Application of guar gum as a flocculant aid in food processing and potable water treatment

The paper deals with use of a food grade coagulant (guar gum) as a replacement for synthetic coagulants for potable water treatment.

Implementation of a cogeneration plant for a food processing facility. A case study

The present work presents an investigation regarding the feasibility analysis of a cogeneration plant for a food processing facility with the aim to decrease the cost of energy supply. The monthly electricity and heat consumption profiles are analyzed, in order to understand the consumption profiles, as well as the costs of the current furniture of electricity and gas. Then, a detailed thermodynamic model of the cogeneration cycle is implemented and the investment costs are linked to the thermodynamic variables by means of cost functions. The optimal electricity power of the co-generator is determined with reference to various investment indexes. The analysis highlights that the optimal dimension varies according to the chosen indicator, therefore it is not possible to establish it univocally, but it depends on the financial/economic strategy of the company through the considered investment index.

Food fraud and consumers' choices in the wake of the horsemeat scandal

Purpose – In 2012, the European food industry was hit by a food fraud: horsemeat was found in
pre-prepared foods, without any declaration on the package. This is commonly referred to as the
“horsemeat scandal”. The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ preferences across
Europe for a selected ready meal, ready to heat (RTH) fresh lasagne, to consider whether the effects of
potential food frauds on consumers’ choices can be mitigated by introducing enhanced standards of
RTH products.
Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to 4,598 consumers of RTH
lasagne in six European countries (Republic of Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Norway),
applying discrete choice experiments to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay for enhanced food
safety standards and highlight differences between countries.
Findings – Many similarities across countries emerged, as well as some differences. Consumers in
Europe are highly concerned with the authenticity of the meat in ready meals and strongly prefer to
know that ingredients are nationally sourced. Strong regional differences in price premiums exist for
enhanced food safety standards.
Originality/value – This research adds relevant insights in the analysis of consumers’ reaction to
food fraud, providing practical guidelines on the most appropriate practices that producers should
adopt and on the information to reduce food risk perception among consumers. This would prove
beneficial for the food processing industry and the European Union. The survey is based on a
representative sample of European consumers making this the largest cross-country study of this kind.

Altered interactions within FY/AtCPSF complexes required for Arabidopsis FCA-mediated chromatin silencing.

The role of RNA metabolism in chromatin silencing is now widely recognized. We have studied the Arabidopsis RNA-binding protein FCA that down-regulates an endogenous floral repressor gene through a chromatin mechanism involving histone demethylase activity. This mechanism needs FCA to interact with an RNA 3' processing/polyadenylation factor (FY/Pfs2p), but the subsequent events leading to chromatin changes are unknown. Here, we show that this FCA-FY interaction is required for general chromatin silencing roles where hairpin transgenes induce DNA methylation of an endogenous gene. We also show 2 conserved RNA processing factors, AtCPSF100 and AtCPSF160, but not FCA, are stably associated with FY in vivo and form a range of different-sized complexes. A hypomorphic fy allele producing a shorter protein, able to provide some FY functions but unable to interact with FCA, reduces abundance of some of the larger MW complexes. Suppressor mutants, which specifically disrupt the FY motif through which FCA interacts, also lacked these larger complexes. Our data support a model whereby FCA, perhaps after recognition of a specific RNA feature, transiently interacts with FY, an integral component of the canonical RNA 3' processing machinery, changing the interactions of the different RNA processing components. These altered interactions would appear to be a necessary step in this RNA-mediated chromatin silencing.

Parsing parallel evolution:Ecological divergence and differential gene expression in the adaptive radiations of thick-lipped Midas cichlid fishes from Nicaragua

The study of parallel evolution facilitates the discovery of common rules of diversification. Here, we examine the repeated evolution of thick lips in Midas cichlid fishes (the Amphilophus citrinellus species complex) - from two Great Lakes and two crater lakes in Nicaragua - to assess whether similar changes in ecology, phenotypic trophic traits and gene expression accompany parallel trait evolution. Using next-generation sequencing technology, we characterize transcriptome-wide differential gene expression in the lips of wild-caught sympatric thick- and thin-lipped cichlids from all four instances of repeated thick-lip evolution. Six genes (apolipoprotein D, myelin-associated glycoprotein precursor, four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 2, calpain-9, GTPase IMAP family member 8-like and one hypothetical protein) are significantly underexpressed in the thick-lipped morph across all four lakes. However, other aspects of lips' gene expression in sympatric morphs differ in a lake-specific pattern, including the magnitude of differentially expressed genes (97-510). Generally, fewer genes are differentially expressed among morphs in the younger crater lakes than in those from the older Great Lakes. Body shape, lower pharyngeal jaw size and shape, and stable isotopes (dC and dN) differ between all sympatric morphs, with the greatest differentiation in the Great Lake Nicaragua. Some ecological traits evolve in parallel (those related to foraging ecology; e.g. lip size, body and head shape) but others, somewhat surprisingly, do not (those related to diet and food processing; e.g. jaw size and shape, stable isotopes). Taken together, this case of parallelism among thick- and thin-lipped cichlids shows a mosaic pattern of parallel and nonparallel evolution. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Maillard reaction in vivo

