Formation risk of toxic and other unwanted compounds in pressure-assisted thermally processed foods

Consumers demand, in addition to excellent eating quality, high standards of microbial and chemical safety in shelf-stable foods. This requires improving conventional processing technologies and developing new alternatives such as pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP). Studies in PATP foods on the kinetics of chemical reactions at temperatures (approximately 100 to 120 °C) inactivating bacterial spores in low-acid foods are severely lacking. This review focuses on a specific chemical safety risk in PATP foods: models predicting if the activation volume value (V(a) ) of a chemical reaction is positive or negative, and indicating if the reaction rate constant will decrease or increase with pressure, respectively, are not available. Therefore, the pressure effect on reactions producing toxic compounds must be determined experimentally. A recent model solution study showed that acrylamide formation, a potential risk in PATP foods, is actually inhibited by pressure (that is, its V(a) value must be positive). This favorable finding was not predictable and still needs to be confirmed in food systems. Similar studies are required for other reactions producing toxic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines, N-nitroso compounds, and hormone like-peptides. Studies on PATP inactivation of prions, and screening methods to detect the presence of other toxicity risks of PATP foods, are also reviewed.     

Influence of cell integrity on textural properties of raw, high pressure, and thermally processed onions

The integrity of onion cells and its impact on tissue texture after high pressure and thermal processing was studied. The contribution of cell membranes and the pectic component of cell walls on the texture properties of onion tissue were analyzed. Neutral red (NR) staining of onion parenchyma cell vacuoles was used for the evaluation of cell membrane integrity and microscopic image analysis was used for its quantification. The content of methanol in tissue as a result of pectin methylesterase activity was used to evaluate the pectin component of the middle lamella and cell walls and the hardening effect on the tissue after processing. High pressure treatments consisted of 5-min holding times at 50, 100, 200, 300, or 600 MPa. Thermal treatments consisted of 30-min water bath exposure to 40, 50, 60, 70, or 90 °C. In the high pressure treatments, loss of membrane integrity commenced at 200 MPa and total loss of membrane integrity occurred at 300 MPa and above. In the thermal treatments, membrane integrity was lost between 50 and 60 °C. The texture of onions was influenced by the state of the membranes and texture profiles were abruptly modified once membrane integrity was lost. Hardening of the tissue corresponded with pressure and temperature PME activation and occurred after membrane integrity loss. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The texture of vegetables is an important quality attribute that affects consumer preference. Loss of textural integrity also indicates that other biochemical reactions that affect color, flavor, and nutrient content may occur more rapidly. In this study, we analyzed changes in the texture of onions after preservation with heat and high pressure.     

Application of real-time PCR for tree nut allergen detection in processed foods

Abstract

Currently, food allergies are an important health concern worldwide. The presence of undeclared allergenic ingredients or the presence of traces of allergens due to accidental contamination during food processing poses a great health risk to sensitized individuals. Therefore, reliable analytical methods are required to detect and identify allergenic ingredients in food products. Real-time PCR allowed a specific and accurate amplification of allergen sequences. Some processing methods could induce the fragmentation and/or degradation of genomic DNA and some studies have been performed to analyze the effect of processing on the detection of different targets, as thermal treatment, with and without applying pressure. In this review, we give an updated overview of the applications of real-time PCR for the detection of allergens of tree nut in processed food products. The different variables that contribute to the performance of PCR methodology for allergen detection are also review and discussed.     

Survey of furan in heat processed foods by headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and estimated adult exposure

Furan is a suspected human carcinogen that is formed in some processed foods at low ng per g levels. Recent improvements in analytical methodology and scientific instrumentation have made it possible to accurately measure the amount of furan in a wide variety of foods. Results from analysis of more than 300 processed foods are presented. Furan was found at levels ranging from non-detectable (LOD, 0.2-0.9 ng g^-1) to over 100 ng g^-1. Exposure estimates for several adult food types were calculated, with brewed coffee being the major source of furan in the adult diet (0.15 µg kg^-1 body weight day^-1). Estimates of mean exposure to furan for different subpopulations were calculated. For consumers 2 years and older, the intake is estimated to be about 0.2 µg kg^-1 body weight day^-1.     

