Kinetic modelling of vitamin C loss in frozen green vegetables under variable storage conditions.

Abstract A systematic kinetic study of l-ascorbic acid loss of four green vegetables was conducted in the temperature range of freezing storage. The temperature-dependence of vitamin C loss in the À3 to À20 C range was adequately modelled by the Arrhenius equation and activation energy ranged from 98 to 112 kJ/mol for the four frozen green vegetables. The developed models were validated in fluctuating time-temperature conditions, in order to establish their applicability in the real marketing path of the commercial products. Based on the models, the nutritional level can be estimated, at any point of the freezing chain, when the full time-temperature history is available. Comparison among different green vegetables showed that the type of plant tissue significantly affects the rate of vitamin C loss. Frozen spinach was found to be the most susceptible to vitamin C degradation, peas and green beans demonstrated a moderate retention, whereas okra exhibited a substantially lower loss rate.

Impact of cold atmospheric pressure plasma processing on storage of blueberries

The current study aimed at investigating the impact of nitrogen (N)-generated cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment on blueberries focusing on the overall impact on berry quality and microbial load along a storage period of 10 days. Blueberries were treated for 0 (control), 5, and 10 min. Assessment of fruit quality (°Bx, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, titratable acidity, elasticity, and color parameters) and microbial analysis was performed. Results showed that CAPP treatment was more effective in inhibiting bacterial growth than fungal growth and during the subsequent storage, the quality parameters did not differ significantly from the control, under the same conditions. The study supports N-generated CAPP as a disinfection technique to reduce microbial load in blueberries without significantly impacting most quality parameters. Practical applications: Over the last decades, foodborne illness outbreaks around the world have been associated with berries. For that reason, due to the increasing consumption of berries it is paramount to study technologies that can eliminate pathogens responsible for such outbreaks. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) can be a promising technology to be used as an alternative to traditional decontamination methods of food. In this context, this study explored the effect and efficiency of this novel technology on reduction of native microflora and its impact on the physical and chemical properties of blueberries treated by nitrogen (N)-generated CAPP with subsequent storage of 10 days. Results of this work confirmed that such technology has high potential application for decontamination of berries without significantly impacting most quality parameters and thereby can be a potential technology for industrial applications. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation published by Wiley Periodicals LLC

Novel time-temperature and ‘consume-within’ indicator based on gas-diffusion

The novel time-temperature indicator label comprises an ammonia sensitive indicator layer film pressed onto a second film, comprising an ammonia-generating, adhesive layer. When separated the blue-coloured indicator film reverts back to its original (ammonia free) yellow form at a controllable, temperature dependant rate. The labels are easily made and stored

Effect of pulses electric fields technology on phytochemical extraction from radish sprouts

[SPA] Los pulsos eléctricos (PE) son una tecnología emergente muy prometedora, cada vez más empleada en el campo de la industria alimentaria. En este sentido, este tratamiento puede mejorar la extracción de compuestos bioactivos de diferentes matrices alimentarias, mediante el efecto del fenómeno de electroporación. Por otro lado, los brotes de crucíferas como el rábano (Raphanus sativus), son ricos en metabolitos secundarios con un gran interés en la salud humana (glucosinolatos y sus productos de degradación: isotiocianatos, así como compuestos fenólicos). Debido a todo ello, los PE podrían ser una tecnología prometedora para la mejora de la extracción de fitoquímicos como los GLS en brotes de rábano. [ENG] Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) is a promising emerging technology, used in the field of food engineering. This treatment can improve the extraction of bioactive compounds from food matrixes among the effect of the electroporation phenomenon. On the other hand, cruciferous sprouts, such as radish (Raphanus sativus), are rich in secondary metabolites with interest for the human health (glucosinolates and degradation metabolites: isothyocianates, as well as phenolic compounds). Due to all the previously mentioned, pulsed electric fields could be a promising extraction technique for such bioactive compounds from radish sprouts.Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias al programa SUIT4FOOD, perteneciente al proyecto europeo ERASMUS +, y al laboratorio de Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria de la Universidad Tecnológica de Atenas

Water activity in liquid food systems : A molecular scale interpretation

Water activity has historically been and continues to be recognised as a key concept in the area of food science. Despite its ubiquitous utilisation, it still appears as though there is confusion concerning its molecular basis, even within simple, single component solutions. Here, by close examination of the well-known Norrish equation and subsequent application of a rigorous statistical theory, we are able to shed light on such an origin. Our findings highlight the importance of solute-solute interactions thus questioning traditional, empirically based “free water” and “water structure” hypotheses. Conversely, they support the theory of “solute hydration and clustering” which advocates the interplay of solute-solute and solute-water interactions but crucially, they do so in a manner which is free of any estimations and approximations

Estimación a corto plazo de la temperatura del agua. Aplicación en sistemas de producción en medio acuático

[ES] El control y la predicción de parámetros físico-químicos del agua en tanques de cultivo de plantas de producción en medio acuático es un aspecto fundamental del buen funcionamiento de este tipo de instalaciones. En este trabajo se propone la estimación de la temperatura del agua en las próximas 24 horas en una planta de producción de anguilas europeas de carácter intensivo mediante regresiones múltiples y modelos univariantes de series temporales (modelos de suavizado y ARIMA). Se cuenta con datos de las temperaturas diarias en distintas series de tanques correspondientes a los años 1997 al 2001. Los modelos se calibran considerando exclusivamente la relación de los datos presentes y pasados de la temperatura, asumiéndose de esta forma que la variabilidad de otros factores que pueden influir en este parámetro está contenida en la propia serie de datos. 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A quality, energy and environmental assessment tool for the European cold chain

According to 5th Informatory Note on Refrigeration and Food published by the International Institute of Refrigeration, 20% of the global losses in perishable products was due to lack of refrigeration. It is expected that increased use of refrigeration to reduce these losses will help meet the increasing food demands of the growing world population. However, the use of refrigeration already accounts for about 15% of world’s electricity usage. In addition, the use of refrigeration significantly contributes to global warming via emission of CO2. In this paper, a software tool was developed to assess food quality and safety evolution, energy usage and CO2 emission of different refrigeration technologies along the European cold chain. A reference product was chosen for the main different food categories in the European cold chain. Software code to predict the products temperature using the room temperature as input, based on validated heat and mass transfer models, were written in Matlab (The Mathworks Inc., Natick, USA). Also, based on validated kinetic models for the different quality indicators of the reference products, a software code was written to calculate the quality and safety evolutions of the food product, using the predicted product temperature as input. Finally, software code to calculate the energy usage and Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) value of different refrigeration technologies was also written in Matlab. All three software codes were integrated, and a graphical user interface was developed. Using the graphical user interface, a user can tailor a cold chain scenario by adding different cold chain blocks. Each cold chain block has properties that can be modified. The tool can be used to compare different cold chains with respect to quality, safety, energy usage, and environmental impact

Towards sustainability in cold chains: Development of a quality, energy and environmental assessment tool (QEEAT)

Quantification of the impact of refrigeration technologies in terms of the quality of refrigerated food, energy usage, and environmental impact is essential to assess cold chain sustainability. In this paper, we present a software tool QEEAT (Quality, Energy and Environmental Assessment Tool) for evaluating refrigeration technologies. As a starting point, a reference product was chosen for the different main food categories in the European cold chain. Software code to predict the products temperature, based on validated heat and mass transfer models, were written in Matlab (The Mathworks Inc., Natick, USA). Also, based on validated kinetic models for the different quality indicators of the reference products, (including fruit, meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products) a software code was written to calculate the quality and safety evolutions of the food product, using the predicted product temperature as input. Finally, software code to calculate the energy usage and Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) value of different refrigeration technologies was also written in Matlab. All three software codes were integrated, and a graphical user interface was developed. Using the QEEAT, a user can tailor a cold chain scenario by adding cold chain blocks (different steps of a cold chain) and simulating the quality evolution, energy use and emission throughout the chain. Also, the user can modify properties of a cold chain block, by selecting different technologies, or changing set point values. Defaults are provided for input values, and are based on the current practice, and obtained by extensive literature studies and consultation with different experts of the cold chain. Furthermore, the user can build and simulate several chains simultaneously, allowing him/her to compare different chains with respect to quality, energy and emission