Effect of the use of a commercial phosphate mixture on selected quality characteristics of 2 Spanish-style dry-ripened sausages

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the addition of a commercial phosphate mixture in 2 dry‐ripened Spanish‐style sausages: “salchichón” and “chorizo.” Three batches of each of those sausages were prepared with low and high levels of phosphates, and selected quality variables (moisture, pH, a_w, lactic and acetic acid, α‐amino nitrogen, total free fatty acids, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, microbial counts, color, and texture analysis) were compared against controls. Furthermore, phosphate‐added and control sausages were ranked by consumers in order of preference. In “salchichón,” phosphate addition resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in drying rate, and tendencies (not significant) toward a decrease in lipid oxidation and an increase in hardness and chewiness. In “chorizo,” the addition of phosphates resulted in higher hardness, elasticity and chewiness, and lower yellowness (P < 0.05). In the manufacture process of dry‐ripened sausages, phosphates can be considered as additives with potential enhancement effect in drying and eating quality. Practical Application: The main outcome from the present study is to find evidence on which points of reference could be drawn for the technological application of phosphates in dry‐ripened sausages. It has been observed that the drying rate and several eating quality characteristics can be enhanced with the use of phosphates.     

Innovation in High-Technology SMMEs: The Case of the New Media Sector in Cape Town

Creative industries are increasingly attracting the interest of academics and policymakers around the world. Policy enthusiasm is also directed in many countries towards developing knowledge-intensive or high-technology sectors. The new media sector is considered an innovative growth sector which holds potential for emerging countries. This case study examines innovation in new media firms situated in Cape Town. Theoretically, creative industries are linked to post-industrial and knowledge-based economies and the growth of services, and innovation in high-technology small and medium enterprises is also considered. This paper provides micro data regarding the innovation activities of new media firms based on purposive interviews. The study found that these firms are dynamic in terms of technological innovation. However, their innovation activities tend to be incremental and localised. Furthermore, various barriers limit their innovation enhancement and growth prospects. Public policy can support new media firms in terms of access to new business development funding and programmes supporting small enterprise innovation, improved design education and network opportunities.     

Township Tourism Demand: Tourists’ Perceptions of Safety and Security

Township tourism has emerged as an important part of the urban tourism product in post-1994 South Africa. Approximately, 25 % of all international tourists visiting Cape Town participate in township tours. However, in recent years, doubts about personal safety have cast a negative light on the township tourism offering. Consideration regarding tourist safety and security, therefore, is important since it may have implications for the future growth and development of this market. The aim of this study was to investigate tourists’ perceptions of safety and security whilst on a township tour. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 317 tourists who participated in township tours in the Greater Cape Town area. The study found that the majority (73 %) of respondents felt safe whilst on a township tour. Eighty-three percent of those surveyed were satisfied with the township tour that they went on, whilst 82 % of respondents said that they would recommend a township tour. This paper argues that there is a latent demand for culture-led, experience-based township tourism product development to create more opportunities for entrepreneurship and local economic development. Further recommendations for policymakers and tour operators are also provided.     

Composition and volatile profiles of commercial Argentinean blue cheeses

BACKGROUND: A first approach was made to acquire knowledge of the global composition, proteolysis, lipolysis and volatile profile of Argentinean blue cheeses. A total of 20 samples belonging to six leading commercial brands were analysed. A comparison of the results with bibliographical data on other blue cheeses was performed and the variability among and within dairy plants was also evaluated. RESULTS: Values of global composition were intermediate in relation to those reported for mould‐ripened cheeses. Levels of proteolysis and lipolysis were lower than those of other blue cheeses. Volatile compound profiles were characterised mainly by short‐chain fatty acids, methyl ketones and secondary alcohols, as reported previously for blue cheeses. Wide‐ranging values of physicochemical parameters, lipolysis and proteolysis levels as well as volatile compound areas of cheeses produced by each dairy plant were observed. Owing to this high variability in the chemistry and volatile profile of cheeses, principal component analysis of the data did not show groupings by commercial brands. CONCLUSION: On the whole, Argentinean blue cheeses were characterised both by gross intermediate composition values and by proteolysis and lipolysis levels lower than those of blue cheeses of different origins. A typical volatile compound profile of blue cheeses was observed. The high variability found within each commercial brand could reflect the lack of standardisation of the technological processes used in blue cheese manufacturing in Argentina. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydrothermal stability of NaBH4 enclathrated sodalites with aluminosilicate and gallosilicate framework

