Effectiveness of specularity removal from hyperspectral images on the quality of spectral signatures of food products

Specularity or highlight problem exists widely in hyperspectral images, provokes reflectance deviation from its true value, and can hide major defects in food objects or detecting spurious false defects causing failure of inspection and detection processes. In this study, a new non-iterative method based on the dichromatic reflection model and principle component analysis (PCA) was proposed to detect and remove specular highlight components from hyperspectral images acquired by various imaging modes and under different configurations for numerous agro-food products. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, the details of the proposed method were described and the experimental results on various spectral images were presented. The results revealed that the method worked well on all hyperspectral and multispectral images examined in this study, effectively reduced the specularity and significantly improves the quality of the extracted spectral data. Besides the spectral images from available databases, the robustness of this approach was further validated with real captured hyperspectral images of different food materials. By using qualitative and quantitative evaluation based on running time and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), the experimental results showed that the proposed method outperforms other specularity removal methods over the datasets of hyperspectral and multispectral images.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Separation of α-Lactalbumin-Enriched Fractions from Caprine and Ovine Native Whey Concentrate by Combining Membrane and High-Pressure Processing

Whey from goat and sheep have been gaining attention in the last few years for their nutritional properties. Unfortunately, β-Lg, not found in human milk, may trigger infant allergies if used in infant food formulations, so there is a growing interest in developing ingredients derived from whey with higher α-La/β-Lg ratios. The objective of this work was to study the effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) on caprine and ovine native whey concentrates (NWC) in order to obtain α-Lactalbumin (α-La)-enriched fractions. NWCs were treated at 600 MPa (23 °C) for 2, 4, and 15 min and two pH conditions were studied (physiological pH and pH 4.60). The concentration of β-Lg in supernatant fraction after HPP significantly decreased after 2 min of treatment, while the concentration of α-La was unchanged in both goat and sheep samples. Longer HPP processing times (up to 15 min) progressively increased α-La purification degree but also decreased the α-La yield. Caprine and ovine NWCs treated at physiological pH provided better α-La yield, α-La purification degree, and higher β-Lg precipitation degrees than the corresponding acidified samples, while the corresponding NWC supernatant (NWCsup) showed lower values for both surface hydrophobicity and total free thiol indices, suggesting a higher extent of protein aggregation. Effects of sample acidification and the HPP treatment were opposite to those previously reported on bovine NWC, so further characterization of caprine and ovine β-Lg should be carried out to understand their different behavior.This research was funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (PRIMA, grant number 1833, project Dairy Innovation for Mediterranean SME—DAINME-SME), and the CERCA Programme; and the APC was funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (PRIMA, grant number 1833; project Dairy Innovation for Mediterranean SME—DAINME-SME).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of potential nirs to predict pastures nutritive value

This paper describes the capability of near infra-reflectance (NIRS) to predict the nutritional quality of pastures from southern Chile (39°-40°S). A Fourier transformed near-infrared (FT-NIR) method for rapid determination of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), in vitro digestibility (IVD) and metabolizable energy (ME) was used. Calibration models were developed between chemical and NIRS spectral data using partial least squares (PLS) regression and external validation. The coefficients of determination in calibration (R2c) were high varying between 0.89-0.99 and the root mean square errors of calibration (RMSEC) were low, ranging between 0.46-2.55 for the parameters analysed. The Residual Prediction Deviation (RPD) was higher than 2.5. Our results confirmed the convenience of using a wide range of samples applicability in the calibration set. Data also showed that the use of an independent set of samples for external validation increases the robustness of the models to predict unknown samples. Our results indicated RPD values higher than 2.5 which is the minimum recommended for this type of prediction. Thus, the result showed that NIRS was useful to estimate the nutritional quality of permanent pastures, and has a great potential to be used as a rapid decision tool for the studied analysis.Thanks the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT) post-doc grant n°3120069.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined Effect of Temperature and Oil and Salt Contents on the Variation of Dielectric Properties of a Tomato-Based Homogenate

