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High-protein snacks appeal to consumers seeking to increase the protein intake in their diet. The high environmental impact of conventional protein sources is urging the need to explore more sustainable alternatives such as edible insects. In this study, the willingness to pay for yogurt enriched with insect protein was estimated. It also determined the effect of socio-demographics and extrinsic product attributes on the purchase decision and expenditure using the Heckman sample selection model. Data was collected through an online survey from 1,909 consumers in Catalonia, Spain using Qualtrics´ consumer panel. The results showed that 55.7% of the participants were willing to purchase the product and that the average premium price computed was 0.36€ or 24% extra compared to the conventional price of yogurt. Findings also revealed that the probability of purchasing yogurt enriched with insect protein increases with younger adults, male consumers, residing in rural areas, having a child member in the family unit, and an active employment situation. Moreover, expenditure increases when the importance of the local and ecological attributes of food is higher, while lower for the price attribute. The results of this study offer food producers valuable insights into consumers’ willingness to pay for novel protein snacks.

The composition of raw potato-based products, mainly sugars and amino acids, plays a vital role in acrylamide formation after thermal treatment. The aim of the present study was to derive a No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) of acrylamide in potato-based synthetic models and validate it using Near Infrared Radiation spectroscopy (NIR). Therefore, NIR spectroscopy was chosen to validate gas chromatography Flame-Ionization Detector (GC-FID) concerning acrylamide detection in synthetic potato models and real potatoes. Subsequently, the Megazyme kit, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, and GC-FID were applied to measure sugars, amino acids, and acrylamide. Findings revealed that peaks at 4439-4477 cm-1 were assigned to indicate acrylamide presence in all potato samples. Moreover, sucrose and asparagine had a significant impact on acrylamide. The prototype model unveiled the best combination among all potato models regarding the least acrylamide formation (Agria > Monalisa > Kennebec > Prototype). Mathematical equations were derived to calculate acrylamide concentration that should be below the threshold LOQ < 166.6 µg.kg-1, thus indicating an NSRL of acrylamide in the produced potato snacks if Agria and Monalisa cultivars were used.

Abstract Dysphagia affects a person's ability to swallow, and it causes health problems by directly limiting nutritional intake, being the elderly the most at‐risk group and also likely to be deficient in nutrition. Diets for patients with dysphagia require textural modifications to offer soft and safe food to swallow. Puree is easily consumed by the elderly, being an alternative food preparation providing essential nutrition for people with dysphagia. In this study, we aimed to create different formulations with soy protein and agar added to potato puree to add nutritional value and end up with printable material by designing food for the elderly and people with dysphagia. Some enriched potato puree formulations were obtained by adding soy protein (3%, 5%, and 7%) and up to 0.2% agar. The use of three‐dimensional food printing allows visual customization with appeal benefits of nutritional food formulations for specific consumers. The rheology and texture profile analysis of the different formulations has been performed. According to International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) scales, the texture of all modified samples was suitable for people with swallowing difficulties. The samples with agar presented a better‐printed shape and a more viscous‐like behavior than the samples with soy protein. These findings highlight that soy protein could modify the texture and, from the nutritional point of view, add value to the formulations. The addition of 0.2% agar can establish good material for designing three‐dimensional (3D)‐printed food that allows the creation of textures in accordance with the needs of the elderly and people with dysphagia.

Although mineral chelates are widely produced to be used as food fortifiers, the proof that these complexes are chelates is still missing. In our present work, iron II complexes using citric acid in different ratios are produced, and the occurrence of chelation is investigated along with its behavior according to a molar ratio between the ligand and the mineral. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) were used for a non-structural characterization of these complexes. In contrast to published work, our findings show that the chelation of citric acid is achieved in the liquid form and at a low pH and that the molar ratio is very important in setting the direction of the reaction, either toward chelation or dimer formation. The ratio citric acid:iron 1:4 seems to be the most convenient ratio in which no free citric acid remains in the solution, while the 1:3 ratio behaves differently, requiring further investigations by such techniques as extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS), among others, in order to deeply identify the structural organization occurring in this ratio. NIR, extensively used in industries, proved to be very useful in the demonstration and characterization of chelates. These findings are particularly advantageous for pharmaceutical and food industries in offering an innovative competent fortifying agent to be used in combatting iron deficiency.

Recently, personalized meals and customized food design by means of 3D printing technology have been considered over traditional food manufacturing methods. This study examined the effects of different proteins (soy, cricket, and egg albumin protein) in two concentrations (3% and 5%) on rheological, textural, and 3D printing characteristics. The textural and microstructural properties of different formulations were evaluated and compared. The addition of soy and cricket protein induced an increase in yield stress (τ₀), storage modulus (G′), and loss modulus (G″) while egg albumin protein decreased these parameters. The textural analysis (back extrusion and force of extrusion) demonstrated the relationship between increasing the amount of protein in the formula with an improvement in consistency and index of viscosity. These values showed a straight correlation with the printability of fortified formulas. 3D printing of the different formulas revealed that soy and cricket proteins allow the targeting of complex geometry with multilayers.