The time dependent stability of tetrahydroborate sodalites with aluminosilicate- and gallosilicate framework was studied in water at room temperature and under hydrothermal conditions at 353 K. The experiments were carried out in different time intervals (4–48 h) using an excess of water according a solid:liquid mass ratio of 1:150. The kinetics of decomposition was followed by registration of weight loss, change of the pH-value and by X-ray powder diffraction as well as FT-IR spectroscopy.Both samples undergo remarkable time dependent decomposition. The decomposition rate is higher for the gallosilicate sodalite even though its crystal size is larger compare to the aluminosilicate sodalite. Besides formation of some X-ray amorphous material in both cases precipitation of crystalline aluminosilicate or gallosilicate was found, always connected with impurities of carbonate anions.FT-IR clearly showed that the remaining parts of sodalite structure of both samples were always pure tetrahydroborate sodalite. No borate species other than BH₄⁻ were detected. Thus, hydrolysis of the moisture sensitive BH₄⁻ anions by an entrance of water into intact cages can be excluded under the described experimental conditions.     

Toward Next-Gen Mobile AR Games

Mobile augmented reality games offer a new and rich game experience allowing players to move and interact in their physical environment with 3D content. The authors review existing approaches to mobile AR games and identify two major trends: small, user-modifiable AR games and larger-scale, event-based AR games that are interwoven with their physical environment.     

Study of alumosilicate porcelains: Sol-gel preparation, characterization and erosion evaluated by gravimetric method

In this paper, the sol-gel synthesis and characteristic properties of kalsilite-type alumosilicates (KAlSiO₄ and K_0.5Na_0.5AlSiO₄) are reported. The polycrystalline powders were characterized by thermal analysis (TG/DTA), powder X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Single-phase kalsilite oxides have been obtained after annealing precursor gels for 5 h in the temperature range of 750-850 °C. It was demonstrated that crystallinity of the samples slightly depends on the temperature of annealing. From the results obtained, it could be concluded that the KAlSiO₄ solids are composed of the volumetric plate-like grains with no regular size (from 5 μm to 30 μm at 750 °C and around 5-50 μm at 850 °C). Larger crystallites for mixed potassium-sodium kalsilite have formed (from 10 μm to 80 μm at 750 °C and >100 μm at 850 °C) in comparison with potassium kalsilite samples). The erosion of obtained dental porcelain samples stored in saliva, beer and Coca-Cola was compared.     

Activation of Local and Systemic Defence Responses by Flg22 Is Dependent on Daytime and Ethylene in Intact Tomato Plants

The first line of plant defence responses against pathogens can be induced by the bacterial flg22 and can be dependent on various external and internal factors. Here, we firstly studied the effects of daytime and ethylene (ET) using Never ripe (Nr) mutants in the local and systemic defence responses of intact tomato plants after flg22 treatments. Flg22 was applied in the afternoon and at night and rapid reactions were detected. The production of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide was induced by flg22 locally, while superoxide was induced systemically, in wild type plants in the light period, but all remained lower at night and in Nr leaves. Flg22 elevated, locally, the ET, jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) levels in the light period; these levels did not change significantly at night. Expression of Pathogenesis-related 1 (PR1), Ethylene response factor 1 (ERF1) and Defensin (DEF) showed also daytime- and ET-dependent changes. Enhanced ERF1 and DEF expression and stomatal closure were also observable in systemic leaves of wild type plants in the light. These data demonstrate that early biotic signalling in flg22-treated leaves and distal ones is an ET-dependent process and it is also determined by the time of day and inhibited in the early night phase.     

Preparation of Nonfragmented,Completely Amorphous,Pregelatinized Maize Starches and Determination of the Effects of Fragmentation on the Adhesiveness of Their Pastes

The objective of this research was to prepare pregelatinized maize starches that were both completely amorphous (no crystalline structure) and unfragmented, and to apply the same method to partially depolymerized maize starches to determine the effect of fragmentation on the degree of stickiness (tackiness, adhesiveness). Amorphous pregelatinized normal maize starch could be prepared by precipitation of a paste with acetone. Precipitation with a polar organic solvent was not applicable for the preparation of amorphous, pregelatinized waxy maize starch, because a sticky, cohesive and adhesive mass was produced. Therefore, freeze drying was used to prepare amorphous pregelatinized waxy maize starch. Limited acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis of normal maize starch before pregelatinization increased stickiness up to a maximum, after which the degree of stickiness decreased. In all aspects of this research, it was clear that the behavior of waxy maize starch was rather different than that of normal maize starch.