The primary aim of this study was to formulate a cake with high antioxidant activity through the incorporation of centrifugally spun gelatin-based fiber which was enriched with caffeic acid. Characterization analyses were conducted to evaluate fibers with different concentrations of caffeic acid (2% and 4%), while simultaneously the effects of thermal and citric acid crosslinking on the physical and functional properties of the encapsulated fibers were investigated. The study revealed varying encapsulation efficiencies of caffeic acid in gelatin fibers (56.34–94.55%), markedly affected by substantial reduction of thermal crosslinking, contrasting with citric acid’s minimal impact. Additionally, citric acid increased total phenolic content (TPC), but thermal treatment notably decreased antioxidant activity (AOA) due to its impact on radical scavenging and phenolic group dissociation. The addition of citric acid significantly reduced water vapor permeability by 22% suggesting an induced crosslinking in both thermal-treated caffeic acid and citric acid samples. The study highlighted reduced AOA and phenolic content in thermally treated fibers (thermally treated gelatin with 2% caffeic acid vs thermally treated gelatin with 4% caffeic acid), suggesting lower water solubility and improved thermal stability with approximately 24% remaining weight after thermogravimetric analysis. Despite this, cakes with thermally treated fibers had higher AOA due to improved heat resistance of fibers. Generally, adding fibers to cakes decreased hardness and pH while increasing TPC, AOA, and volume index, showing a novel approach using centrifugally spun fibers to enrich foods with antioxidants.

Water-soluble films provide convenience, notably in scenarios requiring single-dose or on-the-go packaging, such as dissolvable sachets for individual servings of beverages, effectively minimising excess packaging waste. The main aim of this study was to create edible films that are water-soluble and heat-sealable by utilising a blend of guar gum and orange peel powder. The study investigated the impact of varying orange peel powder content on guar gum edible films’ properties. Physical (thickness, moisture content, swelling index, density, solubility), optical (colour, opacity, light transmittance), and barrier (water vapour transmission rate, water vapour permeability) properties of the films with different concentrations of orange peel powder were evaluated. Moreover, within the scope of utilising these films for packaging dry instant beverages, they were heat-sealed to form pouches and then filled with dry orange peel powder to evaluate their ability to dissolve instantly. As the orange peel powder content in the films increased, thickness, density, and colour parameters such as redness, yellowness, ΔE, chroma, hue angle, and browning index also increased, resulting in more thick, vivid colours and significant colour changes. Conversely, moisture content, swelling index, and light transmittance decreased with higher orange peel levels, impacting the films' textural properties and rendering them more opaque for better protection against light, oxygen, and heat, essential for extending food product shelf life. Moreover, solubility increased as the orange peel content increased, indicating greater water interaction facilitated by the extract's potential plasticising effect.

This study investigated the effects of various guar gum edible coating formulations, incorporating different proportions of waste leek powder and sunflower oil, on weight loss, color parameters (L*, a*, b* values, and ΔE), texture, and shrinkage of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms during a 7-day storage period. The goal was to assess the potential impact of these coatings on preserving the mushrooms’ quality over time. The results showed that the coatings had a significant effect on reducing weight loss compared to uncoated samples. The lowest weight loss was observed in the 0.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil, while the highest was in 2.5% leek powder and 0.1% sunflower oil. Shrinkage was also positively affected by the coatings, with 1.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil showing the most promising results. The L* values of the coated samples declined slightly, indicating better color preservation, while the a* values exhibited stable redness/greenness. On the other hand, b* values increased, indicating an increase in yellowness during storage. The ΔE values were lower for the coated samples, suggesting less color deviation compared to uncoated ones. Overall, the study indicates that these edible coatings have the potential to maintain the quality of mushrooms during storage, leading to better preservation and extended shelf life.