24 research outputs found
Investigation of extruded cereals enriched with plant by-products and their use in fermented beverage production
ArticleThe aim of the study was to analyse the quality of extruded cereals enriched with plant
by-products and to obtain fermented drinks from production rejects. Extrusion was performed
with co-rotating twin-screw extruder (compression ratio 8:1) at MILZU Ltd. from rye and oat
flour (80:20, control samples) with addition of apple (ABF), carrot (CBF) and pumpkin (PBF)
by-product flour in various amounts (10%, 15% and 20%). Naturally fermented kvass production
process was used for non-alcoholic fermented beverage production. Total dietary fibre (TDF),
textural properties and sensory features of extruded products after addition of by-products (BP)
were determined. Dry matter, active acidity and sensory properties were analysed in fermented
beverages. The obtained results showed a 12-55% increase in TDF of extruded cereals
(11.8 g 100 g
-1
) after addition of plant by-products. All extruded samples with BP showed lower
hardness levels than control (35.55 ± 2.95 N); samples with PBF were the least hard (P < 0.05).
Samples with the lowest bulk density were obtained by the addition of 10% and 15% PBF, and
15% CBF, whereas addition of apple by-product flour in all tested concentrations gave the
samples a higher bulk density compared to control. Highest taste and aftertaste scores using
5-point hedonic scale were given to samples with addition of 15% and 20% ABF, which also
showed high consumer acceptance. With regards to fermented drinks, the highest dry matter
content was found in PBF and ABF drink, 8.1 ± 0.1 and 7.0 ± 0.1, respectively. Sensory
evaluation of fermented beverages showed that the intensity of flavour, acidity and aroma was
most pronounced in sample with ABF, whereas colour was most pronounced in sample with PBF.
In order to reduce production costs, it is possible to use production rejects of extruded cereals
enriched with plant by-products to obtain new products
Effects of processing conditions on physical parameters of triticale flakes
ArticleConsumer interest in breakfast cereal flakes has increased during the last few years.
Various technologies, used to produce flakes, significantly influence their quality parameters and
shelf
-
life stab
ility.
The main purpose of the present research was to
investigate how different
processing methods affect the physical parameters of triticale flakes. For obtaining the flakes,
cleaned whole triticale grains were treated using the following technologies:
dry processing (hot
air), steam processing and soaking with subsequent steaming. For preparing the flakes different
kilning methods and traditional flaking rolls were used. Traditionally made rolled and dried
whole grain triticale flakes were analysed as
a control sample. Using standard methods, the
flakes’ moisture content, water activity, microstructure, swelling capacity and colour changes
were analysed. The gap settings of flake rollers do not influence significantly (
P
<
0.05) changes
of starch during processing. However, the starch granules were fully transformed into sugars in
the flake samples with greater thickness. Non
-
significant (
P
<
0.05) steaming and hot air drying
(toasting) conditions’ effects were observed on
the changes of the starch granules during
processing. Strong correlation was determined during the analysis of water activity and moisture
content. The moisture content of the ready
-
to
-
eat flakes varied from 2.54% to 10.66%, and the
water activity value
was from 0.108 to 0.494. Compared with traditionally processed flakes
(control sample) the colour of the flakes prepared using other technologies changed significantly,
the
E values varied from 9.587 to 18.554. The colour of the soaked
-
steamed
-
rolled
-
hot
air dried
samples was similar but those significantly differed from the colour of soaked
-
dried
-
rolled
-
hot
air dried flake samples. The soaked
-
dried
-
rolled
-
hot air dried flakes were darker compared with
other analysed flake samples
Sources of Information about Dietary Fibre: A Cross-Country Survey
Dietary fibre (DF) has been recognized as a major determinant for improvement of health. Hence the means of information through which people become aware of its benefits are crucial. This work aimed at studying the sources of information about DF, as a means to educate people about aspects related to healthy eating. Factors such as gender, level of education, living environment or country were evaluated as to their effect on the selection of sources and preferences. For this, a descriptive cross-sectional study by means of a questionnaire, applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 6010 participants from 10 countries in different continents (Europe, Africa and America), answered after informed consent by all participants. For the analysis were used several descriptive statistics tools, crosstabs and chi square test to assess the relations between some of the variables under study. The results showed that mostly the information about DF comes from the internet, but the participants recognize that television might be a most suitable way to disseminate information about DF. The results also indicated differences between genders, levels of education, living environments and countries. The internet, the preferred source of information, got highest scores for Hungary, for urban areas, for university level of education and for female gender. The radio, the least scored source of information, was preferred in Egypt, for men and with lower education (primary school). As a conclusion, people get information through the internet due to easy access. However, it is to some extent a risk given the impossibility to control de information made public on the internet. The role of health centers and hospitals as well as schools should definitely be increased, as a responsible way to ensure correct information
Level of information about dietary fibre: a study involving 10 Countries
Introduction: Dietary fibre (DF) is recognized as healthy for long, so that health claims are
allowed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) due to its proved benefits, extended but
not only confined to many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Objective: This work intended to analyse the level of information about DF in 10 countries,
situated in Europe, Africa and South America.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken through a survey based on a
questionnaire of self-response applied to a sample of 6010 participants. The data were lately
treated by factor and cluster analyses, including validation methodologies.
Results: Factor analysis showed that ten of the twelve items used to assess the knowledge about
DF could be arranged into two factors: one related to health effects (α =0.854) and the other to
the sources (α =0.644). Furthermore, cluster analysis showed that the participants could be
divided into three groups: 1) Good knowledge about sources and health effects of DF; 2) Good
knowledge about the sources of DF but poor knowledge about the health effects; 3) Poor
knowledge about the sources and health effects of DF. Conclusions: The results clearly allowed identifying two factors and three clusters, and the
variables that most influenced cluster membership were country, living environment and level
of education.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Happiness around the world: A combined etic-emic approach across 63 countries
What does it mean to be happy? The vast majority of cross-cultural studies on happiness have employed a Western-origin, or "WEIRD" measure of happiness that conceptualizes it as a self-centered (or "independent"), high-arousal emotion. However, research from Eastern cultures, particularly Japan, conceptualizes happiness as including an interpersonal aspect emphasizing harmony and connectedness to others. Following a combined emicetic approach (Cheung, van de Vijver & Leong, 2011), we assessed the cross-cultural applicability of a measure of independent happiness developed in the US (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999) and a measure of interdependent happiness developed in Japan (Interdependent Happiness Scale; Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015), with data from 63 countries representing 7 sociocultural regions. Results indicate that the schema of independent happiness was more coherent in more WEIRD countries. In contrast, the coherence of interdependent happiness was unrelated to a country's "WEIRD-ness." Reliabilities of both happiness measures were lowest in African and Middle Eastern countries, suggesting these two conceptualizations of happiness may not be globally comprehensive. Overall, while the two measures had many similar correlates and properties, the self-focused concept of independent happiness is "WEIRD-er" than interdependent happiness, suggesting cross-cultural researchers should attend to both conceptualizations