Effect of grape pre-drying and static pomace contact on physicochemical properties and sensory acceptance of Brazilian (Bordô and Isabel) red wines

Wine quality is evaluated by sensory attributes and physicochemical properties whose relationship is intensely investigated. This work aimed to analyze the physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of wines from Bordô and Isabel American grapes elaborated by a traditional and two novel winemaking processes: pre-drying and submerged static pomace. It was possible to observe significant differences between the samples in all physicochemical properties (P < 0.001), except in volatile acidity. Bordô and Isabel pre-drying wines presented the highest values of dry extract (43.00 and 33.66 g L^?1) in comparison with the other wines which presented dry extract below 30 g L^?1. Furthermore, pre-drying wines showed the highest phenolic content (1340.80 and 908.80 mg L^?1) in comparison with static pomace (998.02 and 433.46 mg L^?1) and traditional treatments (983.96 and 560.26 mg L^?1). Sensory analysis showed significant differences between the samples in all attributes, except in appearance acceptance. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling was successfully applied and allowed to observe the relationship between physicochemical properties and sensory attributes. Total phenolic content and color indexes were associated with the appearance of wines, as well as alcohol content and acidity on aroma. The results also revealed the connection between dry extract and total and reducing sugars with the body of wines from innovative vinification. The flavor was associated with several physicochemical properties and also influenced the global acceptance of the samples. The innovative wines showed great acceptance in all sensory attributes, and the employment of these treatments on an industrial scale should be considered once providing wines with unique characteristics.     

Influence of fresh and processed fruit quality attributes on peach purée consistency index

Multivariate projection techniques were used to analyze the influence of several quality variables, measured both on fresh peach fruits and on peach purée, on Bostwick’s consistency index of the purée, which is the main parameter that the industry uses to take decisions regarding its commercialization. It was found that the variables measured on the fresh fruits were more useful to calibrate a prediction model of the consistency than the measures taken on the purée itself. The most important variable to predict consistency is the dry pulp-stone ratio, followed by the fruit firmness and the dry fruit weight, while the rest of variables have less influence in the modeling.     

Effects of polyphenols from Caralluma fimbriata on acrylamide formation and lipid oxidation—An integrated approach of nutritional quality and degradation of fried food

The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of Caralluma fimbriata an edible succulent cactus as natural antioxidants for retarding acrylamide formation, lipid oxidation, and the degradation of bioactive compounds in French fries due to frying at 190°C. The fresh Caralluma fimbriata extract exhibited the highest phenolic content of 96.4 ± 0.1 mg gallic acid equivalent/g when the raw potato extract showed significantly 27.4 ± 0.3 mg GAE/g before frying. The Caralluma fimbriata extract had the higher flavonoid content of 54.4 ± 0.1 mg of Quercetin equivalent/g, while the raw potato had 38.8 ± 0.2 mg of Quercetin equivalent/g. The total flavonols and flavanols in Caralluma fimbriata were signi?cantly high, and those were found to be 27.6 ±0.8 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g and 19.1 ±0.6 mg Catechin equivalent/g, respectively, and, eventually, higher than potato extract. These bioactive compounds are easily degraded due to frying at high temperatures. The Caralluma fimbriata extract retards the formation of acrylamide precursors in potato, primary and secondary oxidation products, and the degradation of polyphenols after the immersion treatment. The Caralluma fimbriata extract was found to be more effective against acrylamide level (42.5 μg/kg) in French fries. The Caralluma fimbriata treated sample exhibited comparatively better oxidative stability during holding time with highest overall acceptability than the sample treated with butylated hydroxyanisole, distilled water (control) and raw potato (without treatment). The results will provide scientific basis in the use of Caralluma fimbriata as natural antioxidant against acrylamide formation and the oxidative deterioration of bioactive compounds.     

