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The by-product generated from carob molasses processing is considered as an excellent source of dietary fiber and may be used as a functional ingredient in food industry. However, it presents a high value of water activity (~ 0.98) which facilitates its microbiological contamination and rapid deterioration. So that, this study provides a solution for the valorization of this by-product and suggests the incorporation of the dried carob by-product into Halva to produce an added value product (Halva with carob powder). Thus, the present work focused on the characterization of carob powder and the optimisation of incorporation percentage of carob powder into Halva formulation. The characterization showed the absence of caffein in carob powder compared to cocoa's one. Besides, carob and cocoa powders had both a brown color. The former had lower fat and higher sugar contents compared to the latter. The optimization promoted the addition of 5% carob powder into Halva formulation according to the evaluation of hardness, sensory quality and exudative stability. Therefore, the new confectionary product could be considered as a promising nutritious and healthy foodstuff to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) was widely used as a treatment to intensify the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of DIC treatment on the biochemical composition and functional properties of Chemlali olive leaves. DIC conditions were pressure P = 0.1 MPa, number of cycles C = 1 and time t = 11 s. The concentrations of protein, fat, ash, total carbohydrates and fibers in untreated olive leaves powder are 8.62; 3.73; 8.46; 76.49; 64.29 mg/g db, respectively. DIC treatment had significant effects on the chemical composition. Indeed, it increased the amounts of fat (8.33 mg/g db), ash (10.37 mg/g db) and decreased those of protein (6.81 mg/g db), carbohydrates (69 mg/g db) and fibers (53.57 mg/g db). While it had no significant effect on functional properties and pigments. Ten fatty acids were identified and evaluated, with the most abundant being linolenic acid (C18:3) for both olive leaves samples. Mineral analysis proved potassium and calcium as the major elements in both powders. This study showed that DIC treatment is an effective method to increase olive leaves active compounds such as fatty acids and minerals that may be useful in industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carob molasses is widely consumed in many Mediterranean countries, including Tunisia where it is known as 'Rub El Kharroub'. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties and biological activities of both commercial and homemade Tunisian carob molasses. The physicochemical characterization revealed that the main parameters (color and HMF concentration) were related to non-enzymatic browning reactions occurring during juice concentration. The phytochemical analysis proved that the presence of bioactive compounds (volatile compounds, phenolic substances and products of non-enzymatic browning reactions) in carob molasses samples justify their biological effects (antioxidant and antibacterial activities). Accordingly, such characteristics may qualify Tunisian carob molasses (both homemade and commercial) as nutritious and healthy food that could be directly consumed or used a functional ingredient in food and pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]