The effect of home storage conditions and packaging materials on the quality of frozen green beans

Home storage is the final step of the frozen foods distribution chain, and little is known on how it affects the products quality. The present research describes frozen green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) quality retention profile during the recommended ‘star marking’ system dates, at the storage temperatures of +5, −6, −12 and −18 °C (along 1, 4, 14 and 60 days, respectively).

The quality profile was assessed by a simulation system. Simulations were set by a response surface methodology to access the effect of different packaging materials (thermal conductivities and thickness), surface heat transfer coefficient, and refrigerator dynamics (effect of refrigeration cycles at the different storage temperatures) on the average retentions of Ascorbic Acid, total vitamin C, colour and flavour.

Green beans quality losses along frozen storage are significantly influenced by temperature, refrigerator dynamics and kinetic properties. Quality is also highly dependent on packaging materials thermal insulation (e.g. at temperatures above the melting point). Temperature cycles inside frozen chambers have a long term effect, and at the higher storage temperatures (e.g. T>−6 °C) are detrimental to frozen green beans quality after shorter periods.     

Phytic Acid Degradation in Complementary Foods Using Phytase Naturally Occurring in Whole Grain Cereals

Complementary foods based on cereals and legumes often contain high amounts of phytic acid, a potent inhibitor of mineral and trace element absorption. The possibility to degrade phytic acid during the production of complementary foods by using whole grain cereals as the phytase source was investigated. Whole grain rye, wheat, or buckwheat (10%) were added to cereal‐legume‐based complementary food mixtures, and phytic acid was shown to be completely degraded in a relatively short time (1.5 to 3 h) when incubated at optimal conditions for cereal phytase. The potential usefulness of the method for industrial production was demonstrated with a complementary food based on wheat and soybean.     

Enzymic and in sacco methods to estimate rumen degradation of food protein in cattle

BACKGROUND: Two factorial studies compared enzymic and in sacco methods to estimate degradation of ruminant foods. Enzyme degradation (in vitro = enzyme) was determined from the release of leucine‐equivalent amino acid (LA) crude protein (CP) from sunflower meal (SF), maize gluten meal (MG), distillers' dark grain (DG) and field beans (FB) after their separate incubations with Streptomyces griseus enzyme for 0–24 h. In sacco crude protein (CP) degradation of these foods was estimated during washing (0 h) and rumen incubations in fistulated cows for 2–24 h. The LA data were expressed as g LA per either kg of CP (LACP) or acid‐hydrolysable LA (HLA) of each food and compared with in sacco data. RESULTS: These methods showed comparable degradation with time (P < 0.01). The in sacco and HLA were greater than LACP for all foods except MG where in sacco value was either lower or equal to LACP depending upon the incubation time (P > 0.05 or P < 0.05). Conversely, HLA was significantly (P < 0.01) greater than LACP from 2 h onwards. At 0 h, in sacco values were significantly greater than those of enzyme for SF, DG and FB (P < 0.05) but not for MG. The foods differed significantly for degradation constants (a, b, c) in each method (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite variations between in sacco and enzyme estimates for different foods, the relationships between these estimates suggest that the HLA enzyme method has the potential to estimate food degradation. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

用三元络合物萃取-火焰原子吸收法测定食品中痕量镉

建立了一种测定食品中痕量镉的新方法.以茜素黄R和邻菲罗啉为螯合剂,以甲基异丁基甲酮为萃取剂,直接以有机相进样测定,提高了测定的选择性和灵敏度.考察了介质酸度、缓冲溶液及螯合剂的用量等对测定的影响,优化了测定条件.详细研究了常见元素对镉元素测定的干扰情况,用酒石酸钾钠做掩蔽剂,可以消除大量共存组分的影响.在最佳工作条件下,镉离子质量浓度在3.0×10-3 ～0.25 μg·mL-1范围内线性关系良好,方法的检出限为1.7×10-3 μg· mL-1,对0.2 μg· mL-1的镉标准溶液进行9次平行测定,相对标准偏差为1.1％,检出限低,重现性好.该法用于食品中镉的测定,结果满意.     

