Mechanical spectra and calorimetric evaluation of gelatin–xanthan gum systems with high levels of co-solutes in the glassy state

Mechanical properties of gelatin–xanthan gum (XG) mixtures with high levels of co-solutes were examined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The mechanical spectra of the samples were modeled according to the Williams–Landel–Ferry (WLF) equation/free-volume theory, which requires an entropic lightly cross-linked network. For the α dispersion, E′ and E′′ superposed with the horizontal shift factor a_T, which was temperature-dependent according to the WLF equation; no other secondary dispersion mechanism was detected. The addition of XG to gelatin networks with high levels of co-solutes changed the glass transition temperature (T_g) and kinetics of glass transition and glassy states. In the glassy state, the WLF equation was unable to follow progress in the mechanical properties, which were better described by the Andrade equation. The calorimetric measurements of the gelatin–XG systems were made using a modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) to improve the determination of T_g. The samples were exposed to two cooling and heating cycles to provide a controlled recent thermal history in the temperature range of 40 °C to −70 °C. The T_g values of the samples were determined from the second heating cycle in the reversing heat signal. The calorimetric T_g values increased with increasing glucose syrup:sucrose ratio due to increased crosslinking, whereas mechanical T_g decreased with increased XG content due to network formation.     

The combined effect of front-of-pack nutrition labels and health claims on consumers’ evaluation of food products

The majority of studies examining the effect of nutrition information on food packets (such as the nutrition information panel (NIP), front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) and health claims) have examined each in isolation, even though they often occur together. This study investigated the relationship between FoPLs and health claims since (i) they both appear on the front of packs and typically receive more attention from consumers than the NIP, (ii) they can convey contradictory messages (i.e., health claims provide information on nutrients that are beneficial to health while FoPLs provide information on nutrients associated with increased health risks) and (iii) there is currently scant research on how consumers trade off between these two sources of information. Ten focus groups (n = 85) explored adults’ and children’s reactions when presented with both a FoPL (the Daily Intake Guide, Multiple Traffic Lights, or the Health Star Rating) and a health claim (nutrient content, general-level-, or high-level). A particular focus was participants’ processing of discrepant information. Participants reported that health claims were more likely to be considered during product evaluations if they were perceived to be trustworthy, relevant and informative. Trust and ease of interpretation were most important for FoPLs, which were more likely than health claims to meet criteria and be considered during product evaluation (especially the Health Star Rating and Multiple Traffic Lights). Results indicate that consumers generally find FoPLs more useful than health claims.     

Towards improving the nutrition and health of the aged: the role of sprouted grains and encapsulation of bioactive compounds in functional bread – a review

Aging reduces the absorption of nutrients. Literature related to functional bread processing techniques including sprouting of grains and the application of encapsulation technology and the bioavailability of bioactives was reviewed. Functional ingredients including sprouted/germinated grain particularly brown rice and wheat flours enhance the bioactive properties of functional bread. Ingredients with high polyphenol content such as lavender and melissa by-products, tea-extracts and aronia powder enhance the bioactive content and appear to have a favourable effect on the shelf-life of bread and antioxidant status of consumers. Incorporation of encapsulated bioactive compounds into bread have a huge potential to improve the bread quality and increase the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds including polyphenols. More investigations and new areas of research should focus on sprouted grain flours and the application of encapsulation technologies especially nanoencapsulation to optimize the bioactivity, storage, bioavailability and nutritional profile of bread to improve nutrition and health with aging.     

The Diaper and Hygienic Product Project of Shandong Dongshun Paper Put into Production and the Third-Phase Project of Dongshun Ind’l Park Started

On January 12,2012,Shandong Dongshun Group held a ceremony at Dongshun Ind＇s Park,Dongping,Taian to celebrate the production start-up of its diaper and hygienic product project and the start of its thi...     

Investigation into the Maillard reaction between ɛ-polylysine and dextran in subcritical water and evaluation of the functional properties of the conjugates

The effects of temperature and pressure on the Maillard reaction between ?-polylysine and dextran in subcritical water were investigated. Browning index was determined at 420 nm, and degree of graft was estimated by O-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) method. The formation of conjugates by Maillard reaction was testified by UV–vis spectrum and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The emulsifying activity of the conjugates was greatly improved with the rise of temperature. The antimicrobial activity of the conjugates formed below 110 °C remained the same as ?-polylysine, and then decreased obviously when the reaction temperature was above 120 °C. The reaction pressure (0–10 MPa) had no effect on the emulsifying and antimicrobial activities, but higher pressure could effectively inhibit the formation of browning compounds.     

