Search Results (605)

The most well-known traditional Greek grape marc distillate made from winemaking pomace is called “Tsipouro”. Its production involves various grape pomace cultivars, preparation protocols, and anise-flavoring or not, and it should be a colorless liquid with intense organoleptic properties due to the raw materials used in its production and have a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5% by volume. This study aimed to characterize the volatilome of tsipouro products by covering as many geographical areas and production styles as possible, as there is a lack of characterization of the aromatic composition of this Greek traditional alcoholic beverage. A Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method was applied in 60 samples, resulting in the identification and semi-quantification of over 90 volatile compounds. The statistical analysis pointed out the metabolites that characterized each traditional product group and underlined the influence of the geographical origin and the production protocol. Aniseed spirits from Northern Greece, Macedonia, Limnos Island, and Thessaly, produced from Muscat pomaces, were found to be richer in terpenes, terpenoids, and flavored compounds, attributing to product aroma and quality; different terpenoids were found to be dominant in Muscat distillates from different regions, showing the importance of geographical origin and production process. In conclusion, the results demonstrated the high aroma variability of the Greek Tsipouro, explained that this diversity is caused mainly by the raw material, and could be helpful in the better protection of the origin of this traditional product and the improvement of its quality. Full article

Whiskey’s complex and diverse flavor stems from a range of reactions that create congeners that are primarily dependent upon the cereal source/mash bill and each stage of the process: malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, and cask maturation. Therefore, in theory, the congener profile of a whiskey is a summation of its ingredients and the specific parameters of each stage of the manufacturing process. Congener profiles have been used as biomarkers for quality and authentication; however, to date, insufficient information has been published in relation to the extensive profiling of congeners associated with specific whiskey styles/types or the intra-and inter-variability within brands, especially in an Irish context due to the recent rapid expansion of the industry. As the ability to extract and identify congeners has progressed appreciably in recent years due to advances in extraction, chromatographic, and chemometric techniques, it is imperative that research is undertaken to gain a better understanding of the impact of specific congeners not only in relation to quality but also as biomarkers for authentication. Full article

The objective of the current research was to study the effect of different alcohol reduction technologies on the chemical aromatic composition of La Mancha Tempranillo rosé wines. Volatile compounds were analysed using Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), with previous isolation by solid phase extraction (SPE). C₆ compounds were the only group of varietal compounds that was modified when the total dealcoholizing process was used. According to their odor descriptor, the volatile compounds were grouped into six odorant series. The total intensity of each aromatic series was calculated by adding the OAVs of the compounds appointed to this series. All wines showed the same sequence, only modified the intensity of the principal aromatic series, mainly in total dealcoholized wines. These studied wines maintain the aromatic typicality independently from ethanol concentration, which highlights the viability of these techniques as an alternative to the traditional winemaking process, which will allow diversifying wine’s actual market. Full article

To improve the quality of fermented chickpea beverages, a highly nutritious substitute for dairy, the Box-Behnken design and the response surface methodology were used to obtain optimized ultrasonic parameters for producing ultrasound-assisted fermented chickpea beverages. The determining parameters were the lactic acid, reducing sugar content, and the cell viability of the treated product. The most significant parameters obtained were frequency and treatment duration, while power density was relatively insignificant. The optimum fermentation parameters obtained were a treatment start time of 3 h, treatment duration of 80 min, frequency of 27.5 kHz, and power density of 100 W/L with optimum yields of 0.23096 mg/mL, 2.92898 mg/mL, and 0.488189 for reducing sugar, lactic acid, and cell viability index, respectively, with desirability above 0.95. Further analysis of the ultrasound treatment’s effect on the product’s structure showed the ultrasound-assisted fermented chickpea beverage was more structurally stable and homogenous, with even distribution of macromolecules present. Full article

