Flavouring of imitation cheese with enzyme-modified cheeses (EMCs): Sensory impact and measurement of aroma active short chain fatty acids (SCFAs)

Enzyme-modified cheeses (EMCs) are used to impart flavour to imitation cheese products. Cheeses (pH 6 or 5.5) were formulated with 5% w/w EMC, having low, medium or high levels of lipolysis and were examined by a sensory panel. Free fatty acid analyses were performed using SPME/GC. The flavour profile of the flavoured cheeses was affected by EMC composition and pH of the cheese base. Cheeses at a pH of 6.0, flavoured with low lipolysis EMCs, were described as ‘bland’. Lowering the pH of the cheese matrix to 5.5 appeared to increase the flavour intensity of the cheese flavoured with low lipolysis EMC and panellists ranked this cheese the highest, describing its flavour as ‘well-balanced and ‘cheesy’. This study shows that the flavours of imitation cheeses are influenced by the level of lipolysis of the EMCs used to flavour them and also by the pH of the cheese base.     

About signs and symptoms: can semiotics expand the view of clinical medicine?

Semiotics, the theory of sign and meaning, may help physicians complement the project of interpreting signs and symptoms into diagnoses. A sign stands for something. We communicate indirectly through signs, and make sense of our world by interpreting signs into meaning. Thus, through association and inference, we transform flowers into love, Othello into jealousy, and chest pain into heart attack. Medical semiotics is part of general semiotics, which means the study of life of signs within society. With special reference to a case story, elements from general semiotics, together with two theoreticians of equal importance, the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and the American logician Charles Sanders Peirce, are presented. Two different modes of understanding clinical medicine are contrasted to illustrate the external link between what we believe or suggest, on the one hand, and the external reality on the other hand.     

Hydrogeochemistry and arsenic contamination of groundwater in the Ganges Delta Plain, Bangladesh

Geochemical composition and the level of Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater in the Ganges Delta Plain, southwestern Bangladesh were elucidated. Hydrogeochemical data of tube well samples suggested that the groundwater is mostly Ca-Mg-HCO(3) type with bicarbonate (HCO(3)(-)) as the dominant anion, though other type waters are also observed. In contrast, the elevated EC, Cl(-) and high content of Na(+) relative to Ca(2+), Mg(2+) and K(+) in six groundwater samples suggest their saline origin. Low concentrations of NO(3)(-) and SO(4)(2-), and high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), HCO(3)(-) and PO(4)(3-) indicate the reducing conditions of subsurface aquifer where sediments are deposited with abundant organic matter. The total As concentration in the analyzed samples is very high (0.0431-1.352 mg/L) along with high Fe (2.791-17.058 mg/L) and relatively low Mn (0.134-1.972 mg/L) at different depths. Distinct relationship of As with Fe and Mn, and strong correlation with DOC suggests that the biodegradation of organic matter and reductive dissolution of Fe-oxyhydroxide is considered to be the dominant processes to release As in aquifers. Moreover, negative correlation between As and SO(4)(2-) demonstrates the As may not be directly mobilized from sulfide minerals like arsenopyrite.     

Design, fabrication, back-to-back test of 14200-hp two-polecylindrical-rotor synchronous motor for ASD application

This paper describes the design aspects, fabrication, and testing of a 14200-hp two-pole cylindrical-rotor synchronous motor used with a load-commutated inverter (LCI) adjustable-speed drive (ASD) to drive a refrigeration compressor for a refinery alkylation plant. The motor design aspects include extensive finite-difference analysis of the rotor cage assembly and laboratory bench testing of a wedge assembly to verify finite-difference analysis results prior to fabrication. Torsional and harmonic analysis results are also presented. Special considerations are discussed regarding rotor heating due to harmonic currents and mitigation methods for handling the harmonic currents and heating. Mechanical design aspects are presented of the rotor cage, including rotor slot design, wedge, and end ring assembly. Two motors and drives were built, for companion projects, allowing for verification of the rotor-cage assembly by a back-to-back (BTB) test. Test preparation, setup and results are presented, including rotor temperature mapping, vibration data and torsional results. Finally, test results are compared with calculated values     

Flavouring reduced fat high fibre cheese products with enzyme modified cheeses (EMCs)

Medium (13%) and low (2%) fat imitation cheeses (pH 6 or 5.5) were flavoured with 5% w/w EMC containing 16%, 28% or 47% total free fatty acids (low to high levels of hydrolysis, respectively) and were examined by a sensory panel. Aroma active short-chain free fatty acids were monitored using gas chromatographic techniques. Regardless of cheese pH or EMC composition, panellists ranked all medium-fat cheeses similarly. Low-fat cheeses flavoured (pH 6 or 5.5) with low or medium lipolysis EMC were described as ‘well-balanced’ and ‘cheesy’ and were significantly more preferred to cheeses containing high hydrolysis EMCs. Low-fat cheeses were least preferred of all cheeses because of ‘very intense’ bursts of off-flavours. Lower pH cheeses were softer and less melting. Higher fat levels in imitation cheese modulated a greater retention of fat-based flavour compounds and improved their release during consumption more than did lower fat levels.     

Multifamily housing and resident life satisfaction in Europe: an exploratory analysis

Much of the literature on sustainable communities and compact cities calls for higher density housing including multifamily dwellings. Some researchers suggest problems with such dwellings. However, rigorous comparative research on this topic has not been conducted to date. This paper draws on a high quality, comparative data-set, the European Social Survey, to analyse (a) the quality of multifamily dwellings in European urban areas, (b) the characteristics of residents, (c) their life satisfaction compared with those living in detached housing and (d) the relative importance of built form in explaining life satisfaction. One of the main findings from the multivariate analyses is that residing in multifamily housing is not a statistically significant predictor of life satisfaction when you control for standard predictors of life satisfaction and housing and neighbourhood quality. Overall, the findings provide support for both place-based and people-based responses to urban regeneration. Both physical and social regeneration are required, addressing the education/training needs of residents and economic development strategies.     

Guardians of the welfare state?

The welfare state in post-war Norwegian society is a result of the dominating social democratic ideology now adapted to far-reaching technological development. Increased spending on health has provoked the question of whether doctors should be the guardians of the welfare state against inappropriate demands from patients. This paper argues against this view. What is really a problem for the whole society cannot be solved on the individual level. In many ways, to be sick is to fall outside the community, with a real risk of loosing rights and duties essential to all of us. The doctor has to find-and redefine-his ancient role of spokesman and champion, and of serving as a friendly and emphatic corrective to the individual patient. This is particularly important in modern health services where having to face interpersonal problems is a key element of everyday practice.     

Influence of processing parameters on the texture and microstructure of imitation cheese

In this study the impact of cooker design and/or blade/auger speed on the functional properties of imitation cheese was investigated. Cheeses with similar compositions (48% moisture) were manufactured using water, rennet casein, rapeseed and hydrogenated palm oil and emulsifying salts in a twin-screw (Blentech) or a single-blade cooker (Stephan). The cookers were operated at auger speeds of 750, 1,125 or 1,500 (Stephan) or 100 or 200 rpm (Blentech). Increasing the blade speed of the Stephan increased (P < 0.001) the hardness and decreased the meltability of imitation cheese from 112 to 66 mm respectively. Hardness and meltability values of cheeses made in the Blentech cooker were only slightly affected by auger speed. The cheese made in the Stephan at 1,500 rpm had the highest G′ and G′′ values at 25 °C of all the cheeses. This study shows that imitation cheese with acceptable functional properties can be successfully manufactured in a single-blade cooker operated at moderate speeds.