<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This experiment was conducted to appraise the role of the curing phytohormone treatment and storage method in the postharvest microbial decay of ware potatoes during storage. The study was designed as a Split-Split-Plot Design (SSPD) in which the curing period was placed in the main plot, and the storage method and the phytohormone were put in subplot and sub-sub-plot respectively. Each treatment was replicated three times to form a 4 × 3 × 3 factorial experiment. Each treatment consisted of 20 potato tubers out of which decayed samples were counted for the calculation of percentage rot loss and identification of the causal agent, which was done fortnightly until the end of the storage period of 12 weeks. Temperature, relative humidity, and wind velocity were monitored weekly. All data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the GenStat Discovery Edition statistical software package. Means that exhibited significant difference were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMTR) at p = 0.05 level of significance. The results of the analysis showed that the phytohormone levels had highly significant influence (p ≤ 0.01) on percentage rot loss. Although there was a significant interaction between the curing periods and phytohormone concentration, storage conditions (p ≤ 0.05) were observed throughout the storage period of 2–8 weeks. <italic>Fusarium solani</italic>, <italic>Rhizopus oryzae</italic>, and <italic>Aspergillus niger</italic> were implicated in the rotting of potato tubers.
</abstract>

Department of Crop Production and Horticulture

Effect of postharvest management on the microbial quality of potato (<italic>Solanum tuberosum</italic> L.) tubers

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Flour is one of the most widely used products typically derived from wheat, corn, and rye and is classified based on its nutrition content. The present study aimed to identify and classify the different types of flour (wheat, rye, maize) commercially available in Romania. The market research covered eight types of flour available on the Romanian market: 1. Wheat Flour 000 (N-19), 2. Wheat Flour 550 (N-11), 3. Wheat Flour 650 (N-13), 4. Whole-Wheat Flour (N-15), 5. Durum Wheat Flour (N-8), 6. Spelt Wheat Flour (N-8), 7. Rye Flour (N-15), and 8. Maize Flour (N-23). The classification was carried out by analysing the most important parameters: energy, protein, fat, saturated fatty acid, carbohydrate, sugar, and dietary fibre content, using different statistical methods: descriptive statistics, box plot, hierarchical cluster, and surface radar analysis. The results revealed that white wheat flour represented more than 50% of the analysed samples, and significant differences were found between the tested types of flour. In addition, white wheat flour is characterized with lower dietary fibre, fat and protein content, but it has higher energy content and carbohydrate content. In contrast, whole meal, durum, spelt, and rye flours are characterized by lower carbohydrate and higher fibre and fat content. The hierarchical cluster analysis showed that, on the basis of nutritional similarities and differences, the flours studied in Romania can be grouped into three distinct clusters.
</abstract>

Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Human Sciences and Engineering

University of Pécs, Faculty of Natural Sciences

Classification of different types of flours available in the Romanian market based on the nutrition content

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This study aimed to explore the effects of different comminution degrees and the incorporation of a natural antioxidant on the quality attributes and oxidative reactions of turkey meat. Four distinctive turkey meat systems were established, namely: 3 mm minced treatment (M), 3 mm minced treatment with the addition of 200 ppm gallic acid equivalent <italic>Aloe vera</italic> (<italic>Aloe barbadensis</italic> Mill.) extract (MA), fine-ground treatment (FM), and fine-ground treatment with the addition of 200 ppm gallic acid equivalent <italic>Aloe vera</italic> extract (FMA). The evaluation encompassed an in-depth analysis of various quality parameters and the assessment of lipid-protein oxidation reactions throughout the storage period. The inclusion of <italic>Aloe vera</italic> extract (AE) increased the pH and b* values while simultaneously decreasing the L* and a* values. Conversely, increasing the degree of comminuting manifested an elevation in L* values, concomitant with a decline in a* values. Increased comminuting degree ratios were found to contribute to an exacerbation of oxidative reactions. Nonetheless, the strategic utilization of AE demonstrated its potential to effectively mitigate oxidative reactions during storage.
</abstract>

Exploring the effects of comminution level and natural antioxidant incorporation on the quality and oxidative stability of turkey meat system

