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The aim of this study was to investigate an ultrasound-assisted method for the extraction of bioactive compounds from tomato pomace. This method was based on a simple ultrasound treatment using different solvents (e.g., acetone, ethanol, ethyl acetate) as extraction media. Three different variables were chosen to determine their influence on extraction efficiency, such as solvent/liquid ratio (0.1:25 g/mL, 0.2:25 g/mL, 0.3:25 g/mL), temperature (30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C), and time (2 h, 6 h, 10 h); the variables were selected through Box–Behnken design experiments. These parameters were optimized to achieve the highest yield, and the results showed that acetone was the best extraction solvent for lycopene (3.36 mg/100 g), total phenolic content (TPC) (31.15 QUE mg/L), and total flavone content (TFC) (66.80 GAE mg/L), while DPPH activity (82.94%) was the highest when ethanol was used as the solvent. Regarding the solvent/liquid ratio, the best results were obtained at a ratio of 0.1:25. Temperature influenced the extraction, with the best results observed at 50 °C for lycopene, DPPH, and polyphenols, while the flavonoids were better extracted at 30 °C. Time played an important role as well, with the best extractions observed at 10 h. The results indicated that ultrasound-assisted extraction was suitable for extracting bioactive compounds from tomato pomace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cereal products are the most consumed in Romania being the main contributors to daily acrylamide exposure. The paper aims to present for the first time a general situation regarding the evolution of the acrylamide levels content from cereal products, on the Romanian market, during 2017-2018 periods, as a result of legislative measures imposed by the European Union (EU). For this purpose, the levels of acrylamide in 55 selected cereal products samples were evaluated. The cereal products analyzed were grouped in biscuits, confectionery, expanded cereals, bakery products and specialties. The acrylamide content from the cereal products were detected using GC-MS/MS method. The highest level of acrylamide was found in biscuits, whereas the lowest level was determined in bakery products. The most of the cereal products samples analyzed (90.9%) was below the reference levels established by the EU Regulation for the acrylamide level from 2017 EC (2013/647/EU) and 2018 EC (2017/2158/ EU). From the 55 cereal products analyzed, only 5 biscuits samples exceeded the reference levels established by the European Commission, one in 2017 and four in 2018 period.

The objective of this study was to develop candelilla wax oleogels with hemp seed oil and olive oil and use them as a fat source in the development of new plant-based ice cream assortments. Oleogels were structured with 3 and 9% candelilla wax and characterized by oil-binding capacity, peroxide value and color parameters. The oil-binding capacities of 9% wax oleogels were significantly higher than those of 3% wax oleogels, while peroxide values of oleogels decrease with increasing wax dosage. All oleogel samples are yellow-green due to the pigments present in the oils and candelilla wax. Physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, fat, protein) and rheological (viscosity and viscoelastic modulus) parameters of plant-based ice cream mixes with oleogels were determined. Also, sensory attributes and texture parameters were investigated. The results showed that titratable acidity and fat content of plant-based ice cream samples increased with increasing wax percentage, while pH, soluble solids and protein values are more influenced by the type of plant milk used. The plant-based ice cream sample with spelt milk, hemp oil and 9% candelilla wax received the highest overall acceptability score. The hardness of the plant-based ice cream samples increased as the percentage of candelilla wax added increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of particle size intervals (<125 μm, ≥125–<200 μm, and ≥200–<300 μm) of grape pomace (Vitis vinifera var. Băbească Neagră) was analyzed in terms of the proximate composition, functional properties, and physicochemical parameters. The aim was to study the effect of the formulation variables (extract from grape pomace with different particle size intervals and gelatin doses—7, 8.5, and 10 g) on the mechanical properties (hardness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, springiness, and gumminess), color, and sensorial, microbiological, and phytochemical parameters. The jelly candy formulated with grape pomace extract (<125 μm) and 7 g of gelatin showed the highest total phenolic content (156 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (65.8% inhibition), while grape pomace jellies with a particle size of ≥125–<200 μm and different concentration of gelatin presented the greatest sensory acceptance in terms of sweetness, taste, odor, elasticity, color, and overall acceptability of the resulting jelly. The concluding observation was supported by the microbiological analysis, which also showed that there is no growth in jelly samples except the jelly candies prepared with a ≥200–<300 μm particle size interval of grape pomace extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cranberries powder (0, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1%) of different particle size (<300 µm and 300–500 µm) on the yogurt physicochemical, rheological, textural and sensory characteristics. Results indicated that the addition of cranberries improved the syneresis and water-holding capacity of the yogurt samples, increased all the rheological parameters (G', G" and η) and decreased the color L* and b* values. The hardness, chewiness and gumminess increased while adhesion, stickiness and cohesivity of the yogurt samples decreased. The best sensorial samples were those up to 0.50% cranberries addition. According to the results obtained, the cranberries powder with 300–500 µm can be successfully used as a replacer for synthetic dyes and also may be used as an improver for the yogurt rheological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of 36 honey samples of 4 different botanical origins (acacia, sun flower, tilia and honeydew) from the North East region of Romania. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method was used to determine 27 elements in honey (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sr, Tl, U, V and Zn). We would like to achieve the following goal: to demonstrate that the qualitative and quantitative multi-element composition determination of honey can be used as a suitable tool to classify honey according to its botanical origin. The principal component analysis allowed the reduction of the 27 variables to 2 principal components which explained 74% of the total variance. The dominant elements which were strongly associated with the principal component were K, Mg and Ca. Discriminant models obtained for each kind of botanical honey confirmed that the differentiation of honeys according to their botanical origin was mainly based on multi-element composition. A correct classification of all samples was achieved with the exception of 11.1% of honeydew honeys.