The Diaper and Hygienic Product Project of Shandong Dongshun Paper Put into Production and the Third-Phase Project of Dongshun Ind’l Park Started

On January 12,2012,Shandong Dongshun Group held a ceremony at Dongshun Ind’s Park,Dongping,Taian to celebrate the production start-up of its diaper and hygienic product project and the start of its third-phase project of Dongshun Ind’l Park.     

Kinetics and equilibria of tea infusion: Part 8—the effects of salts and of pH on the rate of extraction of theaflavins from black tea leaf

The rates of extraction of theaflavins from sieved Kapchorua Pekoe Fannings (600–710 μm) and from a Ceylon Broken Orange Pekoe Fine Leaf Blend have been measured at 80°C with a set of aqueous salt and buffer solutions spanning the pH range 3·1 to 8·1. There was little effect on adding 1:1 electrolytes but considerable decreases in rate occurred in the presence of calcium chloride. The rate constants in acid buffers were the same as in a normal unbuffered infusion but in alkaline buffers of pH 8 they were over 50% larger. This phenomenon was quantitatively accounted for by the partial dissociation of theaflavins at higher pH and the greater diffusion coefficient of the resulting ionic salt. The relevance of these findings to tea brewing and to industrial theaflavins extraction is discussed.     

Effect of cocoa in diabetes: the potential of the pancreas and liver as key target organs,more than an antioxidant effect?

Increasingly, type 2 diabetes mellitus is being linked to metabolic abnormalities within the liver and pancreas, associated with fat deposition and oxidative stress. Cocoa and chocolate have been seen to improve oxidative stress and enhance insulin sensitivity. Recent in vitro and animal model studies have begun to investigate the potential of cocoa and cocoa extracts in modulating fatty liver and pancreatic function. Evidence from these studies has highlighted a number of mechanisms, which facilitate insulin secretion and enhanced survival in pancreatic beta cells. Whilst in liver, improved effect of insulin was observed with some improvements in fatty infiltration. However, what was seen as a common effect was an increase in endogenous antioxidant capability. The potential of cocoa products in the management of fatty liver and supporting pancreatic function in humans is likely to be limited by their macronutrient and energy profile or palatability, unless taken as cocoa extract supplements.     

Is resilience a useful concept in the context of food security and nutrition programmes? Some conceptual and practical considerations

With the developing world increasingly exposed to severe shocks and stresses, a growing number of international development agencies have now adopted resilience building as a critical long-term objective for their programmes. This paper explores the potential for this concept in the context of food security and nutrition but the reflection extends to development interventions more generally. Resilience is a rich concept, and has at its core the notion of complex dynamic processes that aptly describes the nature and dynamics of vulnerability and changes as they affect the developing world. The paper argues that the main value of resilience lies in its integrative nature, which facilitates greater collaboration between traditionally disparate groups and communities of practices. The paper also stresses some of the key conceptual and practical challenges that we face when trying to operationalise and measure resilience.     

Kinetics and equilibria of tea infusion: Part 7—The effects of salts and of pH on the rate of extraction of caffeine from Kapchorua Pekoe Fannings

The rates of extraction of caffeine from sieved Kapchorua PF (600–710 μm) have been measured at 80°C with a range of aqueous salt and buffer solutions of ionic strength 0·11 mol dm⁻³. The first-order rate constants and the half-times of infusion showed no trend with pH when buffers from pH 3·0 to pH 8·3 were employed. The rate constants decreased on the addition of common salts like NaCl, KCl and CaCl₂ but increased in the presence of electrolytes such as Bu₄NCl that contain large ions. The results cannot be interpreted by changes in osmotic pressure although Donnan effects may be involved. Close parallels were found between the rate constants and the solubilities of caffeine in electrolyte solutions at 25°C. In particular, the values of both properties rise appreciably in the presence of species containing aromatic or other organic rings with which caffeine molecules associate.     

Does consumer health-orientation affect the use of nutrition facts panel and claims? An empirical analysis in Italy

Food labelling can play a key role in increasing consumers’ food-related consciousness, and improving the healthiness of their food choices. However consumers’ use of food labels is affected by a number of variables. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of health-orientation on consumers’ use of different labelled information, making a distinction between mandatory and voluntary information (namely, nutrition facts panel vs nutrition and health claims). Data were collected in Italy through face-to-face interviews on a sample of 300 consumers in charge of their grocery shopping. To evaluate the relationship between health-orientation and label usage we developed an index strictly based on the definition of health-orientation itself and included such measure in our analysis, which is based on a set of OLS regressions. The main results overall stress the idea that different degrees of health-orientation are, indeed, reflected in a diverse use of labelled information. Highly health-oriented consumers are more likely to refer to the extensive information reported on nutrition facts panel, whereas claims are of main interest for consumers with low orientation to health. The results also strengthen the key role played by nutrition knowledge and education in favouring a frequent usage of the nutrition facts panel and confirm previous findings on the relationship between socio-economic status and consumers use of labelled information.     