Probiotic products have been the focus of research for several years due to the potential of their biological properties to impact mental health, mood, and cognitive functions. Kombucha is a probiotic drink that has been reported to be beneficial for mental health, particularly at the level of emotion regulation. This study aims to understand the perception of the Portuguese and Brazilian populations regarding the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha, as well as to understand these consumers’ perceptions related to the impact on emotion regulation (and the impact of this consumption on emotion regulation). The research was conducted through an online questionnaire and had a total sample of 256 participants. The results show that there are no statistically significant differences between the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha when comparing the Portuguese and Brazilian samples. Additionally, this study reveals a significant association between probiotic consumption patterns in both the Portuguese and Brazilian samples. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between the consumption of probiotics and Kombucha and emotion regulation. This study intends to contribute to the increase in knowledge about the perception of probiotics and Kombucha consumption in relation to emotion regulation, and to draw attention to the importance of this topic in the community (society, academia, and industry). Full article

This study aimed to assess the metal content of tannic extracts obtained from grapevine canes, to evaluate their suitability as wood shavings for direct infusion during the aging process of alcoholic beverages or vinegars. Traditional barrel aging is a slow and costly process that can be enhanced through direct infusion of wood chips. Our investigation focused on the pruning materials of two widely cultivated Lambrusco cultivars in the Modena (Italy) area, Ancellotta and Salamino. The grapevine chips underwent preliminary heat treatments at temperatures ranging from 120 °C to 260 °C. Tannic extracts were obtained by ethanol maceration at 80 °C for 2 h. The metal composition was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Generally, the metal content increased with the roasting temperature of the chips. Two exceptions were noted in the Salamino extracts, where the concentrations of Bi and Ni decreased as the roasting temperature increased. The levels of heavy metal, such as Pb and Cd, were low, posing no toxicity concerns for using infused grapevine chips during the beverage aging process. The Ni concentration slightly exceeded the limits imposed by certain regulations. Its content is likely derived from the type of soil in which the plant has grown. Full article

Kombucha is an acidic non-alcoholic fermented tea beverage that has surged in popularity over the past decade. A key driver of this popularity is the perception that kombucha contains microbes that contribute to gut health, a perception that is reinforced by package claims such as “live” and “probiotic”. We surveyed retail-available non-alcoholic (soft) and alcoholic (hard) kombucha and selected 39 products, of which 74.4% included at least one of these claims. Based upon Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) evaluation of the chemical composition, approximately one-third of soft kombucha products were re-categorized as “soft-aberrant” on the basis of their alcohol by volume (ABV) exceeding 0.5%. Across all three categories, the majority (82.1%) of products were “live”, containing culturable yeast and/or bacteria. However, there were no significant differences in median maximum colony-forming unit (CFU) counts between these categories, nor was there a difference according to package claims. Interestingly, only 6.3% of soft and 10% of soft-aberrant kombucha products exceeded ${10}^6$ CFU/mL, the threshold that would deliver at least one billion cells in one package. None of the sampled hard kombucha exceeded this threshold. Metabarcoding analyses of microbial communities revealed differences in composition between categories and according to package claims. Notably, the subset of products with “probiotic” claims that listed Bacillus coagulans as an ingredient were enriched in read counts for Bacillus. Full article

Edible flowers, including roselle, contain a varied composition of phenolic compounds that may inhibit the oxidative stress mechanism. Roselle-based tisane with appealing sensory properties is commonly consumed worldwide. However, the conventional hot-brew method may ruin the stability of thermolabile phenolic compounds during the tisane preparation. Hence, this study aimed to develop a new alternative brewing method linked with the new cold-brew method, which involves a lower temperature and applying ultrasound to maximize the extraction of phenolic compounds and to avoid degradation during the tisane preparation. The brewing factors, including particle size (10, 20, 30 mesh), temperature (4, 15, 26 °C), time (10, 20, 30 min), and ultrasound amplitude (20, 60, 100% of the maximum amplitude) have been optimized simultaneously using Box–Behnken design in conjunction with response surface methodology. Seven major phenolic compounds were identified by HPLC-DAD and classified into hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCA) and flavonoids. The optimum extraction condition to reach the highest level of the studied phenolic compounds was set to brew roselle with particle size of 30 ± 3.25 mesh at 26 ± 1.32 °C for 18 ± 2.00 min applying 78 ± 5.64% ultrasound amplitude. This method successfully extracted almost all HCA and flavonoid during the first cycle with less than 10% CV and provided higher antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH (IC₅₀ 9.77 ± 0.01 µg mL⁻¹), ABTS (IC₅₀ 8.05 ± 0.02 µg mL⁻¹), and FRAP (IC₅₀ 10.34 ± 0.03 µg mL⁻¹) than the roselle tisane prepared using the conventional method. Additionally, the resulting cold-brew product was stable for up to five days of storage. Full article

