Juice and by-products from pomegranate to enrich pancake: characterisation and shelf-life evaluation

In this study, a fortified pancake with all parts of pomegranate as juice and by-products, added in the formulation, was designed. The influence of pomegranate addition on nutritional and sensory quality of pancake, as well as on its shelf-life, was assessed. As one would expect, the enrichment significantly improved the pancake polyphenolic content as compared to the control sample. Surprisingly, pomegranate addition did not affect its sensory quality. In fact, the enriched pancake was greatly appreciated from the sensory point of view. Results also suggested that the addition of pomegranate improved the glycemic index (GI). In fact, while a value of GI equal to 100 was obtained for the control sample, a GI of 71 was measured for the fortified sample. In terms of shelf-life, 30 days were obtained for the enriched pancake, whereas the control sample remained acceptable for about 26 days.     

A comparative assessment of local municipal food policy integration in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT

Local governments around the world increasingly engage in food governance, aiming to address food system challenges such as obesity, food waste, or food insecurity. However, the extent to which municipalities have actually integrated food across their policies remains unknown. This study addresses this question by conducting a medium-n systematic content analysis of local food policy outputs of 31 Dutch municipalities. Policy outputs were coded for the food goals and instruments adopted by local governments. Our analysis shows that most municipalities integrate food to a limited extent only, predominantly addressing health and local food production or consumption. Furthermore, municipalities seem hesitant to use coercive instruments and predominantly employ informative and organizational instruments. Nonetheless, a small number of municipalities have developed more holistic approaches to address food challenges. These cities may prove to be a leading group in the development of system-based approaches in Dutch local food policy.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测多基质保健食品中27种非法添加降糖类化合物

目的 建立超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱检测保健食品中27种降糖类非法添加化合物的方法。方法 4种不同基质保健品样品经甲醇超声提取后，采用Waters XBridge Amide色谱柱 (2.1 mm×100 mm, 3.5 μm)，以5 mmol/L甲酸铵水溶液和5 mmol/L甲酸铵乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱，分离苯乙双胍、二甲双胍、伏格列波糖、阿卡波糖、丁二胍共5种化合物；采用Waters CORTECS T3色谱柱 (2.1 mm×100 mm, 2.7 μm)，以0.1%甲酸水溶液和乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱，分离维达列汀、罗格列酮、西他列汀、吡格列酮等22种化合物；环格列酮采用电喷雾离子化负离子模式，其余26种化合物采用电喷雾离子化正离子模式，以多反应监测方式进行检测。结果 伏格列波糖、阿卡波糖、达格列净、卡格列净、曲格列酮、环格列酮6种化合物在250 ng/mL~12.5 μg/mL范围内线性关系良好，其余21种化合物在5~250 ng/mL范围内线性关系良好，线性相关系数r均大于0.99；27种化合物检出限(limit of detection, LOD)范围为1~1000 μg/kg；在低、中、高三水平加标，其回收率均在70%~120%范围内，相对标准偏差(relative standard deviation, RSD)为0.7%~10% (n=6)。结论 本方法快速、灵敏、高效、准确，适用范围广，可用于保健食品中降糖类化合物的高通量检测。     

Food-grade carrageenans and their implications in health and disease

Food additives, often used to guarantee the texture, shelf-life, taste, and appearance of processed foods, have gained widespread attention due to their increased link to the growing incidence of chronic diseases. As one of the most common additives, carrageenans have been used in human diets for hundreds of years. While classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for human consumption, numerous studies since the 1980s have suggested that carrageenans, particularly those with random coil conformations, may have adverse effects on gastrointestinal health, including aggravating intestinal inflammation. While these studies have provided some evidence of adverse effects, the topic is still controversial. Some have suggested that the negative consequence of the consumption of carrageenans may be structure dependent. Furthermore, pre-existing conditions may predispose individuals to varied outcomes of carrageenan intake. In this review, structure–function relationships of various carrageenans in the context of food safety are discussed. We reviewed the molecular mechanisms by which carrageenans exert their biological effects. We summarized the findings associated with carrageenan intake in animal models and clinical trials. Moreover, we examined the interactions between carrageenans and the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disorders. This review argues for personalized guidance on carrageenan intake based on individuals’ health status. Future research efforts that aim to close the knowledge gap on the effect of low-dose and chronic carrageenan intake as well as interactions among food additives should be conducive to the improved safety profile of carrageenans in processed food products.     

