Thermal pasteurization of ready-to-eat foods and vegetables: Critical factors for process design and effects on quality

Increasing consumer desire for high quality ready-to-eat foods makes thermal pasteurization important to both food producers and researchers. To be in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food companies seek regulatory and scientific guidelines to ensure that their products are safe. Clearly understanding the regulations for chilled or frozen foods is of fundamental importance to the design of thermal pasteurization processes for vegetables that meet food safety requirements. This article provides an overview of the current regulations and guidelines for pasteurization in the U.S. and in Europe for control of bacterial pathogens. Poorly understood viral pathogens, in terms of their survival in thermal treatments, are an increasing concern for both food safety regulators and scientists. New data on heat resistance of viruses in different foods are summarized. Food quality attributes are sensitive to thermal degradation. A review of thermal kinetics of inactivation of quality-related enzymes in vegetables and the effects of thermal pasteurization on vegetable quality is presented. The review also discusses shelf-life of thermally pasteurized vegetables.     

Rapid detection and quantification of soya bean oil and common sugar in bovine milk using attenuated total reflectance–fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, along with chemometrics, were used to detect and quantify soya bean oil (SO) and sugar (CS) adulteration in milk. Bovine milk was artificially adulterated with SO (0.2–2.0%; v/v) and CS (1–10%; w/v) separately. Spectra revealed significant differences in specific wavenumber regions (SO: 1450–1250 cm^?1; CS: 1200–900 cm^?1). Soya bean oil adulteration was best predicted in wavenumber range of 1262–1164 cm^?1, using partial least square regression (coefficient of determination (R²: 0.90 and 0.88 for calibration and validation, respectively). Common sugar adulteration was best predicted in wavenumber range of 1010–910 cm^?1 (R²: 0.99 for calibration and validation) using partial least square.     

Adhesive wear behaviour of cast aluminium–silicon alloys: Overview

This paper describes the various technological aspects related to adhesive wear of cast aluminium–silicon (Al–Si) alloys. Number of hypothesis and theories proposed in the last two decades in order to explain the different phenomenon related with wear and friction, and influence of test parameters (such as load, sliding speed, counter-surface) and work material properties (like mechanical and metallurgical) on tribological behaviour of aluminium–silicon alloys have been presented and discussed.     

Solidification/stabilization study for the disposal of pentachlorophenol

Solidification/stabilization of toxic pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been studied by using spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Portland type I c     

Protective Silica Coatings on Zinc-Sulfide-Based Phosphor Particles

A spray drying approach was used to apply 15-nm-thick SiO₂ continuous coatings onto ZnS:Ag phosphor particles. A prehydrolyzed TEOS dip coating formula was used as the SiO₂ precursor. The phosphor was mixed together with the precursor then atomized without allowing gelation to occur until the droplets containing the particles were in flight. The coating gelled and dried while falling through a graded heat zone. The dried coated particles were captured in a cyclone separator and heat-treated to further densify the SiO₂ coating. The coatings protected the phosphors while in service in field emission display (FED) devices.     

Forward I-V characteristics of Pt/n-GaAs Schottky barrier contacts

The forward I-V characteristics of Pt/n-GaAs planar Schottky diodes and the effect of high temperature annealing on these characteristics have been investigated. Near-ideal (thermionic emission theory) I-V characteristics with an ideality factor n ≈ 1·00–1·09 and a barrier height φ_B ≈ 0·90–0·95 V are obtained for diodes made on as-received GaAs. On annealing at 350°C in vacuum, n remains practically unchanged although φ_B increases by ≈ 5–6 per cent and rather large currents are detected at voltages <0·3 V, which are attributed to the recombination centers created during alloying.For diodes made on GaAs which was preannealed in air at 350°C, non-ideal behavior is observed with φ_B ≈ 0·79–0·80 V and n ≈ 1·29. After annealing at 350°C in vacuum, n gradually decreases to 1·07 whereas φ_B increases to 0·96 V. Recombination currents are now observed at lower voltages. After further annealing at 350°C in air, n increases, φ_B decreases and recombination currents at lower voltages are no longer observed. A mechanism is proposed to explain the observed forward I-V characteristic behavior.     

Stepwise Formation of Some Bivalent Metal Chelates with Sodium Alizarin Sulphonate

The stepwise protonation constants of the ligand and the stability constants of Alizarin Red S with some bivalent metal ions, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Hg²⁺ have been determined at 30° and at various ionic strengths viz. 0.02, 0.05, 0.15 and 0.20, maintained by sodium perchlorate solution. The formation of the chelate is evident from the shift between the (i) ligand and (ii) ligand and metal titration curves. From the values of the stepwise protonation constants and metal ligand stability constants at various ionic strengths, thermodynamic formation constants were evaluated by extrapolation to zero ionic strength. The order of stability constants was found to be: Cu > Pb > Zn > Hg