Lucía Plaza

Cinca Group, Huesca, Spain · I+D+i Department

This study examined the effect of the intake of orange juice provided freshly squeezed (FS) or processed using low-temperature pasteurisation (LP), high-pressure processing (HPP), or pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on the serum carotenoid concentrations of 12 healthy individuals, aged 20–32 years, enrolled in a crossover study. Participants w...

The use of calcium chloride and calcium lactate solutions has been shown to be a suitable alternative to chlorine in order to maintain the shelf-life of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of calcium chloride or calcium lactate at different concentrations (1, 2, or 4 %, w/v) on the quality and...

Biological preservation methods with bacterial antagonists have emerged as alternatives to chemical sanitizers for extending shelf-life and reducing the population of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, calcium plays an important role in maintaining the quality of fruit, and postharvest calcium treatments might determine the potential of fruit...

BACKGROUND Biological preservation with probiotic bacteria has arisen as an alternative to control the growth of foodborne pathogens on food. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of postharvest calcium application and biopreservation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on the quality and bioaccessibility of total phenolic content and a...

In the twenty first century, the beverage industry faced changing times with new developments as a response to consumers' demand to attain new and more differentiated food products of high quality and with guarantee of safe standards. The non-alcoholic beverage market itself is composed of various segments, such as juices, vegetable blends, teas, d...

Calçots are thefloral stems of the second-year onion (Allium cepa L.) resprouts with economic importance in Spain, where they are usually consumed roasted. The effect of two controlled atmospheres (CA) of 2.0% O2+3.5% CO2 (CA1), 1.0% O2+2.0% CO2 (CA2) and air at 1°C for 60 d on the physicochemical, nutritional and sensory quality of calçots were stud...

An in-depth look at new and emerging technologies for non-alcoholic beverage manufacturing The non-alcoholic beverage market is the fastest growing segment of the functional food industry worldwide. Consistent with beverage consumption trends generally, the demand among consumers of these products is for high-nutrient drinks made from natural, hea...

Fresh apples and pears are good sources of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C, and for juice processors, it is of importance to maintain them during their processing and shelf life. Moreover, its microbial safety and stability should be guaranteed. For this reason, several researches have been carried out to optimize juice processing in order to av...

In recent years, the consumption of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has quickly increased [1]. Biological preservation has emerged as a promising strategy to extend the shelf life and to improve the microbiology safety of foods. Recently, our research group has isolated the strain CPA-7 of Pseudomonas graminis from apple, reporting that its applica...

Calçots " are the floral stems of the second-year onion (Allium cepa L.) resprouts with an economical importance in Catalonia (northeast Spain). The demand and interest in exporting " calçot " as a ready-to-cook product has motivated producers to develop a new agricultural commodity. The development of a high-quality fresh-cut " calçot " requires c...

The strain CPA-7 of Pseudomonas graminis, isolated from apple by our group, was reported to reduce the population of foodborne pathogens in minimally processed fruit. The aim of this work was to investigate its effect on physical parameters, visual quality, enzymatic activity, vitamin C content and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut melon during ref...

Postharvest treatments can influence on the quality of fresh fruit as well as determine its aptitude to be processed and its subsequent shelf-life. Calcium plays an important role in maintaining quality of fruits. Postharvest calcium application is effective delaying senescence, reducing postharvest decay, controlling physiological disorders and as...

The development of fresh-cut apple products requires the reconsideration of cultivar selection because different characteristics are required compared with those characteristics for the fresh market. The aim of this work was to evaluate four improved cultivars (‘Modì’, ‘Ariane’, ‘Fuji Kiku 8’ and ‘Pink Lady’) and to compare these cultivars with tra...

Background The effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) treatment variables (electric field strength and treatment time) on the glucosinolate content of broccoli flowers and stalks were evaluated. Samples were subjected to electric field strength from 1 to 4 kV/cm and treatment times from 50 to 1000 µs, at 5 Hz.ResultsData fitted significantly (p< 0....

Onions have antioxidant properties and they are an important source of bioactive compounds such as phenols. The aim of this work was to study the effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (100-600 MPa/1-3 min/25 °C) on the microstructure and antioxidant properties of onions (cv. Doux) and its relationship with changes in the extractability of poten...

