Open Access
Aflatoxin B1 detoxification potentials of garlic, ginger, cardamom, black cumin, and sautéing in ground spice mix red pepper products
(MDPI, 2023) Hadero Medalcho, Tadewos; Abegaz, Kebede; Dessalegn, Engeda; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura
The uses of natural plant origin bioactive compounds are emerging as a promising strategy to detoxify aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). This study aimed to explore the potential of cooking, phytochemicals content, and antioxidant activities derived from garlic, ginger, cardamom, and black cumin to detoxify AFB1 on spice mix red pepper powder (berbere) and sauté. The effectiveness of the samples was analyzed for AFB1 detoxification potential through standard methods for the examination of food and food additives. These major spices showed an AFB1 level below the detection limit. After cooking in hot water for 7 min at 85 ¿, the experimental and commercial spice mix red pepper showed the maximum AFB1 detoxification (62.13% and 65.95%, respectively). Thus, mixing major spices to produce a spice mix red pepper powder had a positive effect on AFB1 detoxification in raw and cooked spice mix red pepper samples. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, and ferrous ion chelating activity revealed good positive correlation with AFB1 detoxification at p < 0.05. The findings of this study could contribute to mitigation plans of AFB1 in spice-processing enterprises. Further study is required on the mechanism of AFB1 detoxification and safety of the detoxified products.
Open Access
Evolution of microbial and protein qualities of fractions of milk protein processed by microfiltration
(Elsevier, 2022) Galarza Iriarte, Uxue; Iturmendi Vizcay, Nerea; García Amezketa, Arantza; Fernández García, Teresa; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
In dairy industry there has always been great concern about the microbial and protein quality of liquid milk protein fractions obtained by microfiltration (MF). The objectives of research were to study the impact of MF on the evolution of protein and microbial quality of microfiltered milk (MFM), liquid micellar casein concentrates (LMCC) and serum permeates (SP) during storage at 4 °C. This study was carried out with three different batches of milk using diafiltration. Samples were characterized by physicochemical properties; evolution of microbial load and protein (RP-HPLC). Ceramic MF (pore size 1.4 μm) did not change the protein profile, but reduced microbial load by up to 2 log CFU/mL. Polymeric MF (pore size 0.1 μm) was not a sterilizing process since all samples from the permeate presented bacterial growth after 6 days. Protein degradation was observed after 13 days at 4 °C in all studied products. Caseins (CN) were much more affected than whey proteins. β-CN A2 content was reduced by 25–50%, αs1-CN by 30% and β-CN A1 by 10–30%.; κ-CN was the most stable casein. The contents of the whey proteins remained unaltered for 21 days. Protein degradation was likely due to the action of endogenous and bacterial enzymes.
Open Access
Combined effect of antimicrobial edible coatings with reduction of initial microbial load on the shelf-life of fresh hake (Merluccius merluccius) medallions
(Wiley, 2019) Otero Tuárez, Víctor Oswaldo; Carrión Granda, Ximena; Fernández Pan, Idoya; Fernández García, Teresa; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura
Two distinct strategies were combined to preserve fresh fish (Merluccius merluccius) under refrigeration at 4 °C for 12 days: (i) the application of an antimicrobial edible coating enriched with oregano essential oil (OEO) or carvacrol (CV) and (ii) the reduction of initial microbial load by good handling practise and the use of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The action of antimicrobial coatings alone retarded the growth of Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and H2S producing bacteria on fish samples. The reduction of initial microbial load by itself only affected the evolution of LAB, but not the rest of the bacterial groups. When using both techniques combined, edible antimicrobial coatings were significantly more effective with additional and significant delays in the growth of mesophilic, psychrotrophic and Pseudomonas bacteria. Thus, the use of both strategies combined resulted in a reduction of the counts of all bacterial groups after 12 days of storage which ranged from 1.5 log and 8 log, in Pseudomonas and H2S producing bacteria, respectively. Moreover, no significant differences were observed when comparing the microbiological evolution of samples treated with OEO compared to those only treated with CV.
