Functional Dehydrated Foods for Health Preservation

Abstract

The market of functional foods has experienced a huge growth in the last decades due to the increased consumers’ awareness in a healthy lifestyle. Dried fruits constitute good snacks, in alternative to salty or sweet ones, and food ingredients due to their taste and nutritional/health benefits. Bioactive molecules are interesting sources to develop functional foods, as they play a major role in improving the health status and minimizing disease risks. The bioactive compounds most widely discussed in literature are presented in this review, for example, polyphenols, phytosterols, and prebiotics. Different technologies to dry bioproducts for producing functional foods or ingredients are presented. New drying techniques for the preservation of bioactive compounds are proposed, focusing more specifically on dielectric drying. A discussion on the techniques that can be used to optimize drying processes is performed. An overview on dehydrated plant based foods with probiotics is provided. The microorganisms used, impregnation procedures, drying methods, and evaluated parameters are presented and discussed. The principal bioactive compounds responsible for nutritional and health benefits of plant derived dried food products—fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables by-products, grains, nuts, and algae—are presented. Phytochemical losses occurring during pretreatments and/or drying processes are also discussed.

Aplicação da microalga Spirulina spp. em iogurte liofilizado

“…A controle × 100 (1) onde Acontrole: Absorbância do controle negativo; Aamostra: Absorbância média da amostra.…”

“…A busca por praticidade vem sendo cada vez mais desejada pela população em geral. Desta forma, as indústrias de alimentos têm introduzido no mercado, produtos de consumo rápido, que mantenham suas qualidades nutricionais, como frutas desidratadas, snacks integrais, iogurte com características funcionais, entre outros [1]. O iogurte é um produto que contém alta concentração de vitaminas, minerais, cálcio, proteínas, magnésio, potássio, fósforo e zinco, além de conter baixo teor de gorduras e ser mais facilmente aceito por indivíduos intolerantes a lactose [2].…”

Texture Preferences of Chinese, Korean and US Consumers: A Case Study with Apple and Pear Dried Fruits

“…Efforts are being made to develop novel fruit products utilizing innovative processing techniques [6][7][8][9][10]. Dried fruit chips have recently become one of the most prominent product categories due to them being marketed as convenient and healthy snack alternatives [11], and the compound annual growth rate of fruit snacks is anticipated to exceed 8% between 2019 and 2025 [12]. Mainland China and US are especially attractive markets for Korea since these two countries are two of the top three countries importing Korean food products [13].…”

Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (DIC) Technology in Food Preservation: Fundamental and Industrial Applications

“…Low production efficiency, losses of some nutritional elements, and time and energy consumption are often encountered using the traditional food processing technologies. This is why there is an acute need for improved and appropriate production methods, which ensure the microbiological safety and allow better preservation of organoleptic and nutritional quality at the same time [2].…”