Abstract: Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is a popular herb used in
many regions, including Baltic countries. Dill is widely used for
flavoring foods and beverages due to its pleasant spicy aroma. The
aim of this work was to determine the best blanching method for
processing of dill prior to microwave vacuum drying based on
sensory properties, color and volatile compounds in dried product.
Two blanching mediums were used – water and steam, and for part of
samples microwave pretreatment was additionally used. Evaluation of
dried dill volatile aroma compounds, color changes and sensory
attributes was performed. Results showed that blanching significantly
influences the quality of dried dill. After evaluation of volatile aroma
compounds, color and sensory properties of microwave vacuum dried
dill, as the best method for dill pretreatment was established
blanching at 90 °C for 30 s.
Abstract: The determination of sugars in foods is very
significant. Their relation in fact, can affect the chemical and
sensorial quality of the matrix (e.g., sweetness, pH, total acidity,
microbial stability, global acceptability) and can provide information
on food to optimize several selected technological processes. Three
stages of ripeness (green, yellow and red) of tomatoes (Lycopersicon
Esculentum cv. Elegance) at different harvest dates were evaluated.
Fruit from all harvests were exposed to different of ozone doses
(0.25, 0.50 and 1 mg O3/g tomatoes) and clean air for 5 day at 15
°C±2 and 90-95 % relative humidity. Then, fruits were submitted for
extraction and analysis after a day from the finish of exposure of each
stage. The concentrations of the glucose and fructose increased in the
tomatoes which were subjected to ozone treatments.
Abstract: Nowadays there is a growing environmental concern
and the business communities have slowly started recognising
environmental protection and sustainable utilization of natural
resources into their marketing strategies. This paper discusses the
various Ecolabeling and Certification Systems developed world
over to regulate and introduce Fair Trade in Ornamental Fish
Industry. Ecolabeling and green certification are considered as part
of these strategies implemented partly out of compulsion from the
National and International Regulatory Bodies and Environmental
Movements. All the major markets of ornamental fishes like
European Union, USA and Japan have started putting restrictions on
the trade to impose ecolabeling as a non tariff barrier like the one
imposed on seafood and aqua cultured products. A review was done
on the available Ecolabeling and Green Certification Schemes
available at local, national and international levels for fisheries
including aquaculture and ornamental fish trade and to examine the
success and constraints faced by these schemes during its
implementation. The primary downside of certification is the
multiplicity of ecolabels and cost incurred by applicants for
certification, costs which may in turn be passed on to consumers.
The studies reveal serious inadequacies in a number of ecolabels
and cast doubt on their overall contribution to effective fisheries
management and sustainability. The paper also discusses the
inititive taken in India to develop guidelines for Green Certification
of Fresh water ornamental fishes.
Abstract: Supply chain management has become more
challenging with the emerging trend of globalization and
sustainability. Lately, research related to perishable products supply
chains, in particular agricultural food products, has emerged. This is
attributed to the additional complexity of managing this type of
supply chains with the recently increased concern of public health,
food quality, food safety, demand and price variability, and the
limited lifetime of these products. Inventory management for agrifood
supply chains is of vital importance due to the product
perishability and customers- strive for quality. This paper
concentrates on developing a simulation model of a real life case
study of a two echelon production-distribution system for agri-food
products. The objective is to improve a set of performance measures
by developing a simulation model that helps in evaluating and
analysing the performance of these supply chains. Simulation results
showed that it can help in improving overall system performance.
