In this paper an interactive approach to deal with fuzzy multiple objective linear programming problems is presented, which is based on the analysis of the decomposition of the parametric (weight) diagram into indifference regions corresponding to basic efficient solutions. This approach is illustrated to tackle uncertainty and imprecision associated with the coefficients of an input-output energy-economy planning model, aimed at providing decision support to decision makers in the study of the interactions between the energy system and the economy on a national level.

The replacement of dehydrated products such as whey protein concentrates and isolates (WPC and WPO) by liquid whey protein concentrates (LWPC) obtained by ultrafiltration can be an excellent alternative for the production of innovative dairy products. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the gelation properties of LWPC as raw material for acid-induced dairy gels. Acid-induced gels were produced with non-defatted LWPC, with or without fortification with skimmed milk powder (SMP), by bacterial fermentation and by glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) acidification. The fermented systems (yogurt type acid gels) produced weaker gel structures than the equivalent chemically acidified gels (dessert type acid gels). Ot was also observed that molecular rearrangement continues during cold storage and that fortification with SMP favoured gelation. Whey-based dairy gels obtained by fermentation or by glucono-δ-lactone acidification presented viscoelastic behaviour, appealing functional and nutritional properties, and their utilization can effectively contribute to the reduction of waste.

In the following study, three different dairy by-products, previously concentrated by ultrafiltration (UF), were used as ingredients in the production of reduced-fat (RF) washed curd cheeses in order to improve their characteristics. Conventional full-fat (FF) cheeses (45% fat, dry basis (db)) and RF cheeses (20–30% fat, db) were compared to RF cheeses produced with the incorporation of 5% concentrated whey (RF + CW), buttermilk (RF + CB) or sheep second cheese whey (RF + CS). Protein-to-fat ratios were lower than 1 in the FF cheeses, while RF cheeses ranged from 1.8 to 2.8. The tested by-products performed differently when added to the milk used for cheese production. The FF cheese showed a more pronounced yellow colour after 60 and 90 days of ripening, indicating that fat plays an important role regarding this parameter. As far as the texture parameters are concerned, after 60 days of ripening, RF cheeses with buttermilk presented similar results to FF cheeses for hardness (5.0–7.5 N) and chewiness (ca. 400). These were lower than the ones recorded for RF cheeses with added UF concentrated whey (RF + CW) and second cheese whey (RF + CS), which presented lower adhesiveness values. RF cheeses with 5% incorporation of buttermilk concentrated by UF presented the best results concerning both texture and sensory evaluation.

Functional foods have a common feature of providing some functional advantage to consumers, being normally associated with food innovation (Tapsell, 2008). Their functionality may be associated to specific nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, prebiotics, or probiotics, but it is expected that they can deliver additional benefits over and above their basic nutritional value. Nowadays, there has been an increased interest in the development of new functional foods as a result of the increased awareness of the public regarding the impact of food

In the following study, three different dairy by-products, previously concentrated by ultrafiltration (UF), were used as ingredients in the production of reduced-fat (RF) washed curd cheeses in order to improve their characteristics. Conventional full-fat (FF) cheeses (45% fat, dry basis (db)) and RF cheeses (20-30% fat, db) were compared to RF cheeses produced with the incorporation of 5% concentrated whey (RF + CW), buttermilk (RF + CB) or sheep second cheese whey (RF + CS). www.videleaf.com Protein-to-fat ratios were lower than 1 in the FF cheeses, while RF cheeses ranged from 1.8 to 2.8. The tested by-products performed differently when added to the milk used for cheese production. The FF cheese showed a more pronounced yellow colour after 60 and 90 days of ripening, indicating that fat plays an important role regarding this parameter. As far as the texture parameters are concerned, after 60 days of ripening, RF cheeses with buttermilk presented similar results to FF cheeses for hardness (5.0-7.5 N) and chewiness (ca. 3.92 N). These were lower than the ones recorded for RF cheeses with added UF concentrated whey (RF+CW) and second cheese whey (RF+CS), which presented lower adhesiveness values. RF cheeses with 5% incorporation of buttermilk concentrated by UF presented the best results concerning both texture and sensory evaluation.

In this paper, the effects of uncertainty on multiple-objective linear programming models are studied using the concepts of fuzzy set theory. The proposed interactive decision support system is based on the interactive exploration of the weight space. The comparative analysis of indifference regions on the various weight spaces (which vary according to intervals of values of the satisfaction degree of objective functions and constraints) enables to study the stability and evolution of the basis that correspond to the calculated efficient solutions with changes of some model parameters. D

No abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of microparticulated whey protein (MPWP), used as a fat replacer, on the physicochemical and sensory properties of reduced fat, washed curd, cheese and cheese puffs obtained by vacuum microwave drying (VMD). The physicochemical characteristics of finely ground cheese puffs were also evaluated. Reduced‐fat cheese with MPWP addition did not affect most of the characteristics of the cheese and ground puffs. However, its influence on the characteristics of puffs was noted. Reduced‐fat cheese without MPWP has proven to be the best raw material to produce microwave vacuum‐dried puffs. Finally, this research suggests that vacuum microwave drying can be a promising solution for production of cheese puffs and that finely ground puffs can also be used as potential ingredients in food formulations.