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Edible films are thin layer(s) of bio-based material formed as a part of food to extend their shelf-life. Whey Protein films are proposed to have good mechanical properties and ability to form transparent films. This study was carried out to understand the effects of combining whey protein, pectin and alginate on some physical and mechanical properties of films

Cassava starch (CS) and chitosan (CH) are biopolymers used alone or blended (CS/CH) to produce films, thanks to their excellent film-forming properties. Their main physical properties have been characterized, but their physical and water state have not yet been studied. The objective of this research was to study the water and macromolecular physical state of CS, CH and CS/CH films by DSC and dielectric properties, after sorption isotherms determinations. Biopolymers and obtained films were also analyzed by SEM, FTIR, X-ray diffraction and gas permeability. Dielectric properties of active films containing pitanga leaves hydroethanolic extract were also analyzed. All films presented type II sorption isotherms. Glass transition temperature of films decreased with the increase of moisture content (Xw) following the Gordon and Taylor model. The dielectric constant behaves depending of the monolayer moisture content (Xm): increased linearly as a function of Xw when Xw > Xm. For Xw ≤ Xm, the dielectric constant remained constant. An exponential relationship between α-relaxation and Tg was calculated.

Plasma activated water (PAW) recently received much attention as an alternative food preservation method. However, its effects on food quality are still scarce. This study evaluates the effect of PAW processing time on bioactive compounds of rocket-salad leaves including: 18 phenolic compounds, vitamin C, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, and nicotinamide. Moreover, the impact of PAW on both antioxidant (DPPH) and peroxidase (POD) activities was also investigated. This was performed using HPLC-DAD, HPLC-MS/MS, and spectrophotometric analysis. All treatments induced non-significant increases in total phenolic contents. However, depending on processing time, significant increases or decreases of individual phenolic compounds were observed. PAW-10 and -20 increased the ascorbic acid content to 382.76 and 363.14 mg/100 g, respectively, compared to control (337.73 mg/100 g). Riboflavin and nicotinic acid contents were increased significantly in PAW-20 (0.53 and 1.26 mg/100), compared to control (0.32 and 0.61 mg/100 g, respectively). However, nicotinamide showed non-significant increase in all treatments. Antioxidant activity improved significantly only in PAW-20, while peroxidase activity was reduced up to 36% in the longest treatment. In conclusion, PAW treatment could be an effective technique for rocket decontamination since it positively influenced the quality of rocket, improving the retention of polyphenols and vitamins.

Aims: We report a series of patients treated with intercalary bone graft (IBG) of the tibia diaphysis (TD) after resection of primary bone tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mid- and long-term survival of TD IBG reconstruction in children and adults, characterizing patterns of success and failure. Methods: A total of 35 patients were included in this retrospective study. Median age was 22years (range, 8–57). This series included 19 patients (54.3%) treated with homologous bone graft alone and 16 patients (45.7%) treated combining intercalary allograft with fibular autograft. Complications were recorded according to Henderson classification. Results: Median follow-up was 36months (range, 1–165). Local recurrence occurred in 2 patients (5.7%) after 12 and 60months, respectively. Major complications included graft fracture (9 cases), non-union (5 cases) and infection (4 cases). Other complications were axial deformity (2 cases), superficial infection (2 cases), compartmental syndrome (1 case). Conclusion: Intercalary bone grafts of TD have been recommended as a reliable solution with long-term success rates and good functional outcome in more than 80% of patients. However, approximately half of the patients may require further surgeries to treat major complications (deep infection, delayed or non-union and graft fracture). Additional vascularized fibula graft may ameliorate final result.

