The growing human population renders challenges for the future supply of food products with high nutritional value. Here, we enhanced the functional and nutritional value of biscuits, a popular sweet snack, by replacing the wheat flour with 2%, 6%, or 10% (w/w) cricket powder. Consumer acceptance ratings for reference and 2% augmented cookies were comparable, whereas the higher levels of enhancement received inferior consumer scores. This relatively small change in biscuit recipe provided significant and nutritionally desirable enhancements in the biscuits, observed in a series of analyses. An increase in the protein content was observed, including essential amino acids, as well as minerals and fat. This conversion also affected the physical properties of the biscuits, including hardness, and water molecular dynamics measured by ¹H NMR. Cricket powder-augmented biscuits join the line of enhanced, functionally superior food products. This and similar food augmentation provide a viable scenario to meet the human food demands in the future.

The paper presents the effect of replacing starch (at 2%, 6% and 10%) with cricket powder (CP) on the water behavior studied by the ¹H NMR method, as well as the texture of gluten-free bread during 6-day storage. It was noticed that the bread crumb containing CP has lower water transport rate than the control bread crumb, while concluding that 2% CP stabilizes water transport throughout the entire staling time range. The NMR analyzes showed that the initial T₂₁ values are the higher, the more starch has been replaced with the CP, however, after 6 days of storage, all tested samples are characterized by similar values of the T₂₁ parameter. A decrease in long component of spin-spin relaxation time T₂₂ during storage was also observed. It has been noted that the replacement of starch to 2% and 6% CP causes an increase in the molecular dynamics of water. The less starch present, the greater the potential for bulk molecules to move. The observed changes at the molecular level resulted in macroscopic changes in the texture of the bread. After analyzing the hardness parameter of the tested breads, it was found that on the day of baking, bread without the addition of CP had significantly higher values of this parameter than breads with CP. For the sample without CP, the highest increase in total hardness change (123.93%) was noted during storage, which indicates the fastest texture change process. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of cricket powder to enrich gluten-free bread can not only improve the nutritional value, but also effectively delay the process of bread staling.

The aim of this paper was to monitor changes of antioxidant activity and phenolic contents of pasta enriched with black locust flower (BLF) addition (in such percentages as 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10) after thermal processing. Pasta microstructure, texture, and consumer acceptance were determined as well. The BLF addition increased the content of phenolics and antioxidant activity. Comparing to the control, the total polyphenol compounds content was two times higher (0.27 ± 0.01 and 0.63 ± 0.01 mg FAE/g, respectively), and the flavonoid concentration increased from 0.48 to 204.46 µg/g in case of 10% addition. It was also observed that the thermal processing improved antioxidant properties of pasta measured in vitro. Moreover, changes in the culinary behavior, texture and microstructure of samples were observed as well. However, changes in the texture and proximate composition of the pasta with 2.5% BLF did not change the consumer attractiveness of the obtained pasta. Practical applications Adequate supply of both nutrients and non-nutrients (including antioxidants) is the basic condition for the proper conduct of all human life processes. Cereal products are the basic product category on the food market. Application to the production of a commonly found raw material (BLF) will allow low financial expense to widen the range of pasta produced. Another element important from the nutritional point of view is the innovative, previously unused composition of pasta, which undoubtedly improves the functioning of the body, but also can prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress. In summary, the pasta has an innovative nutritional qualities and health benefits, unprecedented so far in traditional on the market for products of this type.

Vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids are a valuable component of the human diet. Properly composed oil blends are characterized by a 5:1 ratio of ω6/ω3 fatty acids, which is favorable from a nutritional point of view. Unfortunately, their composition makes them difficult to use in food production, as they are susceptible to oxidation and are often characterized by a strong smell. Encapsulation in yeast cells is a possible solution to these problems. This paper is a report on the use of native and autolyzed yeast in the encapsulation of oils. The fatty acid profile, encapsulation efficiency, morphology of the capsules obtained, and thermal behavior were assessed. Fourier transform infrared analysis and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time measurements were also performed. The process of yeast autolysis changed the structure of the yeast cell membranes and improved the loading capacity. Lower encapsulation yield was recorded for capsules made from native yeast; the autolysis process significantly increased the value of this parameter. It was observed that NY-based YBMCs are characterized by a high degree of aggregation, which may adversely affect their stability. The average size of the AY capsules for each of the three oil blends was two times smaller than the NY-based capsules. The encapsulation of oils in yeast cells, especially those subjected to the autolysis process, ensured better oxidative stability, as determined by DSC, compared to fresh blends of vegetable oils. From LF NMR analysis of the relaxation times, it was shown that the encapsulation process affects both spin-lattice T₁ and spin-spin T₂* relaxation times. The T₁ time values of the YBMCs decreased relative to the yeast empty cells, and the T₂* time was significantly extended. On the basis of the obtained results, it has been proven that highly unsaturated oils can be used as an ingredient in the preparation of functional food via protection through yeast cell encapsulation.

The results of studies published in recent years indicate the broad biological activity of potato juice (PJ), which is a byproduct of the starch production process. Among the most frequently described activities are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects. Nevertheless, this waste juice is produced by the processing of many varieties of potatoes with different proportions, which does not allow to conclude on the biological activity of individual varieties. This article is a report on the antioxidant activity of PJ from seven selected potato varieties, their profile of polyphenolic compounds, and the content of glycoalkaloids (GAs). The use of similar cultivation conditions allowed to eliminate the influence of environmental factors on the content of the analyzed compounds. The influence of PJ on the growth of probiotic, commensal, and pathogenic bacteria was also assessed. It was shown that the varieties significantly influenced the differences in antioxidant activity as well as the content of GAs, but despite the observed differences, none of them showed antimicrobial activity. Therefore, it can be concluded that an appropriately selected variety will make it possible to obtain PJ that will be characterized by high antioxidant activity and, at the same time, will be safe from the toxicological point of view.

Despite the widely described high nutritional value of insects, many authors suggest significant differences in the nutrient content depending on the breeding conditions, preparation methods, or even geographical origin. To date, there is no reports on the technological and physical properties of cricket powder (CP). This article describes the properties of 3 CPs of various geographic origins. The oil-absorption, water-binding, foaming capacities and foam stability were analysed. Thermal changes by DSC, water behaviour by LF-NMR and FTIR analysis were performed as well. On the obtained results, it was found that all analysed cricket powders were characterized by a high content of protein and fat. The geographical origin did not affect oil absorption, while the differences were recorded for water-binding. No foaming properties were observed in any of CPs. Thermal analysis showed the beginning of protein degradation at temperatures above 110 °C. Despite the differences in the water behaviour of dry CPs, no significant changes in hydrated CPs were observed. On the basis of the obtained results, it was found that the geographic origin of cricket powder will not affect the differences in technological properties, and thus the application of CP as an additive increasing the nutritional value can be widely used.