• Alginate beads loaded with stem beet extract were presented as molecular caviar. • Cookies and Turkish delight with alginate beads were also studied. • Beads encapsulation reduced the loss of antioxidant capacity along digestion. • Molecular caviar was less appreciated by consumers than Cookies and delights. • Bioaccesibility was higher for cookies than for delights, stressing matrix effects.

Faced with new trends in healthy eating, there is a need to expand this market. The Argentine Society of Nutrition, based on local and international studies, has suggested that an adequate intake of dairy products not only provides calcium but also provides compounds associated with a decrease in the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. The objectives of this work were to formulate and develop beverages based on orange juice with the addition of liquid and powdered whey, sweetened naturally, and study the physicochemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics. The samples were homogenized and pasteurized at 85 °C for 30 minutes and the pH value, acidity, solids content and colour were analyzed. A just-about-right (JAR) scale was used to evaluate the intensities of the acid taste, bitter taste and flavour, and also the colour attributes, and a 5-point hedonic scale was used to evaluate the global acceptability of the samples. The intensity analyses showed that the taste and colour were “ideal”. With respect to global acceptability, the pleasant categories scored more than 60% and only 10% considered it unpleasant. The beverage presented a pH value, colour and solids content similar to those of other citrus beverages, and was rated as pleasant by the consumers.

A nougat filling formulation sweetened with honey was optimized using a two-factor design with three levels (3, 5 y 7%) for pecans and blueberry powder. Chromatic parameters, water activity, moisture content, and mechanical properties were analyzed using response surface models. According to global desirability criterion, the optimum nougat filling contained 5% pecans and 7% blueberries powder, and it was characterized by: 0,622 N (cutting force), -0.037 N/mm (adhesiveness), 1.03 (elasticity), 0.886 (cohesiveness), 0.664 (water activity), and 18.3% (humidity). Then, the optimum filling was employed to develop a nougat snack, and its storage stability was followed during 35 days. At 25°C the nougat retained its quality properties while at 35°C the fracture stress decreased 3.6 times. Sensory analysis showed very high consumers´ interest in the nougat. The results suggest that the product could have high potential to be launched into the market.

The objective of this work was to develop two freeze-dried snacks from blackcurrant and different sweeteners: honey/isomalt (HI) sweetened with honey/isomalt, and isomalt/stevia (IS) sweetened with isomalt/stevia. Both snacks showed high bioactive compounds retention (>75%) and no significant changes in several physicochemical properties after 6 months storage. Fresh snacks were hard and crunchy, and the perception of consumers within liking categories was: HI: 43%, and IS: 72%. After storage HI snack showed higher acceptance by consumers (75% within liking categories) while IS snack showed a decrease in their acceptance (63% within disliking categories). The penalty analysis showed that the sensory shelf-life of both snacks would be limited by the changes produced in texture and color during storage. HI snack could reach six storage months, while IS would be stored up to 3 months. The use of diverse sweeteners allowed obtaining two different products which could be incorporated into a healthy diet.