BACKGROUND: Although phenolic compounds have a role in the health benefits of fruit juice consumption, little is known about the effect of processing on their bioaccessibility. The release of phenolic compounds from the food matrix during digestion is an important pre-requisite for their effectiveness within the human body, and so it is fundamental to identify technological treatments able to preserve not only the concentration of phytochemicals, but also their bioaccessibility. In the present study, we investigated the impact of high-pressure homogenization (HPH), alone and in the presence of 100 g kg−1 trehalose or Lactobacillus salivarius, on the bioaccessibility of flavonoids in mandarin juice. In addition, digested mandarin juices were supplemented to liver cultured cells in basal and stressed conditions to evaluate their protective effect in a biological system. RESULTS: HPH reduced the concentration of total phenolics and main flavonoids but increased their bioaccessibility after in vitro digestion (P < 0.001). In the basal condition, supplementation with all digested juices significantly reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration (P < 0.001). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentration in the medium was also reduced by supplementation with HPH-treated juices. Although pre-treatment with juices did not completely counteract the applied oxidative stress, it preserved cell viability, and cells pre-treated with juices submitted to HPH in the presence of probiotics showed the lowest ROS concentration. CONCLUSION: The present study represents an important step ahead in the evaluation of the impact of processing on the nutritional and functional value of food, which cannot simply be assessed based on chemical composition. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are key factors to provide added value for food systems. Based on the findings of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership BoostEdu, the objective of this paper is to provide answers to three knowledge gaps: 1) identify the needs for innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) in the food sector; 2) understand the best way to organize learning; 3) provide flexibility in turbulent times. BoostEdu aimed to provide a platform for continuing education within I&E for food professionals and was carried out through co-creation workshops and the development of an e-learning course. The results of the project in particular during the Covid-19 pandemics, highlighted the need for flexible access to modules that are complementary to other sources and based on a mix of theoretical concepts and practical experiences. The main lessons learned concern the need of co-creation and co-learning processes to identify suitable practices for the use of innovative digital technologies.

Physico-chemical properties (i.e. water activity, colour, water absorption index and hardness) influence stability, quality and consumer acceptability of fresh pasta. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of storage time on physico-chemical properties of fresh pasta stored at different temperatures (0, 5 and 10 °C). Storage time significantly affected the macroscopic properties (water absorption index and hardness) of fresh pasta and its water status (water activity, freezable water). During storage at all temperatures, water activity and freezable water decreased, confirming a reduction in water mobility in the product. Storage time increased pasta hardness and caused a reduction in the water absorption index. Fresh egg pasta retained its yellow colour, while lipid oxidation indices were only slightly affected. With the increase of storage temperature, the kinetic rate of water activity and gelatinisation degree decreased. In contrast, the kinetic rate of pasta hardness increased with the temperature. The Arrhenius relationship explained the temperature dependence of reaction constants, while FT-NIR analysis showed a structural reorganisation of pasta matrix during storage. Generally, pasta matrix reorganisation involved water, starch and proteins interactions, and storage temperature was an important factor affecting these modifications with specific effects on physico-chemical pasta properties (e.g. hardness).

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) pre-treatment has been recently studied to be applied to fresh apple, carrot, and potato tissue as novel food technology to improve the drying performances and the quality of final products. Although the modification induced by PEF and the related reactions have been studied as a function of many parameters and related to several quality aspects, no relationship has been investigated with glass transition temperature (Tg) modification of solid products. This study aims to evaluate the effect of PEF treatment on the Tg of different vegetable tissues. Obtained thermograms revealed the existence of two Tg (TgI, and TgII), the first one mainly dependent from the presence of small molecules, such as sugars, organic acids and small amount of amino acids, while high molecular weight starch, fibers and small amount of proteins are associated to higher temperature values of TgII. PEF treated samples of dried apple, carrot, and potato compared to the untreated ones showed a TgII shift at 0.22 aw to a lower temperature, from 45.12 to 43.37, from 45.15 to 31.04 and from 90.23 to 85.81 °C for apple, carrot and potato respectively. The TgII shift confirmed the mobility raise of the system promoted by PEF treatment, creating a less stable matrix.

Sorption behavior and glass transition of frozen parsley were investigated in order to study the physical modifications, represented as state diagram to figure out information about product behavior for storage and supply chain handling. Frozen products may be located in the state diagram in all the possible freezing temperatures to understand the structure state and study feasible corrective actions mainly focused on temperature and solid content. Parsley was totally dehydrated and equilibrated at selected relative humidity. Sorption behavior was evaluated by saturated salt slurry method and sorption isotherm fitting, while solid components in terms of mass fraction were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry. Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) model well fitted with moisture and water activity data (R2 = 0.995, p-level < 0.05). The characteristic ranges of stability, in terms of system mobility and physical modification, are the monolayer values (0.240 water activity; 0.052 kg/kg dry basis) and the critical water activity range (0.424 water activity; 0.078 kg/kg dry basis). Glass transition and melting temperature were used to define parsley state diagram. Different zones figure out a specific physical behavior: depending on solid content and temperature. Unfrozen water was estimated as monolayer BET value 0.84 kg/kg wet basis and extrapolated from state diagram 0.984 kg/kg wet basis. Practical applications: Frozen high-quality product and energy efficiency can be obtained by a correct temperature management. Thermophysical properties of parsley represented in a state diagram are reported in the typical solute and temperature range of freezing process and storage. These data can relate physical structure and temperature, allowing different possible conditions management.

