Espérance Debs

University of Balamand | UOB · Department of Biology

The poster is centered on the application of the 'Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum' (IVDV) thermomechanical method to sweet potato slices. The objective is to enhance the efficiency of the drying process by reducing operational costs and time, while simultaneously preserving the nutritional integrity of the product. Ad...

In the contemporary era, conventional energy sources like oil, coal, and natural gas overwhelmingly contribute 89.6% to global CO2 emissions, intensifying environmental challenges. Recognizing the urgency of addressing climate concerns, a pivotal shift towards renewable energy, encompassing solar, wind, and biofuels, is crucial for bolstering envir...

Highly valued for their nutritional benefits, sprouts are characterized by high water content, which promotes microbial proliferation, potentially leading to toxicity and a reduced shelf life. To address this challenge, the present study explores the application of a novel drying–texturizing approach, named IVDV (Intensification of Vaporization by...

(1) Background: Cumin seeds, extracted from the plant Cuminum cyminum, are abundant in phenolic compounds and have been extensively researched for their chemical makeup and biological effects. The objective of this research is to enhance the water extraction of polyphenols through the water bath (WB) technique and to evaluate the antiradical, antib...

“Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum” (IVDV) has initially emerged as a technology primarily employed for expanding and enhancing the texture of biological products. However, its recent applications have showcased significant promise in the realm of extracting bioactive molecules from various plant materials. In this cont...

Olive leaves are naturally generated as a by-product during olive harvesting and olive oil production. Usually discarded with no specific use, they are a valuable source of bioactive compounds that should not be overlooked. Their valorization must therefore be achieved through the recovery of their polyphenols using an ecological strategy. Conventi...

Conference Poster The 4th International Conference on Biofuels and Bioenergy - October 12 & 13 2023 (London, UK)

Accurate determination of Young’s modulus of elasticity in irregularly shaped products is quite challenging. This study introduces a novel method that can measure the elasticity in non-uniform products, such as peanuts. Variations of the contact surface between the peanut and a crosshead were precisely calculated using this technique based on kerne...

Peanuts, being crucial crops of global importance, have gained widespread recognition for their versatility and nutritional value. In addition to direct consumption, either with or without treatment, peanuts can be the subject of diverse applications focusing mainly on two distinct objectives: oil extraction and defatting processes. As a result of...

Many emerging factors and circumstances urge the need to develop and optimize the detection and quantification techniques of mycotoxins in solid food and feed. The diversity of mycotoxins, which have different properties and affinities, makes the standardization of the analytical procedures and the adoption of a single protocol that covers the attr...

As greenhouse gas emissions are continuously increasing, research is now privileging greener and more sustainable human activities. An attractive strategy in the pursuit of sustainability is the valorization of lignocellulosic biomasses for the production of bioethanol. This approach relies on the bioconversion of wood and agricultural waste, which...

Extraction of polyphenols from Centranthus longiflorus stems was conducted using ultrasound and infrared Ired-Irrad® techniques, and compared to the conventional water bath method. Response surface methodology was used to analyse the effect of time, temperature, and ethanol percentage, as well as to optimize the three extraction methods. The highes...

Glucosinolates are a group of thioglucosides that belong to the class of plant nitrogen-containing natural products. So far, very little biological activity has been associated with intact glucosinolates. The hydrolysis of glucosinolates has, for long, attracted attention because of the potent biological activity of the hydrolysis products. From al...

Peanuts are the seeds of a legume crop grown for nuts and oil production. Peanut allergy has gained significant attention as a public health issue due to its increasing prevalence, high rate of sensitization, severity of the corresponding allergic symptoms, cross-reactivity with other food allergens, and lifelong persistence. Given the importance o...

The intensification of total phenolic compound (TPC) extraction from blood orange peels was optimized using a novel green infrared-assisted extraction technique (IRAE, Ired-Irrad®) and compared to the conventional extraction using a water bath (WB). Response surface methodology (RSM) allowed for the optimization of ethanol concentration (E), time (...

Grape seeds are the wineries’ main by-products, and their disposal causes ecological and environmental problems. In this study seeds from the pomace waste of autochthonous grape varieties from Lebanon, Obeidi (white variety) and Asswad Karech (red variety) were used for a multi-step biomass fractionation. For the first step, a lipid extraction was...

(1) Background: Eryngium creticum is a plant medicinally valued, and used in pharmacopeia to treat various diseases. No previous studies have been reported on E. creticum leaf extracts using an IR-assisted technique; thus, this study aimed to intensify polyphenol extraction using Ired-Irrad®, comparing it to the conventional water bath (WB) method....

