Explore the vast range of titles available.

Geleneksel gıdalardan biri olan tarhana, üretimi kolay, ucuz, dayanıklı ve en önemlisi besleyici olması nedeniyle Finlandiya, Irak, Macaristan, Türkistan ve Türkiye gibi birçok ülkede yaygın olarak tüketilmektedir. Tarhana tüketimi şekli ülkelerin kültür, zevk ve tercihlerine göre çeşitlilik arz etmekle birlikte genellikle çorba olarak tercih edilmektedir. Türkiye'de özellikle Kahramanmaraş ve çevre illerde tarhana; yaş (firik), çorbalık(kırıntı), çerezlik ve cips olarak tüketilmektedir. Bu çalışmada tüketicilerin sosyo-ekonomik ve demografik özelliklerini, gelir grupları itibariyle Maraş Tarhanasını tüketim miktarlarını, Maraş Tarhanası çeşitlerine göre tüketim tercihlerini ve çerezlik Maraş Tarhanasını patatese cipsine tercih etme durumu ile ilişkili olan faktörleri belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç kapsamında 2014 yılında Kahramanmaraş ili kent merkezinde 384 tüketici ile bire bir görüşülerek anket yapılmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizinde parametrik ve parametrik olmayan testlerden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre Maraş Tarhanası harcamasının toplam gıda harcaması içerisindeki oranı %14 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Tüketicilerin %52,2'sinin çerezlik Maraş Tarhanasının yanında cevizi tercih ettiği bulunmuştur. Ayrıca tüketicilerin %31,8'i cips formundaki Maraş Tarhanasını patates cipsine tercih etmektedirler.

Meat represents an important protein source, even in developing countries, but its production is scarcely sustainable, and its excessive consumption poses health issues. An increasing number of Western consumers would replace, at least partially, meat with alternative protein sources. This review aims at: (i) depicting nutritional, functional, sensory traits, and critical issues of single-cell proteins (SCP), filamentous fungi, microalgae, vegetables (alone or mixed with milk), and insects and (ii) displaying how fermentation could improve their quality, to facilitate their use as food items/ingredients/supplements. Production of SCP (yeasts, filamentous fungi, microalgae) does not need arable land and potable water and can run continuously, also using wastes and byproducts. Some filamentous fungi are also consumed as edible mushrooms, and others are involved in the fermentation of traditional vegetable-based foods. Cereals, pseudocereals, and legumes may be combined to offer an almost complete amino acid profile. Fermentation of such vegetables, even in combination with milk-based products (e.g., tarhana), could increase nutrient concentrations, including essential amino acids, and improve sensory traits. Different insects could be used, as such or, to increase their acceptability, as ingredient of foods (e.g., pasta). However, insects as a protein source face with safety concerns, cultural constraints, and a lack of international regulatory framework.

The isolation of endogenous yeast strains from traditionally fermented food products to use as functional starter cultures has become more popular for improved food safety, quality, and beneficial health effects. In this study, 107 Pichia kudriavzevii strains were isolated from sourdough, shalgam, tarhana, artisanal Tulum cheese, and yogurt. The strains were identified by DNA fingerprinting using iPBS-PCR method before technological and probiotic characterization. The multivariate statistical approach revealed that five strains were most promising in terms of technological characterization, including different harsh growth conditions. These strains were also examined in terms of probiotic properties with a commercial S. cerevisiae var boulardii MYA-796 strain. The multivariate statistical analyses indicated that P. kudriavzevii 5S5 were most promising in in vitro probiotic properties such as surviving in human GI conditions, adhering to intestinal cell lines, and exhibiting high hydrophobicity. Therefore, it seems to be a great starter candidate for the production of functional fermented food products.

This study investigates the impact of using different flours, including high β-glucan barley, on the nutritional properties of tarhana. Mineral composition, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity of tarhana powder samples produced using flours of high β-glucan hull-less barley (cv. Chifaa; ChF), hull-less barley cv. Yalin (YF), bread wheat cv. Tosunbey (white flour: TWF 1 and whole wheat flour: TWF 2 ). Furthermore, in vitro glycemic index (GI), pasting properties, and RVA soup index of their soups were investigated. Tarhana made with Chifaa barley flour (Tar-ChF) exhibited significantly higher levels of key minerals (K, Mg, Ca), β-glucan and total phenolic content compared to those made with other flours (Tar YF, Tar TWF 1, and Tar TWF 2 ). Barley tarhana samples also showed greater antioxidant activity of bound phenolic fractions and lower GI values, indicating a healthier profile. The study highlights the potential of high β-glucan barley flour to enhance tarhana’s nutritional benefits without significantly affecting its sensory properties, such as color and viscosity. This research supports the integration of health-promoting ingredients like barley flour into traditional Mediterranean foods to improve their nutritional quality. Graphical abstract

Traditional Turkish fermented foods like boza, pickles, and tarhana are recognized for their nutritional and health benefits, yet the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from them remains underexplored. Sixty-six LAB strains were isolated from fermented foods using bacterial morphology, Gram staining, and catalase activity. The isolates were differentiated at strain level by RAPD-PCR (Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA—Polymerase Chain Reaction) and twenty-five strains were selected for further evaluation of acid and bile salt tolerance. Among these, ten strains exhibited high tolerance and were subsequently assessed for adhesion to Caco-2 colorectal carcinoma cells, antimicrobial activity, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, lysozyme resistance, and hemolytic activity. Using k-means clustering, three strains: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ES-3, Pediococcus pentosaceus N-1, and Enterococcus faecium N-2 demonstrated superior probiotic characteristics, including significant acid (100% survival at pH3.0) and 0.3% bile salt tolerance (57%, 64%, 67%), strong adhesion to intestinal cells (65%, 88%, 91%), high lysozyme resistance (88%, 88%, 77%), and produced high amounts of EPS. These strains show promising potential as probiotics and warrant further investigation to confirm their functional properties and potential applications.

Cornelian cherry tarhana (CCT), which is a traditional, cereal based powder product for making soup, has a geographical mark in Turkey. CCT is quite different than the traditional fermented tarhana: there is no fermentation process during traditional production from refined wheat flour. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fermentation on quality properties of CCT samples produced with wheat flour (as control), buckwheat flour, durum wheat clear flour or whole grain hull-less barley flour. Ash, protein, fat and total dietary fibre contents of the samples increased when clear flour and whole grain hull-less barley flour were used compared to control CCT. Total sugar contents of fermented samples decreased compared to non-fermented ones. The results indicated that fermented CCT samples had significantly higher total phenolic compounds and DPPH radical scavenging activity, however they had lower ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents. Non-fermented CCT produced with buckwheat flour had the highest general acceptability in sensory properties. CCT produced with buckwheat flour could be an alternative gluten-free soup product for celiac and gluten sensitive people.

Exopolysaccharide producing starter cultures enable manufacturing “clean labeled” foods with improved textural and nutritional properties. The structural and technological analyses were performed on the ropy exopolysaccharides of six Lactobacillus plantarum. The incubation temperature, time and pH affected the exopolysaccharide production and high exopolysaccharide was produced in the presence of sucrose and maltose. The viscosity of exopolysaccharide was high at acidic conditions except PFC311E that showed viscous at neutral pH. Lactobacillus plantarum strains produced between 120 and 400 mg/L exopolysaccharide in which the highest was observed at L. plantarum PFC311. Exoploysaccharides were degraded over 300 °C except PFC311E that degraded at 295.7 °C. The NMR analyses revealed that the exopolysaccharides were synthesized by α1-6, α1-3 and α1-4 bonds with glucose, galactose and fructose moieties. In conclusion, L. plantarum PFC311 produced ropy exopolysaccharide with different structural, rheological and thermal properties and reveals potential to be used in food industry.