Undersized kiwifruits are considered waste, therefore, there is a need to develop sustainable processing technologies for their valorization, in order to have a positive economic impact on their entire production chain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to apply pulsed electric fields (PEF) combined with osmotic dehydration (OD) and air drying (AD) to develop a novel yellow kiwifruit dried snack with high nutritional functionality. In particular, the effect of the different pre-treatments, PEF (200 V/cm) and/or OD (trehalose at 40%), on the color, bioactive compounds content and antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated on kiwifruit chips air-dried at three different temperatures (50, 60, 70 &deg, C). The results showed that better color maintenance was observed at the drying temperature of 60 &deg, C. Concerning the bioactive compounds, a good retention in total polyphenols (TP), vitamin C content and AA with the DPPH method was obtained on OD and PEF kiwifruit dried snacks, similar to that of control samples. Instead, the ABTS method showed the best AA in PEF and OD/PEF samples. In general, a shorter drying time in the OD- and PEF-treated samples could contribute to the higher sustainability of the process.

Kiwifruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and other bioactive compounds, which contribute to its high antioxidant activity. However, the fruits with small size and low weight are considered waste and are unprofitable, therefore, the production of healthy kiwifruit-based dried snacks, which contain a lot of health-beneficial ingredients, could be a viable alternative for their use. The aim of this study was to develop formulations and methods to produce attractive and nutritionally valuable dried snacks based on yellow kiwifruit. Three different puree formulations (kiwifruit, fennel, and strawberry, lemon, or spinach) with or without addition of sugar were subjected to two drying methods: freeze-drying (fruit bars) and conventional hot air drying (fruit leathers). The obtained products were analysed for their content of total polyphenols (TPs), flavonoids, and vitamin C, as well as their antioxidant activity. The results showed that snacks prepared by freeze-drying (fruit bars) presented higher TP, vitamin C, and flavonoids content than those prepared by convective drying, however, the antioxidant activity did not always follow this trend. The amount of bioactive compounds depended on the formulation used for the preparation of snacks. The effect of the sugar addition seems to be strictly related to the mix used and specific bioactive compound investigated.

The effect of PEF pre-treatment prior to osmotic dehydration on mass transfer parameters, colour, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in organic strawberries and kiwifruits was evaluated. An increase of water loss in both fruits upon the application of combined processes was noticed (up to 21.6%), while a decrease of solid gain was observed only in kiwifruit samples dehydrated in sucrose (about 45%). In general, the combined treatments were beneficial for colour maintenance in both fruit tissues. The antioxidant capacity (DPPH) and activity (ORAC) increased after PEF treatment, however, all the combined treatments reduced significantly these values (of about 20 and 28% for strawberry and of about 56 and 35% for kiwifruit, respectively for DPPH and ORAC methods). In general, PEF treatment alone was also effective with regard to an increase in the antimicrobial activity of the samples against the tested microorganisms (B. subtilis, E.coli, S. cerevisiae). Industrial relevance: PEF pre-treatment coupled with osmotic dehydration could be applied at industrial level to obtain semi-dried fruit products. Moreover, both processes could be used as pre-treatments for drying process, in order to develop healthy and microbiologically stable fruit snacks. In fact, in the present work we observed that PEF pre-treatment alone promoted higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The combined process decreased both parameters, suggesting that an accurate study is necessary to evaluate the benefits of these processes in terms of bioactive compounds retention and time and energy consumption in further drying process. The results of the present study could be used as a starting point for the industries to design novel products with intermediate moisture content intended for further processing.

