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Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2022) | Viewed by 34255

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Patrizia Perego

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Interests: extraction; bioactives; food waste valorization; innovation in food processing

Dr. Roberta Campardelli

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Interests: emulsions; nanoparticles; microparticles; nanofibers; drug delivery; biopolymers; food packaging; natural bioactive compounds; innovative technologies; chemical engineering; processes
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Special Issue Information

We are pleased to invite you to submit an original research article to this Special Issue of Foods, entitled “Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction”.

The growing standards for food quality and safety are promoting innovations in all of the stages of the food sector. From the design of green and sustainable processes to new enhanced food formulations, research and industry are facing new challenges to meet customers’ demand.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight recent innovations in the field of food processing techniques. It intends to cover different issues with the food supply chain and to point out trends, prospects, and areas focused on the development of novel foods, more sustainable processes, and new tools for enhancing food shelf-life and quality. We welcome studies on food quality assessment methods, new trends in food technology, non-conventional extraction methods in food processing, emerging technologies for by-product valorization, the development and application of models for process optimization, and alternatives to conventional food preservation.

Prof. Dr. Patrizia Perego
Prof. Dr. Roberta Campardelli
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

green food processing
process intensification
innovative techniques
food packaging
functional foods
natural preservatives
food spoilage prevention
bioactive compound extraction
food waste reduction
food safety improvements

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 38219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Water-in-Oil Emulsions for Co-Loading Sialic Acid and Chitosan: Formulation, Characterization, and Stability Evaluation

by Min Pang, Donglei Zheng, Pengpeng Jia and Lili Cao

Foods 2022, 11(6), 873; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11060873 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2881

Abstract

This study was designed to co-load sialic acid (SA) and chitosan in a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion and investigated its characterization and stability. Emulsions were prepared using two different oils (olive oil and maize oil) and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) alone or in combination with lecithin (LE) as emulsifiers. The results revealed that the aqueous phase of 5% (w/v) SA and 2% (w/v) chitosan could form a stable complex and make the aqueous phase into a transparent colloidal state. Increasing the concentration of PGPR and LE presented different effects on emulsion formation between olive oil-base and maize oil-base. Two stable W/O emulsions that were olive oil-based with 1.5% (w/v) PGPR+ 0.5% (w/v) LE and maize oil-based with 2% (w/v) PGPR+ 0% (w/v) LE were obtained. Initial droplet size distribution curves of the two stable emulsions displayed unimodal distribution, and the rheological curves displayed the characteristics of shear thinning and low static shear viscosity. Moreover, the storage stability showed that there was no significant change in droplet size distribution and Sauter mean diameter of the emulsions at room temperature (25 °C) for 30 days. These results indicated that the W/O emulsions could effectively co-load and protect sialic acid and chitosan and thus could be a novel method for increasing the stability of these water-soluble bioactive compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction)

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24 pages, 3604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Commercial Bio-Packaging to Preserve the Quality and Extend the Shelf-Life of Vegetables: The Case-Study of Pumpkin Samples Studied by a Multimethodological Approach

by Giacomo Di Matteo, Paola Di Matteo, Matteo Sambucci, Jacopo Tirillò, Anna Maria Giusti, Giuliana Vinci, Laura Gobbi, Sabrina Antonia Prencipe, Andrea Salvo, Cinzia Ingallina, Mattia Spano, Anatoly P. Sobolev, Noemi Proietti, Valeria Di Tullio, Paola Russo, Luisa Mannina and Marco Valente

Foods 2021, 10(10), 2440; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10102440 - 14 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2805

Abstract

A multidisciplinary protocol is proposed to monitor the preservation of fresh pumpkin samples (FP) using three commercial polymeric films: A made of biodegradable cellophane from regenerated cellulose pulp; B from corn starch, cassava and eucalyptus, C made of polylactic acid from corn starch, and a polyethylene film used as reference (REF). Chemical, mechanical and microbiological analyses were applied on packaging and fresh and packaged samples at different times. After an 11-day period, NMR spectroscopy results showed a sucrose increase and a malic acid decrease in all the biofilms with respect to FP; fructose, glucose, galactose levels remained quite constant in biofilms B and C; the most abundant amino acids remained quite constant in biofilm A and decreased significantly in biofilm B. From microbiological analyses total microbial count was below the threshold value up to 7 days for samples in all the films, and 11 days for biofilm C. The lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts and molds counts were below the acceptability limit during the 11 days for all packages. In the case of biofilm C, the most promising packaging for microbiological point of view, aroma analysis was also carried out. In this paper, you can find all the analysis performed and all the values found. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction)

