Italian Journal of Food Science 

About: Italian Journal of Food Science is an academic journal published by Chiriotti Editori. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Wine & Ascorbic acid. It has an ISSN identifier of 1120-1770. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1292 publications have been published receiving 13814 citations. The journal is also known as: Rivista italiana di scienza degli alimenti & IJFS.

Lycopene in tomatoes and tomato pulp fractions

Abstract: Lycopene, a carotenoid, is mainly responsible for the characteristic red colour in tomato fruit. HPLC and a spectrophotometric method were used to estimate lycopene in different fractions of tomato fruit such as tomato skin, the water insoluble fraction, the water soluble fraction and the fraction rich in fibre and soluble solids. The results indicated that 72 to 92% of the lycopene was associated with the water insoluble fraction and the skin. The tomato pulp fraction, rich in fibre, had more lycopene (42.3 mg/100 g) compared to the water soluble fraction (4.0 mg/100 g). Results indicate that lycopene can be accurately estimated by using either HPLC or the spectrophotometric method.

Polyphenols and quality of virgin olive oil in retrospect

Abstract: Polyphenols influence the oxidative stability and sensory quality of virgin olive oil. Studies from the last 30 years are reviewed and the most significant findings are presented. Information is given on the main phenolic compounds detected and identified in olive fruit and oil. In recent years powerful analytical techniques (GC-MS, HPLC-MS, NMR) have been used to investigate the complex nature of olive oil polyphenols. Tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein aglycon and their derivatives with a non-phenolic acid and elenolic acid in free or esterified forms are the main components of the water-methanol extract of virgin olive oil, known as the polar fraction. Total phenol content as determined colorimetrically correlates well with the oxidative stability of the oil. The contribution of individual phenols to oil stability has not been fully investigated. There is still more to be known about the importance of the presence of phenolic components to the sensory quality of the oil.

Meat quality of three chicken genotypes reared according to the organic system

Abstract: The meat quality of three poultry genotypes with differing growth rates (fast-growing Ross; medium and slow growing Kabir and Robusta maculata, respectively) was compared. All the birds were reared according to the organic production system which requires a paddock with grass pasture (4 m2/bird) and a slaughter age greater than 81 d. The trial was carried out on 100 female chickens per strain. The meat quality was affected by the 20 different degree of maturity of the strains at slaughter age, which was 70% for Ross, 52 % for Kabir and 78% for Robusta maculata. Ross and Kabir were slaughtered at 81 d, whereas Robusta maculata, required 120 d to reach a commercial weight (>2 kg). The meat of all the three genotypes showed good qualitative traits. The main differences of the three genotypes regarded moisture, lipid, pHu, colour, iron, oxidative stability and overall acceptance. Compared with Kabir and Robusta maculata Ross meat had more fat, lower pHu and iron, and was 25 paler. The oxidative stability during display (24-96 h at 4° C) and acceptance were the worst. Kabir chickens, being the least mature strain, had the highest moisture content with a high cooking loss. The slower-growing genotypes showed a good adaptation to the extensive rearing conditions, while the fast-growing genotype showed unbalanced muscle response to the greater activity and the oxidative stability of the meat was reduced.

Inhibition of oregano essential oil and EDTA on Escherichia coli O157:H7

Abstract: Oregano essential oil with and without the addition of EDTA was tested against Escherichia coil. The amount of essential oil, the addition of EDTA and the incubation temperature of the medium influenced the maximum growth rate (μ max ) and the lag phase of Escherichia coli O157:H7. In particular, the presence of oregano essential oil at the time of inoculation caused an increase in the lag phase, a decrease in the maximum growth rate and a reduced final population size. The inhibitory effect on E. coli O157:H7 is probably associated only with the oregano essential oil since there was no antibacterial action in broth samples inoculated with E. coli 0157:H7 and supplemented alone with EDTA. However, the combination of the two was found to increase the inhibition dramatically. The minimum bacteriocidal concentration of oregano essential oil on cells of E. coli 0157:H7 with and without EDTA affected the dense cellular materials and coagulated the cytoplasmic constituents, while the membrane structure tended to be irregular and rough.