Plasma Activated Water (PAW) obtained by exposing water to cold atmospheric pressure plasma, has recently emerged as a promising alternative for food decontamination, compared to the use of traditional chemical sanitizers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of PAW treatments for rocket salad decontamination. Washing with PAW for 2, 5, 10 and 20 min was assessed against different endogenous spoilage microorganisms and compared to untreated water and hypochlorite solution. The chemical composition of PAW as a function of treatment and delay time was characterized and the effect on product quality and nutritional parameters was evaluated. Results showed that PAW allowed an average reduction of 1.7–3 Log CFU/g for total mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae following 2–5 min washing with minimal variation of qualitative and nutritional parameters. Overall, experimental results highlighted the potentiality of PAW treatments as a promising alternative to chlorine having the advantage of a minor adverse impact on environment and consumers' health. Industrial relevance To meet consumers demand, the minimally processed fruit and vegetable industry needs to find sustainable solutions as alternative to the use of traditional chemical sanitizers that allow to increase product shelf-life and preserve safety, qualitative and nutritional characteristics. Plasma activated water represents a promising strategy for food decontamination, but its effects on foods have been only limitedly investigated. The present research is the first study on the use of plasma activated water on fresh rocket leaves, providing new and important information on microbial inactivation and quality of the fresh cut product.

As the demand for functional food increases, intense research efforts have been devoted to the development of new processing technologies (e.g., pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, and cold plasma, among others) as alternative to the traditional thermal processing to obtain safe products with sensory and nutritional attributes similar to those of fresh product. These technologies allow the sustainable food production by cost and energy reduction, better use of resources, and minimizing waste. Moreover, these technologies generally allow a better retention of functional components and antioxidant properties of foods compared with the traditional thermal treatments. This chapter will discuss the impact of processing conditions of different nonthermal technologies on the sustainability of food processing in relation to extraction and stability of the main functional components in food products. The provided information will be beneficial for further commercialization and exploration of these novel technologies.

Electroporated and dried apples were characterised in terms of physical properties, such as sorption profile and mechanical test, in order to understand the treatment effects. Thermodynamic relationship between water activity and equilibrium moisture content at constant temperature and pressure has been mathematically expressed by sorption isotherm. High coefficient of determination of BET equation fitting was obtained, ranging from 0.974 to 0.990 (RMSE 0.07–0.08). The highest electric field strength (1.5 kV/cm) reveals a change in sorption isotherm shape. The III type of isotherm observed indicates a major presence of crystalline molecules increasing a water surface interaction. Compression test were applied to the samples at different hydration level and PEF intensity applied. The plasticizing effect was observed as a function of hydration level raise and involved a reduction of the maximum force from about 14.85 (±2.44) N to 8.45 (±0.59) N. The opposite anti-plasticizing effect was a consequence of electric filed strength increase. Particularly, at low hydration level, where plasticizing effect did not produce softening of structures, PEF treatment induced a toughness and stiffness increase, revealing the anti-plasticizing effect. Fermi equation showed high coefficient of determination (0.902–0.959) and Y0 value change from 17 to 35, as a function of PEF treatment intensity increase, confirming the structural differences in the analysed samples. Thus, main results revealed the modification of water holding capacity induced by PEF and drying. Sorption profile and mechanical properties well described plasticizing and anti-plasticizing induced effect, underling the enhanced mobility of the system promoted by treatments.

Brewers' spent grain (BSG) is the most abundant by-product obtained from beer production. However, it contains some bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, therefore, the valorization of BSG is important to recovery these compounds and reused them as functional ingredients in food industry. Therefore, in this work, pulsed electric field (PEF) has been used as extraction pre-treatment. PEF parameters such as electric field strength E (0.5, 1.5, 2.5 kV/cm), frequency (50, 100, 150 Hz) and total time of treatment (5, 10, 15 s) were optimized in order to maximize the content of flavan-3-ols, flavonoids, phenolic acid derivates and total free phenolic compounds. Optimal conditions to the maximum value of total free phenolic compounds were the following: 2.5 kV/cm, 50 Hz and 14.5 s. Concentrations of total free and bound phenolic compounds from BSG under these PEF optimum conditions were 2.7 and 1.7 times, respectively, higher than in case of the extraction without PEF pre-treatment, indicating an improvement in the phenolic recovery with the use of PEF as a pre-treatment in brewers spent grain samples.

