Berries as Foods: Processing, Products, and Health Implications.

Berries are highly regarded as flavorful and healthy fruits that may prevent or delay some chronic diseases attributed to oxidative stress and inflammation. Berries are low in calories and harbor diverse bioactive phytochemicals, antioxidants, dietary fibers, and vitamins. This review delves into the main characteristics of fresh berries and berry products as foods and the technologies associated with their production.

Wild berries and related wild small fruits as traditional healthy foods.

The consumption of cultivated berry species (e.g., strawberries, blueberries) has increased dramatically in the last two decades after consumers appreciated them as flavorful, convenient and healthy fruits.

Sensory descriptors for three edible Chilean seaweeds and their relations to umami components and instrumental texture.

Although seaweeds exhibit many benefits as a food source, few studies have characterized their sensory attributes. An expert nine-member panel developed a vocabulary with 25 descriptors to describe the appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, and aftertaste of raw and cooked seaweeds consumed in Chile: , spp., and .

Effect of cysteine addition and heat treatment on the properties and microstructure of a calcium-induced whey protein cold-set gel.

A model gel of whey protein isolate (WPI) was prepared by cold gelation with calcium. This system was modified by the addition of free cysteine residues (Cys) at different steps of the process. The WPI cold-set gels obtained were then subjected to heat treatment at 90°C.

Particular Alimentations for Nutrition, Health and Pleasure.

People around the world select their foods and meals according to particular choices based on physiological disorders and diseases, traditions, lifestyles, beliefs, etc. In this chapter, two of these particular alimentations are reviewed: those of the gourmet and the frail elderly. They take place in an environment where food is usually synonymous of body health disregarding its effects on social, cultural and psychological aspects, including emotions.

The food matrix: implications in processing, nutrition and health.

The concept of food matrix has received much attention lately in reference to its effects on food processing, nutrition and health. However, the term matrix is used vaguely by food and nutrition scientists, often as synonymous of the food itself or its microstructure. This review analyses the concept of food matrix and proposes a classification for the major types of matrices found in foods.

Relating Food Engineering to Cooking and Gastronomy.

Modern consumers are increasingly eating meals away from home and are concerned about food quality, taste, and health aspects. Food engineering (FE) has traditionally been associated with the industrial processing of foods; however, most underlying phenomena related to FE also take place in the kitchen during meal preparation. Although chemists have positively interacted with acclaimed chefs and physicists have used foods as materials to demonstrate some of their theories, this has not been always the case with food engineers.

The morphology of salt crystals affects the perception of saltiness.

High intake of salt (NaCl) has been associated with risk of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Several strategies for reducing salt in foods are under study, including the relation of crystal morphology on dissolution properties of salt in the mouth. The aim of this paper was to study the dissolution of salt crystals with different morphologies in artificial saliva and to correlate the findings with the perception of saltiness over time.

Where is the nano in our foods?

Although nanotechnology has opened opportunities in many fields, this does not appear to be the case in foods as potential adverse effects are resented by consumers. However, unknown to many people, some of the most desirable properties of our daily foods reside in a microstructure where the nanolevel plays an important role in the form of macromolecular arrangements, aggregates, colloidal networks, interfaces, and nanoparticles. This paper unveils where the "nano" in our kitchens is.

Influence of particle size on the in vitro digestibility of protein-coated lipid nanoparticles.

The influence of particle size on the in vitro digestion of β-lactoglobulin (BLG)-coated lipid nanoparticles was examined using simulated small intestine conditions. Nanoemulsions were prepared by high-pressure homogenization and organic solvent (hexane) evaporation. The effect of the initial organic phase composition on the size, microstructure, electrical properties, and digestion of the lipid nanoparticles was evaluated.

Development of a digital video-microscopy technique to study lactose crystallisation kinetics in situ.

Polarised light microscopy was employed non-invasively to monitor lactose crystallisation from non-seeded supersaturated solutions in real time. Images were continuously recorded, processed and characterised by image analysis, and the results were compared with those obtained by refractometry. Three crystallisation temperatures (10, 20 and 30 degrees C) and three different levels of initial relative supersaturation (C/C(s)=1.