A study was made of the effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) and thermal treatment (TT) on plant bioactive compounds (tocopherols, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid) in 12 fruit juice-milk beverages and of how the food matrix [whole milk (JW), skimmed milk (JS), and soy milk (JSy)] modulates their bioaccessibility (%). HPP (400 MPa/40 °C/5 min) pr...

Rojo Brillante is an astringent variety of persimmon fruit that needs a de-astringency treatment (95% CO2/20 °C/24 h) before commercialisation to improve its sensorial quality. This fruit is a good source of bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids. Effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) (200–400 MPa/25 °C/1–6 min) on carotenoid content of astri...

Calcium and phosphorus bioavailability from different milk-based (whole milk, skimmed milk and soya milk) fruit beverages as affected by thermal treatment (TT) and high-pressure processing (HPP) was determined by means of the paired in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (solubility method)/Caco-2 cell model. Ca bioaccessibility was significantly high...

The impact of different processing technologies, including non-thermal technologies, on bioactive compounds of orange juice was investigated. Freshly squeezed orange juice was treated by high pressure (HP) (400 MPa/40 °C/1 min), pulsed electric fields (PEF) (35 kV cm−1/750 μs) and low pasteurization (LPT) (70 °C/30 s). The stability of main caroten...

IntroductionFruits and Vegetables Composition: Nutrients and Bioactive CompoundsEffects of HPP on Nutritional and Health-Related Compounds of Fruit and Vegetable ProductsEffects of PEF on Nutritional Quality and Health-Related Compounds of Fruit and Vegetable ProductsEffects of HPP and PEF on Health-Related Properties of Fruit and Vegetable Product...

The effect of minimal processing on the health-related attributes of orange fruit was investigated. Oranges were prepared as whole fruits, hand-peeled fruits and manually separated segments, packed under air atmosphere and stored at 4 °C for 12 days. The stability of main bioactive compounds (carotenoids, flavanones and vitamin C) and antioxidant a...

Consumers are more and more concerned about the nutritional and health-related characteristics of fruits and vegetables, as well as the safety of the food they eat. The processing of foods is becoming more sophisticated and diverse in response to the growing demand for quality foods. Consumers today expect food products to provide fresh-like appear...

Avocado ( Persea americana Mill.) is a good source of bioactive compounds such as monounsaturated fatty acids and sterols. The impact of minimal processing on its health-promoting attributes was investigated. Avocados cut into slices or halves were packaged in plastic bags under nitrogen, air, or vacuum and stored at 8 degrees C for 13 days. The st...

The thermal stability of purified recombinant Aspergillus aculeatus pectinmethylesterase (PME) in different media was studied. The influence of pH, ionic strength and additives (salts and polyols) was evaluated. At pH 5.0 and a high ionic strength (0.50 M), the enzyme showed a high thermostability (inactivation at temperatures ⩾60 °C). Interestingl...

Tomato pectinmethylesterase (PME) was successfully purified by a two-step method consisting of affinity chromatography followed by cation exchange chromatography. According to this procedure, four different isoenzymes were identified representing molar masses around 34.5-35.0 kDa. Thermal and high-pressure inactivation kinetics of the two major iso...

Commercial conventional thermal pasteurised tomato juices were nutritionally evaluated, at the same point in their commercial shelf lives, for their carotenoid contents, vitamin C, and antioxidant activities and physical and physicochemical characterisation. Higher lycopene epoxide, lycopene, γ-carotene, β-carotene contents, and vitamin A values we...

A better knowledge of the effect of refrigerated storage on the nutritional and antioxidant characteristics of foods processed by emerging technologies with regard to thermal traditional technology is necessary. Thus, freshly squeezed orange juice was processed by high-pressure (HP) (400MPa/40°C/1 min), pulsed electric fields (PEF) (35kV/cm/750μs)...

High-pressure (HP) technology is an alternative to heat preservation methods for foods; therefore, it is essential to assess the impact of this technology on bioactive compounds and their properties. Carotenoids and antioxidant activity were measured in Mediterranean vegetable soup, called gazpacho subjected to HP/temperature treatment. The stabili...

Gazpacho is a traditional cold Mediterranean soup consisting of 5 vegetables (tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion, and garlic) and olive oil. Antioxidant activities of commercial gazpachos, processed by different technologies (traditional pasteurized [TP], slight pasteurized [SP], and frozen [F]), were assessed. Both lipophilic and hydrophilic DP...

Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease and stroke. In this work, the bioavailability of vitamin C from a Mediterranean vegetable soup (gazpacho) constituted mainly of tomato, pepper and cucumber, and its influence on plasma vitamin C, 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-e...

Bioactive compounds (carotenoids and vitamin C) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging activity [50% depletion of initial DPPH• radical (EC50) and antiradical efficiency (AE)], in aqueous (AQ) and organic (OR) fractions, were measured in tomato purée subjected to high-pressure (HP) (400 MPa/25 °C/15 min), low pasteurisation (L...

Bioactive compounds (vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavanones) and DPPH* radical scavenging capacity (RSC) were measured in orange juice (OJ) subjected to different technologies. High pressure (HP) (400 MPa/40 degrees C/1 min), pulsed electric fields (PEF) (35 kVcm(-1)/750 micros), low pasteurization (LPT) (70 degrees C/30 s), high pasteurization (HP...

The bioavailability of vitamin C from pulsed electric fields (PEF)-treated vegetable soup in comparison with freshly made (FM) vegetable soup-gazpacho-and its impact on 8-epiPGF(2alpha) and uric acid concentrations in a human population were assessed. For this purpose six subjects consumed 500 ml PEF-treated vegetable soup/day, and six subjects con...

Orange juice, a rich source of vitamin C, accounts for 60% of all fruit juices and juice-based drinks consumed in western Europe. Orange juice preservation is currently accomplished by traditional pasteurization. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) have been studied as a nonthermal food preservation method. Food technology needs in the area of processing...

Current evidence supports a significant association between fruit and vegetable intake and health. In this study, we assessed the effect of consuming a vegetable-soup "gazpacho" on vitamin C and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in a healthy human population. We also examined the association between vitamin C and F(2)-isoprostanes (8-...

High-pressure is a new food processing technology aimed at achieving consumer demands for fresher products with reduced microbiological levels. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of combined treatments of high-pressure and natural additives (citric acid and sodium chloride) on lutein, lycopene, lycopene epoxide, - and -carotene c...

Consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with improved health and a decreased prevalence of chronic degenerative processes. The objectives were to assess the bioavailability of vitamin C from orange juice and its influence on plasma vitamin C and 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (8-epi-PGF(2 alpha)) concentrations in a healthy human populati...

We examined the bioavailability of vitamin C in orange juice processed using high pressure (HP) and its effects on plasma levels of vitamin C, uric acid (UA), F2-isoprostanes (8-epiPGF(2alpha)), C-reactive protein (CRP) and prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) in a healthy human population. Subjects (6 men, 6 women) enrolled in the study consumed 500 mL/d of...

Tomato puree was subjected to combined treatments of high hydrostatic pressure and natural additives [citric acid and sodium chloride (NaCl)]. Their effects on the most important quality parameters of tomato puree as colour and viscosity, and biochemical parameters as enzymatic activities (polyphenoloxidase, peroxidase, and pectin methylesterase) a...

Dietary recommendations for healthy eating include the consumption of fruit juices whose health effects are ascribed, in part, to carotenoids, phenolic compounds and vitamin C. These bioactive compounds have been implicated in the reduction of degenerative human diseases, mainly due to their antioxidant potential. Orange juice is characterized by s...

Vitamin C, provitamin A carotenoids, and other carotenoids were measured in freshly squeezed juices from oranges (Citrus sinensis L. var. Valencia late) that were subjected to high-pressure (HP) treatment. Also, the stability of these compounds was studied during refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C. HP treatment is an alternative to heat preservati...

Nutritional and health-related compounds of alfalfa, wheat and soybean seeds dried by new drying process called the DIC process (controlled instantaneous pressure release) were evaluated, before and after sprouting. Vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C and E), minerals (Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Mn, Na, Cu and Zn) and phytoestrogens (genistein and daidzein ) content we...

The bioactive compound stability of freshly squeezed juice from oranges (Citrus sinensis, L.) that were subjected to high-pressure (HP) treatment was studied by measuring flavanone content and antioxidant activity. High hydrostatic pressure is a food preservation method used as an alternative to heat treatments. Therefore, it is essential to assess...

Effects of high‐pressure treatment on the orange juice carotenoids (β‐carotene, α‐carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein and β‐cryptoxanthin) associated with nutritional (vitamin A) and health‐related (radical‐scavenging capacity) values were investigated. Various high‐pressure treatments (50–350 MPa) combined with different temperatures (30 and 60 °C) and t...