Systematic review of novel processing technologies and ingredients for the reduction of phosphate additives in processed meat.

pre-printBackground: Phosphate additives are used in many processed foods as stabilisers and emulsifiers. They are present in up to 65% of processed meat products. However, consumer preferences for more natural and less processed foods has resulted in the growth of clean label trends, meaning shorter ingredient declarations using fewer ingredients that are unfamiliar to the consumer. Due to the unique characteristics of phosphates, their removal, while maintaining product quality, is challenging. Scope and Approach: In this review, phosphate additive-types are discussed, with particular emphasis on their application in processed meat products. Through homeostasis, excess phosphate is readily excreted by individuals with healthy kidney function, but it is acknowledged that there is now a desire to find more acceptable ingredient alternatives. The use of alternative, non-synthetic, ingredients in processed meats such as starch, proteins, seaweeds, hydrocolloids and fibres, as potential phosphate replacers are discussed. Such ingredients may not impart the same quality attributes in meat products as provided by phosphates when used singly, however, adopting hurdle approaches of combining alternative ingredients with novel processing technologies, such as power ultrasound and high pressure processing, may provide the meat industry with alternatives. Key findings and conclusions: The key finding of this review is that the interaction between novel technologies and ingredients has not been studied extensively, yet there is evidence for their combined potential. For future studies, non-synthetic ingredients like fibres and starches could be combined with novel processing technologies to improve the interaction between meat proteins and alternative ingredients

Novel processing technologies and ingredient strategies for the reduction of phosphate additives in processed meat

Background: Phosphate additives are used in many processed foods as stabilisers and emulsifiers. They are present in up to 65% of processed meat products. However, consumer preferences for more natural and less processed foods has resulted in the growth of clean label trends, meaning shorter ingredient declarations using fewer ingredients that are unfamiliar to the consumer. Due to the unique characteristics of phosphates, their removal, while maintaining product quality, is challenging. Scope and approach. In this review, phosphate additive-types are discussed, with particular emphasis on their application in processed meat products. Through homeostasis, excess phosphate is readily excreted by individuals with healthy kidney function, but it is acknowledged that there is now a desire to find more acceptable ingredient alternatives. The use of alternative, non-synthetic, ingredients in processed meats such as starch, proteins, seaweeds, hydrocolloids and fibres, as potential phosphate replacers are discussed. Such ingredients may not impart the same quality attributes in meat products as provided by phosphates when used singly, however, adopting hurdle approaches of combining alternative ingredients with novel processing technologies, such as power ultrasound and high pressure processing, may provide the meat industry with alternatives. Key findings and conclusions: The key finding of this review is that the interaction between novel technologies and ingredients has not been studied extensively, yet there is evidence for their combined potential. For future studies, non-synthetic ingredients like fibres and starches could be combined with novel processing technologies to improve the interaction between meat proteins and alternative ingredients

Establishing the values for patient engagement (PE) in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research: an international, multiple-stakeholder perspective

PurposeActive patient engagement is increasingly viewed as essential to ensuring that patient-driven perspectives are considered throughout the research process. However, guidance for patient engagement (PE) in HRQoL research does not exist, the evidence-base for practice is limited, and we know relatively little about underpinning values that can impact on PE practice. This is the first study to explore the values that should underpin PE in contemporary HRQoL research to help inform future good practice guidance. MethodsA modified ‘World Café’ was hosted as a collaborative activity between patient partners, clinicians and researchers: self-nominated conference delegates participated in group discussions to explore values associated with the conduct and consequences of PE. Values were captured via post-it notes and by nominated note-takers. Data were thematically analysed: emergent themes were coded and agreement checked. Association between emergent themes, values and the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework were explored. ResultsEighty participants, including 12 patient partners, participated in the 90-min event. Three core values were defined: (1) building relationships; (2) improving research quality and impact; and (3) developing best practice. Participants valued the importance of building genuine, collaborative and deliberative relationships—underpinned by honesty, respect, co-learning and equity—and the impact of effective PE on research quality and relevance. Conclusions An explicit statement of values seeks to align all stakeholders on the purpose, practice and credibility of PE activities. An innovative, flexible and transparent research environment was valued as essential to developing a trustworthy evidence-base with which to underpin future guidance for good PE practice.Peer reviewe

Time-separated entangled light pulses from a single-atom emitter

The controlled interaction between a single, trapped, laser-driven atom and the mode of a high-finesse optical cavity allows for the generation of temporally separated, entangled light pulses. Entanglement between the photon-number fluctuations of the pulses is created and mediated via the atomic center-of-mass motion, which is interfaced with light through the mechanical effect of atom-photon interaction. By means of a quantum noise analysis we determine the correlation matrix which characterizes the entanglement, as a function of the system parameters. The scheme is feasible in experimentally accessible parameter regimes. It may be easily extended to the generation of entangled pulses at different frequencies, even at vastly different wavelengths.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Modified version, to appear in the New Journal of Physic