An ecofriendly extraction technology using infrared (IR) irradiation Ired-Irrad® was applied to purple corn cobs to enhance polyphenol recovery for the first time. The IR extraction efficiency was compared to that of the water bath (WB) method. Response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite design was conducted to determine the effect...

A large amount of citrus by-products, especially peels, is generated every year by citrus processing industries. These citrus peels can however be valorized by turning them into healthy snacks in the form of crispy chips rich in vitamins and polyphenols. Such transformation requires a preliminary partial drying step combined with IVDV (Intensificat...

Ultrasound-assisted extraction is commonly used nowadays in food technology as a substitute for the conventional extraction technique, to improve the recovery of bioactive molecules from plant materials. In this study: - Thermal and mechanical effects of the ultrasound treatment on the olive leaves tissue damage were investigated. - Temperature dep...

Wheat, alfalfa, and radish sprouts are well-renowned for their high nutritional content. However, their optimal imbibition and germination durations are rarely considered in the literature. In this study, reduced imbibition times of 3 h, 10 h, and 4 h were demonstrated for the wheat, alfalfa, and radish seeds, respectively. The evolution of their c...

The influence of ultrasound treatment (US) on cellular damage of olive leaf tissue was studied. Mechanical damage and thermal effect of US were characterized. The level of tissue damage was defined by the diffusivity disintegration index ZD based on the diffusivity of solutes extracted from olive leaves differently treated. The Arrhenius form using...

Polyphenols have attracted huge interest among researchers of various disciplines because of their numerous biological activities, such as antioxidative, antiinflammatory, antiapoptotic, cancer chemopreventive, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial properties, and their promising applications in many fields, mainly in the medical, cosmetics, dietary...

Citrus genus is a prominent staple crop globally. Long-term breeding and much hybridization engendered a myriad of species, each characterized by a specific metabolism generating different secondary metabolites. Citrus aurantium L., commonly recognized as sour or bitter orange, can exceptionally be distinguished from other Citrus species by unique...

A new innovative cannon puffing technology, called Vac‐Can‐Puff (VCP), consisting of a puffing gun connected to a vacuum pump, was conceived for the production of half‐popped purple corn snacks. This newly designed system was used to achieve a homogenized expansion of corn kernels in bulk. After selecting the soaking, puffing, and roasting methods,...

Impact of the “Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum” (IVDV) on extraction of polyphenols from olive leaves was investigated. Using Response Surface Methodology, the effect of three variables were studied: initial water content of leaves, processing time and steam pressure on total phenolic content (TPC). Extractions of TPC...

In an era where plants based and healthy diets are more adopted by the consumers and where the environment-friendly processes are are prevailing, preservation of nutritious natural sprouts by a time and energy saving treatment prompted us to conduct this study. Optimization of the germination of common wheat and Kamut grains was first presented...

he aim of this study is to optimize the conventional solid-liquid extraction of total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins from purple corn cobs using response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of time, temperature and 𝛽-cyclodextrin concentration on polyphenol recovery were studied. Results of the central composite design showed that the o...

Optimization of the defatting process of peanuts was conducted using response surface methodology, varying the time and temperature of the solvent-free infrared (Ired-Irrad®) pretreatment. Results of the central composite design, exploited in Statgraphics centurion®, showed that the peanut oil extraction yield increased from 30% to 45% when pe...

Maximization of polyphenols recovery from olive leaves by conventional water bath extraction was investigated using infrared irradiation as a pretreatment. A multivariate study enabled us to define the best experimental parameters for polyphenol extraction: 1:20 (w/v) for the solid to liquid ratio; 60°C and 75% ethanol/water. Untreated and infr...

Background: Saussurea lappa is a traditionally well-known plant appreciated for its biological activities and medicinal uses. Objective: In the present study, the recovery of antioxidants from Saussurea lappa was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The efficiency of a newly-patented Infrared (IR) technology, Ired-Irrad®, was compar...

Les feuilles d’oliviers sont des coproduits issus de l’industrie d’huile d’olive, généralement éliminées comme déchets. L'extraction assistée par infrarouge est une nouvelle génération de machines respectueuses de l'environnement qui améliore l'extraction des composés bioactifs des matrices naturelles en utilisant un émetteur infrarouge en céramiqu...

Optimization of infrared-assisted extraction was conducted using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in order to intensify polyphenol recovery from olive leaves. The extraction efficiency using Ired-Irrad®, a newly-patented infrared apparatus (IR), was compared to water bath (WB) conventional extraction. Under optimal conditions, as suggested by the...

