compared to ...those of heat pasteurization (90
ºC, 20
s). Four electric field strengths (15, 25, 35, 40
kV/cm) and six treatment times for each field (from 40
µs to 700
µs) were studied. Ascorbic acid degradation was adjusted to an exponential model. The obtained ascorbic acid degradation rate constants (
k
E) were −
0.11·10
−
3
±
0.03·10
−
3
μs
−
1
, −
0.23·10
−
3
±
0.07·10
−
3
μs
−
1
, −
0.42·10
−
3
±
0.09·10
−
3
μs
−
1
and −
0.60·10
−
3
±
0.06·10
−
3
μs
−
1
for field strengths of 15, 25, 35 and 40
kV/cm, respectively. For the shelf-life study a 25
kV/cm at 280
µs treatment was applied and the beverages were stored at 4 and 10
ºC. The ascorbic acid degradation rate during storage was adjusted to zero-order kinetics showing that beverages stored at 4
ºC had better ascorbic acid retention than beverages stored at 10
°C. No significant differences were found between heat pasteurization and PEF treatments during storage.
Food beverages are mainly preserved and made available to the consumer by different thermal treatments which involve a destruction of desirable food constituents such as nutrients, bioactive compounds, colour, flavour and texture. The present work demonstrates that the ascorbic acid degradation in an orange juice–milk beverage treated by pulsed electric fields was adjusted to zero-order kinetics and degradation rate during storage was adjusted to first-order kinetics. The shelf life of the orange juice–milk beverages is similar so much for the pasteurized beverages as for the treated by PEF.
Liquid chromatography (LC) was the method chosen to evaluate the effects of high intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF), with different electric field intensities (25, 30, 35 and 40
kV/cm) and ...different treatment times (30–340
μs), on orange juice
cis/
trans carotenoid contents. In parallel, a conventional heat treatment (90
°C, 20
s) was applied to the orange juice in order to compare the effect on the carotenoid contents.
HIPEF processing of orange juice is an alternative to the thermal treatment of pasteurization, provided that it is kept refrigerated, because, when the most extreme conditions of this kind of treatment are applied, the decrease in the concentration of carotenoids with vitamin A activity is very small, and also most of the carotenoids identified have a slightly increased concentration after application of the most intense treatments, although always less than in untreated fresh juice. In any case, pasteurization treatment causes a greater decrease in the concentration of most of the carotenoids identified and the carotenoids with vitamin A activity. The total carotenoid concentration decreased by 12.6% in pasteurized orange juice with respect to untreated fresh orange juice, as opposed to decreases of 9.6%, 6.3% or 7.8% when fields of 25, 30 or 40
kV/cm were applied. Orange juice treated with HIPEF shows a greater tendency towards the colour yellow and a lesser tendency towards red with respect to untreated orange juice, while the luminance of the juice remains practically invariable. This tendency is less than in pasteurized orange juice.
The degradation kinetics of ascorbic acid was determined in orange–carrot juice treated by PEF in order to establish its shelf life. Different electric field intensities (25, 30, 35, and 40
kV/cm) ...and different treatment times (from 30 to 340
μs) were studied. The ascorbic acid degradation rate (
k) obtained was −0.009
±
0.0008
μs
−1, −0.0140
±
0.0009
μs
−1, −0.0220
±
0.0023
μs
−1 and −0.0187
±
0.0049
μs
−1 for fields of 25, 30, 35, and 40
kV/cm, respectively. The treatment selected was 25
kV/cm. The shelf life of the orange–carrot juice treated by pulses at 25
kV/cm for two times (280
μs and 330
μs) was compared with a heat-treated juice (98
°C, 21
s) kept in refrigerated storage at 2 and 10
°C. The remaining concentration of ascorbic acid in the pasteurized orange–carrot juice was 83%, whereas in the PEF-treated juice it was 90%. The ascorbic acid degradation rate in the juice stored at 2
°C was less than in the juice stored at 10
°C, and in the pasteurized juice it was greater. PEF treatment at 25
kV/cm for 280–330
μs extended the half-life of the juice stored at 2
°C to 50 days.
Nutritional research in elderly disabled is difficult in noninstitutionalized people. The dietary intake of a noninstitutionalized disabled population of the eastern region of Spain was evaluated to ...detect possible nutritional deviations. A total of 329 participants aged 65 and over were recruited. Most participants were overweight. Carbohydrates did not reach 50% of total Kcal/day. Insufficient micronutrient intakes and high consumption of simple carbohydrates and saturated fats (SFA) were found. A decreasing trend of water intake (p < .05) as well as an increasing trend of alcohol consumption (p < .05) with increasing age was found. The area of residence had a relevant impact on nutritional, dietary, and anthropometric characteristics of our population.
The effects of the physicochemical and quality characteristics of various minimally pasteurized refrigerated orange Spanish juices and their changes with storage time and temperature were ...investigated. Essential oils, acidity, conductivity, diacetyl index, hydroxymethylfurfural, formol index, viscosity and ascorbic acid varied with storage time more significantly at 10
°C than at 4
°C. Density, colour and pectinmethylesterase did not vary at 4
°C. Some of the parameters could be used as indicators of quality loss or spoilage of the juices. The degradation kinetics of the concentration of remaining ascorbic acid against time follows a straight line whose slope indicates the degradation rate. A period of at least 42
days at 4
°C and 35
days at 10
°C was established as the shelf life of the juices.
Seventeen commercially available, “ready to drink” fortified beverages consisting of mixtures of fruit juices and milk were analyzed to evaluate their carotenoid profile (including their Z/E ...stereoisomers) and color during their commercial shelf life. Lightness (L*) was found to be correlated with the content of milk in the mixtures (r= 0.649) whereas red‐yellow colors were correlated with the contents of α‐carotene, β‐cryptoxanthin, and β‐carotene supplied by the fruit. The beverages stored under refrigeration (4 ± 2 °C) showed higher luminosity (L*) and higher saturation of color (C*) and yellowness (b*). Differences (P < 0.05) in the levels of carotenoids were found among the beverages. Common fruits such as apple, lemon, pear, strawberry, kiwifruit, pineapple, and banana were low in carotenoids. However, orange, apricot, mango, and peach contributed significantly (P < 0.05) to increasing β‐cryptoxanthin and β‐carotene concentrations. Passion fruit supplied ζ‐carotene, and the presence of carrot increased the levels of α‐carotene and β‐carotene. Conversion of all‐Eβ‐carotene and β‐cryptoxanthin to their Z isomers took place in 8 of the 17 samples containing α‐carotene and in 9 of the 13 samples containing β‐cryptoxanthin, respectively, which resulted in some loss of provitamin A activity and nutritional value.
The application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) is one of the new non-thermal technologies being studied to evaluate their potential as alternative or complementary processes to thermal ...pasteurization. “Horchata de chufa” (tiger nut milk or earth almond milk) is of high nutritional quality and therefore has great potential in the food market, limited by its very short shelf-life. The present work studies whether PEF can be used to obtain a quality horchata and increase its shelf-life while maintaining its organoleptic characteristics. In order to do so we determined pH, total fat, peroxide index, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances index, formol index, and peroxidase activity in natural (untreated) horchata and horchata subjected to various PEF treatments and studied their stability during refrigerated storage (2–4 °C). After PEF treatment, only peroxidase activity decreased significantly (
p
<
0.05). This parameter and pH varied during the shelf-life of the horchata, and a negative correlation was obtained between pH and peroxidase activity.
