Abstract Jujube distilled spirit, a traditional Chinese alcoholic beverage valued for its characteristic aroma and mellow palate, is constrained by low juicing efficiency and high energy consumption during raw-material pre-treatment. This study optimised the rehydration and enzymolysis stages of jujube juice extraction. A jujube-to-water ratio of 1:3 (w/v) and a rehydration temperature of 80 °C were selected on the basis of juice yield, sugar extraction, process compatibility, and energy consumption. Among five commercial pectinase preparations, RVF combined the highest juice yield (84.67 ± 0.11%) with the lowest methanol formation (286.56 ± 0.17 mg L −1 ) and was selected for further optimisation. The enzymolysis conditions were then optimised by response surface methodology, giving an enzyme dosage of 0.35‰ (v/v), a temperature of 58 °C, and a duration of 170 min, with a validated laboratory-scale juice yield of 81.20%. At factory scale, the new process increased juice yield by 17.89% and sugar extraction rate by 20.81% relative to the conventional process and reduced the calculated unit thermal energy consumption by 48.8%. This energy-efficient protocol provides high-quality jujube juice as a fermentation substrate and supports the sustainable industrial production of jujube wine.
Abstract Riceberry, which is a variety of purple rice from Thailand, contains a large number of nutritional bioactives which reconfigure during digestion. This research conducted an assessment of the metabolic characteristics of cooked Riceberry in terms of extensive digestion processes by using a UHPLC system coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (QTOF/MS) methods based on ESI+ and ESI− modes. Untargeted metabolomics gave 2,177 molecular features (1,188 for ESI− and 989 for ESI+). The phenolic content declined in the course of the digestion processes; the original anthocyanins were destroyed during the process of transformation from the acidic environment of the stomach to the alkaline environment of the intestine. The removal of the common native features showed that during the digestion process, complex metabolites break down into simple and low molecular weight ones such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, glycosides, and alkaloids with better bioavailability. Such compounds as antidiabetic (vignatic acid B, elatoside E), neuroprotective (histidinyl-cysteine, fasciculic acid A), and anticancer (brosimacutin C, mycalamide A) metabolites were produced. The findings of the quantitative measurements show that simulated digestion converts Riceberry phytochemicals into useful bioactive compounds.
Abstract Antibiotic residues in foods of animal origin represent an important public health concern, particularly in regions where systematic monitoring is limited. This study provides a comparative assessment of antibiotic residues in eggs from intensive and free-range poultry production systems in Kosovo. A total of 113 composite egg samples (65 from intensive farms and 48 from free-range systems) were analysed for enrofloxacin, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and sulfadimidine using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). Antibiotic residues were detected in 17 composite samples, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 15.04%. A numerically higher prevalence was observed in intensive systems (18.5%) compared to free-range systems (10.4%), which may reflect more frequent antibiotic use in intensive production. However, higher maximum concentrations were recorded in free-range eggs, particularly for enrofloxacin, which reached 422 μg kg −1 , suggesting less standardised and more variable antimicrobial use practices. Dietary exposure assessment showed that International Food Safety Index (IFS) values remained below 1 in both adult and child scenarios, indicating that the estimated exposure through egg consumption was within the acceptable risk range under the applied assumptions. Children showed higher IFS values than adults, particularly under the maximum-concentration scenario; however, all values remained below the threshold of concern. According to current European Union legislation, an MRL of 200 μg kg −1 is established for oxytetracycline in eggs, whereas doxycycline, enrofloxacin, and sulfonamides are not authorised for use in animals from which eggs are produced for human consumption. Beyond direct toxicological concerns, the presence of antibiotic residues may contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Overall, these findings support the need for strengthened monitoring systems, improved regulatory enforcement, and responsible antibiotic use in poultry production to ensure food safety and mitigate antimicrobial resistance risks.
Abstract There is an increasing demand for convenient foods that contain functional ingredients such as maltodextrin, widely employed as a bulking agent but limited by its high glycaemic index. This research aims to evaluate the suitability of rice, cassava, and arrowroot flours as bulking agents based on their functional and nutritional properties. The bulk density of cassava flour (0.72 g mL −1 ) was comparable to maltodextrin (0.66 g mL −1 ), and cassava flour showed superior nutritional value in terms of protein (1.95%), crude fibre (1.67%), and ash (1.75%). Maltodextrin exhibited a higher hygroscopicity (8.43%) compared to rice flour (6.42%), cassava flour (6.15%), and arrowroot flour (7.46%), indicating lower stability. This study employed a Neural Network Time Series model to predict the storage stability of bulking agents with cassava flour, achieving an R 2 of 0.99775 and a minimal prediction error, indicating strong agreement with the experimental values. Since each ingredient exhibited distinct functional properties, the results support their selection for targeted applications. Overall, the results suggest that these ingredients, particularly cassava flour, demonstrate strong potential as natural bulking agents.
Drying is a critical step in processing black solo garlic to enhance its stability and broaden its applications. This study investigated the effects of drying temperature (50-70 degrees C) on the convective oven drying kinetics, energy consumption, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant activity of black solo garlic slices. Drying behaviour, effective moisture diffusivity, and activation energy were evaluated. Several thin-layer models and an artificial neural network (ANN) were applied to describe the drying kinetics. Increasing drying temperature increased the drying rate, reduced drying time and energy consumption. The effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 4.16 & times; 10(-10) to 7.45 & times; 10(-10) m(2) s(-1), with an activation energy of 27.07 kJ mol(-1). Drying occurred entirely in the falling-rate period, indicating internal moisture diffusion as the dominant mechanism. The ANN model demonstrated excellent predictive performance comparable to that of the thin-layer models (R-2 > 0.99; RMSE < 0.02). Higher drying temperatures promoted melanoidin formation and increased antioxidant activity (6.91-9.13 mg AAE/g db) while preserving phenolic content, although rehydration capacity decreased. Among the investigated conditions, 70 degrees C provided the best overall balance for the production of dried black solo garlic as a functional food ingredient. These findings demonstrate the potential of combining thin-layer mathematical modelling and ANN to optimise industrial drying processes for black solo garlic.
