EFFECT OF CHLORINATED WASH WATER ON QUALITY OF HEAT SHOCKED MUSSEL MEAT

Chlorine-assisted chilled tumble washing of green mussel meats was done using 5 and 10ppm chlorine solutions maintained at 5 and 10C for 3 min. No significant difference (P < 0.05) was established in terms of meat yield, pH, Aw or sensory qualities for tumble washed samples. The mussel meats were given sensory acceptance ratings of up to "like slightly". A 2% weight gain of mussel meats was established after washing. Heat shocking in tandem with tumble washing affected 1–3 unit log reduction in TPC and coliform counts and about a 4 log reduction in Vibrio spp. counts of mussel meats. The 2 protocols were presented as value-adding steps to improve mussel meat quality. Philippine micro- and small-scale shellfish processors and vendors were identified as potential users of the technology presented in the study.     

TESSA—A new greedy heuristic for facilities layout planning

TESSA is a heuristic for determining which facilities should be adjacent in a planar layout. Once the adjacencies are known the block plan can be constructed by existing techniques. TESSA overcomes problems with earlier heuristics for determining adjacencies as it does not require planarity testing nor does it restrict the type of layout produced. The algorithm is polynomial in time and produces good quality solutions, almost all of which are above 90% of the (often unattainable) upper bound.     

COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN OF HORN RADIATORS FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATION BY LEAST SQUARES OPTIMIZATION

Computer aided design optimization of corrugated horns became a powerful tool to reduce development costs on the one hand and to improve performance of space antennas on the other. In this paper the physical model is outlined, based on Maxwell's equations, and it is shown how a complete numerical simulation of a circular corrugated horn can be achieved, assuming that the interior geometry of the horn is known. In order to compute the electromagnetic properties of a horn, the so-called scattering matrix is assembled. This matrix is needed to relate mode amplitudes of reflected and transmitted waves in horn sections with different diameters. Envelope functions, determined by a few geometric design parameters, are used to describe the inner geometry of a horn. These parameters are applied to formulate a least squares optimization problem. As a starting point, an amplitude spectrum in the aperture has to be determined which radiates a given far field. The differences between those amplitudes and the amplitudes predicted by the model are to become as small as possible by adapting the design variables. Moreover, the return loss is to be minimized. The resulting least squares optimization problem can be solved by a standard sequential quadratic programming (SQP) code after a suitable transformation into a nonlinear programming problem, by which typical features of Gauss-Newton methods are retained. Some numerical results are included to show the successful application of the introduced advance to design a circular corrugated horn which radiates a given far field.     

AUTOMATIC EXTRACTING AS AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS

In our study we have tried to evaluate most of the existing methods of automatic extracting and to combine them into one single system for text reduction. Hitherto, all existing automatic extracting systems have produced only extracts of documents: they select certain sentences from the full text and list them in text order.

Despite the result that statistical methods can be used for extracting German language texts (and that similar methods show best results for German and English texts) the main outcome of this study was that computer-based methods for text extracting can alter the whole extracting and abstracting process as such and lead to completely new and as yet unknown aspects of text reduction: the tailormade extract and extracting as an interactive process.     

OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF FRESH AND HEAT-PROCESSED DARK AND LIGHT MUSCLES OF MACKEREL (Scomber scombrus)

Oxidative stability of light and dark comminuted muscle of raw and thermally processed mackerel stored at 4C was studied over a 21 day period by monitoring changes in conjugated dienes (CD) and 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values. The quantity of headspace (HS) volatiles, propanal, and hexanal as well as the ratio of aliphatic to olefinic (R_ao) or diallylmethylene (R_ad) protons in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹ NMR) spectra of oils were determined. The content of CD of light and dark ground mackerel muscle samples exhibited a consistent increase over the entire storage period. Furthermore, secondary oxidation products as reflected in the TBA values and content of propanal, hexanal and HS gases, generally, showed a gradual increase in their level. The concentration of propanal, the dominant volatile of the HS gases, increased markedly up to day 6 of storage, but afterwards began to decline continuously. A similar trend was noted for hexanal, but at a lesser extent. The R_ao and R_ad values in the ¹H NMR spectra of lipids from all stored samples increased constantly during storage. In all samples, the dark ground muscle exhibited a higher degree of oxidation than its light counterpart. Furthermore, heat-processed dark comminuted muscle oxidized faster than its raw counterpart while generally an opposite trend was observed for the light ground muscle.     