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15 pages, 1497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Thermal Pasteurisation, Freeze-Drying, and Gamma-Irradiation on the Antibacterial Properties of Donor Human Milk

by Katherine Blackshaw, Jiadai Wu, Peter Valtchev, Edwin Lau, Richard B. Banati, Fariba Dehghani and Aaron Schindeler

Foods 2021, 10(9), 2077; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10092077 - 02 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2799

Abstract

The most common pasteurisation method used by human milk banks is Holder pasteurisation. This involves thermal processing, which can denature important proteins and can potentially reduce the natural antimicrobial properties found in human milk. This study assesses the application of a hybrid method comprised of freeze-drying followed by low-dose gamma-irradiation for nonthermal donor human milk pasteurisation. Freeze-drying donor human milk followed by gamma-irradiation at 2 kGy was as efficient as Holder pasteurisation in the reduction of bacterial inoculants of Staphylococcus aureus (10⁶ cfu/mL) and Salmonella typhimurium (10⁶ cfu/mL) in growth inhibition assays. These assays also demonstrated that human milk naturally inhibits the growth of bacterial inoculants S. aureus, S. typhimurium, and Escherichia coli. Freeze drying (without gamma-irradiation) did not significantly reduce this natural growth inhibition. By contrast, Holder pasteurisation significantly reduced the milk’s natural antimicrobial effect on S. aureus growth after 6 h (−19.8% p = 0.01). Freeze-dried and then gamma-irradiated donor human milk showed a strong antimicrobial effect across a dose range of 2–50 kGy, with only a minimal growth of S. aureus observed after 6 h incubation. Thus, a hybrid method of freeze-drying followed by 2 kGy of gamma-irradiation preserves antimicrobial properties and enables bulk pasteurisation within sealed packaging of powderised donor human milk. This work forwards a goal of increasing shelf life and simplifying storage and transportation, while also preserving functionality and antimicrobial properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction)

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17 pages, 2210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Encapsulation of Berberis vulgaris Anthocyanins into Nanoliposome Composed of Rapeseed Lecithin: A Comprehensive Study on Physicochemical Characteristics and Biocompatibility

by Mina Homayoonfal, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Hossein Kiani, Gholamreza Askari, Stephane Desobry and Elmira Arab-Tehrany

Foods 2021, 10(3), 492; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10030492 - 25 Feb 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2758

Abstract

In the present study, nanoliposomes composed of rapeseed lecithin were used for the encapsulation of anthocyanin compounds (AC). The nanoliposomes were prepared using hydration and ultrasound combined method, and the effect of AC concentration (4.5, 6.75, 9% w/w) on the characteristics of nanoliposomes including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of nanoliposomes with and without AC were studied. The results suggested the fabricated nanoliposomes had a size range of 141–196 nm, negative zeta potential and narrow particle size distribution. Further, the samples containing 9% extract had the maximum EE (43%). The results showed elevation of AC concentration resulted in increased particle size, PDI, EE, and surface charge of nanoparticles. The presence of AC extract led to diminished membrane fluidity through the hydrophobic interactions with the hydrocarbon chain of fatty acids. TEM images suggested that the nanoliposomes were nearly spherical and the AC caused their improved sphericity. Further, in vitro biocompatibility tests for human mesenchymal (MSC) and fibroblast (FBL) cells indicated nanoparticles were not toxic. Specifically, the best formulations with the maximum compatibility and bioavailability for MSC and FBL cells were AC-loaded nanoliposomes with concentrations of 0.5 mL/mg and 10.3 mL/µg and, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction)

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Review

Jump to: Research

42 pages, 1014 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Innovations in Smart Packaging Concepts for Food: An Extensive Review

by Emanuela Drago, Roberta Campardelli, Margherita Pettinato and Patrizia Perego

Foods 2020, 9(11), 1628; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods9111628 - 07 Nov 2020

Cited by 155 | Viewed by 21682

Abstract

Innovation in food packaging is mainly represented by the development of active and intelligent packing technologies, which offer to deliver safer and high-quality food products. Active packaging refers to the incorporation of active component into the package with the aim of maintaining or extending the product quality and shelf-life. The intelligent systems are able to monitor the condition of packaged food in order to provide information about the quality of the product during transportation and storage. These packaging technologies can also work synergistically to yield a multipurpose food packaging system. This review is a critical and up-dated analysis of the results reported in the literature about this fascinating and growing field of research. Several aspects are considered and organized going from the definitions and the regulations, to the specific functions and the technological aspects regarding the manufacturing technologies, in order to have a complete overlook on the overall topic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Food Processing Techniques: Preservation, Transformation, and Extraction)

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