No abstract

Agglomeration properties of gluten-free cereals such as corn, manioc, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa flours were investigated. The different states of agglomeration were identified by the evolution of rheological properties under water addition and shearing conditions using a Caleva ® mixer torque rheometer. The Mi-Pro ® highshear granulator has been used to produce wet agglomerates, which were characterized by fraction distribution, water content, density, and agglomeration yield. Results show that all samples present the same rheological characteristics: four agglomeration states are identified. The most highly developed cohesion was obtained with the amaranth flour with a mean torque of 2.4 N.m. Wet agglomeration with Mi-Pro ® granulator showed that all selected flours can be granulated except for manioc flour, which did not give agglomerates. Using corn flour leads to a better uniformity on the size distributions but less for amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa flours. This study shows that it is possible to agglomerate these gluten-free flours for the preparation of couscous, which may diversify the choice of couscous types for people suffering from celiac disease.

No abstract

Varietal and sun-drying effects on phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity were investigated during the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of fresh and dried figs. The total phenolic compounds (phenolic, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidin) and their antioxidant activity (ferric reducing power; free radical scavenging activity DPPH, and phosphomolybdenum test) were evaluated before and after digestion. The total phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacities of fresh and dried figs obtained before digestion were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those obtained after digestion. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity was observed during different digestion phases (oral phase > gastric phase > intestinal phase). A positive correlation was found between the total phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity tested for both fresh and dried figs. Furthermore, the results showed that the digestion has no effect on the total phenolic compounds; however, a negative influence of the pH and the enzymes was observed on these compounds and their antioxidant activity. During in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, the varietal and the sun-drying has no significant effect on the phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. Likewise, the fresh or dry variety kept a high content before and after the digestion.