EFFECTS OF ALKALIZED COCOA POWDER AND SOY LECITHIN ON PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHOCOLATE BEVERAGE POWDERS

Chocolate beverage powders (CBPs) were produced from alkalized cocoa powder (ACP) at 10–30% and soy lecithin (SL) at 0–4%. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum level of ACP and SL on sedimentation, wettability, bulk density, despersibility, moisture content and flavor acceptability. SL was effective on wettability, and it also showed an optimum level for sedimentation and bulk density, while ACP was found to be significant for all physical properties. For sensory evaluation, flavor was acceptable at 20% ACP level soy taste was detected by panelists in CBPs with high SL and low ACP contents. It was found that as the ACP content was increased the soy taste of CBPs decreased. For overall physical characteristics, the optimum levels of 20% of ACP and 2–4% of SL were selected.     

INFLUENCE OF COMMERCIAL SHIPPING ON THE COLOR AND COMPOSITION OF APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE1

Apple juice concentrate manufactured in Argentina was sampled before and after shipment to the USA and subjected to a number of color and compositional analyses. These included browning, haze, Hunter parameters, titratable acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and HPLC determination of sugars, nonvolatile acids, and chlorogenic acid. The primary objective was to determine those parameters which showed significant changes as a result of commercial transport. Browning significantly increased as did HMF and fumaric acid content. There was no evidence for sucrose inversion and there was no significant change in titratable acidity as a result of this 55 day commercial shipment.     

Detection of single copy sequences using BAC-FISH and C-PRINS techniques in sunflower chromosomes

Bacterial artificial chromosome - fluorescence in situ hybridization (BAC-FISH) and cyclingprimed in situ labeling (C-PRINS) techniques were evaluated for integration of physical and genetic maps of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Single-site SSR markers were selected from three linkage groups of a high-density sunflower genetic map. This selection was based on previously identified QTL associated to S. sclerotiorum. These markers were used to select BACs contaning single copy sequences for BAC-FISH aplication. Blocking of highly dispersed repetitive sunflower sequences reduced unspecific hybridization, and allowed the detection of specific signals for BACs containing SSR markers HA4222 and HA2600, anchored to LG 16 and LG 10, respectively. Single-site FISH signal detection was optimized by adjusting the relative quantity and quality of unlabelled repetitive sequences present in the blocking DNA. The SSR marker ORS1247 anchored to the LG 17 was detected by C-PRINS, which yielded fluorescence signals that were specific and intense. This progress in localizing single-copy sequences using BAC-FISH and indirect CPRINS strategies in sunflower will facilitate the integration of genetic and physical maps, allowing the identification of     

COLOR and CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT CHANGES of MINIMALLY PROCESSED KIWIFRUIT

A combined factors preservation technology involving blanching and vacuum solutes (sucrose, potassium sorbate, ascorbic and citric acids, zinc chloride) impregnation was proposed to minimize color changes in minimally processed kiwifruit slices during one month storage. Atmospheric impregnation was also studied in order to compare both impregnation techniques. A Box-Behnken design was adopted and second order polynomial models were computed for different storage times to relate some process variables (blanching time, zinc content, storage temperature) to a color function (Brown Index). As the storage time increased, the response surfaces for vacuum treated fruits were vertically displaced to greater Brown Index values while the response surface behavior for atmospheric impregnated fruits were less dependent on storage time. For vacuum treated fruits, combinations of blanching and addition of zinc chloride improved the color of the finished product at all storage temperatures assayed, but these treatments were detrimental for atmospheric impregnated fruits, increasing significantly the Brown Index values. After storage, total chlorophyll had been degraded between 70 and 90% depending on the pretreatments. There did not appear to be any consistent relation between the changes which occurred in the total chlorophyll content and color.     

PURIFICATION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A PROTEINASE INHIBITOR FROM TEPARY BEAN (PHASEOLUS ACUTIFOLIUS) SEEDS

In a qualitative screening of 36 accessions of tepary beans seeds, all the accessions inhibit the activity of bovine trypsin and trypsin-like proteinases from the insect P. truncatus, and the majority of them inhibit α-amylase activity of several important insect pests. A protein proteinase inhibitor was purified from accession L-242-45, using fractional precipitation, gel filtration, ion exchange chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. The protein showed an apparent molecular weight of 7,100 by PAGE. However, contrary to other inhibitors previously reported, the inhibitory activity was only present in the trimeric form. The protein was characterized as a serine-proteinase inhibitor that recognized trypsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin-like proteinases, but it also recognized aspartic acid proteinases from different insects. It contained no carbohydrate residues and showed a high stability at 96C at low pH.     

Analysis of the sugar content of fruit juices and drinks using ultrasonic velocity measurements

The use of ultrasound to determine the sugar content of fruit juices and drinks has been assessed. The velocity of ultrasound and the density were measured in solutions of D-glucose, D-fructose, and sucrose at various concentrations (0–40% w/v) and temperatures (10–30°C). The velocity of ultrasound was measured in 50:50wt:wt mixed solutions of sucrose and D-glucose over the same range of concentrations and temperatures. Measurements of the velocity of ultrasound, the density and the refractive index were made on various fruit juices and drinks at 20°C. The sugar content of the juices and drinks was determined by enzymatic assay. Ultrasonic measurements are shown to predict sugar contents in pure sugar solutions to within 0.2% w/v and in mixed sugar solutions to within 0.5% w/v. The ultrasonic measurements were sensitive to sugar species. It is shown that ultrasound compares well with other techniques for sugar content determination in fruit juices and drinks, and has the advantage that the equipment can be used for on-line process control. Applications for this ultrasonic technique are proposed.