In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of health-promoting and disease-preventing functional foods. Beetroot is a promising vegetable because of its outstanding antioxidant activity, vivid colour, and content of bioactive compounds. In the present study, the quality of pure beetroot and apple juices as well as that of their mixture was evaluated by measuring changes of colour, betalain content, and antioxidant activity during processing and storage. No perceivable colour changes of the beetroot juice were observed after adding apple juice up to 85% of the total amount. However, the antioxidant activity was proportionally reduced with the addition of apple juice. Pasteurization negatively affected the content of betalains but did not influence the antioxidant activity. Storage led to colour modifications and reduction of betalains and antioxidant activity. Through preliminary shelf-life studies, a durability of 65 days at room temperature for apple and beetroot juice blends was calculated. The novelty of this study lies in an extended description of physico-chemical characteristics of a fresh apple and beetroot blended juice obtained from local products, in the study of the effects of processing and storage on its quality, and in the estimation of its shelf-life after storage at different temperatures.

Hay milk is a traditional dairy product recently launched on the market. It is protected as “traditional specialty guaranteed” (TSG) and subjected to strict regulations. One of the most important restrictions is that the cow’s feed ration must be free from silage. There is the need for analytical methods that can discriminate milk obtained from a feeding regime including silage. This study proposes two analytical approaches to assess the authenticity of hay milk. Hay milk and milk from cows fed either with maize or grass silage were analyzed by targeted GC-MS for cyclopropane fatty acid (dihydrosterculic acid, DHSA) detection, since this fatty acid is strictly related to the bacterial strains found in silage, and by HPLC-HRMS. The presence of DHSA was correlated to the presence of maize silage in the feed, whereas it was ambiguous with grass silage. HPLC-HRMS analysis resulted in the identification of 14 triacylglycerol biomarkers in milk. With the use of these biomarkers and multivariate statistical analysis, we were able to predict the use of maize and grass silage in the cow’s diet with 100% recognition. Our findings suggest that the use of analytical approaches based on HRMS is a viable authentication method for hay milk.

This study aimed to evaluate the rheological properties of doughs with 50% brewers’ spent grain (BSG) derived from a rye-based (RBSG) and barley-based (BBSG) beer added, and the textural profile of the related baked products. Simple model systems using BSG flour mixed with water were studied. Two bakery products, focaccia and cookies, were made as food systems using BSG in a 1:1 ratio with wheat flour (WF). Their rheological properties and texture after baking were characterized. BSG-added dough exhibited viscoelastic properties with a solid gel-like behavior. The addition of BSG increased G′ > G″ and decreased the dough flexibility. BSG addition in baked RBSG focaccia increased the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness by 10%, 9%, and 12%, respectively. BBSG cookies had a 20% increase in fracturability. A positive correlation was found between the rheological metrics of the dough and the textural parameters of BBSG-added cookies. PCA analysis revealed that complex viscosity, G′, G″, and cohesiveness separated BBSG focaccia from RBSG focaccia and the control. Therefore, the rheological properties of BSG dough will have industrial relevance for 3D-printed customized food products with fiber. Adding RBSG and BBSG to selected foods will increase the up-cycling potential by combining techno-functional properties.

In hay milk production, fermented feed, like silage, is forbidden. This study aims to reveal the presence of silages made from maize or grass in the diet of dairy cows through the detection of cyclopropane fatty acids (CPFAs) in their milk. It also investigates how CPFAs in their milk declines when the diets of the cows are transitioned from one containing silage to one that does not include silage. CPFAs were quantified in silages collected on the farm, and the relationship between the dietary intake of CPFAs from silages and the marker concentration in milk was investigated. Except for one sample (below LOQ), CPFAs were never detected in hay milk, while they were found in 98% and 85% of milk samples obtained from cows whose diet included maize or grass silage as the only fermented component, respectively. CPFAs were found to still be detectable in milk 56 days after the removal of maize silage from the diet, while they were no longer detectable about three weeks after removing grass silage from the ration. A quantitative positive relationship was detected between CPFAs content in the milk and the dietary intake of CPFAs from silages. CPFAs can be regarded as reliable markers to detect the occurrence of silages in the ration, but it is more effective for maize than for grass silage.

Texture is a relevant parameter for the assessment of cured ham's quality. In this study a rapid on-line instrumental technique for the measurement of the texture of pieces of cured smoked ham intended for sale as "Speck Alto Adige" PGI was developed. Speck samples were subjected to a compression test using a portable Shore A tester, and instrumental data were compared with conventional texture analyses (texture profile analysis and stress relaxation test) and with sensory evaluations. First, a hardness range in which a threshold value could be identified for the eligibility of 120 speck samples for the "Speck Alto Adige" PGI indication was established; afterwards, a Shore A hardness threshold value of 48 was defined based on measurements of more than 1000 samples. These findings may help manufacturers to determine the textural properties of Speck, based on a simple and rapid instrumental analysis.