The significant protein and dietary fiber content of cold-pressed pumpkin (PSF) and okra (OSF) seed byproducts are well-known. However, their impact on noodles’ nutritional quality has never been studied. For the first time, noodle formulation was developed employing a genetic algorithm in the R programming language to achieve the most optimal sensory attributes as well as nutritional composition, color, cooking, and textural properties. The optimized noodle formulation was detected for OSF, PSF, gluten-free flour, salt, and egg with the following amounts: 11.5 g, 87.0 g, 0.9 g, 0.6 g, and 40 g, respectively, with 10.5 mL of water. The total protein (TP%), total fat (TF%), total carbohydrate (TC%), total dietary fiber content (TDF%), ash (%), total phenolic content (TPC mg GAE/100 g), and ABTS (%) of PSF were found to be 39%, 17%, 7%, 18%, 3%, 19%, and 48%, respectively, whereas for OSF, 33%, 8%, 21%, 32%, 5%, 16%, and 38%, respectively, were detected. In addition, TP (42.88%), TF (15.6%), ash (5.68%), TDF (40.48%), TPC (25.5 mg GAE/100 g), and ABTS (70%) values were obtained for the noodles. Consequently, the valorization of the cold oil press industry’s byproducts may be used as ingredients that add high value to gluten-free protein and fiber-rich noodle production, and they may gain interest from both processors and consumers.

In the last decade, organic-based food materials have taken an increasing marketing share due to consumers’ interests. Strawberry is one of the world’s most important berry crops, with growing production. This study aimed to evaluate the drying process of organic strawberries and to determine the influences of process conditions on drying characteristics. To improve drying performance, carbonic maceration (CM) was investigated as a pre-treatment. The experimental design and the optimization of the drying with pre-treatment conditions were performed using statistical modeling (response surface method (RSM), central composite design (CCD)). Using the RSM, dependent variables such as drying time, total phenolic compound, antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid concentration, and hue value were optimized as a function of operating conditions of CM pre-treatment and following the drying process. The results indicated that drying performance varied depending on drying temperature as well as process conditions of CM. Drying time was reduced by more than 30% with CM treatment compared to control. Furthermore, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant activity, and surface color of dried samples were protected better in the case of CM-pre-treated strawberries. Results showed that the optimum drying temperature, maceration pressure, maceration temperature, and maceration time parameters were 64.8 °C, 3.54 bar, 4.2 °C, and 4 h, respectively. The high potential of CM should be considered in terms of process improvement and product quality for drying processes. Thus, this study provides key outcomes in this respect. According to the obtained results, the CM was assessed as a promising technique applied before the drying of organic strawberries.

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In this study, the possibilities of using organic molasses, which is a natural carbohydrate and energy source, instead of glucose-fructose syrup in the production of gel-sugar were investigated. It was aimed to enrich the antioxidant content by adding vitamin C to the final product and to increase the absorption of iron from molasses in the human body. Gel candies produced using organic grape, mulberry and carob molasses have been successful in terms of the formation and stability of the desired gel form. Physical, chemical, microbiological, sensory, and statistical analyzes were performed in each product. Total phenolic content, vitamin C amount, free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), HMF and flavonoid content of grape, mulberry and carob gel candies were determined as 886.37, 1065.81, 3171.29 µg GAE/g DM; 11.44, 12.80, 16.74 mg AA/g DM; 132.29, 157.61, 331.45 mg TE/100g DM and 3.61 4.20, 2.54 mg HMF/100g DM, 37.07, 67.70, 67.73 mg Rutin /100g DM respectively. According to the physico-chemical and textural analyze results, the best quality product has been found as carob gel sugar however grape gel sugar was the most desired one based on sensory evaluation. The results revealed that molasses gel candies produced using grape, mulberry and carob molasses may have industrial production potential.