CORRELATION OF COMPLEXATION RATE CONSTANTS OF 1:1 IRON CHELATES WITH LIGAND DISSOCIATION CONSTANTS. FOOD CONSIDERATIONS

Iron which is present as a trace species in foods and drinks is very important to the young infant for normal growth and development. Nutritional status of iron may affect the metabolism of other nutrien***ts. Iron chelates have been shown to have a significant beneficial effect on metal status by increasing metal bioavailability in human diets. From a study of the complexation of iron(III) with a series of structurally similar dicarbonylic ligands in aqueous solution, thermodynamic and kinetic parameters have been obtained. The existence of an essential reaction mechanism throughout the series has been proved. The established correlation suggests that complexation rates of a structurally similar 1:1 chelate of iron(III) may be predicted from the ligand dissociation constant. Thus, an achievable objective might be to develop quantitative scales of ligand ionization degree for predicting expected behavior of complexation reactions. Since the differences observed in the rates of complex formation are not a result of steric effects but of changes in the metal‐ligand electron density, a free‐energy relationship has been obtained for the complexation reactions.     

Model reduction using the output equation error

A model-reduction method based on the minimization of the output equation error for suitable inputs is presented. The method is characterized by remarkable computational simplicity and flexibility compared with other reduction methods based on equation errors. The practicability of the proposed procedure is discussed and some examples are given.     

DECOMPOSITION PROBLEM OF FUZZY RELATIONS

The paper deals with a problem of decomposition of a binary fuzzy relation defined in the Cartesian product of a finite space. We propose an algorithm which produces the decomposition or indicates that the given relation is non-decomposable, within a finite sequence of steps.     

DEVELOPMENT OF A HYBRID MODEL PREDICTING THE MOUTHFEEL OF YOGURT

Texture perception and mouthfeel are sensory variables that still need further clarification. A reliable method to describe mouthfeel quantitatively by means of physicochemical measurements is missing so far. The current study focuses on a better understanding of the texture perception of yogurt. The final aim of the study consists of the development of a novel hybrid model, which is able to predict mouthfeel sensations objectively. For this purpose, cognitive methods are used in order to merge underlying data pools with respect to process parameters and the composition of dry matter content. These employed data pools result from rheological characterizations as well as sensory analyses of yogurt and from numerical simulations of fluid flow in a simplified anatomical model of the human mouth. This paper introduces the exact procedure of the study. Furthermore, the methods for generating the underlying data pools are described, and the results are presented.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The in-mouth model is based on fluid mechanics and enables the investigation of human consumption processes that accompany fluid flow in the oral cavity. Here, it reveals mechanical stimuli, which occur because of the movement of the tongue during deglutition. Therewith, the ongoing study affords a new approach to understand factors influencing the popularity and consumer acceptance of several products as their behavior in the mouth can be clarified. Having the software development completed, this innovation represents a great potential for the food industry. While supporting future sensory analyses, it both shortens development cycles of new products and optimizes existing foodstuff.     

USE OF SEMITRAINED PANEL MEMBERS IN THE SENSORY EVALUATION OF HAKE (MERLUCCIUS MERLUCCIUS, L) ANALYZED STATISTICALLY

Abstract The main objective of this study was to evaluate the responses of semitrained sensory assessors to parameters traditionally used in the sensory analysis of hake and to compare their performance with that of trained inspectors. Appropriate statistical methods were used to validate this objective.
The study was carried out with whole gutted hake stored for 7 and 12 days in a controlled atmosphere consisting of 60%/15%/25% (CO₂/O₂/N₂), followed by conventional storage in ice. The hake stored under the CA conditions were preserved better than the control hake at 7 days and at 12 days the difference was even more in favor of the CA storage. Ten parameters evaluated in the sensory tests could be reduced to five with no loss in essential information. The evaluations of the semitrained assessors largely correlated with those of trained inspectors. A model using five parameters and semitrained assessors could be routinely used to evaluate the quality of cooked hake previously stored in ice.