Bioactive Labels for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Pesticide residues and microbial load on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables becomes a major concern due to the safety and quality of these products for consumer.In order to minimize these risk factors (pesticide residues and microbial load), were achieved labels for fruits and vegetables that are consumed with shell which disintegrates under the influence of water jet and thus reduce the amount of these contaminants. Were elaborated labels based on polymer (chitosan) at a concentration of 2%, which incorporate bioactive compounds from green tea with potential decontaminant of the peel of this products. Green tea extract was obtained by infusing 1 g of dried green tea in 100 ml water at 80° C for 10 minutes. The extract was filtered and then mixed with 2 g chitosan acidified with 0.7% glacial acetic acid and dilute to the mark with distilled water. Were identified bioactive compounds from green tea, using UV-VIS and HPLC. Then were elaborated the labels. These tags were used on pepper, tomato, apple and  nectarine. Were quantified the microbial load and the pesticide residues on their surface unwashed, washed only with water and were monitored the influence of labels on these factors. Identified pesticides were mefenoxan and thiamethoxam, which were quantified by HPLC. In what it concerns the influence, were founded the absence of germs at pepper and a significant decrease at the other. In terms of  the potential of reducing pesticide, the experimental results have indicated that the label can prove its effectiveness

Bioactive Labels for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Pesticide residues and microbial load on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables becomes a major concern due to the safety and quality of these products for consumer.In order to minimize these risk factors (pesticide residues and microbial load), were achieved labels for fruits and vegetables that are consumed with shell which disintegrates under the influence of water jet and thus reduce the amount of these contaminants. Were elaborated labels based on polymer (chitosan) at a concentration of 2%, which incorporate bioactive compounds from green tea with potential decontaminant of the peel of this products. Green tea extract was obtained by infusing 1 g of dried green tea in 100 ml water at 80° C for 10 minutes. The extract was filtered and then mixed with 2 g chitosan acidified with 0.7% glacial acetic acid and dilute to the mark with distilled water. Were identified bioactive compounds from green tea, using UV-VIS and HPLC. Then were elaborated the labels. These tags were used on pepper, tomato, apple and  nectarine. Were quantified the microbial load and the pesticide residues on their surface unwashed, washed only with water and were monitored the influence of labels on these factors. Identified pesticides were mefenoxan and thiamethoxam, which were quantified by HPLC. In what it concerns the influence, were founded the absence of germs at pepper and a significant decrease at the other. In terms of  the potential of reducing pesticide, the experimental results have indicated that the label can prove its effectiveness. Â

Methods of Detecting Meat Species in Food of Animal Origin

An important factor in the detection of falsification is the control of the composition of the meat at each stage of manufacturing the product. The PCR method is based on the study of proteins and meat nucleic acids used in food for the detection of animal species. Another technique is the Elisa method that works on the principle of identification and measurement of the quantity of molecules in a sample. There are several types of Elisa to increase specificity due to differences in structure and sample characteristics. By comparing the two methods used to identify the processed meat product species, Real Time PCR had the highest prediction as results. However, the Elisa method is more time efficient and easier to use. Real Time PCR is effective in identifying processed meat products that require low detection. The Elisa Kit is useful because of the ease of use

Monitoring the Evolution of Major Chemical Compound in Dairy Products During Shelf-Life by FTIR

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is considered to be a comprehensive and sensitive method to characterize the chemical composition and for detection of molecular changes in different samples. In this study, FTIRspectroscopy  was employed as an rapid and low-cost technique in order to characterize the FTIR spectra and identify appropriate spectral regions for dairy product fermented by a lactic culture consisting by species of Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. A second objective was to monitore the key chemical compounds (lactose, lactic acid, flavors) during fermentation and refrigerated storage (1-21 days, at 4-6°C). By FT-IR fingerprint during fermentation we identified changes of the spectra pattern with specific increasing or decreasing peaks for lactose, lactic acid, esters, aromatic compounds, aminoacids, fatty acids. Also the technique was able to identify chemical compounds involved in the microbial activity such as phosphates and phosphorylated carbohydrates during fermentation and dairy product shelf-life. All the major chemical compounds recorded significant increaments during fermentation and refrigerated storage comparing with the raw milk