The influence of protein–flavonoid interactions on protein digestibility in vitro and the antioxidant quality of breads enriched with onion skin

Different types of breads enriched with onion skin were studied. The objectives were twofold: to show and examine protein–phenolic interactions and to discuss results concerning phenolic content, antioxidant activity and protein digestibility in the light of in vitro bioaccessibility. Phenolic contents and antiradical abilities were linked with the level of onion skin supplement however, the amounts determined were significantly lower than expected. Fortification influenced protein digestibility (a reduction from 78.4% for control breads to 55% for breads with a 4% supplement). Electrophoretic and chromatographic studies showed the presence of indigestible protein–flavonoid complexes – with molecular weights about 25 kDa and 14.5 kDa; however, the reduction of free amino group levels and the increase in chromatogram areas suggest that flavonoids also bind to other bread proteins. The interaction of phenolics with proteins affects antioxidant efficacy and protein digestibility; thus, they have multiple effects on food quality and pro-health properties.     

The influence of health claims and nutritional composition on consumers’ yoghurt preferences

The use of health claims on foods with a poor nutritional composition could pose a risk of misleading some groups of consumers in their food choices. This study aimed to explore the influence of the use of claims on consumers’ preferences for yoghurts with a different nutritional composition and the influence of more and less familiar claims on food choices. The study was conducted on 371 consumers using conjoint methodology and further cluster analysis. Fruit yoghurt was used as a base product. We investigated the impact of the following product attributes on consumers’ preferences: presence/absence of a probiotic and fat metabolism claim; sugar content; and fat content. The results suggest that, while consumers generally consider the nutritional composition of yoghurt to be more important than the tested claims, some groups of consumers are more sensitive to the use of health-related statements. We observed the consumers’ generally positive preference for a familiar probiotic claim, and their negative preference for a non-familiar fat metabolism claim. Overall, these results indicate that some groups of consumers are more sensitive to the use of health-related communications and are therefore more exposed to the risk of being misled if the composition of the yoghurt they buy is in fact less favourable. It would be beneficial if nutrient profiles were introduced to limit the use of claims on foods.     

The influence of material properties on the amount of twist of spruce wood during kiln drying

The development of twist in Norway spruce boards (Picea abies Karst.) during normal temperature kiln drying was researched. Tangentially oriented boards were sawn from diametrical radial planks, from which the basic wood properties, i.e. linear shrinkage and grain angle, were determined. The unrestrained boards were kiln dried using a selected drying schedule. During the controlled drying process the moisture content (MC) and twist of the boards were measured. Twist was generally induced by the shrinkage of wood below the fibre saturation point, and increased in proportional to the decrease in MC. The earlier appearance of twist, with regard to MC and drying time, was confirmed in the case of boards sawn from the central part of logs. The final twist amounted to between 10 and 20°/m in the case of boards close to the pith, and decreased to less than 4°/m in the case of boards sawn at a radius of 70 mm from the centre of the logs. Ring curvature had the highest impact on the final twist of the dried boards, followed by grain angle and tangential shrinkage.     

Invited review: The influence of immune activation on transition cow health and performance—A critical evaluation of traditional dogmas

The progression from gestation into lactation represents the transition period, and it is accompanied by marked physiological, metabolic, and inflammatory adjustments. The entire lactation and a cow's opportunity to have an additional lactation are heavily dependent on how successfully she adapts during the periparturient period. Additionally, a disproportionate amount of health care and culling occurs early following parturition. Thus, lactation maladaptation has been a heavily researched area of dairy science for more than 50 yr. It was traditionally thought that excessive adipose tissue mobilization in large part dictated transition period success. Further, the magnitude of hypocalcemia has also been assumed to partly control whether a cow effectively navigates the first few months of lactation. The canon became that adipose tissue released nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and the resulting hepatic-derived ketones coupled with hypocalcemia lead to immune suppression, which is responsible for transition disorders (e.g., mastitis, metritis, retained placenta, poor fertility). In other words, the dogma evolved that these metabolites and hypocalcemia were causal to transition cow problems and that large efforts should be enlisted to prevent increased NEFA, hyperketonemia, and subclinical hypocalcemia. However, despite intensive academic and industry focus, the periparturient period remains a large hurdle to animal welfare, farm profitability, and dairy sustainability. Thus, it stands to reason that there are alternative explanations to periparturient failures. Recently, it has become firmly established that immune activation and the ipso facto inflammatory response are a normal component of transition cow biology. The origin of immune activation likely stems from the mammary gland, tissue trauma during parturition, and the gastrointestinal tract. If inflammation becomes pathological, it reduces feed intake and causes hypocalcemia. Our tenet is that immune system utilization of glucose and its induction of hypophagia are responsible for the extensive increase in NEFA and ketones, and this explains why they (and the severity of hypocalcemia) are correlated with poor health, production, and reproduction outcomes. In this review, we argue that changes in circulating NEFA, ketones, and calcium are simply reflective of either (1) normal homeorhetic adjustments that healthy, high-producing cows use to prioritize milk synthesis or (2) the consequence of immune activation and its sequelae.     

