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Introduction
Additional affiliations
January 2022 - present
November 2019 - present
October 2018 - February 2019
Education
October 2013 - October 2015
February 2012 - July 2012
October 2009 - April 2013
Publications
Publications (42)
This study investigated the interaction between apple juice (AJ) and acarbose (A) in modulating glycemic responses, with the aim of validating in vivo results previously observed in vitro. When administered...
This study aimed to assess the impact of roasting degree on antioxidant and metabolic parameters in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, we evaluated radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation, and the activity of digestive enzymes (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and lipase). In vivo, we first examined coffee's effect on carbohydrate and lipid absorption in healthy...
The effects of hyperbaric storage (HS) at 200 MPa on the microbial, chemical, physical and techno-functional properties of liquid egg yolk were investigated and compared to refrigeration. Inoculated Salmonella enterica (3.35 ± 0.12 logCFU g−1) and Staphylococcus aureus (2.78 ± 0.19 logCFU g−1) resulted below the detection limit after 24 and 48 h HS...
The role of polyphenols in affecting the structural and rheological properties of oleogels was investigated. Polyphenols were selectively removed from extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and the resulting oils at three different polyphenol levels were gelled by using 10% (w/w) of monoglycerides (MG), rice wax (RW), sunflower wax (SW), and a mixture of β...
The present study aimed at understanding the response of dietary fibres and phenolic compounds to apple matrix disintegration and thermal treatment. Apple was processed by mimicking industrial operations of blanching, destructuring by high‐speed homogenisation (HSH) or high‐pressure homogenisation (HPH), and pasteurisation. A viscous puree (0.73 Pa...
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of roasting coffee degree on inflammatory (NF-kβ F-6 and TNF-α) and stress oxidative markers (malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) end product concentrations, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in high-fructose and saturated fat (HFSFD)-fed rats. Roasting was performed using hot...
Carbohydrate and protein digestibility were assessed in different commercial bread types, i.e., soft, durum, and whole wheat, by applying in vitro digestion protocols mimicking adult or elderly physiological conditions. Protein digestibility was measured after the gastric and intestinal phases by the o-phthalaldehyde spectrophotometric assay (OPA)....
In this study an in vitro static digestion method mimicking the elderly gastrointestinal conditions was designed by adapting the physiological parameters described in the INFOGEST standardized static in vitro digestion protocol, i.e., pH, digestive phase duration, concentrations of enzymes and bile salts, to the aged GI transit. The digestibility o...
The aim of the present work was to assess the effect of an innovative oleogelation strategy, the aerogel-template approach, on protein and lipid digestibility. Whey protein isolate (WP) was converted into aerogel particles via supercritical CO2 drying. Oleogels were then prepared by absorption of sunflower (SO) or flaxseed (FLX) oil (80%, w/w) into...
Radiofrequency-assisted nitrogen cryogenic freezing previously proposed was optimized to increase meat quality. Continuous cryogenic (CCF, for 2.5 min) and pulsed cryogenic (PCF, 3 s pulse with 10 s interval for 10 min) freezing were set up. CCF and PCF were then combined with radiofrequency (RF) pulses to set up RF-CCF (10 s 2 kV RF pulse with 20...
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) was gelled with 10% monoglycerides, (MG), rice wax (RW), γ-oryzanol, and β-sitosterol (PS), or ethylcellulose (EC). The oleogel structure and the stability of bioactive compounds were investigated during storage up to 120 days at 20, 30, and 40 °C.
All samples were self-standing but presented different structures. PS p...
Although the interest towards functional food has dramatically increased, several factors jeopardize their effective development. A univocally recognized definition and a dedicated regulation for this emerging food category is lacking, and a gap exists between the technological and the nutritional viewpoints. Involved actors speak different languag...
A freezing pilot plant combining cryogenic flow and radiofrequency (RF) (2-6 kV) was used to freeze pork meat. Air and liquid nitrogen freezing were also carried out as controls. Differently frozen samples were thawed and submitted to oven cooking. After each operation, samples were analysed for colour, drip loss, and mechanical properties. Althoug...
Coffee beans were roasted to medium, dark and very dark degrees, and respective brews were in vitro digested and tested for α-glucosidase inhibition, to explore their antidiabetic potential. Phenolic acids (PA) and Maillard reaction indices (MRI) were quantified before and after digestion. Molecular docking was carried out to investigate α-glucosid...
