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  • Citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472c) was re-evaluated in 2020 by the Food Additives and Flavourings Panel (FAF Panel) along with acetic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, mono- and diacetyltartaric acid, mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a,b,d,e,f). As a follow-up to this assessment, the FAF Panel was requested to assess the safety of citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472c) for its use as food additive in food for infants below 16 weeks of age belonging to food categories (FCs) 13.1.1 (Infant formulae as defined by Directive 2006/141/EC) and 13.1.5.1 (Dietary foods for infants for special medical purposes and special formulae for infants). In addition, the FAF Panel was requested to address the recommendation of the re-evaluation of E 472c as a food additive to update the EU specifications in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. For this, a call for data was published to allow interested partied to provide the requested information for a risk assessment. The Panel concluded that the technical data provided by the interested business operators support an amendment of the EU specifications for E 472c. Regarding the safety of the use of E 472c in food for infants below 16 weeks of age, the Panel concluded that there is no safety concern from its use at the reported use levels and at the maximum permitted levels in food for infants below 16 weeks of age (FCs 13.1.1 and 13.1.5.1).

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  • The demand for healthy ingredients in food products including ice cream, is continuously increasing. The potential of a combination of milk polar lipids (MPL) and casein hydrolysate (CH) to replace synthetic emulsifiers such as diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides (DATEM), in ice cream production was investigated. Changes in particle size, emulsion stability, and interfacial tension of model emulsions (milk protein, casein:whey=8:2, w/v) were analyzed after the addition of MPL, CH, and their combination (MPL+CH). The use of MPL+CH reduced interfacial tension and increased α- and β-casein displacement from the surface of cream layers compared to the addition of MPL alone. The addition of MPL+CH improved ice cream overrun to levels comparable to those of control ice cream containing DATEM (0.3%, w/v), without adversely affecting melt rate or microstructure. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that ice cream prepared with MPL+CH formed a thick protein and coalesced fat layer on the surface of air cells that might help enhance overrun. These findings suggest that the combination of MPL (0.3%, w/v) and CH (0.03%, w/v) can be used as a potential emulsifier alternative to replace chemically synthesized emulsifiers such as DATEM.

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  • Experimental studies have suggested potential detrimental effects of emulsifiers on gut microbiota, inflammation, and metabolic perturbations. We aimed to investigate the associations between exposures to food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes in a large prospective cohort of French adults.

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  • Lipases are commonly used as clean-label improvers for bread. However, their potential use in cakes with different formulations remains unknown. The aim was to analyze the effects of seven baking lipases on three different cake formulations (an eggless cake, a pound cake with eggs and a yeast-based cake) in comparison to a traditional emulsifier. Product density, water loss during baking and product texture were assessed. If and to what extent the product quality was improved depended on both the lipase and the cake formulation. Lipase-induced effects mostly exceeded those of the emulsifier and were most pronounced in formulations without intrinsic emulsifiers like eggs. The lipases differed in their extent of improvement, hinting at the importance of their specific reactivity patterns and the resulting range of interactions with macromolecules. Further research is needed to unravel the mechanistic background of baking quality improvement in cakes.

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  • 'Karaerik' is a novel table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) native to Turkey and widely cultivated in areas bordering the city of Erzincan. Because of the demonstrated beneficial effects on human health of the grape phenolic composition, the aim of this work was to conduct a detailed profiling of non-anthocyanin phenolic fractions from different grape tissues of the 'Karaerik' table grape. Both qualitative and quantitative characterization of phenolic compounds were achieved using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Total phenolic content and oxygen radical absorbance capacity were also determined to evaluate the antioxidant properties of this table grape.

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  • Enrichment of mayonnaise using delivery emulsions (DEs) containing 70% fish oil versus neat fish oil was investigated. DEs were produced with combined use of sodium caseinate, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM), and/or modified DATEMs with different length (C12 or C14) and covalently attached caffeic acid. Physical and oxidative stability of the mayonnaises were analyzed based on parameters including droplet size, viscosity, peroxide value, volatile compounds, and sensory properties. DEs addition to mayonnaise resulted in larger droplets and lower viscosity compared to neat fish oil. However, zeta potential was higher in mayonnaises with DEs containing DATEMs. Mayonnaise containing DATEM C14 had higher protein surface load leading to a thicker interfacial layer, lower formation of hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, and (E)-2-heptenal as well as lower rancid odour intensity compared to mayonnaise containing DATEM and free caffeic acid, and thus benefitted from the location of the antioxidant at the interface.

