SYNERGISTIC EFFECT OF VITAMIN B1 ON SANITIZER AND DISINFECTANT TREATMENTS FOR REDUCTION OF BACILLUS CEREUS IN RICE

The synergistic bactericidal effects of vitamin B₁ (thiamine dilauryl sulfate) and the efficacy of commercial sanitizers for minimization of Bacillus cereus contamination in cooked rice were investigated. Sanitizer-treated rice exhibited a greater reduction than water-treated rice, while sanitizer-treated rice with Vitamin B₁ produced an even greater reduction. The treatments for B. cereus in rice included (1) 100 ppm hydrogen peroxide with 500 ppm vitamin B₁; (2) 200 ppm hydrogen peroxide with 100 ppm vitamin B₁; (3) 400 ppm hydrogen peroxide; (4) 50 ppm chlorine with 500 ppm vitamin B₁; (5) 60 ppm chlorine with 300 ppm vitamin B₁; (6) 70 ppm chlorine with 100 ppm vitamin B₁; (7) 80 ppm chlorine; and (8) 100,000 ppm ethanol with 500 vitamin B_1. All treatments completely eliminated B. cereus in rice. The sensory properties of all sanitizer-treated cooked rice did not differ significantly from the same properties for water-treated cooked rice.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The prevalence of Bacillus cereus in rice and rice products has been documented and control of the growth of B. cereus in rice is an important consideration. The results obtained from this study can be of use to rice producers in the manufacture of safe products. Although chemical disinfectants can be used to reduce the amount of B. cereus in rice, vitamin B₁ can also be used as an effective additive that reduces the amount of disinfectant use via a synergistic antimicrobial effect. The increasing use of chemical disinfectants for safety in the food industry can be reversed using our method.     

Selective Solubilization of α- Lactalbumin and β-Lactoglobulin into Reversed Micelles from Their Mixtures

Phase transfer experiments were performed, involving contact between an aqueous 1:1 solution of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin and an AOT-in-isooctane reversed micellar phase. The resulting extraction and separation of the two proteins were analyzed as functions of pH, ionic strength and total protein concentration using SDS-PAGE, and compared with extractions from pure solutions. At low protein concentrations, the extent of reversed micellar solubilization of the two pure proteins predicted well the extraction from mixtures. However, at higher protein concentrations β-lactoglobulin appeared to be excluded from the micellar droplets. Because of the significantly different partitioning behavior of the two proteins, reversed micellar extraction from an initially equal weight mixture led to an effective separation of the proteins.     

ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF ETHANOLIC AND METHANOLIC EXTRACTS FROM MONASCUS-FERMENTED SOYBEANS

Soybeans are very common foods in oriental countries used as a meat substitute. Monascus species possess functional components and have been used on traditional fermented food. Solid-state fermentation of the soybean substrate by Monascus species is a new area of investigation. In the present study, methanolic extracts from three samples exhibited better antioxidant activity in the conjugated diene method, reducing power, scavenging ability on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals and chelating ability on ferrous ions. Monascus species inoculated onto the soybean substrate contributed higher reducing power, scavenging and chelating abilities and higher amounts of phenol components than uninoculated soybean product. Overall, Monascus- fermented soybeans showed better antioxidant properties and can be developed as a new dietary supplement and functional food.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Soybeans and soy products are rich in isoflavones and are very common foods used as a meat substitute in oriental countries. Fungus Monascus has been used as a traditional fermented food and its metabolic products are also utilized as food pigments or biological agents in oriental countries for centuries. Many reporters showed that soy isoflavone aglycones and Monascus spp. metabolite exhibited physiological activities. In addition, previous studies showed a fermentation process using microorganisms to inoculate onto a nonsoluble material that can produce chemicals and enzymes. Therefore, the ethanolic and methanolic extracts from Monascus -fermented soybeans were evaluated for antioxidant properties, and the information obtained would be more valuable than that from soybeans to develop new functional foods.     

Minced Meat Crabcake from Blue Crab Processing Byproducts—Development and Sensory Evaluation

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of minced meat, mechanically separated from blue crab processing by-product, were determined. Sensory evaluation was performed on crabcakes with various combinations of claw mince/meat (CMM), surimi, and functional soy protein concentrate (SPC). Separation produced 50–58% food-grade mince from picking table by-products and 49% from undersized claws. Claw mince had lower microbial concentrations than the composite picking table by-products. Crabby and beany flavors were influenced (p<0.05) by the CMM ratio but not by SPC. No significant differences were observed for textural characteristics using various levels of CMM. Sensory firmness and cohesiveness scores marginally correlated (p<0.1) with Instron compressive force measurements. Food-grade undersized crab claw mince can be used in value-added products.     

