Microbiology of brines used to mature feta cheese

The microfloras of brines from two commercial factories manufacturing traditional feta cheese were examined over a period of 60 days, which is the normal maturation time for Greek feta. Non-starter lactic acid bacteria were the dominant group, and Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum were the principal species identified. A number of strains of Debaryomyces hansenii were isolated from the brines, and both the yeasts and the lactobacilli possessed enzymes capable of degrading fat or protein. It is suggested that these microfloras play an important role in the maturation of feta cheese. No recognized pathogens were isolated from the brines of' either factory.     

A 'Mouth-feel Wheel': terminology for communicating the mouth-feel characteristics of red wine

A hierarchically structured vocabulary of mouth-feel sensations elicited by red wines has been produced. Represented as a wheel, this structured vocabulary should assist tasters in their interpretation and use of terminology relating to 'in mouth' sensations produced by red wines. These terms and their definitions were generated by consulting the opinions of experienced wine tasters following exposure to an extensive range of commercial red wines. Logical relationships among the derived terms were formulated by analysis of 'sorting data' provided by a combined group of experienced winemakers and wine-tasters.     

Frozen Storage Performance of Cooked Cultivated Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.)—Influence of Ascorbic Acid and Chelating Agents

The usefulness of ascorbic acid and chelating agents in retarding sensory deterioration and progression of oxidative rancidity in frozencooked mussels was investigated. Ascorbic acid with and without chelating agents proved effective in arresting progression of oxidative rancidity, in samples held at – 12°C for 20 wk. However, these agents proved ineffective in preventing sensory deterioration of mussel meats under the same conditions. Mussels held at – 30°C showed an improved sensory stability throughout the study and demonstrated less progression of lipid oxidation compared with mussels held at – 12°C. Sensory deterioration at – 12°C storage is associated in part, with lipid oxidative changes. The ineffectiveness of antioxidant agents in preventing sensory deteriorative changes may indicate the presence of other, as yet undetermined, degradative pathways.     

Scheduling Parallel Computations with Successive CPM Domains

This paper describes a functional procedure for implementation of structural engineering applications in an asynchronously scheduled multi-processor environment. A modification to the classical critical path method is proposed that permits scheduling of networks that contain conditional branching or loops. A general outline is presented, describing the functional requirements of two utility procedures that generate a priority list for scheduling tasks for the particular algorithm of interest. These list-generating utilities, operating with a driver program, work with a modified version of SCHEDULE (a list scheduler) to allocate tasks to processors in an order determined using the weighted-priority heuristic. Programming difficulties inherent in schedule implementation for both shared memory systems and loosely coupled systems (with emphasis on hypercubes) are discussed. The approach is demonstrated on the subspace iteration algorithm.     

Phytate × Calcium/Zinc Molar Ratios: Are They Predictive of Zinc Bioavailability?

The utility of the phytate/zinc and phytate × calcium/zinc molar ratios for predicting zinc bioavailability from processed soybean foods was investigated. Weight gain and bone zinc accumulation in rats fed various soy protein products were plotted against the calculated molar ratios. The phytate × calcium/zinc ratio was a better predictor of zinc bioavailability in similarly processed products than was the phytate/ zinc ratio. However, in some cases the phytate × calcium/zinc ratio was not effective since some processing procedures apparently altered binding of phytic acid to minerals and other food components.     

RESIDUES OF p, p'-DDE AND DICOFOL IN MILK OF DAIRY COWS FED COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED APPLE POMACE

Residues of the miticide, dicofol, used in orchards, as well as p,p'-DDE a metabolite of p,p'-DDT present as an impurity in dicofol, were found in each commercial apple pomace sampled at several locations in Central New York. Traces of dicofol and p,p'-DDE were found in milk when cows were experimentally fed one of the pomaces for 9 days. These compounds were also detected in the milk of cows which had been fed by a dairy farmer on a practical basis for several months. It was judged that the milk residues were too low to be of health significance to consumers.     

SOME DESIGN CRITERIA FOR FEISTEL-CIPHER KEY SCHEDULES

The ANSI Data Encryption Algorithm (DEA) X3.92-1981, is probably a Feistel cipher. In considering how to expand the key of the DEA from 56 to 64 bits two similar ciphers are examined, and several design criteria inferred. As an example of their application, a 64-bit key schedule for the DEA is presented.