Open Access Agricultural Journals published by Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information

The study aims to determine certain physicochemical properties (moisture, ash, titratable acidity, pH, and color), total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC, ABTS, DPPH) and bioaccessibility of 20 bee pollen samples (10 unpackaged and 10 trademarked products in their original packages) sold in Turkey. The total phenolic content of the bee pollen samples was detected as 147.10-462.02 mg GAE/g and bioaccessibility ranged from 36.91% to 77.87%. The highest total value for antioxidant capacity was assessed as 83.24-257.27 μmol TE/g by the CUPRAC method. When the bioaccessibility of the antioxidant capacity of bee pollen was compared among the methods, the highest value (95.76%) was obtained for the sample M by the CUPRAC method. Antioxidant capacity and bioaccessibility of the unpackaged bee pollen samples were lower than those of the trademarked products. Based on overall evaluations, it can be deduced that bee pollen known for its potential beneficial effects on health may well be used as a functional food additive in the production of various food products with its high antioxidant and bioaccessibility features.

Thermosonication (TS), also known as ultrasonic-assisted heat treatment, is gaining attention in liquid product processing due to its ability to improve quality parameters and can serve as an alternative to thermal treatments. The parsley juice (TS-PJ) was subjected to thermosonication treatment (frequency: 26 kHz; power: 200 W; amplitude 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100%; temperature: 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 °C; time: 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 min) and was compared with untreated control parsley juice (C-PJ) and pasteurized treated (P-PJ) (85 °C/2 min) parsley juice samples. The objectives of the research work were to determine the effect of thermosonication on the quality attributes such as total chlorophyll and ascorbic acid of parsley juice using particle swarm algorithm (PSO), multiple linear regression (MLR), and response surface methodology (RSM). Thermosonication enhanced the bioactive compounds of parsley juice. The results showed that 15 phenolic compounds were detected in the samples. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in gallic acid contents in ultrasound-treated TS-PJ. There was no significant difference in total chlorophyll and ascorbic acid content between C-PJ and TS-PJ samples. Na and K from macro minerals and Fe and Zn from micro minerals were high in PJ samples. While K contents were increased, P contents were lower in the TS-PJ sample. RSM modeling provided superior prediction compared to MLR. PSO, on the other hand, made good predictions intuitively. Thermosonication enriched parsley juice's bioactive components and had positive health effects.

Honey, produced by honeybees from nectar in flowers and plants, is an aqueous supersaturated sugar solution, mainly composed of fructose and glucose. The quality and biochemical properties of honey are related to honey maturity, production methods, processing and storage conditions, climatic conditions as well as the nectar source of the honey. In this study, 35 honey samples of different sizes and packaging all of which were sold in Istanbul were examined in terms of some physicochemical and microbiological properties. All samples were floral liquid honey. The physicochemical characterizations were as follows: average moisture (16.31±1.40%), ash (0.30±0.29%), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) (8.09±7.63 mg/kg), pH (4.32±0.34), acidity (30±9 meq/kg). In addition, total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeast and mold analyses were performed in these samples. According to the microbiological analyses; the average total number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria was 2.68 log cfu/g. Enterobacteriaceae have not been observed in the samples. However, in three samples, mold-yeasts were detected at the levels between 1.30 and 1.60 log cfu/g.

Oleaster flours were produced from two different genotypes (GO1 and GO2) and methods (peeled oleaster flour: POF and unpeeled oleaster flour: UPOF). Oleaster flour samples (OFs) contained high levels of dietary fibers and micro minerals. The contents of Fe, Cu, B, and Cr in flours obtained from oleaster fruits were higher in UPOF than in POF samples. Palmitic acid was the major fatty acid which was followed by oleic acid and lignoceric acid. All samples contained greater amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) as compared to mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Among seven different organic acids detected, the level of citric acid was the highest and it was followed by malic, acetic and oxalic acids. High nutritional contents of oleaster flour indicated that it is a good source of dietary fiber, micro minerals, as well as organic and fatty acids. The water solubilities (WS) and water absorption capacities (WAC) of oleaster flours were adequate for their utilization. They also seem to have an improving effect on emulsion properties of albumin. These results highlighted that it is possible to use the oleaster flour in some processed foods such as bakery goods, dairy products (ice cream and yoghurt), beverages and confectionery. Moreover, the oleaster flour could also be used in the preparation of low-fat, high-fiber dietetic products due to its high dietary fiber content.