BoKyung Moon

Oat bars are commonly consumed cereal-based products, and their quality and safety are strongly affected by the formulation and processing conditions. In particular, the type of syrup used as sweetener can influence quality-related attributes, Maillard reaction products (MRPs), antioxidant activity, and acrylamide formation. In addition, the use of different cooking methods may further modify these characteristics. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of syrup type—honey (H), allulose (AL), and fructo-oligosaccharide syrup (FOS)—and cooking method (oven cooking and air frying) on the quality characteristics and acrylamide content of oat bars. Oat bars prepared with AL showed significantly reduced lightness, yellowness, and hardness compared with those prepared using H and FOS. However, AL oat bars also exhibited higher MRP levels, radical scavenging activity, and total polyphenol content, suggesting enhanced antioxidant properties. Markedly higher acrylamide levels were observed in AL oat bars, reaching 1,339.74 ± 10.08 ppb after oven cooking and 1,152.05 ± 1.31 ppb after air frying. In comparison, oat bars prepared with H and FOS showed substantially lower acrylamide concentrations, regardless of the cooking method. The syrup type was found to be a more determining factor than the cooking method in determining the acrylamide levels and overall quality attributes of oat bars. Consequently, choosing an appropriate sweetening agent is essential for enhancing the safety and quality characteristics of oat-based snacks.

This study analyzes the flavonoid, carotenoid, and organic acid profiles of 18 commercial dried citrus chips, including 6 Korean and 12 imported cultivars, which are categorized into citron, pomelo, and mandarin groups based on their origin. Hesperidin and narirutin predominate in citron and mandarin groups, whereas naringin is prevalent in pomelo group. Green tangerine chip showed the highest contents of hesperidin (3180.24 ± 296.55 mg/100 g) and narirutin (424.98 ± 9.23 mg/100 g), while grapefruit chip had the highest naringin content (1916.66 ± 89.66 mg/100 g). β-cryptoxanthin was detected in the citron and mandarin groups, with tangerine chip containing the highest amount (18.35 ± 0.99 μg/g). The citron group exhibited higher organic acid concentrations than pomelo and other mandarin groups. The highest and lowest ascorbic acid contents were found in grapefruit chip and kumquat chip, at 2973.56 ± 56.78 and 111.84 ± 2.17 mg/100 g, respectively.

This study evaluated how air frying conditions, temperature, time, searing, marination, and spices, affect the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and acrylamide in whole chicken and beef steak. 10 HCAs, 4 PAHs, and acrylamide were quantified using UHPLC-(ESI)-QqQ and GC–MS. Higher temperatures and searing increased HCAs and acrylamide levels, especially in beef. In chicken, marination with milk or beer has reduced HCAs by up to 60.6%, with no significant effect on PAHs or acrylamide. In beef, turmeric, rosemary, and garlic suppressed HCA formation, with turmeric showing the greatest reducing effect (69.4%). PAHs were only found in chicken, with HCAs and PAHs showing a strong correlation ( p < 0.01), suggesting similar formation pathways. These findings highlight the role of specific cooking methods and marination ingredients, especially turmeric, in reducing harmful compounds in air-fried meats, offering guidance for safer home and industrial cooking practices.

This study investigated the effects of storage temperature on the functional quality of kimchi during short- and long-term fermentation. Pretreated napa cabbage (NC) quality was analyzed, and kimchi was prepared using pretreated NC and stored at either 4 °C or 15 °C until reaching optimal and excessive fermentation stages. Fermented kimchi samples were analyzed for pH, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts, total polyphenol content (TPC), DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, and glucosinolates and their breakdown products. Fermentation at 15 °C progressed rapidly, reaching the optimal pH range (4.0–4.5) within 3 days, and resulted in significantly higher LAB counts and TPC compared to samples stored at 4 °C (p < 0.05). In contrast, prolonged storage at 4 °C led to a decrease in both TPC, radical scavenging activities, and LAB counts during the excessive fermentation stage. Glucosinolates were progressively degraded overtime; however, their breakdown product, ascorbigen, increased under short-term fermentation at 15 °C than during prolonged storage at 4 °C. These results suggest that short-term fermentation at 15 °C is more effective than long-term fermentation at 4 °C in enhancing the functional quality of kimchi by promoting LAB growth and preserving bioactive compounds.