The Maillard or browning reaction between reducing sugars and protein contributes to the chemical deterioration and loss of nutritional value of proteins during food processing and storage. This article presents and discusses evidence that the Maillard reaction is also involved in the chemical aging of long-lived proteins in human tissues. While the concentration of the Amadori adduct of glucose to lens protein and skin collagen is relatively constant with age, products of sequential glycation and oxidation of protein, termed glycoxidation products, accumulate in these long-lived proteins with advancing age and at an accelerated rate in diabetes. Among these products are the chemically modified amino acids, N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)hydroxylysine (CMhL), and the fluorescent crosslink, pentosidine. While these glycoxidation products are present at only trace levels in tissue proteins, there is strong evidence for the presence of other browning products which remain to be characterized. Mechanisms for detoxifying reactive intermediates in the Maillard reaction and catabolism of extensively browned proteins are also discussed, along with recent approaches for therapeutic modulation of advanced stages of the Maillard reaction.

The effects of pollution prevention on performance

As pressure for companies to improve their environmental performance has intensified in recent years, research attention has shifted away from establishing a link between environmental practices and performance towards consideration of other factors that might facilitate performance improvements. This paper has two key purposes; firstly, to investigate whether internal support processes interact with pollution prevention by positively moderating the relationship between pollution prevention and environmental performance, and; secondly, to assess whether the relationship between pollution prevention and cost performance is mediated by environmental performance.

Design/methodology/approach
It uses a cross-sectional survey of 1,200 UK-based food processing firms to gather information on environmental practices and performance. Regression analysis was conducted on a sample of 149 responding firms to assess the hypothesised relationships.

Findings
Support was found for two of the four moderated relationships hypothesised namely, suggesting that internal support processes support the environmental performance of some pollution prevention practices. Strong support for a mediated relationship between pollution prevention, environmental performance and cost performance was provided by the results.

Originality/value
This study provides an original contribution to the literature on the performance outcomes of environmental practices by considering a number indirect relationships between environmental practices and performance. This has implications for the interpretation of the relationship between environmental practices and performance.

Moleculary imprinted polymers for extraction of components from foodstruffs

The present invention relates to a novel class of water compatible molecularly imprinted polymers (AquaMIPs) capable of selectively binding target molecules such as riboflavin, or analogues thereof, in water or aqueous media, their synthesis and use thereof in food processing and extraction or separation processes.

Integration of design of experiment, surface response methodology and multi-layer validation to predict the effect of blanching on colour of tomato juice

Response surface methodology was used to develop models to predict the effect of tomato cultivar, juice pH, blanching temperature and time on colour change of tomato juice after blanching. The juice from three tomato cultivars with adjusted pH levels ranging from 3.9 to 4.6 were blanched at temperatures from 60-100 °C for 1-5 min using the central composite design (CCD). The colour change was assessed by calculating the redness (a/b) and total colour change (∆E) after measuring the Hunter L, a and b values. Developed models for both redness and ∆E were significant (p<0.0001) with satisfactory coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.99 and 0.97) and low coefficient of variation (CV% = 1.89 and 7.23), respectively. Multilevel validation that was implemented revealed that the variation between the predicted and experimental values obtained for redness and ∆E were within the acceptable error range of 7.3 and 22.4%, respectively

Influence of Sous Vide and Water Immersion Processing on Polyacetylene Content and Instrumental Color of Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) Disks

