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Interesting Applications of Plant Extracts in Food

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 9182

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marcin A. Kurek

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Guest Editor

Department of Technique and Food Development, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: microencapsulation of bioactive compounds; processing of food products of plant origin and their compounds (vegetables, fruits, and cereals); experimental design in food technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For many centuries, fruits and vegetables have played a very important role in the human diet due to their content of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. With the development of science, more concentrated forms of these substances, such as extracts, have come to be seen as having special significance for food and human nutrition. In this Special Issue, there is space for articles on extracts’ extraction (especially novel and green extraction methods) and their use as phenolic and antioxidant compounds in various conventional and novel food groups. We welcome authors of original reports as well as review articles.

Dr. Marcin A. Kurek
Guest Editor

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. Molecules 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 2700 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

extraction
extracts
novel food
plant-based food
plant
polyphenols
antioxidants

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 794 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Effect of Various Potential Antimicrobial Agents on the Quality of the Unpasteurized Carrot Juice

by Katarzyna Ratajczak, Agnieszka Piotrowska-Cyplik and Paweł Cyplik

Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6297; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28176297 - 28 Aug 2023

Viewed by 733

Abstract

Short shelf-life and poor microbial quality of minimally processed foods of plant origin pose a serious problem for the food industry. Novel techniques of minimal treatment combined with disinfection are being researched, and, for fresh juice, the addition of antimicrobial agents appears to be a promising route. In this research, fresh, nonfiltered, unpasteurized carrot juice was mixed with four potential antimicrobials (bourbon vanilla extract, peppermint extract, cannabidiol oil, and grapefruit extract). All four variants and the reference pure carrot juice were analyzed for metapopulational changes, microbial changes, and physicochemical changes. The potential antimicrobials used in the research have improved the overall microbial quality of carrot juice across 4 days of storage. However, it is important to notice that each of the four agents had a different spectrum of effectiveness towards the groups identified in the microflora of carrot juice. Additionally, the antimicrobials have increased the diversity of the carrot juice microbiome but did not prevent the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. In conclusion, the use of antimicrobial agents such as essential oils or their derivatives may be a promising way of improving the microbial quality and prolonging the shelf-life of minimally processed foods, such as fresh juices, but the technique requires further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interesting Applications of Plant Extracts in Food)

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10 pages, 1063 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Kinetics of Carotenoids Degradation during the Storage of Encapsulated Carrot Waste Extracts

by Vanja Šeregelj, Lorenzo Estivi, Andrea Brandolini, Gordana Ćetković, Vesna Tumbas Šaponjac and Alyssa Hidalgo

Molecules 2022, 27(24), 8759; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27248759 - 10 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1405

Abstract

The encapsulates of carrot waste oil extract improved the antioxidant properties of durum wheat pasta. The aim of this research was to study the kinetics of carotenoids degradation in the freeze-dried (FDE) and spray-dried (SDE) encapsulates of carrot waste extract during storage at four different temperatures (+4, +21.3, +30, +37 °C) up to 413 days by HPLC. Carotenoids levels decreased as a function of time and temperature, following zero-order kinetics. At 4 °C carotenes were stable for at least 413 days, but their half-lives decreased with increasing temperatures: 8–12 months at 21 °C; 3–4 months at 30 °C; and 1.5–2 months at 37 °C. The freeze-drying technique was more effective against carotenes degradation. An initial lag-time with no or very limited carotenes degradation was observed: from one week at 37 °C up to 3 months (SDE) or more (FDE) at 21 °C. The activation energies (Ea) varied between 66.6 and 79.5 kJ/mol, and Ea values tended to be higher in FDE than in SDE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interesting Applications of Plant Extracts in Food)

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22 pages, 5323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Complexation of Anthocyanin-Bound Blackcurrant Pectin and Whey Protein: Effect of pH and Heat Treatment

by Nurhazwani Salleh, Kelvin K. T. Goh, Mark R. Waterland, Lee M. Huffman, Mike Weeks and Lara Matia-Merino

Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4202; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27134202 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1881

Abstract

A complexation study between blackcurrant pectin (BCP) and whey protein (WP) was carried out to investigate the impact of bound anthocyanins on pectin–protein interactions. The effects of pH (3.5 and 4.5), heating (85 °C, 15 min), and heating sequence (mixed-heated or heated-mixed) were studied. The pH influenced the color, turbidity, particle size, and zeta-potential of the mixtures, but its impact was mainly significant when heating was introduced. Heating increased the amount of BCP in the complexes—especially at pH 3.5, where 88% w/w of the initial pectin was found in the sedimented (insoluble) fraction. Based on phase-separation measurements, the mixed-heated system at pH 4.5 displayed greater stability than at pH 3.5. Heating sequence was essential in preventing destabilization of the systems; mixing of components before heating produced a more stable system with small complexes (<300 nm) and relatively low polydispersity. However, heating WP before mixing with BCP prompted protein aggregation—producing large complexes (>400 nm) and worsening the destabilization. Peak shifts and emergence (800–1200 cm⁻¹) in infrared spectra confirmed that BCP and WP functional groups were altered after mixing and heating via electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonding interactions. This study demonstrated that appropriate processing conditions can positively impact anthocyanin-bound pectin–protein interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interesting Applications of Plant Extracts in Food)

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Review

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18 pages, 1269 KiB

Open AccessReview

Coacervation as a Novel Method of Microencapsulation of Essential Oils—A Review

by Alicja Napiórkowska and Marcin Kurek

Molecules 2022, 27(16), 5142; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27165142 - 12 Aug 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4489

Abstract

These days, consumers are increasingly “nutritionally aware”. The trend of “clean label” is gaining momentum. Synthetic additives and preservatives, as well as natural ones, bearing the E symbol are more often perceived negatively. For this reason, substances of natural origin are sought tfor replacing them. Essential oils can be such substances. However, the wider use of essential oils in the food industry is severely limited. This is because these substances are highly sensitive to light, oxygen, and temperature. This creates problems with their processing and storage. In addition, they have a strong smell and taste, which makes them unacceptable when added to the product. The solution to this situation seems to be microencapsulation through complex coacervation. To reduce the loss of essential oils and the undesirable chemical changes that may occur during their spray drying—the most commonly used method—complex coacervation seems to be an interesting alternative. This article collects information on the limitations of the use of essential oils in food and proposes a solution through complex coacervation with plant proteins and chia mucilage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interesting Applications of Plant Extracts in Food)

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