Steady shear (η) and complex viscosities (η*) are important rheological properties of honeys. In this study, the effects of temperature and total soluble solids (TSS) concentration on these properties in 40 different Brazilian honeys were investigated. All honeys showed liquid-like behaviour at the temperatures and mechanical spectra tested and, except for the orange blossom and multisoutheast samples, respected the Cox-Merz rule. It was found that η varied between 147.3 Pa s and 0.35 Pa s, and η* between 151.33 Pa s and 0.42 Pa s, at 10°C and 60°C, respectively. Four experimental models (Arrhenius, Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF), Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF), and power law) were used to evaluate the effect of temperature on η and η*. The Arrhenius model was the most appropriate for estimation of η of all honeys and η* of some. WLF was the most appropriate for predicting η* of the orange blossom, multisoutheast, and multi-southern honeys. Increase in temperature and decrease in TSS concentration lowered these values. The effect of TSS concentration on η and η* at different temperatures could be appropriately described by the power law and exponential models. Simplified models were proposed to determine the η and η* from the combined effect of both factors, which presented R 2 of 0.9540 and 0.9334, and RMSE of 8.00 and 10.44, respectively. Thus, all models obtained in this study provide important tools towards the proper industrialisation of honeys and honey-based products.

No abstract

The rheological and thermal properties of honeys have a practical importance for beekeepers and industries, as their determination allows their proper processing and quality control. However, few studies have been carried out in this area with Brazilian honeys. Therefore, physicochemical, rheological and thermal properties of 40 Brazilian honeys of different floral origins were determined in this study. All the physicochemical properties indicated that the analyzed honey samples met the criteria for honeys established by Codex Alimentarius. The honeys showed non‐Newtonian behavior from 10C to 15C and Newtonian behavior from 20C to 30C with the influence of temperature on viscosity and on the viscous modulus (G″) described by the Arrhenius models. Oscillatory rheological data revealed a liquid‐like behavior (G″> elastic modulus (G′)) of the honeys. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the honeys varied between −46.7C and −43.7C. By the principal component analysis (PCA), the first component explained 70.0% of the variation of the data, forming two groups described by moisture content, aw, viscosity (10C to 30C), G″ and Tg. This analysis confirms the important influence of the moisture content and of aw in the rheological and thermal properties of honeys and provide useful information for the industrialization of honey and honey‐based products. Practical Application Determining the honey rheological and thermal properties allows its proper processing and quality control, preventing the waste of economic resources. Conclusions for beekeepers and industries are: the honey physicochemical properties are in conformity with the Brazilian legislation and the Codex Alimentarius, which could be used by consumers and the food industry; rheological and thermal properties are inversely correlated with the moisture content and with aw, and could be used to distinguish Brazilian honeys; Brazilian honeys behave as diluted materials, and their viscosity is temperature‐ and floral origin‐dependent. Determining their viscosity helps in the performance, sizing and selection of equipment such as pumps, mixers, filters, centrifuges and heat exchangers; temperature fluctuations induce physical and chemical alterations in the honey, and temperature control during its processing and storage is important for maintaining its quality. All of these parameters provide useful information for the development of new products, optimization of industrial processes and control of quality and authenticity of honeys.