Survey of furan in heat processed foods by headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and estimated adult exposure

Furan is a suspected human carcinogen that is formed in some processed foods at low ng per g levels. Recent improvements in analytical methodology and scientific instrumentation have made it possible to accurately measure the amount of furan in a wide variety of foods. Results from analysis of more than 300 processed foods are presented. Furan was found at levels ranging from non-detectable (LOD, 0.2–0.9 ng g^?1) to over 100 ng g^?1. Exposure estimates for several adult food types were calculated, with brewed coffee being the major source of furan in the adult diet (0.15 µg kg^?1 body weight day^?1). Estimates of mean exposure to furan for different subpopulations were calculated. For consumers 2 years and older, the intake is estimated to be about 0.2 µg kg^?1 body weight day^?1.     

In vitro immunogenicity of various native and thermally processed bovine milk proteins and their mixtures

In vitro immunogenicity of various native and thermally processed (72°C/15 s and 100°C/30 s) bovine milk protein fractions, their mixtures, whey, and skim milk, was studied by analyzing the immune response of T helper (Th) cells in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The secretion of Th type cytokines induced by the protein stimulants was quantified while determining the heat-induced protein denaturation. Purified whey proteins, caseins and whey fraction, and skim milk provoked substantial immune responses at various degrees, indicating their potent immunogenicity. The protein mixtures prepared using the fractionated whey proteins with or without caseins appeared less immunogenic in both native and heat-treated forms, implying their potential of producing less immunogenic dairy products. The 100°C/30 s treatment significantly altered the immunogenicity of most of the potent protein stimulants, which mostly coincided with their levels of protein denaturation. The 72°C/15 s treatment caused the least protein denaturation but altered the immunogenicity of several protein stimulants notably, including heat-stable caseins and α-lactalbumin.     

Effect of Thermal Process Time on Quality of "Shrimp Kuruma" in Retortable Pouches and Aluminum Cans

ABSTRACT:  The effect of processing time on biochemical, sensory characteristics, and instrumental texture profiles of "Shrimp Kuruma" in retortable pouches and aluminum cans with equal pack weight and lethality was studied. Processing in pouches resulted in a 35% reduction in processing time compared to cans for equal lethality ( F ₀ 8.0). Thermal processing resulted in a 14% loss of water in canned samples compared to 9% in pouched products. Thermal processing resulted in an increase in the volatile compounds and a decrease in the oxidation products in both canned and pouched samples. Products processed in pouches were rated as lighter in color, more succulent, and more desirable in firmness compared to products in cans. Chewiness and hardness showed a significant difference ( P < 0.05) between the 2 treatments.     

Opportunities and challenges in high pressure processing of foods

Consumers increasingly demand convenience foods of the highest quality in terms of natural flavor and taste, and which are free from additives and preservatives. This demand has triggered the need for the development of a number of nonthermal approaches to food processing, of which high-pressure technology has proven to be very valuable. A number of recent publications have demonstrated novel and diverse uses of this technology. Its novel features, which include destruction of microorganisms at room temperature or lower, have made the technology commercially attractive. Enzymes and even spore forming bacteria can be inactivated by the application of pressure-thermal combinations, This review aims to identify the opportunities and challenges associated with this technology. In addition to discussing the effects of high pressure on food components, this review covers the combined effects of high pressure processing with: gamma irradiation, alternating current, ultrasound, and carbon dioxide or anti-microbial treatment. Further, the applications of this technology in various sectors - fruits and vegetables, dairy, and meat processing - have been dealt with extensively. The integration of high-pressure with other matured processing operations such as blanching, dehydration, osmotic dehydration, rehydration, frying, freezing / thawing and solid-liquid extraction has been shown to open up new processing options. The key challenges identified include: heat transfer problems and resulting non-uniformity in processing, obtaining reliable and reproducible data for process validation, lack of detailed knowledge about the interaction between high pressure, and a number of food constituents, packaging and statutory issues.     

