Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Stoforos, Nikolaos G.; Noronha, João; Hendrickx, Marc; Tobback, Paul; Hayakawa, Kan‐lchi

doi: 10.1080/10408399709527782pmid: 9315432

Abstract Kinetic data on thermal destruction of spoilage and quality factors coupled with the temperature history of a product during a heat sterilization cycle are the basic information needed for the evaluation and the design of thermal processes through a physical‐mathematical approach. A critical review on the available physical‐mathematical procedures used for thermal process calculations of in‐container processed foods is presented. The origin and the limitations of each method are discussed. The equations associated with each method, for internal product temperature predictions, are explicitly given. The relative performance of selected methods under identical processing conditions is illustrated. Several problems associated with thermal process calculations are discussed.

Jovanovic, A.; Grubor‐Lajsic, G.; Djukic, N.; Gardinovacki, G.; Matic, A.; Spasic, M.; Pritsos, Chris A.

doi: 10.1080/10408399709527783pmid: 9315433

Abstract The effect of selenium‐supplemented diet (sodium selenate and selenium yeast) on antioxidant in erthrocytes and liver of the carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) fingerlings was studied. With this goal, the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST), as well as glutathione (GSH + GSSG) level, were determined. In the group supplemented with sodium selenate, no significant changes in the activity of the above enzymes were recorded in both the erythrocytes and in the liver, with the exception of GST activity that was significantly reduced in the plasma compared with the controls. Glutathione content was at the control level. In the group supplemented with selenium‐yeast, the activities of GSH‐Px, CAT, and SOD were significantly increased in erythrocytes, whereas GST activity and plasma content of GSH + GSSG were reduced compared with the controls. At the same time, the activities of hepatic SOD and GST were increased compared with the controls. These results demonstrate that organically bound selenium (selenium‐yeast) acts more efficiently on antioxidant system of the carp fingerlings than inorganic selenium salts.

Beveridge, T.; Rao, M. A.

doi: 10.1080/10408399709527784pmid: 9315434

Abstract Presses are the usual and traditional method of removing juice from fruit and vegetable materials. However, recently diffusion extraction, centrifugation, and specialized ultrafiltration techniques have been explored and have been exploited commercially to a limited extent. Yield efficiency diagrams that relate juice yields to mash feed rates provide a mechanism for comparing presses and other processes such as enzyme treatments or decanter centrifuges for efficiency under a stated set of circumstances. Diffusion extraction is capable of removing 90 to 94% of soluble solids from properly prepared apple slices, but the resulting juice is diluted with extraction water and is high in extracted tannins. Concentration is necessary to obtain juice solids equivalency, and the resulting juice has sour/astringent flavors that must be removed with tannin absorbants to provide acceptable flavor. Currently, decanter centifuges are used commercially and have provided an alternative to presses under certain circumstances. When naturally colored and flavored (unoxidized) juices are desired, the decanter provides a useful alternative to presses because it is easily inert gas blanketed. Utilization of a metallic ultrafilter as a press has been patented but has not achieved commercial utilization. The technical literature describing the application of these juice extraction juices, primarily to apples, is reviewed extensively.

Peleg, Micha; Shetty, Kalidas

doi: 10.1080/10408399709527785pmid: 9315435

Abstract The life histories of microbial populations, under favorable and adverse conditions, exhibit a variety of growth, decay, and fluctuation patterns. They have been described by numerous mathematical models that varies considerably in structure and number of constants. The continuous logistic equation alone and combined with itself or with its mirror image, the Fermi function, can produce many of the observed growth patterns. They include those that are traditionally described by the Gompertz equation and peaked curves, with the peak being symmetric or asymmetric narrow or wide. The shape of survival and dose response curves appears to be determined by the distribution of the resistance's to the lethal agent among the individual organisms. Thus, exponential decay and Fermian or Gompertz‐type curves can be considered manifestations of skewed to the right, symmetric, and skewed to the left distributions, respectively. Because of the mathematical constraints and determinism, the original discrete logistic equation can rarely be an adequate model of real microbial populations. However, by making its proportionality constant a normal‐random variate it can simulate realistic histories of fluctuating microbial populations, including scenarios of aperiodic population explosions of varying intensities of the kind found in food‐poisoning episodes.