Introduction: Post-radiation fractures of the femur (PRF) are difficult to treat and are associated with a high risk of delayed union and non-union. We report a series of patients affected by soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the thigh, treated with limb-sparing surgery and perioperative radiotherapy (RT), to analyse post-radiotherapy femur fracture (FF) rate and its management. Material and methods: 547 patients treated with surgery and RT for a deep primary STS of the thigh were included. “Periosteal stripping” and “bone tangential resection” were performed in case of tumor invasion. In the case of complete bone involvement, the patient received its complete resection and econstruction. Results: Twenty-three (4.3%) patients underwent surgical procedures involving periosteum and cortical bone. In 11 (2.0%) patients a bone resection was required because of massive bone involvement. Six out of these 11 (54.5%) patients developed major complications (infection and aseptic loosening). At the time of STS excision, 11 patients (2.0%) underwent prophylactic intramedullary nailing (PIN). PRF occurred in 15 patients (3.0%) at a median follow up of 52months (range 3–151). Among patients who developed PRF, three were treated with a prosthesis (no complications) and eight nailing (7/8, 87.5% did not heal and developed a non-union). Conclusions: Given the potentially devastating complication of a PRF, PIN should be considered. We suggest prophylactic IM nail in patients at higher risk the time of STS excision. In other cases, IM nail can be postponed in the following years considering the prognosis.

Various innovative materials are already present on the market, but there is scarce knowledge on their performances when used in real food system. In this study, two innovative packaging materials were investigated for the evaluation during storage of biscuits formulated with sunflower oil and compared to a traditional one. To this aim, three different flexible and composite film containing a metalized plastic layer and a paper layer were used. The control included orientated polypropylene (OPP), while the innovative materials contained poly-lactic acid or OPP with a pro-oxidant additive, ethylene vinyl acetate. The physical (moisture, water activity, hardness/crispness) and chemical (peroxide value, conjugated dienes and trienes, and hexanal and nonanal formation) changes of biscuits were monitored during accelerated storage (35°C and 50% of relative humidity for 105days). Packaging materials did not have significant impact on textural quality of biscuits. Instead remarkable differences were observed during storage in the evolution of different lipid oxidation compounds, moisture content and water activity among differently packed biscuits. A new ecofriendly packaging showed the best performances in terms of physico-chemical quality of biscuits. The obtained results provide useful information for industrial application.

Solid and liquid components coexist into glassy and amorphous structures of food complex matrixes. Both states admit movements, promoting physical modifications to a more thermodynamically stable system. Green and roasted coffee beans are principally characterized by a glassy structure that slowly evolves during storage. The aim of this study was to assess calorimetric and dielectric properties in combination, as a useful multi-analytical technique to improve the understanding of the motion mechanism of localized molecules. After equilibration at different water activities (aw) for the determination of sorption isotherms of green and roasted coffee, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the samples has been measured by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Increasing the aw from 0.155 to 0.512, the Tg shifted from 48.76 (±0.04) to 34.89 (±0.02) °C for green coffee and from 45.73 (±0.05) to 40.15 (±0.10) °C for the roasted one. The spectroscopic fingerprint of the matrix has been determined by dielectric measurements in terms of “gain” spectra (related to the imaginary part of permittivity). The maximum values of the determination coefficient (R2), obtained by linear correlation between spectral data and water activity or glass transition values for a specific frequency of the whole range (1.6 GHz–2.7 GHz), were 0.999 and 0.943 for green, and 0.997 R2 and 0.925 R2 for roasted coffee respectively.

Edible films and coatings gained renewed interest in the food packaging sector with polysaccharide and protein blending being explored as a promising strategy to improve properties of edible films. The present work studies composite edible films in different proportions of pectin (P), alginate (A) and whey Protein concentrate (WP) formulated with a simplex centroid mixture design and evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics to understand the effects of individual components on the final film performance. The studied matrices exhibited good film forming capacity, except for whey protein at a certain concentration, with thickness, elastic and optical properties correlated to the initial solution viscosity. A whey protein component in general lowered the viscosity of the initial solutions compared to that of alginate or pectin solutions. Subsequently, a whey protein component lowered the mechanical strength, as well as the affinity for water, as evidenced from an increasing contact angle. The effect of pectin was reflected in the yellowness index, whereas alginate and whey protein affected the opacity of film. Whey protein favored higher opacity, lower gas barrier values and dense structures, resulting from the polysaccharide-protein aggregates. All films displayed however good thermal stability, with degradation onset temperatures higher than 170 &deg, C.