长江三角洲地区传统饮食文化资源的赋存及关联研究

传统饮食文化资源是区域文化资源的重要构成部分,是地区历史文化和人文风情的具体体现。将传统饮食文化资源解构为饮食类非物质文化遗产和中华老字号两个部分,分析长三角地区传统文化资源的赋存及空间关联情况。研究表明,长三角地区传统饮食文化资源的赋存具有明显的空间分异特点,文化资源在类型上存在诸多共性之处,体现了吴越文化的特点。文化资源的相互关联呈现出地区和类型两方面的差异,需要构建不同的传统饮食文化资源保护传承和协同开发的路径和模式。     

食品中甲醛的超声快速提取方法研究

利用乙酰丙酮法进行甲醛的含量分析,研究了食品中甲醛的超声提取效果,确定了最佳提取条件为:食品样品0.5 g,超声功率为100 W,提取时间为10 min,提取温度为65℃.与标准方法蒸馏法比较,超声提取的回收率和精密度要优于蒸馏法.超声提取实际食品样品中的甲醛,结果表明,其具有简单快速、精密度好的优点.     

自热方便食品水合发热剂的研究

为解决自热方便食品的发热剂问题，以罐装矿泉水、牛奶和八宝粥为加热对象，对几种化学物质在水合过程中的放热情况进行了研究，并通过正交实验确定了最佳组合，结果表明：一定比例的ＣａＯ、ＡｌＣｌ３和Ａｌ２（ＳＯ４）３粉状混合物在水合过程中放热量大，放热速度适中，安全无毒，无明烟明火，剂量小，可用作三片罐装水基自热方便食品的发热剂。本实验还提出了自热式三片罐的结构设想。     

Assessment of oxygen levels in convenience‐style muscle‐based sous vide products through optical means and impact on shelf‐life stability

An optical oxygen analyser was used in two small‐scale industrial trials to non‐destructively assess the quality of packaged convenience foods and packaging process. Beef lasagne packed under 70% vacuum and cooked under standard sous vide conditions was monitored for residual oxygen, using disposable sensors incorporated in each pack and a benchtop optical oxygen analyser. High levels of residual oxygen close to ambient were determined in the majority of packs after packaging, as opposed to anticipated levels of 4–5%. Residual oxygen was monitored over product shelf‐life (4 weeks at +4–10°C) along with measurement of microbial growth and lipid oxidation in food by conventional destructive methods. Oxygen levels in packs went down to almost zero between weeks 2 and 3 indicating deterioration of packaged product. Correlation between oxygen profiles and the rate of microbial growth and lipid oxidation was established. The optical oxygen sensor system was shown to provide valuable information about performance of the packaging process, product storage conditions and food quality in a convenient and cost‐efficient fashion and non‐destructively. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

超高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测法测定油基类保健食品中的维生素K2的含量

建立了超高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测法(UPLC-PDA)测定油基类保健食品中维生素K 2(七烯甲萘醌)含量的方法。试验显示维生素K 2对紫外光、强碱条件敏感。样品经脂肪酶酶解后,皂化、萃取、复溶,C 18色谱柱(100×2.1 mm,1.7μm)分离,甲醇为流动相,流速为0.3 mL/min,254 nm检测。本法在1.0~20.0 mg/L线性关系良好,R 2=0.9999。当取样量为1 g,定容至10 mL时,方法LOD为1μg/g,LOQ为3μg/g,RSD为1.2%,加标回收率为98.7%~102.2%。该法准确、高效,对各类保健食品具有良好的普适性。     

The Impact of Plant Phytochemicals on the Gut Microbiota of Humans for a Balanced Life

The gastrointestinal tract of humans is a complex microbial ecosystem known as gut microbiota. The microbiota is involved in several critical physiological processes such as digestion, absorption, and related physiological functions and plays a crucial role in determining the host’s health. The habitual consumption of specific dietary components can impact beyond their nutritional benefits, altering gut microbiota diversity and function and could manipulate health. Phytochemicals are non-nutrient biologically active plant components that can modify the composition of gut microflora through selective stimulation of proliferation or inhibition of certain microbial communities in the intestine. Plants secrete these components, and they accumulate in the cell wall and cell sap compartments (body) for their development and survival. These compounds have low bioavailability and long time-retention in the intestine due to their poor absorption, resulting in beneficial impacts on gut microbiota population. Feeding diets containing phytochemicals to humans and animals may offer a path to improve the gut microbiome resulting in improved performance and/or health and wellbeing. This review discusses the effects of phytochemicals on the modulation of the gut microbiota environment and the resultant benefits to humans; however, the effect of phytochemicals on the gut microbiota of animals is also covered, in brief.