The Impact of Hydrothermal Treatments on Technological Properties of Whole Grains and Soriz (<i>Sorghum oryzoidum</i>) Groats

Cereals and cereal products are the basic element in ensuring the food security of the population. Most cereal-based foods contain gluten. Nutritional therapy is the only treatment for people with gluten-related disorders. No gluten-free products are manufactured in the Republic of Moldova, and the imported ones are sold at very high prices. In this context, Moldova is an unexplored field and research is required. The paper investigated the impact of hydrothermal treatments on whole grains and sorghum groats. It was found that whole grains and sorghum groats have a cooking time of about 130 and 40 minutes, respectively, which can be reduced by about 2 times by prior hydration in water. Hydration media and their concentrations (NaCl solutions;sol. NaHCO3 and C6H8O7 concentrations 0.5%;1.0% and 2.0%) differently influence the cooking time, mass, volume and firmness of the grains.

Certain Aspects of Nutritional Security of People with Gluten-Related Disorders

As a consequence of the production of high-yielding cereal varieties per hectare and the considerable increase in gluten consumption, today, consequently, we face a rising epidemic of disorders related to gluten consumption: celiac disease, gluten allergy gluten sensitivity. Nutritional therapy is the only treatment for celiac disease unanimously accepted by the medical community. The aim of the study is to analyze the food and nutritional security of people with disorders related to gluten consumption from the perspective of assessing the nutritional deficiencies of people diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, but also assessing the nutritional deficiencies of gluten-free products. The study on the assessment of nutritional deficiencies of people with disorders related to gluten consumption, but also the nutritional deficiencies of gluten-free products/diets were conducted on the PubMed search engine. 154 free full text papers published in the period 2010-2020 were analyzed, according to the keywords (gluten free, diet, deficiencies). Specialists in the field are unanimous in the opinion that increasing nutritional security and ensuring sustainability can be achieved by: diversifying gluten-free products;extension of legislation to strengthen gluten-free products;developing educational strategies focused on the relationship between nutrients, food and human health;informing the population and optimizing services in order to increase the quality of life and health. However, the design of GF products, both technologically and nutritionally, especially bakery/pastry, pasta is still a challenge, and research in this area, is current and required.

Effect of Dehulling and Hydrothermal Treatment on the Amino Acid Content of Soriz (<i>Sorghum oryzoidum</i>)

Cereals are the basic element in ensuring the food security of the population through the significant intake of carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. The processing of cereals leads to changes in their nutritional quality, which could lead to both reduced nutrients and anti-nutrients. Gluten-free cereal varieties attract attention as raw materials to improve the nutritional quality of food and to diversify the product range. Sorghum (Sorghum oryzoidum) is a hybrid of sorghum, obtained at the Institute for Scientific Research for Corn and Sorghum in the Republic of Moldova, by crossing Sudan grass (S. sudanense) and bicolor sorghum (S. bicolor). The research aimed to determine the impact of dehulling and hydrothermal treatment on the amino acid content of soriz. The obtained results reported that the dehulling and hydrothermal treatment led to the uneven modification of the amino acid content in the investigated samples. As a result of dehulling, the total amount of essential amino acids decreased by 19.8% compared to the native grain. Boiling whole grains without prior hydration led to 34% loss of essential amino acids compared to native grains, and pre-hydration of the grains and subsequent boiling reduced essential amino acid losses by 8% compared to cooked grains without hydration. Boiling grains with pre-hydration had a positive effect on the chemical index of lysine, methionine and cysteine, leucine and tryptophan. However, the nutritional quality of sorghum grain proteins and derivatives obtained, evaluated according to the chemical index, is low. The results obtained reported that dehulling and hydrothermal treatment unevenly altered the amino acid content, and the method of boiling grains with pre-hydration had a positive effect on the CSI of lysine, methionine and cysteine, leucine and tryptophan.

