Titel Deelnemers "Korte inhoud" "Nutritional, phytochemical, and safety profiling of Senegalia seeds, promising wild legumes in the arid and semi-arid tropics" "Moustapha Drabo, Els Van Damme, Tibo De Coninck, Isabel Verbeke, Bruno De Meulenaer, Aly Savadogo, Katleen Raes" "This study presents the chemical composition of seven representative Senegalia (new Acacia s.l. segregate genus) seed species and discusses their food potential and safety. As shown, most of the analyzed seed species demonstrate unique chemical compositions, i.e., very low starch (" "Nutritional quality of the traditionally cooked Zamnè, a wild legume and a delicacy in Burkina Faso : assessment of the process effectiveness and the properties of cooking alkalis" "Moustapha Drabo, Habtu Shumoy Abraha, Bruno De Meulenaer, Aly Savadogo, Katleen Raes" "Zamne is a wild legume and a famine food that attracts interest for its health benefits and has become a delicacy in Burkina Faso. This study aimed to determine the nutritional quality of the traditionally cooked Zamne, appreciate the effectiveness of the traditional cooking process, and compare the properties of the traditionally used cooking alkalis (i.e., potash or plant ash leachate and sodium bicarbonate). Yet, as shown, the traditional cooking of Zamne is a very aggressive process that results in high disintegration of cell walls and membranes and leaching of most water-soluble constituents and nutrients (i.e., free amino acids, soluble nitrogen, sugars, soluble dietary fibers, and soluble phenolics). In addition, the extensive boiling and the cooking alkalis induced the sequestration of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc, significantly impairing their bioaccessibility. Despite the difference in the modus operandi of the cooking alkalis, there was no significant difference in the cooking outcomes. The traditionally cooked Zamne presented high dietary protein (4.8 g), lipid (3.3 g), fiber (6.7-7.7 g), and metabolizable energy (63-65 kcal) contents (per 100 g fresh weight). Most antinutritional factors (i.e., non-protein nitrogen, tannins, and trypsin inhibitors) were eliminated. The proteins were relatively well preserved despite the aggressive alkaline processing. They demonstrated an appreciable digestibility (75%) and predicted PER (1.5) and a fairly balanced essential amino acid composition - which should completely meet the requirements for adults. The lipid content and composition were also well preserved and contained predominantly linoleic (C18:2n-6), oleic (C18:1c9), stearic (C18:0), and palmitic (C16:0) acids (33, 34, 10, and 15% total fatty acids, respectively). Overall, though extensive alkaline cooking seems a straightforward option to overcome the hard-to-cook problem of Zamne, processing alternatives might be useful to reduce nutrient losses, improve the digestibility of the final product, and capture its full nutritional value. Zamne is a wild legume and famine food that attracts interest for its health benefits and has become a delicacy in Burkina Faso. This study describes its nutritional properties and investigates the traditional alkaline cooking process effectiveness." "Ecological niche, genetic variation in natural populations, and harvest maturity of Senegalia macrostachya (Rchb. ex DC) Kayl. & Boatwr., a promising wild and perennial edible-seeded crop" "Moustapha Drabo, Habtu Shumoy Abraha, Jonas Koala, Aly Savadogo, Katleen Raes" "Senegalia macrostachya is a wild, perennial, and promising legume that can help alleviate food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa's drought-prone regions. However, it has been for a long time overlooked, underutilized, and scarcely studied. This study shed light on its ecological niche, genetic variation in natural populations, and seeds' harvest maturity. Three populations of S. macrostachya were selected along an environmental gradient, and their structures, based on their plants' pod characteristics (i.e., unique morphological differentiation trait amongst the plants), were assessed. Then, the seeds' development was investigated following their morphological transformation, mass accumulation, and the mobilization of their proteins and secondary metabolites. S. macrostachya has revealed low genetic variation and fitness to poor soils, warm and semi-arid climates in sub-Saharan Africa, prone to droughts and low to medium agricultural productivity. The maturation of the seeds involved the accumulation of specific late embryogenesis abundant proteins (60, 48, and 14 kDa), identified as chilling-responsive dehydrins, and the degradation of the chlorophylls and carotenoids, which could be used as biochemical landmarks of the harvest maturity. Besides, an aging symptom (high seed abortion rate (14-20%)) was observed in the study populations. This work provides unprecedented information that will assist in predicting the eco-climate suitability and climate resilience, identifying the conservation strategies, and planning the harvesting, reforestation programs, and domestication