Evita Straumite

• Dr.sc.ing.
• Researcher at Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies

This study investigates the effect of extended rye scald fermentation times (12–48 h) on its biochemical properties and rye bread’s nutritional and sensory qualities. Traditional rye bread production in Latvia involves prolonged fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a process that influences the bread’s acidity, sugar content, and concentra...

Incorporating extruded pea hulls (EPH) into wheat bread increases its nutritional value by increasing dietary fiber content, which in turn influences the physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of bread. This study aimed to assess the effect of varying EPH levels on the rheological properties of wheat dough, as well as on the physical and...

Pastry cream contains wheat flour, which is not suitable for celiac patients who require a gluten-free diet. Potatoes are known as a good source of starch, minerals and vitamins. They also contain protein, dietary fibre and various phytochemicals. Their addition to pastry cream can both serve as a texturising agent and enrich the nutritional value...

We would like to invite you to contribute an article or review paper focusing on diverse approaches to enhance both the taste and health profile of baked goods. Please access the detailed Special Issue information at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/M58I30Z4QK The rising consumer demand for elevated sensory experiences and enhan...

Despite the health-promoting benefits, the consumption of lentils in East Europe is low, attracting researchers’ interest in solving the problem. The aim of this study was to develop an alternative to animal proteins for nutrient-dense plant-based quick meals using roasted lentils as the primary raw material, performing sensory analysis, and evalua...

Rye sourdough bread has a special place in the culture of Baltic states and is still very popular. The whole process of rye bread preparation encompasses rye sourdough fermentation, dough mixing, proofing, molding, and baking. Depending on the recipe and the region rye flour scalding process can be also included. The present chapter gives an overvi...

Citation: Guiné, R.P.F.; Duarte, J.; Chuck-Hernández, C.; Boustani, N.M.; Djekic, I.; Bartkiene, E.; Sarić, M.M.; Papageorgiou, M.; Korzeniowska, M.; Combarros-Fuertes, P.; et al.

Patients with dysphagia diseases require food with acceptable textural characteristics. Additionally, due to the consumption of smaller portions, these patients receive insufficient amounts of nutrients. Therefore, this study aimed to develop plant-based purée as a meal for an oro-pharyngeal dysphagia (OD) diet, enriched with proteins, fiber and an...

Sauerkraut juice is rich in bioactive compounds; however, it is considered a byproduct of the production process. An innovative solution was found through the process of spray-drying to obtain sauerkraut juice powder. The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical and sensory characteristics of sauerkraut juice powder (SJP) and its application in f...

Muffin is a flour confectionery product with an elastic texture. Nowadays, vegetable products are replacing traditional dairy products more often in the food sector. Tofu, which is a quintessential soy protein product, is one of the alternatives for making vegan products. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of defrosting process...

Individual eating habits are influenced by a number of factors, including both internal variables such as physiology and emotion, as well as environmental factors such as food availability and cultural norms. Given the public health impact of dietary habits (choice, quality, amount, frequency) on health outcomes, it is important to understand what...

This study aimed to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics of bee-collected pollen, with special consideration to the antimicrobial resistance of the isolated microorganisms to the selected antibiotics. A hierarchy cluster analysis was conducted, in which bee pollen samples were divided into four groups by their colour...

Baltic sprats (Sprattus sprattus balticus) are a good source of protein, vitamins D3, B12, minerals, and unsaturated fats. In response to consumer demand, various types of fish products of stable quality are available all year round. Pre-treatment with brine containing acetic acid, salt (NaCl), and/or granulated CaCl2 in various concentrations and...

There are approximately 590 million people in the world with swallowing disorders (dysphagia), who need texture-modified foods to ensure nutritional intake on a daily basis. The aim of this research was to create new texture-modified products and to evaluate their bioactive and mineral compound concentration. Nine new products (five desserts and fo...

Moderate consumption of wine is associated with positive health effects. Red wine contains more polyphenolic compounds than white wine, so it is considered healthier. The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of bioactive compounds of red grape and berry wines available for purchase in Latvia. A selection of 15 red grape and berry win...

Legumes are not valued by all consumers, mostly due to the prolonged soaking and cooking process they require. This problem could be solved by preparing legume-based ready-to-eat snacks. In this study, the effect of two different dies (circular and star-shaped, with cross-sections of 19.6 and 35.9 mm2, respectively) on the physico-chemical properti...

Fermentation is one of the ancient technological processes used in food production which influences the shelf-life of meat and meat products, also significantly affects the sensory properties like aroma and flavour. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the elaborated technology for a new fermented sausage production on the product qua...

In this study was impact of ozone treatment efficiency of wheat quality (physical-chemical and microbiological parameters, chemical composition and germination rate) during storage analysed. Ozone is a powerful oxidizer, used in processing the agricultural products, including inactivation of pathogens and microorganisms.Investigations in the grain...

Zivju pārstrādes nozarē nepilnīgas izejvielu izmantošanas problēma ir īpaši aktuāla, jo tā veido ievērojami lielu procentuālo daļu no zivju pārstrādes ražošanas procesa. Pievienotā vērtība, kas tiks iegūta risinot šo problēmu, ir pievilcīga alternatīva ne tikai tāpēc, ka rada papildu ekonomiskus stimulus ražotājam, bet arī atbilst zilās ekonomikas...

Introduction The objective was to develop and validate an instrument that measures different determinants of people’s food choices and simultaneously accounts for a variety of factors: health, emotions, price and availability, society and culture, environment and politics, and marketing and advertising. Methods This is a cross-sectional study focu...

Quinoa epitomizes the drive for healthier foods with ethnic concepts in developed countries, particularly among millennials. As a result, the popularity of quinoa as a gluten-free alternative has steadily grown over the last 20 years. Despite this, little is known about the impact of specific varieties on processed foods. The purpose of this study...

Triticale has been suggested for human consumption due to its valuable nutritional composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate volatile compound dynamics in the technological processes of triticale bread and triticale bread with sourdough prepared using Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis based cultures. Two types of sourdough ready-to-use sourdo...

Over a thousand year history, yoghurt has become one of a widely consumed product in the world. Its reputation as a healthy food has been undermined recently by concerns over the high sugar content. The majority of consumers expects and prefers yoghurts to be sweet. However, governments across Europe are calling for significant cuts in the amount o...

The adequate intake of dietary fibers is essential to human health. Hence, this study intended to evaluate the level knowledge of about food fibers and investigate what factors might be associated with it. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample composed of 6,010 participants from ten different countries. The survey was based...

Many aspects linked to personal characteristics, society and culture constitute some of the motivators that drive food choice. The aim of this work was to determine in what extent the eating behaviors of individuals are shaped by six different types of determinants, namely: health, emotions, price and availability, society and culture, environment...

Dietas inadequadas demonstraram ser muito prejudiciais para a manutenção de uma boa saúde, e comer fast-food em excesso e refeições altamente processadas pode ter um impacto negativo no estado geral de saúde da população. Assim, este trabalho investigou os hábitos relacionados com a alimentação fora de casa e a frequência de refeições rápidas numa...

Foods such as fruit, vegetables, and cereals, and particularly whole grain, are rich in dietary fibre and have been proved to have multiple beneficial effects for the human health. The present research was designed to assess some eating practices related to fibre-rich foods in different countries, namely Argentina, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Portuga...

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of wheat bread fortification with varied levels (2%, 4%, and 6%) of chia seed powder (full fat) and cakes (defatted, residue after oil extraction). Chia flour was added to whole wheat bread rich in vital wheat gluten for the first time. The breadcrumbs were assessed for their antioxida...

Multilocation testing remains the main tool for understanding varietal responses to the environment. Here, Latvian and Norwegian hull-less and hulled barley varieties were tested in field experiments in Latvia and Norway in order to assess the varieties adaptability across environments (sites). Two Latvian (cv Irbe and cv Kornelija) and one Norwegi...

Abstract Malnutrition continues to be a key health problem in developing regions. The valorization of food waste appears as an ideal way to prevent malnutrition and improve people’s access to food. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) and caraway (Carum carvi L.) oilseeds are commonly used for cuisine and medicinal purposes. However, remaining cakes after oi...

This study investigated the effect of protein bread fortification with 2, 4 and 6% of cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and caraway (Carum carvi) whole seeds and by-products flour, respectively. Fortified protein bread samples were compared to control protein bread and evaluated for their sensory, color, moisture, hardness properties as well as their nutriti...

Consumer interest in breakfast cereal flakes has increased during the last few years. Various technologies, used to produce flakes, significantly influence their quality parameters and shelf-life stability. The main purpose of the present research was to investigate how different processing methods affect the physical parameters of triticale flakes...

Triticale is hybrid crop developed by crossing wheat (Triticum) and rye (Secale) and in last years it become more popular for food applications, including flake production. Different approaches are developed to improve flakes technology by applying different cooking, rolling, toasting parameters resulting in high quality products. All these technol...

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) is an aromatic plant belonging to Apiaceae family widely cultivated elsewhere for its strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. Fennel seeds are of particular interest as a rich source of both vegetable and essential oils with high amounts of valuable components. However, residual cakes after oil extraction were typically...

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittm.) is mainly used for animal feed, but recent studies have shown its possible beneficial effect for human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional quality of triticale grown under different cropping systems in Latvia. Two winter triticale varieties, ‘Inarta’ and ‘Ruja’, were cultivated i...

The positive benefits of dietary fibre (DF) include regulation of the intestinal transit, prevention of risk or treatment of diabetes, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, and obesity. The aim of this study was to collect information on knowledge about dietary fibre of citizens of Latvia. The questionnaire consisted of 22 questi...

The aim of the study was to investigate changes of physical, microbiological, and sensory properties of muesli with germinated flakes during storage. Germinated flakes were made from conventionally grown grains: hull-less barley, hull-less oat, rye, wheat, and triticale in various proportions. Breakfast cereals samples were packaged in Doypack (sta...

Purpose Because dietary fibre has been recognized as a major ally to the maintenance of a healthy body as well as to help against the development of some chronic diseases, this work aimed at studying the level of knowledge of a relatively wide range of people about the health effects related to the ingestion of dietary fibre in appropriate dosages...

Objectives: Dietary fibre (DF) is one of the components of diet that strongly contributes to health improvements, particularly on the gastrointestinal system. Hence, this work intended to evaluate the relations between some sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, level of education, living environment or country on the levels of knowledge a...

Objectives: Dietary fibre is one of the components of diet that strongly contributes to health improvements, particularly on the gastro-intestinal system. Hence, this work intended to evaluate the relations between some socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, level of education, living environment or country on the levels of knowledge abou...

Dietary fibre (DF) is recognized as a major determinant for improvement of health. Hence the means of information through which people become aware of its benefits are crucial and this work aimed at studying the sources of information about DF. Factors such as age, gender, level of education, living environment or country were evaluated as to their...

Egg yolk oil (EYO) is an essence of egg bioactive compounds. Extracted from egg yolk it can be used in various food products increasing their nutritional and biological value. Mayonnaise is a kind of a semi-solid oil-inwater emulsion containing 60-80% fat. Mayonnaise typically contains oil, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, sugar and thickening agents. Mayo...

The objective of this work was to study the degree of knowledge about dietary fibre (DF), as influenced by factors such as gender, level of education, living environment or country. For this, a descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken on a non-probabilistic sample of 6010 participants from 10 countries in different continents (Europe, Afric...

Objectives: Because there is scientific evidence that an appropriate intake of dietary fibre should be part of a healthy diet, given its importance in promoting health, the present study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of the general population about dietary fibres. Study design: The present study was a cros...

Background: Dietary fibre (DF) has been recognised as having many positive health effects. Hence, the objective of this research was to evaluate the consuming habits relating to DF on people from different countries, as well as their knowledge about the fibre rich foods and their attitudes towards food labelling. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectio...

The aim of the current research was to evaluate changes in the content of total phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activity at different germination stages of triticale, hull-less barley, hull-less oats, wheat, and rye. Grain germination was performed for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h at controlled conditions. Ultrasound assisted extraction was used f...

Grain products are the main source of carbohydrates but they also contain other bioactive substances such as phenolic compounds. Content of phenolic compounds differ among cereal types, varieties, and farming methods. The aim of the current study was to assess total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity in different oats and barley varie...

Pumpkin processing into puree, juice, candied fruit and pumpkin seed oil results in large amount of by-products. Pumpkins are rich in carotenes, vitamins, minerals, pectin and dietary fibre. The aim of the current study was to evaluate effect of pumpkin pomace and pumpkin residue powder on wheat bread quality. The total content of carotenes was ana...

The rising attention globally on the use of oats and the beneficial effect of oat compounds in nutrition has also increased interest in oat production in Latvia. The aim of this study was to evaluate protein, amino acid and gluten content in husked and hulless oat grains grown in organic and conventional farming systems. Two hulless oat (Avena sati...

Cereal-derived breakfast products (cereal flakes, bread, and muesli) are increasingly consumed because they are an important source of energy for adults and children. Shelf-life of foods is highly dependent on the permeability characteristics of the packaging materials, which emphasize the importance of packaging design. The aim of this study was t...

Mint is the genus belonging to the Labiatae family and includes a huge diversity of varieties with different sensory properties. An important quality parameter is its colour, and the compounds responsible for it are pigments such as chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids etc. The aim of the current research was to determine the pigment content in the lea...

Bakery products, particularly bread, make up a significant share of the food guide pyramid. To help consumers make more informed choices from the bread available in the market, it is essential to provide correct and appropriate information on food labels. The aim of this research was to analyse the information shown on labels for different types of...

Celiac disease is a permanent enteropathy caused by the ingestion of gluten, a protein occurring in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten-free products often have a shorter shelf life, lower quality, and not so pronounced flavour. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new gluten-free products with higher quality and pronounced taste. The aim of this study...

Polyphenol compounds are very important components of cider – they are responsible for the colour and the bitterness and astringency balance of cider. The polyphenolic profile of apples and apple drinks is influenced by several factors: apple variety, climate, maturity, and technological processes applied. This research paper concerns the influence...

Rowanberries (Sorbus aucuparia) are small orange-red fruits of a rowan tree. They have been described as an important source of flavonoids, and their antioxidant activity affects reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. Cultivars of sweet rowanberries and hybrids with other species are sweeter and less astringent than wild rowanberries. The...

Marshmallow is sugar-candy with foam-like structure. Many studies have revealed the high nutritional value of bee pollen. Due to the nutritional composition of pollen, and according to nonscientific studies, dried bee pollen has been used as an additive in human diets, which provides a well-being sensation and contributes to functional and harmonio...

Historically, marmalades may have originated as an early effort to preserve fruit for consumption in the off-season. Marmalades are basically products with fruit puree and sugar–acid–pectin gel. The aim of the current research was to determine the chemical and physical properties and to investigate the degree of acceptance of pumpkin – rowanberry m...

Growing interest of consumers in healthy eating has provided the development of new range of food. Therefore the task of research was to determine the nutritional value, calculate energy value and investigate the sensory properties of yoghurt samples enriched with flakes from biologically activated hull-less barley grains and malt extract. Results...

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease, triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by ingested gluten from wheat, rye, barley and other closely related cereal grains. The only effective treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life. Gluten-free bakery products are often considered of low eating quality because of their unappealing tex...

The rowanberries (Sorbus aucuparia L.) are small orange-red fruits of a rowan tree and belong to the family Rosaceae. These berries have been described as an important source of flavonoids, and their antioxidant activity affects reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation; therefore they are suitable for production of health-food products. The r...

Celiac disease is an autoimmune enteropathy disease, triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by ingested gluten from wheat (Triticum), rye (Secale cereale), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and other closely related cereal grains. The only way of the effective daily treatment is a strict gluten-free diet. From the investigation of products availab...

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of treatment with chitosan and chitooligosaccharide on vitamin C and polyphenols contents in cherries and strawberries during refrigerated storage. Chitosans and chitooligosaccharides, as well as vitamin C and polyphenols are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases and can...

Celiac disease is a common complex disease caused by a dietary intolerance to gluten proteins found in all wheat types and closely related cereals such as barley and rye (Heap, van Heel, 2009). The only effective treatment is a strict gluten-free diet throughout life (Gobbetti et al., 2003). Gluten-free breads often have poor crust and crumb charac...

Taste, smell and the flavour are the most important attributes determining the quality of bread or baked cereal products in general. Bread flavour is composed of hundreds of volatile and non-volatile compounds, i.e. many alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, acids, esters and other compounds. Many researchers have been studying volatile compounds in differ...

Color, texture and aroma are the main quality attributes of food influencing consumer acceptability of food products. Color of the product is one of the factors affecting hedonic evaluation. Strawberry mass for a consumer is characteristic by its distinct red color. The stability of anthocyanins becomes most significant in the case of color quality...

Jerusalem artichoke powder (JAP) from Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberous L.) roots is a nutritive valuable product that can be used for a healthy product development. The influence of JAP on the quality and degree of liking of cakes was investigated. Sensory evaluation of cakes was realized in two stages: the first - to define the quality att...