Effects of the biaxial orientation on the mechanical and optical properties and shrinkage of polyamide 6-66–montmorillonite–nanosilica nanocomposite films

Polyamide 6–66 (PA6-66)–montmorillonite (MMT)–nanosilica (NS) nanocomposite films were fabricated through a cast film process and then biaxially stretched on a laboratory stretcher. Uniaxial or biaxial stretching induced the elongated conformation of MMT and NS. The b axis of the α crystals and the amorphous phase were revealed to align along the machine direction (MD) after stretching, with the uniaxial orientation playing a more significant role. Furthermore, the crystallinity of PA6-66 stretching increased with the stretching ratio. Uniaxial stretching gave rise to a significantly enhanced tensile strength along the MD, whereas it slightly decreased the mechanical properties along the transverse direction (TD). In contrast, the films subjected to biaxial stretching exhibited more balanced mechanical properties. Uniaxial and biaxial stretching led to decreased transmittance and increased haze in the PA6-66–MMT–NS films; this could have been due to the elongated nanostructure of the two nanofillers, which inhibited the transmission and facilitated the scattering of visible light. The thermal shrinkage of the films increased with increasing stretching ratio, and the biaxially oriented films presented nearly equal shrinkage in the MD and TD. The addition of nanofillers decreased the shrinkage attributed to the mobility inhibition of the polymer chains during heating. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47504.     

Energy issues in microwave food processing: A review of developments and the enabling potentials of solid-state power delivery

The enormous magnitude and variety of microwave applications in household, commercial and industrial food processing creates a strong motivation for improving the energy efficiency and hence, sustainability of the process. This review critically assesses key energy issues associated with microwave food processing, focusing on previous energy performance studies, energy performance metrics, standards and regulations. Factors affecting energy-efficiency are categorised into source, load and source-load matching factors. This highlights the need for highly-flexible and controllable power sources capable of receiving real-time feedback on load properties, and effecting rapid control actions to minimise reflections, heating non-uniformities and other imperfections that lead to energy losses. A case is made for the use of solid-state amplifiers as alternatives to conventional power sources, magnetrons. By a full-scale techno-economic analysis, including energy aspects, it is shown that the use of solid-state amplifiers as replacements to magnetrons is promising, not only from an energy and overall technical perspective, but also in terms of economics.     

Re-understanding the antecedents of functional foods purchase: Mediating effect of purchase attitude and moderating effect of food neophobia

The world market for functional foods has grown dynamically and China is expected to be one of the most promising markets. But little is understood the formation mechanisms of consumers’ purchase attitude and intention toward functional foods in Mainland China. The current study investigates the roles of trust, health consciousness and price in shaping consumers’ purchase intention toward functional foods by focusing on purchase attitude as a mediator and food neophobia as a moderator. Results from the sample of 1144 Chinese suggest that Chinese consumers had moderate purchase intention toward functional foods. Trust in the food system and health consciousness positively affects purchase intention via purchase attitude. Price negatively affects purchase intention; meanwhile, the negative effect could be counteracted by health consciousness. Food neophobia does not directly affect individuals’ purchase attitude or intention, but moderates the relationships between antecedents and them. Consumers with a low level of food neophobia treat higher price as a monetary sacrifice, while their counterparts may regard a higher price as a greater quality signal. The study offers the food industry insights into the development and marketing of functional foods targeted to the Mainland China market.     

Plastic-containing materials as alternative reductants for base metal production

Shredder residue materials are produced after the removal of ferrous and non-ferrous fractions from end-of-life electronic equipment. Despite the high plastic content and metal value in the ash, high percentages of these materials are currently sent to landfills. In this study, the potential of utilising shredder residue material and other plastic-containing materials as reducing agents was studied. Plastic-containing materials were co-injected with coal into a zinc-fuming furnace in Boliden-Rönnskär smelter. The data obtained from the trial, such as the data from the chemical analysis of the slag and the steam production, are discussed. The observations indicate that plastic-containing material can replace up to 1?ton?h^?1 of coal without a significant decrease in the zinc reduction rate.     

乙二醇高温还原制备燃料电池核壳结构Cu@Pt-Pd电极的研究

通过对以碳为核心的燃料电池电催化剂Cu@Pt-Pd的制备方法的研究,以还原法成功将Cu、Pt、Pd还原到了靶核C上制备出了核壳结构电催化剂Cu@Pt-Pd。该催化剂以Cu为核来提升催化剂的表面积比,同时掺杂金属Pd,降低贵金属铂的使用量,在提高催化效率的同时可以降低成本。经过对所制备的催化剂的XRD和CV的测试与分析,探究出制备的成品具有一定的提升氧化还原反应的催化效率的能力,同时该制备方法简单易于操作,利于大量制备。     

Is ergosterol a new microbiological quality parameter in foods or not?

One of the most important spoilage factors of foods is molds. Therefore, it is important to determine the presence of mold in foods quickly because of the deterioration of aroma, flavor, appearance, and textural structure as well as the mycotoxins, which are toxic secondary metabolites of molds. Twenty-five percent of agricultural products worldwide are infected with mycotoxins directly or indirectly. With the global population increasingly rising, the need for access of safe and adequate food in the future has great importance. Quantification of ergosterol, a constituent of the membrane of molds and a precursor of vitamin D₂, is a feasible method for determination of fungal contamination in foods. The aim of this review is to discuss the possibility of using ergosterol as an indicator of mold growth in foods.