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This paper aimed to review the publications on mycotoxins' presence in cereals and foodstuffs originated from the Serbian market covering the period from 2005 to 2022. The review covers all the important steps in mycotoxins analysis including sampling, sample preparation, instrumental analysis, and concentration ranges in which the mycotoxins were found. Also, the results were interpreted from the European Union regulation point of view. The review emphasizes the importance of multi-mycotoxins analysis for determining the simultaneous presence of mycotoxins that can negatively affect the Serbian human population. The most frequently used instrumental technique in the mycotoxin analysis of Serbian products was the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay followed by the Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Most of the studies undertaken in Serbia until now investigated a few groups of matrices such as wheat, maize, milk, and dairy products. Only a few studies involved specific matrices such as nuts, dried fruits, biscuits, cookies, and spices. The review showed that contamination of milk and dairy products with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), occurred at the very beginning of 2013, was the major health issue related to the population health. The contamination of milk and dairy products with the AFM1 was a consequence of maize contamination with aflatoxins which occurred in the year 2012, characterized by drought conditions. The studies dealing with the analysis of masked and emerging mycotoxins are rare and more attention should be paid to monitoring the presence of these types of mycotoxins in foodstuffs from Serbia.

Biopolymer-based materials present good alternatives for synthetic materials. However, their high water sensitivity may limit their usage for food products packaging. Addition of hydrophobic components into the material formulation could improve this property. In this work 3, 4 and 5 % (v/v) of Satureja montana or Ocimum basilicum essential oil was incorporated into biopolymer films based on pumpkin oil cake. The obtained materials were analyzed regarding mechanical, physicochemical, barrier and structural properties. Incorporation of the essential oils increased the thickness of the pumpkin oil cake film. Significant reductions in moisture sensitivity, related to physicochemical properties and water vapor transmission rate (almost for 30 %), were observed (p < 0.05). Improvement of light barrier properties was also observed so that the visible light transmission was decreased for around 50 % while the UV light transmission was lower than 1 %. The obtained FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of added essential oils in pumpkin oil cake films, as well as their influence on the reduction in the film surface hydrophilicity. However, mechanical properties, tensile strength and elongation at break, decreased significantly (p < 0.05). These results suggest that incorporation of Satureja montana or Ocimum basilicum essential oil improved barrier properties of pumpkin oil cake-based films and reduced the film affinity toward water.

In this work, pumpkin seed oil cake that remains after process of cold pressed oil extraction, was used for the production of composite biopolymer based packaging films. During the production of films, four degrees of filtration were applied. The obtained composite biopolymer films were analyzed for antioxidant activity using three different antioxidant activity assays: the ability to capture free radicals, including •DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical, •OH, as well as reduction power assay of the analyzed films. By comparing the antioxidant activity of the films obtained with different degrees of filtration, it can be concluded that the films obtained by finer filtration (smaller diameter of the filter pore) exhibit greater ability to capture •DPPH radicals, as well as higher reducing power, while the ability to capture hydroxyl radicals showed different trend. Films obtained from the coarser filtered fractions (higher diameter of the filtrate medium) showed greater •OH scavenging ability.

Biopolymer films can be used as packaging materials in the food industry, when they contribute to a better mechanical integrity of packaged foods and act as barrier to various environmental agents. The greatest disadvantage regarding biopolymer films application are poor barrier characteristic, which is a consequence of their high hydrophilicity; their mechanical and physico-chemical properties are considered to be a moderate disadvantage. This paper presents the effects of chemical modifications, such as the addition of hydrophobic components (essential oils), to the properties of biopolymer films. Except that the addition of essential oils significantly affects the mechanical, barrier and physico-chemical properties of biopolymer films, in this way, biopolymer films become active and exhibit antimicrobial and antioxidant action. Changes in the mechanical and barrier properties of various biopolymer films have been observed in particular, with and without the addition of oil in different concentrations.

Active films based on pumpkin oil cake, with 1 % and 2 % of winter savory and basil essential oil, were synthesized in the paper, and the antioxidant activity of the films obtained was subsequently examined. A biopolymer film based on pumpkin oil cake without the addition of essential oils was used as a control. The following methods were used for determining the antioxidant activity of the films: the DPPH radical scavenging activity, the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and the reducing power assay. The control film showed some antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging activity = 61 %, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity = 33 %, reducing power = 0.534). However, the addition of essential oils increased the antioxidant activity of the films, especially their reducing power, where as the film with 2 % of winter savory essential oil exhibited the highest activity. A slight increase in the DPPH radical and the hydroxyl radical scavenging activities was also observed with the incorporation of essential oils into the experimental films.