Abstract: Antimicrobial (AM) starch-based films were
developed by incorporating chitosan and lauric acid as antimicrobial
agent into starch-based film. Chitosan has wide range of applications
as a biomaterial, but barriers still exist to its broader use due to its
physical and chemical limitations. In this work, a series of
starch/chitosan (SC) blend films containing 8% of lauric acid was
prepared by casting method. The structure of the film was
characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Xray
diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The results indicated that there were strong interactions were present
between the hydroxyl groups of starch and the amino groups of
chitosan resulting in a good miscibility between starch and chitosan
in the blend films. Physical properties and optical properties of the
AM starch-based film were evaluated. The AM starch-based films
incorporated with chitosan and lauric acid showed an improvement in
water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and addition of starch
content provided more transparent films while the yellowness of the
film attributed to the higher chitosan content. The improvement in
water barrier properties was mainly attributed to the hydrophobicity
of lauric acid and optimum chitosan or starch content. AM starch
based film also showed excellent oxygen barrier. Obtaining films
with good oxygen permeability would be an indication of the
potential use of these antimicrobial packaging as a natural packaging
and an alternative packaging to the synthetic polymer to protect food
from oxidation reactions
Abstract: Vinegar or sour wine is a product of alcoholic and
subsequent acetous fermentation of sugary precursors derived from
several fruits or starchy substrates. This delicious food additive and
supplement contains not less than 4 grams of acetic acid in 100 cubic
centimeters at 20°C. Among the large number of bacteria that are
able to produce acetic acid, only few genera are used in vinegar
industry most significant of which are Acetobacter and
Gluconobacter. In this research we isolated and identified an
Acetobacter strain from Iranian apricot, a very delicious and sensitive
summer fruit to decay, we gathered from fruit's stores in Isfahan,
Iran. The main culture media we used were Carr, GYC, Frateur and
an industrial medium for vinegar production. We isolated this strain
using a novel miniature fermentor we made at Pars Yeema
Biotechnologists Co., Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT),
Isfahan, Iran. The microscopic examinations of isolated strain from
Iranian apricot showed gram negative rods to cocobacilli. Their
catalase reaction was positive and oxidase reaction was negative and
could ferment ethanol to acetic acid. Also it showed an acceptable
growth in 5%, 7% and 9% ethanol concentrations at 30°C using
modified Carr media after 24, 48 and 96 hours incubation
respectively. According to its tolerance against high concentrations of
ethanol after four days incubation and its high acetic acid production,
8.53%, after 144 hours, this strain could be considered as a suitable
industrial strain for a production of a new type of vinegar, apricot
vinegar, with a new and delicious taste. In conclusion this is the first
report of isolation and identification of an Acetobacter strain from
Iranian apricot with a very good tolerance against high ethanol
concentrations as well as high acetic acid productivity in an
acceptable incubation period of time industrially. This strain could be
used in vinegar industry to convert apricot spoilage to a beneficiary
product and mentioned characteristics have made it as an amenable
strain in food and agricultural biotechnology.
Abstract: The study of soil for agriculture purposes has
remained the main focus of research since the beginning of civilization as humans- food related requirements remained closely linked with the soil. The study of soil has generated an interest
among the researchers for very similar other reasons including transmission, reflection and refraction of signals for deploying
wireless underground sensor networks or for the monitoring of objects on (or in ) soil in the form of better understanding of soil
electromagnetic characteristics properties. The moisture content has
been very instrumental in such studies as it decides on the resistance of the soil, and hence the attenuation on signals traveling through soil
or the attenuation the signals may suffer upon their impact on soil. This work is related testing and characterizing a measurement circuit
meant for the detection of moisture level content in soil.
Abstract: This paper presents the generation of bipolar square
wave pulses with characteristics that are suitable for liquid food
sterilization using a Cascaded H-bridge Multilevel Inverter (CHMI).
Bipolar square waves pulses have been reported as stable for a
longer time during the sterilization process with minimum heat
emission and increased efficiency. The CHMI allows the system to
produce bipolar square wave pulses and yielding high output voltage
without using a transformer while fulfilling the pulse requirements
for effective liquid food sterilization. This in turn can reduce power
consumption and cost of the overall liquid food sterilization system.