Conventional (CB) and apple-pomace-reformulated (RB) biscuits were administered to healthy rats. Although the areas under curve (AUC) of glucose concentration were comparable between samples, differences in the glycaemic profile of CB and RB were observed. RB caused an initial steeper increase in glycaemia but a shift in the glycaemic peak from 45...
Sunflower oil enriched with curcuminoid compounds (CUs) was gelled by adding 5% (w/w) saturated monoglycerides (MG), rice bran waxes (RW) or a mixture of β-sitosterol and γ-oryzanol (PS). The resulting oleogels differed for rheological properties and firmness due to the difference in gel network structure. PS oleogel was the firmest sample followed...
Coffee brews were prepared from unroasted or medium, dark and very dark roasted coffee. Samples were in vitro digested and ultrafiltered. Coffee polyphenols were identified and quantified using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with ESI Quadrupole Time-of-Flight (UHPLC-ESI-QqToF). This technique combines the high performance liqu...
Thermal (T) and ultrasound (US) pasteurization processes were applied to apple juice and the phenolic compounds (TPC) were quantified before and after in vitro digestion by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn, with their bioaccessibility ascertained. Digested samples were analysed for their inhibitory capacity against α-glucosidase. Since some of the compounds exhibi...
30% of apples produced worldwide is annually transformed into juice. This process generates 10 million tons of apple pomace, consisting of flesh, peels, seeds, and stalks. This discard is generally disposed of or used to produce energy. However, apple pomace contains an impressive amount of high value-added compounds that can be recovered. To this...
Coffee was demonstrated to reduce type 2 diabetes risk. This effect was attributed to phenolic compounds, and in particular to chlorogenic acids (CGAs), which are able to inhibit α-glucosidase, the enzyme responsible for glucose release at intestinal level. However, most studies refer to model systems, such as phenolic compounds purified from coffe...
This study aimed at investigating the effect of coffee formulation and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on chlorogenic acid bioaccessibility and α-glucosidase inhibition. Coffee was added with milk (1:1) containing 0.1, 3.6 or 7.1% fat, homogenized at increasing pressure (0-150 MPa) and in vitro digested. Using milk with the highest fat concentra...
Diabetes mellitus is one of the major metabolic diseases worldwide and it is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. The incidence of this disorder has been increasing in the last decades, affecting not only adults but children and adolescents
as well. Diet plays an important role in diabetes prevention and management. A main
approach to achieve th...
The present research aimed at enriching short dough biscuits with apple pomace to reduce their glycemic index. Apple pomace produced on a laboratory scale was dehydrated and milled to a powder, which was characterized for soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, and for phenolic content. Apple pomace was used to partially replace wheat flour (10 and 20...
The effect of expiry date communication on acceptability and wasting risk of fresh-cut lettuce was investigated. Fresh-cut lettuce was packed in plastic pouches reporting or not the expiry date on the label and stored at recommended (8 °C) or abuse temperature (12 °C) for increasing time up to 21 days. Lettuce was assessed during storage for colour...
The in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of raw, mildly (F71.7⁵ = 0.4 min, 5 Log reductions of Cryptosporidium parvum) and intensively (F90¹²=14.8 min, 2 Log reductions of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris) pasteurized apple juice was studied. Raw apple juice (23 mgdw/mL) caused 90% α-glucosidase inhibition. Analogous results were obtained for...
In vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of unroasted, and medium, dark and very dark roasted robusta coffee was studied. Coffee extracts significantly inhibited the enzyme activity in a dose-dependent way. The inhibitory activity was well correlated with the degree of roast. Coffee components were separated by gel permeation chromatography into...
The evolution of different quality parameters (firmness, weight loss, colour changes, microbial counts, consumer rejection) of packed fresh-cut Iceberg salad was assessed at 4, 8 and 12 °C to simulate domestic refrigerators running at different conditions. The increase in storage temperature did not affect salad firmness and weight loss but increas...
Il caffè è una tra le bevande più consumate al mondo. Nello studio della sua composizione, sono state identificate diverse componenti, tra cui una famiglia di composti che prende il nome di “acidi clorogenici”. Gli studi compiuti su tali acidi hanno evidenziato un loro calo durante il processo di tostatura.
In questo lavoro si è andati ad identific...
Around one-third of the globally produced food is annually discarded worldwide. This amount would be able to satisfy ten times the need of undernourished people. If nothing is done, the mass of discarded food could further rise, compromising the right to food of future generations. Almost all food discards are nowadays disposed of or used for energ...