Joan Oñate Narciso

Enzyme catalysis is important in food processing, such as in baking, dairy, and fiber processing and beverages. A recent advancement in catalysis is the development of Pickering emulsions as enzymatic catalytic systems; however, the use of Pickering emulsions (PEs) as catalytic systems in foods remains largely underdeveloped. Challenges exist that inhibit the widespread adoption of PEs as catalytic systems in foods. These limitations include the limited food-grade solid particle stabilizers, their poor dual wettability, and the potential effects of surface modifications of the solid particles on the stability and efficiency of the PEs. In this Review, the two types of PE catalysis (Pickering-assisted catalysis and Pickering interfacial catalysis), their formation, and some of their applications in the food industry are presented. In addition, the proposed solutions and strategies to improve the PE catalyst design are introduced. An outlook on how the field of PE catalysis will progress is briefly highlighted.

Allergies towards gluten and legumes (such as, soybean, peanut, and faba bean) are a global issue and, occasionally, can be fatal. At the same time, an increasing number of households are shifting to plant protein ingredients from these sources, which application and consumption are limited by said food allergies. Children, the elderly, and people with immune diseases are particularly at risk when consuming these plant proteins. Finding ways to reduce or eliminate the allergenicity of gluten, soybean, peanut, and faba bean is becoming crucial. While thermal and pH treatments are often not sufficient, chemical processes such as glycation, polyphenol conjugation, and polysaccharide complexation, as well as controlled biochemical approaches, such as fermentation and enzyme catalysis, are more successful. Non-thermal treatments such as microwave, high pressure, and ultrasonication can be used prior to further chemical and/or biochemical processing. This paper presents an up-to-date review of promising chemical, biochemical, and non-thermal physical treatments that can be used in the food industry to reduce or eliminate food allergenicity.

Fossil-based plastic is a popular material for food packaging. It can cause negative environmental consequences due to its low biodegradability. To address this challenge, a pectin-based edible plastic with added nutritional value by incorporating whole-grain kabog millet flour was prepared. The pectin in the films was extracted by microwave-assisted and enzymatic procedures from orange peel wastes. The extracted pectin was tested for its degree of esterification using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, its molecular weight and behavior in aqueous solutions using size-exclusion chromatography, and its monosaccharide composition using ion-exchange chromatography. Biodegradable and edible pectin films were produced and tested for their mechanical properties: maximum strain, maximum stress, and water contact angle. The results showed a significant increase in hydrophobicity of the film surface by adding whole-grain kabog millet flour. The maximum strain of the film, however, was reduced to around 80% upon the addition of the whole-grain kabog millet flour. Enzymatically-extracted pectin increased the film hydrophobicity. Hydrophobic surfaces have higher water resistance; thus, the enzymatically-extracted pectin can be developed for further applications. Due to the low elasticity of the films, a possible application would be as direct coating of fruits and vegetables incorporating antioxidants or antimicrobials.

Consumption of underutilised ancient crops has huge benefits for our society. It improves food security by diversifying our staple foods and makes our agriculture more adaptable to climate change. The Philippines has a rich biodiversity and many plant species used as staple foods are native to the Philippines. An example of ancient Philippine crops is the kabog millet, an ecotype of Panicum miliaceum. There is a dearth of information about its uses and properties; hence, in this study, the nutritional quality of kabog millet was evaluated. The total starch, % amylose, ash, dietary fibre, proteins, essential amino acid profile, phenolic acids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and the antioxidant properties of its total phenolic acid extracts were compared to four types of rice (white, brown, red, and black) and a reference millet, purchased from local Swiss supermarkets. Our analyses showed that kabog millet has higher total dietary fibre, total protein, total phenolic acids, tocopherols, and carotenoids content than white rice. It also performed well in antioxidant assays. Our results indicate that kabog millet is a good alternative to rice. It is hoped that the results of this study will encourage consumers and farmers to diversify their food palette and address food insecurity.

Cultivating ancient crops improves food security by diversifying our staple foods. An example of ancient Philippine crops is the kabog millet, an ecotype of Panicum miliaceum. Little is known about its nutritional quality; hence, the nutritional value of kabog millet was analyzed in comparison to rice and to a reference millet sourced from local supermarkets in Switzerland. We found that whole grain kabog millet has a dietary fiber and ash content almost three times of black rice, protein levels almost double of white rice and 1.5 times higher than black rice, total phenolic acid content more than double than black rice and more than five times higher than the reference millet, and a total carotenoid content that is almost 2.5 times higher than the reference millet and almost five times higher than black rice. To assess the antioxidant activity, DPPH, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) were used. The antioxidant activities of the whole kabog millet were significantly higher than the reference millet in all three assays. By giving attention to underutilized, ancient crops, we are not only saving biodiversity and our planet, but we are also breathing new life into these forgotten ancient treasures.