Yoghurt is one of the most consumed and studied dairy products, with proven functional effects on the human body. This review discusses the functional properties of traditional yoghurt products in comparison with different other yoghurts enriched with natural bioactive compounds like bee products, aromatic plants, fruit, vegetables, extracts, edible flowers, mushrooms, and high protein ingredients. The food industry aims to enhance the nutritional profile of final products, recognising the potential value they bring. Yoghurt, acknowledged as a functional food, has garnered significant attention globally in terms of production and consumption. Incorporating flavours through essences, fruit, fruit extracts, and honey is considered a preferable alternative to artificial flavours for innovating new dairy products. While the review underscores the positive properties of natural additives, it also addresses the possible changes in physicochemical properties and storage stability when yoghurt is enriched beyond the basic elements. A compelling synthesis of the data reveals the remarkable finding that the majority of functional yoghurts incorporate bee products. In recent years, the dairy industry has seen a rise in combining probiotics and functional foods, especially with the development of probiotic functional yoghurts.

As one of the most widely used acidic condiments in the world, vinegars have demonstrated physiological functions. Due to their polyphenol content, blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) are a valuable source of natural flavours and antioxidants for vinegar production. Ultrasound treatment is recognized as an effective technique for improving the extraction yield of bioactive compounds from various plant materials. The aim of this research was to investigate the antioxidant properties of experimental vinegar variants obtained by an innovative manufacturing recipe using an alcoholic substrate containing blueberry juice for a rapid initiation of acetic fermentation. The substrate was subjected to ultrasound treatment at a frequency of 20 kHz and an amplitude (A) of 40%, 60%, and 80% for 3, 4, and 5 min. Under these conditions, total polyphenol content (TPC), total anthocyanins content (TAC), antioxidant activity based on ABTS and DPPH assays, as well as the sensory attributes in blueberry-vinegar formulations, were evaluated. The level of TPC and TAC and the antioxidant activity of the developed vinegar variants were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained results revealed that ultrasound treatment resulted in increased TPC and TAC and improved antioxidant properties and sensory characteristics of blueberry vinegar. Our data revealed that the optimum values of the ultrasound treatment parameters were amplitude A: 78.50% and time t: 3.96 min. The following predicted values were determined for the main parameters: TPC: 628.01 mg GAE/L, TAC: 22.79 mg C3G/L, ABTS: 391.7 μmol/100 mL, and DPPH: 229.17 μmol/100 mL. The results of this study recommend the integration of both the use of an alcoholic substrate containing blueberry juice and the application of ultrasound treatment in vinegar production as innovative technological interventions with practical applicability for a rapid initiation of acetic fermentation and for improving the antioxidant properties of blueberry vinegar. In addition, RSM can be considered a valuable tool to optimize the ultrasound treatment’s effect on the antioxidant properties of the vinegar formulations.

The results presented in this study highlight the level of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and protein-precipitating capacity (PPC) correlated with the antioxidant capacity of new cider varieties enriched with valuable bio compounds by the addition of blueberry and black carrot extracts. The cider variants were treated with ultrasound (constant frequency of 20 kHz) at 20%, 30% and 40% amplitude (A) for two, five or seven minutes. TPC determination was performed by Folin–Ciocâlteu method and TFC was determined by an aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The antioxidant capacity was determined by ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the antioxidant performance indicators (FRAP, ABTS and DPPH) were positively correlated with the TPC and TFC of the ultrasound-treated cider variants, suggesting that the content of these bio compounds may be improved by the treatments applied. The highest mean values for TPC and TFC were found in the cider variant enriched with black carrot extract (0.3%, v/v), subsequently ultrasound-treated (A20%, five minutes) Conclusively, the extracts used in this study could improve the antioxidant capacity of the cider, especially in case of variants ultrasound-treated.

The aim of this research was to improve the physical-chemical properties and processability of wheat durum pasta while adding supplementary nutritional benefits. This was accomplished by incorporating carob powder into the conventional wheat pasta recipe. The study investigated the properties of pasta made with different proportions of carob powder (2%, 4%, 6% w/w) and evaluated its nutritional profile, texture, dough rheological properties and the content of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds. The physical and chemical properties (total treatable acidity, moisture content, and protein content), compression resistance, rheological properties of the dough and sensory analysis were also analyzed. Results showed that incorporating up to 4% carob powder improved the sensory and functional properties of the pasta. Additionally, the study found that the pasta contained phenolic compounds such as Gallic, rosmarinic, rutin and protocatechuic acids, ferulic, coumaric, caffeic acid, resveratrol and quercetin, and increasing the percentage of carob powder improved the polyphenolic content. The study concluded that it is possible to create innovative value-added pasta formulas using carob powder. Thus, the information revealed by this study has the potential to expand the portfolio of functional pasta formulations on the food market.

The primary focus in the production of quality red wine is the extraction of grape components, which can be achieved in a variety of ways. This work investigates the extraction yield of biologically active compounds from crushed Merlot grapes, as a result of ultrasound treatment applied before maceration, and optimizes the process parameters of a laboratory scale using response surface methodology (RSM) within a central composite design (CCD) model. The two factors whose response was studied were amplitude (A) % and treatment time (t), while the dependent variables were the total phenolic compounds (TPC), monomeric anthocyanins (MA), and antioxidant activity expressed as ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the application of high-power ultrasound treatment to crushed grapes for a few minutes increased both the extraction rate of bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity by a maximum of 12 times for the TPC, 14 times for the MA, 3.6 times for the FRAP value, and 18.77% for the DPPH. The optimized solution had an amplitude of 90% and a treatment time of 4 min and 24 s. The validation experiments yielded errors between—8.70% and 3.14%, confirming the proposed model. Thus, the RSM model is recommended as a tool to optimize a procedure for enhancing both the extraction rate of the bioactive compounds from grapes and the antioxidant properties of grape must. Our results demonstrate the ultimate benefits of using ultrasonic treatment on crushed grapes at the beginning of the winemaking process, as a highly effective technique for improving the extraction of high-value bioactive chemicals, with significant application potential.

Mirabela Ioana Lupu, Carmen Liliana Badarau, Vasile Padureanu, Cristina Maria Canja - Effects of Thermal and Ultrasound Treatments on L Ascorbic Acid of Grapes Juice