Packaging is inseparable retainer of almost all food products. However, most of produced packaging ends as packaging waste after consumption of the product. Increasing amounts of packaging waste that should be managed represents serious challenge of every modern society. There are many different approaches to address this subject, amongst which biodegradable, natural biopolymer-based or even edible packaging holds considerable potential. In this paper, a by-product of edible oil industry, left after completed extraction by cold pressing of oil from hulls of pumpkin seeds, was used to produce biopolymer packaging films. Pumpkin oil cake was used to produce composite bio-based films. Different filtration of film forming suspension was applied in order to test composite film production using different filtration fractions, leading to higher process yield and minimizing waste. In addition, films were casted on surface, about ten times larger comparing to the cast surface typically reported for these types of films in the literature, in order to test the possibility for commercial production and scale up process. Also, casted mass of film forming suspension was varied in order to define minimal casting mass per unit area. Presented results showed that biopolymer films based on the pumpkin oil cake can be successfully produced in sheets (50x35 cm), compared to films earlier produced in the form of discs with diameter 12 cm. Different filtration fractions from initial film forming suspension can be used for film formation, leading to increased production yield. Different filtration fractions lead to different film properties that should be adjusted according to selected application. Casted mass of film forming suspension was successfully decreased (comparing to earlier literature data) without compromising film functional properties and minimal casting mass was defined as 26 g/m2.

In this paper, the application of a biopolymer coating based on chitosan was tested. The optimized coating was formed as a two-layer coating, wherein the first layer (which is in contact with the product) was formed of chitosan with emulsified caraway essential oil as an active component, whereas the second layer was formed of chitosan with the addition of beeswax to optimize the moisture barrier of the coating. As a substrate, the traditional dry fermented sausage Petrovská klobása was selected. The coating was applied to the sausage after drying. During two months of storage under controlled conditions, the influence of the coating on the loss of moisture, the oxidative stability and the sensory characteristic of aroma of the control sausage (without the coating) and sausage with the coating was monitored. The results obtained indicate a significant contribution of the applied dual layer chitosan-based coating to the preservation of the sausage quality parameters analyzed.

The purpose of this paper is the synthesis and characterization of biodegradable composite films based on whole sunflower oil cake, as well as the effect of process parameters (pH and temperature)on the film properties obtained. Films were synthesized at different temperatures (room temperature, 60 °C and 90 °C) and pH values (10 and 12). The film samples obtained were characterized by the mechanical, barrier and physicochemical properties determination. The experimental results showed that the tensile strength values increased with temperature and pH value increments, whereas the sample with the highest elongation at break value was 60 °C/pH12. The water vapour permeability values were uniform (8.62 g/m2h - 11.63 g/m2h), and lower values were recorded in samples synthesized at higher temperatures. The results obtained relative to light transmission were uniform, and the maximum transmission value was reached at 800 nm (24.1- 35.7 %). The values obtained for swelling and solubility parameters are characteristic of the nature of biopolymer films.

In this study, three biopolymer films were synthesized: zein (protein), gelatin (protein), and starch (polysaccharide) films and characterized by determining mechanical and physico-chemical properties. Gelatin films proved to be the strongest (tensile strength 84 N/15 mm), while the zein were most flexible (elongation at break 41.6 %). Moisture content was higher in starch films, which is a result of the hydrophilic nature of the polysaccharide films. Swelling degree was 22.5 % for zein, 90.9 % for gelatin, while the highest average value was recorded in starch film samples (840.6 %). Starch films had highest value of solubility degree (36.5 %), while zein film had 27.9 % and gelatin film had 11.85 %.Obtained characterization results are consequences of the different structure of the raw materials and synthesis routes. All undesirable characteristics could be improved by optimizing the composition of the film, as well as synthesis of composite/laminated films.

