Correlation between the quality of the blonde beer originating from a profil unit in the North-East of Romania and food safety

Natural, traditional beer is an alcoholic beverage, naturally saturated with carbon dioxide, which is obtained from barley malt, water, hops and yeast for fermentation. This is the third most consumed drink in the world, after water and tea, and the oldest alcoholic beverage on the entire planet. In this context, the main purpose of the research was to analyze the quality of the different types of blonde beer within a profile unit in northeast of Romania. In order to identify the technological features of beer production, the technological flow within the study unit was followed. The researched material was represented by 20 blonde beer samples, which came from four different types of beer (Suceava clasic, Călimani, Bermas and Solca), produced in the study unit. The samples were analysed organoleptically and then subjected to physico-chemical analyzes, determining: apparent extract, real extract, pH, alcohol concentration, total acidity, bitter value and CO2 concentration. Sensory analysis was performed by the scoring method, evaluating the appearance, colour, smell, taste, CO2 impregnation and persistence of the foam, the four types of beer evaluated having a good or very good quality. pH is one of the most important parameters regarding the taste and beer stability, the values obtained falling within the range 4.35-4.8, imposed in the study unit by product standards. CO2 concentration is another important parameter, all four types of blonde beer falling within the range of 0.3 - 0.5%. After analyzing all the results obtained, it is concluded that these products comply with the quality standards imposed by the legislation in force

A study concerning the quality of spices processed in a profile unit

Along with mankind evolution, the food needs of the population have turned to improved nutrition, which led to the use of spices to enhance the taste and flavour of dishes. Thus, the food industry is currently confronted with the problem of meeting consumer demands, and is trying to respond positively to their specific food requirements. Besides the aromatization function of the dishes, some spices have antiseptic and antioxidant properties, favouring digestion as well. In the present study, the qualitative analysis of spices used in the meat processing industry was followed and some of the spices used in a meat processing unit being also presented. A number of 30 spice samples represented by pepper, sweet paprika, granulated garlic and thyme were analysed, organoleptically, physicochemically (moisture, granulation, percentage of impurities, heavy metal residues and mycotoxins) and microbiological (NTG, Salmonella spp., E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts and moulds). Regarding organoleptic parameters, the spices taken in the study are in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications, being in line with the legal provisions in force. Following the analysis of the physico-chemical parameters of the spices, no exceedances of standard values were observed, the products complying with the provisions imposed by current legislation. A medium moisture value of 5.03% was recorded for the grinded white pepper, and 4.1% for sweet paprika, both being within the admissible values. For six samples of sweet paprika were analysed included contaminants (Pb, Cd, Aflatoxin B, Ochratoxin A), the results being within the limits of admissibility, according to Regulations (EC) in force (Regulation EC No. 1881/2006, Regulation EC No. 165/2010, Regulation EC No. 594/2012). Regarding microbiological parameters, all analysed samples recorded values corresponding to the legal admissibility limits. As a result of the study, it has been found that a wide range of spices is used in the food industry and the programs of self-control and official control are respected and the results obtained are in line with the regulations in force

Study on the quality of toast bread assortments from a romanian profile unit and consumers´ safety

The consumption of bakery products has increased due to the diversity of assortments, preparation technology and taste which determined the existence of a very large range of breads with high nutritional value. The objectives of the present study were: determining the quality parameters of the toast bread, emphasizing the statistically significant differences and correlations between the quality parameters and evaluation of nutritional aspects. Four assortments of toast sliced bread-Toast Integral (T.I.), Toast Classic (T.C.), Toast Graham (T.G.) and Toast with Rye (T.R.) were analyzed. The analyzes included: weight, humidity, acidity, porosity, elasticity, water activity. Also, the nutritional profile (content of fats, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugar, protein, fiber and salt) was evaluated and the results were compared with the values declared on the label. The assortments with higher fiber content, respectively T. I., T.G. and T.R. had higher humidity than T.C. The acidity was significantly increased in the assortments of fiber-rich breads (T.I., T.R., T.G.) compared to sliced white bread (T.C.). Except for the pair T.I. - T.R., the porosity constituted an element of statistical differentiation for all the other pairs of investigated assortments. Basically, the highest porosity was T.C. (87.13%), followed by T.R., T.I. and T.G. In T.I., the increase in weight was correlated with the decrease in porosity. This can be an effect of baking in the tray, so in conditions of constant volume (r = -0.627). The T.C. products with higher humidity were also characterized by higher elasticity (r = 0.582). The analyzed products were characterized by lower fat contents and saturated fat actions compared to the values written on the package. The quality parameters of the investigated products were characterized by low values of coefficients of variation, which suggests that technological processes are controlled, repeatable. It is necessary to revise the labels in order to correct the nutritional information provided to the consumer