Vacuum impregnation combined with other techniques such as air drying allows obtaining not only a low-moisture product but also to enrich it with beneficial bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of combined process that involves vacuum impregnation and air drying to obtain an enriched strawberry snack. The strawberry samples were vacuum impregnated with bilberry juice-based solution at three different sucrose concentrations: 10, 30 and 50 °Brix. Afterwards, the samples were subjected to air-drying treatment at 40 °C for 24 h and the obtained final products were analysed for texture, colour, total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity and sensory analysis. Moreover, the volumetric impregnation level was evaluated, and the drying kinetics were studied. The impregnated and dried samples showed higher values of TPC and antioxidant activity than those of control ones, due to the high antioxidant power of the bioactive compounds present in bilberry juice. The sample that showed the highest value of total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity was the one impregnated with bilberry juice at 30 °Brix. The impregnated and dried samples presented lower firmness and crispness in comparison to the control; however, all analysed samples were above the acceptability threshold by sensory analysis.

The aim of this work was to quantify the recovery of juice and bioactive compounds of apple and carrot mashes treated by the electrotechnologies (PEF or OH) at different pre-heating temperatures (40, 60 or 80 °C), considering thermal and electric field based cell disintegration. In general, a higher cell disintegration resulting from the applied pre-treatments also resulted in higher juice yield (around 10% increase for carrot and 5% for apple compared to untreated). Regarding the carotenoid content of obtained carrot juices, only the PEF pre-treatment at 20 °C resulted in an increased extractability. A release of total polyphenols from apples into the juice increased in all pre-treated samples compared to the control. This study suggests that a combined pre-treatment can further improve the cell disintegration and juice yield and may have the potential to increase the recovery of bioactive compounds depending on the treatment parameters. Industrial relevance Thermal treatment followed by PEF or conducted by OH can still improve the cell disintegration and yield of juice. Moreover, the combination of thermal and electric field effects may also improve the recovery of bioactive compounds depending on the chosen treatment conditions. Therefore, the combined treatments show high potentiality for the application at industrial level to improve the release of the juice and at the same time to obtain novel products with high quality.

To ease the mass exchange in fruit tissues, cutting and blanching are traditionally performed. However, recently, unconventional methods such as sonication are becoming more popular, which cause several alterations of physical and chemical properties as well as microstructure changes. The aim of this work was to evaluate the distribution of water inside the cranberry fruits, microstructural changes and sugars content, following traditional and sonication pre-treatments in osmotic solutions. TD-NMR spectroscopy was used to measure the transverse relaxation time (T2) and intensity of proton pools in different cellular compartments. The microstructure of the samples was evaluated by SEM microscopy, sugars content by HPLC and sucrose melting temperature and enthalpy by DSC. Different pre-treatments appeared to promote microstructure alterations and loss of water from vacuole and cytoplasm/extracellular space, more pronounced in cut and blanched samples. Cutting and blanching followed by osmotic dehydration with assisted sonication eased sucrose penetration into the tissue.

Introduction. In the past few decades, the breeding companies focused on the genetic selection of high growth-rate and breast yield chicken hybrids. Within this context, although an overall improvement in the live performances was achieved, an increased incidence of several emerging muscle abnormalities termed as White-striping (WS) and “Spaghetti-Meat” (SM) was observed. Materials and Methods. Ninety-six boneless and skinless Pectoralis major muscles were selected from the same flock of high-breast yield hybrids (males) in the deboning area of a commercial processing plant and classified by two experienced people according to the presence of WS and SM defects: 24 Normal (NORM), 24 WS, 24 SM and 24 WS/SM samples. Implications of WS and/or SM abnormalities on quality characteristics (morphometric measurements, pH, colour, physicochemical state of water molecules by LR-NMR) and muscle proteins traits (as assessed by SDS-PAGE analysis, Myofibrillar Fragmentation Index, protein solubility and oxidation) were assessed. In addition, since both WS and SM defects seemed to mainly affect the superficial part of the Pectoralis major muscle, each parameter was separately determined in the superficial and in the deep part of each fillet in order to assess whether any difference might be attributed to the sampling position. Results. The findings of the present study evidenced that WS and SM abnormality occurring alone or combined within the same Pectoralis major muscle significantly affected all the parameters assessed within this study. In detail, although only negligible effects might be observed within the deep part of the fillet, the occurrence of WS and SM defects severely affected the superficial layer of the P. major muscle. Furthermore, even if no relevant differences were found concerning colour, all samples affected by muscle abnormalities exhibited significantly higher pH and a remarkable increased proportion and mobility of extra-myofibrillar water fraction. In addition, although no significant differences were found concerning both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins solubility, protein functionality was found to be significantly impaired within the samples affected by WS and/or SM muscle abnormalities. This might be partly explained by the higher fragmentation index, the increased carbonylation level as well as by the overall altered myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein profiles observed within the abnormal samples. Conclusions. This study evidenced that especially SM abnormality can impair breast meat quality properties as previously evidenced for wooden-breast condition. Within this context, considering that abnormal fillets are normally downgraded by the poultry industry and included as raw materials for processed products manufacture, further studies are needed in order to identify the proper technologies and formulations to apply. Additional information would also help to identify the proper proportion of abnormal meat to be included within the formulation of processed products without impairing quality traits and functionality

