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The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress in workers who formulate organophosphate, synthetic pyrethroid and carbamate pesticides. In this survey, blood erythrocytes from a group of 94 pesticide-formulating workers (at least 5-years experience in pest-control in apple and cherry production) and 45 control subjects were examined for oxidative stress parameters. The control group was composed of 45 healthy people living in the same region with no exposure to pesticides. Lipid peroxidation level, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in erythrocytes were analysed as biomarkers of oxidative stress. In addition, the acetylcholinesterase activity was measured as a biomarker of toxicity. Results indicated that chronic exposure to organophosphate, synthetic pyrethroid and carbamate pesticides were associated with increased activities of catalase, SOD and lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes (p < 0.05). Acetylcholinesterase activity did not show any significant differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). It is concluded that human chronic exposure to pesticides may result in stimulated antioxidant enzymes.

The results presented indicated that the proposed cooking method is useful to control final oil content of fried carrot slices, so indirectly limiting the daily calorie intake by consumers without spectacular losses in quality attributes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The effect of three commercially available traditional cultures namely yoghurt cultures ( Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus), cheese cultures ( Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris) and helveticus culture ( Lactobacillus helveticus) on the physico-chemical and sensorial characteristics of low-fat herby cheese were investigated during ripening for 90 days. Low-fat cheese and full-fat cheese without starter culture were also produced, for comparison. Results indicated that addition of the different starter cultures on low-fat cheeses had no significant (P 0.05) effect in compositional (moisture, fat in matter, titratable acidity and pH) and biochemical (water-soluble nitrogen (WSN)), trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen (TCA-SN) and phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen (PTA-SN) compounds in comparison with the low-fat control cheese. The low-fat cheeses made with the starter cultures had slightly greater scores for appearance and colour, body-texture, flavour and acceptability than the control low-fat cheese after 30, 60 and 90 days ripening but differences were not significant (P 0.05). Full-fat cheeses had greater sensory scores than low-fat cheeses.

Effects of carbonic maceration (CM) on drying kinetics and some quality characteristics of dried tomato slices were evaluated. The response surface methodology was used to optimize CM pretreatment (temperature, CO2 pressure, time) for drying time (DT) and effective diffusivity (Deff). Drying process was accelerated by CM applied before conventional drying compared to control samples dried without CM pretreatment. DT and Deff were significantly affected by treatment conditions. CM significantly increased some color parameters (L*, a*, b*, and C*) but decreased total color change and browning index compared to control samples. Significant increments in water activity and titratable acidity were observed in CM treated samples, but textural properties were lower than control one. No significant differences were observed in pH, ascorbic acid content and a*/b* color parameter. Briefly, the CM was an effective pretreatment which could be applied before drying to improve drying characteristics. Practical applications One of the forms used by consumers and manufacturers is the dried tomato slices widely produced by a method of convectional hot air drying. However, the long drying time due in part to the structural characteristics of tomato skin may cause drastic changes in sensorial attributes such as flavor, color, and texture as well as physical properties and nutritional content of tomato. Carbonic maceration and its effects on drying characteristics were investigated in this regard. Results revealed high potential to provide improvement in drying characteristics such as drying time and effective diffusivity. Reduction in drying time by carbonic maceration is an economic advantage. Additionally, some quality parameters of tomato including color, texture, physical properties and ascorbic acid content were also investigated and results are found to be promising for the dried food stuff manufacturers.

The objective of this study was to observe the impact of lowering fat content on the microflora of Cheddar cheese. Full-fat (32%) and low-fat (5%) Cheddar cheeses were produced and evaluated one day after manufacture and at monthly intervals for 5 months. The cheeses were aged at 4°C after being dipped in mold inhibitor and vacuum packed in high-density polythene bags. Standard plate counts and counts of lactococci and lactobacilli were performed. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy of the microflora were also conducted. The lactococci decreased gradually over the ripening period, while the lactobacilli, though not knowingly added during Cheddar cheese preparation, increased concomitantly. Transmission electron microscopic observations revealed affinity of lactococci for the fat phase in aged cheese.

There are a lot of fried food recipes that contain vegetables as a main ingredient. One of the most famous fried vegetables in the Middle East is Falafel. Falafel is a traditional Egyptian and Middle Eastern food with deferent names from country to another, for examples it is called Falafel in Iraq and Levant, and it is called Ta'amiya in Egypt. Falafel is a vegetarian recipe which reflects its nutritious value. In this article, we are going to refer to the definition of Falafel and its origin to show that Falafel is a global dish. In addition, the ingredients of Falafel are going to be mentioned. Finally, the benefits of Falafel are going to be explained to show how Falafel is considered as a nutritious meal. This study has discovered that Falafel is one of the healthy vegetarian meals due to its ingredients which are full of vitamins and also considered as a very rich source of dietary fiber.

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