Development of a methodology to categorize poultry meat affected by deep pectoral myopathy

[EN] The growth of poultry production has led to an increase in the incidence of internal defects in chicken and turkey broilers, such as Deep Pectoral Myopathy (DPM). DPM is an ischemic hemorrhage or necrosis caused by the inadequate blood supply of Pectoralis minor and major muscles. Currently, visual appearance is the only parameter used to categorize the damage level. The aim of this research was to develop a scientific methodology to determine the level of damage in poultry breast tenders affected by this myopathy. For this purpose, microstructure, pH, protein and ion contents, and color were studied. Results allowed identifying three damage levels: normal, hemorrhagic samples with hematomas and blood clots, and necrotic tissues, based on significant variables (p < .05) measured in Pectoralis minor (pH, L* and a*), where muscles with myopathy presented L* values lower than 47, and necrotic muscles presented pH values higher than 6.05. Practical applications The appearance of defects in chicken meat is a growing problem due to the intensive genetic selection and the fast growth rate that the poultry industry demands. This research provides a scientific methodology, based on biochemical and physicochemical parameters of muscle tissue metabolism, and develops and validates a categorization for deep pectoral myopathy in broilers based on the level of muscle damage. This work, provides an objective and scientific methodology, and coupled with the work published in Traffano-Schiffo et al. (2018) and patented, will allow detecting, identifying, and characterizing chickens that have suffered deep pectoral myopathy and the degree of damage.Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espana, Grant/Award Number: AGL2016-80643-R; European Regional Development FundTraffano-Schiffo, MV.; Chuquizuta, T.; Castro Giraldez, M.; Fito, PJ. (2021). Development of a methodology to categorize poultry meat affected by deep pectoral myopathy. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 45(3):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.15226S1945

New sensor to measure the microencapsulated active compounds released in an aqueous liquid media based in dielectric properties in radiofrequency range

[EN] In recent years, the general and scientific interest in nutrition, digestion, and what role they play in our body has increased, and there is still much work to be carried out in the field of developing sensors and techniques that are capable of identifying and quantifying the chemical species involved in these processes. Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder that mainly affects the health of children and women. Iron from the diet may be available as heme or organic iron, or as non-heme or inorganic iron. The absorption of non-heme iron requires its solubilization and reduction in the ferric state to ferrous that begins in the gastric acid environment, because iron in the ferric state is very poorly absorbable. There are chemical species with reducing capacity (antioxidants) that also have the ability to reduce iron, such as ascorbic acid. This paper aims to develop a sensor for measuring the release of encapsulated active compounds, in different media, based on dielectric properties measurement in the radio frequency range. An impedance sensor able to measure the release of microencapsulated active compounds was developed. The sensor was tested with calcium alginate beads encapsulating iron ions and ascorbic acid as active compounds. The prediction and measurement potential of this sensor was improved by developing a thermodynamic model that allows obtaining kinetic parameters that will allow suitable encapsulation design for subsequent release.This research was funded by Spanish AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN, grant number PID2020-116816RB-I00.Tomas-Egea, JA.; Fito, PJ.; Colom Palero, RJ.; Castro Giraldez, M. (2021). New sensor to measure the microencapsulated active compounds released in an aqueous liquid media based in dielectric properties in radiofrequency range. Sensors. 21(17):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175781S115211

Effect of pulsed electric field pre-treatment on microstructure and internal transport throughout osmotic treatment of organic kiwifruit.

