<i>Pleurotus eryngii</i> Chips—Chemical Characterization and Nutritional Value of an Innovative Healthy Snack
Charalampia Amerikanou,
Dimitra Tagkouli,
Thalia Tsiaka,
Dimitra Z. Lantzouraki,
Sotirios Karavoltsos,
Aikaterini Sakellari,
Stamatia-Angeliki Kleftaki,
Georgios Koutrotsios,
Virginia Giannou,
Georgios I. Zervakis,
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis,
Nick Kalogeropoulos,
Andriana C. Kaliora
Affiliations
Charalampia Amerikanou
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave., 17676 Athens, Greece
Dimitra Tagkouli
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave., 17676 Athens, Greece
Thalia Tsiaka
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Dimitra Z. Lantzouraki
Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48, Vas. Constantinou Ave., 11635 Athens, Greece
Sotirios Karavoltsos
Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Aikaterini Sakellari
Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Stamatia-Angeliki Kleftaki
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave., 17676 Athens, Greece
Georgios Koutrotsios
Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Virginia Giannou
Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., 15780 Athens, Greece
Georgios I. Zervakis
Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12243 Egaleo, Greece
Nick Kalogeropoulos
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave., 17676 Athens, Greece
Andriana C. Kaliora
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave., 17676 Athens, Greece
Nowadays, as the pandemic has reshaped snacking behaviors, and consumers have become more health-conscious, the need for the incorporation of “healthy snacking” in our diets has emerged. Although there is no agreed-upon definition of “healthy snacking”, dietary guidelines refer to snack foods with high nutritional and biological value. The aim of this study was to chemically characterize and determine the nutritional value of an innovative UVB-irradiated and baked snack from Pleurotus eryngii mushrooms. P. eryngii is an edible mushroom native to the Mediterranean basin. We applied proximate composition, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and macro and trace elements analyses. Also, we computed indices to assess the nutritional quality of food, and we evaluated the sensory characteristics of the mushroom snack. We found high nutritional, consumer, and biological values for the snack. More specifically it was low in calories, high in fibre and protein, low in lipids, without added sugars, and high in ergosterol and beta-glucans. Additionally, it had some vitamins and trace elements in significant quantities. Its NRF9.3 score was considerably high compared to most popular snacks, and the snack exhibited high hypocholesterolemic and low atherogenic and thrombogenic potentials. In conclusion, as a result of UVB-irradiation and baking of P. eryngii mushrooms, the snack’s nutritional and biological value were not affected; instead, it provided a “healthy snacking” option.
