Flavonoid enrichment of fresh-cut apple through osmotic dehydration-assisted impregnation
ISSN: 0007-070X
Article publication date: 23 October 2020
Issue publication date: 20 January 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Inclusion of bioactive compounds in food products is promising for developing novel functional food products. The feasibility of incorporating flavonoids and low-calorie sugar substitutes in fresh-cut apple through osmotic dehydration (OD) was investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
The impregnation of quercetin and fisetin in apple cubes was tested. The effects of different osmotic agents, sucrose and sorbitol:mannose, on the water loss (WL) and sugar gain of the samples were studied at 25 and 40 °C for eight hours.
Findings
Temperature was a significant factor in the mass transfer kinetics, that is to say, higher temperatures resulting in higher rates. The molecular weight of the solutes in the osmotic solution also affected the OD kinetics and flavonoids uptake, as well as the physico-chemical quality.
Originality/value
Overall, the results indicate that OD using alternative low-calorie and health-promoting solutes can be an effective treatment to simultaneously enrich fresh-cut apples with senolytic flavonoids, therefore presenting a great potential for a novel functional food product.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through Project UID/Multi/50016/2019. The first author acknowledges the European Master in Food Science, Technology and Business (BiFTec) of the European Commission as part of the Erasmus+ Program (Reference 564422-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA1-JMD-MOB).
Citation
Lopez, M.M.L., Morais, R.M.S.C. and Morais, A.M.M.B. (2021), "Flavonoid enrichment of fresh-cut apple through osmotic dehydration-assisted impregnation", British Food Journal, Vol. 123 No. 2, pp. 820-832. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2020-0176
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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