Antimicrobial effects of pressurised carbon dioxide on Brochothrix thermosphacta in broth and foods

Antimicrobial effects of high‐pressure CO₂ on Brochothrix thermosphacta were investigated in a batch system. Inactivation rates increased with increasing pressure, temperature and exposure time. B thermosphacta suspended in physiological saline was completely inactivated under 6.05, 3.02 and 1.51 MPaCO₂ treatment at 35 °C after 10, 25 and 50 min respectively. Two phases were observed in the survival curves. The earlier stage was characterised by a slow rate of decrease in the number of B thermosphacta, which increased sharply at the later stage. B thermosphacta suspended in brain heart infusion broth was completely inactivated under 6.05 MPaCO₂ treatment after 80, 50 and 30 min at 25, 35 and 45 °C respectively. About 6.90 and 5.93 log cycles of B thermosphacta were reduced under 6.05 MPaCO₂ pressure at 45 °C in whole and skimmed milk respectively. The sterilisation effects of 6.05 MPaCO₂ pressure at 45 °C on both B thermosphacta and aerobic plate count were observed after 150 and 120 min respectively in skinned meat. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antimicrobial effect of pressurised carbon dioxide on Enterococcus faecalis in physiological saline and foods

Inactivation of Enterococcus faecalis by high‐pressure CO₂ was investigated in a batch system. Two phases were observed in the survival curves. The earlier stage was characterised by a slow rate of decrease in the number of E faecalis. This rate increased sharply at the later stage. Enterococcus faecalis suspended in physiological saline was completely inactivated under 6.05 and 3.02 MPa CO₂ treatment in 18 and 80 min respectively at 35 ° C. The high pressure of CO₂ at 45 ° C was effective at sterilising orange, peach and carrot juices but ineffective for whole and skimmed milk. A minimum D‐value was obtained under 6.05 MPa CO₂ pressure at 45 ° C. Reduction rates of E faecalis were sensitive to pressure, temperature, exposure time, the initial number of cells and the suspending medium. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Changes in purified tomato pectinmethylesterase activity during thermal and high pressure treatment

The enzymatic reaction of purified tomato pectinmethylesterase on pectin was investigated during a combined high pressure/temperature treatment (0.1–600 MPa/20–65 °C) at pH 8.0 and pH 4.4. The optimal temperature for tomato pectinmethylesterase activity at atmospheric pressure is situated around 45 °C at pH 8.0, and around 35 °C at pH 4.4. At both pH 8.0 and pH 4.4, the optimal temperature shifted to higher values at elevated pressure compared with atmospheric pressure. At both pH values, the catalytic activity of tomato pectinmethylesterase was higher at elevated pressure than at atmospheric pressure, creating possibilities for rheology improvements by pressure processing. Maximal tomato pectinmethylesterase activity in the pressure–temperature domain investigated was observed at 55 °C and 300 MPa for pH 8.0 and at 57 °C and 450 MPa for pH 4.4. However, under all pressure–temperature conditions tested the catalytic activity of tomato pectinmethylesterase at pH 4.4 was much lower than at pH 8.0. The chemical de‐esterification of pectin at pH 8.0 was accelerated by increasing pressure and temperature, whereas no chemical deesterification of pectin was observed at pH 4.4. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Extraction and reliable determination of acrylamide from thermally processed foods using ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted selective microextraction combined with spectrophotometry

