Application of enzyme-assisted aqueous fat extraction to cocoa fat

An enzyme-assisted aqueous fat extraction method was used to extract fat from dry cocoa beans. The beans were dehulled and finely ground. Samples were mixed with water in predetermined ratios. A protease and an enzyme with high activities of both cellulase and hemicellulase were added at 1% of the sample weight, mixed, and incubated for about 6 h at 37°C. The treated samples were then extracted by a water flotation technique. The preextraction treatment with enzymes effectively increased fat yield by about 26%. The observation suggests that the enzyme-assisted aqueous fat extraction method could improve the efficiency of rural fats and oils technologies currently in use in many developing countries.     

Enzyme-assisted extraction of shea fat: Evidence from light microscopy on the degradative effects of enzyme treatment on cells of shea kernel meal

A light-microscopic study on enzyme-treated sliced shea kernels was done to investigate the principles involved in enzyme-assisted shea fat extraction. The raw, ellipsoidally shaped kernels, measuring 1.3 to 2.0 cm, were crosssectioned into slices of about 2-mm thickness, which were then dissected into four or six pieces. These samples were treated with or without enzymes for predetermined periods, fixed and processed for paraffin sections (5 μm). Sections were stained with periodic acid-Schiff base (PAS) or Coomassie blue (CB) to localize the complex polysaccharides and proteins, respectively. The cells of the enzyme-treated samples showed distinct degradation and a high loss of cellular integrity. PAS reaction and CB staining of these cells confirmed high loss of cellular materials compared to control samples. This was also reflected in the increases of the soluble protein and free sugar contents of the effluent water collected from samples after treatment. The oilseed materials during preextraction. They thus support the principle of using enzyme treatments to improve fat yield in solvent extraction systems, as has been reported by various investigators.     

Influence of salt and pH on the solubility and structural characteristics of transglutaminase-treated wheat gluten hydrolysate

Hydrolyzed wheat gluten (GH, 77–85% protein) was prepared by limited chymotrypsin digestion at 37 °C for 4 h (degree of hydrolysis = 6.4%) and 15 h (degree of hydrolysis = 10.3%). Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) treatment (55 °C for 1 h, or 5 °C for 18 h) effect on the solubility and structural characteristics of GH was examined under selected food processing conditions (pH 4.0–7.0, 0–0.6 M NaCl). The MTGase treatment increased solubility of GH by 3–29-fold (P < 0.05) within pH 4.0–7.0. Addition of 0.6 M NaCl or changing the conditions of MTGase incubation did not significantly alter solubility characteristics of GH. The MTGase treatment decreased surface hydrophobicity, and increased carboxyl groups in GH, suggesting cross-linking and deamidation. Fluorescence and UV spectra attributed the improved GH solubility to MTGase-induced polar environment, and partial masking of some nonpolar aromatic amino acids possibly due to high-molecular-weight polypeptides formed.     

The effect of Bellwether analysis on software vulnerability severity prediction models

Software Quality Journal - Vulnerability severity prediction (VSP) models provide useful insight for vulnerability prioritization and software maintenance. Previous studies have proposed a variety...     

Effect of extrusion cooking and simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on condensed tannins and radical scavenging activity of type II and type III whole grain sorghum

The effect of extrusion cooking and simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on proanthocyanidins in type II and III tannin sorghums was studied. Extrusion cooking was performed at different feed moisture levels (2 L h^?1, 3 L h^?1, 5 L h^?1 and 8 L h^?1), with a barrel temperature of 150 °C followed by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Extrusion cooked samples had lower total phenols, tannin content and radical scavenging properties than unprocessed tannin sorghum flour. For extrudates, there was progressive increase in total phenols and tannin content with increase in feed moisture. Extrusion cooked samples had increased proportion of dimers and decreased oligomers in the two tannin sorghums. Gastric and duodenal digests of the extrudates contained high proportions of monomers and dimers and some oligomeric proanthocyanidin species. Undigested porridges, gastric and duodenal digests inhibited radical‐induced oxidative DNA damage. Extruded tannin sorghum may have health‐promoting potential in relation to combating chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress.     

Towards developing competency‐based measures for project managers in mass house building projects in developing countries

Within the human resource management (HRM) genre, the identification and development of appropriate competency‐based measures is widely seen as the only viable means for validating and engendering managerial best practices. A competency‐based conceptual model is proposed towards the development of a taxonomy of project managers' (PMs') performance measures in mass house building projects (MHBPs). The model reflects elements of both performance behaviours and outcomes in predicting the performance of PMs at the construction phase of the project life cycle. Data were elicited from members of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), whose speciality is the construction of residential buildings, to test the validity of this conceptual model. The findings, which confirm the validity of the model, demonstrate the suitability and potential usefulness of this model for developing a competency‐based agenda towards the professional development of PMs involved in the implementation of MHBPs in developing countries, like Ghana. The model could, therefore, form the basis for curriculum development, recruitment and selection, team deployment and job matching, career development and succession planning to facilitate the achievement of managerial best practices in MHBPs.