The influence of beverages on the stimulation and viscoelasticity of saliva: Relationship to mouthfeel?

The viscoelasticity and secretion rate of stimulated saliva depends on food and beverage related stimuli, and it is demonstrated that this may subsequently influence the sensory properties and particularly the mouthfeel and afterfeel associated with the product being consumed. Using saliva donated by twelve volunteers, it is shown that acidic beverages such as peach flavoured iced tea and a fizzy cola stimulate significantly higher flow rates of whole mouth saliva that has greater elasticity in comparison to that generated following stimulation by water. In comparison, mechanical action from chewing flavourless gum and the stimulation from sucking a mint also stimulate high flow rates of saliva, although it is significantly less elastic than that from acid-based stimuli. However, the viscosity of human whole mouth saliva is relatively insensitive to beverage type, chewing, or mint. It is speculated that the stimulation of highly elastic saliva in response to acidic beverages is a defence mechanism for protecting the teeth from acid erosion. A separate sensory panel was used to identify key mouthfeel attributes that are likely to be related to the response of saliva, including: tongue dryness, mouth moistness, amount of saliva, tongue sensation, and throat drying. These results indicate that saliva viscoelasticity and flow rate alter dramatically in response to what a consumer eats and drinks, and that this in turn may affect mouthfeel and other organoleptic properties.     

The effect of different cooking procedures on microbiological and chemical quality characteristics of Tekirdağ meatballs

In this research, the effects of different cooking processes (grilling, oven, and microwave cooking) on microbial flora and chemical composition of the raw and cooked meatballs as consumed in Tekirda? were investigated. Microbial flora of the raw meatballs was as follows: total bacteria, 6.02 x 10(6) cfu/g; psychrophilic bacteria, 1.3 x 10(5) cfu/g; yeast and mould, 2.4 x 10(5) cfu/g; coliforms, 1.1 x 10(5) cfu/g; Escherichia coli, 1.0 x 10(2) cfu/g; total staphylococcae, 3.3 x 10(2) cfu/g; Staphylococcus aureus, 85 cfu/g. While Salmonella was found in only one sample, none of the samples contained Clostridium perfringens. The cooking processes clearly decreased the microbial flora (2-3 log cycles in grilling (71 degrees C) and oven-cooked (79 degrees C), 3-4 log cycles in microwave (97 degrees C) heating) of the meatballs. However, because of the crust formation and high moisture losses from the meatball surface in microwave heating, some sensorial defects were observed in the final product. Also, fat and moisture losses were higher in microwave cooking compared to the other cooking processes. In conclusion, it is advised to use slightly higher temperatures than used in the grilling or conventinal cooking procedures to increase microbial quality of the meatballs studied in this research.     

Reprint of “The mycobiota of coffee beans and its influence on the coffee beverage”

The quality of coffee beverage is influenced by several factors, including the species or botanical variety of the beans, agricultural practices, harvesting, drying and storage techniques and also the preparation of the beverage. Apart from these, there is the input of microbial contamination during the processing of the beans. Numerous studies have demonstrated that fungi are important contaminants of coffee beans, especially just after harvesting and drying. However, the relationship between fungal contamination and the sensorial characteristics of the beverage has yet to be described. The aim of this research was to analyze the mycobiota of coffee beans collected from different stages of the coffee production chain and to correlate these data with the sensorial characteristics of the final beverage. Fungal infection of 22 coffee bean samples from the southwest of São Paulo state was analyzed. Samples were collected from the tree (mature cherries), from the ground, from the patio (mature, immature and dried floaters or overripe cherries from the tree) and from storage facilities. In general, coffee samples from this region showed high fungal infection and contamination was higher than 70% in about 45% of the samples. A high diversity of fungi was isolated from all the coffee samples analyzed and the most common were Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus section Nigri, Penicillium sp. nov. (closely related to Penicillium crustosum) and Fusarium sp. Both P. brevicompactum and Penicillium sp. nov. were found at all processing stages, including in the cherries, showing that these fungi are naturally found in the coffee beans from this region. Floater coffee and coffee from the ground showed negative sensorial evaluation with attributes such as moldy, dirty and fermented and presented a high contamination by Aspergillus section Nigri and Aspergillus westerdijikiae.     