The levels of acrylamide (AA), four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4), and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in 184 air-fried agricultural, fishery, and animal products were measured using GC–MS and UPLC-MS/MS. Among the tested samples, sea algae exhibited the highest levels of PAH4 and eight specific HAAs (HAA8), while root and tuber crops had the greatest amount of AA. Agricultural and fisheries products had higher levels of all three contaminants, while livestock products had an inverse correlation between PAH4 and HAA8. The margin of exposure in the Korean population is considered “unlikely a concern” for all samples for PAH4 and HAA8, however, that for AA in cereal, vegetable, and root and tuber crops is deemed “may be a concern”, with a value < 10,000 in all age groups. These findings suggest a need to evaluate dietary AA exposure in certain food categories and further research to minimize AA formation during air frying. Graphic abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in imported beef loin before and after cooking, depending on cooking methods, through quality characteristics, biogenic amine (BA) content analysis, and electronic tongue system. Sous-vide (SV), characterized by the least cooking loss, exhibited the highest water content at 64.11%. Pan-grilling (PG), air-frying (AF), and IR-grilling (IR) methods showed a range of water content from 46.90 to 54.19%. In the taste results by the electronic tongue, umami and saltiness were higher in the high cooking temperature methods (PG, AF, IR, and combined sous-vide + pan-grilling [SVP]) than SV (p < 0.05). Compared to the control, total BAs concentrations decreased by 67.32% (SV), 64.90% (AF), 62.46% (IR), and 50.64% (PG), and SVP showed the largest decrease of 68.64% (p < 0.05). Therefore, SVP was considered the most effective cooking method for reducing BAs and maintaining the quality characteristics of beef loin.

Red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a popular and nutritious vegetable. In this study, oven cooking (OV), air-frying (AF), and infrared grilling (IR) were used to cook red bell peppers at different temperatures (170, 180, 190, and 200 °C). Changes in the total phenolic content, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant activity, and sugar and acrylamide content in red bell peppers were evaluated before and after cooking. The total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents decreased significantly after cooking (p < 0.05). Among the three evaluated methods, OV-cooked red bell peppers exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. The acrylamide content showed the lowest levels in OV 170 °C (93.67 ± 3.22 μg/kg dw) and the highest in AF 200 °C (1985.38 ± 76.39 μg/kg dw) samples. Compared to the AF and IR methods, OV was identified as the best way to preserve the antioxidant activity of red bell peppers while reducing acrylamide production.

This study was conducted to identify high‐risk factors and mitigation strategies for acrylamide formation in air‐fried lotus root chips by studying the impact of various cooking parameters, including temperature, time, presoaking, and pre‐seasoning treatments. The temperature and time had a surprisingly high impact on acrylamide formation. The chips prepared at high temperatures with longer cooking times contained an extremely high acrylamide content, reaching 12,786 ng/g (e.g., 170°C/19 min). A particularly concerning discovery was that the chips with extremely high acrylamide content (up to 17 times higher than the EU benchmark level for potato chips) did not appear overcooked or taste burnt. Higher cooking temperatures required shorter cooking times to properly cook lotus root chips for consumption. A high temperature with a short cooking time (170°C/13 min) greatly benefited acrylamide reduction compared to low temperature with a long cooking time (150°C/19 min). Presoaking in a 0.1% acetic acid solution and pre‐seasoning with 1% salt reduced acrylamide levels by 61% and 47%, respectively. However, presoaking in water, vinegar solution, and citric acid solution did not significantly decrease the acrylamide content in the chips. Furthermore, some seasonings significantly increased acrylamide levels (up to 7.4 times higher). For the first time, these findings underscore the high risks associated with air‐frying lotus root chips without considering these factors. This study also provides proper air‐frying parameters and pretreatment strategies for minimizing acrylamide formation in air‐fried lotus chips.