Overview of Seafood Research at Ashtown Food Research Centre (1990 - 2007)

End of project reportIn recent years, the Irish seafood industry has faced stringent quotas and dwindling fish stocks. The introduction of fish farming added a new dimension but falling prices also created difficulties for this sector. However, the recent report of the Seafood Industry Strategy Group on ‘Steering a New Course’ and the Sea Change Programme of the Marine Institute will add new impetus to the industry. The current report summarises R&D on seafood conducted at Ashtown Food Research Centre (AFRC) in the period 1990-2007 and represents a major portion of seafood R&D conducted nationally during that period.Thanks are also extended to the European Union (and especially the SEAFOODplus project), Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Marine Institute, Enterprise Ireland and various seafood companies for their support and part-funding of elements of this research

Adding Value To Under utilised Fish Species

End of project reportTightening fish quotas and supply shortages for conventional species are causing major difficulties for both fishermen and seafood processors. There is a need, therefore, to explore the potential of underutilised fish species both as fillets or portions and as added-value products. The current project at Ashtown Food Research Centre (AFRC) addressed this issue for a number of underutilised species via (a) sous vide processing (with savoury sauces),(b)marinating (salt- and sugar-based marinades) and (c) via a combination of freeze-chilling and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP).A range of physico-chemical and sensory tests was conducted on the products and their shelf-life status was also determined.National Development Plan (NDP

Acrylamide formation in potato products

End of Project ReportAcrylamide, a substance classified as a potential carcinogen, occurs in heated starchy foods at concentrations many times in excess of levels permitted in drinking water. Early surveys indicated that levels of acrylamide in potato products such as French fries and potato crisps were the highest of the foodstuffs investigated. The present project addressed this issue by determining levels of acrylamide precursors (asparagine and reducing sugars) in raw potatoes and levels of acrylamide in (i) potato products from different storage regimes, (ii) spot-sampled potatoes purchased from a local supermarket, (iii) samples that received pre-treatments and were fried at different temperatures and (iv) French fries reheated in different ovens.A risk assessment of the estimated acrylamide intake from potato products for various cohorts of the Irish population was also conducted

Developing Sous Vide/Freezing Systems for Ready-Meal omponents

End of project reportSous vide cooking involves sealing raw or par-cooked food in a vacuumised laminated plastic pouch or container, cooking by controlled heating, rapid chilling and then re-heating for consumption. The chilled storage period is up to 21 days at 0 to 3oC. The recommended thermal process for sous vide products is 90oC for 10min or its time-temperature equivalent. Concerns about the safety of sous vide products, mainly due to the potential for temperature abuse in the chill chain, has prevented the widespread use of this technology. The role of the current project, therefore, was to investigate sous vide cooking followed by freezing, as a safe alternative to sous vide/chilling for 10 ready-meal components i.e. carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, rice), vegetables (carrots, broccoli) and muscle foods (salmon, cod, chicken, beef and lamb).National Development Plan (NDP

Status Report on Acrylamide in Potato Products

End of Project ReportThis status report was conducted as part of Task 1 of a research project (RMIS No. 5265) on the development and quantification of acrylamide in potatoes and potato products funded under the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) of the Department of Agriculture and Food as part of the National Development Plan. Teagasc acknowledges the support of theDepartment of Agriculture and FoodAcrylamide is a toxin that can potentially occur in high concentrations in heated starchy foods especially potato products such as crisps and french fries. In model systems isotopic substitution studies have demonstrated that acrylamide is formed via the Maillard type reaction between the amino acid aspargine and a carbonyl source such as the reducing sugars glucose and fructose. Levels of acrylamide in cooked potato products are primarily influenced by the levels of reducing sugars in the product and this in turn is influenced by storage time, temperature and variety of potato used. During cooking acrylamide formation begins to occur at temperatures above 100°C and increases up to temperatures of 220°C but decreases thereafter due to thermal degradation of the compound. Risk assessment studies on acrylamide intakes have been conducted in a number of countries and mg/kg body weight daily intakes have been estimated to be between 0.2-0.8. Adequate analytical techniques exist for quantification of acrylamide in potato and are mainly based around liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniquesDepartment of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Adherence of pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus to hydrocurve II soft contact lenses

There are over 13 million people in the U.S. who wear soft contact lenses (SCL) for refractive correction. Patients who wear SCL are at increased risk for bacterial keratitis. Most bacterial infections of the cornea in these patients are caused by Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. One of the reasons that these organisms may infect the cornea is their ability to adhere to SCL. Therefore, we investigated bacterial adherence of Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus to soft contact lenses using the agar sandwich technique. Unused hydrocurve II lenses were soaked in a saline solution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus. The lenses were then put on nutrient agar and covered with a thin layer of liquid nutrient agar. After incubation, the number of colony forming units (cfu) on the SCL were counted and used to determine the percent of bacterial adherence. Both organisms adhered to the soft lenses with no significant difference between their mean percent adherence

A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Tulsa Universal Pre-K Program

In this paper, benefits and costs are estimated for a universal pre-K program, provided by Tulsa Public Schools. Benefits are derived from estimated effects of Tulsa pre-K on retention by grade 9. Retention effects are projected to dollar benefits from future earnings increases and crime reductions. Based on these estimates, Tulsa pre-K has benefits exceeding costs by about 2-to-1. This benefit cost ratio is far less than the benefit-cost ratios (ranging from 8-to-1 to 16-to-1) for more targeted and intensive pre-K programs from the 1970s and 80s, such as Perry Preschool and the Chicago Child-Parent Center (CPC) program. Comparing benefit-cost results from different studies suggests that our more modest estimates are due to two factors: 1) smaller percentage effects of pre-K on future earnings and crime in Tulsa than in Perry and CPC, and 2) smaller baseline crime rates in Tulsa than in the Perry and CPC comparison groups

A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Tulsa Universal Pre-K Program

In this paper, benefits and costs are estimated for a universal pre-K program, provided by Tulsa Public Schools. Benefits are derived from estimated effects of Tulsa pre-K on retention by grade 9. Retention effects are projected to dollar benefits from future earnings increases and crime reductions. Based on these estimates, Tulsa pre-K has benefits exceeding costs by about 2-to-1. This benefit cost ratio is far less than the benefit-cost ratios (ranging from 8-to-1 to 16-to-1) for more targeted and intensive pre-K programs from the 1970s and 80s, such as Perry Preschool and the Chicago Child-Parent Center (CPC) program. Comparing benefit-cost results from different studies suggests that our more modest estimates are due to two factors: 1) smaller percentage effects of pre-K on future earnings and crime in Tulsa than in Perry and CPC, and 2) smaller baseline crime rates in Tulsa than in the Perry and CPC comparison groups

A Structured Debate on the Safety of Red Meat

A structured debate was held at The National Food Centre, Teagasc between 17 consumers and 3 scientists/experts on the safety of red meat as part of the ongoing FLAIR-FLOW 4 dissemination project. The areas of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease), meat and bonemeal, meat traceability, ritual vs conventional slaughter, antibiotic residues in meat, the effects of freezing and cooking on E. coli 0157:H7, and lastly crosscontamination of meat at retail outlets were debated in-depth. The consensus was that red meat is safe, provided the necessary safeguards and codes of practice are adhered to. The interaction, intensity and depth of the debate was excellent and both the consumers and scientists/experts found it an informative exercise.European CommissionFLAIR-FLOW 4 dissemination projec