Antioxidant Properties of Wafers with Added Pumpkin Seed Flour Subjected to In Vitro Digestion
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors1. Can you add this reference? https://crimsonpublishers.com/mcda/pdf/MCDA.000782.pdf
2. The headings are to close together
Overall a good source of information and interesting paper.
Thanks
Author Response
Answers to Reviewer #1:
- Can you add this reference? https://crimsonpublishers.com/mcda/pdf/MCDA.000782.pdf
This reference was added.
- The headings are to close together
It was corrected.
Overall a good source of information and interesting paper.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsPlease find the attached file for details.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Ad. 1.
These scoring results were uploaded in Supplementary Materials (Table S1).
Ad. 2
We wanted the waffles with the addition to be acceptable, so the percentage of pumpkin seed flour was 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, 3 wt. %, 4 wt. % .
In the further research should attempt to optimize the composition of wafers with the increased addition of pumpkin seed flour, while taking into account the acceptability of the product by potential consumers.
Ad. 3
Proper information was added to section 3.3.
Ad. 4
It was changed.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe present manuscript investigated the impact of pumpkin seed flour on the semi-consumer evaluation, functional properties, texture, and color of wafers. The results indicated that the addition of pumpkin seed flour leaded to the color change of the wafers, but which enhanced the phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity. The following issues should be addressed:
1. The specific data of the results should be referred in the abstract;
2. In 2.1., I think the preparation of pumpkin seed flour need to be stated;
3. In Table 3, what the “-” mean？
4. How to prepare the fractions with ≤ 3.5 kDa molecules?
5. Addition of pumpkin seed flour need significantly increased the antioxidant activity of wafers, probably due to the content of peptide and phenolic compounds. The author should further discuss this point in the discussion.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThe English writing of the manuscript needs to be carefully checked.
Author Response
- The specific data of the results should be referred in the abstract;
The specific data of the results was included in the revised manuscript.
- In 2.1., I think the preparation of pumpkin seed flour need to be stated;
The information was included in the revised manuscript.
- In Table 3, what the “-” mean？
“- “ – this means that the tested samples were not characterized by foam stability.
- How to prepare the fractions with ≤ 3.5 kDa molecules?
The fractions with ≤ 3.5 kDa molecules were prepared by dialysis using a membrane tube (molecular weight cut-off 3.5) against phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at the physiological concentration, pH 7.4 (1:4, v/v). The process was carried out for 1 h at 37 °C in darkness.
- Addition of pumpkin seed flour need significantly increased the antioxidant activity of wafers, probably due to the content of peptide and phenolic compounds. The author should further discuss this point in the discussion.
The information was included in the revised manuscript
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe research paper titled "Antioxidant properties of wafers with pumpkin seeds flour addition subjected to in vitro digestion" investigates the impact of enriching wafers with pumpkin seed flour on their functional properties, including antioxidant activity, texture, and color. The study employs enzymatic hydrolysis using amylase, pepsin, and pancreatin to simulate digestion and measure the content of phenolic compounds and peptides in the wafers. The research aims to evaluate the influence of pumpkin seed flour addition on the antioxidant properties and consumer acceptability of the wafers. The findings indicate that adding pumpkin seed flour enhances the wafers' antioxidant activity and increases peptide content, while only minimally affecting taste, aroma, and crispness. This study emphasizes the potential of pumpkin seeds as a valuable ingredient to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of food products, promoting health benefits through their antioxidant compounds.
However, I therefore have to point out some comments:
You may wish to ask a native speaker to check your manuscript for grammar, style and syntax, or use the professional language editing options available from Elsevier Author Services.
Abstract: add quantitative data about the research, briefly state the purpose of the study.
Line 2: The phrase "pumpkin seeds flour addition" should be changed to "addition of pumpkin seeds flour" for better readability.
Line 12: "semi-consumer evaluation" needs to be clarified. Specify whether this is a sensory evaluation or a consumer preference test.
Line 16: "caused the color of the wafers to change to a darker one" should include quantitative data on color change (e.g., CIELab values).
