Regular consumption of tomatoes has been associated with decreased risk of chronic degenerative diseases. Epidemiological findings confirm the observed health effects are due to the presence of different antioxidant molecules such as carotenoids, particularly lycopene, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and phenol compounds, particularly flavonoids. In this work, eight components contributing to the healthy quality of tomato (i. e. lycopene, beta-carotene, other carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, vitamins C and E, dry residue) were studied in the framework of breeding programs aiming to develop nutritional superior genotypes. Twelve tomato advanced breeding lines and six open pollinated cultivars were grown in strictly controlled conditions and analysed for their content of antioxidants. Among the 18 genotypes analysed, 10 showed a high level of total carotenoids, 6 high level of beta-carotene, 9 high lycopene levels, 15 high flavonoids and 2 relevant concentration of vitamin E. Based on such data and on a literature survey on tomato composition, an index, called index of antioxidant nutritional quality (I(QUAN)), was proposed as a tool to address the breeding programs in selecting tomato genotypes with antioxidant nutritional qualities.

Antioxidant nutritional quality of tomato.

Cocoa originates from beans of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.) and it is an important commodity in the world and the main ingredient in chocolate manufacture. Its value and quality are related to unique and complex flavors. Bulk cocoas (Forastero type) exhibit strong basic cocoa notes, whereas fine varieties (Criollo, Nacional) show aromatic, floral, or smoother flavor characteristics. About 600 various compounds (alcohols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and pyrazines) have been identified as odor-active components. The specific cocoa aroma arises from complex biochemical and chemical reactions during the postharvest processing of raw beans, and from many influences of the cocoa genotype, chemical make-up of raw seeds, environmental conditions, farming practices, processing, and manufacturing stages. There has been much research on cocoa flavor components. However, the relationships between all chemical components that are likely to play a role in cocoa flavor, their sensory properties, and the sources and mechanisms of flavor formation are not fully understood. This paper provides an overview on cocoa flavor from a compositional and a sensory perspective. The nonvolatile and volatile chemical components of cocoa and chocolate flavor, and their sensory properties correlated to the main influences involved in flavor formation, are reviewed.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12180

Flavor Chemistry of Cocoa and Cocoa Products-An Overview.

Honey is a natural sweetener with a complex composition. Honey features vary depending on the botanical source and geographical origin, as well as climatic, processing and storage conditions. Honey is mainly composed of carbohydrates and water, parameters that influence its shelf life and some of its properties, including color, flavor, density, viscosity, hygroscopicity, and crystallization. Honey also contains small amounts of other components, such as nitrogen compounds, organic acids, minerals, vitamins, Maillard reaction products, volatile compounds, and several bioactive substances that affect sensory and physical characteristics, as well as biological potential. This review summarizes the literature about the composition and main properties of honey. It also describes the use of honey as a biomonitor for collecting information about the environment, identifying environmental contamination and assessing the level of soil, water, plant and air pollution.

Composition and properties of Apis mellifera honey: A review

In the present study phenolic grape skin extracts were prepared by using five choline chloride based natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) containing glucose, fructose, xylose, glycerol, malic acid and valorised by testing their biological activity in vitro using two human tumour cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7). Initially, used NADESs were investigated regard to their toxicity and low cytotoxicity of solvents was observed toward HeLa and MCF-7 cells (EC50 values > 2000 mg/L). Among used choline chloride based NADESs, the one containing malic acid showed the best performance concerning extraction efficiency (total phenolic and total anthocyanin were 91 and 24 mg/g dw), as well as antioxidant (ORAC values were 371 μmol TE/g dw) and antiproliferative activity (percentage of cell viability were about 20%). Herein, for the first time it was showed that NADES components could be chosen not only to fine-tune solvent physicochemical characteristics but also to enhance biological activity of extracts prepared in NADESs. Therefore, our research confirmed that NADESs are excellent and promising choice of solvents for sustainable and green extraction, which will lead to its novel application in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Natural deep eutectic solvents as beneficial extractants for enhancement of plant extracts bioactivity