This research investigated the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from tarhana, a traditional Turkish food. In this context, the probiotic, biosafety and technological properties of the strains previously identified as Enterococcus faecium , Lacticaseibacillus casei , Lactiplantibacillus plantarum , Leuconostoc citreum , L. mesenteroides , L. pseudomesenteroides , Limosilactibacillus fermentum , Pediococcus acidilactici , P. pentosaceus , Streptococcus thermophilus and Weissella cibaria were tested. All strains (except W. cibaria IST29) demonstrated tolerance to bile salts (83.78–115.30%), pepsin (65.27-126.52%), pancreatin (72.66-106.15%), and phenol (67.70-115.81%) at various levels. None of them (except L. plantarum IST7) showed hemolytic activity. The strains demonstrated different levels of sensitivity to the tested antibiotics. The proteolytic activity of the strains varied between 0.011 and 0.067 mg tyrosine/mL. The strains also showed antimicrobial activity (inhibition zone between 7 and 30 mm) against test microorganisms. The isolates showing the best gastrointestinal tolerance were tested for their ability to produce short-chain fatty acids and produced acetate, butyrate and propionate in the range of 11945–17715, 0.0580–0.1110 and 14335–22650 µg/mL, respectively. The auto-aggregation and co-aggregation values of the strains ranged from 7.51 to 55.86% and 0.34–62.09%, respectively, while their xylene and ethyl acetate hydrophobicity were in the range of 69.40-91.81% and 72.36-95.21%, respectively. Their CaCo-2 cell adhesions ranged from 0.233 to 12.347%. Consequently, L. citreum IST9, L. fermentum IST13, L. fermentum IST14, and P. pentosaceus IST21 were identified as the most promising probiotic strains.

Fermented foods constitute a valuable source of probiotics for both bacteria and yeasts. To date, however, there has been a limited amount of research conducted on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kazakhstania servazzi, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii isolated from tarhana. The objective of the research is to identify additional probiotic characteristics other than the leavening activity exhibited by yeasts that were previously isolated from tarhana fermentation. In this study, yeasts were subjected to subsequent acid and bile salt tolerance, bile salt hydrolysis, antagonistic activity, aggregation activity (auto-aggregation and co-aggregation), cholesterol assimilation, folate production, biofilm production, and hemolysis activity. S. cerevisiae PCF122, S. cerevisiae PCF107, and S. cerevisiae PCF134 strains grew at pH 2 and 2,5 but remained at pH 3. Except for S. cerevisiae PCF115 and T. delbrueckii PCF150, all yeasts were found to be 0,5% and 1,0% oxalate tolerant. All yeasts hydrolyze oxalate (bile salt), but only S. cerevisiae PCF115 and T. delbrueckii PCF150 produced EPS. Yeasts also exhibited significant amounts of autoaggregation (46–87%). After 24 and 48 h incubation, all strains assimilated cholesterol at rates ranging from 10,4% to 87,5% and 10,6–91%, respectively. The highest folate production was determined at S. cerevisiae PCF108 (56 µg/mL) and the lowest was at S. cerevisiae PCF110 and K. marxianus PFC120 (18 µg/mL). In conclusion, yeasts that existed in tarhana fermentation showed cholesterol assimilation, folate production, and aggregation activity which are additional probiotic attributes that would have consumer health promotion, beside these yeast leaven the tarhana dough.

Tarhana is a traditional fermented cereal-based product widely consumed in Türkiye. With the increasing consumer demand for plant-based and functional foods, the reformulation of conventional products using health-promoting ingredients has gained considerable attention. This study aimed to develop and characterize functional vegan tarhana formulations enriched with black mulberry ( Morus nigra ), carrot ( Daucus carota ), and flaxseed ( Linum usitatissimum ) as alternatives to conventional yogurt-based tarhana. Black mulberry was selected as a plant-based substitute for yogurt due to its richness in anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, and minerals. These components can partially compensate for the nutritional and functional roles of dairy while enabling the development of a vegan formulation. Four formulations were prepared by varying the ratios of yogurt and black mulberry while maintaining constant levels of other ingredients. The samples were evaluated for their proximate composition, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, mineral and fatty acid composition, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectral characteristics, and sensory attributes. Moisture content ranged from 4.94% to 5.70%, while protein and fat contents varied between 14.31 and 18.31% and 8.41–14.10%, respectively. Total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 0.52 to 0.73 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g. The DPPH radical scavenging activity values varied from 8.74 to 10.09 µmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g. The vegan formulation exhibited the highest linolenic acid level (42.28%), indicating its potential as a rich dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids. Mineral analysis revealed significantly higher potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels in the yogurt-containing formulation. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed compositional differences between the formulations at the molecular level. Sensory evaluation indicated that the traditional yogurt-based formulation achieved the highest overall acceptability score (8.58). The vegan formulation scored lower (6.52), highlighting the need for further optimization of sensory attributes. Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility of developing functional vegan tarhana with enhanced nutritional and health-promoting properties. These findings offer a promising alternative for health-conscious and plant-based consumers.