The simulation results have shown that pulses with peak output
voltage of 2.4 kV, pulse width of between 1 2s and 1 ms at
frequencies of 50 Hz and 100 Hz can be generated by a 7-level
CHMI. Results from the experimental set-up based on a 5-level
CHMI has indicated the potential of the proposed circuit in
producing bipolar square wave output pulses with peak values that
depends on the DC source level supplied to the CHMI modules,
pulse width of between 12.5 2s and 1 ms at frequencies of 50 Hz
and 100 Hz.
Abstract: The study aimed to investigate the effect of rice types on chewing behaviours (chewing time, number of chews, and portion size) and bolus properties (bolus moisture content, solid loss, and particle size distribution (PSD)) in human subjects. Five cooked rice types including brown rice (BR), white rice (WR), parboiled white rice (PR), high amylose white rice (HR) and waxy white rice (WXR) were chewed by six subjects. The chewing behaviours were recorded and the food boluses were collected during mastication. Rice typeswere found to significantly influence all chewing parameters evaluated. The WXR and BR showed the most pronounced differences compared with other rice types. The initial moisture content of un-chewed WXR was lowest (43.39%) whereas those of other rice types were ranged from 66.86 to 70.33%. The bolus obtained from chewing the WXR contained lowest moisture content (56.43%) whilst its solid loss (22.03%) was not significant different from those of all rice types. In PSD evaluation using Mastersizer S, the diameter of particles measured was ranged between 4 to 3500 μm. The particle size of food bolus from BR, HR, and WXR contained much finer particles than those of WR and PR.
Abstract: Wheat germ has a balanced amino acid composition of the protein, which is well digested by enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract of humans, a high content of vitamins, minerals and unsaturated acids. Introduction components grain food products will enrich their biologically important substances, giving these products a number of valuable properties and reducing their caloric.
A complex natural system of substances in foods will help replenish the body's need of essential nutrients, increasing its resistance to the harmful effects of the environment, prolong life. In this regard, there was a need for the development of production technology of protein complexes from wheat germ and then applying them in food, particularly in the dairy industry. Experimental studies were conducted to determine the number of herbal supplements on the sensory characteristics of the product. Studies have been conducted to determine the optimal process parameters of water activity and moisture content of the investigational product.
Abstract: The use of sewage sludge and effluents from
wastewater treatment plants for irrigation of agricultural lands is on
the rise particularly in peri-urban areas of developing countries.
The reuse of nutrients and organic matter in treated wastewater
and sewage sludge via land application is a desirable goal. However,
trace or heavy metals present in sludge pose the risk of human or
phytotoxicity from land application. Long-term use of sewage
sludge, heavy metals can accumulate to phytotoxic levels and results
in reduced plants growth and/or enhanced metal concentrations in
plants, which consumed by animals then enter the food chain. In this
research, the amount of heavy metals was measured in plants
irrigated with wastewater and sludge application. For this purpose,
three pilots were made in a Shush treatment plant in south of Tehran.
Three plants species, spinach, lettuce and radish were selected and
planted in the pilots.First pilot was irrigated just with wastewater of
treatment plant and second pilot was irrigated with wastewater and
sludge application .Third pilot was irrigated with simulated heavy
metals solution equal 50 years of irrigation. The results indicate that
the average of amount of heavy metals Pb, Cd in three plant species
in first pilot were lower than permissible limits .In second pilot,
Cadmium accumulations are high in three species plants and more
than the standard limits. Concentration of Cd , Pb have exceed their
permitted limits in plants in third pilot . It was concluded that the use
of wastewater and sludge application in agricultural lands enriched
soils with heavy metals to concentrations that may pose potential
environmental and health risks in the long-term.