Nowadays, consumers are paying great attention to the characteristics of food such as smell, taste, and appearance. This motivates scientists to imitate human senses using devices known as electronic senses. These include electronic noses, electronic tongues, and computer vision. Thanks to the utilization of various sensors and methods of signal analysis, artificial senses are widely applied in food analysis for process monitoring and determining the quality and authenticity of foods. This paper summarizes achievements in the field of artificial senses. It includes a brief history of these systems, descriptions of most commonly used sensors (conductometric, potentiometric, amperometic/voltammetric, impedimetric, colorimetric, piezoelectric), data analysis methods (for example, artificial neural network (ANN), principal component analysis (PCA), model CIE L*a*b*), and application of artificial senses to food analysis, in particular quality control, authenticity and falsification assessment, and monitoring of production processes.

Food Analysis Using Artificial Senses

Lycopene content of tomato products and their contribution to the lycopene intake of Croatians

A number of studies have shown that the consumption of cocoa and chocolate products has positive health effects on humans. The object of this research was to monitor changes of total and individual phenolics and antioxidant capacity during the cocoa bean manufacturing. The loss of cocoa phenolics and their antioxidant activity vary with the degree of technological process. The process of roasting and cocoa nib alkalisation had the major influence on phenolic compounds as well as on antioxidant capacity. The roasting treatment resulted in 14% loss of the total phenolics content, while alkalisation resulted in 64% loss of total phenolics content. Procyanidins B1 and B2 as well as ())-epigallocatechin were the unstable components, while caffeic acid derivate showed the greatest stability in all technological process. Furthermore, PCA showed that phenolic contents, antioxidant capacity and non-fat cocoa solids parts of the samples were classified in groups according technological conditions.

Changes of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in cocoa beans processing

Chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa) are rarely used in diet in Croatia but they have high content of polyphenolic compounds and one of the highest in vitro antioxidant activities among fruits. The aim of this study is to compare the quality, phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of different chokeberry products (juices, powders, fruit tea, capsules and dried berries). It can be expected that processing influences antioxidant activity and phenolic content of final products reaching consumers. Characterisation of phenolic compounds was carried out by using spectroscopic methods (Folin-Ciocalteu and pH differential methods). Antioxidant activity of chokeberry products was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. The results show that the investigated products contain high amount of phenols (3002 to 6639 mg per L and 1494 to 5292 mg per 100 g of dry matter) and lower amount of total anthocyanins (150 to 1228 mg per L and 141 to 2468 mg per 100 g of dry matter). The examined juices and other chokeberry products possess high antioxidant capacity (12.09 to 40.19 mmol per L or 58.49 to 191.31 mmol per 100 g of dry matter, respectively) and reducing power (38.71 to 79.86 mmol per L or 13.50 to 68.60 mmol per 100 g of dry matter, respectively). On the basis of phenolic content and antioxidant activity, capsules and powders stand out among other products. The study indicates that there are significant differences (p<0.05) in the quality, phenolic content and antioxidant capacity among examined products.

/pdf/phenolic-content-antioxidant-capacity-and-quality-of-2ogdckxqvj.pdf

Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Capacity and Quality of Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Products

Summary A number of studies have shown that the consumption of cocoa and chocolate products has positive health effects on humans. The object of this research was to monitor changes of total and individual phenolics and antioxidant capacity during the cocoa bean manufacturing. The loss of cocoa phenolics and their antioxidant activity vary with the degree of technological process. The process of roasting and cocoa nib alkalisation had the major influence on phenolic compounds as well as on antioxidant capacity. The roasting treatment resulted in 14% loss of the total phenolics content, while alkalisation resulted in 64% loss of total phenolics content. Procyanidins B1 and B2 as well as ())-epigallocatechin were the unstable components, while caffeic acid derivate showed the greatest stability in all technological process. Furthermore, PCA showed that phenolic contents, antioxidant capacity and non-fat cocoa solids parts of the samples were classified in groups according technological conditions.

Ksenija Marković

Papers

Lycopene content of tomato products and their contribution to the lycopene intake of Croatians

Changes of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in cocoa beans processing

Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Capacity and Quality of Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Products

Original article Changes of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in cocoa beans processing

Rapid honey characterization and botanical classification by an electronic tongue.