Acrylamide (AAm) is a carcinogenic chemical that can form in thermally processed foods by the Maillard reaction of glucose with asparagine. AAm can easily be formed especially in frequently consumed chips and cereal-based foods depending on processing conditions. Considering these properties of AAm, a new, simple and green method is proposed for the extraction of AAm from thermally processed food samples. In this study, an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [Bmim][BF₄]) as extractant was used in the presence of a cationic phenazine group dye, 3,7-diamino-5-phenylphenazinium chloride (PSH⁺, phenosafranine) at pH 7.5 for the extraction of AAm as an ion-pair complex from selected samples. Under optimum conditions, the analytical features obtained for the proposed method were as follows; linear working range, the limits of detection (LOD, 3S_b/m) and quantification (LOQ, 10S_b/m), preconcentration factor, sensitivity enhancement factor, sample volume and recovery% were 2.2–350 µg kg^?1, 0.7 µg kg^?1, 2.3 µg kg^?1, 120, 95, 60 mL and 94.1–102.7%, respectively. The validity of the method was tested by analysis of two certified reference materials (CRMs) and intra-day and inter-day precision studies. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of AAm levels in thermally processed foods using the standard addition method.     

特殊食品渗透压及常用渗透压仪的比较

随着越来越多的特殊食品进入大众的视野,无论从市场监管角度还是饮食安全角度,食品渗透压的检测和控制都具有重要的意义。但目前国内外学者对特殊食品中渗透压的研究关注度较低,我国尚未完善特殊食品中渗透压相关标准的制定。渗透压仪分为冰点渗透压仪和露点渗透压仪,调研显示现有的仪器完全能满足婴幼儿配方食品渗透压的测定,但是对于基质复杂、样品状态多变的特殊医学用途配方食品可能需要更多的开发研究。本文阐述了渗透压对特殊食品的意义及婴幼儿配方食品和特殊医学用途配方食品渗透压的研究现状,并针对适用于市场上现有的特殊食品测定的渗透压仪进行介绍和比较分析,以期为现行标准的完善、渗透压仪的选择和特殊食品的市场监管提供参考依据。     

Sweet processed foods in Brazil: use of sugar and sweeteners,inclusion of sugar claims and impact on nutritional profile

This study characterised the main sweet beverages and food products marketed in Brazil regarding (i) the addition of sugar/sweeteners, (ii) nutritional profile and (iii) sugar claims. Results revealed that most of the beverages had added sweeteners, while food products were mainly sweetened with sugar. Moreover, >90% of the powdered products had added sweeteners. ‘Zero sugar’ (46%) and ‘light’ (55%) were the most common sugar claims in sugar-free and reduced-sugar products, respectively. Powdered products, soya drinks and baked products included claims less frequently. Regarding the nutritional profile, beverages with sugar substitution had a proportionally greater reduction in the content of carbohydrates and calories (up to 99%, for both) in relation to food (<82% and <85%, respectively). The results suggest that reducing sugar in solid foods remains a greater challenge than in beverages and that this reduction has less impact on the final energy density of foods.     

Survey of furan in foods and coffees from five European Union countries

Canned and jarred baby foods (74), canned and jarred adult foods (63) and 70 coffees sold in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain and The Netherlands were analysed for their furan content using a validated automated headspace GC–MS procedure. Seven balsamic vinegars from Italy and Spain were also analysed. All 74 baby food samples contained detectable furan, with an average level of 37 ng/g. A total of 54 of 63 canned and jarred foods contained detectable furan with an average level of 24 ng/g. Levels of furan in coffee as consumed were very variable and reflected different preparation methods and coffee strengths. Over 50% of Italian samples contained more than 200 ng/g, whereas over 20% of Belgian coffees contained less than 21 ng/g furan. Some brews made from fine grained coffee contained much more furan than did brews made from normal or coarse grained coffee. Although furan was low in most instant coffees, two Italian products “instant espresso” and “instant mocha” contained about 150 ng/g furan. Balsamic vinegars from Spain contained 159–662 ng/g of furan; however, other samples from Spain and Italy contained only 6–25 ng/g.     