Abstract: Microbial contamination, most of which are fecal born in drinking water and food industry is a serious threat to humans. Escherichia coli is one of the most common and prevalent among them. We have developed a sensor for rapid and an early detection of contaminants, taking E.coli as a threat indicator organism. The sensor is based on co-polymerizations of aniline and formaldehyde in form of thin film over glass surface using the vacuum deposition technique. The particular doping combination of thin film with Fe-Al and Fe-Cu in different concentrations changes its non conducting properties to p- type semi conductor. This property is exploited to detect the different contaminants, believed to have the different surface charge. It was found through experiments that different microbes at same OD (0.600 at 600 nm) have different conductivity in solution. Also the doping concentration is found to be specific for attracting microbes on the basis of surface charge. This is a simple, cost effective and quick detection method which not only decreases the measurement time but also gives early warnings for highly contaminated samples.
Abstract: The usefulness of weaning foods to meet the nutrient
needs of children is well recognized, and most of them are precooked
roller dried mixtures of cereal and/or legume flours which posses a
high viscosity and bulk when reconstituted. The objective of this study
was to formulate composite weaning foods using cereals, malted
legumes and vegetable powders and analyze them for nutrients,
functional properties and sensory attributes. Selected legumes (green
gram and lentil) were germinated, dried and dehulled. Roasted wheat,
rice, carrot powder and skim milk powder also were used. All the
ingredients were mixed in different proportions to get four
formulations, made into 30% slurry and dried in roller drier. The
products were analyzed for proximate principles, mineral content,
functional and sensory qualities. The results of analysis showed
following range of constituents per 100g of formulations on dry
weight basis, protein, 18.1-18.9 g ; fat, 0.78-1.36 g ; iron, 5.09-6.53
mg; calcium, 265-310 mg. The lowest water absorption capacity was
in case of wheat green gram based and the highest was in rice lentil
based sample. Overall sensory qualities of all foods were graded as
“good" and “very good" with no significant differences. The results
confirm that formulated weaning foods were nutritionally superior,
functionally appropriate and organoleptically acceptable.
Abstract: The main aims in this research are to study the solid
waste generation in the Faculty of Engineering and Built
Environment in the UKM and at the same time to determine
composition and some of the waste characteristics likewise: moisture
content, density, pH and C/N ratio. For this purpose multiple
campaigns were conducted to collect the wastes produced in all
hostels, faculties, offices and so on, during 24th of February till 2nd
of March 2009, measure and investigate them with regard to both
physical and chemical characteristics leading to highlight the
necessary management policies. Research locations are Faculty of
Engineering and the Canteen nearby that. From the result gained, the
most suitable solid waste management solution will be proposed to
UKM. The average solid waste generation rate in UKM is 203.38
kg/day. The composition of solid waste generated are glass, plastic,
metal, aluminum, organic and inorganic waste and others waste.
From the laboratory result, the average moisture content, density, pH
and C/N ratio values from the solid waste generated are 49.74%,
165.1 kg/m3, 5.3, and 7:1 respectively. Since, the food waste (organic
waste) were the most dominant component, around 62% from the
total waste generated hence, the most suitable solid waste
management solution is composting.
Abstract: This paper presents a cold chain monitoring system which focuses on assessment of quality and dynamic pricing information about food in cold chain. Cold chain is composed of many actors and stages; however it can be seen as a single entity since a breakdown in temperature control at any stage can impact the final quality of the product. In a cold chain, the shelf life, quality, and safety of perishable food throughout the supply chain is greatly impacted by environmental factors especially temperature. In this paper, a prototype application is implemented to retrieve timetemperature history, the current quality and the dynamic price setting according to changing quality impacted by temperature fluctuations in real-time.
Abstract: This research aimed to study on the potential of
recycling organic waste in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University as
compost. In doing so, the composition of solid waste generated in the
campus was investigated while physical and chemical properties of
organic waste were analyzed in order to evaluate the portion of waste
suitable for recycling as compost. As a result of the study, it was
found that (1) the amount of organic waste was averaged at 299.8
kg/day in which mixed food wastes had the highest amount of 191.9
kg/day followed by mixed leave & yard wastes and mixed fruit &
vegetable wastes at the amount of 66.3 and 41.6 kg/day respectively;
(2) physical and chemical properties of organic waste in terms of
moisture content was between 69.54 to 78.15%, major elements for
plant as N, P and K were 0.14 to 0.17%, 0.46 to 0.52% and 0.16 to
0.18% respectively, and carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N) was about 15:1
to 17.5:1; (3) recycling organic waste as compost was designed by
aerobic decomposition using mixed food wastes : mixed leave & yard
wastes : mixed fruit & vegetable wastes at the portion of 3:2:1 by
weight in accordance with the potential of their amounts and their
physical and chemical properties.
