Journal of Food Biosciences and Technology
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Summer 2023

Royal jelly is a substance of complex physico-chemical structure that have been used as a nutritional supplement and functional food for many years. In this paper, the physico-chemical analysis and organoleptic characteristics of royal jelly obtained from different climatic regions of Iran including Ardebil (cold and dry), Amol (wet and moderate), and Mashhad (hot and dry) have been evaluated. The average of Iranian royal jelly composition consisted of moisture content 64.03±3.67 %; proteins 14.13±2.36 %; carbohydrates 13.92±1.67 %; reducing sugars 8.78±1.55 %; fats 6.17±1.45 %; ash 2.08±0.85 %, pH 3.94±0.34 and acidity 31.34±4.90 mL/100g. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has illustrated that environmental factors had a significant influence on physico-chemical characteristics of Iranian royal jelly (P<0.05). Regarding the influence of temperature and relative humidity on the composition of royal jelly some valid prediction models have been provided. Test panel group evaluated the samples by using 5 points Hedonic and descriptive scales. In sensory evaluation, Ardebil royal jelly with a 4.64±0.230 score evaluated as a good quality royal jelly.

The growing consumer demand for produces without chemical residues has focusedefforts on the assessment of innovative natural antimicrobials. Tomato is one of most important vegetable in the world in terms of its economic value. The present study determined the effects of Aloe Vera gel (50 and 100%) and Chitosan (0.5 and 1%) for improve quality properties and shelf life of tomato during storage with 4±1 degrees Celsius temperature and 85 to 90 percent humidity. Sampling and evaluation of traits were performed on 1, 7, 14 and 21 days. Results showed that the highest weight loss and total soluble solids were obtained in control on day 14. The highest titratable acidity, pH, vitamin C and total chlorophyll were observed in control on day 1 and the highest carotenoid content was obtained in Aloe Vera gel 50+ Chitosan 0.5 on day 14. The lowest weight loss and carotenoid content were observed in control on day 1. The lowest vitamin C and total chlorophyll were obtained in control on day 21. The lowest titratable acidity, total soluble solids and pH were reported on Chitosan 1, Aloe Vera gel 50 and Aloe Vera gel 100 on day 14, respectively. Therefore, according to the results of the present study, the use of edible coatings of Aloe Vera gel and Chitosan can be recommended to improve the quality and shelf life of tomatoes.

Three Persian traditional recipes were used for masking off-odor and off-flavor of the sheep tail fat (STF). The sensory and oxidative stability of the products were also investigated. Room Odor Test (ROT), Free Choice Profiling (FCP), and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) methods were used for the sensory evaluation of STF prototypes. The deodorized STF (DSTF) and control prototypes had the same extract yield. No significant differences were found between DSTF prototypes and the control for dry matter, moisture, fat, ash, melting point, iodine value, and saponification index. But, the control had a strong STF odor and flavor, off-odor and off-flavor, and was less accepted. Conversely, deodorized tail fat prototypes had acceptable odors and flavors and gained more liking points.  Furthermore, most of the panelists liked DSTF and disliked the control prototypes. The deodorization process did not change the fatty acid compositions of the STF prototypes except for trans fatty acids which were significantly lower in the DSTF as compared to the control. During 90 days storage DSTF remained stable compared to the control in respect of shelf stability and sensory points of view. The novelty of this process can increase STF utilization in the food industry and may help the sensory marketing of this product.

This study investigated the use of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and genetic algorithm–artificial neural network (GA-ANN) for the prediction of drying time and moisture content of wild sage seed mucilage (WSSM) in an infrared (IR) dryer. These models (ANFIS and GA-ANN) were fed with three inputs of IR radiation intensity (150, 250, and 375 W), the distance of mucilage from the lamp surface (4, 8, and 12 cm), mucilage thickness (0.5, 1, and 1.5 cm) for prediction of average drying time. Also, to predict the moisture content, these models were fed with 4 inputs IR power, lamp distance, mucilage thickness, and treatment time. The GA–ANN model structure that used 4 hidden neurons, and modeled the drying time of WSSM with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.984. Also, the GA–ANN model with 9 neurons in one hidden layer, predicts the moisture content with a high r-value (r=0.999). The calculated r-values for the prediction of drying time and moisture content using the ANFIS-based subtractive clustering algorithm were 0.925 and 0.998, respectively, that shows a higher correlation among predicted data and experimental data. Sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that IR intensity and mucilage distance were the main factors for the prediction of drying time and moisture content of WSSM drying, respectively. In summary, the GA–ANN approach performs better than the ANFIS approach and this method can be applied to relevant IR drying process with satisfactory results.

The effect of incorporation of ensiled pistachio residues (EPR) into the diet of sheep on the quality of mutton was investigated. Twelve male lambs at 6 months of age and average weight of 35.9±1.21 Kg, were divided into four groups (0, 33, 66 and 100 % EPR) and fed for 90 days in a completely randomized design. After fattening period, the lambs were slaughtered and dry matter, protein, fat, ash, NPN and minerals (Ca, P, Mg, K, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe) of meat were measured. The functional properties of mutton (pH, WBC, texture, cooking loss and OD) and sensory attributes were determined. The results showed that feeding lambs with EPR, there was no significant difference in the meat traits, however meat fats in the treatments were lower in comparison to the control and the lowest amount of fat was obtained in group of the lambs fed with EPR at 66 %. The Zn and Fe of mutton was increased by addition of EPR and the highest amount was obtained in 100 % diet. The results indicated that addition of ensiled pistachio by-products to the diet of lambs improved the quality and nutritional value of mutton compared to the control samples received a standard diet. Therefore, it may be suggested that the use of EPR in sheep diet.

Nanotechnology is one of the critical elements in adjusting barrier properties in both active and smart food packaging systems. In this study, it was tried to assess the effect of core@shell NPs (allotropes of Al2O3 “γ,η,α“ as core, and TiO2 and SiO2 as shell) on the barrier properties of carboxymethyl cellulose-based film including water vapor permeability, moisture absorption, and gas transmission rate. The films were fabricated with 1, 3, and 5 % of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were analyzed from the viewpoint of morphology, crystallinity, and chemical structures. Based on the results, nanoparticles with TiO2 as shells showed more crystallinity. Increasing the concentration of nanoparticles improved the barrier properties. This improvement was more significant in films with Al2O3@TiO2 nanoparticles. Based on the results, nanoparticles with higher crystallinity could significantly block the gas and moisture diffusion pathways. In conclusion, the core@shell type nanoparticles can be a good nominee for food packaging purposes.