Yield, composition and rheological characteristics of cheddar cheese made with high pressure processed milk

High Pressure (HP) treatment of milk prior to cheese-making was shown to increase the yield of cheese due to increased protein and moisture retention in cheese. Cheeses were made with raw milk or milk treated with high temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization, and HP treatments at two levels (483 and 676 MPa) at 10 °C, 483 MPa HP at 30 °C, and 483 MPa HP at 40 °C. Cheese yield, total solids, protein, fat and salt contents were evaluated, and fat and protein recovery indices were calculated. Cheeses from HP treatments of 676 MPa at 10 °C and 483 MPa at 30 °C exhibited wet yields of 11.40% and 11.54%, respectively. Protein recovery was 79.9% for HP treatment of 676 MPa at 10 °C. The use of slightly higher pressurization temperatures increased moisture retention in cheese. Visco-elasticity of cheeses was determined by dynamic oscillatory testing and a creep-recovery test. Rheological parameters such as loss (G″) and storage (G′) moduli were dependent on oscillation frequency. At high (173 rad/s) and low (2.75 rad/s) angular frequencies, cheeses made from milk treated at 483 MPa at 10 °C behaved more solid-like than other treatments. Creep tests indicated that cheeses from milk treated with 483 MPa HP at 10 °C showed the smallest instantaneous compliance (J_o), confirming the more solid-like behavior of cheese from the 483 MPa at 10 °C treatment compared to the behavior of cheeses from other treatments. Cheeses made with pasteurized milk were more deformable, exhibited less solid-like behavior than cheeses made with HP treated milk, as shown by the J_o value. With more research into bacteriological implications, HP treatment of raw milk can augment Cheddar cheese yield with better curd formation properties.     

The applied pretreatment (blanching,ascorbic acid) at the manufacture process affects the quality of nectarine purée processed by hydrostatic high pressure

A nectarine purée was manufactured with different pretreatments (thermal blanching or ascorbic acid – AA – addition), and then, the purée was processed by high‐pressure treatment to evaluate the effect of the initial manufacture conditions in the stability of the processed purées. A thermal treatment was also carried out to compare the effect with the high‐pressure processing (HPP). All applied processes were effective to ensure the microbiological safety of the purées. However, the pretreatment (thermal blanching or AA addition) applied during the manufacture affected the final quality of the processed purées. Initially, the AA addition had a protective effect on colour degradation during the manufacture of the purées; however, when these purées were treated by HPP showed less colour stability during storage, lower bioactive compounds content, and antioxidant activity. In contrast, purées with an initial thermal blanching maintained better the quality after HPP and during storage.     

The effects of high pressure processing on pork quality, palatability, and further processed products

The objective was to evaluate high pressure processing (HPP) on postmortem metabolism and pork quality. Six pigs were randomly selected immediately after slaughter. After splitting, one side was randomly designated for HPP of 215 MPa for 15 s with water temperature at 33 °C and the other side (non-pressure treated) served as the control. Chilled sides were fabricated into loins, boneless picnic, boneless Boston butt, and ham. Samples were cut from the loin, inside portion of the ham and cushion (M. triceps brachii). Pork quality, lipid oxidation, connective tissue solubility, protein functionality, sensory analysis, and processed characteristics of restructured hams were evaluated. HPP partially inhibits postmortem metabolism, indicated by lower muscle lactate levels and higher ultimate pH values. Cook and drip loss were both reduced in HPP treated muscles compared to controls. HPP treated sides were more tender than controls. Collagen content was not different between HPP and control groups.     

食品中花青素在热加工中的降解及其机制研究

花青素是广泛存在于植物性食物中的水溶性天然色素,主要以2-苯基苯并呋喃阳离子为基础形成的多羟基或多甲氧基衍生物,属类黄酮化合物。现已知的植物花青素种类主要有6种,天竺葵色素、矢车菊色素、飞燕草色素、芍药色素、牵牛花色素和锦葵色素。目前报道的花青素降解机制多为标准物质的热降解过程,可能为两种途径,本文综述了花青素标准物质这两种降解途径的过程。花青素很不稳定性,易受温度、pH值、氧气和金属离子影响,特别是热加工最易引起降解褪色。常见的食品热加工包括蒸、煮、炸和微波等,这些热加工方式都伴随着不同程度花青素的降解。食品热加工过程中花青素的大量丧失与其降解反应密切相关,而花青素的降解过程又与不同的热加工方式密切相关。