Simultaneous Determination of B₁, B₂, B₃, B₆, B_9, and B₁₂ Vitamins in Premix and Fortified Flour Using HPLC/DAD: Effect of Detection Wavelength: Simultaneous determination of water-soluble B vitamins is a troublesome analytical procedure since they have greatly variable structures and acid-base properties which imposed difficulties on eluting them in short time and selecting wavelength of detection. The aim of the present study was to develop a simple method that overcomes these difficulties. The method was successful in simultaneous determination of B₁, B₂, B₃, B₆, B₉, and B₁₂ in premix and fortified flour by extracting vitamins with 0.1 (w/v) of ascorbate and ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) solution followed by eluting using gradient mobile phase consisting of 0.03 trifluoroacetic acid aqueous solution (pH 2.6) and acetonitrile on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument coupled with diode array detector (DAD). Elution of vitamins was completed within 9.3min, and the lowest values obtained for limit of quantification (LOQ) for B₁, B₂, B₃, B₆, B₉, and B₁₂ were 0.6, 0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7μg/mL, respectively, at four wavelengths of 361, 280, 265, and 210nm. In general, variation of wavelength of detection in the range from 210 to 361nm affects sensitivity but had a marginal effect on the linearity and LOQ of the developed method and its application for determining B vitamins in premix and fortified flour. The 210nm wavelength exhibited the highest sensitivity though resulted in higher values of B vitamins in fortified flour with respect to 265, 280, and 361nm. Noteworthy, determination of B₂ and B₁₂ in the premix at 361nm had relatively high RSD values compared to the lower wavelengths. Thus, wavelengths in the range from 265 to 280 may be more favorable over 210 and 361nm. The method reported in the present work does not require any sample cleanup/preconcentration steps, and chromatographic elution was achieved in 9.3min without the need for ion-pairing reagents.

The production of functional candies has garnered significant attention due to the growing consumer demand for healthier confectionery options. This study investigates the production of functional jelly gum by replacing table sugar and glucose syrup with honey and blueberry concentrate. Various formulations were developed and tested for phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, textural properties, and consumer acceptance. Results showed that the addition of functional ingredients increased the phenolic and flavonoid content compared to the control. The modified jelly gums exhibited strong antioxidant activities, as evidenced by the DPPH assay, with significant differences (p < 0.05) from the control. The DPPH radical scavenging activity correlated strongly with phenolic content (R² = 0.88) and flavonoid content (R² = 0.89). Reducing power ranged from 32.31% to 78.45%, with the T5 sample (containing 30 g honey and 60 g blueberry concentrate) showing the highest activity. The reducing power of all treatments correlated significantly with flavonoid content (R² = 0.75) and phenolic content (R² = 0.83). Sensory analysis revealed that the T4 sample (containing 30 g of honey and 30 g of blueberry concentrate) was the most favorably received by consumers. These findings highlight the potential of using natural ingredients to develop healthier confectionery products that meet consumer demand for confectionery that is both nutritious and appealing.

Ayed Amr, Sarah Jaradat, Hatim AlKhatib, Imad Hamadneh, Lama Hamadneh, Hamadallah Hodali, Moroug Zeadeh, and Mohammad Shahein. Prev Nutr Food Sci 2022;27:457-63. https://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2022.27.4.457

Essential oils (EOs) possess both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in food systems. Variations in EOs effectiveness were dictated by their components, effective concentrations, intrinsic factors of food composition as well as extrinsic factors such as storage temperature. The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of EOs are a result of the presence of phenolic components at high concentrations. EOs could have better effectiveness than single component because these constitutes could act additively or even synergistically in EOs. EOs have antimicrobial activity against wide range of microorganisms and their mode of action is related to disintegration of cellular membrane integrity followed by inactivation of other microbial cells components. The antioxidant mode of action for EOs is related to neutralization free radicals and peroxide decomposition in particularly when tested in meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables. The high effectiveness of EOs indicates that they could replace the synthetic food additives. This scientific review summarizes the most recent studies about effectiveness of EOs as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents to be used in food industry.