Giovanna Ferrari

Università degli Studi di Salerno | UNISA · Department of Industrial Engineering (DIIn)

This paper reports the experimental results of an on-going project running at lab-scale and aimed at the valorization of roasted hazelnut cuticles through both chemical (i.e., solvent extraction) and thermochemical treatment (i.e., torrefaction) routes. In particular, the potential of using water as a green solvent for the extraction of bioactive...

Nanostructured celluloses, in the form of nanofibrils (CNFs) and nanocrystals (CNCs), obtained through TEMPO-mediated oxidation, by controlling the intensity of the process (changing catalyst concentration and processing time), were tested in the stabilization of Pickering emulsions, fabricated through high-pressure homogenization (HPH). Results sh...

In this study, the effects of the amylose/amylopectin content on starch gelation and the physical characteristics of hydrogels produced by HPP were studied by optical and rheological measurements in steady-state conditions. Additionally, the effects of the storage temperature (4 °C and 20 °C) and type of packaging (plastic bags or sealed Petri dish...

The tomato processing industry can be considered one of the most widespread food manufacturing industries all over the world, annually generating considerable quantities of residue and determining disposal issues associated not only with the wasting of invaluable resources but also with the rise of significant environmental burdens. In this regard,...

This review provides the current laboratory criteria for the detection and evaluation of the possible causes of alteration of non-concentrated industrial derivatives of tomatoes (peeled tomatoes, pulps, purees, sauces, and fillets), packaged in coated or uncoated tinplate cans. We discuss how the product alterations are typically the consequence of...

Traditional extraction methods are based on high-temperature maceration with organic solvents, which are dangerous for human health. A viable alternative to overcome the issues associated with conventional extraction is to increase cell tissue permeability by applying high voltage electrical discharge (HVED) treatments. The objective of this work w...

Pulsed light (PL) is an emerging processing method that utilizes short duration, high intense pulses of polychromatic light to disinfect food, food contact surfaces and packaging materials, through photochemical, photothermal, and photophysical mechanisms. Moreover, PL can be used to enhance functionality and reduce allergenic power of food and foo...

In oenology, there is a growing demand by consumers for wines produced with less inputs (such as sulphite, frequently used for microbial control). Emerging control methods for managing microorganisms in wine are widely studied. In this study, the efficiency of pulsed light (PL) treatment was investigated. A drop-platted system was used to evaluate...

In this study, pulsed electric field (PEF—3 kV/cm; 5 kJ/kg) pretreatment was used to intensify the extractability of valuable intracellular compounds from artichoke by-products during a subsequent aqueous extraction (solid–liquid ratio = 1:10 g/mL, T = 20 °C; t = 120 min). Total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS) and HPLC–PDA...

This study aimed to improve the effectiveness of Thymus capitatus and Thymus algeriensis essential oils (EOs), as food preservatives, through their encapsulation in different delivery systems (DSs), namely nanoemulsions and biopolymeric nanoparticles. DSs' preparation is tailored to enhance not only physical stability but also resulting Eos' antiox...

This paper reports the results of an ongoing lab-scale activity concerning the valorization of toasted hazelnut cuticles through both chemical (i.e., solvent extraction) and thermochemical treatment (i.e., torrefaction) routes. In particular, the potential of using water as a green solvent for the extraction of bioactive compounds (substances of ch...

This study was focused on the optimization of the pulsed electric fields (PEF)-assisted extraction process using central composite design for response surface methodology from response surface methodology (RSM) with the aim to sustainably intensify the extractability of phenolic compounds from white grape pomace. The cell disintegration index (Zp)...

Grape processing by-products (pomace, stalks, vine shoots, and lees) represent a cheap and rich source of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, anthocyanins, tannins, and vitamins, with high commercial relevance for their potential applications in food, feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors. Recovery of these compounds is a key point to...

The present article studies the resistance opposed to the pulling force in injection pultrusion processes and its dependence on polymerization of the resin. A methodology to evaluate and analyze the local resistance to the advancement of the composite is proposed. Injection pultrusion processes were conducted adopting four different advancing speed...

