The Pitahaya, commonly known as "dragon fruit", is a fruit originating in Central America and the Peruvian jungle whose fruit can be of different colors such as yellow, purple, red and white. This fruit has a high nutritional value, highlighting the content of ascorbic acid that is between 4-25 mg / 100g depending on its species, with the highest value being the red species. Pitahaya is a fruit with a high antioxidant capacity, even superior to that of other cacti, such as prickly pear. It presents bioactive compounds such as betalains; that favor stress-related disorders and have anti-inflammatory effects, it also has betanins and betacyanins; they are a source of natural dye. This review work aimed to collect information on the studies carried out on the Pitahaya related to its cultivation, physicochemical characteristics, nutritional composition, and bioactive compounds, for their health benefits, such as; avoid premature aging, reduce blood pressure levels and alleviate stomach and intestinal problems, and the consumption of pitahaya is recommended to counteract diseases such as diabetes and colon cancer.

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages worldwide; however, with consumers more aware of food's environmental and nutritional benefits, there is a demand for more sustainable and value-added products. Andean pseudocereals (APS) are becoming a trend as gluten-free grains with excellent nutritional and nutraceutical value. Cultivated under the extreme climate conditions of the Peruvian Andes, APS seeds are an excellent source of starch, fiber, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids and flavonoids with antioxidant capacity that provide potential health benefits. This review is a compilation of the information and studies on the general characteristics and potential of the main APS as quinoa, amaranth, and cañihua for beer production. In addition, current evidence of the malting process in APS and its effects on beer's nutritional, functional, and sensory properties are also provided. Based on the research supporting the pseudocereals inclusion for the formulation of foods for celiac people, this review also looks at recent advances in applying APS to develop traditional and gluten-free (GF) beers. Finally, APS's economic, cultural, and social importance in the brewing industry is highlighted to promote the creation and innovation of fermentative products based on their bioactive compounds, thus achieving better commercial exploration of these ancestral grains.

The global growth of the craft beer market has driven the use of native ingredients to improve the sensorial and nutritional qualities of the product. This study investigated the optimization of an Ale-type craft beer from Pilsen malt (PM) with the addition of cañihua malt (CM) and aguaymanto juice (AJ), using a D-optimal experimental design. The independent variables were CM (5–25%) and AJ (5–15%), which influenced the physicochemical, technological, and sensorial attributes of the beer. The results show that CM and AJ improve the physicochemical properties of the beer, such as foam stability and alcohol content, while maintaining comparable levels of specific gravity, turbidity, and bitterness with the control sample. The addition of AJ significantly altered the physicochemical profile of the beer, in particular by reducing pH and increasing acidity. Sensory analysis revealed positive consumer acceptance, with favorable evaluations of aroma, appearance, and body, particularly in samples containing moderate levels of CM and AJ. In addition, consumer purchase intention was high for these formulations. Optimization through the desirability function determined that the ideal ingredient concentrations were 74.52% PM, 15.55% CM, and 8.93% AJ. Within the ranges studied, it is concluded that the addition of CM and AJ successfully produced a craft beer with notable nutritional benefits and high sensory acceptability.

Germinated Andean lupin whole flour (GAL) is rich in protein, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, and bioactive compounds, representing a promising alternative for the development of sustainable plant-based foods. This study investigated the feasibility of partially replacing soy protein isolate (SPI) with GAL in high-moisture extruded meat analogues. A central composite design was applied to evaluate the effects of the GAL ratio (0:100–50:50) and feed moisture content (50–70%) on the technological properties of the extrudates. The Response Surface Methodology was used to model and optimize the process. The incorporation of GAL significantly affected the (p < 0.10) water solubility index (WSI), oil absorption capacity (OAC), cooking loss (CL), yellowness (b*), cohesiveness, and adhesiveness, generating predictive models with satisfactory goodness-of-fit (R² > 0.75). Increasing GAL levels increased the WSI from 6.21 to 18.79% and cooking loss from 1.01 to 3.84%, while reducing OAC from 239.42 to 166.57%, indicating substantial modifications in matrix organization and hydration behavior. Numerical optimization identified an optimal formulation containing 12% GAL, 88% SPI, and 65.5% feed moisture, with a desirability of 77.82%. Model validation showed relative deviations lower than 10% between predicted and experimental values. The optimized meat analogue exhibited high protein content (84.44%), favorable techno-functional properties, and improved nutritional quality, with higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (17.34 g·100 g⁻¹ protein), essential amino acids (33.32 g·100 g⁻¹ protein), and in vitro protein digestibility (90.1%) compared with the control formulation. Multivariate analyses confirmed that phenylalanine, histidine, methionine, and leucine were the main variables that discriminated between the protein sources and the extruded products. Overall, GAL demonstrated strong potential as a sustainable functional ingredient to produce nutritionally enhanced high-moisture meat analogues.

Traditional wheat-based pasta is widely consumed; however, its reformulation with functional plant-based ingredients remains challenging because technological quality, bioactive properties, and consumer acceptance must be balanced. This study aimed to optimize and validate a functional pasta formulation by partially replacing wheat flour (WF) with lupin flour (LF) and flaxseed flour (FF). A 2² central composite rotatable design was applied, using LF (2–12%) and FF (5–15%) as independent variables. Instrumental color, cooking properties, texture, total soluble phenolic compounds (TSPC), antioxidant capacity (ORAC), and sensory acceptance were evaluated. Flour substitution significantly affected pasta quality, particularly color, cooking behavior, and texture. Increasing FF reduced lightness and increased redness, whereas higher LF contributed to yellowness. Although cooking and texture properties were modified, several formulations maintained acceptable technological performance, with low cooking loss and suitable texture-related attributes. Enriched pasta showed significantly higher TSPC and ORAC values than the control, indicating enhanced bioactive potential. Sensory evaluation revealed moderate to high acceptance, although excessive substitution negatively affected color and texture perception. Sensory acceptance was mainly associated with texture, stickiness, and cooking time. Numerical optimization identified an optimal formulation with 12.0% LF and 12.13% FF, achieving an overall desirability of 77.3%. Validation assays showed good agreement between predicted and experimental values, confirming model adequacy. Overall, lupin and flaxseed flours are promising ingredients for developing functional pasta with improved bioactive potential and acceptable technological and sensory quality.