One of the main by-products in cocoa industry is the cocoa bean shell (CBS), which represents approximately 12–20% of the bean. This product has been suggested as a food ingredient because of its aroma and high dietary fiber and polyphenol contents. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of the CBS particle size and extraction methods on the chemical composition and consumer acceptance of a functional beverage, in order to find the best combination of technological parameters and health benefits. Five particle sizes of CBS powder and six home techniques were used for beverage preparation. The influence of these factors on the physico-chemical characteristics, methylxanthine and polyphenolic contents, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, and consumer acceptance was evaluated. Total phenolic content values up to 1803.83 mg GAE/L were obtained for the beverages. Phenolic compounds and methylxanthines were identified and quantified by HPLC-PDA. These compounds may be related to the high antioxidant capacity (up to 7.29 mmol TE/L) and antidiabetic properties (up to 52.0% of α-glucosidase inhibition) observed. Furthermore, the consumer acceptance results indicated that CBS may represent an interesting ingredient for new functional beverages with potential health benefits, reducing the environmental and economic impact of by-product disposal.

Biochemical, volatile and textural profiles during manufacture and ripening were determined in samples of Castelmagno PDO cheese obtained from three different batches in the main artisan cheese plant of Castelmagno PDO production area. At the end of manufacture, samples were characterised by a pH of 6.57% and 52.4% moisture content. The HPLC analysis of organic acids and sugars showed the exhaustion of lactose content, while Urea-PAGE indicated extensive primary proteolysis of both β-casein and αs1-casein. During ripening, cheeses were characterised by high degradation of β-casein and αs1-casein, due to bacterial action. RP-HPLC profiles showed a high production of peptides eluted between 20 and 30min. In total, 92 volatile compounds were identified in cheese headspace. Texture profiles showed an increase in hardness, gumminess, chewiness and adhesiveness values, as well as a decrease in cohesiveness during ripening.

The cocoa bean shell (CBS), a cocoa by-product, contains a significant number of bioactive compounds with functional properties, such as polyphenols and methylxanthines, and is used as an ingredient in beverages and foods. In this work, the bioaccessibility of polyphenols and methylxanthines after In Vitro digestion was evaluated in new flavoured beverages for at-home consumption (capsules and tea bags). In addition, the polyphenolic composition, functional properties (antiradical and α-glucosidase inhibition capacities) and consumer acceptability of these beverages were evaluated. In both capsule and tea bag beverages, the bioaccessibility of methylxanthines was 100% while that of total polyphenols exceeded 50%. The main polyphenols determined using reverse-phase liquid chromatography were type B procyanidins and epicatechin. The antiradical activity in capsule and tea bag beverages was 1.75 and 1.88 mM of Trolox equivalents, respectively, of which 59.50% and 57.09% were recovered after simulated digestion. The percentage of α-glucosidase inhibition before In Vitro digestion (51.64% and 53.82% for capsules and tea bags, respectively) was comparable to that of acarbose at 0.5 mM. All the beverages obtained a high consumer acceptability. Therefore, these results highlight that CBSs can be used as a valid source of bioactive compounds in the preparation of beverages with homemade techniques.

The cocoa bean shell (CBS), a by-product of the cocoa industry, has been reported to be rich in fiber and polyphenols, which could contribute to reducing the metabolism of sugars and glucose adsorption. The production of CBS-based biscuits in which sucrose is replaced with tagatose (a low-glycemic sugar with prebiotic properties), benefiting diabetic consumers, is proposed. Six prototype biscuits were produced using sucrose, tagatose, and CBS powder at 0%, 10%, and 20% as a wheat flour replacement. Biscuits were studied in terms of fiber content, and those with 10% and 20% CBS showed to contain 5.66% and 8.70–8.71% of total dietary fiber, respectively. Moreover, the physicochemical and structural properties of the biscuits were studied to evaluate their differences due to the use of sucrose and tagatose combined with CBS. Significant effects mainly caused by the reducing nature and lower solubility of tagatose with respect to sugar, and the water retention capacities of CBS were observed. Finally, the biscuits were evaluated by performing a consumer acceptance evaluation, and their perceptible sensorial differences were studied by performing a Napping^® sensory characterization. CBS-based biscuits represent an interesting possibility for cocoa by-product revalorization, although an optimized recipe is recommended, especially when employing tagatose.

The ability of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) inflorescence extract to counteract lipid oxidation was studied in stripped linseed oil. The ethanolic extract was characterized in terms of terpenes (6.00 mg/mL), cannabidiol (4.99% w/w), phenolic compounds (1.80 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/mL), antiradical, and metal ion-chelating activities (50% effective concentration (EC₅₀) of 2.47 mg/mL and 0.39 mg/mL, respectively). The stripped linseed oil, used as control (CO), was mixed with hemp extract (HO) or α-tocopherol (EO) at a ratio of 0.6% (w/w) and stored for 7 days in darkness at 40 °C. Hemp extract reduced the oxidation and lipolysis processes. At the end of the storage, HO showed a significantly higher level of α-linolenic acid (ALA; 26.64 g/100 g), lower peroxide value (PV) (21.19 meq O₂/kg oil), and lower hexanal content (7.67 mmol/kg oil) than those found in the control. In contrast, EO showed a marked lipolysis (the free fatty acids increased by 42.57%) and a noticeable oxidation, since the ALA content decreased by 2.10% and a PV of 50 meq O₂/kg oil was observed. This study demonstrates that hemp inflorescences can be used as a source of natural antioxidants in vegetable oils and lipid products to retard their oxidation, especially those characterized by a high degree of unsaturation.