Open Access
Characterization of glucose-crosslinked gelatin films reinforced with chitin nanowhiskers for active packaging development
(Elsevier, 2022) Etxabide Etxeberria, Alaitz; Kilmartin, Paul A.; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Gómez-Estaca, Joaquín; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura
To find renewable and sustainable alternatives to reduce the severe environmental impact of single-use synthetic plastic packaging, glucose-crosslinked gelatin films containing different amounts of chitin nanowhiskers (CNWs) were prepared. CNWs were first prepared by acid hydrolysis of chitin from shrimps, and characterized (morphological and thermal properties), before their addition into film-forming formulations. The films were heat-treated to promote the chemical crosslinking Maillard reaction (MR), between glucose and gelatin. The films then became less soluble (from 100% to ∼10%), thermally more stable, had a notably improved UV–vis light absorption capacity, and presented significantly enhanced tensile strength (from 42 to 77 MPa) and Young's modulus (from 1476 to 2921 MPa), however, they also became less flexible (from 17% to 7%) and transparent. These property alterations were mainly related to changes in crystallinity, the MR and to a lesser extent, to the formation of noncovalent (electrostatic and hydrogen bonding) interactions between CNWs and gelatin. Furthermore, due to the formation of MR products, the films turned yellow/dark brown and released antioxidant compounds (inhibition ∼33%) while immersed in water, which gave the films their active properties (stabilization of free radicals). These films have considerable potential as reinforced active packaging films for renewable food packaging applications.
Open Access
Strategies to reduce purge losses in meat products stuffed in plastic casings
(Hindawi, 2023) Flores González, Tatiana; Rojas-Graü, Alejandra; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Esparza, Jesús; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Two different meat emulsions were prepared with different physical stability: R1 with 6.28 ± 1.13% total expressible fluid and R2 with 17.7 ± 1.48%. The emulsions were placed in plastic casings at three different surface tensions (ST), expressed as contact angle, and three distinct overstuffing percentages (OS). The stuffed samples were cooked in an industrial oven. After cooling, purge losses (PL) and texture profile analysis (TPA) were measured. The reduced surface tension of the plastic casings significantly decreased the PL of both recipes. In the case of R2, a combination of high OS and low ST was necessary to reduce PL in a 60%. In the case of TPA, OS had a statistical influence on parameters like chewiness, cohesiveness, and hardness. Plastic casings with different surface tension (to increase adherence of meat emulsion to the casing) stuffed at different levels of overstuffing percentages (to reduce free space between meat emulsion and casing) represent a potential tool to reduce PL of products based on low stability meat emulsions.
Open Access
Effect of curcumin, betanin and anthocyanin containing colourants addition on gelatin films properties for intelligent films development
(Elsevier, 2021) Etxabide Etxeberria, Alaitz; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Kilmartin, Paul A.; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación
About 52 Mt of food waste is generated annually at the household level. Almost a quarter of this waste is related to packaging issues such as inaccurate data labelling systems. This shows the crucial need to replace or improve food data labels in order to reduce food waste. Gelatin films with different concentrations of curcumin, betanin and anthocyanin containing colourants were prepared by casting. The effect of different concentrations of colourants on the optical, barrier, physicochemical, structural and colour response properties of films was investigated. The addition of colourants altered the colour, light barrier, and wettability of the films. Although the colourant retention capacity of films varied as a function of colourant type, no changes were observed in infrared spectra, and likewise the similar results were obtained by X-ray diffraction, mechanical testing and scanning electron microscopy pointed to retention of tertiary and inner structural properties of the films. The addition of colourants provided films with the capacity to sense pH changes before and after immersion in a fatty food simulant. These properties establish the suitability of the films for intelligent fatty food packaging applications.
Open Access
Effects of polyols at low concentration on the release of sweet aroma compounds in model soda beverages
(Elsevier, 2024) Barba González-Albo, Carmen; Angós Iturgaiz, Ignacio; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Cornejo Ibergallartu, Alfonso; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This study investigated the effect of polyols erythritol, D-mannitol, and maltitol on the volatility of aroma compounds γ-butyrolactone, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-phenylethanol in aqueous solution. Headspace solidphase microextraction/gas chromatography and diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance techniques were used to obtain information on aroma–food matrix interaction. Results demonstrated that adding polyols at final low concentrations of 5% or 10% (w/w) to an aqueous solution of 2-phenylethanol reduced the release of vapor-phase aromas, except in the case of 3-methyl-1-butanol, which was not affected by the presence of polyols in the liquid matrix. Polyols also reduced the diffusion coefficients of all three aroma compounds, probably due to friction between the molecules. At low polyol concentrations, aroma compound volatility and diffusion coefficient values were altered compared to those of aromas released from pure water. This observation is related to the physicochemical properties of the aroma compounds. These insights may help guide the use of the combination of aroma compounds and polyols in the formulation of sugar-free and reduced-sugar beverages. Chemical compounds: γ-butyrolactone (PubChem CID: 7302), 3-methyl-1-butanol (PubChem CID: 31260), 2-phenylethanol (PubChem CID: 6054), erythritol (PubChem CID: 222285), D-mannitol (PubChem CID: 6251), maltitol (PubChem CID: 493591).