Linear Programming and Response Surface Methodology to Optimize Surimi Gel Texture

A formulation optimization study was conducted on surimi gels prepared with starch, and/or raw egg white employing the stepwise method (SM), linear programming (LP), and response surface methodology (RSM). At 78% moisture, the greatest gel strengthening and reduction of expressible moisture occurred at 8% starch, 6% egg white, or a combination of 5% starch and 5% egg white for SM, 5.33% starch and 4.33% egg white for LP, and 3.5% starch and 5% egg white for RSM. RSM resulted in gels with the greatest strength (compressive and penetration forces), followed by LP and SM. The RSM enabled more accurate prediction of textural behavior of final product at various ingredient combinations than the SM or LP.     

LIPID AND CHOLESTEROL OXIDATION,COLOR CHANGES,AND VOLATILE PRODUCTION IN IRRADIATED RAW PORK BATTERS WITH DIFFERENT FAT CONTENT1

An emulsion-type product was prepared to determine the effect of irradiation on lipid and cholesterol oxidation, color change, and volatile production in raw pork with different fat contents. Lipid oxidation increased with an increase in fat content or irradiation dose. Irradiated batters had higher cholesterol oxides than nonirradiated, and the major cholesterol oxides formed in irradiated pork batters were 7α- and 7β-hydroxycholesterol. Hunter color a- and b-values of raw pork batters were decreased by irradiation regardless of fat content. Irradiation increased the amount ofvolatiles significantly. Although lipid oxidation of high fat products (10 and 15% fat) was higher than that of low fat products (4%), high fat products did not always produce greater amount of volatiles. In summary, irradiation increased lipid and cholesterol oxidation, volatiles production and had detrimental effects on the color of raw pork batters under aerobic condition.     

Evaluation of Time-Intensity Sensory Responses using a Personal Computer

A method is presented which utilizes a personal computer to measure time-intensity (T-I) sensory responses. The judge uses a game paddle which moves an “X” along a fixed scale appearing on the monitor screen to indicate the attribute intensity at each instant in time. A clicker device on the game paddle can be used to record the occurrence of events such as initial mouth entry and time of swallowing. Data acquisition is continuous with the data stored on discs. This technique has advantages over strip chart recorder methods. Disc storage allows rapid and efficient data analysis. Judges can perform the evaluations virtually unsupervised with only minimal training.     

THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF α-AMYLASE INHIBITOR FROM WHITE BEAN cv 858B (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.) IS 56 kDa, NOT 20 kDa

The molecular weights (M_rs) of α-amylase inhibitors (αAIs)fiom 18 (Ah) bean cultivars estimated by Superose 12 gelfiltration chromatography were 22–62% smaller than those determined by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) methods. αAI-4 from WKB cultivar 858B was purified and the Mr was shown to be 51.0 kDa based on Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography and by PAGE. A M_r for aAI-4 of 56.714 kDa was determined by laser-assisted time-of-flight mass spectrometry and appears to be the true M_r of the mature glycosylated active aAI-4. The results show that Superose 12 gelfiltration chromatography is not usefulfor M_r determination of some proteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that the 56.7 kDa aAI-4 molecule dissociated into 45.0, 33.6,15.2 and 12.4 kDa submolecules, with only the two small subunits, a and β, present at high SDS concentration. This provides evidence that the aAI-4 molecules composition is α₂β².     

Protein Stability of Frozen Milk as Influenced by Storage Temperature and Ultrafiltration

Milk and milk concentrates containing 12–35% total solids were stored at 0, –2, –4, –6, –8, –12, and –20°C and protein stability of the thawed products was evaluated periodically. Samples stored at –4 to – 12°C exhibited poorer protein stability than samples stored at higher or lower temperatures. Ultrafiltered (UF) skimmilk with permeate: retentate ratios of 10:90, 20:80, and 30:70 were stored at –8°C and they remained stable at least three times longer than frozen control samples of UF skimmilk stored at the same temperature. When the extent of UF was increased to 40:60, protein stability in the frozen retentate declined somewhat as compared to that of less concentrated retentates.