The relationships between physico-chemical and rheological properties are considered complex nonlinear systems. Thus, the artificial neural network (ANN) and regression models were used for the rheological characterization of Brazilian honeys, based on low-cost measurements of water content and temperature. The steady shear viscosity (η) performed well when measured in the test phase in a 2-12-1 neuron multilayer perceptron (MLP) ANN (model 1) with a root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (r) equal to 0.0430 and 0.9681, respectively. The parameter loss modulus (G″), storage modulus (G′) and complex viscosity (η*) were predicted in the temperature sweep test by small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) measurements during heating and cooling, and the MLP ANNs with architectures of 2-9-3 (model 2) and 2-3-3 (model 3) showed RMSE values equal to 0.0261 and 0.0387 in the test phase, respectively. For all the determined parameters, non-linear exponential models showed similar results to models 1, 2 and 3. An ANN with 3-9-3 architecture (model 4) showed RMSE and r for G′ equal to 0.0158 and 0.7301, for G″ equal to 0.0176 and 0.9581, and for η* equal to 0.0407 and 0.9647, respectively, in the test phase for date of the frequency sweep test obtained by SAOS. These results were far superior to those obtained by second-order multiple linear models. The acquisition of all models is an important application for the processing of honey and honey-based products, since these properties are essential in engineering calculations and quality control of products.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the classification ability of pork quality by cluster analysis in relation to reference criteria proposed in the literature. Verify if clusters were theoretically significant with major pork quality categories. Verify if classificatory parameter values of quality attributes determined “a posteriori” may be used for following categorization. Design/methodology/approach In total, 60 pork loins were classified into pale, soft and exudative, reddish-pink, soft and exudative, RFN and dark, firm and dry by reference criteria and hierarchical cluster analyses were performed to identify groups of samples with different attributes, based on only pH45min and on pHu, L* and drip loss. Findings Cluster analysis divided total samples into different (p<0.05) smaller groups. Two groups were formed based on only pH45min and five groups were formed based on pHu, L* and drip loss. By these five groups, L* of 44 and 52 distinguished between dark, reddish-pink and pale meat colors and drip loss of 2 and 6 percent distinguished between dry, non-exudative and exudative meats. Cluster analyses identify pork groups with different attributes and the proposed parameters can be used to distinguish between groups theoretically similar to major pork quality categories. Originality/value To decide the best destination to pork carcass and to reduce economic losses, the correctly classify of the pork quality is decisive. This study proves that cluster analysis is able to classify pork into groups with significantly different quality attributes, which are significant with major pork quality categories, without unclassified samples.

No abstract

Os hábitos alimentares do brasileiro têm sido constantemente redefinidos, devido às mudanças culturais e sociais recentes, bem como o surgimento de uma grande variedade de produtos alimentícios dificultando uma alimentação consciente e segura. Assim, o objetivo desse relato de experiência, foi apresentar o projeto de formação educacional sobre os termos alimentares diet, light, probiótico, prebiótico, transgênico e irradiado com 72 alunos do oitavo ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública de Florestal-MG. Inicialmente, um questionário estruturado foi aplicado aos alunos para avaliar o conhecimento sobre os termos. Em seguida, o conhecimento sobre esses termos foi transmitido por meio de palestras. Posteriormente, os alunos participaram da Feira de Ciências para disseminar o conhecimento obtido no projeto. Por fim, o mesmo questionário foi reaplicado aos alunos para comparar o conhecimento prévio com o aprendizado adquirido. Uma cartilha, elaborada por um dos discentes voluntários do projeto, foi disponibilizada para consulta dos alunos da escola estadual, caso necessário. A análise dos resultados dos questionários foi realizada por estatística descritiva e teste de Wilcoxon pareado (P≤0,05). No questionário inicial, 80,6% dos alunos acertaram até três questões, enquanto 63,3% dos alunos acertaram quatro ou mais questões no questionário final. A média de 2,6 acertos no questionário inicial aumentou para 3,8 acertos no questionário final, com maiores aumentos de acertos para irradiado e probiótico. Apenas light e diet obtiveram maioria de acertos no questionário inicial, enquanto que todos os termos obtiveram maioria de acertos no questionário final. A transmissão de conhecimento foi efetiva, considerando o aumento do total de acertos geral após as palestras. Os resultados indicam que a ação de extensão contribuiu para a conscientização dos alunos do ensino fundamental e da comunidade sobre os termos alimentares, bem como para o aprimoramento do conhecimento dos estudantes universitários. Palavras-chave: Alimentação Saudável; Rótulo; Termos Alimentícios; Projeto de Extensão; Ensino Fundamental   Awareness of food terminology in a state school Abstract: The eating habits of Brazilians have been constantly redefined due to recent cultural and social changes, as well as the emergence of a wide variety of food products, hindering conscious and safe eating. Thus, the objective of this experience report was to present the education training project on the food terms diet, light, probiotic, prebiotic, transgenic, and irradiated with 72 students from the eighth grade of elementary school at a public school in Florestal-MG. Initially, a structured questionnaire was provided to the students to assess their knowledge of the terms. Next, knowledge about these terms was conveyed through lectures. Afterward, the students participated in the Science Fair to spread their knowledge about the project. Finally, the same questionnaire was reapplied to the students to compare their previous knowledge with the acquired learning. A booklet, prepared by one of the school students of the project, was made available for consultation by state students, if necessary. An analysis of the results of the questionnaires was performed by descriptive statistics and paired Wilcoxon test (P≤0.05). In the initial questionnaire, 80.6% of the students got even question three right, while 63.3% of the students got all four or more questions right in the final questionnaire. The mean of 2.6 hits on the initial questionnaire increased to 3.8 hits on the final questionnaire, with more significant increases in hits for irradiated and probiotics. Only light and diet had a majority of correct answers in the initial questionnaire, while all terms had a majority of correct answers in the final questionnaire. The transmission of knowledge was effective considering the increase (P≤0.05) of the overall total hits after the lectures. The results indicated that the extension action contributed to the awareness of elementary school students and the community about food terms, as well as to the improvement of knowledge of university students. Keywords: Healthy Eating; Label; Food Terms; Extension Project; Elementary School

