Laura G. Gómez-Mascaraque

TEAGASC - Food Reserch Centre · Food Chemistry and Technology

Developments of hydrogel networks that combine suitable physical and biomechanical characteristics for tissue engineering scaffolds are in demand. The aim of this work was the development of hydrogel networks based on agarose and chitosan using oxidized dextrins as low cytotoxic crosslinking agents, paying special attention to the study of the infl...

The solid phase byproduct obtained after conventional fucoidan extraction from the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus can be used as a source containing alginate. This study involves ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of alginate from the byproduct using sodium bicarbonate. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to obtain the optimum conditi...

There is an increasing demand for fresh cheese varieties such as paneer because they offer ease of production, and time savings. Studies have been conducted on understanding the impact of milk composition on paneer quality, but there is no study on the effect of processing conditions on textural, rheological, and structural properties. To improve u...

In this study, the protein and salts distribution (Ca, P, Na and Mg) in processed cheese (PC) samples prepared with 180 or 360 mEq/kg of the calcium sequestering salts (CSS) disodium phosphate (DSP), disodium pyrophosphate (DSPP), sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and trisodium citrate (TSC) was studied. For this purpose, a water-soluble extract (WSE...

Poor feeding system hygiene may contribute to uncontrolled spontaneous fermentation in liquid pig feed and its associated undesirable effects. This study aimed to determine the effects of an intensive sanitisation programme in a grow-finisher liquid feeding system by monitoring microbiological and physico-chemical parameters of liquid feed and micr...

Protein extracts from green leaves, consisting of mainly RuBisCO, have potential applications for human consumption. However, their properties are highly influenced by the extraction process applied. This work assessed the impact of the extraction method on the solubility profile and emulsifying properties of two protein concentrates from perennial...

The aims of this proof of principle study were to compare two different chemometric approaches using a Bayesian method, Partial Least Square (PLS) and PLS-discriminant analysis (DA), for the prediction of the chemical composition and texture properties of the Grana Padano (GP) and Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) PDO cheeses by using NIR and Raman spectra...

Bovine mastitis is a costly disease in the dairy sector worldwide. Here the objective was to identify and characterize anti-biofilm compounds produced by Bacillus spp. against S. aureus associated with bovine mastitis. Results showed that cell-free supernatants of three Bacillus strains (out of 33 analysed) reduced S. aureus biofilm formation by ap...

Hemp seeds are currently used mainly for oil extraction, generating waste that could be potentially exploited further as a source of proteins and other bioactives. This study aims to valorise hemp waste (Cannabis sativa, L.) from previous oil extraction as a source of protein by analysing the effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) pre-treatments...

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of tannins on gut microbiota composition and activity, and to evaluate the use of pectin-microencapsulation of tannins as a potential mode of tannin delivery. Thus, pectin-tannin microcapsules and unencapsulated tannin extracts were in vitro digested and fermented, and polyphenol content, antioxid...

For sample preparation prior to mineral analysis, microwave digestion (~2 h) is quicker and requires lower acid volume as compared to dry (6–8 h) and wet digestion (4–5 h). However, microwave digestion had not yet been compared systematically with dry and wet digestion for different cheese matrices. In this work, the three digestion methods were co...

The chemical composition, macromolecular characteristics, and structure of four types of Tremella fuciform polysaccharides (TPS) were analyzed, including one TPS that was extracted in the laboratory (L-TPS) and three commercial TPS. The effects of pH on the properties of TPS emulsions were investigated by analyzing their zeta potential, particle si...

This work reports on the nanostructural changes taking place during the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of polysaccharide-casein gel-like structures through the use of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicated that during the gastric phase, the hydrolysis of casein led to a swelling of the micellar structure, yielding peptide c...

The protein composition and digestive characteristics of four commercially available infant formulae (IF) manufactured using bovine (B-IF), caprine (C-IF), soy (S-IF), and rice (R-IF) as a protein source were examined in this study. Plant-based formulae had significantly higher crude protein and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) concentrations. Static in...

Phosphates and citrates are calcium sequestering salts (CSS) most commonly used in the manufacture of processed cheese, either singly or in mixtures. Caseins are the main structure forming elements in processed cheese. Calcium sequestering salts decrease the concentration of free calcium ions by sequestering calcium from the aqueous phase and disso...

Fructophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria (FLAB), Fructobacillus fructosus DPC7238 and pseudofructophilic Leuconostoc mesenteroides DPC7261 and non-FLAB Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM20016 strains were studied for their growth and morphological evolution as a function of increased fructose concentrations (0, 25, and 50% w/v) in the media. A comparison of...

