Rheological and structural characterization of tomato paste and its influence on the quality of ketchup

Three hot break tomato pastes were investigated to determine the effect of their characteristics on the properties of tomato ketchup, processed in an industrial-scale facility (i.e. diluted, heated, homogenized and cooled). Pastes and ketchups were characterized by particle size distribution, volume fraction, and rheological behavior in steady and dynamic shear. The ketchups were also subjected to sensory assessment. The processing of pastes into ketchups induced large structural changes, which were reflected in all parameters studied. The volume fraction of solids (φ) accurately reflected the changes that the paste suspensions underwent during processing and it appeared to be a good predictor of the flow behavior of both the pastes and the ketchups. The corresponding flow curves were found to be well described by the Carreau model in a large range of shear rates and concentrations. However, the rheological characteristics of the commercial pastes studied did not directly correlate to those of the corresponding ketchups. Instead, our results suggest that the change in structure induced by processing might be governed by other properties of the paste, such as the fraction of small and large particles and their sensitivity to breakage, together with the viscosity of the aqueous phase

Inverse micellar phases in ternary systems of polar lipids/fat/water and protein emulsification of such phases to W/O/W-microemulsion-emulsions.

A new approach to prepare W/O/W-double emulsions is described. The inner W/O-phase is composed of a thermodynamically stable micellar solution of inverse type, an L2-phase. A protein, caseinate, is then used to stabilize the dispersion of this phase in water. Release from the inner to the outer water phase was followed by dialysis. Phase equilibria of the two ternary systems monolaurin-water-soybean oil and tetraglycerol monolaurin-water-soybean oil are described

Sensory perception. Perceiving the texture of a food: biomechanical and cognitive mechanisms and their measurement

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Validity of polymyalgia rheumatica diagnoses and classification criteria in primary health care

Objectives: PMR is an inflammatory disease with prominent morning stiffness and muscular tenderness, usually diagnosed in primary health care (PHC). The objectives were to examine the validity of PMR diagnoses in PHC and to validate the use of classification criteria for PMR.Methods: Medical records for patients with a registered PMR diagnosis at two PHC facilities were reviewed. Patients were classified according to several sets of criteria. An independent review, with assessment of the PMR diagnosis, was performed by an experienced rheumatologist.Results: Of 188 patients, the PMR diagnosis was in agreement with the independent review in 60% overall, in 84% of those fulfilling a modified version of the ACR/EULAR classification criteria and in 52% of those who did not. The corresponding proportions for the Bird criteria were 66 and 31%, and for the Healey criteria 74 and 42%. In 74% of the medical records, documentation on morning stiffness was missing. Rheumatoid factor was tested in 22% and anti-CCP antibodies in 15%.Conclusion: In this study of patients with PMR diagnosed in PHC, the diagnosis was supported by the independent review in 60% of the patients. Documentation on morning stiffness and testing for autoantibodies were limited. A modified version of the ACR/EULAR criteria can be used to identify patients with a valid PMR diagnosis in retrospective surveys but does not capture all PMR patients. The modified ACR/EULAR criteria may be more stringent than some of the older criteria sets

ALMA, a new tool for the management of asthma patients in clinical practice: development, validation and initial clinical findings.

BACKGROUND: Several instruments have been developed for measuring asthma control, but there is still a need to provide a structure for primary care asthma reviews. AIMS: The Active Life with Asthma (ALMA) tool was developed with the aim of structuring patient visits and assessing asthma treatment in primary care. The ability of ALMA to map out the care of asthma patients was evaluated and validated. METHODS: ALMA was developed with patient and clinical expert input. Questions were generated in focus groups and the resulting tool was subsequently validated by factor analysis in 1779 patients (1116 females) of mean age 51 years (range 18-89) in primary care. RESULTS: The ALMA tool includes 19 questions, 14 of which belong to a subset assessing asthma control. In this subset, factor analysis revealed three domains (factors): physical, psychological, and environmental triggers. Correlation with the Asthma Control Questionnaire was 0.72 and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.88. The test-retest reliability was 0.93. Of the 1779 patients tested with ALMA in primary care, 62% reported chest tightness, 30% nightly awakenings and 45% asthma breakthrough despite medication. CONCLUSIONS: The ALMA tool is useful as a follow-up instrument in clinical practice to structure patient visits and assess asthma treatment in primary care. The breadth of the questions and the pragmatic use in clinical practice also make it useful as an outcome measure

ALMA, a new tool for the management of asthma patients in clinical practice: development, validation and initial clinical findings.

BACKGROUND: Several instruments have been developed for measuring asthma control, but there is still a need to provide a structure for primary care asthma reviews. AIMS: The Active Life with Asthma (ALMA) tool was developed with the aim of structuring patient visits and assessing asthma treatment in primary care. The ability of ALMA to map out the care of asthma patients was evaluated and validated. METHODS: ALMA was developed with patient and clinical expert input. Questions were generated in focus groups and the resulting tool was subsequently validated by factor analysis in 1779 patients (1116 females) of mean age 51 years (range 18-89) in primary care. RESULTS: The ALMA tool includes 19 questions, 14 of which belong to a subset assessing asthma control. In this subset, factor analysis revealed three domains (factors): physical, psychological, and environmental triggers. Correlation with the Asthma Control Questionnaire was 0.72 and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.88. The test-retest reliability was 0.93. Of the 1779 patients tested with ALMA in primary care, 62% reported chest tightness, 30% nightly awakenings and 45% asthma breakthrough despite medication. CONCLUSIONS: The ALMA tool is useful as a follow-up instrument in clinical practice to structure patient visits and assess asthma treatment in primary care. The breadth of the questions and the pragmatic use in clinical practice also make it useful as an outcome measure