The rising interest in finding alternatives to animal rennet in cheese production has led to studying the technological feasibility of using and exploiting new species of herbaceous plants. In this research work, and for the first time, freeze-dried extracts from Cynara humilis L. (CH) and Onopordum platylepis Murb. (OP) were studied for mineral and protein content, and their clotting and proteolytic activity were compared to those of Cynara cardunculus L. (CC). The effect of extract concentration (5–40 mg extract/mL), temperature (20–85 °C), pH (5–8), and CaCl₂ concentration (5–70 mM) on the milk clotting activity (MCA) of CC, CH and OP extracts was evaluated. The MCA values were significantly higher in CC at the same extract concentration. The extract that showed the most significant increase in clotting activity due to increased temperature was OP, with maximum activity at 70 °C. The pH value for maximum milk clotting was 5.0 for both CC and CH, whereas, in the case of OP, the pH value was 5.5. CaCl₂ enhanced the clotting capacity of the extracts, particularly for OP and CH. Furthermore, proteolytic activity (PA) and the hydrolysis rate increased with increasing time and enzyme concentration, with CC being the extract that achieved the highest caseinolytic activity.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extended maturation and temperature increase on the physico-chemical, biochemical, instrumental color and texture, sensory, and acceptability parameters of cured and boneless Iberian hams. Given the limited knowledge in this area, our objective was to develop a ham with enhanced proteolysis, potentially leading to increased bioactive peptide generation and superior sensory characteristics compared to salt-reduced counterparts. To achieve this, a batch of hams cured up to 38% loss at 30 °C and two batches cured up to 42% loss at 30 °C and 36 °C were evaluated. Results showed that the increase in processing time and temperature significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) ham proteolysis and amino acid content without adversely affecting its texture. No significant differences were observed in instrumental texture parameters or sensory attributes as evaluated by consumers. These processing conditions also increased the content of free amino acids, improving the product quality. Overall, these processing modifications resulted in hams with excellent sensory acceptability and enhanced bioactive potential despite the salt reduction.

In recent years, several studies have shown the antioxidant and antihypertensive potential of bioactive peptides. Thus, bioactive peptides are likely to be a valuable substance for the development of functional foods. There are a wide variety of sources of these peptides, including several cereals. Teff is an Ethiopian-rooted cereal with an interesting nutritional profile, mainly due to its high amount of protein. In this study, teff flour was subjected to a defatting process for optimizing the protein extraction. Such extraction was performed by precipitation from its isoelectric point, a crucial step that separates the protein from other components based on their charge. The protein obtained was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis by pepsin and Cynara cardunculus L. The antihypertensive (angiotensin-I-converting enzyme ―ACE-I― inhibitory activity) and antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl ―DPPH― radical scavenging activity) of the peptides were determined. According to the IC₅₀ values, the results obtained showed that the peptides from teff flour show promising bioactivity compared to other cereals. Furthermore, the peptides from teff flour obtained from C. cardunculus L. showed higher antioxidant activity (defatted teff flour ―DTF―: 0.59 ± 0.05; protein extract ―EP― : 1.04 ± 0.11) than those obtained with pepsin (DTF: 0.87 ± 0.09; EP: 1.73 ± 0.11). However, C. cardunculus L. hydrolyzate peptides showed lower inhibitory activity of ACE-I (DTF: 0.59 ± 0.07; EP: 0.61 ± 0.05) than the pepsin hydrolyzate (DTF: 0.15 ± 0.02; EP: 0.33 ± 0.05).

Algae are a booming resource in the food industry due to their several health benefits. This study assesses the impact of the combined use of selected macro- and microalgae to improve the nutritional profile and the labeling of a vegetable cream by the introduction of nutrition and health claims. As macroalgae, two Ascophyllum nodosum L., one natural (An) and one smoked (AnS), were selected for their high iodine concentration and flavor notes. A new strain of Chlorella vulgaris, golden (CvG), was selected as the microalgae, which is rich in proteins and has a neutral sensorial profile (golden color and mild flavor). In this study, two vegetable creams were compared. The control (CTRL) versus one enriched with a mixture of macroalgae and microalgae (CV-AN). Sensory, physicochemical, and functional properties of both vegetable creams were evaluated. The bioactivity assessed was the effect of iodine as a health claim and antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. CV-AN vegetable cream showed significantly higher values (p < 0.05) for protein content, iodine value, and antioxidant activity, with no significant differences (p > 0.05) in antihypertensive activity or sensory panel. The incorporation of these algae resulted in a vegetable cream with a better nutritional profile and sensory acceptability comparable to the control, offering protein and iodine source claims in the labeling.

The bioactive potential of dairy-derived peptides has attracted increasing interest due to their capacity to exert antioxidant and antihypertensive effects. This study investigated three artisanal cheeses manufactured with animal rennet (CTRL), Onopordum platylepis extract (OP), or a mixture of both coagulants (AR/OP) to compare their peptide profiles and associated bioactivities. Water-soluble extracts were analyzed to identify precursors and released bioactive peptides, and in vitro assays were performed to assess antioxidant activity and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. The analysis of precursors suggested a predominance of antioxidant sequences in CTRL and ACE-inhibitory precursors in OP, with AR/OP showing intermediate values. However, direct peptide identification confirmed that the AR/OP mixture produced a wider range of peptides with antioxidant activity, while OP and AR/OP exhibited similarly high levels of ACE-inhibiting peptides. These results were consistent with in vitro assays, which confirmed AR/OP as the most active sample for antioxidant potential and OP, closely followed by AR/OP, as the strongest for ACE inhibitory activity. Overall, the integration of precursor analysis, peptide identification, and experimental validation highlights the influence of the coagulant on the generation of bioactive peptides, suggesting that the use of Onopordum platylepis Murb. (O. platylepis) alone or in combination with animal rennet may enhance the functional properties of cheese.

Plant-derived coagulants are increasingly explored as alternatives to animal rennet. This study provides the first evaluation of the coagulation kinetics and technological properties of Onopordum platylepis Murb. in ewe’s milk. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize temperature (30, 33, and 36 °C), pH (5.5, 6.0, and 6.5), and calcium chloride concentration (2, 4, and 6 mM). The optimal conditions for minimizing milk-clotting time were 36 °C, pH 5.5, and 6 mM CaCl₂. Under standardized activity (50 IMCU/L), the Rheological properties of gels produced by Onopordum platylepis were compared with Cynara cardunculus, Cynara humilis, animal rennet, a commercial plant coagulant, and fermentation-produced chymosin. Onopordum platylepis showed slower curd-firming rates than animal rennet and Cynara cardunculus, but similar behavior to Cynara humilis. Gels produced with Onopordum platylepis exhibited firmness comparable to commercial plant coagulants. The water-holding capacity was similar to other coagulants, though protein losses were higher for Onopordum platylepis, Cynara humilis, and Cynara cardunculus than animal rennet. Overall, Onopordum platylepis demonstrates potential for ewe’s milk cheese production, in which highly proteolytic coagulants are used.