Publications by authors named "Oana Emilia Constantin"

A versatile and popular vegetable, pumpkin has recently gained much attention because of its variety of phytochemicals and health advantages. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash, traditionally with large, spherical, orange fruits and a highly nutrient food. Pumpkin by-products comprise various parts, such as seeds, peels, and pulp residues, with their bioactive composition and many potential benefits poorly explored by the food industry.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers used a response surface methodology with various extraction parameters (temperature, time, and solvent ratio) to determine the best conditions for extracting total carotenoids and assessing antioxidant activity.
  • * Optimal extraction settings were found to be a temperature of 80 °C, a solvent volume of 10 mL, and an extraction time of 100 minutes, yielding significant concentrations of carotenoids and antioxidant activity.
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Article Synopsis
  • Winery by-products from winemaking, such as pomace and skins, were historically treated as waste, leading to environmental concerns but are now being re-evaluated for their potential benefits.
  • Current research indicates these by-products are valuable sources of bioactive compounds that may offer health benefits, including antioxidant and anticancer properties.
  • The shift to a circular bioeconomy in the wine industry allows for the sustainable management of these by-products, transforming waste into high-value products for various applications.
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Two drying methods (convective (CD) and infrared (IR)) on grape pomace with probiotics were analysed, based on kinetic models and survival rate. The moisture ratio decreases linearly with drying time. The IR drying time reduced up to 14.

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Pomegranate fruit is an ancient fruit that is used not only because of its deep-red color and tasty arils but also due to the health benefits of its extracts. Pomegranate is a valuable source of bioactive compounds, including colorful anthocyanins and other polyphenols. The main objective of the present study was to gain comprehensive knowledge of the phenolic composition and antioxidative activity of a new pomegranate cultivar, grown in Northwest Istria, a part of the North Adriatic coastal area.

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Sorghum and pearl millet are grain crops that can grow in semi-arid climates, with nutritional and bioactive properties superior to those of major cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize. However, these properties vary a lot, depending on the genetic factors, growing conditions, and place of cultivation. Four sorghum and two pearl millet grains cultivars grown in the Far-North region of Cameroon were screened for their chemical composition and antioxidant profile.

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The objective of this study was to encapsulate anthocyanins from red onion skins into different biopolymeric matrices as a way to develop powders with multifunctional activities. Two different variants of powders were obtained using a combination of gelation and freeze-drying techniques and characterized by encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity, phytochemical content, and color. Stability during storage and the bioavailability of anthocyanins in the in vitro simulated digestion were also examined.

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Green pickled tomatoes are a traditional fermented product in Romania. This study was focused on the effect of total substitution of NaCl with KCl and MgCl on physicochemical and microbiological quality; bioactive compounds; and microstructural, textural, and sensorial properties of fresh and pickled green tomatoes during 28 days of fermentation. By the means of physicochemical composition, the NaCl addition induced the most stable characteristics for the pickles compared to the other two types of salts.

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The present study focuses on heat-induced structural changes and the degradation kinetics of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of red grape skin extract. The thermal degradation of anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity followed a first-order kinetic model, increasing with temperature due to the intensification of the degradation process. The activation energy (Ea) highlighted this phenomenon.

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In this study, high-value, carotenoid-rich oleoresin obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE-CO) extraction was used to develop five variants of microencapsulated delivery system, based on whey proteins isolate (WPI), in combination with inulin (I), pectin (P) or lactose (L). The WPI:I and WPI:L variants were also obtained by conjugation via Maillard reaction. The microencapsulation of the SFE-CO sea buckthorn pomace oleoresin was performed by emulsion, complex coacervation and freeze-drying, which allowed for the obtaining of five powders, with different phytochemicals profile.

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The processing of sea buckthorn generates a significant amount of pomace, seeds and skin considered valuable sources of health-promoting macromolecules, such as carotenoids, pectin, flavonoids, phytosterols, polyunsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols. In this study, the bioactives from sea buckthorn pomace (SBP) were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE-CO), at different temperatures and pressures, allowing for obtaining four fractions according to separators (S40 and S45). The highest carotenoid content of 396.

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Background: Anthocyanins were extracted from grape skins by a combination of ethanolic-ultrasonic assisted methods and were then encapsulated by freeze-drying in soy phosphatidylcholine vesicles with the addition of different polymers, such as pectin, acacia gum, and whey protein isolate. The goal of this research was to microencapsulate anthocyanin compounds extracted from grape skins, to characterize the stability and behavior of the vesicles and then to use them to obtain a new light formulated mayonnaise.

Results: The particle size ranged from 900 nm in the control condition to 250 nm in vesicles loaded with whey proteins.

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: The impact of thermal treatment on acrylamide (ACR) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation was investigated for thermally treated sea buckthorn purée. : An optimized procedure for minimizing ACR and HMF formation in thermally treated sea buckthorn purée was described. The precursors of ACR and HMF and their impact in heating of sea buckthorn purée to obtain jam-like products were also evaluated.

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