The use of mineral salt replacers to reduce the sodium content in cheese has been investigated as a method to maintain both the salty flavor and the preservative effects of salt. The majority of studies of sodium reduction have used mineral salt replacers at levels too low to produce equal water activity (a(w)) in the finished cheese compared with the full-sodium control. Higher a(w) can result in differences in cheese quality due to differences in the effective salt-to-moisture ratio. This creates differences in biochemical and microbial reactions during aging. We hypothesized that by targeting replacer concentrations to produce the same a(w) as full sodium cheese, changes in cheese quality would be minimized. Stirred-curd Cheddar-style cheese was manufactured and curd was salted with NaCl or naturally reduced sodium sea salt. Reduced-sodium cheeses were created by blends of NaCl or sea salt with KCl, modified KCl, MgCl₂, or CaCl₂ before pressing. Sodium levels in reduced-sodium cheeses ranged from 298 to 388 mg of sodium/100g, whereas the control full-sodium cheese had 665 mg/100g. At 1 wk of age, a(w) of reduced-sodium cheeses were not significantly different from control, which had an a(w) of 0.96. The pH values of all reduced-sodium cheeses, excluding the treatment that combined sea salt and MgCl₂, were lower than those of full-sodium cheese, indicating that the starter culture was possibly less inhibited at the salting step by the replacers than by NaCl. Instrumental hardness values of the treatments with sea salt were higher than in cheeses containing NaCl, with the exception of the NaCl/CaCl₂ treatment, which was the hardest. Treatments with MgCl₂ and modified KCl were generally less hard than other treatments. In-hand and first-bite firmness values correlated with the instrumental texture profile analysis results. Both CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ produced considerable off-flavors in the cheese (bitter, metallic, unclean, and soapy), as measured by descriptive sensory analysis with a trained panel. Bitterness ratings for cheese with KCl and modified KCl were not significantly different from the full-sodium control. Potassium chloride can be used successfully to achieve large reductions in sodium when replacing a portion of the NaCl in Cheddar cheese.

Cereal Chem. 92(5):434-440Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial grass with desirable agronomic traits and positive effects on the environment. It has high fiber and protein contents, which increase the interest in using IWG for human consumption. In this study, IWG flour was blended with refined wheat at four IWG-to-wheat ratios (0:100, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0). Samples were analyzed for proximate composition, microstructure features, pasting properties (Micro Visco-Amylo-Graph device), protein solubility, and total and accessible thiols. Gluten aggregation properties (GlutoPeak tester) and mixing profile (Farinograph-AT device) were also evaluated. IWG flour enrichment increased the pasting temperature and decreased the peak viscosity of blended flours.

We investigated use of potassium chloride (KCl) to maintain both the salty flavor and to replace the preservative effects of salt when reducing the sodium content in natural cheese. Because salt replacers can affect flavor because of inherent off-flavors, such as bitter and metallic, we examined the use of flavor enhancers for their ability to modulate some of these undesirable sensory effects. Stirred-curd Cheddar-style cheese was manufactured using 2 cheese-making procedures (different curd knife sizes and target salting titratable acidities), in duplicate. Curd was salted with sodium chloride (NaCl) or 60% reduced sodium blends of NaCl and KCl (2 different sources). Curd was also salted at a 60% reduced sodium rate with NaCl and KCl with added flavor enhancers. A hydrolyzed vegetable protein/yeast extract blend, a natural "potassium-blocking type" flavor, disodium inosinate, or disodium guanylate were each blended with the reduced sodium salt blend and added to curd at the salting step. The resulting blocks of cheese were aged for 5 mo and evaluated monthly for chemical, microbial, and sensory differences. At 5 mo of aging, we measured liking for the cheeses using a consumer panel. Overall, cheeses were well liked by the consumer panel, and the scores of reduced sodium cheese with 2 different KCl sources were not different from those of the full-sodium control. The addition of flavor enhancers to Cheddar curd had mixed results, with one improving the consumer flavor liking only slightly over KCl, and one (disodium inosinate) significantly reducing consumer flavor liking scores, presumably due to the amount of umami flavor it contributed. Potassium chloride replacement salts sourced from different manufacturers affected the chemical and flavor properties of cheese, and changes to pH and temperature targets may be necessary to yield cheese with the moisture and pH targets desired. The cheese-making procedure used also influenced fla-vors observed, which resulted in higher levels of brothy flavor in cheese made with smaller curd knives and a higher target salting titratable acidity. This effect resulted in lower consumer liking scores.

Historically, agroecosystems have been designed to produce food. Modern societies now demand more from food systems-not only food, fuel, and fiber, but also a variety of ecosystem services. And although today's farming practices are producing unprecedented yields, they are also contributing to ecosystem problems such as soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. This review highlights the potential benefits of perennial grains and oilseeds and discusses recent progress in their development. Because of perennials' extended growing season and deep root systems, they may require less fertilizer, help prevent runoff, and be more drought tolerant than annuals. Their production is expected to reduce tillage, which could positively affect biodiversity. End-use possibilities involve food, feed, fuel, and nonfood bioproducts. Fostering multidisciplinary collaborations will be essential for the successful integration of perennials into commercial cropping and food-processing systems.

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for the opportunity He has given me to pursue my master's degree. I believe that He is the source of all blessings and I would not be where I am today without Him. Also, to all of the people who made me who I am today, thank you! It is impossible to mention each one of you, but know that I am forever grateful to all of you. With deep gratitude, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Baraem (Pam) Ismail, who always gave me tremendous support, continual guidance, and encouragement both in my academic journey and career path. This journey would not be possible without you! I would also like to thank Dr. George Annor, for being a tremendous mentor and friend who took a significant amount of time from his schedule to help me. Many thanks to Dr. Tonya Schoenfuss, my co-advisor, and to Dr. James Anderson, the final member of my thesis committee, for their support of my work. With a thankful heart, I would like to thank Forever Green Initiative, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and The Land Institute for funding this project. Also to all plant agronomists who helped in providing the samples used in this project and work alongside with us, Xiaofei Zhang, Lee DeHaan, and Dr. Don Wyse. I would also like to thank research groups under the supervision of Dr. Senay Simsek, Dr. Jae-Bom Ohm, and Kristin Whitney at North Dakota State University, for their help and assistance with my research. Further, I would like to thank my research family at the Ismail Research Laboratory for their continuous support and assistance. I especially thank Chathurada and Catrin for their willingness to help and lend me their expertise. To Amy, my sister from another mother and father, for being a good friend who always listen to my ups and downs.