Changing the prehistory of Sindh and Las Bela coast: twenty-five years of Italian contribution

The paper discusses the prehistory of Lowr Sindh and Las Bela Coast, and the role played by the Italian archaeologists since the 1980's. New date are presented regarding mainly the radiocarbon chronology the Indus Delta settlement on rocky outcrops and the shell middens of Las Bela

Raw milk preservation by hyperbaric storage: Effect on microbial counts, protein structure and technological functionality

The possibility to apply hyperbaric storage (HS) at room temperature (20 °C) as a sustainable approach for preservation of raw skim milk was studied. Samples were stored at 200 and 150 MPa for up to 6 days. Optimal pressure for milk HS was found to be 150 MPa, since no clotting was detected for up to 6 days. 150 MPa-HS caused the irreversible inactivation of inoculated Escherichia coli (5.13 ± 0.33 logCFU mL−1) and Staphylococcus aureus (5.66 ± 0.93 logCFU mL−1) within 2 and 6 days, respectively. Inactivation of total and faecal coliforms (3.0 log reductions) below the detection limit was achieved after just 2 days, whereas lactic acid bacteria and coagulase-positive Staphylococci were inactivated after 6 days. Pressurized storage also caused an increase in proteose peptones and the release of submicelles from casein micelles. Micelles progressively aggregated with pressure-unfolded β-Lactoglobulin. These phenomena led to milk presenting up to 4-fold better foaming capacity, probably due to β-Lactoglobulin unfolding or higher proteose peptones content. This work demonstrated the capability of HS to guarantee milk preservation during storage, and brought attention on the opportunity to consider the technology for milk pasteurization and functionality improvement

Utilizzo di sodio lattato a differenti pH per la conservazione di salsiccia fresca

Traditional Italian fresh sausage was manufactured with 3 different formulations: no sodium lactate; 1.5% sodium lactate at pH 7.0; or 1.5% sodium lactate at pH 5.5. Sausages were packaged in trays with a gas permeable sealing film or modified atmosphere packaged (in an 80% O 2/20% N 2 atmosphere at a product:gas ratio of 1:3) with a gas-impermeable sealing film. All the packaged samples were stored at 6\ub0C. Physicochemical properties (pH, a w, drip formation), microbiological quality (psychrotrophic bacteria, coliforms and lactic acid bacteria) and sensory properties were assessed after 3, 6 and 9 days of storage for the conventionally packaged samples and after 5, 10 and 15 days for the modified atmosphere packaged samples. Overall, sodium lactate reduced microbial growth and improved shelf life of fresh sausages; use of sodium lactate at pH 7.0 gave the best inhibition of microbial growth. pH had no significant effect on the action of sodium lactate on retention of sensory properties during storage. Modified atmosphere packaging gave better shelf life then conventional packaging, except for a slightly higher incidence of drip formation on the surface of the sausages

Use of lactatae at different pH for preservation of fresh sausages

Traditional Italian fresh sausage was manufactured with 3 different formulations: no sodium lactate; 1.5% sodium lactate at pH 7.0; or 1.5% sodium lactate at pH 5.5. Sausages were packaged in trays with a gas permeable sealing film or modified atmosphere packaged (in an 80% O 2/20% N 2 atmosphere at a product:gas ratio of 1:3) with a gas-impermeable sealing film. All the packaged samples were stored at 6\ub0C. Physicochemical properties (pH, a w, drip formation), microbiological quality (psychrotrophic bacteria, coliforms and lactic acid bacteria) and sensory properties were assessed after 3, 6 and 9 days of storage for the conventionally packaged samples and after 5, 10 and 15 days for the modified atmosphere packaged samples. Overall, sodium lactate reduced microbial growth and improved shelf life of fresh sausages; use of sodium lactate at pH 7.0 gave the best inhibition of microbial growth. pH had no significant effect on the action of sodium lactate on retention of sensory properties during storage. Modified atmosphere packaging gave better shelf life then conventional packaging, except for a slightly higher incidence of drip formation on the surface of the sausages