Packaging is an integral part of the food industry associated with food quality and safety including food shelf life, and communications from the marketing perspective. Traditional food packaging provides the protection of food from damage and storage of food products until being consumed. Packaging also presents branding and nutritional information and promotes marketing. Over the past decades, plastic films were employed as a barrier to keep food stuffs safe from heat, moisture, microorganisms, dust, and dirt particles. Recent advancements have incorporated additional functionalities in barrier films to enhance the shelf life of food, such as active packaging and intelligent packaging. In addition, consumer perception has influences on packaging materials and designs. The current trend of consumers pursuing environmental-friendly packaging is increased. With the progress of applied technologies in the food sector, sustainable packaging has been emerging in response to consumer preferences and environmental obligations. This paper reviews the importance of food packaging in relation to food quality and safety; the development and applications of advanced smart, active, and intelligent packaging systems, and the properties of an oxygen barrier. The advantages and disadvantages of these packaging are discussed. Consumer perceptions regarding environmental-friendly packaging that could be applied in the food industry are also discussed.

A sustainable food supply is an ever-growing public and planetary health concern influenced by food culture, food practices, and dietary patterns. Globally, the consumption of plant foods that offer physiological and biochemical benefits is increasing. In recent years, products made from yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) tubers and leaves, e.g., in the form of syrup, powder, and herbal tea, have steadily emerged with scientific evidence to validate their possible health claims. Yacon was introduced to New Zealand in 1966, and its products can now be produced on a commercial scale. This paper reviews literature published mainly in the last 10 years concerning the health-related properties of yacon as a wholesome foodstuff and its bioactive components, e.g., fructooligosaccharides. Literature was sourced from Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO Health, and Google Scholar up to June 2019. The potential markets for yacon in the field of food technology and new dietotherapy applications are discussed. Furthermore, the unique features of New Zealand-produced yacon syrup are introduced as a case study. The paper explores the scientific foundation in response to the growing public interest in why and how to use yacon.

Global interest in yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is growing due to its potential as a functional food, attributable to its unique profile of bioactives and high fructooligosaccharide (FOS) content, which vary between cultivars. Our objective was to conduct a comprehensive chemical and nutritional analysis of New Zealand yacon concentrate (NZYC)—a sweet syrup derived from the roots of cultivar ‘New Zealand’, which was first grown in the 1980s. The major minerals in NZYC were potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. The FOS content ranged from 17.6 to 52.7 g/100g. Total phenolic content ranged from 565 to 785 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 g; chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were the major phenolic compounds. The major amino acids were L-arginine, L-glutamic acid, L-proline, L-aspartic acid, and asparagine. The major organic acids were citric, malic, quinic, and fumaric acids. Antioxidant activity ranged from 1084.14 to 3085.78 mg Trolox equivalents per 100 g depending on the assay used. The glycaemic index (GI) value was 40 ± 0.22, classifying it as a low-GI food. These results support the classification of NZYC as a nutraceutical food product for future diet therapy applications.

The increasing awareness on overall health of consumers has driven a shift from fruit juices and carbonated beverages to functional beverages. This research aimed to incorporate yacon concentrate to the formulation of functional beverages to improve the health-related properties. Using yacon concentrate as main ingredients, three functional prototypes have been developed: yacon-collagen, yacon-blackcurrant, and yacon-vitamin c. Sensory evaluation for yacon-collagen and yacon-blackcurrant beverages was conducted by a 9-point hedonic scale. Antioxidant activities of three yacon beverages were evaluated using the CUPRAC, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Yacon-collagen and yacon-blackcurrant beverages were sensory acceptable with ratings above the centre point of the scores (all ratings > 5, n = 50) on four sensory attributes (appearance, sweetness, flavor, overall liking). The antioxidant capacity of yacon-collagen, yacon-blackcurrant, yacon-vitamin c, and yacon concentrate were 1941mg/2300mg/1891mg/1193mg TE/100g (CUPRAC), 1943mg/2404mg/2122mg/1365mg TE/100g (DPPH), and 1219mg/2614mg/2990mg/992mg TE/100g (FRAP). The antioxidant capacity of yacon-blackcurrant and yacon-vitamin c were much higher than that of yacon concentrate because blackcurrant and vitamin c enhanced the antioxidant capacity. The development of yacon functional beverages with acceptable taste, verified health-related properties, applicable shelf-life, as new dietotherapy applications of yacon concentrate, could provide more healthier food products for consumers to exercise healthier food choices.