This study explored the use of X-ray computerized microtomography (micro-CT) and confocal Raman microscopy to provide complementary information to well-established techniques, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), for the microstructural characterization of cheese. To evaluate the potential of these techniques, 5 commercial Cheddar che...

In this study, single and co-cultures of proteolytic Lactobacillus delberueckii subsp. bulgaricus ORT2, Limosilactobacillus reuteri SRM2 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis BRM3 isolated from different raw milk samples were applied as starter cultures to manufacture functional fermented milks. Peptide extracts from fermented milk samples were eval...

An investigation on the impacts of different prebiotics (inulin, galactofructose, soy protein isolate (SPI), and spirulina) and co-culturing with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei on the biological metabolites [free amino acids (FAAs), free fatty acids (FFAs), and organic acids] and stability parameters of fermented milk is presented. All fermented milk...

Complex coacervation is an encapsulation process involving two oppositely charged biopolymers. Since different compositions of gum arabic may affect its interaction with protein, we studied the complex coacervation of two types of gum arabic (GA) (Acacia senegal-GA1 and Acacia seyal-GA2) with soluble pea protein (SPP) through Zeta potential, turbid...

There is an increasing need to explore alternative sources of proteins for food applications. Green leaves contain high levels of the enzyme RuBisCO, representing a source of protein with good functional and nutritional properties. However, the optimal conditions for extraction and purification of RuBisCO at a large scale have not yet been defined....

This study investigated some biofunctional, structural, and tribological attributes of synbiotic yoghurts produced using Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as probiotic, and galactofructose, inulin, soy protein isolate, and spirulina as prebiotics. The highest gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production (99.63 μg mL⁻¹) and glutamic acid consumption (98.39...

One of the limitations of external gelation for microencapsulation is that small water-soluble compounds tend to diffuse out of the microbeads, resulting in low encapsulation efficiencies. In this work we propose a one-step approach for hydrogel microbead formation and simultaneous coating using external gelation. We explored amidated pectin as the...

Microencapsulation of tannin extracts through extrusion-gelation method was performed comparing two alternative encapsulation matrices: alginate and amidated pectin. The microstructure of the generated microbeads was studied, as well as their microencapsulation efficiency and release properties. Overall, pectin-based beads performed better than the...

This work explores confocal Raman microscopy as a novel approach to study the microstructure of oleogels, using milk fat-based oleogels as a case study. Anhydrous milk fat (AMF) was sequentially fractionated to obtain two olein and two stearin fractions with different thermal properties. These and the unfractionated AMF were structured into oleogel...

This work explores the potential of confocal Raman microscopy to investigate the microstructure of mixed protein gel systems. Heat-set protein gels were prepared using whey protein isolate (WPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), and mixtures thereof, with a total of five different whey-to-soy protein ratios (100, 75, 50, 25, and 0%). These were analysed...

In the present study, the structuring and breakdown of a 5% protein dispersion prepared with commercial fractions of pea and rice isolates (PPI and RPI, respectively) were monitored by in vitro digestion. These proteins were blended in a 2 : 1 ratio of pea and rice, respectively, as this would deliver a high amino acid score. The effect of heating...

The bioactivity and gelling properties of a carbohydrate-rich algal extract obtained from locally harvested Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed using a chemical-free approach were investigated for its potential interest in food applications. Physicochemical characterisation and compositional analysis of the extract, using FTIR, biochemical methods and mono...

The present study is focused on developing microfibers based on the European fish eel skin gelatin (ESG) using the electrospinning process and evaluating its ability to encapsulate European fish eel oil (EO). Based on the scanning electron microscopy images, electrospinning of 15% (w/v) gelatin solution in ethanol/water 40% (v/v) was efficient to p...

Watermelon is the second largest fruit crop worldwide, with great potential to valorise its rind waste. An experimental design was used to model how extraction parameters (temperature, pH, and time) impact on the efficiency of the process, purity, esterification degree, monosaccharide composition and molar mass of watermelon rind pectin (WRP), with...

European eel proteins hydrolysates (EPHs) were produced from A. anguilla muscle protein and protein isolate using Purafect®, goby crude proteases and B. invictae proteases. EPHs had high protein contents and displayed diverse molecular mass distributions. Muscle protein hydrolysates (MPHs) and protein isolate hydrolysates (PIHs) obtained both by Pu...

The increased interest in the development of bio-based packaging materials has boosted research on new approaches to improve their barrier performance and functionality. This chapter describes novel coating techniques, specifically electrospinning, for the development of nanostructured layers of interest in food packaging. One of the main innovativ...