Tomato-based processed foods are a key component of modern diets, usually combined with salt and olive oil in different ratios. For the design of radiofrequency (RF) and microwave (MW) heating processes of tomato-based products, it is of importance to know how the content of both ingredients will affect their dielectric properties. Three concentrations of olive oil and salt were studied in a tomato homogenate in triplicate. The dielectric properties were measured from 10 to 3000 MHz and from 10 to 90 °C. Interaction effects were studied using a general linear model. At RF frequencies, the dielectric constant decreased with increasing temperature in samples without added salt, but this tendency was reversed in samples with added salt. The addition of salt and oil increased the frequency at which this reversion occurred. At MW frequencies, the dielectric constant decreased with increasing temperature, salt, and oil content. The loss factor increased with increasing salt content and temperature, except in samples without added salt at 2450 MHz. Penetration depth decreased with increasing frequency and loss factor. Salt and oil contents have a significant effect on the dielectric properties of tomato homogenates and must be considered for the design of dielectric heating processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implementation of a quality by design approach in the potato chips frying process

The purpose of the article is to implement a holistic concept namely Quality by Design (QbD) approach for assessment of deep frying of potatoes chips. Critical quality attributes (CQAs), critical process parameters (CPPs) and quality target parameters (QTPs) were identified and measured all along the chips processing chain in 98 independent experiments. Temperature, time and oil quality usually used in the food industry were applied. Multilinear regression (MLR) was conducted to identify the variables (CQAs and CPPs) that could explain variation of the QTPs. An aggregation of significant QTPs was also performed in order to determine a single value that could express final products quality coupled to MLR analysis. It was possible to identify the main CQAs and CPPs that can explain the variation of some QTPs (colour a*, “flavour roast” sensory attribute, pentylfuran content and acrylamide content) as well as aggregated data.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Feasibility study of smartphone-based Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for salted minced meat composition diagnostics at different temperatures

This research work evaluates the feasibility of a smartphone-based spectrometer (740–1070 nm) for salted minced meat composition diagnostics at industrial scale. A commercially available smartphone-based spectrometer and a benchtop NIR spectrometer (940–1700 nm) were used for acquiring 1312 spectra from meat samples stored at four different temperatures ranging from −14 °C to 25 °C. Thereafter, for each spectrometer, PLS and Random Forest regression models specific for each temperature and global models were created to predict the fat, moisture and protein contents. Fat and moisture can be estimated with the global model in a wide range of temperatures by using the smartphone-based spectrometer, which has an acceptable accuracy for quality control purposes (RPD > 7) and comparable to the accuracy of a benchtop spectrometer.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Co-extruded alginate as an alternative to collagen casings in the production of dry-fermented sausages: Impact of coating composition

The performance of co-extruded alginate coatings containing no extra additives (A), polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (EA), or pea protein (PA) was assessed as an alternative to collagen casings (C) for the manufacturing of dry-fermented sausages (fuet) with no inoculation of moulds and without a fermentation step (NMNF) and fuet inoculated with Penicillium candidum and fermented (MF). Stuffing into collagen casings resulted in slower sausage drying kinetics compared with alginate coating. No significant differences in aw were observed among the studied casing types for NMNF and MF fuets and for the evolution of the technological and spoilage microorganisms. Fuets coated with A, EA, and PA showed lower pH values than fuets stuffed in collagen casings. No significant differences on sensory properties between casing types were observed. Therefore, alginate coatings would be a feasible alternative to collagen casing from a technological and safety point of view.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Innovations in spray drying technology for liquid food processing: Design, mechanisms, and potential for application