Line 23: "pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of antioxidant compounds" should provide specific antioxidant compound content data to support the claim.
Line 31: "diet-related diseases" should provide references to support the statement.
Line 40: "including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids" provide their health benefits.
Line 60-61: "biscuits [11], muffins [13][13]" has an incorrect citation format, with a duplicated reference.
Line 61-63; 63-65: add reference.
Line 66-69: add more background regarding the aim of the research, also add more future development of the research.
Line 77: change “in Niemce near Lublin, Poland” to “(Niemce, Lublin, Poland)”
Line 79: is it 215 kg? if so, remove the space after 2.
Line 85: "a 34-member group of employees and students" should include the participants' backgrounds and training to ensure evaluation reliability.
Line 98: the format of table 1 is not standardized, revise it.
Line 111: The formula (1) for ΔE calculation has inconsistent formatting for variables L0*, a0*, and b0* compared to the rest of the equation.
Line 126, 139, 154, 395: change “ml” to “mL”.
Line 127, 128：delete “.” after “min”.
Line 138: "oil absorption capacity" should specify the type and source of the oil used in the experiment.
Line 152: Add a space between 1 and g.
Line 153: "The foam volume was determined" needs a detailed description of the foam volume measurement method and standards.
Line 155: change “minutes” to “min”.
Line 164: change “hours” to “h”.
Line 164: "semi-permeable membranes with a 3.5kDa cut-off" should include the specific model and manufacturer of the membranes used.
Line 169: "Total Phenolic content determination" should detail the procedure and reagent proportions for reproducibility.
Line 211: “Tab. 2 and Figure 3”, abbreviations for figure and table? Keep the format of the full text consistent.
Line 212, 214, 267, 272, 307, 338, 373: "±" with spaces on both sides.
Line 229: add space before “1.5”.
Line 233: "the hardness and fracturability obtained for the wafers did not seem to be correlated with the concentration of pumpkin flour" should provide a more detailed analysis or statistical correlation.
Line 235-237: The font format should be consistent with the context.
Line 236: "The addition of pumpkin seed flour did not significantly affect the crispness of the wafers" should present specific data to support this conclusion.
Line 245: "these differences are not statistically significant" should include p-values to support the statement.
Line 281: "a slight increase in the content of the phenolic compounds" should quantify the increase with exact percentages or concentrations.
Line 347: "Probably, the addition of pumpkin seed flour was too small" should include a discussion on potential dosage effects and recommendations for future studies.
Line 355-356: "bioavailability of phytochemicals is determined by their molecular weight" should reference studies that support this statement.
Line 378-379: "Both hydrolysates and <3.5 kDa fractions exhibited antiradical activity" should present comparative data and statistical analysis for clarity.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageModerate editing of English language required
Author Response
You may wish to ask a native speaker to check your manuscript for grammar, style and syntax, or use the professional language editing options available from Elsevier Author Services.
Thank you for your suggestion it was checked.
Abstract: add quantitative data about the research, briefly state the purpose of the study.
The quantitative data about the research was added.
Line 2: The phrase "pumpkin seeds flour addition" should be changed to "addition of pumpkin seeds flour" for better readability.
We agree with this comment and to represent better the essence of the study, the title was revised to: “Antioxidant properties of wafers with addition of pumpkin seeds flour subjected to in vitro digestion”.
Line 12: "semi-consumer evaluation" needs to be clarified. Specify whether this is a sensory evaluation or a consumer preference test.
Thank you for your valuable comment. This was corrected in the manuscript.
Line 16: "caused the color of the wafers to change to a darker one" should include quantitative data on color change (e.g., CIELab values).
It was corrected.
Line 23: "pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of antioxidant compounds" should provide specific antioxidant compound content data to support the claim.
It was corrected.
Line 31: "diet-related diseases" should provide references to support the statement.
References were added to the text.
Line 40: "including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids" provide their health benefits.
The health benefits of fatty acids were added to the text.
Line 60-61: "biscuits [11], muffins [13][13]" has an incorrect citation format, with a duplicated reference.
It was corrected.
Line 61-63; 63-65: add reference.
