Development and characterization of gelatin-based biodegradable films incorporated with pistachio shell hemicellulose
This study aimed to incorporate pistachio shell hemicellulose into a film of gelatin and glycerol for the production of biodegradable films. The gelatin and glycerol are chosen because of their functional properties, which make it extensively used in food industry. The film composition was defined after a statistical optimization by central composite face-centered design and response surface methodology. The hemicellulose/gelatin ratio of 35.93% and the glycerol ratio of 18.02% were the optimum conditions to obtain lower film water solubility, higher tensile strength, and elongation at break values. The physical, structural, mechanical, and barrier properties of the developed hemicellulose-gelatin film were analyzed and compared with those of the gelatin film. Tensile strength and film water solubility values were reduced significantly with hemicellulose incorporation from 20.41 to 16.64 MPa and 49.57 to 39.21%, respectively, while EB was enhanced by 4.34 times. In addition, hemicellulose incorporation enhanced the water vapor permeability and the film degradation in the soil. The films were also examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The novelty of this study is to use pistachio shell hemicellulose in the production of an edible film for the first time. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-024-05968-4
Effect of pilot-scale high-temperature short-time processing on the retention of key micronutrients in a fortified almond-based beverage: implications for fortification of plant-based milk alternatives
The effect of thermal processing treatments on key micronutrients in fortified almond-based beverages has not been well characterized. An almond-based beverage was produced in a pilot plant, fortified with vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium carbonate, and zinc gluconate, and was processed using various high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization treatments. Naturally present micronutrients in the base ingredients included several B vitamins (vitamin B1 [thiamin], total vitamin B3 [sum of nicotinamide and nicotinic acid], and total vitamin B6 [sum of pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine]) and minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium). The prepared almond-based beverage was homogenized and thermally processed using HTST pasteurization with a temperature range from ~94 to 116°C for a constant time of 30 s. The samples were analyzed for vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, target B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, total vitamin B3, and total vitamin B6), and minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc). The results showed that amounts of vitamin A, vitamin D2, riboflavin, and total vitamin B6 did not significantly (p > 0.05) change after the HTST treatments, whereas thiamin significantly (p < 0.05) decreased by 17.9% after HTST treatment at 116°C. Interestingly, total vitamin B3 content significantly (p < 0.05) increased by 35.2% after HTST treatment at 116°C. There was no effect of processing on the minerals that were monitored. The results from this study indicate that the majority of key micronutrients assessed in this study are stable during HTST processing of an almond-based beverage and that fortification of plant-based milk alternatives may be a viable process to enhance the micronutrient content consumers receive from these products. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1468828