Due to global development and increased public awareness of food’s effects on health, demands for innovative and healthy products have risen. Biodegradable and environmentally friendly polymer usage in modern food products is a promising approach to reduce the negative health and environmental effects of synthetic chemicals. Also, desirable features such as flavor, texture, shelf-life, storage condition, water holding capacity, a decrease in water activity, and an oil absorption of fried food have been improved by many polysaccharides. One of the important polymers, which is applied in the food industry, is alginate. Alginates are a safe and widely used compound in various industries, especially the food industry, which has led to innovative methods for for the improvement of this industry. Currently, different applications of alginate in stable emulsions and nano-capsules in food applications are due to the crosslinking properties of alginate with divalent cations, such as calcium ions, which have been studied recently. The main aim of this review is to take a closer look at alginate properties and applications in the food industry.

In the Western world, the successful introduction of insect consumption may need awareness of insect ingredient benefits, and consumers’ anticipation of insect-based foods with sensory quality is crucial. The objective of this study was to develop protein-rich nutritional chocolate chip cookies (CCC) from cricket powder (CP) and analyze their physicochemical, liking, emotions, purchase intent, and sensory properties. The CP additions levels were 0%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. Chemical composition, physicochemical, and functional properties were analyzed using individual and mixed CP and wheat flour (WF). The proximate composition of CP mainly consisted of ash (3.9%), fat (13.4%), and protein (60.7%). In vitro protein digestibility of CP was 85.7%, whereas the essential amino acid score was 0.82. The CP inclusion significantly impacted the WF functional and rheological properties in all given incorporation levels in flour blends and doughs. The incorporation of CP produced darker and softer CCC, resulting from the effect of the CP protein. Adding 5% of CP did not impact the sensory attributes. Purchase intent and liking improved by using 5% of CP after panelists had revealed the beneficial information regarding CP. Concerning emotion terms, “happy” and “satisfied” significantly decreased while the negative emotion term “disgusted” increased among the highest CP substitute levels (7.5% and 10%) after beneficial information. Overall liking, flavor linking, education, consumption intent, gender, age, and positive emotion term “happy” were significantly assertive predictors affecting purchase intent.

Cell inflammation disrupts intestinal barrier functions and may cause disorders related to a leaky gut, possibly leading to diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine if carao (Cassia grandis) incorporated into yogurt enhances in vitro intestinal barrier function. To achieve this goal, Caco-2 cells were used as a model of intestinal barrier permeability. Caco-2 cells were treated with cytokines (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and yogurt with carao yogurt (CY) at different doses (1.3 g/L, 2.65 g/L, and 5.3 g/L). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain and immunofluorescence microscopy were applied to evaluate the expression and localization of tight junction proteins. Functional effects of the formulation of yogurt supplemented with carao were also evaluated in terms of the antioxidant activity, the α-glycosidase activity, and lipase inhibitory properties. In addition, the hypoglycemic potential was validated in vivo in a rat model. Compared to the control yogurt, Caco-2 TEER (transepithelial electrical resistance evaluation) by yogurt with 5.3 g/L of carao was significantly lower (p < 0.05) after 48 h. Yogurt with 5.3 g/L of carao had a considerably lower permeability (p < 0.05) than control yogurt in FD and LY flux. Yogurt with 5.3 g/L of carao enhanced the localization of ZO-1. Carao addition into yogurt increased the flavonoid content, apparent viscosity, lipase inhibition activity, and α-glycosidase activity. The rats fed with the yogurt with 5.3 g/L of carao demonstrated a higher blood glucose modulation.

Gluten-free bread is an important product that is under development using different sources, such as rice and starchy plants. Teosinte seeds are utilized by ethnic groups in Honduras to produce gluten-free flour to prepare traditional baked goods and beverages. The quality of gluten-free products could vary depending on flour properties, such as amylose content, particle size, and water absorption capacity. A good strategy for developing baked goods is to mix different cereal grain sources to optimize their physicochemical properties. As a result, the current study aimed to develop bread from novel flours including teosinte (TF), high-protein brown rice (BRF), and high-protein white rice (WRF). Breads were analyzed for hardness, specific volume, and color utilizing a Simplex-Centroid mixture design coupled with the desirability function. Pasting, and rheological characteristics of the flours, were also analyzed. For flour characteristics, TF addition to BRF or WRF decreased the peak, trough, breakdown, setback, and final viscosities, which would result in a more stable bread and decrease the flow index of rice flour dispersions. BRF and WRF had similar pasting properties, except that BRF had a lower breakdown viscosity. For bread characteristics, TF addition to BRF or WRF increased the specific volume and hardness of the bread compared to rice flour alone. L* of the crust and crumb a* values were increased with greater TF in the mixture, whereas TF decreased the crust a*and b* values and crumb L* values when mixed with BRF or WRF compared to rice flours alone. WRF and BRF were similar in crumb color (L* and a*), except that BRF had greater crumb yellowness (b*). Teosinte flour can be used in combination with rice flour to produce bread with good quality.

Hot sauces are popular peppery condiments used to add flavor and sensory excitement to gastronomical preparations. While hot sauce occupies a retail category well over a century old, a novel production method using liquor as the base preservative rather than traditional vinegar is now commercially available, and its uniqueness begs study. Hot sauces produced with tequila, rum, vodka, and bourbon were compared to traditional vinegar-based hot sauces concerning physicochemical properties, volatile compounds, microbiological quality, sensory scores, emotions, and purchase intent (PI). Under accelerated conditions, pH, titratable acidity (TA), water activity (Aw), viscosity, and color were analyzed weekly for 20 weeks, whereas rheological properties, coliforms and yeasts and molds were examined on weeks 1 and 20. Hexyl n-valerate, butanoic acid, 3-methyl-, hexyl ester, and 4-methylpentyl 3-methylbutanoate were found in high concentrations in the pepper mix as well as the hot sauce produced with vinegar. When compared to vinegar-based hot sauces, liquor-based hot sauces had similar Aw (p > 0.05), higher pH, viscosity, and L* values and lower TA, a*, and b* values (p < 0.05). Samples formulated with liquors increased the relaxation exponent derived from G’ values having a greater paste formation when compared to vinegar-based hot sauces. The sensory evaluation was carried out in Honduras. The liquor-based hot sauces had a significant (p < 0.05) impact on emotion and wellness terms. Bourbon and tequila samples had higher ratings than control samples in several wellness and emotion responses (active, energetic, enthusiastic, good, curious, pleased, stimulated, and wild). Adventurous, joyful, free, worried, refreshed, and healthy scores were not significantly (p > 0.05) different among treatments.