As embalagens desempenham um papel fundamental na indústria de alimentos devido às suas várias funções, além de contribuir como fonte de informações aos consumidores. Com o intuito de promover a proteção à saúde da população, foi publicada em 2020, a RDC n° 429 cujo objetivo é estabelecer uma nova norma sobre rotulagem nutricional de alimentos para evoluir, melhorar a clareza e a legibilidade das informações nutricionais dispostas nos rótulos dos alimentos. A principal alteração dessa legislação é o estabelecimento dos painéis no rótulo frontal dos produtos embalados, que são símbolos informativos instituídos para esclarecer o consumidor sobre o alto teor de nutrientes (açúcar, gordura e sódio). Nesse contexto, objetivou-se avaliar o andamento das modificações que devem ser realizadas pela indústria de alimentos em relação à elaboração dos novos rótulos, seguindo a nova legislação de rotulagem, assim como o impacto dessas alterações. Para avaliar este impacto, foi aplicado um questionário semiestruturado e a análise descritiva foi realizada utilizando o software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Verificou-se que 93,8% dos colaboradores das indústrias estavam cientes da nova legislação de rotulagem de alimentos e que 75,0% das empresas que participaram da pesquisa possuem pelo menos um ingrediente com alto teor que deve ser identificado no painel frontal. Além disso, 93,8% das indústrias participantes do estudo já estão trabalhando na modificação dos rótulos de seus produtos e, isso pode estar relacionado ao porte das indústrias das quais foram obtidas as respostas sendo essas de médio e grande porte (62,6%) uma vez que elas têm até outubro de 2023 para adequarem seus produtos aos novos requisitos da legislação. Dentre os principais impactos da nova legislação de rotulagem de alimentos, os mais citados foram o elevado gasto com alterações (68,8%) como custos de análise laboratorial em caso de alterações na formulação do produto, com análises físico-químicas, microbiológicas e sensorial para avaliar a aceitabilidade do produto, possível marketing negativo para a empresa que possuir, principalmente, os painéis frontais (56,7%) e não conseguir elaborar os rótulos até a data prevista para a legislação entrar em vigor (43,8%). A maioria das indústrias, 93,8%, também acredita que as alterações previstas na nova legislação de rotulagem irão impactar o comportamento dos consumidores por meio, principalmente, da redução do consumo de produtos com alto teor de açúcar, gordura e, ou sódio.