BINARY INTERACTION FORCE ON SPHERES II: INVISCID FLUID

A first order correction to the force over an isolated spherical particle in inviscid flow is presented, considering binary sphere-sphere interactions. The two-particle distribution function derived by Drew and Mandyam (1998) is used to calculate the effect of the presence of other particles surrounding a test particle. The calculations are performed for a monodisperse distribution. The introduction of first neighbor particle-particle interactions results in the prediction of forces that depend on particle concentration and concentration gradients. For the case of non-accelerated sphere we obtain forces that oppose particle concentration. When the particles are accelerated we obtain an increase of the virtual-mass coefficient with particle concentration.     

A RESEARCH NOTE: STUDY ON THE QUALITY OF PACHARÁN BY SENSORY EVALUATION

Pachardn is a traditional drink of Navarra, Spain. This spirit is an alcoholic drink which ranges from intense pink to red in color and whose base is sloe (Primus spinosa, L.) flavored with, the essential oils of aniseed and sugar. Sensory analysis was performed using samples from twenty-one different brands of commercial pachardn. Statistical techniques employed were formations of a linear correlation matrix, followed by factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Factor analysis permitted reduction of the sensory variables examined (color, aroma quality, flavor quality, sweetness, acidity and overall impression) to two factor variables (“flavor and aroma” and “color”). The position of the brands with respect to these two factors indicate the necessary changes to improve pachardn quality. The factors “flavor and aroma” had the chief direct effect on Overall Impression.     

Taste Qualities of Reduced-Sodium Soups as Affected by Serving Temperature

Reduced-sodium chicken broths (144 mg Na⁺ and 288 mg Na⁺/240 mL serving) were thickened with commonly used food ingredients (four gums, two starches and flour). Salt taste of most soups was stable to temperature change(room, 22°C vs serving, 60–65°C) as judged by 12 subjects. However, soups made with potato starch (144 mg Na⁺) and ionic xanthan and sodium carboxymethylcellulose gums (288 mg Na⁺) were saltier at room than at serving temperature. Salt taste enhanced chicken and overall flavors. Soups prepared with all-purpose wheat flour remained unchanged in viscosity, but other soups were perceived as thicker at room temperature.     

TRAINING A SENSORY TEXTURE PROFILE PANEL AND DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD RATING SCALES IN COLOMBIA

Two texture profile panels and two panel leaders were trained in the General Foods Sensory Texture Profiling Technique in Colombia using Colombian foods as reference points on the standard rating scales. The texture profiling technique adapted to Colombian conditions very successfully. The trained texture profile panel is now playing an essential part in the development of protein-fortified staple foods of acceptable textural quality for Colombia.     

On the viability of five probiotic strains when immobilised on various polymers

The viability of probiotic bacteria in six food‐grade polymers, at two concentrations, was evaluated in order to predict their feasibility as materials for bacterium immobilisation. Alginate and whey proteins were the most adequate polymers, except for Lactobacillus acidophilus Ki and Lactobacillus casei 01 at 2% (m/v) alginate. Xanthan gum appeared to be a potential vector for three strains. L‐carrageenan was adequate for both Bifidobacterium strains, but not for Lactobacillus at 2% (m/v). Bifidobacterium strains were not negatively affected by cellulose acetate phthalate, while the opposite held for L. acidophilus strains. Chitosan was the poorest polymer for immobilisation of probiotic bacteria.     

A GENERALIZATION OF ENTROPY USING DEMPSTER-SHAFER THEORY

This paper considers a “body of evidence” on a finite set X, determined by a “basic probability assignment” (BPA) on X. This land of information on the set AT is ambiguous and so, in the applications, it is important to measure the degree of uncertainty involved in each BPA. In fact, several measures of uncertainty and entropy have been formulated and investigated in the setting of Dempster-Shafer Theory of Evidence. In this paper, we use the formal analogy underlying many of those measures of uncertainty. This moves us to define a family of fuzzy measures associated with each BPA. Thus, we propose a general formulation of the entropy of a BPA. Several known measures of entropy (including measures of imprecision and of randomness), as well as other new measures, are subsumed under our general scheme as particular cases. The basic properties of all those measures of entropy are also studied.