The study focused on the examination of eight commercial hypertonic, isotonic, and hypotonic beverage samples that were packaged in aluminum cans or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The pH value, caffeine content, and concentration of thirty elements were determined. Caffeine quantification was performed by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. Element determination was conducted by using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry. The results showed that pH values were much more acidic in all samples, ranging from 2.68 to 3.97. Caffeine concentrations ranged from 0.02–38.93 mg/100 mL between the samples and were found to be below the acceptable daily level (~400 mg) established by the relevant food regulatory authority. The measurable quantity of caffeine (~10 mg/100 mL) was found in two functional beverage samples where caffeine was labeled as an ingredient. Element concentration varied with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) among all samples. Elements such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead were measured below the corresponding permissible levels set by the European Commission; however, daily consumption of functional beverages should be examined to deteriorate several health risks. Aluminum was quantified above the parametric value by 21 to 117% in the canned samples, whereas antimony was only measured in PET-bottled samples at approximately 3 μg/L. Multivariate methods were applied to investigate any possible correlation between the samples and the examined parameters. Strong positive correlations with statistically significant differences (R > 0.9, p < 0.05) were observed between zinc and copper and between calcium and silver. Finally, similarities and differences between the samples and the examined parameters resulted in satisfactory discrimination of them regarding not only their caffeine content but also their tonicity. Excessive consumption of functional beverages could represent a major public health issue due to elevated amounts of caffeine and elements. Consequently, the results of this research could facilitate the formulation of stricter standards in beverage consumption by revealing potential health hazards to consumers. Full article

With more than 40% of produced wine crossing borders, wine represents a truly global beverage. Wine export serves as a sales lever, especially for producers where home wine consumption diminishes but the global wine business is highly competitive. The literature tells that in competitive market innovation, customer centrism, and increasing sustainability are key. Wine export offerings need to meet the customer’s desires in the targeted foreign destinations. German wine providers have to catch-up in regard to destination-specific preferences so they can offer adaptation or suffer a competitive disadvantage in sustainability positioning. The main aims of this study were to validate the importance of sustainability in wine import and to explore destination-specific preferences and potential sustainable offer designs on the basis of new, fungus-resistant grape (FRG) wines by an explorative, qualitative approach. Evaluating the key export markets for German wine, the study delved into a performance assessment on how German providers who are marked by small-scale structures and fragmentation are positioned in regard to the primary purchasing factors in global wine competition, in regard to sustainability, and how to overcome performance gaps by tailoring destination-specific export offerings. In order to close a lack of research on destination-oriented sustainable wine offer design and to provide orientation for practitioners, an empirical study tested wine export offerings in the form of four concepts with a strong emphasis on sustainability and FRGs. More than 100 wine experts in the five key countries for German wine exports served to explore country preferences for offer elements and perceived performance of German wine producers. The interviews revealed (a) that sustainability is a must for wine export sales; (b) that German wine producers limp in sustainability reputation; (c) the existence of country-specific preferences allowing exporters to tailor their offerings to the specific needs in their ambition to increase export performance; (d) that German wine producers can potentially claim sustainability on the basis of a fitting concept; (e) FRGs are potentially suited to reposition innovatively and sustainably; (f) a playful exploitation of stereotypes for German suppliers is risky; (g) that an offer concept on sustainability and “made in Germany” characteristics (design, technology, and reliability) is highly regarded potentially allowing to escape price cutting in their key export destinations. Full article