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This study evaluates the effect of different weed control methods on the proximate composition and sensory properties of cowpea-based pudding produced from cowpea flour. Cowpea seeds of Ife Brown variety with three different treatments [(supplementary hoe weeding at 6 weeks after sowing, two hoe weeding at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing, and three hoe weeding at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after sowing (WAS)] were processed into flour samples and analysed for physicochemical properties using standard methods. The puddings were prepared from cowpea flour and were subjected to proximate composition, colour properties as well as sensory qualities using standard methods. The pH, total titratable acidity, water absorption capacity and amylose of cowpea flour were 4.85–5.10, 0.02%–0.05%, 276.00%–287.09%, and 22.04%–24.60% respectively. The ranges of values for moisture content, crude fat, total ash, crude fibre, crude protein, and total carbohydrate of cowpea based pudding were 74.26%–76.15%, 0.63%–0.71%, 0.75%–0.94%, 0.66%–0.75%, 16.70%–17.83%, and 5.11%–5.55% respectively. The colour properties of cowpea-based pudding were significantly affected (p &lt; 0.05) by each treatment. However, cowpea-based pudding prepared from treatment of supplementary hoe weeding at 6 weeks after sowing and three hoe weeding at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after were preferred most by the panelist.
</abstract>

Department of Food Science and Technology

Department of Home Science and Management

Proximate composition and sensory acceptability of cowpea-based pudding produced from cowpea cultivated using different weed control methods

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Roselle calyces (<italic>Hibiscus sabdariffa</italic> L.) were evaluated through a critical study of existing research works on health benefits, mineral compositions, bioactive compositions, mechanisms, and possible research gaps. The use of roselle calyces as an alternative to synthetic food dyes, addressing growing global challenges of overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases, was evaluated and encouraged. Studies indicate the attenuation of obesity by chlorogenic acid (the predominant phenolic compound in roselle calyx) via mechanisms associated with the UCP-1 and PGC-1α pathways, resulting in reduced blood lipid levels, reduced fat accumulation in the liver, and increased thermogenesis through fat metabolism. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of known bacteria and fungi, such as <italic>Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium</italic>, <italic>Candida tropicalis</italic>, and <italic>Candida krusei</italic>, were studied. More research, however, needs to be conducted on organic acids present in roselle calyces to look into their possible applications and maximize their possible benefits.
</abstract>

Nutritional quality and health benefits of roselle calyces

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This study was aimed at determining the mineral and anti-nutritional properties of naturally fermented millet and pumpkin leaf flour blends. The millet grains were allowed to ferment spontaneously for 24 hrs and 48 hrs and were processed into flour. Dried pumpkin leaves were blended into flour and substituted using D-optimal mixture design, which resulted in ten experimental runs. The mineral content and the anti-nutritional properties of the flour blend formulation were analysed. Duncan’s multiple range test was used to evaluate the mean at p &lt; 0.05 with SPSS version 21.0. Significant differences were observed in the mineral and anti-nutritional composition of the fermented millet and pumpkin leaf flour blends at 24 hrs and 48 hrs of fermentation time respectively. Calcium, potassium, and iron content increased significantly (p &lt; 0.05) with increasing the amount of pumpkin leaf flour in the flour blends. The values for tannins and total phenolic composition ranged from 0.089 to 0.162% and from 0.075 to 0.120% for 24 hrs and from 0.080 to 0.141% and from 0.060 to 0.120% for 48 hrs of fermentation time respectively. Results showed that fermentation technique could be used to enrich the nutritional and bioactive potential of millet.
</abstract>

Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology

Mineral and anti-nutritional properties of pearl millet and pumpkin leaf flour as affected by fermentation

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

In some bacteria, the stress adaptation response, a defence mechanism against low pH, can also induce a number of physiological and genetic resistance mechanisms that provide advantages for bacteria to resist other environmental factors. This phenomenon is called cross-protection, which can potentially have serious consequences for food safety. In some fermented, acidified foods, low pH can provide a favourable environment for the growth of bacteria. Bacteria can adapt to acidic environments and become able to survive various factors that occur during storage and processing such as salt, antibiotics, or technological effects.
The microbiota of dairy products includes beneficial microorganisms, spoilage bacteria, and foodborne pathogens. The most common bacteria on various dairy products are <italic>Escherichia coli</italic>, <italic>Enterococcus</italic> sp., <italic>Staphylococcus</italic> sp., and <italic>Bacillus</italic> sp.
The aim of this research is to determine the resistance of the identified bacteria (16S rDNA-based bacterial identification) to antibiotics and osmotic pressure as a consequence of their possible defence mechanisms adapted to the acidic environment.
</abstract>