The effect of blanching (95 ± 3 °C) followed by sous vide (SV) processing (90 °C for 10 min) on levels of two polyacetylenes in parsnip disks immediately after processing and during chill storage was studied and compared with the effect of water immersion (WI) processing (70 °C for 2 min.). Blanching had the greatest influence on the retention of polyacetylenes in sous vide processed parsnip disks resulting in significant decreases of 24.5 and 24% of falcarinol (1) and falcarindiol (2) respectively (p < 0.05). Subsequent SV processing did not result in additional significant losses in polyacetylenes compared to blanched samples. Subsequent anaerobic storage of SV processed samples resulted in a significant decrease in 1 levels (p < 0.05) although no change in 2 levels was observed (p > 0.05). 1 levels in WI processed samples were significantly higher than in SV samples (p = 0.05). 2 was particularly susceptible to aerobic storage following WI processing with losses of up to 70% occurring after 5 days storage. 1 type polyacetylene undergoes degradation such as oxidation, dehydrogenation when thermally treated forming oxidized form of 1 type molecules, in this case falcarindione, dehydrofalcarinol, dehydrofalcarinone. Thermal processing had a significant effect on instrumental color of parsnip samples compared to minimally processed in both SV and WI processed samples resulting in parsnip disks becoming darker, yellower and browner following processing and storage.

Modelling the effect of water immersion thermal processing on polyacetylene levels and instrumental colour of carrot disks

C₁₇ polyacetylenes are a group of bioactive compounds present in carrots which have recently gained scientific attention due to their cytotoxicity against cancer cells. In common with many bioactive compounds, their levels may be influenced by thermal processes, such as boiling or water immersion. This study investigated the effect of a number of water immersion time/temperature combinations on concentrations of these compounds and attempted to model the changes. Carrot samples were thermally treated by heating in water at temperatures from 50–100 °C and holding times of 2–60 min. Following heating, levels of falcarinol (FaOH), falcarindiol (FaDOH), falcarindiol-3-acetate (FaDOAc) and Hunter colour parameters (L^*, a^*, b^*) were determined. FaOH, FaDOH, FaDOAc levels were significantly reduced at lower temperatures (50–60 °C). In contrast, samples heated at temperatures from 70–100 °C exhibited higher levels of polyacetylenes (p < 0.05) than did raw unprocessed samples. Regression modelling was used to model the effects of temperature and holding time on the levels of the variables measured. Temperature treatment and holding time were found to significantly affect the polyacetylene content of carrot disks. Predicted models were found to be significant (p < 0.05) with high coefficients of determination (R²).

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics applied to the chemical safety of food

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics is emerging as an important field of research in many scientific areas, including chemical safety of food. A particular strength of this approach is its potential to reveal some physiological effects induced by complex mixtures of chemicals present at trace concentrations. The limitations of other analytical approaches currently employed to detect low-dose and mixture effects of chemicals make detection very problematic. Besides this basic technical challenge, numerous analytical choices have to be made at each step of a metabolomics study, and each step can have a direct impact on the final results obtained and their interpretation (i.e. sample preparation, sample introduction, ionization, signal acquisition, data processing, and data analysis). As the application of metabolomics to chemical analysis of food is still in its infancy, no consensus has yet been reached on defining many of these important parameters. In this context, the aim of the present study is to review all these aspects of MS-based approaches to metabolomics, and to give a comprehensive, critical overview of the current state of the art, possible pitfalls, and future challenges and trends linked to this emerging field. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strawberry as a functional food:an evidence-based review

Emerging research provides substantial evidence to classify strawberries as a functional food with several preventive and therapeutic health benefits. Strawberries, a rich source of phytochemicals (ellagic acid, anthocyanins, quercetin, and catechin) and vitamins (ascorbic acid and folic acid), have been highly ranked among dietary sources of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. It should however be noted that these bioactive factors can be significantly affected by differences in strawberry cultivars, agricultural practices, storage, and processing methods: freezing versus dry heat has been associated with maximum retention of strawberry bioactives in several studies. Nutritional epidemiology shows inverse association between strawberry consumption and incidence of hypertension or serum C-reactive protein; controlled feeding studies have identified the ability of strawberries to attenuate high-fat diet induced postprandial oxidative stress and inflammation, or postprandial hyperglycemia, or hyperlipidemia in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors. Mechanistic studies have elucidated specific biochemical pathways that might confer these protective effects of strawberries: upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, downregulation of NF-kB activity and subsequent inflammation, or inhibitions of carbohydrate digestive enzymes. These health effects may be attributed to the synergistic effects of nutrients and phytochemicals in strawberries. Further studies are needed to define the optimal dose and duration of strawberry intake in affecting levels of biomarkers or pathways related to chronic diseases.