Plant cellular structure could be considered a complex organized system where flows are carried out by different solutes or solvents transports systems. Passive transports, which is based on the free energy gradients, involve symplastic, apoplastic and aquaporins transmembrane transports. During osmotic dehydration (OD) treatment the semipermeable membranes such as plasma membrane and tonoplast, are forced to separate, due to the water losses from the vacuoles, starting the process known as plasmolysis, characterized by the loss of the turgor pressure. In the last years, OD has been extensively studied for the partial dehydration of fruits and vegetables in order to obtain semi-moist products; however, it presents some limitations such as the low dehydration rate and the high solute content in the final product. Therefore, the use of pre-treatment such as Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) has been reported to facilitate water removal and to improve the quality of the dried or osmo-dried products. PEF is a non-thermal technology which involves the application of short and repeated voltage pulses to a biological tissue placed between two electrodes; it induces changes and reorganization in the electric conformation of the cell membrane, modifying the normal fluxes during drying process when it is used as a pre-treatment. In present work PEF has been applied as a pre-treatment prior OD of organic kiwifruits (Actinidia deliciosa cv Hayward) in order to evaluate its effect on the internal structure and internal water transport. PEF pre-treatments were performed using the following parameters: E= 100, 250 and 400 V/cm, 60 near-rectangular shape pulses, pulse width of 100 ± 2 μs and a repetition time of 10.0 ± 0.1 ms. The OD was carried out by immersing the samples in 61.5% sucrose solution at 25 °C for different time period (0-120 min). The samples were analyzed in terms of microstructure by Cryo-SEM microscopy and internal water transport by Time Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR). The results showed that the application of a PEF pre-treatment before the OD produces a process of plasmolysis proportional to the electric field strength applied. It is because the PEF removes the mobile charges of the medium, such as electrolytes, organic acids, amino acids; Ca+2 is the major culprit of the plasmolysis because it fixes some of the junctions of the microtubules between the cell wall and the membrane. In addition, the process of plasmolysis induced by the electric field changes the behavior of kiwifruit tissue during the OD process. In a standard OD without any pretratment, the main transport is the symplastic, whereas if previously treated with PEF, the apoplastic transport is as important as the symplastic, considerably increasing the rate of dehydration. Acknowledgements: Financial support for this project is provided by funding bodies within the FP7 ERA-Net CORE Organic Plus, and with cofounds from the European Commission (No 618107)

Analysis of Apple Candying by Microwave Spectroscopy

[EN] Process control in the industry requires fast, safe and easily applicable methods. In this sense, the use of dielectric spectroscopy in the microwave range can be a great opportunity to monitor processes in which the mobility and quantity of water is the main property to produce a quality and safety product. The candying of fruits is an operation in which the samples are first osmotically dehydrated and then exposed to a hot air-drying operation. This process produces changes in both the structure of the tissue and the relationships between water, the solid matrix and the added soluble solids. The aim of this paper is to develop a dielectric tool to predict the water/sucrose states throughout the candying of apple, by considering the complexity of the tissue and describing the different transport phenomena and the different transition processes of the sucrose inside the sample.This research was funded by THE SPANISH MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA, INDUSTRIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD, Programa Estatal de I+D+i orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad AGL2016-80643-R, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).Tomas-Egea, JA.; Fito, PJ.; Castro Giraldez, M. (2019). Analysis of Apple Candying by Microwave Spectroscopy. Foods. 8(8):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods80803161148

Study of the puffing process of amaranth seeds by dielectric spectroscopy

[EN] Amaranth (Amaranth spp) is considered a pseudocereal with valuable nutritional characteristics. Amaranth grain is commonly used in cereal industry as expanded product obtained from the puffing operation. In this work, the puffing process of amaranth seeds with different water content was studied. Moreover, the seeds and puffed kernels were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), image analysis, dielectric spectroscopy and Cryo-SEM. The results of the study allowed identifying different levels of water retention in amaranth seeds. Moreover, the expansion process was modeled determining the critical points, obtaining the state variables and the final product conditions. It was also performed a structural study of the amaranth seed and the puffed product. The dielectric properties were also measured for determining the optimal time for the puffing operation. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Castro Giraldez, M.; Fito Suñer, PJ.; Prieto, JM.; Andrés Grau, AM.; Fito Maupoey, P. (2012). Study of the puffing process of amaranth seeds by dielectric spectroscopy. Journal of Food Engineering. 110(2):298-304. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.04.012S298304110

New methodology to analyze the dielectric properties in radiofrequency and microwave ranges in chicken meat during postmortem time

