DEVELOPMENTAL PROTEINS OF PISTACIA VERA L. BARK AND BUD AND THEIR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES: A REVIEW

In autumn before entry into winter dormancy there is accumulation of proteins in bark and inflorescence bud of Pistacia vera L. (pistachio). Their concentration is high throughout winter and they disappear in early spring. In winter when food in the desert becomes scarce it was observed that porcupines feed on the bark of the tree-trunk. This observation has raised the question of the biotechnological and nutritional quality of the bark proteins. We have purified a 32 kDa protein (IBP32) and a 27 kDa protein (IBP27), which are the major proteins in the bark and bud. These proteins were characterized as glycoproteins rich in glycine and alanine and are highly hydrophilic. Immunological cross-reactivity between dehydrin antibodies and the IBPs, sequence homology and amino acid composition indicated that these proteins are dehydrin-like and have a high proportion of a few essential amino acids.     

PREDICTION OF HONEY SHELF LIFE

Fourteen commercial honey samples of different botanical origin (acacia, chestnut, citrus, eucalyptus, multifloral) were stored for up to 18 months at room temperature. Both 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and diastase were evaluated and kinetics carried out. The highest HMF increase was in citrus and eucalyptus honeys at 3 mg/kg/month; the lowest in chestnut at 0.256 mg/kg/month. The highest diastase deactivation was in eucalyptus honey at 0.485 DU/kg/month; the lowest was in chestnut at 0.258 DU/kg/month. Honey shelf life was estimated for both indices, HMF and diastase, using a Bayesian approach. The results show that commercial honey shelf life depends on botanical origin as well as processing. Except chestnut, all other honeys showed shorter shelf lives than the declared one (usually 36 months). The shortest values, 15 months, were for citrus and eucalyptus honeys. The longest, 20 months, was for acacia and multifloral honeys.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Both kinetic equations and results of simulations can be used to estimate, for quality control purposes as well as regulation requirements, the most probable value of shelf life for a specific honey.     

IMPROVEMENT OF SHELF LIFE STABILITY OF CAKES

ABSTRACT

The effects of new ingredient strategies to slow down starch retrogradation rate in cakes were investigated. In this study, devil's fudge cakes were formulated using gum, modified starch and enzyme technology. Cake samples that were prepared with combinations of gums, bacterial amylases and pregelatinized starch were found to have slower starch retrogradation rates. An accelerated shelf life protocol was followed to observe the effect of predescribed ingredients on slowing the starch retrogradation rate. The samples were evaluated for moisture content, water activity, texture and thermal properties, as well as morphological characteristics. The staling rate was found to be accelerated by the fluctuations in temperature from high to low temperatures. Modified starches, enzymes and gums were found to decrease the rate of staling and improve product quality. The formulated cakes were found to have 25% lower toughness and hardness values as compared with the control product. It was found that for all the cake formulations, there was a significant decrease in both hardness and toughness values, whereas springiness values did not change much. The basic differences within formulations were created by incorporation of gums, enzymes, soluble fibers, emulsifiers and modified flours in the cake.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Nutritional balance is quite important for each individual. For certain groups of people, based on their activity levels, high energy supplies are required to help them to achieve their optimal performance. Cakes, waffles and pancakes are in the group of breakfast bakery items that provide high energy for these groups of people. In bakery food products, staling reactions start before microbial deteriorations; as a result, they are the major factor in determining shelf life. Cakes that are acceptable to the consumers should be moist and soft in texture. Starch retrogradation is the primary mechanism determining the shelf life of the product. Although the product is microbiologically safe, the adverse affects of starch crystals on textural properties is the main cause of product rejection by the consumer, which leads to huge economical losses. The current methods of controlling starch retrogradation lean on technologies of the 1980s. Despite several studies on bread staling, there is hardly any study on the staling mechanism of cakes and other bakery food items. This study provides information on how to retard staling in cakes by the use of an in‐house developed accelerated shelf life protocol.     

EXTENDING SHELF LIFE OF UHT CREAMS

The effect of additives and changes of composition on the shelf life of UHT creams was examined. All changes investigated with the exception of added lecithin, showed some improvement in cream feathering properties. Marked improvement with shelf life extended to at least six months was, however, only found with addition of sodium caseinate (30 g/l) and reduction of calcium activity, the latter being achieved either by removal with ion exchange resins or by immobilization with citrate and carbonate.     