Abstract: This paper deals with the status of solid waste pollution in touristic spots of North coastal Andhra Pradesh. Case studies of Eco tourism, cultural tourism and pilgrim tourism are elaborately discussed and the study is based on both primary and secondary data. Data collection includes field collection of solid waste, semi structured interviews and observation of tourists. Results indicate generation of 72% Non biodegradable material in Eco touristic places like RK beach Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley. Pydithalli Jathra is a famous cultural touristic attraction and more than one lakh people converge here. The solid waste at this spot includes 20% coconut shells, 50% plastic bottles and covers, 20% Banana peelings and remaining are food materials. Radhasapthami is the most important festival celebrated at famous sun temple Arasavalli of Srikakulam. Here solid waste includes 50% water bottles, plastic covers, 10% papers, 10% hair, 30% left out food material and Banana peelings.
Abstract: This research focuses on micro-enterprise of
Malaysian Malays that are involved in very small-scaled business
activities. Among them include food stall and burger stall operators,
night market hawkers, grocery store operators as well as construction
and small service activities works. The study seeks to explore why
some micro-entrepreneurs still lag in entrepreneurship and what
needs to be rectified. This quantitative study is conducted on 173
Malay micro-enterprise owners (MEOs) and 58 Malay failed microenterprise
owners (FMEOs) involved in all range of businesses
throughout the state of Perak, Malaysia. The main aims are to
identify the gaps between the failed micro-enterprise owners
(FMEOs) and existing micro-enterprise owners (MEOs) and the
problems faced among FMEOs. The results reveal that the MEOs had
strong motivations and better marketing approaches as compared to
FMEOs. Furthermore, the FMEOs failed in the business ventures
mainly due to lack of management, sales and marketing skills and
poor competitive abilities to keep up with rivals.
Abstract: Spray chilling using air-mist nozzles has received
much attention in the food processing industry because of the
benefits it has shown over forced air convection. These benefits
include an increase in the heat transfer coefficient and a reduction in
the water loss by the product during cooling. However, few studies
have simulated the heat transfer and aerodynamics phenomena of the
air-mist chilling process for optimal operating conditions. The study
provides insight into the optimal conditions for spray impaction, heat
transfer efficiency and control of surface flooding. A computational
fluid dynamics model using a two-phase flow composed of water
droplets injected with air is developed to simulate the air-mist
chilling of food products. The model takes into consideration
droplet-to-surface interaction, water-film accumulation and surface
runoff. The results of this study lead to a better understanding of the
heat transfer enhancement, water conservation, and to a clear
direction for the optimal design of air-mist chilling systems that can
be used in commercial applications in the food and meat processing
industries.
Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) technology in food
production continued to generate controversies. Consumers were
concerned with the GM foods about the healthy and environmental
risks. While consumers- acceptance was a critical factor affecting how
widely this technology be used. According to the research review,
consumers- lack of information was one of the reasons to explain
consumers- low acceptance toward GM foods. The objective for this
study wanted to find out would informative product package affect
consumers- behavior toward GM foods. An experiment was designed
to investigate consumer behavior toward different product package
information. The results indicated that the product package
information influenced consumer product trust toward GM foods.
Compared with the traceability production system information, the
information about the GM rice was approved by authorized
organizations could increase consumers product trust in GM foods.
Consumers in Taiwan saw the information provided by authorized
organizations more credible than other information.