Open Access
Morphometry and textural surface properties of heat induced whey protein microparticles
(Elsevier, 2025-09-01) Angós Iturgaiz, Ignacio; Vele, Lenin; Espinosa Rábanos, Isabel; Iturmendi Vizcay, Nerea; Fernández García, Teresa; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
The present work focuses on the study of four key factors controlling the process of whey protein microparticulation: protein suspension concentration (%WPI 2.5 % vs. 5.0 %); medium acidity (pH 4.5 vs. 5.5); denaturation temperature (80◦C vs. 90◦C); and particle size reduction method (180 bar x 1, 2 or 3 cycle(s); 1800 bar x 1 cycle). The effects of the microparticulation process were studied by analysing the degree of protein aggregation, morphometry, and surface textural characteristics of the microparticles. The results obtained indicate that the most favourable treatments to achieve a higher proportion of particles within the optimal range required by the food industry (1–10 μm) can be obtained by gentle protein denaturation (80◦C) using a medium with a pH lower than the isoelectric point of β-lactoglobulin and moderate concentrations of whey protein (2.5–5.0 %). Under these premises, it is necessary to use a high intensity particle size reduction method (1800 bar) to achieve the average diameter and the adequate homogeneity in a consistent fashion.
Open Access
Development of chitosan films containing β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex for controlled release of bioactives
(Elsevier, 2020) Zarandona, I.; Barba González-Albo, Carmen; Guerrero, Pedro; Caba, Koro de la; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2018-04-INC
2-phenyl ethanol is a natural compound, which have many applications due to its nice fragrance, bacteriostatic and antifungal character. However, it is difficult to keep it stable and it is highly volatile. In this work, chitosan films with 2-phenyl ethanol were developed and inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins (CDs) were prepared in order to have a controlled release of 2-phenyl ethanol. β-CD was selected to develop the inclusion complex since it showed higher retention yield (45%, molar basis) than α- or γ-CDs. Chitosan films incorporated with β-CD:2- phenyl ethanol were homogeneous, transparent and colorless, and showed high mechanical resistance. Furthermore, the release results of the films without the inclusion complex indicated that 2-phenyl ethanol was evaporated during the film preparation, and only an 8% of the total bioactive was retained in the film, while more than 90% of 2-phenyl ethanol was retained in the films with the inclusion complex.
Open Access
Effect of fortification with eggshell powder on injera quality
(Elsevier, 2022) Fekadu, Tigist; Cassano, Angela; Angós Iturgaiz, Ignacio; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
In Ethiopia there is a severe calcium nutrient deficiency problem. Cereals are appropriate vehicles for food fortification along with eggshell powder (EP), a waste product, which contains a high amount of Ca. The objective of the current study was to enrich injera (Ethiopian flat bread from cereal teff) with EP to improve Ca content and to assess its effect on quality parameters. Injera was prepared by adding 4.5% and 9% EP to the teff flour (injera I4.5 and I9.0, respectively). The fortification resulted in significantly increased bioavailable Ca from 16.1 mg/100 g (control) to 742.7 mg/100 g (I4.5) and 1743.1 mg/100 g (I9.0). With the consumption of 200 g of injera, an adult could meet 60% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Ca from I4.5 and 140% of Ca RDA from I9.0. The addition of eggshell powder affected pH, titratable acidity, color and texture. However, there was no significant effect on moisture content, aw, viscosity, microbial quality, and eye characteristics. Current research revealed that fortification of injera with EP could be a good source of total and bioavailable Ca without significant deleterious effects on the key physico-chemical quality parameters of injera.