This article reports a study of the nutritional composition, total dietary fiber (TDF), mineral contents, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, polyphenolic concentration and antioxidant activity of three Spanish seaweeds: two brown seaweeds (Himanthalia elongata and Undaria pinnatifida) and one red (Porphyra umbilicalis). TDF and ash were the most abundant components in the brown seaweeds, while TDF and protein were the main components in the red one. In all seaweeds, the lipid contents were very low but the polyunsaturated fatty acid contents were high. Although the red seaweed contained significantly (p < 0.05) more protein content than the brown ones, all three contained all the essential amino acids at levels comparable to FAO/WHO requirements. The brown seaweeds contained significantly more minerals than the red one; they are a rich source of K, Na, Ca and Mg and present a beneficial Na/K ratio. Himanthalia elongata displayed remarkably high polyphenolic content, endowing it with appreciable antioxidant activity. These seaweeds offer considerable potential as functional food ingredients due to components like dietary fiber, minerals and trace elements, protein and lipids, which produce many different kinds of biological activities, and also to their high antioxidant capacity.

The present work evaluates the suitability of beeswax oleogels and emulsion gel prepared with a healthy lipid mixture (olive and chia oils) as pork fat replacers for the development of a dry fermented meat product (fuet). Because these systems offer various possibilities, this study has compared their effect on the nutritional quality and sensory acceptability of fuets and their behaviour with regard to technological properties and microbiological and oxidative stability during 30 days of chilled storage. This strategy allowed products with an improved fatty acid profile and a 12-fold decrease of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) n-6/n-3 ratio, as compared to the control samples. Irrespective of the structuring method used as animal fat replacer, reformulated samples showed a good oxidative status during chilled storage. In general, no differences that depended on the use of oleogel or emulsion gel were observed in the technological properties and microbiological status, so the choice of one or the other would be conditioned by other factors than the characteristics that the product develops. However, further studies are needed to improve the sensory attributes of the reformulated samples.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the oxidative stability of healthier lipid cooked meat systems (MS) in which pork backfat was replaced by a double emulsion (DE, W1/O/W2) prepared with hydroxytyrosol (HXT) within an inner aqueous phase and chia oil as lipid phase. Physical characteristics of DEs and oxidative stability of DEs and MS during chilled storage were analysed. In DEs, which were highly stable, the presence of HXT improved oxidative stability, increasing (P < 0.05) DPPH free radical scavenging and ferric reducing ability (FRAP) and reducing (P < 0.05) levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). In MS, replacement of pork backfat by chia oil promoted lipid oxidation, which was more pronounced when chia oil was incorporated in the DE than when it was added in liquid form. HXT demonstrated antioxidative capacity, although it was less efficient when incorporated as part of a W1/O/W2 emulsion. In conclusion, MS including DE formulated with chia and HXT display oxidative stability throughout their commercial life, assuring successful development of potential healthier meat products. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.This research was supported by the projects AGL2011-29644-C02-01 and 02Peer Reviewe