Validation of a Combi Oven Cooking Method for Preparation of Chicken Breast Meat for Quality Assessment

ABSTRACT: Quality assessment results of cooked meat can be significantly affected by sample preparation with different cooking techniques. A combi oven is a relatively new cooking technique in the U.S. market. However, there was a lack of published data about its effect on quality measurements of chicken meat. Broiler breast fillets deboned at 24‐h postmortem were cooked with one of the 3 methods to the core temperature of 80 °C. Cooking methods were evaluated based on cooking operation requirements, sensory profiles, Warner–Bratzler (WB) shear and cooking loss. Our results show that the average cooking time for the combi oven was 17 min compared with 31 min for the commercial oven method and 16 min for the hot water method. The combi oven did not result in a significant difference in the WB shear force values, although the cooking loss of the combi oven samples was significantly lower than the commercial oven and hot water samples. Sensory profiles of the combi oven samples did not significantly differ from those of the commercial oven and hot water samples. These results demonstrate that combi oven cooking did not significantly affect sensory profiles and WB shear force measurements of chicken breast muscle compared to the other 2 cooking methods. The combi oven method appears to be an acceptable alternative for preparing chicken breast fillets in a quality assessment.     

Development of artificial neural network-based in-process mixed-material-caused flash monitoring (ANN-IPMFM) system in injection molding

This paper describes the development of an artificial neural network-based in-process mixed-material-caused flash monitoring system (ANN-IPMFM) in the injection molding process. This proposed system integrates two sub-systems. One is the vibration monitoring sub-system that utilizes an accelerometer sensor to collect and process vibration signals during the injection molding process. The other, a threshold prediction sub-system, predicts a control threshold based on the process parameter settings, thus allowing the system to adapt to changes in these settings. The integrated system compares the monitored vibration signals with the control threshold to predict whether or not flash will occur. The performance of the ANN-IPMFM system was determined by using varying ratios of polystyrene (PS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the injection molding process, and comparing the number of actual occurrences of flash with the number of occurrences predicted by the system. After a 180 trials, results demonstrated that the ANN-IPMFM system could predict flash with 92.7% accuracy.     

Energy security and sustainability in Northeast Asia

“Energy Security” has typically, to those involved in making energy policy, meant mostly securing access to oil and other fossil fuels. With increasingly global, diverse energy markets, however, and increasingly transnational problems resulting from energy transformation and use, old energy security rationales are less salient, and other issues, including climate change and other environmental, economic, and international considerations are becoming increasingly important. As a consequence, a more comprehensive operating definition of “Energy Security” is needed, along with a workable framework for analysis of which future energy paths or scenarios are likely to yield greater Energy Security in a broader, more comprehensive sense. Work done as a part of the Nautilus Institute's “Pacific Asia Regional Energy Security” (PARES) project developed a broader definition of Energy Security, and described an analytical framework designed to help to compare the energy security characteristics – both positive and negative – of different quantitative energy paths as developed using software tools such as the LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) system.     

Novel diol spiro orthocarbonates derived from glycerol as anti‐shrinkage additives for the cationic photopolymerization of epoxy monomers

Shrinkage that takes place during polymerizations induces internal stress in polymeric materials generating a series of problems like poor adhesion to substrates and delamination in coatings or microcracks and microvoids in composites. Some additives like spiro orthocarbonates can reduce or eliminate this shrinkage. This paper deals with the synthesis of novel diol spiro orthocarbonates (DIOL SOCs) and their effect as anti‐shrinkage additives in the photopolymerization of the monomer 3,4‐epoxycyclohexyl‐3′, 4′‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate. It was found that increasing the concentration of the DIOL SOCs resulted in higher conversion of the monomer due to the presence of hydroxyl groups. The viscoelastic properties of the polymer products were also measured. It was observed that at 5 mol% of the mixture of DIOL SOCs there was an increase in the storage modulus due to the crosslinking produced by the bifunctional SOCs. However, at higher concentrations, a decrease in the storage modulus was observed. The level of shrinkage using the DIOL SOCs at 20 mol% was reduced by 45% when compared to the case without any additive. DIOL SOCs can be easily prepared by reacting glycerol with tetraethylorthocarbonate. These additives reduced significantly the level of shrinkage of the polyether derived from the diepoxycyclohexane monomer. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

The availability of soluble oxalates in stir‐fried silver beet (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) leaves eaten with yoghurt

Silver beet (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) leaves contain oxalates, and the addition of yoghurt, a food rich in calcium, to stir‐fried leaves was investigated as a way of reducing the soluble oxalate content. Fourteen participants ingested 115 g stir‐fried silver beet leaves with or without standard yoghurt and low‐fat yoghurt, respectively. Stir‐fried silver beet leaves contained 209.1 ± 0.1 mg of total oxalates per meal fresh weight (FW) and 109.2 ± 0.1 mg of soluble oxalates per meal FW. The proportion of soluble oxalates was reduced from 52% to a mean of 30% of the total oxalates when standard yoghurt or low‐fat yoghurt was added. The mean absorption of oxalate was determined by measuring the output of oxalate in the urine over a 6‐h period following ingestion of the meals. The mean absorption of oxalate from stir‐fried silver beet leaves was 2.41%, which reduced to 1.10% and 0.89% when consumed with standard yoghurt and low‐fat yoghurt, respectively.     

Comparison of CHROMagar Salmonella medium and hektoen enteric agar for isolation of salmonellae from stool samples

CHROMagar Salmonella (CAS), a new chromogenic medium, was retrospectively compared to Hektoen enteric agar (HEA) with 501 Salmonella stock isolates and was then prospectively compared to HEA for the detection and presumptive identification of Salmonella spp. with 508 stool samples before and after enrichment. All stock cultures (100%), including cultures of H2S-negative isolates, yielded typical mauve colonies on CAS, while 497 (99%) isolates produced typical lactose-negative, black-centered colonies on HEA. Following overnight incubation at 37 degreesC, a total of 20 Salmonella strains were isolated from the 508 clinical samples. Sensitivities for primary plating and after enrichment were 95% (19 isolates) and 100% (20 isolates), respectively, for CAS and 80% (16 isolates) and 100% (20 isolates), respectively, for HEA. The specificity of CAS (88.9%) was significantly higher than that of HEA (78.5%; P < 0.0001). On the basis of its good sensitivity and specificity, CAS medium can be recommended for use for primary plating when human stool samples are screened for Salmonella spp.     

Tinnitus: etiology and management

Tinnitus is the perceived sensation of sound in the absence of acoustic stimulation. Individuals who suffer from it are commonly between the ages of 40 and 80 years. Tinnitus is often classified as objective or subjective, yet the pathophysiologic cause is still unknown. Subjective tinnitus is largely identified with hearing loss. Management of tinnitus is based on an individual approach; there is no single treatment or regimen for it.