Eating Behavior of Students at the Technical University of Moldova during the Isolation Period

Appetizing peculiarities are formed from childhood and can vary throughout life. Although they are conditioned by genetic factors, over time, the internal regulation of eating behaviors is reduced, being influenced by a complex interaction of various external factors. According to the Behavioral Susceptibility (BST) Theory of Obesity, Food Sensitivity in Response to Food Stimuli (such as Food Sight and Smell) and Satiety Responsiveness (i.e. the ability to adjust diet in response to internal feelings of satiety) contribute to individual differences in terms of energy intake and weight status. The present research intended to assess the eating patterns and behavior of Moldovan students, especially those from Technical University of Moldova during the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted, based on the questionnaires (AEBQ—Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire), on a group of 602 students from Technical University of Moldova. Participation in the survey was entirely voluntary, did not involve any invasive procedure, nor did it induce changes in participants’ food patterns. The obtained results could contribute to the formation of the database for the study of the behavioral phenotype associated with the risk of obesity, but also for the study of eating behavior in crises. The questionnaire was distributed, in the form of a link, on the corporate emails of all TUM students. Respondents completed the questionnaire on the Google platform between 13.10.2021 - 25.11.2021, and the final database has been downloaded as a Microsoft Excel file. It was established a positive correlation between, Emotional Over-Eating and Emotional Under-Eating. Nervousness and anger were the most incriminating emotions of students that would cause both overeating and under eating. The results of the AEBQ questionnaire appear to be largely in line with previous studies, and the collected data present interest, in particular to prevent the risk of obesity.

Study of Edible Spontaneous Herbs in the Republic of Moldova for Ensuring a Sustainable Food System

Recent studies have shown that food systems fail to provide a healthy diet and are unfair and ecologically unsustainable. Sustainable food production will require multidisciplinary approaches, in which human, animal, and environmental health, are inextricably linked. There are various researches that make edible spontaneous herbs (ESP) the protagonists of a new trend in food approach, focused more on health, food safety, and connection with nature. The research consisted of the analysis and capitalization of (ESH) from the territory of the Republic of Moldova (RM) by reviewing their traditional use in local gastronomy and describing the nutritional characteristics. Ethnographic research techniques, such as conversations and interviews, were used to identify knowledge about the use of ESH in the RM. The use, phytochemical profile, and curative effects of the analyzed ESH were taken from the online database Plants For A Future (PFAF) and the phytochemical and ethnobotanical database of the US Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research. The analysis of the specialized literature on ESH consumption in the world showed that their culinary application in the RM could still be diversified. Some of their properties could possibly be used in the design of new products for people with special diets.

Influence of Culinary Treatment on Soriz Mineral Elements (Sorghum Oryzoidum)

Soriz (Sorghum oryzoidum) is a relatively new cereal of hybrid origin obtained at the Research Institute for Maize and Sorghum of Moldova. This paper presents and analyzes the results of the study of essential minerals content (K, Na, Ca, P, Mg, Fe) in native and hulled sorghum grains and their changes under the effect of hydrothermal treatment. The results show that the sorghum grains are a good source of essential minerals, especially of K, P and Mg and are less rich in Ca, Na and Fe. The experimental data have demonstrated that the technological process applied to obtain hulled sorghum leads to a considerable decrease in minerals content. Culinary treatment had a greater impact on the K content and lower on P and Mg content. The results will be used to optimize the parameters of raw material processing and culinary treatment with the aim of minimizing the mineral loss as well as for the nutritional value balance of soriz sorghum dishes.

Physico-Chemical Profile of Four Types of Honey from the South of the Republic of Moldova

There are many studies that compare the quality and biological characteristics of honey with distinct geographical and botanical origins. However, the physico-chemical and biological properties of different types of honey in the same production regions are rarely mentioned. The honey used in this study: sunflower honey, rapeseed honey, manna honey and polyflora honey, came from GT “Malai C” in Taraclia village, Causeni district in the southern part of the Republic of Moldova and belonged to the flowering season of year 2020. Following the polynecological analysis, it was found that two types of honey are monofloral with a dominant pollen content of Helianthus spp. (49.15% - 93.12%) in sunflower honey and Brassica spp. (52.17% - 70.11%) in rapeseed honey. Mana honey and polyflora contain several types of pollen. Thus, four types were identified in manna honey, including: Acer platanoides (29.11% - 30.11%), Quercus robur (28.67% - 29.99%), Rubus idaeus (21.55% - 28.78%), Taraxacum officinale (22.21% - 28.76%). Polyflora honey contains: Helianthus annuus (24.91% - 31.11%), Brassica napus (23.45% - 29.18%), Tilia (28.95% - 31.92%). Based on a Pfund scale, it was found that the color of the honey varied from a lighter shade for rapeseed honey (water amber 7.66 ± 3.002 mm) to a darker color for sunflower honey and polyflora (extra light amber 34.366 ± 21.01 mm and 36.04 ± 1.115 mm respectively). Spectrophotometric determination of phenolic compounds in honey samples showed that their content ranged from 38.18 mg GAE/kg honey for rapeseed honey to 831.09 mg GAE/kg honey for manna honey. At the same time, the flavonoid content ranged from 28.41 mg QUE/kg honey for rapeseed honey to 151.72 mg QUE/kg honey for manna honey. Mana honey showed a better antioxidant activity than the other honey samples in the study (72.03%). The reported results suggest that manna honey has the best potential and its consumption in the human diet as food with valuable biological properties can be encouraged, despite the fact that in the Republic of Moldova it is in a small amount.