Towards a transformative understanding of the ocean’s biological pump: Priorities for future research - Report on the NSF Biology of the Biological Pump Workshop

NSF Biology of the Biological Pump Workshop, February 19–20, 2016 (Hyatt Place New Orleans, New Orleans, LA)The net transfer of organic matter from the surface to the deep ocean is a key function of ocean food webs. The combination of biological, physical, and chemical processes that contribute to and control this export is collectively known as the “biological pump”, and current estimates of the global magnitude of this export range from 5 – 12 Pg C yr-1. This material can be exported in dissolved or particulate form, and many of the biological processes that regulate the composition, quantity, timing, and distribution of this export are poorly understood or constrained. Export of organic material is of fundamental importance to the biological and chemical functioning of the ocean, supporting deep ocean food webs and controlling the vertical and horizontal segregation of elements throughout the ocean. Remineralization of exported organic matter in the upper mesopelagic zone provides nutrients for surface production, while material exported to depths of 1000 m or more is generally considered to be sequestered — i.e. out of contact with the atmosphere for centuries or longer. The ability to accurately model a system is a reflection of the degree to which the system is understood. In the case of export, semi-empirical and simple mechanistic models show a wide range of predictive skill. This is, in part, due to the sparseness of available data, which impedes our inability to accurately represent, or even include, all relevant processes (sometimes for legitimate computational reasons). Predictions will remain uncertain without improved understanding and parameterization of key biological processes affecting export.Funding for this workshop was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Coordination and logistical support for this workshop was provided by the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program (www.us-ocb.org

Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) Cropland Extent 2015 Validation 30 m V001

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Food Security-support Analysis Data (GFSAD) data product provides cropland extent data of the globe for nominal year 2015 at 30 meter resolution. The monitoring of global cropland extent is critical for policymaking and provides important baseline data that are used in many agricultural cropland studies pertaining to water sustainability and food security. The GFSAD30 Validation (GFSAD30VAL) data product provides a thorough and independent accuracy assessment and validation of the cropland extent products produced for each of the seven regions. Each GFSAD30VAL shapefile contains information on sample locations, presence of cropland or no cropland, and the zones that were randomly selected for accuracy assessment across the globe

Multiple Statistical Analysis Techniques Corroborate Intratumor Heterogeneity in Imaging Mass Spectrometry Datasets of Myxofibrosarcoma

MALDI mass spectrometry can generate profiles that contain hundreds of biomolecular ions directly from tissue. Spatially-correlated analysis, MALDI imaging MS, can simultaneously reveal how each of these biomolecular ions varies in clinical tissue samples. The use of statistical data analysis tools to identify regions containing correlated mass spectrometry profiles is referred to as imaging MS-based molecular histology because of its ability to annotate tissues solely on the basis of the imaging MS data. Several reports have indicated that imaging MS-based molecular histology may be able to complement established histological and histochemical techniques by distinguishing between pathologies with overlapping/identical morphologies and revealing biomolecular intratumor heterogeneity. A data analysis pipeline that identifies regions of imaging MS datasets with correlated mass spectrometry profiles could lead to the development of novel methods for improved diagnosis (differentiating subgroups within distinct histological groups) and annotating the spatio-chemical makeup of tumors. Here it is demonstrated that highlighting the regions within imaging MS datasets whose mass spectrometry profiles were found to be correlated by five independent multivariate methods provides a consistently accurate summary of the spatio-chemical heterogeneity. The corroboration provided by using multiple multivariate methods, efficiently applied in an automated routine, provides assurance that the identified regions are indeed characterized by distinct mass spectrometry profiles, a crucial requirement for its development as a complementary histological tool. When simultaneously applied to imaging MS datasets from multiple patient samples of intermediate-grade myxofibrosarcoma, a heterogeneous soft tissue sarcoma, nodules with mass spectrometry profiles found to be distinct by five different multivariate methods were detected within morphologically identical regions of all patient tissue samples. To aid the further development of imaging MS based molecular histology as a complementary histological tool the Matlab code of the agreement analysis, instructions and a reduced dataset are included as supporting information

The Stardust – a successful encounter with the remarkable comet Wild 2

On January 2, 2004 the Stardust spacecraft completed a close flyby of comet Wild2 (P81). Flying at a relative speed of 6.1 km/s within 237km of the 5 km nucleus, the spacecraft took 72 close-in images, measured the flux of impacting particles and did TOF mass spectrometry