In this paper, influence of increasing concentrations of beeswax on the antimicrobial activity of chitosan-caraway essential oil biofilm was investigated. Selected microorganisms for the test were Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. Reduction of S. Typhimurium and L. monocythogenes viable counts in bacterial suspension in the presence of chitosan films with or without added beeswax amounted over 80 % after 24 h contact time, and over 95 % after 3 h of contact time, respectively and influence of added beeswax on growth reduction was not detected. However, when number of S. Typhimurium viable cells was analyzed (log CFU/ml), it was shown that addition of beeswax led to increased activity of films, especially for the films with 36 kg/m3 and 54 kg/m3of beeswax. When films were transferred, after 24 h in bacterial suspension, onto Petri dishes with nutrient agar and incubated for 24 h on 37°C, results also showed beeswax contribution to growth inhibition of S. Typhimurium.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the properties of biopolymer protein monofilms and produce a novel bilayer biopolymer film on the basis of the monofilms analyzed. Biopolymer monolayer films, based on pumpkin oil cake (PuOC) and zein, and a bilayer film, based on PuOC and zein (PuOC/Zein), were produced as a result of the study. The visual, mechanical, physicochemical and structural properties of the films were evaluated. The results obtained showed that the PuOC film exhibited the highest elongation at break, followed by the bilayer film, whereas the zein film showed the lowest elongation at break. However, the zein film showed the highest tensile strength, followed by the PuOC film. The tensile strength of the bilayer PuOC/Zein film was almost 3 times lower than that of the PuOC film, and almost 4 times lower than that of the zein film. The physicochemical properties recorded indicate that the hydrophobic zein film is the least sensitive to moisture, affecting the moisture sensitivity of PuOC film by reducing the moisture content, swelling and total soluble mater of the bilayer PuOC/Zein film. Based on the FTIR spectra, it could be concluded that there are no significant differences between the two sides of the bilayer PuOC/Zein film. Both sides of the bilayer film examined indicated characteristic peaks for protein biopolymer films in the FTIR spectrum.

Bilayer biodegradable films based on pumpkin oil cake (PuOC) and zein, as well as pouches made from these materials, were prepared, and the changes of their mechanical, physicochemical and barrier properties were analyzed during four weeks of storage. Heat seal quality of formed pouches and composition of the gas atmosphere in the pouches were also monitored. The results showed that the bilayer film had a thickness of 300 ± 10 (μm), and no its changes were observed during the storage time. The tensile strength of the tested film increased slightly in the third week, but the elongation at break showed a decreasing trend during the whole storage period. The decreases in the moisture content, total soluble matter and swelling of the obtained film, were also observed. After one month of storage, the O2 transmission rate of tested films, increased from 27 to 64 (ml/m2 24h 1 bar), and the CO2 gas transmission rate from 147 to 188 (ml/m2 24h 1 bar). The heat seal strength of the PuOC/Zein pouches decreased during the whole storage period. The percentage of O2 in PuOC/Zein pouches increased up to 7 times during the storage period; however, the percentage of CO2 decreased up to 18 times already after one week, and then remained stable in the rest of the storage period. These results are, to a smaller extent, due to the gas transmission rate through the material, especially for CO2 , and to a greater extent, due to the low heat seal strength, which decreased through the storage period, and probably influenced the content of the gases in the pouches.[Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 46010]

The objective of this study was to examine influence of glycerol and guar-xanthan in different concentrations on bi-layer film based on pumpkin oil cake (PuOC) and corn zein, and to find optimal concentrations of these additives which result in film with optimal mechanical and barrier characteristics. Different concentrations of glycerol (30%, 40%, and 50%) as plasticizer and guar-xanthan (0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5%) as a stabilizer were added in PuOC layer, while zein layer stayed unchanged in all film compositions. Obtained results showed that the optimal mechanical properties had film with the lowest concentration of glycerol (30%) and the highest concentration of guar-xanthan (0.5%). Films showed poor barrier for water vapour, typical for biopolymer-based films. However, all tested films were very good barrier to O2 (transmission rate lower than 50 ml/m2/day at 1 bar). On the other hand, with increase of concentration of added substances, transmission rate of CO2 increased.