EXTENDING THE SHELF LIFE OF SET FISH BALL

Set fish ball is an extruded surimi‐based product that is popular in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries. Oversetting of set fish ball occurs at chilled temperature during storage. Shelf‐life extension of set fish ball by reducing oversetting conditions and microbial counts were examined. Encapsulated citric acid (CT) and glucono‐delta‐lactone (GDL) were used to reduce oversetting. Acetic acid, GDL and chitosan were used to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Shelf life was measured for a period of 21 days at 4C. At day 21, a reduction of 46, 56 and 26% in breaking force compared with the control (without additives) was observed for 0.5% GDL, 1.0% GDL and CT, respectively. GDL at 1.0% was shown to be the most effective in controlling the oversetting of set gel. Chitosan (1%) dissolved in acetic acid maintained both aerobic plate and yeast counts at <1 log cfu/g throughout 21 days of storage.     

SHELF LIFE OF NEW CULTURE SPECIE (DIPLODUS PUNTAZZO) IN REFRIGERATOR

The shelf life of sharp snout sea bream ( Diplodus puntazzo ) stored in refrigerator was investigated by measurement of sensory, chemical (total volatile basic nitrogen [TVB-N], trimethylamine [TMA-N], thiobarbituric acid [TBA] and pH) and microbiological (total viable and psychrophilic count) analysis. According to the sensory and chemical analysis results evaluated, the shelf life of sharp snout sea bream was detected as 10 days for storage at refrigeration temperatures, respectively, as compared with 8 days of sensory analysis results.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Sharp snout sea bream is one of the important fish species in the aquaculture sector in Turkey. In recent years, the aquaculture sector was mainly interested with the fish species Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata , but nowadays, a new valuable fish aquaculture is possible in this sector. Diplodus puntazzo, Dentex dentex and Sciena umbra are some of them. The importance of this study came from being the first in the literature that determines the shelf life for these species.     

COMPARISON OF PEROXIDASES FROM BARLEY KERNEL (Hordeum vulgare L.) AND WHEAT GERM (Triticum aestivum L.): ISOLATION AND PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION

Peroxidases (POD) of crude extracts from barley and wheat germ were separated, partially purified using salt fractionation, ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatographies and their properties examined. Barley and wheat germ POD contained basic, neutral and anionic isoforms as confirmed by isoelectric focusing. Toyopearl-Butyl 650 M chromatography resolved POD into four cationic fractions. Chromatography of wheat germ extract on CM-Sepharose isolated an anionic and a neutral fraction. Following chromatography on Concanavalin-A Sepharose, enzymes from both cereals showed differences in their elution properties. Optimum pH ranges were 4.0 to 5.5 (barley) and 5.3 to > 6.3 (wheat germ) and POD reacted differently under acidic or basic conditions. Their catalytic behavior in the presence of calcium also differed. Kinetics of POD were of Michaelian type with a ping-pong mechanism and Michaelis constants of guaiacol oxidation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide varied from one enzymatic group to another.     

IMPROVED SHELF LIFE ESTIMATION OF UHT MILK BY PREDICTION OF PROTEOLYSIS

ABSTRACT

During growth in raw milk, many psychrotrophic bacteria produce proteases that can retain activity following ultra‐high temperature (UHT) treatment. In this study, casein and skim milk powder assays for detecting very low levels of protease in UHT milk were optimized, and the suitability of azocasein and fluorescein isothiocyanate‐casein (FITC‐casein) as substrates was investigated. The strongest correlations of protease activity with proteolysis in stored UHT milk were observed when FITC‐casein was used as substrate in the assays. Assays using casein and FITC‐casein as substrates yielded the highest activities. To determine sensitivity, crude protease was added at low concentrations to UHT milk, and the milk was assayed for progress of proteolysis over 12 months and for protease activity using the casein and FITC‐casein assays. With long assay incubation times, the FITC‐casein assay was more sensitive than the casein assay and may be suitable for detecting very low levels of protease activity and predicting progress of proteolysis in stored UHT whole milk.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study contributes to the development and evaluation of practical assays for the detection of protease activity in the industry to identify potential premature spoilage of contaminated UHT milk before it is distributed for sale. The developed assays are also useful for assessing the quality of milk powder as active protease can persist in milk powder to cause spoilage in reconstituted milk. Although the assays require up to 14 days to complete, this is not an excessive time, compared with the time required for microbiological clearance and total shelf life of the product. High protease activity can be identified with less incubation time. The cost of protease detection assays developed during this work is quite low and, although 20 min analysis time is required per sample, the tests can be very cost efficient when run in batches, as would be expected in a commercial testing facility.