Amalia Conte

A combination of by-products was studied in fresh handmade pasta. Pomegranate peels and olive oil by-products were used in the range 0–6% (w/w) and properly combined in a total of nine combinations with an equal amount of broccoli by-products (10% w/w). The broccoli by-products were added to improve the sensory acceptance, which was compromised when the two above by-products were added to the dough. To verify the synergic effects, among these by-products, on tagliatelle shelf life, microbiological quality based on the main spoilage groups, sensory properties, appearance of visible molds, pH and moisture content were monitored in all the packaged samples stored at 4 °C. In addition to fortified pasta samples, control tagliatelle was also investigated. A mathematical approach was used to fit experimental data and calculate pasta shelf life. In addition, a mathematical model was also proposed to describe the dependence of the shelf life from each by-product percentage added to the formulation. Results showed that while the control fresh pasta lasted about 3 days for the undesired proliferation of yeasts and coliforms, all fortified samples maintained acceptable quality for at least one week. Depending on the by-product combination, shelf-life values could reach more than 13 days. The best combination of by-products calculated based on the mathematical model, that reached the highest shelf life (13.30 days), corresponded to 10% broccoli by-products combined with 6% olive oil by-products and 6% pomegranate peels.

In this study the recycling of pomegranate peel powder (PPP) was proposed. In particular, the use of powder loaded in a silk fibroin polymeric matrix to create an active pad was tested. For the sake of comparison, the powder alone was also analysed. Both powder and active pad efficacy was assessed in two different food systems, soymilk (rich in proteins), preliminarily contaminated with Pseudomonas spp. and yeasts, and apple juice (rich in carbohydrates), preliminarily contaminated with Alyciclobacillus acidoterrestris. Three different concentrations of powder alone and powder in the pad were tested (5%, 7.5% and 10% w/v) in both types of beverages. To assess a possible dependence of the efficacy on the powder granulometry, different powder sizes were preliminarily analysed on Pseudomonas spp. and yeasts using an in vitro test. PPP was effective on both Pseudomonas spp. and yeasts. No significant differences appeared among the tested granulometries and therefore in the subsequent tests powder with an average diameter of 250 µm was used. Results recorded with soymilk and apple juice were different. When applied to the soymilk, the activity of PPP in the pad was less effective than that recorded when the powder was directly added to the beverage. With the two highest powder concentrations directly added to food, more than four log cycle reductions in Pseudomonas spp. and yeast cells were recorded, compared to soymilk without any powder. Compared to the control sample, all the soymilk samples either with PPP or with the active pad showed a delayed microbial and fungal growth. When applied to apple juice, both powder and pad were effective at completely inhibiting the proliferation of A. acidoterrestris (<102 CFU/g).