Food Science Research: February/March 2020

Effects of Hot Air and Microwave Drying on Celery Stalk Slice Quality

Celery (Apium graveolens) has extensive culinary usage given its characteristic aroma and flavor, which are due to the presence of butylphthalide and sedanolide. The aim of this work was to study the preparation of dried celery stalk slices through hot air or combined microwave and hot air drying at 50°, 60°, or 70°C with or without blanching pretreatment. The celery stalk slices that were dried at low temperatures retained aroma well. Although blanching reduced drying time (DT) and global color change, it also reduced the retention of the characteristic aroma of celery. Therefore, combined microwave and hot air drying without blanching was selected for celery stalk slices given that it reduced DT, minimized chromatic aberrations, and maximized the retention of the characteristic aroma of celery. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Vol. 44, No. 1, January 2020, e14310. Read the full journal article here.

Hempseed in the Food Industry: Nutritional Value, Health Benefits, and Industrial Applications

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seeds have been consumed in Asian communities since prehistoric times. Recently, Australia, Canada, and the United States have legalized the cultivation and consumption of hempseed at low (<0.3%) tetrahydrocannabinol levels, and there’s a growing interest in hempseed due to its nutritional value and pharmaceutical potential. This review aims to summarize the chemical composition, nutritional value, and potential health benefits of hempseed, as researched via in vitro and in vivo trials. The application of hempseed in the food industry is limited due to its poor performance on some functional properties, so the latest processing methods developed to improve these properties were compared. Additionally, manufacturing technologies incorporating hemp seeds into existing food products are also elaborated. This review would promote further in‐depth research on this recently approved food resources and maximize its utilization in new food product development. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Vol. 19, No. 1, January 2020, Pages 282-308. Read the full journal article here. 

Changes of Liposome Activity in Immature Rice During Development

For the past several decades, only a few studies were conducted on the change in immature rice liposomes during seed development. To evaluate and compare the lipid material of different degrees of developing rice grains, this paper focused on fresh rice seeds from only one most popular species of Dasan divided into five growth periods. The lipid components of fresh rice, especially γ‐oryzanol and fatty acids equipped with extremely beneficial phytonutrients, were investigated. The results illustrated that the level of extracted liposome increased gradually along with the development of rice and, in the third stage of development, the level of liposome achieved maximum levels. Instead of increasing, it was decreased at later stages of development. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of fresh edible rice (FER) was also evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assay. It was shown that FER has higher antioxidant activity than the ripened rice seed on lipids, which will improve FER using functional foods and help provide a theoretical basis in the food processing industry. Journal of Food Science, Vol. 85, No. 1, January 2020, Pages 86-95. Read the full journal article here.