Edible films or coatings could be used as an alternative way of conservation, because of their ability to reduce respiration and transpiration rate, maintain firmness and generally delay fruit senescence. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of different types of coating: sodium alginate (Al), pectin (Pe) and sodium alginate plus pectin (Al + Pe), on some blueberries quality characteristics, cell viability and microbial growth during 14 days of storage at 4 °C. Blueberry samples differently coated did not show significant differences in weight loss, pH, soluble solid and dry matter content. However, the application of Al, Pe and Al + Pe improved the firmness of blueberry samples as compared to the uncoated one. Changes in the surface reflection properties in the coated blueberries induced a general lower lightness and a more intense blue hue colour than the control sample. The microbiological results indicated that the coating of blueberry, in particular with Al or Pe, significantly reduced the growth kinetics of yeasts and mesophilic aerobic bacteria. Fil: Mannozzi, C.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Cecchini, Juan Pablo. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentina Fil: Tylewicz, U.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Siroli, L.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Patrignani, Francesca. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Lanciotti, R.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Rocculi, P.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Dalla Rosa, M.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia Fil: Romani, S.. Universidad de Bologna; Italia

Introduction. Brewer‘s spent grain (BSG) is the major by-product of the brewing industry, which is available in large quantities throughout the year, but its main application has been limited to animal feeding. BSG is a lignocellulosic material containing about 17% cellulose, 28% non-cellulosic polysaccharides, chiefly arabinoxylans, and 28% lignin. Because of that, it can be also serve as an attractive adjunct in human nutrition (3). The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of BSG application in production of value-added corn snack products. Materials and Methods. Corn grits used in this study was kindly provided by the mill Đakovo of the "Žito" Company Ltd. Osijek, produced in 2014. BSG was kindly provided by Osijek Brewery d.o.o., Osijek, (produced in 2013), and pectin by "Kandit" Ltd. Osijek. BSG was dehydrated in laboratory oven Memmert UFE 500 at 60°C, and milled at laboratory mill IKA MF10 with 2 mm sieve. Mixtures with 0, 5, 10 and 15% d. m. of added BSG were extruded in the laboratory single screw extruder (19/20 DN, Brabender, Germany) at following parameters: moisture content (15%), temperature profile (135/170/170°C), screw compression ratio (4:1), round die (4 mm), and 1% d. m. of added pectin with the aim of production of corn snack products. Obtained extrudates were air-dried overnight and milled in laboratory mill IKA MF10 with 1 mm sieve before the analysis. Chemical composition (standard ISO methods), resistant starch (RS) (1), total, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre (TDF, SDF and IDF) (2), total polyphenols content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (DPPH) (4) were determined. Results. The obtained results showed that the addition of BSG to corn grits caused significant increase of IDF content and slight increase of SDF and RS contents. Furthermore, products with BSG had a higher amounts of protein, ash and fat, and in accordance with this lower content of raw carbohydrates. Results for total polyphenols showed that the addition of BSG in corn grits proportionally increased their contents, but decreased antioxidant activity (DPPH). Conclusions. According to obtained results it can be concluded that the BSG as inexpensive by- product of brewering industry can be successfully incorporated in corn grits with the aim of production nutritionally more valuable corn snack products.

