Crina Carmen Mureșan

By Vlaic Romina Alina, Mureşan Crina Carmen, Muste Sevastita, Mureşan Andruţa, Muresan Vlad, Suharoschi Ramona, Petruţ Georgiana and Mihai Mihaela

The chapter aims to approach food fortification naturally as a result of the need for nutritional improvement and therefore underlines sustainable activities that would facilitate effective fortification. The need to fortify food is due to the close link between human, health, and food. The WHO and FAO and other internationally recognized organizations have recognized that there are over 2 billion people worldwide suffering from a variety of micronutrient deficiencies. The interest in the fortification of foods is largely due to bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, minerals, sugars, organic acids, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, essential amino acids, and antioxidants. The most effective and accessible way of securing the population with vitamins and micronutrients is to fortify additional food and consumer products daily. At the same time, the technology for the fortification of bakery products will also be presented.

Part of the book: Food Engineering

By Romina Alina Marc, Crina Carmen Mureșan, Anamaria Pop, Georgiana Smaranda Marțiș, Andruța Elena Mureșan, Alina Narcisa Postolache, Florina Stoica, Ioana Cristina Crivei, Ionuț-Dumitru Veleșcu and Roxana Nicoleta Rațu

The chapter aims to address an overview of the new discoveries regarding the methods of ripening processes. The chapter presents the latest methods used in fruit and vegetable ripening processes, ripening processes in the food industry, enzymatic ripening processes, and artificial ripening processes. Nowadays everyone wants all kinds of food to be available in every season. Naturally, we find fruits and vegetables in their ripening season, but in order to provide the population with fruit out of season, we import them from different countries, which are not harvested at full maturity, and different adjuvant ripening methods are used. Processed foods are also subjected to ripening processes, the most used being cheese and meat products. These foods are some of the most valued foods nowadays, they are considered luxury products with superior nutritional and taste properties. To achieve these ripening processes, enzymatic processes or artificial ripening are also involved. The purpose of using these processes is to provide consumers with fresh out-of-season food or food with a high degree of sensory and nutritional properties, and at the same time with a superior degree of quality and safety, because the safety of the consumer comes first.

Part of the book: New Discoveries in the Ripening Processes

By Romina Alina Marc, Crina Carmen Mureșan, Anamaria Pop, Georgiana Smaranda Marțiș, Andruța Elena Mureșan, Andreea Pușcaș, Alina Narcisa Postolache, Florina Stoica, Ioana Cristina Crivei, Ionuț-Dumitru Veleșcu and Roxana Nicoleta Rațu

Nuts possess a high concentration of essential nutrients and serve as a very effective source of bioactive chemicals that promote health. Therefore, they function as significant and nutritious snacks, while also being incorporated into numerous conventional and contemporary culinary preparations over the globe. It is strongly advised to regularly consume nuts in order to fully capitalize on the nutritional, bioactive, and antioxidant properties they possess, as well as to experience their desired taste and flavor. Robust scientific data indicate that individuals who consistently consume significant quantities of nuts (15 to 30 g of nuts) exhibit reduced prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases. Nuts have been found to have positive health impacts, such as the potential to manage obesity and decrease the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, and other chronic diseases associated with food. The most robust and persistent positive impact of nut consumption is its correlation with decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nuts find application in several food products within the food industry, encompassing oil, spreads, as well as in other sectors such as cosmetics and medicine, and as a viable source of biodiesel. The objective of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive overview of the characteristics, advantages, and uses of nuts.

Part of the book: Nut Consumption and its Usefulness in the Modern World [Working title]