High Moisture Extrusion of Oatmeal

Oats are considered to be a highly nutritious breakfast food available to consumers. Heightened consumer interest in functional food products and advances in human nutrition have led to increased levels of interest in the development of new oat based products (Webster and Wood 2011). Developments in technology have led to manufacturing of instant oatmeal, making the product more convenient to consumers. Low moisture extrusion processing is one of the most widely used methods to produce ready to eat breakfast cereals; however, there has been little research carried out to determine if high moisture extrusion methods would be viable. This study evaluated the economic and technical feasibility to utilize high moisture extrusion processing to produce ready to eat oatmeal. A process economics evaluation included measuring the capital requirements to implement the system, process costing to estimate the weighted average unit cost, and net present value of high moisture extrusion production. The capital expense was significantly high. However, the unit cost is comparable to similar products in the market. The net present value of implementing the technology revealed a significant profit over the course of 20 years. Six different technical experiments were performed using a twin screw extruder, each experiment testing for the effect of different extrusion variables on finished product texture. Reference texture data was measured using a control product currently made in the industry using an alternative batch process. The processing parameters which seemed to have the biggest influence on product quality were high rates of water injection, low feed rate, high reaction zone temperature, reduction of particle size, and the use of functional ingredients in the formula. Technical hurdles such as low dwell times, steam plugging, and inconsistent feeding prevented complete starch gelatinization and the steady state of extrusion. Overall, the high moisture methodology did not yield product quality that was consistent and cannot be recommended for use

Imbedding HACCP principles in dairy herd health and production management: case report on calf rearing

Driven by consumer demands, European legislation has suggested the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the quality risk management programme for the whole dairy chain. Until now, an exception has been made for primary producers, but as regulations evolve, on-farm HACCP-like programmes should be ready to assure food safety as well as animal health and animal welfare. In our field experiment, the HACCP-concept was used to combine both optimal farm management and formalisation of quality assurance in an on-farm situation in the Netherlands. The process of young stock rearing was chosen, since its importance for the future of the farm is often underestimated. Hazards and their associated risk factors can be controlled within the farm-specific standards and tolerances, as targets can be controlled by corrective measures and by implementation of farm-specific worksheets. The veterinarian is pivotal for the facility-based HACCP team, since he/she has knowledge about on-farm risk assessment and relations between clinical pathology, feed and farm management. The HACCP concept in combination with veterinary herd health and production management programmes offers a promising approach to optimise on-farm production processes (i.e., young stock rearing) in addition to a structural approach for quality risk management on dairy farms

New Product Development and Product Supply Within a Network Setting: The Case of the Chilled Ready-Meal Industry in the UK

This paper analyses inter-organizational networks that link together firms operating in the food processing and distribution industry in the UK. In doing so, the paper draws on insights recently developed by Mark Casson that treat inter-firm networks as an institutional response to the changing costs and opportunities of information management. Detailed analysis of product innovation and supply chain management issues within the industry, exemplified by the growth of chilled ready-meals, leads to the identification of two distinct but complementary inter-firm networks: a network of control and a network of innovation. In each case, the study finds that the critical information is derived from the retailers’ interface with consumers and thus that these information-based networks are effectively controlled by the leading supermarket chains. The study’s conclusions are considered in relation to the recent findings of the Competition Commission following its investigation into grocery retailing in the UK

Consumer-driven innovation networks and e-business management systems

This paper examines the use of consumer-driven innovation networks within the UK food-retailing industry using qualitative interview-based research analysed within an economic framework. This perspective revealed that, by exploiting information gathered directly from their customers at point-of-sale and data mining, supermarkets are able to identify consumer preferences and co-ordinate new product development via innovation networks. This has been made possible through their information control of the supply-chain established through the use of transparent inventory management systems. As a result, supermarkets’ e-business systems have established new competitive processes in the UK food-processing and retailing industry and are an example of consumer-driven innovation networks. The informant-based qualitative approach also revealed that trust-based transacting relationships operated differently from those previously described in the literature

Microbiological safety evaluation of snacks sold in fast food shops in Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria.

The microbial quality of snacks (ready to eat foods) sold in Ota, Ogun State was investigated. A total of 100 different samples from 3 vending sites namely, a University Cafeteria, a top class snacks bar and a local kiosk were analyzed for total aerobic plate count, coliform count and for specific pathogens and fungi. The University Cafeteria had mean total aerobic plate count and coliform count ranging from 1.1x103-3.0x104 and 1.0x102-2.2x103. The snacks bar had mean total aerobic plate count and coliform count ranging from 2.0x103-5.8 x 105 and 1.4x102 -1.8x105 while the local kiosk had mean total aerobic plate count and coliform count ranging from 2.1 x 103-5.4x105 and 1.0x102 -8.0 x 104 respectively. The fungal counts from the three sites are within 1.0 x102- 4.0x102. Six different bacterial and three fungal isolates were identified to include E. coli, S. aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus, Klebsiella spp, Pseudomonas spp and Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp and Mucor. The presence of E. coli and Enterococci which are indicator organisms call for concern. Adoption of good manufacturing practice and hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) are necessary to preventing occurrence of food borne illness