Lutein (L), zeaxanthin (Z), and meso-zeaxanthin (MZ) have been the focus of research and commercial interest for their applications in human health. Research into formulations to enhance their bioavailability is merited. This 6 month randomised placebo-controlled trial involving 81 healthy volunteers compared the bioavailability of different formul...

The animal diet is a critical variable affecting the composition and functionality of dairy products. As “Grass-Fed” labeling becomes more prominent on the market, rapid and label-free methods for verification of feeding systems are required. This work proposes the use of Raman spectroscopy to study the effects of 3 different experimental cow feedi...

This work shows the characterization of (nano)cellulosic aerogels prepared from Posidonia oceanica waste biomass by means of confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). For this aim, aerogels were prepared by simple freeze‐drying of aqueous dispersions of four (nano)cellulosic fractions with different purification degrees, tested at two different concentratio...

Hydrogels from commercial carrageenans (κ-C, ι-C, λ↑-C (high viscosity) and λ↓-C (low viscosity)) were prepared with and without the addition of salts (KCl and CaCl2). FT-IR and ¹H NMR characterization evidenced that while the κ-C and ι-C grades were relatively pure carrageenans, the two λ-C grades were λ-, κ-, θ- and μ-carrageenan hybrids. The eff...

In this work, emulsion electrospinning was used to develop an active internal coating for food packaging applications. Specifically, the antioxidant molecule β-carotene, was encapsulated in a mixture of soy protein isolate (SPI) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which was directly electrospun onto a polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHB92/PHV8) film. An a...

Lightweight, hydrophobic, adsorbent pads based on aerogels from different cellulosic and nanocellulosic fractions extracted from Posidonia oceanica waste biomass were developed by a simple freeze-drying and PLA dipping method. The pure (nano)cellulosic aerogels presented highly porous structures, capable of adsorbing large amounts of oil (up to ∼34...

The electrospraying technique, which consists of electrohydrodynamic atomization of polymeric fluids, can be used to generate dry nano- and microparticles by subjecting a polymer solution, suspension or melt to a high voltage (typically in the range of 7-20 kV) electric field. This potential can be exploited for developing nano- and microencapsulat...

The electrospraying technique, which consists of electrohydrodynamic atomization of polymeric fluids, can be used to generate dry nano- and microparticles by subjecting a polymer solution, suspension or melt to a high voltage (typically in the range of 7-20 kV) electric field. This potential can be exploited for developing nano- and microencapsulat...

In this work, electrospinning and electrospraying techniques were used to encapsulate the sensitive bioactive compounds of a saffron extract (i.e. picrocrocin, safranal, and crocin) using zein as protective matrix. Initially, a dried saffron extract (DSE) was obtained and characterized and was subsequently incorporated within zein solutions prepare...

Generally solids may exist in crystalline, amorphous or partially (e.g. semi) crystalline phases. Crystalline and amorphous materials show significantly different physicochemical properties due to differences in microstructure. Phase transition, crystallization and hydration of non-equilibrium lactose is of practical importance for dairy and food i...

Alginate microcapsules were prepared using three different alginate grades and incubated under simulated digestion conditions. Their micro- and nanostructural changes were studied using microscopy, laser diffraction and small angle X-ray scattering. Both the molecular weight and M/G ratio affected the size and nanostructural features of the capsule...

In this work, zein fibers loaded with phenolic-enriched extracts from pulp, seed and skin of orange chilto were collected on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)films through the electrospinning technique, for their potential use as bioactive internal coatings for food packaging applications. The zein fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy...

This work reports on the production and characterization of agar-based extracts from the seaweed Gelidium sesquipedale by means of simple protocols based on hot water and sonication treatments. The combination of sonication with the hot water treatment reduced 4-fold the extraction time without significantly affecting the extraction yield (ca. 10–1...

The aim of this work was to develop edible encapsulation structures based on gelatin-coated ι-carrageenan hydrogel beads, and to study the impact of incorporating different phenolic compounds within them in their microstructure, physic-chemical properties and release performance. The developed capsules were produced in aqueous solutions and mild co...

This study investigates the preparation and characterization of a protein isolate extracted from European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and its ability to generate protein gel. European eel protein isolate (EPI) was extracted from European eel muscle by a pH-shifting process. European el protein isolate gels (EPIGs) were prepared by heat treatment of EPI...