Study on the quality of table eggs obtained in a profile unit

The egg has a great nutritional value and is called "complete food". The study was conducted in an egg production unit located in southeastern Romania. In the current context of products available on the consumer market, this paper aims to highlight the importance of quality and freshness of the egg, using methods that are easy to perform and interpret, such as: exterior appreciation by visual examination of the egg shell and colour, density test in tap water, egg organoleptic examination to determine the freshness degree, vitelline index determination, pH determination and determination of the egg yolk colour using La Roche method. 25 samples of different quality, weight and laying data eggs were analysed. In addition, samples were also examined microbiologically for the presence of Salmonella spp., in shell or in content. Exterior examination revealed that the most common colour of the examined eggs shell was light brown (40%). Egg organoleptic examination indicated that all samples analysed had an appropriate odour and presented the white egg corresponding colour (white). Following the vitelline index and pH determination, it was concluded that 18 eggs (72%) were fresh and 7 eggs (28%) were within the upper limit of acceptability values. In conclusion, eggs produced on the farms of the study unit comply with the legal requirements for classification in category A and the corresponding weight categories. The study reconfirms that through nutritional values, the egg contributes to a balanced and healthy diet

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONTROL FRAMEWORKS: COSO AND COBIT

After the corporate scandals from the beginning of the 21st century, there was a general lack of confidence in the quality of the financial reporting. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act came to address this issue, by imposing rules that would prevent such scandals in the future. In order to help companies with the compliance, control frameworks have been issued. The framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission offers guidance in matters of internal controls, whereas the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology focus on IT controls. The present paper intends to critically address the changes in the COSO and COBIT framework, that took place during 2012 and 2013

¿Producto local o ecológico? Las preferencias del consumidor

[spa] El trabajo tiene como objetivo conocer el comportamiento y las preferencias del consumidor hacia los productos locales y/o ecológicos. Las hipótesis principales que se pretenden despejar al final del trabajo son: prefiere el encuestado el producto local o el ecológico, conoce el eco-etiquetado de los productos alimentarios y cuál es el atributo más importante de un producto: el precio o la marca, el producto con etiqueta eco o el local. Para dar respuesta a las hipótesis del trabajo se ha llevado a cabo una encuesta, sub-dividida en tres partes: los factores sociodemográficos, los factores propios de la motivación individual o endógenos y los factores exógenos. Los resultados obtenidos del cuestionario de evaluación representan una evidencia clara de que los consumidores prefieren los productos locales respeto a los ecológicos y que el rasgo de personalidad que les autodefine a la mayoría de los encuestados es el curioso.[eng] The main object of this work paper is to take a closer look to customers behavior and preferences toward local or ecological products. The hypothesis of this work paper are the followings: preferences of a local or an ecological product, the knowledge of eco-labelling and the importance of an attribute like the price or a brand, eco-labelled product or a local one. In order to answer all hypothesis a questionnaire was created. To be able to answer the hypothesis, the evaluation was divided into 3 main blocks: first, socio-demographic data, second, endogenous data and third, exogenous data. The answers obtained from the questionnaire reveal that consumers prefer and choose local products compared with ecological ones and they self-defined having a curious personality