Phosphorus detection in vitrified bacteria by cryo‐STEM annular dark‐field analysis

Bacterial cells often contain dense granules. Among these, polyphosphate bodies (PPBs) store inorganic phosphate for a variety of essential functions. Identification of PPBs has until now been accomplished by analytical methods that required drying or chemically fixing the cells. These methods entail large electron doses that are incompatible with low‐dose imaging of cryogenic specimens. We show here that Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) of fully hydrated, intact, vitrified bacteria provides a simple means for mapping of phosphorus‐containing dense granules based on quantitative sensitivity of the electron scattering to atomic number. A coarse resolution of the scattering angles distinguishes phosphorus from the abundant lighter atoms: carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. The theoretical basis is similar to Z contrast of materials science. EDX provides a positive identification of phosphorus, but importantly, the method need not involve a more severe electron dose than that required for imaging. The approach should prove useful in general for mapping of heavy elements in cryopreserved specimens when the element identity is known from the biological context.     

VARIED ASSAYS FOR PSP TOXINS IN HEAT SHOCKED PHILIPPINE GREEN MUSSELS (PERNA VIRIDIS)

Toxin assays namely: the mouse bioassay, the receptor binding assay (RBA) and, the immuno-chromatography assay using MIST Alert™ rapid test kit were used to determine the concentrations of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins from untreated and heat shocked Philippine green mussels, Perna viridis contaminated with Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum. Toxin levels ranging from 4–15 μg STXeq/100 g sample were quantified in the mussel samples analyzed using RBA. Higher levels of PSP toxins at about 30 μg STX eq/100 g sample were recorded using mouse bioassay, which was attributed to interfering factors that could induce mouse death resulting in false positive reactions. The MIST Alert™ test kit showed positive reaction in the samples evaluated based on the reported average profile of PSP toxin analogues at about 40 μg STX eq/100 g sample. The test heat treatments did not elicit definitive change in the PSP toxin profiles of heat shocked mussels relative to the untreated samples.     

MULTIFACTORIAL STUDY OF HAZE FORMATION IN MODEL WINE SYSTEMS

A multifactorial design was used to study the role of protein (Pro), polyphenols (PP), sucrose (Suc), pectin (Pec), potassium (K), and pH in the formation of haze in wine. Model wines (32) containing two levels of each factor plus yeast and nutrients were made and allowed to ferment to 0 Brix. Measurements of transmission at 633 nm (%T) following heating showed that PP, Pro, Pro*PP, Pec, and PP*Pec were all significant factors affecting turbidity. Molecular weight and size determinations by size‐exclusion chromatography‐laser light scattering indicated that molecular weight depended on Suc*Pec, Pro*PP*pH, and Pro*Pec*pH while molecular radius depended on PP*Suc*Pec, Pro, PP*Pec, and Suc*pH. Measurement of protein after filtration showed that Pro, PP, Pro*PP, and Pro*PP*pH were all factors. Laser diffraction studies showed three primary peaks in the range 0.05 ‐ 800 μm. The smallest size range had Pro*pH as a significant factor, while the largest had Pec and Pro*K as factors. These results indicate that a variety of factors are important to haze formation and that measurement of particle size, distribution, and interactions depends upon the instrument used to measure it.     

DIFFUSION of LOW-MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS IN FOOD MODEL SYSTEMS

The diffusion of NaCl and isopropanol was studied in a matrix of pure gel and one containing either carbohydrates, proteins or fat using the concentration-distance method. Concentrations of NaCl were measured by conductivity, those of isopropanol by gas chromatography. Diffusion experiments have shown that the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient is in accordance with an Arrhenius approach.
Experimental and predicted diffusion coefficients didnot agree satisfactorily when only models of mere obstruction were considered. Including the effect of hydration by values obtained from pure gels, experimental diffusion coefficients range throughout between the calculated values of mere obstruction and those obtained from a mathematical combination of obstruction and maximum hydration.