et al., Development and characterization of chitosan films carrying Artemisia campestris antioxidants for potential use as active food packaging materials,

Description of the subject. Current trends suggest an increasing future demand for conventional meats, which indicates a strong need to shift this dependency to other alternative protein sources such as insects. Literature. From a nutritional point of view, of all the insects consumed globally, grasshoppers are particularly important as a human food. Data from the literature regarding the nutrient composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid profile, mineral composition and vitamin content of grasshoppers as reviewed in this paper, suggest that a number of grasshopper species are a good source of nutrients. It also highlights some of the health related aspects that might arise from the consumption of grasshoppers, mostly linked to agricultural practices and the allergic response of sensitive individuals. The paper also summarizes some religious, social and economic factors that are associated with grasshopper consumption. Conclusions. The success of introducing grasshoppers as a novel food in western countries depends on changes in consumer attitudes. It would be interesting to develop food products derived from grasshoppers in a form acceptable to consumers. Furthermore, it is important to explore the food potential of some grasshopper species native to western countries and to develop their rearing methodologies to enhance availability.

This work investigates the molecular interactions within the main triacylglycerols constitutive of palm oil, all having a key role in the multi-step dry fractionation process. Identification of these interactions is possible thanks to the establishment of binary and ternary phase diagrams, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) at variable temperature. The following systems were selected: PPP-POP, PPP-OPP, PPP-POO, POP-OPP, POP-POO, OPP-POO, PPP-POP-POO and PPP-OPP-POO (P: palmitic acid and O: oleic acid), and analyzed in direct mode (heating at 5 °C/min., after melting and quenching at −60 °C), and after tempering for three months at 20 °C (tempered mode). DSC makes it possible to bring out crystallization and melting phenomena associated to polymorphic transitions, which are further characterized (crystalline forms) by XRD. The results show that unsaturated are poorly soluble in fully saturated triacylglycerols, that the intersolubility decreases in proportion to the number of unsaturated fatty acids, that positional isomerism (POP/OPP) has a major impact, that OPP may induce formation of molecular compounds and that co-crystallization properties are highly modified by tempering depending on the polymorphic properties of the systems. This provides a better understanding and allows for effective control of the palm oil dry fractionation process.

Cite this articleSebii H, Karra S, Bchir B, et al. Physico-chemical, surface and thermal properties of date palm pollen as a novel nutritive ingredient. Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J. 2019; 5(3): 84-91. BackgroundDate palm pollen (DPP) is a natural product well-known in folk medicine in the Arab world. It is used to improve the fertility of human beings and studies have tested this activity on rabbits and rats. In the region of Sfax from Tunisia, a huge quantity of DPP could be discarded. Taking into account of the richness of this typical product of different components and of the trend of producing food supplements that could be sold at medium price comparing with the existing product, DPP was analyzed on the basis of physical and chemical properties in order to promote its use as a techno-functional ingredient in the agri-food and pharmaceutical field. ResultsX-ray diffraction showed that DPP is characterized by an amorphous structure which leads to better techno-functional properties while stored in a water-air-tight container. Findings proved that DPP is capable to reduce the surface tension. Collected data from thermal analysis proved that DPP is thermally stable during storage and in different food systems. ConclusionThe present study demonstrated that DPP could be used in the agri-food and pharmaceutical field. The obtained results help to define the suitable storage conditions of DPP and to predict its behavior when used as an ingredient. DPP can be used as a whole in food formulations or after extracting protein which is the main responsible agent for surfactant property. DPP proteins might be used as a food supplement in commercial sports nutrition products that can be sold at medium prices compared to some existing products.