of S. macrostachya. In parallel, the dehydrins identified from S. macrostachya can be tapped into for drought-resistant crop development. Further research is needed to evaluate the impacts of the mother plants' aging and larger climate gradient on the performance (i.e., seed productivity and regeneration ability) of S. macrostachya." "Life cycle assessment of a small-scale and low-input organic apple value chain including fresh fruit, juice and applesauce" "Samuel Le Féon, Thierry Benezech, Gwenola Yannou-Le Bris, Joël Aubin, Imca Sampers, Damien Herreman, Caroline Pénicaud" "Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing the environmental impacts of foods. In addition, producers are interested in receiving recommendations to reduce their impacts. This faces two major challenges: (1) certain systems are not widely studied and (2) not all production stages are included in system boundaries (e.g. only the agricultural stage or the supply chain). Life Cycle Assessment was applied to a specific small-scale and low-input organic apple value chain. The system boundaries included the cultivation, processing and distribution. All transport and waste management were considered. The main contributors to environmental impacts are: cultivation, juice and applesauce production, retail and consumption. Compared to literature, cultivation is efficient. Processing and retail are respectively influenced by the use of glass packaging, the cold storage of fresh apples and the transport to stores. Consumption was influenced by the management of apple waste and the consumer trip. Literature survey and results confirm that the system was not represented in the literature and provides new insights into the entire value chain, as well as new proxy LCIs. Similar specific studies should be repeated in the future to cover the variability. It is an essential step towards applying the environmental footprint fairly to alternative systems." "Designing an easily applicable framework for the monitoring of water characteristics during industrial potato blanching" "Akram Sayed, Michael Chys, Imca Sampers" "Pilot scale treatment of industrial potato blanching water using evaporation, centrifugation and/or membrane filtration" "Akram Sayed, Michael Chys, Imca Sampers" "Use of whole genome sequencing to identify Listeria monocytogenes persistence in the produce industry" "Tessa Tuytschaever, Imca Sampers, Katleen Raes" "Introduction: Listeria monocytogenes in the produce industry remain a problem. Elaborate sampling programs combined with the use of whole genome sequencing may shed light on the Listeria monocytogenes persistence and confirms possible transmission routes and high-risk areas. Material and methods: Listeria monocytogenes isolates were collected in and around a freezing tunnel of a produce processing company from February 2021 to December 2021. The whole genome of a selection of isolates was determined to establish persistence and possible transmission routes. This included isolates of the conveyor belt before and after C&D (n=19), and during production (n=8), isolates of the floors near the entrance of the freezing tunnel (n=11), inside the freezing tunnel (n=4) and near the exit of the freezing tunnel (n= 10) and isolates resulting from the shoes (n=12). Another eight isolates were included resulting from the technical maintenance. To see if long-term persistence is present isolates of 2020 (n=8) and 2022 (n=4) obtained by the company itself of similar areas and the end-product were added. The isolates were sequenced using Illumina High throughput sequencing. Results: The whole genome of 82 Listeria monocytogenes isolates was determined and Listeria monocytogenes persistence was proven as the strains present on the conveyor belt after C&D (in and out the freezing tunnel) of several samplings in 2021 were genetically identical. The persistent clone was also found in 2020 and 2022 (including on the end-product), indicating persistence of at least three years and the freezing tunnel being a risk factor for post-contamination. Transmission and recontamination of the production area after C&D throughout the company were found to be at least partially attributed to contaminated shoes. One of the trolley carts used for technical maintenance proved to harbour the persistent strain as well, making this a second transmission vehicle for Listeria monocytogenes contamination of the production environment. Significance: The identification of a persistent Listeria monocytogenes strain indicates the need to review the existing hygiene protocols as these do not suffice to eliminate the pathogen, especially on food contact surfaces such as the conveyor belt and transmission vehicles such as shoes." "Non-sensory perception and sensory appeal of zamne, pseudozamne, traditionally cooked Senegalia erythrocalyx seeds, and tempeh according to Burkinabe consumers" "Moustapha Drabo, Korotimi Traoré, Charles Parkouda, Fatoumata Hama-Ba, Aly Savadogo, Katleen Raes" "The lack of adequate knowledge of the