In this study, curcumin was encapsulated within electrospun protein (i.e. gelatin and zein) fibers to generate bioactive coatings for food packaging. Additionally, a green tea extract (GTE) was also incorporated within the formulations to evaluate its impact on the stability, protective ability, and release properties of the curcumin-loaded fibers....

This work reports on a simple, fast and food-grade encapsulation approach with potential for probiotic protection, which consists on the formation of agarose-based hydrogel particles. These were generated by the supramolecular self-assembly of the probiotic-containing carbohydrate solutions by dripping them into a biphasic bath with an upper oil la...

The design of novel delivery systems to treat vaginal fungal infections is a topic of high interest. Chitosan, being itself antimicrobial and having good mucoadhesive properties, is an excellent candidate as a delivery matrix for active compounds. In this work, chitosan microcapsules containing dry extracts of Argentinean medicinal plants with prov...

The objective of this work was to investigate whether the use of unpurified agar-based fractions extracted from the seaweed Gelidium as microencapsulation matrices has an impact on probiotic protection during storage. Therefore, unpurified and pure agar and agarose-based microcapsules were produced through emulsification/internal gelation for the p...

This work provides an in-depth analysis on how the addition of different microalgae species (Nannochloropsis, Spirulina and Scenedesmus) affected the structural and physicochemical properties of thermoplastic corn starch biocomposites. Structural characterization was conducted by combined SAXS/WAXS experiments and it was correlated with mechanical...

Food-grade biopolymers, apart from their inherent nutritional properties, can be tailored designed for improving food quality and safety, either serving as delivery vehicles for bioactive molecules, or as novel packaging components, not only improving the transport properties of biobased packaging structures, but also imparting active antibacterial...

Coaxial electrospraying is a promising technique for the production of multilayer encapsulation structures whose potential has already been demonstrated for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. The aim of this work was to extend its application to the food sector by developing novel coaxially electrosprayed microcapsules using all food-grade...

In this work, natural biopolymeric encapsulation structures were developed through the self-assembly of gelatin and ι-carrageenan in aqueous solutions. The interactions of this binary system and of a ternary system containing a polyphenol-rich extract were deeply explored for the development of intestinal delivery systems. The processing of the str...

The development of carotenoid-enriched functional foods is limited by the low bioaccessibility of these bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to improve the bioaccessibility of β-carotene after in-vitro digestion through its encapsulation within electrosprayed protein microparticles. Two different protein matrices (zein and a whey protein c...

This work reports on the development of electrosprayed chitosan/gelatin microparticles for encapsulation purposes. Initially, the effects of the chitosan molecular weight (Mw), biopolymers and solvent composition on solution properties and capsule formation were investigated. Results demonstrated that the sprayability of the blend solutions was mai...

The ability of phenolic compounds to bind to dietary polysaccharides such as starch and plant cell wall components impacts their nutritional value. Here, we report interactions between potato cells and three different phenolic compounds (+)-catechin, phloridzin and vanillic acid. The binding interactions of the phenolic compounds with intact potato...

In this work, a Geoffroea decorticans (chañar) extract very rich in polyphenols and with antioxidant and inhibitory activity against pro-inflammatory enzymes, was microencapsulated in a zein matrix using electrospraying to improve its stability and facilitate its handling as food ingredient. The electrosprayed microcapsules were characterized in te...

This work presents a detailed structural characterisation of the starch gelatinisation process and the effect of the addition of three microalgae species, Nannochloropsis gaditana sp., Scenedesmus almeriensis and Spirulina, by means of an advanced approach consisting of temperature-resolved simultaneous SAXS/WAXS experiments, combined with DSC. Fur...

Food-contact surfaces is considered an important vehicle for the indirect transmission of foodborne viral diseases with enteric viruses, especially human norovirus (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of green tea extract (GTE) at room temperature as a function of pH and storage ti...

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a flavonoid from green tea, is said to have extensive antimicrobial activity in a wide range of food spoilage or pathogenic fungi, yeast and bacteria. In this work, the antiviral activity of EGCG was assessed against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and murine norovirus (MNV), a human norovirus surrogate, at different temper...

In this work, coaxial electrospraying was used for the first time to microencapsulate probiotic bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus plantarum , within edible protein particles with the aim of improving their resistance to in vitro digestion. The developed structures, based on an inner core of whey protein concentrate and an outer layer of gelatin,...

Microfluidics and electrospraying, two revolutionary technologies with industrial potential for the microencapsulation of lipophilic bioactive ingredients, have been combined to produce hybrid liposome/protein microencapsulation structures in a semi-continuous process, reducing the number of steps required for their manufacture. Three different mic...