Fruits and vegetables consumption has risen noticeably during recent decades, leading to a greater frequency of foodborne illnesses associated with fresh produce. Novel industrial applications and improvements in ozone technology together with new regulatory actions worldwide have emerged in recent years, making its use in the food industry easier. This technology has attracted considerable commercial interest, especially because ozone does not leave any residues on the treated produce and it is also accepted by many organic grower organizations. However, discrepancies regarding the efficacy of this technology are often found in the bibliography and further research is still needed. These differences could be attributed to a great variability in the conditions of the research work: method of ozone generation and application, O3 concentration and exposure time to the gas, as well as the way in which produce is packed. In this sense, standardization in the working conditions and in the units to measure ozone concentration will be useful to better understand the mode of action and the effects of ozone on food products. Consequently, it would be possible to improve its potential as a sanitizer in the food industry.

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The analysis of the volatile fraction of carob bean pulp during a roasting process between 10 and 60 min was performed. In all, 137 components (comprising ca. 98.0% of the total isolate) were positively identified. Acids, alcohols, and aldehydes represent 91.4% of the total of the identified compounds in raw carob. The levels of these compounds decreased steeply during the roasting process, representing 51.2% of the total as a result of the increasing amounts of furans, esters, and pyrroles in roasted carob, whose odor is more pleasant than that of raw carob and reminiscent of chocolate or cocoa and which could be used in foods as a flavoring agent. Keywords: Carob; Ceratonia siliqua L.; roasting process; volatiles

Volatile aroma components of raw earth almond and those developed in a roasting process were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine the identity of compounds that would indicate the degree of roasting. In all, 143 components (ca. 90% of the total isolate) were positively identified, of which 138 are reported as earth almond volatiles for the first time. The main flavor compounds identified in raw earth almond were alcohols, whereas in roasted earth almond, the majority of the volatiles identified suggest the flavor formation is via the Maillard reaction, with pyrazines contributing directly to the roasted flavor of earth almond. Keywords: Chufa; Cyperus esculentus; earth-almond; roasting process; volatiles