To Τμήμα Επιστήμης Τροφίμων και Διατροφής του Πανεπιστημίου Αιγαίου (ΤΕΤΔ ΠΑ) φιλοξένησε στη Λήμνο το 30ο Διεθνές Συνεδρίου του FFC – 18ο Διεθνές Συμπόσιο της ASFFBC, το οποίο θα διεξήχθη από τις 23 έως τις 25 Σεπτεμβρίου 2022, στο Γαροφαλλίδειο Αμφιθέατρο, στη Μύρινα Λήμνου. Το συνέδριο συνδιοργανώθηκε από το Functional Food Center-FFC (San Diego, U.S.A.) και το Τμήμα Επιστήμης Τροφίμων και Διατροφής.

Θέμα του συνεδρίου: «Μεσογειακή Διατροφή, Λειτουργικά Τρόφιμα και Βιοδραστικές Ενώσεις: Επιστήμη και Πρακτική». Συμμετείχαν επιστήμονες από όλον τον κόσμο, ειδικοί στην Επιστήμη των Τροφίμων και της Διατροφής, στην Ιατρική, τη Βιολογία και τη Βιομηχανία Τροφίμων.

Στα πλαίσια του συνεδρίου συζητήθηκαν οι πρόσφατες εξελίξεις σχετικά με την κατανάλωση και χρήση παραδοσιακών και επεξεργασμένων λειτουργικών τροφίμων που αναπτύσσονται μέσω αξιοποίησης βιοδραστικών ενώσεων της Μεσογειακής Διατροφής, ως παράγοντες που δύναται να συμβάλουν στην πρόληψη ιογενών ασθενειών και χρόνιων νοσημάτων.

Διαβάστε αναλυτικά το abstract από την ερευνητική ομάδα του EggWhiteBrain:

Functional Foods based on liquid egg-white protein

Patroklos Vareltzis¹, Avrakomi Matzaridou², Papaliagkas Vasileios^3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece
²Avgodiatrofiki, SA, Nea Santa, Kilkis, Greece;
³Department of Biomedical Sciences, International Hellenic University, Thermi, Greece

Corresponding Author: prof. Vareltzis Patroklos, Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece

Keywords: egg-white, functional, protein, vitamin B12, folic acid

Background: Egg white proteins have become an important and desirable ingredient to the food industry due to their functional properties which include gelling, foaming, and emulsification. Egg white is also well recognized as an excellent source of nutrition. Commercial functional liquid egg-white beverages are pasteurized beverages with increased protein content (up to 28gr of protein per portion), and therefore they are mainly advertised and marketed in the sports and muscle building sector.

Objective: To design and produce two novel functional foods based on liquid egg-white. The first one, is a beverage enriched in vitamins B12 and folic acid with the health claim of improving brain function and contributing to normal neurological and psychological functions. The second product is a crème-like dessert, characterized by high protein and low sugar content.

Methods: For the functional beverage, vitamins B12 and folic acid were carefully chosen according to their bioavailability as reported in the literature. Cyanocobalamin-B12 with maltodextrin as a carrier and glucosamine salt of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate were used as a mix in the appropriate concentrations to prepare the pasteurized beverages. Stability of the added vitamins during processing and storage, as well as their effect on physicochemical properties of the beverage were determined. A clinical trial was performed to establish the effect of this functional beverage on patients’ B12 and folic acid plasma concentrations. For the functional high protein, low sugar crème-like dessert, it was necessary to develop an appropriate formulation and processing method that would allow pasteurized liquid-egg white to gel at low temperatures and produce a microbiologically stable, syneresis free, with pleasant texture dessert.

Results: A custom made premix of the chosen vitamins was added in appropriate amounts to a final concentration of 1mg each in the final beverage. There was no effect of pasteurization conditions on the stability of the vitamin premix. Textural and sensorial characteristics of the product were not significantly affected by the addition of the premix. Preliminary clinical results from 13 patients showed a significant and quick physiological response, by raising the vitamins concentration in the patients’ plasma by more than 150% for vitamin B12 after one month of everyday consumption and by nearly 200% for folic acid, while decreasing homocysteine concentration by nearly 50%. To produce the crème-like dessert, a unique formulation was developed consisting mainly of 90% liquid egg-white 4.5% sugars (glucose and fructose), gelatine, cacao, modified starch, and powdered egg white. To reduce syneresis, as well as, to promote gelling at low temperature it was necessary to adjust the pasteurization process. Pasteurization temperature was increased and then the mix was quickly cooled, incubated for 30min in a mixing tank, poured into the containers and stored at refrigerating conditions for 12hours before consumption.

Conclusion: The study was incorporated into the industrial production of the premises of Avgodiatrofiki S.A of two novel functional foods based on liquid egg-white. The beverage, enriched with B12 and folic acid, was well accepted by the patients and showed impressive clinical results. The crème-like dessert is the first functional commercial dessert based on liquid egg-white containing 21g of protein per portion.

Corresponding Author:
Patroklos Vareltzis, assistant professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece, email: pkvareltzis@cheng.auth.gr, phone number: +30 2310 996162

Main Presenting Author:
Patroklos Vareltzis, assistant professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece, email: pkvareltzis@cheng.auth.gr, phone number: +30 2310 996162

Co-authors:
Vasileios Papaliagkas, associate professor, email: vpapaliagkas@gmail.com
Avrakomi Matzaridou, MSc: researcher, production engineer, email: quality@avgodiatrofiki.gr