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Agro-Industrial Lignocellulosic Biomass: A Sustainable Platform For The Production Of Α-Amylase And Xylanase A, Rajeev Ravindran

Doctoral

Enzymes such as α-amylase and xylanase offer potential for numerous industrial applications such as food, beverage, and animal feed production, detergents, textile, cosmetics and biodiesel production. Economic factors such as achievement of optimum yields and production cost are the main deterrents in the industrial use of these enzymes. Enzymes are generally produced via microbial fermentation using expensive mediums which account for 30 to 40% of the production cost. Food industry wastes such as spent coffee waste (SCW) and Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) are two of the most common food waste products expelled by the food and beverage industry here in …

Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Among Saudi Mothers, Wafa O. Ayaz, Anushree Priyadarshini, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

This study examines food safety knowledge and practices of mothers in Saudi Arabia. A total of 979 respondents participated in the study and completed a questionnaire that accessed their knowledge of food storage, food handling, usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities, personal hygiene and food poisoning. Results showed that mothers in Saudi Arabia had moderate knowledge of food storage (passing rate 64.9%) and usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities (passing rate 66.5%). While they had good knowledge of personal hygiene (passing rate 83.8%) and food poisoning (passing rate 78.5%), their knowledge with regard to food handling was poor (passing rate …

The Effect Of Temperature During Retail Display On The Colour Stability Of Co Pretreated Vacuum Packaged Beef Steaks, Lauren Anne Van Rooyen, Paul Allen, Eimear Gallagher, David I. O'Connor

Articles

The effect of CO pretreatments applied to beef striploin steaks (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, LTL) prior to vacuum packaging and display temperature on colour stability, shelf life and tenderness was determined. Steaks were exposed to 5% CO, 60% CO2 and 35% N2for 3 (CO3), 5 (CO5) or 7 (CO7) h, followed by 28 days display at 2 °C (good industry practice) or 6 °C (mild abuse). CO5 was the optimum exposure time as it induced the desirable colour while not retaining the bright colour, irrespective of display temperature. K/Sratios confirmed that CO pretreatment did not mask spoilage and …

Enzymatic Extraction Of Fucoxanthin From Brown Seaweeds, Emer Shannon, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Brown seaweeds contain a number of bioactive compounds. The xanthophyll, fucoxanthin, has in vivo efficacy against disorders such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Organic solvents are traditionally employed to extract fucoxanthin, but carry a toxic chemical and environmental burden. The aim of this study was to optimise a fucoxanthin extraction method using enzymes, water, low-temperature dehydration and mechanical blending, to produce yields comparable to those achieved with an organic solvent (acetone). Response surface methodology was applied, using Fucus vesiculosus as a model species. A fucoxanthin yield of 0.657 mg g^-1 (dry mass) was obtained from F. …

Microencapsulated Ascorbic Acid: Development, Characterization, And Release Profile In Simulated Gastrointestinal Fluids, Michele Cristina Rodrigues Da Cruz, Camila Augusto Perussello, Maria Lúcia Masson

Articles

The aim of this study was to produce ascorbic acid (AA) microcapsules by complex coacervation, characterize them, and evaluate the release profile in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. The microcapsules were made of gelatin and pectin at concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0%. The coacervated microcapsules were assessed for morphology (by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy), water activity (Aw), hygroscopicity, solubility, encapsulation efficiency (EE), thermal behavior, and AA release profile. The AA microcapsules were characterized by low solubility, low hygroscopicity, high thermal stability, and low diameter (<10 μm), with EE ranging from 23.7 to 94.3%. The release profile was faster in gastric fluid (pH 1.8) than in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). The sample containing 2.0% of wall material and 50% (w/w) of the simple emulsion (core) had the highest EE and the best in vitro release profile, with release of only 68% of AA in 120 min in the gastric fluid.

Practical applications Ascorbic acid (AA) is widely used in the food industry as an …

The Relationship Between Early Pregnancy Dietary Intakes And Subsequent Birthweight And Neonatal Adiposity, R.A.K. Kennedy, Laura Mullaney, A.C. O'Higgins, A. Doolan, Daniel Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Background: Maternal nutrition intakes may influence neonatal birthweight and adiposity; however, inconsistencies within the literature exist. The relationships between maternal dietary intakes in early pregnancy and both birthweight and neonatal adiposity requires elucidation. This study examined the relationship between early pregnancy dietary intakes and subsequent birthweight and neonatal adiposity.

Methods: Women were recruited at their convenience after sonographic confirmation of a singleton pregnancy. Women completed a Willet food frequency questionnaire evaluating habitual food and nutrient intakes at their first antenatal visit. Neonatal body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography.