Starch-based hydrogels are natural polymeric structures with high potential interest for food, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, the physical stability of starch-based hydrogels produced via high-pressure processing (HPP) was evaluated using conventional and accelerated methods. For this purpose, conventional stability...

In this study, a cascaded cell disintegration process, based on pulsed electric fields (PEF - 20 kV/cm, 100 kJ/kgSUSP.) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH - 150 MPa, 5 passes) was designed for the efficient and selective release of intracellular compounds (water-soluble proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) from C. vulgaris suspensions during ext...

Background Global strategies promoting healthy diets have rarely succeeded because of the resistance posed to the modification of consumers' preferences. In this scenario, the addition of bioactive compounds to highly consumed foods, such as pasta, represents an opportunity to promote healthier lifestyles through the consumption of functional produ...

In this work, the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment on the extractability in green solvents (i. e., ethanol–water mixture and propylene glycol) of target aroma and bioactive compounds, such as vanillin from vanilla pods, theobromine and caffeine from cocoa bean shells, linalool from vermouth mixture, and limonene from orange peels...

This work proposes a biorefinery approach for the utilization of agri-food residues, such as tomato pomace (TP), through combining chemical hydrolysis with high-pressure homogenization (HPH), aiming to achieve the isolation of cellulose with tailored morphological properties from underused lignocellulose feedstocks, along with the valorization of t...

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) is an innovative non-thermal technology, which can be used as a valuable and sustainable alternative to conventional techniques in several processes of food industry. However, the full exploitation of PEF technology in food industry requires that the unavoidable electrochemical and chemical reactions accompanying the fl...

Rationale Global warming has the potential to impact on the olfactory features of bergamot essential oil, which is a key component of perfumes, ointments and juices. Objectives The present study aimed at evaluating the hypothesis of a possible correlation between the chemical compositional characteristics of bergamot essential oil and climatic con...

Nowadays, the food industry is heavily involved in searching for green sources of valuable compounds, to be employed as potential food ingredients, to cater to the evolving consumers’ requirements for health-beneficial food ingredients. In this frame, agri-food by-products represent a low-cost source of natural bioactive compounds, including antiox...

The application of edible coatings (EC) in combination with pulsed light (PL) treatments represents an emerging approach for extending the shelf life of highly perishable but high value-added products, such as fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. The surface of these products would benefit from the protective effects of ECs and the PL decontamination c...

Starch-based hydrogels are natural polymeric structures of high scientific interest in the food, pharma, and cosmetic sectors. In this work, the effects of the starch source (rice, corn, wheat, and tapioca starch) and processing time (600 MPa for 5 and 15 min) on gel formation and on the physical characteristics of the structures formed were evalua...

The usage of edible coatings (ECs) represents an emerging approach for extending the shelf life of highly perishable foods, such as fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. This review addresses, in particular, the use of reinforcing agents in film-forming solutions to tailor the physicochemical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties of composi...

This work aimed at studying the stabilization of O/W Pickering emulsions using nanosized cellulosic material, produced from raw cellulose or tomato pomace through different mechanical treatments, such as ball milling (BM) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH). The cellulose nanofibrils obtained via HPH, which exhibited longer fibers with higher fl...

High energy consumption is often required to increase the extraction of phenolic compounds from grapes during alcoholic fermentation. Processes such as thermovinification require significant temperature changes over a long period of time to ensure the diffusion of phenolic compounds from the grape skin layer to the must. In this study, the capabili...

Tomato processing residues are still rich in bioactive compounds that may be recovered and reused, with environmental and economic benefits. This short communication discloses for the first time that the high‐pressure homogenization (HPH) treatment of tomato residues in the presence of water and sunflower oil is able to promote the extraction of bi...

This work compared the effects of pulsed electric fields (PEF) and ultrasound (US) technologies on the extent of cell disintegration of two Mediterranean herb tissues (Origanum vulgare L., Thymus serpyllum L.), as well as on the extractability of phenolic compounds during the subsequent hydroalcoholic extraction (0‐50% ethanol in water, v/v) for up...

The use of a mechanical pre-treatment such as high-shear homogenization (HSH - 20,000 rpm, 96 kJ/kgSUSP) in combination with pulsed electric fields (PEF - 20 kV/cm, 100 kJ/kgSUSP) was proposed to selectively and efficiently recover water-soluble proteins, carbohydrates, and C-phycocyanin from A. platensis suspensions during water extraction (25 °C,...

Rutin, a plant flavonol characterized by a wide range of biological effects, has limited application in foods because of its low water solubility and scarce bioavailability. This work aimed to investigate the encapsulation of a rutin-rich extract (200.6±1.5 mg/g of rutin) from Ruta chalepensis in zein nanoparticles (hydrodynamic diameter of 80-170...

Edible coatings (ECs) have attracted increasing attention in the last years as a simple yet effective approach to increase the storability of perishable foods, such as fresh or fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, contributing to maintaining their quality by reducing respiration rate and water loss. The incorporation of antimicrobial agents, such as es...

In this study, different drying processes (hot‐air convective drying, microwave drying, ultrasonically‐assisted convective drying, freeze‐drying, and infrared drying) were applied to dry the eggplant slices. Therefore, the Newton (infrared drying), Page (hot‐air convective drying, freeze‐drying, and microwave drying), and modified Page (ultrasonica...

This work evaluated the impact of PEF on the structure, properties, and functionality of wheat and cassava starches focusing on 3D printing application. Aqueous starch suspensions were PEF-treated using three different combinations of field strength and total specific energy input (T1:15 kV/cm;25 kJ/kg; T2:25 kV/cm;25 kJ/kg; and T3:25 kV/cm;50 kJ/k...

The structural design of essential oil emulsions can be exploited to modulate their antimicrobial activity, through the effect that the main formulation parameters (oil phase composition and type of emulsifier) have on the release of encapsulated antimicrobial compounds. In this work, different emulsions containing carvacrol, selected as model esse...

Microalgae are evaluated as a prosperous and sustainable source of natural bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. They include fatty acids, chlorophylls, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins, polyphenols, and vitamins, which have a commercial relevance for the potential applications as natural additives or active ingredients in food, feed, cosm...

Edible coatings have attracted significant interest in maintaining quality and improving the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables. This study aimed to improve tomato storability by using edible coatings, based on alginate cross-linked with calcium chloride, and containing an oregano essential oil (OEO) nanoemulsion as a natural antimicrobial. T...

The effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) on the kinetics of vacuum drying (VD) and rehydration of carrot tissue was studied. The intensity of PEF treatment was E = 0.6 kV/cm and the total PEF treatment duration was tPEF = 0.1 s. The VD was performed at sub-atmospheric pressure p = 3.03 × 10⁴ Pa for different temperatures Td = 25 °C and 90 °C. Dur...

In this research work, response surface methodology and artificial neural network were applied to Citrullus colocynthis seed oil extracted to optimize its oil yield (%) and antioxidant activities (IC50) by supercritical−CO2 extraction process and then compared. A Box Behnken design, with three-levels and five independent variables (pressure, extrac...

This work assessed the effect of storage time on the structure and functionality of HHP-treated whey protein isolate (WPI). Different pressures (100-600 MPa) and treatment times (15-30 min) were applied to aqueous WPI dispersions (5% w/v). The induced degree of unfolding was evaluated to select optimal HHP treatment conditions of WPI before storage...

High-pressure homogenization (HPH) was investigated to promote the extraction in water of bioactive molecules from Ruta chalepensis, a medicinal plant widely used in folk medicine. Aqueous suspensions (5% wt) of the pre-milled plant were treated by high-shear mixing (HSM), followed by HPH at 100 MPa for up to 10 passes. A considerable decrease in t...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of green solvents for extractions of bioactive compounds (BACs) and essential oils from wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) using theoretical and experimental procedures. Theoretical prediction was assessed by Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) and conductor-like screening model for realistic...

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the main pulsed electric field (PEF) process parameters on the cell damages of A. platensis microalgae and the extractability of valuable compounds (water-soluble proteins (WSP), C-phycocyanin (C-PC), and carbohydrates (CH)). Aqueous microalgae suspensions (2%, w/w) were PEF-treated at variable f...

In modern foods, the delivery systems for bioactive compounds play a fundamental role in health promotion, wellbeing, and disease prevention through diet. Nanotechnology has secured a fundamental role in the fabrication of delivery systems with the capability of modulating the in-product and in-body behavior for augmenting bioavailability and activ...

Pumpkin peel wastes are an unutilized source of starch, whose bioethanol production has not been reported by any research work so far. Such bioethanol is believed to show the potential uses of these wastes. Therefore, the present work was conducted to optimize the reducing sugar concentration and bioethanol production from pumpkin peel wastes using...

Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is well-known for its food preservation activity, as well as anticancer efficacy. However, the poor BEO water solubility and deriving low bioaccessibility have limited its wider applications. The incorporation in nanoemulsions of BEO and its refined fractions was investigated to enhance its dispersibility in water to pr...

ABSTRACT: Curcumin is a strong natural antioxidant compound, but its use as a nutraceutical ingredient is limited due to its low water solubility and poor chemical stability. This study aims to elucidate the key colloidal aspects determining the physical stability and antioxidant activity of emulsified curcumin, specifically focusing on the effect...

Starch-based hydrogels are natural polymeric structures which could be potentially utilized in food, pharma and cosmetic sectors to produce creams, gels and ointments, as well as functional foods and products for personalized nutrition. In this paper, the effects of processing conditions (pressure levels and holding time) on gelation of corn and ri...

This study investigated the effects of HPH processing parameters on the conformational structure of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and whey protein isolate (WPI). BSA and WPI dispersions (1% w/v in phosphate buffer, pH = 7.5) were treated in a bench-scale HPH unit at different pressures (100, 150, 200 MPa) and number of passes (1, 2, 3, 5). The modific...

The influence of pulsed electric fields (PEF) pre-treatment at different field strength (E = 1–5 kV/cm) and energy input (WT = 5–10 kJ/kg) on the recovery yield of lycopene in either acetone or ethyl lactate from industrial tomato peels residues, was investigated. The rate of lycopene extraction in both solvents decreased with time and was predicte...

Pulsed light (PL) treatment for food consists in the application of a polychromatic light (wavelength: 200–1100 nm) in the form of intense but short pulses, frequently investigated as a decontamination method. In this work, the effects of PL treatments on the physicochemical properties, total phenolic content, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity of...

In this study, we aimed to describe a modern, efficient, and reproducible methodology to optimize respiration rate parameters coupled with transport properties in mass balances describing Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems. We considered mass balances for three different respiration rate j film (exponential, competitive and uncompetitive M...

This study investigates the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) on the kinetics of vacuum drying (VD) of carrot and on the preservation of the quality of dried carrot tissue. The impacts of PEF-treatment and VD on β-carotene content and color of carrot samples were studied. PEF treatment was applied with intensity E = 0.6 kV/cm and total treatme...

Nanoemulsions were successfully developed through high-pressure homogenization. The layer-by-layer electrostatic technique was used for the subsequent deposition of a chitosan and alginate polyelectrolyte layers, thus leading to the development of a multilayer nanoemulsion. The effect of polyelectrolytes concentration in the development of multilay...

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is an advanced nonthermal processing method for achieving tailored cell disintegration of biological tissues or microbes. Various applications have been identified in several processes of food industry involving improvement of mass transfer phenomena, liquid food preservation, and targeted structural modifications. The f...

“Neapolitan limmo” is an ancient and rare sweet Mediterranean lime, now almost extinct but used until a few decades ago for the production of a fragrant liqueur called the “four citrus fruits”. The objective of this work was to compare, through the use of chemical (flavonoids, volatile organic compounds, and chiral compounds) and molecular (DNA fin...

