Study of Structure-Property-Process relations in real functional FOODs FoodSPProcess PIEF-GA-2013-626643 Marie Curie Action 7FWP

In the context of current economic and social changes, the research in the agri-food area should aim, among other things, to the optimization of products and processes. The improvement of the food products must be directed towards ensuring nutritional and specific functional benefits. Regarding the improvement of processes, they should ensure the quality and safety of environmentally friendly food products produced optimizing the use of resources. A research activity focused on fundamental analysis of the structure-property-process and directed towards the innovation and technological improvement of the processes so that the results can be used directly by the agri-food companies will help to achieve these challenges. The overall goal of this work has been to go in-depth on the study of any type of interactions that can be established between trehalose, antioxidant activity compounds, probiotic microorganisms and cellular structure of fruits determining the effect of homogenization pressures and drying temperatures in these interactions, for the technologically improvement of process and functionality of two groups of innovative natural functional foods with antioxidant and/or probiotic effect: - Natural juices - Dehydrated fruits that include the functional juice in their own structural matrix. Raw materials used for the development of functional food have been: 1. Mandarin juice (cv. Ortanique) is widely used and consumed all over the world, its beneficial properties are well known. The Ortanique cultivated variety is very reach in flavonoids content. 2. Apple (cv. Granny Smith) is widely consumed all over the world; its high porosity ensures an impregnation of at least 20 %. This cultivated variety is very easy to find in supermarkets with quite constant physico-chemical properties during all the year. 3. Trehalose. Disaccharide to be used due to its protective properties. 4. Probiotic microorganism (Lactobacillus salivarius spp. salivarius) with effect against Helicobacter pylori infection. Process operations used in the technological studies have been: a. Dynamic high pressure homogenization; b. Vacuum impregnation; c. Hot air drying. The vacuum impregnation of a fruit or vegetable porous structure permits the preparation of a fortified functional food without subjecting the product to high temperatures. For this aim, high pressure homogenization can improve the technological and functional characteristics of the liquid media introduced into the porous structure. Finally, drying technologies allow obtaining a product with a long shelf life and specific structural features. The study of the effects of these technologies, alone or in combination, on the bioactive compounds of the products in which they are applied is very interesting. Particularly it is noteworthy to take into account the influence of product structure changes on this effect