Introduction. Nowadays, a tendency for reducing food industry waste is becoming more prominent due to a growing interest for utilization of food industry by-products for various purposes. These by- products contain many potentially useful substances and they could become significant raw materials in the production/development of new products. Apricot kernels as by-products of processing are a valuable source of bioactive components like amygdalin, tocopherols, phenolic compounds and fatty acids. Some of them were studied in this research. Materials and Methods. Apricot kernels were obtained from Association of fruit brandy producers (Kneţevi vinogradi, Croatia). The initial oil content in apricot kernels was determined by Soxhlet extraction system using n-hexane as a solvent. Crude oil was obtained by cold pressing of apricot kernels on the laboratory screw press, and its oil quality parameters, namely, peroxide number, free fatty acids, moisture, insoluble impurities, iodine number and saponification number were determined. Furthermore, oil from apricot kernels was obtained also by supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) extraction at pressure of 300 bar, temperature of 40°C and CO2 mass flow of 2 kg/h. The oil was collected every hour during extraction process (total extraction time was 5 hours). The oils obtained by screw pressing and with SC-CO2 were analysed for fatty acid composition, total tocopherols and amygdalin concentration. The apricot kernel extract was produced using 50% ethanol solution and was analysed for antioxidant and antibacterial activity, as well as amygdalin concentration. Antioxidant activity of extracts was determined by DPPH method. Antibacterial activity was conducted against four test bacteria strains: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. It was assessed in terms of minimum inhibitory concentrations by a modified broth microdilution method. Fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Tocopherol concentrations were performed on reversed-phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection (FLD) and amygdalin concentration by HPLC with UV detection. Results. The initial oil content in apricot kernels was 49.60%, and moisture content 6.87%. The moisture content in crude cold pressed apricot kernel oil was 0.13%, peroxide number 0.49, free fatty acids 1.78, insoluble impurities 0.46%, iodine number 103.45, and saponification number 192.11. Concentration of total tocopherols during SC-CO2 extraction decreased from first collected fraction to the last, precisely from 2.52 mg/g of oil to 0.50 mg/g of oil. However, the concentration of total tocopherols in cold pressed apricot kernel oil was significantly lower (0.94 mg/g of oil) compared to SC-CO2 oil, while α-tocopherol was not detected. Fatty acid composition showed prevalence of palmitic, oleic (cis-9) and linoleic (cis-9, 12) acid, specifically 5.93%, 57.33% and 33.81% in all SC- CO2 extracts, which showed a great similarity to values of oil obtained by cold pressing.

[EN] Recently, some authors have applied pulsed electric fields (PEF) as a pre-treatment of osmotic dehydration, showing a faster kinetics of dehydration. Osmotic dehydration of fruit tissue shows complex mass transfer mechanism associated with active and passive transports of the vegetal matrix, usually driven by electrolytes. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of different PEF values (100, 250, 400 V/cm) as a pre-treatment of the osmotic dehydration (61.5°Brix, up to 120 min) on mass transport mechanism of organic kiwifruit. A thermodynamic model able to describe the mass transfer and tissue deformation in kiwifruit was developed. It was possible to conclude that pulsed electric field as a pre-treatment, remove a part of the native electrolytes, reducing the activity of protein active pumps, leaving alone the passive protein channels as a main mass transmembrane transport and therefore affecting to the regular functionality of cell homeostasis system., The authors Urszula Tylewicz and Marco Dalla Rosa want to thank for the financial support of this project provided by funding bodies within the FP7 ERA-Net CORE Organic Plus, and with cofunds from the European Commission (this project has received funding from the European Union's 7th Framework Programme under grant agreement No 618107.). The author Marta Castro-Giraldez wants to thank the UPV Postdoctoral Program (PAID-10-14) of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for its support. The author Maria Victoria Traffano Schiffo wants to thank the FPI Predoctoral Program of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for support her PhD studies, ERASMUS PRACTICAS program to finance her mobility to Italy and also Silvia Tappi and Wei Luo for their cooperation during the experiment.

How to estimate the risk of the occurrence of non-hydrocarbon components (nonHC) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or nitrogen (N2), is one of the main issues in the field of petroleum exploration. Numerical models can provide valuable tools to predict the occurrence and distribution of such components. Different approaches exists to this end, starting from the simplest ones, relying onto geometrical considerations, up to those based on a fully physical description of the migration and accumulation processes.In this work, a procedure for efficient coupling of petroleum system analysis withmultiphase Darcy flow simulations is developed to obtain 3D time dependent representation of the migration paths and accumulation volumes of nonHC at basin scale on a geological timescale. We focus on the tests carried out to prove that is technically feasible to run simulations of very deep geological formations (high P, T, salinity) even if considering a very detailed picture of the transport phenomena (buoyant, viscous and capillary forces). The challenge is to find the right compromise between the needs to honor fine-scale hydrostratigraphic details of the structure and the size of the numerical model in its discretized form.