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM), based on Box-Behnken design (BBD), was used to optimize the extraction conditions of protein isolate from the defatted seeds of jujube (Zizyphus lotus L.). This research focused on the effect of extraction temperature (30–50 °C), mixing time (15–75 min), pH (6.0–10.0), and solvent to solid ratio (1...

Starch-based hydrogels have received considerable interest due to their safe nature, biodegradability and biocompatibility. The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of producing natural hydrogels based on potato starch by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), identifying suitable processing conditions allowing to obtain stable hydrogels, as w...

ABSTRACT: Turmeric is promoted as a miracle cure for inflammatory pain, and this has led to a progressive increase in consumption. It is desirable that this bioactive compound exhibit stability and water solubility in food applications. However, turmeric beverages with non-uniform appearance and sedimentation problems have appeared on the market. T...

In this work, optimal PEF-assisted extraction conditions were selected in order to intensify the extractability of polyphenol compounds with high antioxidant activity from potato peels. Effectiveness of PEF as cell disintegration technique was confirmed using both impedance measurements and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Solid-liquid extraction (SLE...

In this work, the influence of pulsed electric fields (PEF) pre-treatment and extraction temperature on the recovery of carotenoid compounds from tomato peels, achieved after peeling of steam blanched whole tomato fruits, was investigated. PEF pre-treatments were carried out at different field strengths (E = 0.5–5 kV/cm) and total specific energy i...

This study aimed at evaluating the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) pre-treatment on the extractability of pigments (total carotenes, chlorophyll a) from microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica by supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction. Aqueous microalgal suspensions (1% w/w) added with 10% ethanol were treated in a continuous flow unit with either...

By-products of tomato processing are rich in bioactive compounds and their recovery might bring significant economic and environmental benefits. High-pressure homogenization (HPH) (1–10 passes at 100 MPa) was used as a disruption method to recover valuable compounds from tomato peels, using solely water as process medium. Micronization of tomato pe...

Abstract In this study, physicochemical, interfacial and emulsifying properties of Retama reatam and guar galactomannans were comparatively investigated. The results showed that Retama reatam galactomannan is mainly composed of total carbohydrates (95.52%) and lower protein contents (0.87%). The sugars identified were mannose (Man) and galactose (...

This study investigated the physicochemical, rheological and textural properties of nine types of honey from different regions of southern Tunisia. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to classify the honeys into groups. The physicochemical results (water, proteins, total soluble solids, pH, free acidity, water activity, electrical co...

The present work was undertaken to study the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid, phenolic and tocopherol compositions as well as the antioxidant activities of red pepper seed oils extracted using different methods (soxhlet, cold-pressing, supercritical-CO2 and micro-wave-assisted extraction process). The results showed that the red pepper...

Curcumin is the most active and least stable lipophilic bioactive compound present in turmeric. The aim was to study the effect of interfacial composition on stability and rheological behavior of curcumin multilayer emulsions. Primary emulsions (based on electrostatic interactions) were prepared by homogenizing 5% (v/v) coconut oil (0.05% w/v curcu...

ABSTRACT: Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound with a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities due to its strong antioxidant characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective activities. However, its low solubility and chemical stability limits its incorporation in...

Nanoemulsions can be used to improve the bioaccessibility of lipophilic bioactive compounds, such as curcumin, being their behaviour highly influenced by their interfacial properties. The effect of chitosan and alginate layers’ deposition on curcumin nanoemulsions’ behaviour during in vitro digestion was evaluated using a dynamic gastrointestinal s...

The suspension of micronized agri-food residues, such as tomato peels and spent coffee grounds, at 25% vol in peanut oil, results in the formation of a sample-spanning network (capillary suspension) upon the addition of a secondary immiscible fluid, such as water (at 0.17–0.57 vol with respect to the oil), to preferentially wet the particle surface...