Applications of macro–micro region concept in the state diagram and critical temperature concepts in determining the food stability

Food stability determination from a scientific basis rather than empiricism is a challenge to food scientists and engineers. Over the years, water activity and glass transition concepts are the two most successful theoretical foundations developed in determining the food stability. The macro–micro region concept in the state diagram and critical temperature concept are further extension of the water activity and glass transition concepts. This paper presents the applications of critical temperature concept in determining food stability during storage. In addition, it presents the applications of macro–micro region concept in analyzing air- and freeze-drying processes, maintaining rice quality using different drying strategies, analyzing structural changes during baking process, and determining chemical stability during storage.     

Microstructural evaluation of the mucin balls and their relations to the corneal surface—Insights by in vivo confocal microscopy

Purpose

The purpose of the current study was to observe and correlate the characteristics of mucin balls to the ocular surface properties, and furthermore, to report the effect of different mucin balls size and number on structural alteration of the anterior cornea.

Thermosonication of peach juice: investigation of PPO and POD activities,physicochemical and bioactive compounds changes,and development of FT-IR–based chemometric models for the evaluation of quality

In this research, the effect of thermosonication on peach juice was investigated. Enzyme inactivation increased with increasing power, temperature, and time. Enzymes were completely inactivated by thermosonication at 60 °C that was lower than the complete inactivation temperature (70 °C) of thermal treatment. Generally, as pH decreased, titratable acidity and °Brix increased by increasing temperature for each thermosonication treatment. The color of peach juice was preserved, and it became lighter. The bioactive components were protected with thermosonication. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy with chemometrics was used to evaluate polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activity and quality attributes during thermosonication treatment. Moreover, the treatment methods were differentiated using principal component analysis, and models that correlated enzyme activity, quality attributes, and bioactive compounds with infrared spectra were constructed using partial least-squares. FT-IR with chemometrics can be used as a reliable method in peach juice quality determination during thermosonication.     

Transition cow nutrition and management strategies of dairy herds in the northeastern United States: Part I—Herd description and performance characteristics

Our objective was to describe management and herd characteristics of the transition period on freestall dairy herds in the northeastern United States using an on-farm survey and prospective cohort design. Enrolled herds (n = 72) had a median of 900 milking cows (range: 345–2,900) and a rolling herd average of 12,674 kg (standard deviation ± 1,220 kg), and 87.2% (n = 82/94) of fresh pens were milked at least 3×/d. The prevalence of herds with ≥15% of sampled cows with elevated concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids prepartum (≥0.27 mmol/L, 2–14 d before parturition) and postpartum [primiparous: ≥0.60 mmol/L, multiparous: ≥0.70 mmol/L, 3–14 d in milk (DIM)], β-hydroxybutyrate postpartum (≥1.2 mmol/L, 3–14 DIM), and haptoglobin postpartum (≥1 g/L, 0–12 DIM) was 51%, 51%, 51%, and 57%, respectively. In most herds, cows were moved to a calving pen when showing signs of labor (73.6%; n = 53/72) instead of 0 to 3 d before expected calving (26.4%, n = 19/72). Cows remained in the calving or maternity pen for a median (range) time of 2 (0–24) h after parturition before moving to the next pen. Primiparous cows remained in the first pen moved to after parturition for a longer period than multiparous cows [median (range) days: 12 (1.5–25) vs. 6 (1.5–22)]. Approximately 20% of herds had routine vaccinations administered in the maternity or calving pen, first pen after parturition, or both. Almost all herds (n = 69/72) performed fresh cow health checks; however, only 53% (n = 38/72) locked up all fresh cows daily. More herds housed primiparous and multiparous cows in separate pens during the far-off dry (65.3%; n = 47/72) and high-lactation (81.9%; n = 59/72) periods compared with the close-up dry (31.9%; n = 23/72) and fresh periods (27.8%; n = 20/72). At least half of the pens observed during the far-off dry, close-up dry, and fresh periods had a stocking density <100%. Approximately one-third of pens observed during the far-off dry period had feed pushed up ≤4×/d compared with approximately 15 to 20% of pens observed during the close-up dry, fresh, and high-lactation periods. More than half of the total mixed ration samples acquired from the far-off and close-up dry period visits had greater than the recommended proportion of particles in the 19-mm screen of the Penn State Particle Separator. The results of this observational study illustrated the range of management practices used in freestall herds in this region and lay the groundwork for future hypothesis-driven studies using this sampled population.