Sensory quality control in the chilled and frozen ready meal, soup and sauce sectors

This chapter discusses the use of sensory evaluation in the assurance of product quality within the food production sectors of ready meals, soups and sauces. The chapter methodically reviews typical food processing stages, from recipe development through to end product supply, and considers how sensory assessment methods can be utilised to help assure the quality of the end products within these selected High Risk Chilled Food sectors

Investigation of the Water-retaining Capacity of the Carbohydrate Complex of Rye-wheat Dough with Addition of Polyfunctional Food Supplement “Magnetofооd”

Today in Ukraine the share of low-quality bakery products is near 20–25 %, because they often don\u27t correspond to quality standards and sanitary norms, because of being produced of flour with low bakery properties. That is why new raw material sources, functional ingredients and so on are searched for in bread technologies. For using new raw material and food supplement types, it is necessary to know their functional-technological properties (FTP) that allows to prognosticate the behavior of powder-like raw materials and food supplements in food masses at technological processing and storage of ready products.The water-retaining capacity (WRC) is one of main functional-technological parameters of carbohydrate-containing raw materials, because it favors the outcome, structural-mechanical properties and quality characteristics of ready products.The authors introduced “Magnetofood” polyfunctional food supplement for increasing WRC of rye-wheat dough. For grounding the mechanism of forming supramolecular groups in carbohydrate food systems: Magnetofood-polysacharide-water, there was studied the influence of “Magnetofood” food supplement on processes of hydration, swelling and water-retention by rye-wheat starch and rye-wheat flour.It was established, that introduction of “Magnetofood” food supplement in rye-wheat starch and flour in amounts: 0,10; 0,15; 0,20 % to the mass of starch or flour increases swelling and water-retaining capacity (WRC) of starch and flour: swelling in 1,3–1,5 and 1,5–2,25 times, respectively; WRC in 1,10–1,15 and 1,1–1,3 times, respectively.The rational dose of “Magnetofood” food supplement – 0,15 % to the mass of dry raw material was experimentally set. There was studied the influence of “Magnetofood” food supplement on rheological properties of water suspensions of rye-wheat starch and flour at different temperatures and different speeds of shift.It was established, that adding “Magnetofood” in amount 0,15 % favors increasing the effective viscosity of suspensions of experimental samples of starch and flour at temperatures: (23±2) ºС and (40±2) ºС comparing with control samples in average by 29,0 % – for starch and by 22,0 % – for flour at 23 °С and by 16,0 % – for starch and by 10,0 % – for flour at 40 °С.There was studied the dynamics of changing viscosity of colloid solutions of starch and flour, enriched with “Magnetofood” in amount 0,15 % to the mass of dry raw material in the keeping process at different temperatures and shift speed 9 s-1.There was established the increase of viscosity of suspensions of rye-wheat starch and flour in the process of infusion (especially at adding “Magnetofood”) that is connected with continuing hydration and swelling process.It was demonstrated, that the temperature increase of the colloid system from (23±20) ° С to (40±2) °С favors the increase of its viscosity – both at the initial moment and in infusion process during 30 min in average by 20,0–25,0 % at the expanse of the aforesaid processes. Moreover, adding “Magnetofood” accelerates and intensifies the processes of swelling and hydration of experimental samples of rye-wheat starch and flour comparing with control ones.The received experimental data may be used at elaborating the technology of rye-wheat bread, enriched with “Magnetofood” food supplement; and also at elaborating innovative technologies of carbohydrate food systems.The results of this study may be used at elaborating recipes and technologies of carbohydrate-containing food products for increasing their viscosity, water-retaining and stabilizing capacities

Research of Influence of Potassium-rich Diets on the Physical Performance of Students

The aim of the work is the scientific substantiation and experimental support of the expedience and use of potassium-cationic water for improving the bread quality and the study of the influence of potassium-rich diets on the physical performance of students. There was studied the influence of potassium cations on the activity of proteolytic enzymes of wheat flour. It was established, that at using potassium-cationic water, the output of wet gluten (35,1 %) essentially increases, at that the output of dry one (8,4 %) decreases to the same extent that is a positive factor in the bakery technology. It was proved that enriching the vital medium of bakery yeast by potassium cations essentially activates their ability to hydrolysis of maltose that favors activation of the process of gassing (Maltase activity – 35,1 min). The process of gassing influences the speed of dough-conduction and ready bread quality, especially volume (357,7, 100 g/ml), porosity (79,1 %) and crumb ability to compression (33,5 c.u.). It was established, that consumption of bread, produced on potassium-cationic water, favors the strengthening of the heart muscle tone, improvement of the general condition of the organism, especially, physical endurance and performance