Focus on food ingredients
Ice-cream as a probiotic food carrier
Ice-creams are food products with potential for use as probiotic vehicles. Ice cream has the added advantage of being appreciated by people belonging to all age groups and social levels. However, the development of ice-creams containing probiotic bacteria requires that certain, intrinsic, technological requirements are fulfilled during the processing stage. This paper reviews the technological parameters involved in the production of probiotic ice-cream. Although the application of probiotics in cheeses, and especially in fermented milks, has been widely explored in the literature, ice-cream is a relatively innovative matrix for the application of probiotics, and thus a review of its potential as probiotic food carrier has been suggested by the author to be of particular interest.
Cruz AG et al. Food Research
International 2009; 42 (9): 1233-1239.
Nutraceuticals and functional foods: whole versus processed foods
It is well known that consumption of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cereals and nuts, as well as the inclusion of marine foods and their long-chain, w3 fatty acids is instrumental in health promotion and disease risk reduction. There has been a growing interest in the research, development and commercialisation of functional food ingredients, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements around the globe. In addition, it is believed that certain unprocessed or minimally processed foods might have superior health benefits compared to their processed counterparts. However, this assumption may not borne out in practice when considering certain phytochemicals like lycopene in tomatoes. This overview provides an introduction to the topic of nutraceuticals and functional foods with emphasis on the use of whole foods versus their processed and minimally processed counterparts.
Shahidi F. Trends in Food Science &
Technology 2009; 20(9): 376-387.
Comparative analysis of fruit-based functional snack bars
The aim of this study was to develop snack bars with high dietary fibre (DF) and polyphenol content. A snack bar base was formulated without fibre(control bar) or including fibre (inulin or apple DF bar). In addition, the bars were formulated with or without apple polyphenol extract (APE). The results showed that those bars with added apple DFs gave the highest level of total DF (5.3% w/w). When APE was included those snack bars enhanced with apple DF or inulin had higher levels of extracted phenolics (2.87 and 2.22 mg catechin equivalent (CtE)/g bar) than the control bars (1.45 mg CtE/g bar). It was concluded that snack bars enhanced with apple DF and APE may be a convenient functional food, offering a good source of DF and apple polyphenols.
Sun-Waterhouse D et al. Food Chemistry 2009. Article in Press.
Brazil nuts and associated health benefits: a review
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between nut intake and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In this article, the composition of lipids, minerals, and phytochemicals, and their associated health functions in Brazil nuts have been critically reviewed. Brazil nuts contain abundant dietary antioxidants, especially selenium (Se), possess phenolics and flavonoids in both free and bound forms, and are rich in tocopherol, phytosterols, and squalene. These compounds’ possible beneficial effects are due to their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, which are linked to a reduced risk of developing atherosclerosis and cancer.
Jang J. LWT - Food Science and Technology