Twenty-four samples of differently produced commercial Italian cider were analyzed for their polyphenols profile and antioxidant activity. A partial least square regression was used to correlate the ciders’ antioxidant activity with their polyphenolic content. Statistical analyses revealed only a clustering pattern in the samples based on their geographical area of production (North-West, NW, vs. North-East, NE). Indeed, NW ciders, compared to NE ones, showed higher antioxidant activity and higher contents of procyanidin B1, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and total polyphenols. On the contrary, no clear-cut clustering pattern determined by cidermaking procedures (i.e., Charmat or Champenoise method) has been observed. These data suggest that the differences observed between NW and NE ciders might be accounted uniquely to the use of different apple varieties and/or the maturation status, as well as the pedoclimatic conditions of their production areas and not for cellar procedures’ specificity. Full article

The consumer rejection threshold (RjT) method was applied to determine the total microbial numbers (TMNs) where consumers find that the quality of whole fresh chilled pasteurised milk (WFCPM) and skim milk (Trim) stored at 4.5 ± 0.5 °C is no longer acceptable. Food spoilage progression was supported by measurements of VOCs and the terms consumers used to describe the ageing fresh chilled pasteurised milk (FCPM). RjTs for TMN of 7.43 and 7.34 log10 CFU.mL⁻¹ for WFCPM and Trim, respectively were derived using Hill’s equation from a series of paired preference tests comparing fresh and aged milks (3–26 days) assessed by consumers (WFCPM, n = 55; Trim, n = 52). A poor relationship between storage time and TMN was found, owing mainly to batch-to-batch and within-batch variation in the milk’s post-pasteurization contamination (PPC) levels. At the RjT, there was a significant change in the signal intensities for a number of spoilage-related VOCs that occurred in the FCPM headspace (p ≤ 0.05), which were measured using proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), including m/z 33, 45, 47, 61, 63, 69, 71, 87, and 89, tentatively identified as methanol; acetaldehyde; ethanol; acetate (acetic acid and acetate esters); dimethyl sulphide (DMS); isoprene, furan, and aldehydes; 2-butanone; and pentanal and butyrates (butyric acid and butyrate esters), respectively. Consumers described the milks at TMN greater than the RjTs using terms like off, expired, sour, spoilt or rancid. This multidisciplinary study has provided data on the importance of PPC and subsequent increases in TMN on VOCs associated with FCPM and consumer’s preferences and highlighted the value of measuring a range of variables when investigating consumer’s perception of food quality and shelf-life. Full article

Umami is a fundamental taste, associated with the molecules of monosodium glutamate and other amino acids and nucleotides present in many fermented foods and beverages, including wine. Umami also plays the role of flavor enhancer and prolongs the aftertaste. In this research, monosodium glutamate and aspartate, responsible for the umami taste, were quantified in Italian still and sparkling white wines aged through contact with yeasts. The wines were studied from a sensory point of view to quantify the perception of umami and relate it to other sensory parameters. The results show that monosodium glutamate and aspartate are present in the wines studied. However, sensory analysis shows that there is no clear relationship between the umami taste and the concentration of the two amino acids, but their presence plays a fundamental role in enhancing other gustatory and olfactory perceptions, making them even more persistent. Full article

Since ancient times, fermentation has been one of the most utilized techniques for food preservation and for the development of natural products with functional properties at low cost. Nowadays, fermented foods and beverages are highly attractive to consumers since they are perceived as natural and potential sources of functional compounds. Research efforts conducted in this area over the years have allowed for an understanding of the main reactions occurring during fermentation related to microbial growth, enzyme activity, metabolite production, and physicochemical changes. As a result, scientists and technologists have been able to improve the fermentation process in terms of efficiency, safety, costs, and high-quality production of products. The aim of this review was to gather the most recent and relevant information about fermentation evolution during the last decades, focused on the application of emerging technologies for the development of fermented beverages as interesting products in the functional food market. Full article