Growing consumer demand for the food without chemical preservatives focused significant extent of research in the direction of finding natural compounds that can be used in food preservation. In this context, natural substances with strong antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, like essential oils, as well as natural biopolymers, particularly draw attention. Natural biopolymers can serve as carriers of the active components, such as essential oils in order of their sustained release to the food during storage, and may themselves exhibit activity in protecting foods from oxidation and/or microbial spoilage. Chitosan has been extensively studied as semi-natural polymer with expressed bioactive properties. While antimicrobial activity of chitosan solution in different acids has been confirmed towards different bacteria, yeasts and moulds, reports concerning intensity, underlying machanism and different factors afecting antioxidant activity of chitosan vary through the available literature. This paper presents a review in the field of antioxidative activity of chitosan with different properties, as well as chitosan based biopolymer films in order to clarify this aspect of chitosan bioactivity and confront different reports found in the literature.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the simultaneous effect of glycerol (30%, 40%, 50%) and guar-xanthan gum addition (0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%) effect on starch based edible film mechanical and barrier properties. According to Response Surface Methodology, the most influential parameter in the second order polynomial models calculation was the percentage of glycerol, while the linear term of guar-xanthan content was important only for second order polynomial model calculation for tensile strength and water vapor permeability. According to Principal Component Analysis, samples grouping along the first component are primarily due to the content of glycerol, which is also confirmed by ANOVA analysis. According Cluster Analysis, two separate clusters are observed on the dendrogram, which includes the right (with the increased value of tensile strength) and the left cluster (with the increased value of elongation break and water vapor permeability). The observed distance the two clusters is considerable (approx. 80). [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31055: Osmotic dehydration of food - energy and environmental aspects of sustainable production]

The aim of this study was to investigate starch and starch based edible films with and without oregano essential oil addition in terms of crystallinity by using X-ray diffractometry. Starch crystallinity is related to amylopectin linear chains which may give different X-ray diffraction patterns, described as A, B and C chains. Diffraction pattern of starch based edible film without essential oil addition showed broad diffraction peak in 15-20° 2θ region, indicating destruction of A-type crystal structure due to experimental conditions of casting procedure used in this work. Diffraction peaks of samples with 0.5 %, 1 % and 2 % oregano essential oil, whose shapes are to some extent retained after oregano oil addition, were centered at 20.8°, 20.1° and 21.6° 2θ respectively, while pattern of sample with 2% oregano essential oil showed additional diffraction peaks at 31.1°, 35.1°, 38.3°, 44.5° and 64.9° 2θ. X-ray diffraction patterns showed polymorphous nature of investigated starch samples with essential oils addition.

The application of biopolymer films and coating to food products represents a new approach to reduce r migration of moisture, oxygen, carbon dioxide, aromas, and oil in or out of food. Also, biopolymer films, as packaging materials, need to enhance appearance of food and to improve mechanical integrity. In order to facilitate handling and application films must be strong, but flexible enough. Addition of plasticizer could modify the flexibility of biopolymer films. It is known that guar-xanthan can improve the flexibility of polysaccharides films. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the influence of guar-xanthan on characteristics of pumpkin oil cake (PuOC) films, with emphasis on the flexibility of the film. Two approaches of guar-xanthan addition in the pumpkin oil cake were applied - stirring with laboratory stirrer and using of ultra turrax homogenizer. The results showed that guar-xanthan improved physical and mechanical properties of PuOC films, but only if film-forming solution was homogenized by ultra turrax. The films with guar-xanthan slightly improved mechanical properties - tensile strength and elongation at break, water content, solubility and swelling properties, but were much easier for handling.

The aim of this study was to evaluate bioactivity of chitosan film with incorporated caraway essential oil by measuring antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the potential interaction of functional groups of chitosan film and incorporated caraway essential oil. New detected peaks and main shifts in the peaks of chitosan spectra are attributed mainly to presence of s-(+)-carvone and limonene, the main components of caraway essential oil. The antioxidant activity of chitosan film was analyzed by DPPH method. Chitosan film without incorporated caraway essential oil showed the lowest scavenging ability (29.95%, after 24 h). The addition of different concentrations of caraway essential oil into chitosan film significantly enhanced antioxidant activity of pure chitosan film, reaching the maximum of 95%. ASTM E 2149 - 01 method was performed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of chitosan films. The reduction of bacteria cell number in contact with examined films was tested on Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. The most sensitive bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus and the most resistant bacteria was Salmonella Typhimurium for all tested films. These results suggested that incorporation of caraway essential oil into chitosan film significantly improved its antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The film showed a great potential to be used as an active packaging material.

Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity of fullerenol nanoparticles (FNPs) were investigated on Aspergillus flavus growth isolated from a real food sample and aflatoxins (AFs) (AFB1 and AFB2) production. The final FNPs concentrations in in vitro and in commercial corn flour after the stationary incubation period of 7 and 14 days were in the range 0.16–80 µg/mL and 0.16–80 µg/g, respectively. Nanocharacterization of FNPs revealed an average size of 5–20 nm and a zeta potential of −35 mV. The highest degree of A. flavus mycelium growth inhibition (28%) after 7 days was observed for applied FNP concentration of 8.0 µg/mL, while after 14 days FNP concentration of 0.32 µg/mL led to the maximal inhibition of A. flavus mycelium growth (36%). Spearman's correlations analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between AFB1 and AFB2 concentrations in YES broth after 7 (R = 0.994, p < 0.05) and 14 days (R = 0.976), as well as between AFs concentrations and A. flavus mycelium mass after 7 (R = 0.786 for AFB1 and R = 0.766 for AFB2) and 14 days (R = 0.810 for AFB1 and R = 0.833 for AFB2). Paired samples t‐test showed the existence of a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the produced AFs concentrations after the incubation of 7 and 14 days. Regarding the artificially inoculated corn flour the lower applied FNP concentrations (0.16–0.8 µg/g) achieved a reduction of AFB1 up to 42% and 60% after 7 and 14 days, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, carob pulp flour (CF) extract was characterized as a high-value antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. CF extracts were obtained using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and optimization of the MAE process was accomplished using response surface methodology. The studied processing parameters of MAE were the liquid/solid (L/S) ratio (10–30 mL/g), extraction time (15–35 min), and ethanol concentration (40–80% w/w). The efficiency of the extraction of valuable compounds from CF was evaluated by the determining extraction yield (Y), total phenolic(TP), total flavonoid (TF) content, and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS). The optimized MAE parameters for maximizing the yields of target compounds and antioxidant activity were the L/S ratio 30 mL/g, extraction time 35 min, and ethanol concentration 40%. The experimentally obtained values for TP, TF, DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS were 1609.92 GAE/100 g, 271.92 CE/100 g, 99.02 µMTE/g, 50.45 µM Fe2+/g, and 110.55 µMTE/g, respectively. The optimized CF extract was compared with the CF extracts obtained by conventional solid–liquid extraction (S/L) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and was found to be more beneficial due to a 30% higher yield of TP and TF and 30–80% higher antioxidant activity. The phenolic profiles of the three extracts were quite similar. The microdilution method confirmed the antibacterial activity of MAE and S/L extracts while the antifungal effect was not observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various dried fruits and vegetables (raspberries, cherries, grapes, blueberries, apricots, cranberries, figs, plums, pears, apples, tomatoes, mixed vegetables), with and without surface disinfection, were analysed for the presence of moulds and ochratoxin A. Dried figs were the only ones in which moulds were not detected. In other samples, contamination by moulds was reduced after surface disinfection, while internalized contamination remained. Species observed in dried fruits were from the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Emericella, Eupenicillium, Eurotium, Monilia, Mucor, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Talaromyces, Trichoderma and Xeromyces, and in vegetables were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus. Among the dominant genera and species in dried fruits were Penicillium, which represented 24.5 % of all isolates, Aspergillus (22.3 %) and Rhizopus (19.2 %), with P. glabrum, A. niger and Rh. oryzae as the most common species. The dominant genera and species in dried vegetables were Penicillium (6.4 %) and Rhizopus (5.3 %), with P. glabrum, Rh. microspores and Rh. oligosporus, as the most common species. Potential ochratoxin A producers found in this study were A. niger and P. verrucosum. However, the results of immunochemical analysis by ELISA indicated that the content of ochratoxin A in all samples was lower than 0.1 μg·kg-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopolymer packaging materials show increasing perspective in food packaging. Main limitation remains their high water sensitivity and poor water vapour barrier properties, compared to non polar materials of synthetic origin like polyethylene. In this paper, biopolymer layer obtained from by‐product of oil industry (pumpkin seed oil cake) was laminated on polyethylene in order to obtain new packaging material that would preferably combine water barrier properties of polyethylene and oxygen barrier properties of biopolymer composite material and perform satisfactory mechanical properties. Obtained two‐layer material showed good barrier properties for water vapour (7–8 g/m2 24h), as well as oxygen (12–45 cm3/m2 24h) and light. In addition, mechanical and water sensitivity tests were performed and results showed that new material inherited biopolymer film water sensitivity and mechanical properties with slight improvement. Measured tensile strength and elongation at break was 2–4 MPa and 150–250% in transversal direction and 6–8 MPa and 100–150% in longitudinal direction. Packing in modified atmosphere assay showed that new material can be used for this purpose with good control of oxygen concentration, while packing under increased concentration of CO2 could be performed for shorter storage period. New two layer material shows promising properties for sensitive food packing under modified atmosphere conditions with reduced use of synthetic, oil‐based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumpkin oil cake, a by-product obtained after oil extraction from pumpkin seed, possesses good film-forming properties, as well as the ability to be used as a matrix for various compounds in order to obtain active biopolymer materials. Use of essential oils, as active components with a pronounced activity, can be a good alternative to synthetic chemical compounds. In the present work, composite pumpkin oil cake-based films with winter savory or basil essential oil were developed and their antibacterial activity against two Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, S. Enteritidis) and three Grampositive bacteria (L. monocytogenes, Staph. aureus and B. cereus) was analysed. Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis confirmed the main phenolic compounds to be carvacrol in winter savory essential oil and linalool in basil essential oil. Pumpkin oil cake film without essential oils did not show antibacterial activity against any of the tested bacteria, while films with basil essential oil showed some antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes and B. cereus. However, films with winter savory essential oil showed antibacterial activity in all added concentrations against all 5 bacteria. Addition of winter savory and basil essential oils into pumpkin oil cake-based film enhanced its antibacterial activity, demonstrating its possible application as an active composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research project aimed to investigate the physico-chemical, sensory, hygienic and safety characteristics of raw goat milk, whey, brine and traditional goat cheese during the ripening period of 28 days. Physico-chemical parameters included the determination of dry matter, fat, ash, protein, pH, water activity and NaCl content. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae and fungi was estimated on milk and cheese samples, and a sensory panel evaluated the products' features and acceptability during ripening. The results show that the cheese under study belongs to the acid full-fat cheese group. A consumer panel attributed high scores to the goat cheese, until the 21st day of ripening. After this period, the overall features altered significantly, including augmented bitterness, odor intensification and the development of molds on the surface. The presence of fungi, associated with Enterobacteriaceae, suggests that the hygiene of the production processes needs to be improved. Regarding microbial safety, the detection of putative pathogens and antibiotic resistances recommend an active surveillance of traditional foods to avoid foodborne infections and/or the dissemination of resistant microorganisms along the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Results Conclusion To remain competitive, brewers must innovate by incorporating novel elements beyond traditional styles. Thus, exploring triticale as a modern substitute for barley malt is promising, especially given its higher amylolytic activity compared to barley. This study aimed to assess the impact of substituting up to 50% of barley malt with unmalted triticale on green beer quality, encompassing multiple stages from wort production to primary fermentation at a laboratory scale.Triticale‐based worts (ratios 10–50%) had lower extract content than 100% barley malt. However, incorporating 10% of triticale led to only a 1% decrease in extract content compared to the all‐malt wort. Shearzyme® 500L, an endo‐1,4‐β‐xylanase with β‐glucanase side activity, effectively addressed wort viscosity by breaking down arabinoxylans and β‐glucans in triticale cell walls. All triticale‐based beers exhibited lower ethanol content compared to reference beer, as is typical when using adjuncts. In green beer, a 50% triticale ratio lowered ethanol content by 16% (without enzyme) and 19% (with enzyme) compared to 100% malt beer. However, green beer with 10% triticale had satisfactory levels of total polyphenol and vicinal diketone content, among other parameters.Commercial enzyme application significantly enhanced proteolytic activity within the grain. Fermentations of enzyme‐treated worts showed higher amino acid levels, further confirming the increased proteolytic activity facilitated by the chosen enzyme. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the brewing process using native triticale. Building on this foundation, future studies will focus on optimizing mashing conditions to enhance the fermentation profile of the wort. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, active edible packaging material was prepared and designed for potential application in sausage preservation. Material was prepared from chitosan with the addition of four oleoresins: garlic, black pepper, caraway and cinnamon. Antioxidative and antimicrobial activities of prepared films were tested and the film with optimal activity was further analysed as a food-packaging material. Chitosan film with added four oleoresins at a volume concentration of 2% (0.5% garlic, 0.5% black pepper, 0.5% caraway and 0.5% cinnamon) was found to be an effective antioxidant and antimicrobial material. Tensile strength and elongation at break showed weakening of the chitosan film with the addition of oleoresins. Water sensitivity of the chitosan film was lowered with oleoresins addition, considering film water content and swelling ability. Similar to pure chitosan film, chitosan film with oleoresins had very good barrier properties to oxygen and air, which could be compared to commercial barrier and high barrier films. The high water vapour permeability of the chitosan film was not decreased with the addition of oleoresins. Physical-mechanical properties and water vapour-barrier properties stay main possible drawbacks in application of chitosan film with oleoresins as self-standing packaging material, but its application would be possible as active coating and in combination with compatible materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]