Electrolyzed Oxidized Water (EOW): Non-Thermal Approach for Decontamination of Food Borne Microorganisms in Food Industry

Electrolyzed Oxidized Water (EOW) is produced by passing a diluted salt solution through an electrolytic cell, having anode and cathode electrodes. The anode and cathode are separated by a bipolar membrane. Negatively charged ions—chloride and hydroxide in the diluted salt solution move to anode to give up electrons and become gas (O2, Cl2) and hypochlorous acid and having redox potential of +700 to +800 mV with pH 4.0. It has a strong oxidation potential and a shortage of electrons giving it the ability to oxidize and sterilize. In microbial inactivation process, oxidized water damage cell membranes, create disruption in cell metabolic processes and essentially kill the cell. EOW, also a strong acid, is different to hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid in that it is not corrosive to skin, mucous membrane, or organic material. It is easy to handle and suitable for the sanitation of the plant and decontamination of foods. Electrolyzed water has been tested and used as a disinfectant in the food industry and other applications.

Recent developments in dairy kefir-derived lactic acid bacteria and their health benefits

Kefir is one of the most consumed traditional fermented dairy products and it has a complex probiotic and nutritional composition.Kefir grain contains casein and other milk solids together with the yeasts and lactobacilli that cause the characteristic kefir fermentation and serve as a starter to induce this fermentation when introduced into fresh milk.Both kefir and kefir grains have a rich microbiota and their composition is affected by many parameters like kefir origin,production method(artisanal or industrial),kefir grain:milk ratio,type of milk,fermentation conditions,inoculum source,equipment used in production and storage conditions.Lactic acid bacteria(LAB)are a significant part of the kefir’s microbial composition and the health-promoting effects.Kefir-derived LAB have beneficial effects on colorectal cancer,cardiovascular diseases,type 2 diabetes mellitus,obesity,kidney diseases,modulation of the immune system as well as intestinal microbiota through different biological mechanisms.In addition,bioactive peptides and metabolic products of kefir have shown promising results as health beneficial components along with certain antiviral effects including COVID-19.Therefore,this article is up-to-date information about the production,processing as well as health benefits of dairy kefir-derived LAB with future prospect of work.

A comprehensive review on bioactive peptides derived from milk and milkproducts of minor dairy species

Milk from different species has been exploited for the isolation of various functional ingredients for decades.Irrespective of the source,milk is considered as a complete food,as it provides essential nutrients required by the human body.Proteins and their fractions are valuable sources of bioactive peptides that might exert a health beneficial role in the human body such as immune-modulation,antioxidant activity,ACE-inhibitory activity,anti-neoplastic,anti-microbial,etc.In milk,bioactive peptides may either be present in their natural form or released from their parental proteins due to enzymatic action.The increasing interest in bioactive peptides among researchers has lately augmented the exploration of minor dairy species such as sheep,goat,camel,mithun,mare,and donkey.Alternative to cow,milk from minor dairy species have also been proven to be healthier from infancy to older age owing to their higher digestibility and other nutritive components.Therefore,realizing the significance of milk from such species and incentivized interest towards the derivatization of bioactive peptides,the present review highlights the significant research achievements on bioactive peptides from milk and milk products of minor dairy species.

Stability assessment of emulsion of carotenoids extracted from carrot bio-waste in flaxseed oil and its application in food model system

The research was conducted on the stability assessment of emulsion of carotenoids extracted from carrot-pomace in omega-3 rich flaxseed oil,followed by converting this emulsion into freeze-dried powder,and its application as natural functional colorant in the preparation of flavored milk.The study indicated that emulsion was stable over a range of pH (5–9),temperature (forewarming to HTST pasteurization) and ionic strength (0.1–0.75 M NaCl) except at pH 4,sterilization temperature and 1.0 M NaCl based on zeta potential and particle size of emulsion analysed at these conditions.Ten percent (out of 8,10 and 12%) of freeze-dried emulsion was selected for addition as a natural functional ingredient in flavored milk on the basis of organoleptic evaluation.The fat,protein,total solids,total carotenoid content and antioxidant value (in terms of ABTS and reducing power assay) of developed product were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than control.The whiteness index of control was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the developed product,while reverse was true for yellowness index.However,both the products showed total color difference of 34.65.The research concludes that carotenoid-rich emulsion can be efficiently freeze-dried and used as a functional natural colorant in flavored milk for providing it better bio-functional attributes over control.

Stability study of fortified low-fat spreads with preservatives

Physicochemical variations in products are known to occur depending on storage conditions.This study examined the effects of storage time on the physicochemical,sensory,rheological,and microbiological properties of fortified low-fat spreads.Fortified spreads containing potassium sorbate(PS;0.05%and 0.1%)or MicroGard 100(MG;0.5%and 1%)as preservatives and a control spread(CS)were packed in presterilized airtight polyethylene jars and their shelf lives were investigated by storage at(5±1)℃for 91 d.Based on the physicochemical properties,the addition of preservatives inhibited the formation of free fatty acids and thiobarbituric acid and influenced the pH and acidity.The emulsion stability of the preserved samples was greater than that of the CS after 14 d.As storage progressed,the sensory and rheological properties of the CS deteriorated continuously,whereas significantly smaller changes were observed for the samples containing 0.1%PS and 1%MG.The surface growth of yeasts and molds was the main cause of spoilage,particularly in the CS.For all the samples,the standard plate counts and the yeast and mold counts increased during storage.In contrast,the coliform counts were zero,indicating that the samples were manufactured and stored under hygienic conditions.The samples containing lower levels of preservatives(0.05%PS and 0.5%MG)were acceptable for 70 d and 77 d as compared to 49 d for the CS.Notably,the addition of 0.1%PS and 1%MG extended the shelf life to 91 d.

Production of whey protein hydrolyzates and its incorporation into milk

Whey proteins provide an excellent source of low-molecular-weight bioactive peptides with important functional properties and bioactivities like antihypertensive,opioid,and antimicrobial effects.Presence of peptide molecules with lower molecular weight has a great role in food for health promotion.In this investigation,the release of low-molecular-weight peptides from whey protein concentrate was attempted by using enzymatic digestion.The hydrolyzate was then incorporated into milk to obtain enriched milk(EM)with low-molecular-weight peptides.Based on sensory analysis of EM,electrophoretic and RP-HPLC studies,hydrolyzates of 10%protein(degree of hydrolysis 5%;enzyme/substrate E/S,1:50)were finally incorporated into milk at 20%(v/v)to develop an acceptable product enriched with low-molecular-weight peptides.EM had higher protein content,viscosity and emulsifying properties than control milk with 3%fat.It is recommended that EM should not be sterilized as it results in coagulation,but can be safely pasteurized and spray dried without any undesirable effects.Maximum ACE-inhibition activity was obtained in hydrolyzate,followed by EM.This study is expected to boost the opportunity for the dairy industry to venture further into the nutraceutical dairy market.