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), a sustainable foodstuff, is perceived as a functional food because it contains biologically active components, e.g., fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulin, and phenolic compounds that may provide physiological benefits beyond basic nutrition to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. There is a growing public interest in why and how to use yacon. Yacon, originally from South America, has been grown in New Zealand (NZ) since the 1980’s. NZ-produced yacon concentrate NZFOS+ contains the purest natural prebiotic FOS. Our study aimed to examine the phytochemical contents of NZFOS+ and its health-related properties. The glycemic index of yacon concentrate was measured by ISO 26642:2010(E) (n = 10). Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were measured by the spectrometric method. The chlorogenic acid content and phenolic profiling were measured using the liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The antioxidant activity of the yacon concentrate and Manuka honey were compared using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. The results indicated that compared to Manuka honey, yacon concentrate has a lower glycemic index (40 vs. 52); a higher content of total phenolic (5430 mg vs. 744 mg GAE/100 g), total flavonoid (329 mg vs. 22 mg QE/100 g), and chlorogenic acid (11.88 μg vs. 0.08 μg CA/g); and across all assays observed, a significantly higher antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC assay, 892 mg vs. 52.6 mg TE/100 g; FRAP assay, 633 mg vs. 47 mg TE/100 g; DPPH assay, 383 mg vs. 22 mg TE/100 g, respectively). Yacon concentrate has proven potential health benefits and applications associated with the maintenance of health and wellbeing and prevention of chronic diseases. Further investigations are needed for human studies and new applications and use of yacon concentrate. Yacon concentrate (NZFOS+) has potential markets in the development of new food products and new diet therapy applications, e.g., in the form of syrup, and functional prebiotic drinks.

The increasing awareness of the overall health consumers, in particular young people, has driven a shift from fruit juices and carbonated drinks to functional beverages. Functional drinks utilising new ingredients (e.g., prebiotics and probiotics) have now created a niche in the food industry. Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), a perennial plant of the family Asteraceae native to the Andean regions in South America, is an abundant source of prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Yacon was introduced into New Zealand in the 1980s. Yacon fruits are harvested and made into juice concentrate with high-pressure low-temperature processes to reserve the bioactive components. Recently, yacon concentrate (NZFOS+) was awarded Nutra Ingredients Asia Awards. This research aimed to incorporate yacon concentrate to the formulation of functional drinks to improve the health-related properties. By using yacon concentrate as the main ingredients, three prototypes of functional drinks have been developed: yacon with collagen, yacon with blackcurrant, and yacon with vitamin(c). Sensory evaluation for yacon collagen and yacon blackcurrant drinks was conducted by a nine-point hedonic scale from one (very slight perception) to nine (very intense perception). The antioxidant activities of three yacon drinks were evaluated using the cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Yacon collagen and yacon blackcurrant drinks were sensorily acceptable, with ratings above the middle point of the scores (all ratings > 5, n = 50) for four sensory attributes (appearance, sweetness, flavour, and overall liking). The antioxidant capacity of yacon collagen, yacon blackcurrant, and yacon vitamin(c) drinks were 317 mg/368 mg/482 mg TE/100 g (CUPRAC assay) and 163 mg/258 mg/427 mg TE/100 g (FRAP assay), respectively. The antioxidant capacities of yacon blackcurrant and yacon vitamin(c) were much higher than that of yacon-collagen because of the blackcurrant and vitamin c additions that enhanced the antioxidant capacity. The development of yacon functional drinks, as new dietotherapy applications of yacon concentrate (NZFOS+), could provide healthier food products for our consumers to exercise healthier food choices.