Introduction: Olives are one of the most produced crops worldwide. According to the FAOSTAT, Lebanon produced almost 117,000 tons in 2014; it is standing at the 11th place in the world. Olive fruits are consumed entirely, or crushed to extract their oil. During harvesting, olive leaves lost represent up to 25% of the total weight of olives (dependi...

Introduction: Maize varieties differ by their composition and color. Purple maize is a pigmented variety originally cultivated in Latin America; it has the highest phenolic and anthocyanin content. Recently, a new process has been developed, called «Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum» (IVDV). IVDV is a thermo-mechanical...

Introduction: Valorization of wastes generated by the agro-industries is currently becoming more and more crucial. Peach pomace, consisting of pulp and peel tissues, is a by-product of the peach processing line. It is significantly rich in polyphenols that exhibit high antioxidative activity. According to previous studies, 𝛽-cyclodextrin-based extr...

Phenolic compounds are the most widely occurring secondary metabolites in plants, primarily contributing to survival mechanisms (Cheynier et al., 2013). Their quantitative distribution is variable depending not only on the plant type but also on the plant organ, and that is due to several factors including genetics, maturity, and climatic condition...

Peach byproducts are often regarded as food waste despite their high content in health-promoting components. Amongst the latter, polyphenols are bioactive molecules with significant health benefits. The present study investigated an eco-friendly and cost-effective method using a GRAS food additive, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), for the recovery of polyphe...

patent nb: 2017/11-11296L L’invention concerne un système d’extraction solide-liquide ou liquide-liquide, ainsi qu’un moyen de séparation utilisant une source infrarouge "I-Red-Irrad ". Il s’agit d’un système et/ou d’une méthode s’appuyant sur l’adéquation entre les caractéristiques du rayonnement infrarouge, celles du solvant et celles de la matr...

Screening of Mutagenicity of Some Food Snacks Retailed on the Lebanese Market Usage of food additives has become more and more frequent. Possible incorporation of genotoxic chemicals in dietary products, especially in food snacks, urges the need for their assessment. A total of 127 samples of food snacks, retailed on the Lebanese market, were scree...

A new process, Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum (IVDV), is proposed for texturizing purple maize. It consists in exposing humid kernels to high steam pressure followed by a decompression to the vacuum. Response surface methodology with three operating parameters (initial water content (W), steam pressure (P) and proces...

Helicobacter pylori colonize 50% of human population. It is considered as a potential carcinogen since afflicted patients can develop ulcer, gastritis, and gastric cancer or MALT lymphoma. H. pylori routes of transmission remain unclear. Many studies revealed that drinkable water could be the most probable way of transmission. However, no similar s...

In this work, optimization of phenolic compounds (PC) and monomeric anthocyanins (MA) extraction from Syrah (Sy) wine grapes (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Syrah) using response surface methodology was conducted. The comparisons between two extraction mixtures, Acetone/Water (A/W) as well as Methanol/Water (M/W) and the effects of three critical vari-ables...

Spices and herbs are natural products used to add flavor and color to many kinds of foods. Due to their traditional way of production, they could harbor wide range of contaminants, leading to different kinds of foodborne infections and intoxications. In this study, we collected sixty samples of spices and herbs, sold either as loose or packed produ...

Ce travail s’inscrit dans le cadre de la recherche d’une réponse au traitement des produits solides en morceaux ou en poudre en vue d’une amélioration de leur qualité microbiologique. L’étude a ainsi porté sur l’utilisation de deux agents antimicrobiens : la haute température et le dioxyde de carbone sous pression. La DIC/HTV (Détente Instantanée C...

In order to study the influence of compressed carbon dioxide, over a range of pressures (1.5 to 5.5 MPa) and exposure times (up to 7 h), on the survival of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Enterococcus faecalis, a new pressurizable reactor system was conceived. Microbial cells were inoculated onto a solid hydrophilic medium and treat...

(Process of reduction or elimination of organisms, micro-organisms, pasteurization and sterilization of solid products in pieces or powdery and installation for the achievement of such a process ). French patent

With the aim of improving the kinetics of carrot drying, a new pre-treatment has been studied: Instantaneous Controlled Depression (DIC). Two aspects of this pre-drying process were investigated: effect of processing time with a constant steam pressure, followed by a release, and effect of pressure for a fixed processing time, with and without rele...

(Procédé de réduction ou d'élimination d'organismes ou micro-organismes, de pasteurisation et/ou de stérilisation et installation pour la mise en œuvre d'un tel procédé). . French patent application