Stress response in bacteria originated from dairy products

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The number of elderly people is steadily increasing in developing countries though the specific age-related challenges of nutrition fail to get properly addressed in the case of senior citizens. Accordingly, we have developed protein-polyphenol dietary fibre (PPF) bars using two kinds of protein mixtures (1 and 2) and some food additives, such as the banana powder, freeze-dried strawberries, coconut powder, Dutch cacao powder, and vanilla cookies, as they can interfere with the texture of bars and the flavour as well. The used food additives are also a source of polyphenols and dietary fibres that would enhance the nutritive values of the bars. The texture properties, such as hardness and cutting force, were assessed, and the results indicated a significant difference (P &lt; 0.05) among the bars, offering important hints about their suitability for the elderly. Also, significant differences were observed for the polyphenol content of the bars that would stress their increased nutritional relevance too. On average, the sensorial evaluation showed the developed bars of moderate acceptability, while Bar 3 and 6 had the highest scores for colour, texture, flavour, and aroma. Conversely, Bar 1 recorded the lowest values for all assessed criteria.
Interestingly, Bar 3 with freeze-dried strawberries and Bar 6 with Dutch cacao powder were the most appreciated flavours and contained in the range of 25–28% protein, 17–23% carbohydrate, 15–21% lipids, and 15–23% dietary fibre, which also indicates their nutritionally balanced nature. Furthermore, the above-mentioned macronutrient content ensures approximately 400 Kcal/100g per PPF bar, while through their polyphenol and flavonoid yield their health-promoting effect gets substantiated.
</abstract>

Development and comparative analysis of protein-polyphenol-fibre bars as nutritional supplements suitable for healthy senior consumers

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The shortcomings encountered from the use of conventional methods of refining draw considerable attention when it comes to the processing of edible oils. The present invention to this effect is the usage of membrane technology, which stands out as a suitable alternative, as it offers significant advantages such as minimal chemical additions, low energy consumption, and the retention of nutrients and other desired components. This paper seeks to ascertain the quality of edible oil extracted by different solvents, refined via membrane filtration. Amounts of 25 mL of crude oil sample were extracted with three different solvents (n-hexane, ethanol, and n-hexane-ethanol blend) from seeds of <italic>Hildegardia barteri</italic> (Mast.) Kosterm. and were refined using a micro-filter of pore size of 0.45 µm and an ultrafiltration membrane with 50 kDa cut off before bleaching and deodorizing to obtain table oil. Proximate composition and elemental analyses were carried out on the table oil samples produced and compared with food-grade standards. Results obtained showed 0.133–0.53% moisture content, 0.04% ash, 98.90–99.67% ether extract, 0.23% carbohydrate, and elemental compositions of 51.60–55.00% C, 6.12–6.30% H, 6.21–6.28% O, 0.01–0.02% N, and 13.0–15.0% P for edible oil samples. The findings of this study indicate that edible oil produced from the seeds of <italic>H. barteri</italic> via membrane technology yields good-quality oil for commercial production, except for the need to enhance further reduction of phosphorus content.
</abstract>

Department of Natural Chemistry Products & Processing Development Division

Ajani’s Laboratory, Theriogenology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Laboratory-scale extraction of <italic>Hildegardia barteri</italic> (Mast.) Kosterm. seed oil with different solvents, purified with membrane filtration

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Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Alimentaria

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Alimentaria publishes original papers and surveys in all field of Food Science. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Papers published in current and previous volumes can be found in Portable Document Format (.pdf) form at the address: www.acta.sapientia.ro.  Why subscribe and read  Acta Universitatis Sapientiae is a series of scientific and academic journal published by the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania. The journal is full of information about the newest results of food science, including food analytical chemistry, chemical, biochemical, physicochemical and biological properties of food, processing designed to protect food from spoilage caused by microbes, presence in food of harmful foreign substances, the newest results of human nutrition, food composition and the most effective methods for determination the nutritive value, food quality, food adulteration and food production.  Why submit  The printed and online versions of the papers are identical. Series Alimentaria is indexed with full text in CAB Abstracts and Global Health. Our publishing policy includes peer-reviewing in order to filter the scientifically acceptable papers, improve the quality of papers, avoid plagiarism, avoid multiple submissions. Submitted papers should not be considered for publication by other journals. The author is responsible for obtaining, if needed, the permission for publication of peer authors or other institutional authorities. Authors are required to prepare their paper carefully, including reference to any paper they used results from, well demarcating their own results. In the unlikely event when we become aware of ethics violation, we do not hesitate to publish corrections, clarifications, even retract the paper with appropriate apologies, as the case may be. We agree with Committee on Publication Ethics in promoting integrity in research publication.  Rejection Rate   20%   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.  Article Processing Charge (APC)  The journal does not have article processing charges (APCs) nor article submission charges. 

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Alimentaria

Volume 16 (2023): Issue 1 (November 2023)

Effect of postharvest management on the microbial quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers