Hot Beverages at Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Drive-Thru Windows

The Liebeck hot coffee case is discussed, showing that the court’s decision was not whimsical, but predicated on the knowledge and behaviour of McDonald’s as represented and displayed by their employees and agents. Subsequent research establishing consumer preferred temperatures for consuming hot beverages is reviewed, as is the literature considering that such temperatures are above medical literature thresholds for injuries, yet not causing injuries. Past and current quick service restaurant (QSR) drive-thru window practices regarding hot beverage service temperatures and warnings are established and examined. Finally, circumstances and conditions under which QSR management need to practice due diligence in providing for their customers are addressed

Improving bread-making processing phases of fibre-rich formulas using chia (Salvia hispanica) seed flour

[EN] The capacity of chia seed flour to improve the behaviour of wholemeal formulas of wheat bread during the bread-making process was tested. Seven formulas were produced: one employing only wheat flour (control), two formulas substituting 13% and 23% (d.b.) of wheat flour with bran (wholemeal), and these last two bran formulas were combined in turn with chia, in which substituting 5% and 10% (d.b.) of their wheat flour fraction. The fermentation phase improved. Chia led to an increase in the gas retention of dough with 13% of bran, and height was reached with no differences compared to the refined wheat dough. Water retention did not show differences between formulas after the baking phase. The 13% bran/5% chia formula generated breads with 12% fibre content (w.b), but no differences were found in specific volume and similar hardness to the refined wheat ones. Finally, this bran/chia combination, which showed no differences during the bread-making process with the refined wheat formula, was tested for sensory attributes. No significant effect was detected on the sensory attributes compared to the same wholemeal formula without chia flour. Chia modified the properties of wholemeal doughs, which improved the bread making process and produced bread with no deterioration in sensory attributes.Verdú Amat, S.; Barat Baviera, JM.; Grau Meló, R. (2017). Improving bread-making processing phases of fibre-rich formulas using chia (Salvia hispanica) seed flour. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 84:419-425. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2017.06.007S4194258

Physicochemical and textural quality attributes of gluten-free bread formulated with guar gum

The objective of this study was to assess the combined effect of guar gum (GG) and water content (WC) on the rheological properties of batter, and the physicochemical and textural properties of bread. Batches of gluten-free bread used a base formulation of rice (50%), maize (30%) and quinoa flour (20%), with different levels of GG (2.5, 3.0 or 3.5%) and water (90, 100 or 110%) in a full factorial design. Higher GG doses (p<0.001) tended to produce batters of lower stickiness, work of adhesion and cohesive strength; yet, of higher firmness, consistency, cohesiveness and viscosity index. These batters yielded loaves of lower (p<0.001) specific volume and baking loss; and crumbs of lower (p<0.001) aw, pH, mean cell area, void fraction, mean cell aspect ratio; and higher (p<0.001) hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, resilience, mean cell density, cell size uniformity and mean cell compactness. The sticker and less consistent batters produced with higher WC rendered larger bread loaves of softer and more cohesive and springy/resilient crumbs with greater mean cell size and void fraction. Gluten-free loaves of good appearance in terms of higher specific volume, lower crumb hardness, higher crumb springiness, and open grain visual texture were obtained in formulations with 110% WC and GG doses between 2.5 and 3.0%.Eng. Encina-Zelada acknowledges the financial aid provided by the Peruvian National Programme of Scholarships and Student Loans (PRONABEC) in the mode of PhD grants (Presidente de la República-183308). The authors are grateful to Eng. Andrea Oliveira from Prodipani, Portugal, for her kind advice and providing breadmaking ingredients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Autocracy-Sustaining Versus Democratic Federalism:Explaining the Divergent Trajectories of Territorial Politics in Russia and Western Europe

This article provides a comparative assessment of territorial politics in Russia and Western Europe. The consolidation or deepening of regional autonomy in Western Europe contrasts with the transformation of Russia from a segmented and highly centrifugal state into a centralized authoritarian state in the course of just two decades. The consolidation of territorial politics in Western Europe is linked to the presence of endogenous safeguards that are built into their territorial constitutional designs and most importantly to the dynamics that emanate from multi-level party competition in the context of a liberal and multi-level democracy. In contrast, in Russia, neither endogenous safeguards nor multi-level party democracy play an important role in explaining the dynamics of Russian federalism, but who controls key state resources instead. We argue that under Putin power dependencies between the Russian center and the regions are strongest where regional democracy is at its weakest, thus producing ‘autocracy-sustaining’ instead of a democratic federation. By studying the relationship between federalism and democracy in cases where both concepts are mutually reinforcing (as in Western Europe) with the critical case of Russia where they are not, we question the widely held view that democracy is a necessary pre-condition for federalism.Peer reviewe