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  • () is an edible medicinal plant with many bioactivities reported to have a health-beneficial role in controling various diseases. Though contain a diverse array of natural products, these are produced in relatively low concentrations. A possible way to enhance secondary metabolite production can be through the use of elicitors. Here, the effects of exogenous treatments with two signal molecules-methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA)-on the metabolomic profiles of leaves were investigated. Plants were treated with 0.5 mM of MeJA or MeSA and harvested at 12 h and 24 h. Metabolites were extracted with methanol and separated on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system hyphenated to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection. Data was subjected to multivariate statistical analysis and modeling for annotation of metabolites. Hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) derivatives, such as caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), tartaric acid esters (chicoric acid and caftaric acid), chalcones, and flavonoids were identified as differentially regulated. The altered metabolomes in response to MeSA and MeJA overlapped to a certain extent, suggestive of a cross-talk between signaling and metabolic pathway activation. Moreover, the perturbation of isomeric molecules, especially the geometrical isomers of HCA derivatives by both treatments, further point to the biological significance of these molecules during physiological responses to stress. The results highlight the possibility of using phytohormones to enhance the accumulation of bioactive secondary metabolites in this plant.

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  • The Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) provided a scientific opinion re-evaluating the safety of acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, mono- and diacetyltartaric acids, mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a-f) as food additives. All substances had been previously evaluated by the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) and by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Hydrolysis of E472a,b,c,e was demonstrated in various experimental systems, although the available data on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) were limited. The Panel assumed that E472a-f are extensively hydrolysed in the GI tract and/or (pre-)systemically after absorption into their individual hydrolysis products which are all normal dietary constituents and are metabolised or excreted intact. No adverse effects relevant for humans have been identified from the toxicological database available for E472a-f. The Panel considered that there is no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) for E 472a,b,c. The Panel also considered that only l(+)-tartaric acid has to be used in the manufacturing process of E472d,e,f. The Panel established ADIs for E 472d,e,f based on the group ADI of 240 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day, expressed as tartaric acid, for l(+)-tartaric acid-tartrates (E334-337, 354) and considering the total amount of l(+)-tartaric acid in each food additive. Exposure estimates were calculated for all food additives individually, except for E 472e and f, using maximum level, refined exposure and food supplements consumers only scenarios. Considering the exposure estimates, there is no safety concern at their reported uses and use levels. In addition, exposure to tartaric acid released from the use of E 472d,e,f was calculated. The Panel also proposed a number of recommendations.

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  • is an edible herb from the Asteraceae family which is traditionally consumed as a leafy vegetable. has many bioactivities owing to its diverse phytochemicals, which include aliphatics, terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids, hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) derivatives and other phenylpropanoids. The later include compounds such as chlorogenic acids (CGAs), which are produced as either - or geometrical isomers. To profile the CGA composition of , methanol extracts from tissues, callus and cell suspensions were utilized for liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometric detection (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). An optimized in-source collision-induced dissociation (ISCID) method capable of discriminating between closely related HCA derivatives of quinic acids, based on MS-based fragmentation patterns, was applied. Careful control of collision energies resulted in fragment patterns similar to MS and MS fragmentation, obtainable by a typical ion trap MS approach. For the first time, an ISCID approach was shown to efficiently discriminate between positional isomers of chlorogenic acids containing two different cinnamoyl moieties, such as a mixed ester of feruloyl-caffeoylquinic acid ( 529) and coumaroyl-caffeoylquinic acid ( 499). The results indicate that tissues and cell cultures of contained a combined total of 30 , and substituted chlorogenic acids with positional isomers dominating the composition thereof. In addition, the tartaric acid esters, caftaric- and chicoric acids were also identified. Profiling revealed that these HCA derivatives were differentially distributed across tissues types and cell culture lines derived from leaf and stem explants.

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  • Emulsifiers of the type E 472 are esters of fruit acids and mono- and diacylglycerols (MAG and DAG), which are used to adjust techno-functional properties in various food products. The most dominant representatives of E 472 emulsifiers are acetic acid esters (E 472a), lactic acid esters (E 472b), citric acid esters (E 472c), and mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters (E 472e). For the determination of fruit acids, a high-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet light (HPLC-UV) detection was developed. Free and total fruit acids were determined by reversed phase HPLC-UV analysis of untreated and saponified emulsifier extracts with 20 mM potassium hydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 2.6) as isocratic eluent. Limits of quantitation of 0.08-0.27 g free fruit acid/kg emulsifier and 4-14 g total fruit acid/kg granted a reliable method with recoveries for free and total fruit acids between 80 and 100% with relative standard deviations (%RSD) below 4%. For the quantitation of free glycerol by spectrophotometry, an enzymatic assay was optimized for the analysis of E 472 providing reliable results with %RSD values below 9%. In addition, the ash content of E 472 emulsifiers was determined.

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