The references were added.
Line 66-69: add more background regarding the aim of the research, also add more future development of the research.
Suggested information was added.
Line 77: change “in Niemce near Lublin, Poland” to “(Niemce, Lublin, Poland)”
It was corrected.
Line 79: is it 215 kg? if so, remove the space after 2.
It was corrected.
Line 85: "a 34-member group of employees and students" should include the participants' backgrounds and training to ensure evaluation reliability.
The proper information was added.
Line 98: the format of table 1 is not standardized, revise it.
It was revised.
Line 111: The formula (1) for ΔE calculation has inconsistent formatting for variables L0*, a0*, and b0* compared to the rest of the equation.
It was corrected.
Line 126, 139, 154, 395: change “ml” to “mL”.
It waschanged.
Line 127, 128：delete “.” after “min”.
It was corrected.
Line 138: "oil absorption capacity" should specify the type and source of the oil used in the experiment.
The proper information was added to the text.
Line 152: Add a space between 1 and g.
This was corrected.
Line 153: "The foam volume was determined" needs a detailed description of the foam volume measurement method and standards.
The detailed description was included in the revised manuscript.
“After whipping, the foam was immediately poured into a 250 mL measuring cylinder. Foaming capacity (FC) was determined by comparing the foam volume to the initial liquid volume of samples, while foam stability (FS) was measured by comparing the foam volume at 30 min to the initial foam volume of samples.”
Line 155: change “minutes” to “min”.
This was changed.
Line 164: change “hours” to “h”.
This was changed.
Line 164: "semi-permeable membranes with a 3.5kDa cut-off" should include the specific model and manufacturer of the membranes used.
The detailed description was included in the revised manuscript.
Line 169: "Total Phenolic content determination" should detail the procedure and reagent proportions for reproducibility.
The detailed description was included in the revised manuscript.
Line 211: “Tab. 2 and Figure 3”, abbreviations for figure and table? Keep the format of the full text consistent.
This was changed.
Line 212, 214, 267, 272, 307, 338, 373: "±" with spaces on both sides.
This was changed.
Line 229: add space before “1.5”.
This was added.
Line 233: "the hardness and fracturability obtained for the wafers did not seem to be correlated with the concentration of pumpkin flour" should provide a more detailed analysis or statistical correlation.
It was changed in the manuscript.
Line 235-237: The font format should be consistent with the context.
This was changed.
Line 236: "The addition of pumpkin seed flour did not significantly affect the crispness of the wafers" should present specific data to support this conclusion.
Proper information was added to the manuscript.
Line 245: "these differences are not statistically significant" should include p-values to support the statement.
It was added.
Line 281: "a slight increase in the content of the phenolic compounds" should quantify the increase with exact percentages or concentrations.
Percentage values for the increase in phenolic compounds were added.
Line 347: "Probably, the addition of pumpkin seed flour was too small" should include a discussion on potential dosage effects and recommendations for future studies.
This sentence was deleted, because introduces some misunderstanding. We wanted the wafers with the addition to be acceptable. The text has been changed to:
“Analysing obtained results it can be noted that the additive of pumpkin seeds flour did not influence significantly texture parameters, which is positive from the point of view of potential consumers because the texture of fortified wafers does not differ from traditional, well-known and accepted wafers.”
Line 355-356: "bioavailability of phytochemicals is determined by their molecular weight" should reference studies that support this statement.
The reference was included in the revised manuscript.
Line 378-379: "Both hydrolysates and <3.5 kDa fractions exhibited antiradical activity" should present comparative data and statistical analysis for clarity.
Information and explanation was added:
“Regarding the antioxidant activity both hydrolysates and <3.5 kDa fractions exhibited antiradical activity against DPPH* and ABTS+*. Potentially bioaccessible fractions (<3.5 kDa) showed stronger antiradical properties and Fe chelation ability (lower IC50 values) than hydrolysates. In the case of hydrolysates, the highest ability to neutralize free radicals was observed for the P4 sample with the highest addition of pumpkin seeds flour (4 wt. %).”
Round 2
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authorsno
