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Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the food industry has been looking for solutions to the development of new products and services, in order to meet consumer needs in a healthy, sustainable and eco-freindly way. The accelerated pace of production and consumption can often lead to overexploitation of natural resources, requiring the design of new industrial strategies, namely in the development of sustainable technologies, capable of offering benefits to society and the environment, altering the manufacturing processes and the use of natural resources.

Despite this search for continuous improvement, the demand of resources continues to grow exponentially, due to the growth magnitude in production, excess consumption and the use of natural resources.

In this sense, technological evolution can be a great ally of sustainability, collaborating with the fight against waste (minimizing losses in several sectors), improving product quality, health and creating more durable products. All of this, will lead to a financial increase in the agro-industrial, commercial and, consequently, social sector, due to the reduction in costs.

Papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue, especially those combining a high academic standard coupled with a practical focus on developing and providing innovative solutions.

Guest Editors

Keywords

Food technologies
sustainability
environmental impact
food industry
industrial innovation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 8473 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Potential Application of Impatiens balsamina L. Flowers Extract as a Natural Colouring Ingredient in a Pastry Product

by Eleomar de O. Pires, Jr., Eliana Pereira, Márcio Carocho, Carla Pereira, Maria Inês Dias, Ricardo C. Calhelha, Ana Ćirić, Marina Soković, Carolina C. Garcia, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira, Cristina Caleja and Lillian Barros

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9062; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18179062 - 27 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3109

Abstract

Flowers of the genus Impatiens are classified as edible; however, their inclusion in the human diet is not yet a common practice. Its attractive colours have stirred great interest by the food industry. In this sense, rose (BP) and orange (BO) I. balsamina flowers were nutritionally studied, followed by an in-depth chemical study profile. The non-anthocyanin and anthocyanin profiles of extracts of both flower varieties were also determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array and mass spectrometry detector (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS). The results demonstrated that both varieties presented significant amounts of phenolic compounds, having identified nine non-anthocyanin compounds and 14 anthocyanin compounds. BP extract stood out in its bioactive properties (antioxidant and antimicrobial potential) and was selected for incorporation in “bombocas” filling. Its performance as a colouring ingredient was compared with the control formulations (white filling) and with E163 (anthocyanins) colorant. The incorporation of the natural ingredient did not cause changes in the chemical and nutritional composition of the product; and although the colour conferred was lighter than presented by the formulation with E163 (suggesting a more natural aspect), the higher antioxidant activity could meet the expectations of the current high-demand consumer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Food Technologies to Promote Sustainability and Reduce Environmental Impact)

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Review

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25 pages, 6095 KiB

Open AccessReview

Benefits and Drawbacks of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction for the Recovery of Bioactive Compounds from Marine Algae

by Anxo Carreira-Casais, Paz Otero, Pascual Garcia-Perez, Paula Garcia-Oliveira, Antia G. Pereira, Maria Carpena, Anton Soria-Lopez, Jesus Simal-Gandara and Miguel A. Prieto

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18179153 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 96 | Viewed by 9339

Abstract

The increase in life expectancy has led to the appearance of chronic diseases and interest in healthy aging, in turn promoting a growing interest in bioactive compounds (BCs) and functional ingredients. There are certain foods or products rich in functional ingredients, and algae are one of them. Algae consumption has been nominal in Europe until now. However, in recent years, it has grown significantly, partly due to globalization and the adoption of new food trends. With the aim of obtaining BCs from foods, multiple methods have been proposed, ranging from conventional ones, such as maceration or Soxhlet extraction, to more innovative methods, e.g., ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). UAE constitutes a novel method, belonging to so-called green chemistry, that enables the extraction of BCs requiring lower amounts of solvent and energy costs, preserving the integrity of such molecules. In recent years, this method has been often used for the extraction of different BCs from a wide range of algae, especially polysaccharides, such as carrageenans and alginate; pigments, including fucoxanthin, chlorophylls, or β-carotene; and phenolic compounds, among others. In this way, the application of UAE to marine algae is an efficient and sustainable strategy to pursue their deep characterization as a new source of BCs, especially suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Food Technologies to Promote Sustainability and Reduce Environmental Impact)

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