Effect of Temperature, pH and Amount of Enzyme Used in the Lactose Hydrolysis of Milk

Lactose intolerance is becoming a health state that requires the restriction of dairy products in the diet of people suffering from this condition. But milk and dairy products, due to a well-balanced composition in the main macro and micronutrients, cannot be missing from the diet of the consumer of any age. For these reasons, in recent years, in the milk processing industry, the production of low-lactose or lactose-free dairy products is explored. To reduce the lactose content of dairy raw materials, various industrial and biotechnological methods were used: enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose, baromembranous methods, bioconversion of lactose by lactic bacteria and others. The most widely used lactase enzymes in the industry are mesophilic enzymes from filamentous fungi (Aspergillus spp.) and yeasts (Kluyveromyces spp.). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the commercial enzyme β-galactosidase on the hydrolysis of cow’s milk at different enzyme concentrations, temperatures and pH. Two commercial enzymes β-galactosidase obtained from Bacillus licheniformis and β-galactosidase obtained from Kluyveromyces lactis, were used in this study, according to information provided by the manufacturer. The thermal stability of lactose, the effect of milk pH, the effect of temperature, duration of hydrolysis and the amount of enzymes on the lactose hydrolysis degree and the sweetness degree of milk were determined. Research has identified the optimal parameters for obtaining a high degree of lactose hydrolysis in the use of these enzymes. Therefore, to ensure a high lactose hydrolysis degree (over 80%), the following lactose hydrolysis regimens were identified: temperature 4°C - 6°C, 0.3% Bacillus licheniformis enzymes, duration 4 hours;temperature 4°C - 6°C, 0.3% enzymes from Klavyromyces lactis, duration 12 hours and temperature 38°C - 40°C, 0.15% enzymes from (Bacillus licheniformis or Klavyromyces lactis), duration 2 - 3 hours. The results obtained allow the efficient use of Bacillus licheniformis and Klavyromyces lactis enzymes in industrial processes for the manufacture of “lactose-free” or “low-lactose” drinking milk and fermented dairy products for people with lactose intolerance.

Development of Lactose Free Yogurt Technology for Personalized Nutrition

Due to the widespread use of antibiotics, the bad ecological situation, fermented milk drinks are gaining more and more popularity because of associating with an array of health benefits. Fermented milk products contain a unique in its kind disaccharide of animal origin lactose, which has the ability to stimulate the development of lactic acid microorganisms that suppress the vital activity of pathogenic microflora in the human intestine, promoting the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. A significant part of the world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance, linked to a genetically determined deficiency of the β-galactosidase enzyme, which is one of the main reasons for the decrease in demand for dairy products among consumers suffering from primary or acquired intolerance to milk sugar. Lactose is a natural disaccharide contained in dairy products. Lactase deficiency is a variant of fermentopathy caused by the inability to break down lactose due to the activity decrease of lactase—the parietal digestion enzyme in the small intestine. Lactose intolerance in the gastrointestinal tract of a person suffering from hypo- and alactasia leads to dispersion, diarrhea and other undesirable phenomena. For the successful prevention and treatment of these diseases, it is necessary to reduce or completely eliminate the lactose intake. A technology for lactose-free milk production was developed using fermentation technology. On the basis of lactose-free milk, a range of lactose-free yoghurts was developed of animal origin of the following types: natural, enriched and fortified. Flax seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds, which are rich in vitamins, were used to produce a range of enriched yogurts. To obtain fortified yoghurts, the mineral iron was used, which prevent the development of anemia and oncological pathologies. Experimental assortment of lactose-free yoghurts was assessed by physicochemical and organoleptic methods. All developed samples meet the standards of technical documentation for this type of food product. The organoleptic characteristics were highly appreciated. Developed lactose-free products are an opportunity for many people to return to a normal healthy diet.