Insights on innovative solutions for sprayable food products: recipe improvement, processing impact, and nutritional enhancement

Aerosol liquid foams can represent an innovative solution for food: they can be easily stored, completable recyclable, and easy to use. The aim of this work was to investigate different liquid mixtures to enhance their composition and improve their stability. This kind of product should be appealing for the consumer, for this reason, the addition and bioavailability of nutritional compounds were also investigated. Starting from a previos work, more than 15 mixtures were produced and characterized before being whipped understanding their physical properties (pH, color, viscosity). Samples were then whipped first through a siphon and analyzed to highlight the foam behaviour (pH, color, texture evaluation, viscosity, viscoelasticity). In the meantime, liquid foams were packaged into aerosol cans to verify the filling feasibility and final yield. Thermal treatments, homogenization, and preservative synergic effect were also investigated to improve samples stability in both microbiological and technological terms. Once defined the best “base liquid foam”, this was added with exctracts (orange, tomato, papaya) to increase the product nutritional value: compounds bioavailability after digestion and matrix effect were investigated. Working on the ingredients proportion, it was possible to achieve a “base” recipe that could be sprayed into a good consistency foam. The synergetic effect of the selected preservatives with the thermal treatment applied allowed to reach a stable product. Extracts can be added to the recipe thus effectively changing the nutritional properties. This work demonstrated that it is possible to develop an aerosol plant-based liquid foam that could be stable. The recipe reformulation combined with the different treatments tested showed a good synergia among the ingredients selected creating a stable and tasty product. Extracts intergration and bioavailability allowed to enhance the nutritional profile of the foam thus giving it an important added value.