Biochemical and structural transformations that occur during meat ageing include proteolytic, electrolytic, oxidative and other processes, explain the quality and safety state of meat. In this sense, the value of the dielectric properties can be useful to predict its metabolic status. The aim of the work was to analyze the dielectric spectra during postmortem time in chicken meat, trying to understand and to relate each dispersion phenomenon with the biochemical metabolism. Broiler breasts were studied from 5 to 146 h postmortem. Proteins, pH, color, lactate content, microstructure and dielectric properties in radiofrequency and microwave ranges, were analyzed. It has been demonstrated that the amplitude of the dielectric constant in β-dispersion is able to determine actin-myosin system degradation and also, dielectric properties in α, β dispersions and the ionic conductivity allow to determine chicken meat postmortem time, non-destructively.Fil: Traffano Schiffo, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Castro Giraldez, Marta. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia; EspañaFil: Colom, Ricardo J.. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia; EspañaFil: Talens, Pau. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia; EspañaFil: Fito, Pedro J.. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia; Españ

New technique for determining the critical freezing temperatures of chicken breast based on radiofrequency photospectrometry

[EN] Food freezing operations require an extreme knowledge of the thermal properties of the food to be frozen, in order to achieve a product that at the thawing time preserves the best sensory and food quality properties, and also preserves food safety. Within these properties it is necessary to know the initial freezing temperature (Tm0), the freezing temperature of the maximally freeze concentrated liquid phase (Tm'), the glass-transition temperature of the maximally freeze concentrated liquid phase (Tg') and others. However, the techniques to determine these properties are long, tedious, and sometimes with high variability, one of the most important technique is Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). In this work, the use of photospectrometry in the radiofrequency range (PFR) is proposed, as a fast and reliable method for determining the thermal properties of chicken breast in the freezing process, comparing it with the DSC technique. The results showed a Tg' of -17.50 +/- 1.05, obtained by the PFR technique, using the beta dispersion, similar as the result obtained by DSC technique (-16.73 degrees C +/- 0.13). Therefore, the PFR is a fast, reliable, and easy technique to determine the critical temperatures of the food freezing process.This paper is part of the I + D + i PID2020-116816RB-I00 project, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.Tomas-Egea, JA.; Castro Giraldez, M.; Colom Palero, RJ.; Fito, PJ. (2022). New technique for determining the critical freezing temperatures of chicken breast based on radiofrequency photospectrometry. Journal of Food Engineering. 333:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2022.1111551733

Scaffolding of Practical Learning in Bioprocess Engineering and its Contribution to Soft and Specific Skills

[EN] The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes in learning methodologies at all educational levels, including higher education. Under these circumstances, one of the most difficult challenges to face is to approach practical and laboratory learning at university when students¿ attendance to the physical laboratory space is restricted. The future graduates of Bachelor¿s Degree in Biotechnology are appealed to master many instrumental techniques related to this field. The article describes the scaffolding actions carried out to successfully adapt onsite laboratory sessions to virtual ones and evaluate the students¿ perception about the contribution of the online methodologies to the practical skills of bioprocess engineering. Two voluntary groups of students were formed, one to attend the practical lessons on site and the other online. The suggested scaffolding was structured in four different types of materials and resources: screencasts, pedagogical articles, calculation sheet templates and online assessment tests. Students¿ perception was collected by means of an e-questionnaire. About 70% of students thought the online platform allowed them to follow the practical tasks in a way equivalent to face-to-face teaching and 62.1% found that online model presents more advantages than disadvantages than the onsite model. 85.7% of students considered that practical tasks highly contributed to their capacity of solving complex problems and master mathematical tools, while 65.7% of them associated the practical task with their availability to understand the principles of bioengineering. However, 40% of them thought that the online model satisfactorily contributes to the acquisition of these specific skillsThe authors thank the UPV support for the technical advice and guidance related to the use of Teams1andPoliformaT. In addition, we acknowledge the Generalitat Valenciana and also the European Union (El Fondo SocialEuropeo (FSE) invierte en tu futuro'') for the PhD scholarship given to Andrea Asensio Grau (ACIF/2017/008) and the post-doctoral grant awarded to Joaquim Calvo-Lerma (APOSTD2019-102), which enabled their participation in teaching activitiesCastelló Gómez, ML.; Heredia Gutiérrez, AB.; Calvo-Lerma, J.; Asensio-Grau, A.; Fito, PJ. (2022). Scaffolding of Practical Learning in Bioprocess Engineering and its Contribution to Soft and Specific Skills. The International Journal of Engineering Education. 38(5(B)):1595-1605. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/19034415951605385(B