The effects of drying parameters on moisture content, water activity, bulk density, water binding capacity (WBC), oil absorption, and color parameters (L*,a*, b*) of foam-mat dried shrimp powders were investigated. Shrimp purees were dried as a foam mat at different drying temperatures (50ºC, 60ºC, and 70ºC) and thicknesses of the foam layer (4 and 8 mm). The experimental results showed that as the temperature increased, the moisture content, water activity, and oil absorption of the samples decreased. However, their solubility increased significantly (P ˂0.05). Bulk density of shrimp powder increased with increasing the thickness of the foam layer. Increasing temperature led to increased and decreased WBC with 4 and 8 mm thickness, respectively. Furthermore, the a*, b*, and L* (at 8 mm thickness) decreased with increasing temperature; however, L* increased at 4 mm thickness. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra showed some major shifts, such as in the region of 1000–1700 cm⁻¹, related to C–O, C–O–C, and C–H band stretching. The differential scanning calorimetry thermograms showed a large peak with a denaturation peak around 72ºC for shrimp proteins.

In this study, the encapsulation of saffron extract (SE) was examined at four various concentrations of soy lecithin (0.5%–4% w/v) and constant concentration of SE (0.25% w/v). Particle size and zeta potential of liposomes were in the range of 155.9–208.1 nm and −34.6–43.4 mV, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency was in the range of 50.73%–67.02%, with the stability of nanoliposomes in all treatments being >90%. Encapsulated SE (2% lecithin) was added to ricotta cheese at different concentrations (0%, 0.125%, 1%, and 2% w/v), and physicochemical and textural properties of the cheese were examined. Lecithin concentration significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected the particle size, zeta potential, stability, and encapsulation efficiency of the manufactured liposomes. In terms of chemical composition and color of the functional cheese, the highest difference was observed between the control cheese and the cheese enriched with 2% liposomal encapsulated SE. Hardness and chewiness increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in the cheeses containing encapsulated SE compared to the control cheese. However, there was no significant difference in the case of adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and gumminess among different cheeses. Overall, based on the findings of this research, liposomal encapsulation was an efficient method for the delivery of SE in ricotta cheese as a novel functional food.