Spray drying is a well-established approach to converting liquid food into powder. This review discusses four types of spray drying techniques currently being used for that purpose, namely: pulse combustion (PC) spray drying, electrostatic spray drying (ESD), nano spray drying (NSD), and extrusion porosification (EP). PC spray drying is still in the development phase in the food sector, having the disadvantage of lacking industrial technology for heat-sensitive foods like milk or whey protein concentrates. On the other hand, it is able to reduce or even eliminate the viscosity limitations of atomizers, in addition to being considered a potential energy-saving option compared to conventional spray drying. ESD and NSD show promise in drying bioactive or heat-sensitive compounds like enzymes, cells, and vitamins. A nano spray dryer contains a spray mesh technology and electrostatic collector, which results in variations in particle size and product yield compared to traditional spray drying. However, the current types of equipment are only available on a laboratory scale. Also, NSD could be unfavorable when considering the low concentrations of feed solutions (0.1–1 % w/v). Finally, EP is claimed to provide better physical powder characteristics and permit the drying of highly concentrated liquids. It is hoped that these additional features and technologies will be further investigated in food systems to enhance process performance and improve powder properties.This work has been funded by the Horizon 2020 UE programme (CROPDIVA -ref. 101000847) and CERCA programme. Adriana Dantas was supported by Juan de la Cierva-formación 2021, reference number 0000-0002-9987-8272. Marc Piella-Rifà is recipient of an IRTA Sponsored Fellowship 2022.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Control of Listeria monocytogenes in chicken dry-fermented sausages with bioprotective starter culture and high-pressure processing

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most relevant pathogens for ready-to-eat food, being a challenge for the food industry to comply with microbiological criteria. The aim of the work was to assess the behavior of L. monocytogenes in two types of chicken-based dry-fermented sausages during the fermentation and ripening, with or without a bioprotective starter culture (Latilactobacillus sakei CTC494). To complement the challenge testing approach, simulations with different predictive models were performed to better understand the role of contributing factors. The impact of post-processing strategies, such as high-pressure processing and/or corrective storage was assessed. The chicken meat was inoculated with a cocktail of three L. monocytogenes strains, mixed with other ingredients/additives and stuffed into small (snack-type) or medium (fuet-type) casings. Snack-type was fermented (22°C/3 days) and ripened (14°C/7 days), while fuet-type was ripened (13°C/16 days). At the end of ripening, HPP (600 MPa/5 min) and/or corrective storage (4 or 15°C/7 days) were applied. The suitability of HPP after fermentation was evaluated in the snack-type sausages. Pathogen growth (>3 Log10) was observed only during the fermentation of the snack type without a starter. The bioprotective starter prevented the growth of L. monocytogenes in the snack-type sausages and enhanced the inactivation (1.55 Log10) in fuet-type sausages, which could be related to the higher lactic acid production and consequent decrease of pH, but also the production of the antilisterial bacteriocin sakacin k. The gamma concept model allowed us to identify the main factors controlling the L. monocytogenes’ growth, i.e., the temperature during the early stages and aw at the end of the production process. The earlier acidification linked with the addition of starter culture made the interaction with the other factors (undissociated lactic acid, aw and temperature) to be the growth-preventing determinants. High-pressure processing only caused a significant reduction of L. monocytogenes in snack-type, which showed higher aw. The application of HPP after fermentation did not offer a relevant advantage in terms of efficacy. Corrective storage did not promote further pathogen inactivation. The findings of the work will guide the food industry to apply effective strategies (e.g., fermentation temperature and bioprotective starter cultures) to control L. monocytogenes in chicken dry-fermented sausages.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Emerging thermal imaging techniques for seed quality evaluation: Principles and applications

Due to the massive progress occurred in the past few decades in imaging, electronics and computer science, infrared thermal imaging technique has witnessed numerous technological advancement and smart applications in non-destructive testing and quality monitoring of different agro-food produces. Thermal imaging offers a potential non-contact imaging modality for the determination of various quality traits based on the infrared radiation emitted from target foods. The technique has been moved from just an exploration method in engineering and astronomy into an effective tool in many fields for forming unambiguous images called thermograms eventuated from the temperature and thermal properties of the target objects. It depends principally on converting the invisible infrared radiation emitted by the objects into visible two-dimensional temperature data without making a direct contact with the examined objects. This method has been widely used for different applications in agriculture and food science and technology with special applications in seed quality assessment. This article provides an overview of thermal imaging theory, briefly describes the fundamentals of the system and explores the recent advances and research works conducted in quality evaluation of different sorts of seeds. The article comprehensively reviewed research efforts of using thermal imaging systems in seed applications including estimation of seed viability, detection of fungal growth and insect infections, detection of seed damage and impurities, seed classification and variety identification.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio