Food Science and Technology

Polarised light stress analysis and laser scatter imaging for non-contact inspection of heat seals in food trays

by Michael Barnes

Pre-publication paper co-authored with Mike Dudbridge and Tom Duckett

This paper introduces novel non-contact methods for detecting faults in heat seals of food packages. Two alternative... more This paper introduces novel non-contact methods for detecting faults in heat seals of food packages. Two alternative imaging technologies are investigated; laser scatter imaging and polarised light stress images. After segmenting the seal area from the rest of the respective image, a classifier is trained to detect faults in different regions of the seal area using features extracted from the pixels in the respective region. A very large set of candidate features, based on statistical information relating to the colour and texture of each region, is first extracted. Then an adaptive boosting algorithm (AdaBoost) is used to automatically select the best features for discriminating faults from non-faults. With this approach, different features can be selected and optimised for the different imaging methods. In experiments we compare the performance of classifiers trained using features extracted from laser scatter images only, polarised light stress images only, and a combination of both image types. The results show that the polarised light and laser scatter classifiers achieved accuracies of 96% and 90%, respectively, while the combination of both sensors achieved an accuracy of 95%. These figures suggest that both systems have potential for commercial development.

Investigation of Shelf Life of Potency and Activity of the Lactobacilli Produced Bacteriocins Through Their Exposure to Various Physicochemical Stress Factors

by Myrto-Panagiota Zacharof

published in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins
2012, DOI: 10.1007/s12602-012-9102-2 by Springer

Three Lactobacilli strains, Lactobacillus casei NCIMB 11970, Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8014, Lactobacillus lactis... more Three Lactobacilli strains, Lactobacillus casei NCIMB 11970, Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8014, Lactobacillus lactis NCIMB 8586 have been used for the production of bacteriocins. Though, their production phase, their biochemical nature, their mode of activity even their genetic structure have been widely investigated, there are hardly any studies investigating their potency and activity in depth of time, in other words their shelf life under several physicochemical conditions that may occur during their production in large scale. As such, the effect of several factors influencing the activity and the potency of bacteriocins when produced in large scale was examined as due to bacteriocins peptide nature degradation or denaturation might occur, under extreme physicochemical conditions. During scale-up process, differences between the output data may occur, such as concerning biomass, metabolic by-products and limiting substrate concentrations. These may affect negatively the activity and the potency of the bacteriocins. For investigating these effects and minimizing them, numerous studies were conducted, which were related to the exact phase of the production of these substances, the effect of dilution and temperature changes. These studies could be used in order to minimize the scaling-up effect when decided to produce these peptides in large scale.

L’impotenza del mostro

by antonio caronia

Pubblicato in: "Desiderio del mostro", a cura di Ubaldo Fadini, Antonio Negri, Charles T. Wolfe, Manifestolibri, Roma 2001.

"Tutti vediamo in televisione gli immigrati sporchi e inebetiti che sbarcano sulle nostre coste, ma nessuno vede... more "Tutti vediamo in televisione gli immigrati sporchi e inebetiti che sbarcano sulle nostre coste, ma nessuno vede via Corelli. Non che il mostro oggi non possa più ribellarsi, ma può farlo solo se al contempo costruisce le possibilità stesse del suo rendersi soggetto: cosa che la creatura di Frankenstein non aveva bisogno di fare, perché lo costituiva come tale già la sua origine blasfema e lo sguardo inorridito del bravo cittadino."

The Perfect Solution: How Trans Fats Became the Healthy Replacement for Saturated Fats

by David Schleifer

David Schleifer. 2012 “The Perfect Solution: How Trans Fats Became the Healthy Replacement for Saturated Fats.” Technology and Culture 53(1): 94-119.

Trans fats became part of the American food system due to a complex interplay among activism, industrial technology,... more Trans fats became part of the American food system due to a complex interplay among activism, industrial technology, and nutritional science. Some manufacturers began using partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, in the early twentieth century. Medical authorities began framing saturated fats as unhealthy in the 1950s. In the 1980s, activist organizations, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, condemned food corporations’ use of saturated fats and endorsed trans fats as an acceptable alternative. Nearly all targeted corporations responded by replacing saturated fats with trans fats, which fit easily into their existing products. Trans fats thus became the perfect solution to the political problem of saturated fats and to the technical problem of what to use in their place. Activists helped precipitate technological change, but by 1994, trans fats were no longer regarded as a solution. Instead, they became regarded as a new nutritional problem.

Evaluasi Mutu Cookies Garut yang digunakan pada Program Pemberian Makanan Tambahan (PMT) untuk Ibu Hamil - FULL

by Steisianasari Mileiva

FULL REPORT -- Undergraduate Thesis

Pada program PMT South East Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (SEAFAST) Center, diberikan makanan... more Pada program PMT South East Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (SEAFAST) Center, diberikan makanan tambahan yang telah difortifikasi zat-zat gizi yang penting bagi ibu hamil. Salah satu makanan tambahan yang diberikan adalah cookies garut yang difortifikasi dengan zat besi (Fe), seng (Zn), iodium (I), vitamin A, vitamin C, dan asam folat.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi mutu cookies garut yang digunakan dalam program pemberian makanan tambahan untuk ibu hamil; meliputi perbedaan karakteristik fungsional, organoleptik, dan umur simpan Cookies Non Fortifikasi (CNF) dan Cookies Fortifikasi (CF). Sasaran yang ingin dicapai adalah diperolehnya hasil evaluasi mutu dari CNF dan CF.

Manfaat dari penelitian ini adalah memberikan gambaran nyata tentang mutu cookies garut yang digunakan pada program PMT untuk ibu hamil sehingga dapat dievaluasi kontribusi produk tersebut dalam upaya peningkatan status kesehatan kelompok target.

Using the Microwaves to create ICISS as Method for Completely Extracting the Terrestrial Snail’s Flesh out of Shell (Cornu aspersum and Helix pomatia) while Inhibiting Animal’s Nervous System to Reduce Pain

by Adrian Toader-Williams

snail slaughter, hepatopancreas, cochilie, sacrificare, microunde, meat bone separation, intimate contact induced surface separation, animal protection, animal rights, natural rights, natural economy,

A novel method it was conceived as to quickly inhibit snails’ nervous system in order to reduce pain and suffering and... more A novel method it was conceived as to quickly inhibit snails’ nervous system in order to reduce pain and suffering and to facilitate the complete meat removal from the shell, Fig.1. The snails have been introduced into a microwave oven Vortex R, model WD800L20-8, capable to generate 800W of microwave power at 2450 MHz frequency. Using the oven set on medium by trial and error the optimum times for snails’ slaughter was found, Fig.2.  The snails’ nervous system is being inhibited within the first 2-3 seconds of exposure to microwave, as they did not respond to tactile touches using sharp needles. The nervous system is being affected by the change in temperature as well by the non-thermal effects,, also states in their work Orendacova et all, (2007). },

Decentering Biotechnology book review

by David Schleifer

Schleifer, David. 2011. Review of "Decentering Biotechnology: Assemblages Built and Assemblages Masked." Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews 40:695-697.

Review of "Decentering Biotechnology: Assemblages Built and Assemblages Masked," by Michael S. Carolan... more Review of "Decentering Biotechnology: Assemblages Built and Assemblages Masked," by Michael S. Carolan Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010. 188pp. $89.95 cloth. ISBN: 9781409410058.

Clarifying sustainable food technology futures through technacy genre theory

by Kurt Seemann

The Effect of Different Atomizing Gases and Drying Media on the Crystallization Behaviour of Spray-Dried Powders

by Md Imtiaz Ul Islam

M.I.U. Islam, T.A.G. Langrish (2010) The Effect of Different Atomizing Gases and Drying Media on the Crystallization Behaviour of Spray-Dried Powders, Drying Technology, Volume 28, Issue 9, Page 1035-1043.

Alpha-amylase activity of tannin isolated from Terminalia chebula

by Dr. Goutam Thakur

Sutapa Mukherjee, Analava Mitra, Satyahari Dey, Goutam Thakur, IEEE Xplore, 443-445 (2010)

One important therapeutic approach for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is by decreasing the postprandial... more One important therapeutic approach for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is by decreasing the postprandial increase of glucose. This is possible by inhibiting certain carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes like alpha-amylase. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of tannins isolated from the alcoholic extract of fruits of Terminalia chebula was evaluated for the first time with porcine pancreatic amylase and potato starch as substrate. The result indicated that highest inhibition (52%) was obtained at the concentration of l00 microgram/ml of tannins extracted from the fruits. The result was comparable to that of Acarbose which is a very effective antidiabetic agent.

“Heat Induced Deposit Formation and its Relationship to Heat Stability in a Blend of Recombined and Fresh Milk”, Journal of Dairy Research, United Kingdom(1986) 53, pp. 323-328

by DR. RAKESH MOHAN JOSHI

“Influence of Stabilising Salts on the Viscosity of Recombined Milk Blended with Fresh Milk”, Japanese Journal of Dairy and Food Science, Japan (1987) 36 (1) A, pp. 21.23

by DR. RAKESH MOHAN JOSHI

Buczkowski, B., Brennan, C., Li,W. and Kershaw, J. (2010) Sourdough breads enriched in soluble fibres: a research note, Advances in Food, Tourism and Hospitality, 1(3), 49-52.

by Bartosz Buczkowski

Buczkowski, B., Li, W., Kershaw, J. and Brennan, C. (2011) Properties of sourdoughs containing hydrocolloids as soluble dietary fibre. Proceedings of Cereal & Europe Spring Meeting. Munich; Technische Universität München.

by Bartosz Buczkowski

Buczkowski, B., Li, W., Kershaw, J. and Brennan, C. (2011) Physico-chemical properties of sourdoughs and sourdough breads enriched with soluble fibre. Proceedings of Annual Research Student Conference. Manchester; Manchester Metropolitan University.

by Bartosz Buczkowski

Buczkowski, B., Li, W., Kershaw, J. and Brennan, C. (2011) Hydrocolloids as a source of soluble dietary fibre in sourdough breads. Proceedings of Research Institute for Health and Social Change Annual Conference. Manchester; Manchester Metropolitan University.

by Bartosz Buczkowski

Development of the tea industry in Thailand

by Terry Commins

Asian Journal of Food and Agro-Industry

Tea is emerging as an economically important crop in Thailand and is earning a significant share of the beverage... more Tea is emerging as an economically important crop in Thailand and is earning a significant share of the beverage market. This paper attempts to explain in simple terms how tea came about, what is involved in tea cultivation, processing and marketing, as well as point the way for what might be done in support of the industry.

Median age difference of references as indicator of information update of research groups: A case study in Spanish food research

by Carlos Benito Amat

With A Yegros Yegros. Published in Scientometrics, Volume 78, Number 3, 447-465, March 2009

Median age difference (D) is obtained by subtracting median value of the age distribution of references of a... more Median age difference (D) is obtained by subtracting median value of the age distribution of references of a scientific paper from citing half life of the journal that published it. Such an indicator can be related to the state of knowledge of research groups and can show some interesting properties: 1) it must be related with the incorporation of information pieces in an informal way, say the rate of self-citations; 2) it must follow the natural tendency of the groups towards a progressively updated state of knowledge, and 3) more productive groups will tend to use more recent information. These natural hypotheses have been investigated using a medium sized Spanish institution devoted to Food Research as a case study. Scientific output comprised 439 papers published in SCI journals between 1999 and 2004 by 16 research teams. Their 14,617 references were analyzed. Variables studied were number of published papers by every team, number of authors per paper, number of references per paper, type of documents cited, self citation rate and chronological range of reference lists.
Number of authors per paper ranged between 1 and 15. The most frequent value (N = 128) was 3 authors. Average number of authors per paper is 4.03 (SD = 1.74). Mean number of references per paper (including review papers) is 33.3 (SD= 17.39) with slight differences between the groups. Mean self-citation rate was 13.72 % (SD = 11.7). The greatest chronological range was 119 years; half of all ranges was 30 years and the general mean for this variable was 33.34 years (SD = 16.34). D values were associated with self-citation rate and a negative relationship between D and chronological range of references was also found. Nevertheless, correlation figures were too small to reach sound conclusions about the effect of these variables. Number of references per paper, number of contributing authors and number of papers published by each team were not associated with D.
D values can discriminate between groups managing updated information and delayed research teams. Publication delay affects D figures. Discontinuity of research lines, heterogeneity of research fields and the short time lapse studied could have some influence on the results of the study. It is suggested that a great coverage is needed to evaluate properly D figures as indicators of information update of research groups.

Editorial delay of food research papers is influenced by authors' experience but not by country of origin of the manuscripts

by Carlos Benito Amat

With A Yegros Yegros. Published in Scientometrics, 81 (2): 367-380 November 2009

Editorial delay, the time between submission and acceptance of scientific manuscripts, was investigated for a set of... more Editorial delay, the time between submission and acceptance of scientific manuscripts, was investigated for a set of 4,540 papers published in 13 leading food research journals. Groups of accelerated papers were defined as those that fell in the lower quartile of the distribution of the editorial delay for the journals investigated. Delayed papers are those in the upper quartile of the distribution. Editorial stage is related to the peer review process and two variables were investigated in search of any bias in editorial review that could influence publication delay: countries of origin of the manuscript and authors’ previous publishing experience in the same journal. A ranking of countries was established based on contributions to the leading food research journals in the period 1999–2004 and four categories comprising heavy, medium, light and occasional country producers was established. Chi square tests show significant differences in country provenance of manuscripts only for one journal. The results for influence on editorial delay of cross-national research and international collaboration, conducted by means of the Fisher statistic test, were similar. A two-tailed Student’s t test shows significant differences (p<0.05) in the distribution of experienced and novel authors across the delayed and accelerated groups of papers. Although these results are time and discipline limited, it can be concluded that authors’ publishing experience causes a faster review and acceptance of their papers and that neither country of provenance nor cross-national research influence the time involved in editorial acceptance of the papers.

Natural antimicrobial proteins: a review of current challenges and solutions for food applications

by Terry Commins

Asian Journal of Food and Agro-Industry

There has been growing interest in the use of antimicrobial proteins; lactoferrin, lysozyme, nisin, lactoperoxidase... more There has been growing interest in the use of antimicrobial proteins; lactoferrin, lysozyme, nisin, lactoperoxidase systems and their derivatives as an alternative of non-thermal food preservation methods. However, the potential of these proteins in food suffers from the major disadvantage of their being intercepted by other food components that could interact with the proteins themselves, the oxidation products or with their targets, the extent of which depends on the protein modes of action and chemical composition of the food. To ensure their effectiveness in or on food, the proteins are immobilized inside microcapsules or in the matrix of polymers, or used in combination with other preservatives and treatments.