culinary and sensory properties of most indigenous and wild foods hampers their promotion in human diets and the market. In the present study, 80 Burkinabe volunteers evaluated the sensory appeal and attributes of three selected Senegalia seed species (Zamnè, pseudoZamnè or Kumatiya, and S. erythrocalyx) and their food formulae (traditionally cooked, harvested as green and fresh legumes, and fermented as tempeh) using the nine-point hedonic scale and check-all-that-apply questionnaire. They found that the traditionally cooked Zamnè, pseudoZamnè or Kumatiya, and derived tempeh had good sensory appeal (scoring between 5 and 7) and subtle alkaline and nutty tastes. However, an appreciable number (32%) of the participants were unaccustomed to tempeh and gave very low scores (2.5–3.4) for all the tempeh products. In contrast, the traditionally cooked seeds of Senegalia erythrocalyx and the green and fresh Zamnè evoked bitter and sour off-tastes, respectively, and were not much appreciated (scoring 4). The present study provides unprecedented insight into consumers’ non-sensory perceptions and the culinary and sensory properties of Senegalia seed foods, which will be essential for their valorization, branding, and marketing." "Datasets for the environmental assessment of an apple value chain including fresh fruits, juice and applesauce from an organic low-input production farm" "Samuel Le Féon, Thierry Benezech, Gwenola Yannou-Le Bris, Joël Aubin, Imca Sampers, Damien Herreman, Caroline Pénicaud" "Due to societal concerns, assess the environmental impacts, address the issues and provide labelling to the consumer are growing issues for the agri-food sector. In this context, provide datasets specific to alternative systems is crucial to be able to take into account the variability between systems then address their issues and label them appropriately. This data paper compiles all the data used to produce the life cycle assessment (LCA) environmental of an organic low-input apple value chain including the cultivation of apples at farm, the transformation of a part into juice and applesauce, the retail and the consumption stages. The raw data have mostly been obtained through interviews of the farmer and complemented by literature. They have been used to build a life cycle inventory (LCI), using Agribalyse 3.0 and Ecoinvent 3.8 as background databases. The dataset also compiles the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) using the characterization method EF3.0. As discussed in an associated scientific paper, this dataset participates in filling two gaps: integrate the variability between systems in the discussion and link upstream (at farm) and downstream (transformation, retail, consuming) impacts. This is done by (1) covering the entire value chain from cradle to grave when most papers found in literature focusses on one stage (e.g. the cultivation of apples) and (2) applying LCA to a system that present specificities not well covered by LCA literature (e.g. low-input cultivation with no fertilization up to now)." "Effect of ultrasonic treatment on enzymes : decoupling the relation between the ultrasonic driven conformational change and enzyme activity" "Bashar Kabawa, Imca Sampers, Katleen Raes" "Considering the growing interest in enzyme-based extraction technology as a safe and eco-friendly extraction technique, along with the relatively high cost associated with enzymatic applications, it became necessary to explore novel strategies aimed to improve enzyme activity. In this study, the impact of ultrasonic treatment on commercial cellulase and pectinase was investigated. As this effect may be influenced by various ultrasonic and enzyme-related parameters, changes in enzyme conformation were explored under optimal and non-optimal enzyme conditions. The intrinsic fluorescence spectrum was utilized as a tool for monitoring these changes. Additionally, the enzyme's catalytic potential was also assessed under the same conditions. Results indicated that the impact of ultrasonic treatment on enzyme conformation primarily depends on the total ultrasonic energy delivered to the system, rather than other ultrasonic parameters such as power, sample volume, treatment time, or duty cycle. The maximum relative decrease in intrinsic fluorescence intensity of Pectinex (R) Ultra Clear (PUC) and Pectinex (R) Ultra SPL (PUS) after ultrasonic treatment was approximately 51% and 55%, respectively, while the decrease induced by thermal denaturation was 25% and 30% respectively. Furthermore, a blue shift in the fluorescence spectrum of both pectinases was observed upon sonication for all process conditions indicating a change in enzyme conformation. However, ultrasonic treatment did not result in a significant change in enzyme activity, suggesting that these conformational adjustments may occur in regions other than the active sites. Moreover, ultrasonicated pectinases and cellulases did not exhibit any improvement in their catalytic potential under either optimal or non-optimal conditions."