In this study, dehydrated strawberries have been proposed as probiotic carriers.Strawberries were cut into halves, incorporated with probiotic Bacillus coagulans BC4 by two alternative methods (impregnation and alginate coating) and submitted to two alternative drying methods (freeze drying -FD -and oven drying -OD). Six treatments were carried out, namely: FD and OD (no probiotic), I-FD, I-OD, C-FD, and C-OD (Iand C-meaning impregnation and coating respectively). While the probiotic incorporation method affected a few properties of the resulting products (mainly the probiotic viability on processing), the drying methods resulted in remarkable differences. The freeze-dried strawberry halves presented higher retention of chemical (ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents) and physical properties (shape, color, and firmness) as well as a better acceptance and higher probiotic viability, resulting in higher probiotic release into the small intestine. The I-FD treatment resulted in the highest probiotic viability after processing and through a 6-month storage (neat 8 log cfu.g -1 ).

Snacks have accompanied people for a long time, meeting our needs for something fast and filling between meals. Societies and technologies have changed, and so have snacks, adapting to people's daily lives, concerns, and demands. Although traditional snacks, such as potato chips, are still ubiquitous and popular worldwide, there is not unanimity around them anymore, since many people have been looking for healthier snacks. Studies have been carried out to propose healthier snack options by changing their composition and/or techniques to produce them, minimizing contents of energy‐dense components and/or maximizing the retention or bioavailability of nutrients. This mini‐review presents the main trends on development of snacks and future perspectives. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

The strategy of adding hydrophobic compounds to bio‐based films (usually based on hydrophilic matrices), forming films containing emulsions, is a technique that has been used to improve some physical properties (such as reducing water solubility and water vapor permeability) and / or to impart properties, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial effects by carrying hydrophobic active components that would otherwise be insoluble in hydrophilic matrices. Although Pickering emulsions have been reported as presenting greater stability when compared with surfactant‐stabilized emulsions, little is known about the drying stability of Pickering emulsions (which is important for film applications). Anyway, several studies have indicated that Pickering emulsions are interesting systems to improve the water vapor barrier properties of bio‐based films and coatings, and to act as carriers of active hydrophobic components. On the other hand, the tensile properties of those films are usually impaired by the presence of Pickering emulsions. The objective of this review is to present recent developments and future perspectives in bio‐based films loaded with Pickering emulsions. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

No abstract

No abstract