Abstract Research on natural additives to replace or reduce synthetic ones in meat products is still being highlighted. The effect of goji berry (GB) (extract, powder and incorporated in an edible coating) in hamburgers during 10 days of refrigerated (2 ºC) and illuminated (fluorescent lamp, 1200 lux, 12 h day-1) display were evaluated. Four treatments were studied: control (CONT) - hamburger without GB; GBEX - hamburger with GB extract, GBPW - hamburger with GB powder and GBEC - hamburger with GB edible coating. pH, color, water losses, shear force, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS assays) and lipid oxidation (TBARS) were evaluated. The use of GB positively affected the quality of hamburger during display and the coated samples presented better results, with reduced weight and color losses, lower pH, and shear force values. The inclusion of GB in hamburgers increased the antioxidant activity and inhibited lipid oxidation. GB has potential application in hamburgers to maintain or improve their characteristics during the shelf-life.

Abstract Essential oils (EOs) are natural compounds extracted from plants that exhibit antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. and therefore attract interest as additives in the food industry. especially food for special populations. In the case of children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. another factor has to be considered. such as the consistency of food. This study evaluated consumer acceptability of infant food with oregano essential oil by children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a questionnaire was applied to assess consumption habits and profile of the studied population. Samples were evaluated according to odor. flavor. color. and texture acceptability. Consumers were divided by days. with 35 children each day per sample (CONT without essential oil and EO with different concentration of oregano essential oil). Total number of children was 103. In relation to acceptability of color. odor and flavor of the CONT and EO-0.01% received higher grades. the infant food with 0.05% oregano essential oil showed lower scores compared with the other treatments. However. in relation to acceptability. all samples received satisfactory scores. In relation to texture. differences were not observed. The use of oregano essential oil could be an alternative for the development of an infant food.

Abstract A new approach to meat color and shelf-life assessment is reported here for hamburgers mixed with goji berry. Samples with powdered or aqueous extract of goji berry were monitored, compared with hamburgers without the additive for ten days and its L*, a* and b* properties were determined by computer vision using a homemade setup. Noteworthy results, in particular the luminosity, for all samples with goji berry – only or with salt and pepper – were perceived, and predictive mathematical models for these food mixtures are here presented. The addition of goji berry in hamburgers, pioneered in this study, present advantageous characteristics both in terms of storage time and a positive effect on human health owing to the polyphenols in the natural additive. This study also offers insights into a low-cost and reliable method for the quality control of meat with potential application in the food industry.

Abstract The modification of lignocellulosic fibers can enhance their interaction with other materials and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) is a reagent widely used to promote such modification. This work aimed to modify oat hulls fibers by reactive extrusion using AHP (7 g 100 g-1 of hulls). The modified oat hulls displayed performances comparable to those observed by other researchers using conventional AHP method (without extrusion). The AHP treated oat hulls showed increased luminosity compared to the extruded ones. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed differences between the modified and unmodified structures. The removal of surface compounds resulted in a more open morphology, with greater surface area and greater porosity. Reactive extrusion can be an alternative method for fiber modification with several advantages, such as short processing time and no wastewater generation.