No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Minimal food-processing methods are not effective against foodborne viruses, such as human norovirus (NV). It is important, therefore, to explore novel nonthermal technologies for decontamination of foods eaten fresh, minimally processed and ready-to-eat foods, and food contact surfaces. We studied the in vitro virucidal activity of cold atmospheric gaseous plasma (CGP) against feline calicivirus (FCV), a surrogate of NV. Factors affecting the virucidal activity of CGP (a socalled radio frequency atmospheric pressure plasma jet) were the plasma generation power, the exposure time and distance, the plasma feed gas mixture, and the virus suspension medium. Exposure to 2.5-W argon (Ar) plasma caused a 5.55 log 10 unit reduction in the FCV titer within 120 s. The reduction in the virus titer increased with increasing exposure time and decreasing exposure distance. Of the four plasma gas mixtures studied (Ar, Ar plus 1% O 2 , Ar plus 1% dry air, and Ar plus 0.27% water), Ar plus 1% O 2 plasma treatment had the highest virucidal effect: more than 6.0 log 10 units of the virus after 15 s of exposure. The lowest virus reduction was observed with Ar plus 0.27% water plasma treatment (5 log 10 unit reduction after 120 s). The highest reduction in titer was observed when the virus was suspended in distilled water. Changes in temperature and pH and formation of H 2 O 2 were not responsible for the virucidal effect of plasma. The oxidation of viral capsid proteins by plasma-produced reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in the solution was thought to be responsible for the virucidal effect. In conclusion, CGP exhibits virucidal activity in vitro and has the potential to combat viral contamination in foods and on food preparation surfaces. Foodborne illnesses continue to plague public health, as well as world economies, costing approximately $152 billion in the United States alone (1). Enteric viruses, particularly human norovirus (NV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV), are the leading causes of viral foodborne illnesses (2). Human NV, one of the top five pathogens with respect to the total cost of foodborne illnesses in the United States, belongs to the family Caliciviridae and is a wellknown cause of "winter vomiting disease" or "stomach flu" (3). NV causes 19 to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis annually in the United States and leads to 1.7 to 1.9 million outpatient visits, 400,000 emergency room visits, 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations, and 570 to 800 deaths, mostly among young children (4). More than half of all foodborne disease outbreaks due to a known cause reported to the CDC from 2006 to 2010 were attributed to NV. In the European Union in 2007, caliciviruses (primarily NV) were responsible for 507 of 675 foodborne viral disease outbreaks (5).Multiple issues related to the quality of thermally processed foods, e.g., nutritional losses and adverse effects on organoleptic quality, have led to the emergence of so-called nonthermal technologies, which consist of preservation treatments that are effective at ambient o...

No abstract

The purpose of the present research was to develop novel flat bread supplemented with quinoa flour to raise its nutritional quality and functional properties. Furthermore, evaluation of the quality of developed bread was realized with blends at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% of quinoa flour. Chemical composition of supplemented flat bread was determined. Several properties on dough (water absorption, dough development time, stability time, elasticity, and extensibility) and their corresponding characteristics (loaf specific volume, baking loss, roundness, height, baking time, hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience, gumminess, and chewiness) were then evaluated. The protein content in bread-based quinoa blends was significantly increased gradually with increasing the percentage of quinoa flour from 12.12±0.63% in control to 15.85±0.065% in 30% quinoa flour. Also, the amino acids content was increased with increasing the percentage of quinoa flour. Mineral contents in 30% quinoa flour blend such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc were higher than other ratios and control bread (100% wheat flour). Rheological properties of supplemented bread such as specific volume, appearance, crust and crumb texture, aroma-odor, and colour were evaluated and found to be excellent. Physicosensory characteristics of the bread fortified with quinoa flour were evaluated and the most of panelists accepted and preferred the bread supplemented with quinoa flour more than control. The obtained unique nutritional, physicochemical, and organoleptic characteristics of quinoa flour-based flat bread open a new promising prospect for utilization of quinoa flour in an industrial scale for treatment and/or prevention of malnutrition in developing counties.

No abstract