Probiotic potential of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)–producing yeast and its influence on the quality of cheese

Kazakh cheese is a traditional dairy product in Xinjiang, China. To study the function and potential probiotic characteristics of yeast in Kazakh cheese and its contribution to cheese fermentation, we screened the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)–producing yeasts Pichia kudriavzevii 1–21, Kluyveromyces marxianus B13–5, Saccharomyces cerevisiae DL6–20, and Kluyveromyces lactis DY1–10. We investigated the potential probiotic properties of these strains and their use in cheese fermentation (cheeses designated CSP, CSM, CSS, and CSI, respectively); a control with no added yeast was designated CS. The results showed that the 4 yeast strains all showed high self-polymerization (2- and 24-h autoaggregation capacity of >80 and 90%, respectively), hydrophobicity (40–92% variation, low hydrophobicity in xylene, but within the range of probiotics), and the ability to survive the gastrointestinal tract (survival rate >75% after simulation), indicating the probiotic ability of the strains in vitro. The GABA production capacity of the CSM cheese increased (to 95.6 mg/100 g), but its protein content did not change significantly, and amino acid degradation was obvious. The GABA production capacity of the CSS cheese decreased (to 450 mg/kg); its protein content declined, and its amino acid content increased. Except for water and protein, we found no obvious differences in most physical and chemical indicators. Kluyveromyces marxianus B13–5 helped to form the desired texture. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that fermentation of the cheese with the 4 yeasts improved the production of esters and alcohols. The CSS cheese had good aroma production performance, because S. cerevisiae DL6–20 produced high concentrations of isoamyl alcohol, hexanoic acid ethyl ester, benzyl alcohol, octanoic acid ethyl ester, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, and hexanoic acid; the content of 2-methyl-propanoic acid was low. Compared with the CSP cheese, the CSI and CSM cheeses had a fruitier aroma and a milder odor, but the CSI and CSM cheeses had high concentrations of ethyl acetate, butanoic acid, ethyl ester, 3-methyl-1-butanol-acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, acetic acid 2-phenylethyl ester, and ethyl lactate; concentrations of 3-methyl-butanoic acid, propanoic acid, acetic acid, and butanoic acid were low. The CSP cheese had stronger acid-producing ability. The order of fragrance production performance was CSS > CSI, CSM > CSP > CS. Research into the fermentation mechanisms of GABA-producing yeast in cheese will provide a theoretical basis for the quality control and industrial production of Kazakh cheese.     

The FAST index – A highly sensitive indicator of the heat impact on infant formula model

Infant formulas are highly sensitive to the Maillard reaction during manufacturing, while this reaction induces significant loss in protein nutritional value and safety. The indicators mostly used to monitor the reaction during heat treatment are furosine, carboxymethyllysine and hydroxymethylfurfural, but analysis of these molecules is time-consuming and expensive. The FAST method, based on simple fluorescence measurements on clear milk supernatant, is a good alternative for Maillard reaction monitoring in milk products.     

The Effect of Sizing on the Weavability of Cotton Yarns—Reply

An account is given of a study of the behaviour of three basic wool weft-knitted structures when subjected to ‘shear at constant length of sides’.

It was found that all the weft-knitted structures studied had a relatively low over-all shear-resistance when compared with other textile structures, such as woven and non-woven fabrics. This low over-all resistance was found to be a combination of a relatively large frictional restraint and a very low resistance once frictional slippage had started. These and other effects are discussed in terms of the geometrical changes occurring within the knitted unit cell during shearing.