Results: Of the 385 mother-neonate dyads, mean maternal age was 30.8 …

Translation Of Plasma Technology From The Lab To The Food Industry, Patrick Cullen, James Lalor, Laurence Scally, Daniela Boehm, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Paula Bourke, Kevin Keener

Articles

The potential of cold plasma as a food processing aid has been demonstrated for a range of processes and products. The potential applications of plasma technology are extensive and include microbial decontamination, pest control, toxin elimination, food and package functionalisation and many others. However, studies reported to date have principally been at laboratory scale. This paper discusses the status and challenges of transferring the technology to the industry. The major challenges discussed for adoption of atmospheric plasma as a food processing tool by industry are (1) demonstration of product/process specific efficacies; (2) development of process compatible technology designs and scale‐up; …

Formulation And In Vitro Characterisation Of Fungal Chitosan Nanoparticles Coated With Zein For Improved Oral Delivery Of Selenoamino Acids, Giuliana Vozza

Doctoral

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient in both human and animal nutrition that exists in a wide array of different forms, both organic and inorganic. Selenoamino acids (SeAAs), such as selenocystine (SeCys2), selenomethionine (SeMet), and methylselenocysteine (MSC) are organic species with reported health benefits of cancer prevention, increased fertility and improved immunological status. However, supplementation of SeAAs can be challenging, due to their reported narrow therapeutic range of indices, low bioavailability and increased susceptibility to oxidation. To address this, SeAAs were encapsulated into nanoparticles (NPs) to lower their toxicity profiles in comparison to their native form, in addition to offering …

Synthesis, Characterisation And Dna Intercalation Studies Of Regioisomers Of Ruthenium (Ii) Polypyridyl Complexes, Laura Perdisatt, Samar Moqadasi, Luke O'Neill, Gary Hessman, Alessandra Ghion, Muhammad Qasim Mushtaq Warraich, Alan Casey, Christine O'Connor

Articles

Regioisomers of the functional group of the main ligand (L) on a series of [Ru(phen)2L]2+and [Ru(bpy)2L]2+ complexes, where phen is 1,10 phenanthroline and bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine, were synthesised to investigate the interaction with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as potential therapeutics. UV–Vis binding titrations, thermal denaturation and circular dichroism were used to evaluate their interaction with DNA. The conclusions indicated the significance of the auxiliary ligand; especially 1,10-phenanthroline has on the binding constants (Kb). The systematic variation of auxiliary ligand(phen or bpy), and polypyridyl ligand (4-(1H-Imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2-yl)benzonitrile (CPIP), 2-(4-formylphenyl)imidazo[4,5-f] [1,10] phenanthroline (FPIP), 2-(4-bromophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (BPIP) and 2-(4-nitrophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f] [1,10] phenanthroline (NPIP), split in terms of …

Current And Future Technologies For Microbiological Decontamination Of Cereal Grains, Agatha Los, Dana Ziuzina, Paula Bourke

Articles

Cereal grains are the most important staple foods for mankind worldwide. The constantly increasing annual production and yield is matched by demand for cereals, which is expected to increase drastically along with the global population growth. A critical food safety and quality issue is to minimize the microbiological contamination of grains as it affects cereals both quantitatively and qualitatively. Microorganisms present in cereals can affect the safety, quality, and functional properties of grains. Some molds have the potential to produce harmful mycotoxins and pose a serious health risk for consumers. Therefore, it is essential to reduce cereal grain contamination to …

Recognizing Food As Part Of Ireland’S Intangible Cultural Heritage, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Articles

Drawing on evidence from across a range of disciplines (literature, folklore, history, sociology, etc.), this paper explores the lack of an iconic link between Ireland and food, explaining the reasons why Ireland and food are not immediately linked in the popular imagination. It argues for recognition of foodways as a significant element in Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage. It highlights and interrogates constructs, such as ‘national’ and ‘regional’ cuisines, charting the growing scholarship around Irish food history from the ground breaking work of A.T. Lucas and Louis Cullen to a recent emerging cluster of doctoral researchers. The paper identifies the potential …

The N-Acyltransferase Lnt: Structure-Function Insights From Recent Simultaneous Studies, Wei Chang, Declan A. Doyle, Toufic El Arnaout

Articles

Bacterial lipoproteins have been researched for decades due to their roles in a large number of biological functions. There were no structures of their main three membrane processing enzymes, until 2016 for Lgt and LspA, and then 2017 for Lnt with not one but three simultaneous, independent publications. We have analyzed the recent findings for this apolipoprotein N-acyltransferase Lnt, with comparisons between the novel structures, and with soluble nitrilases, to determine the significance of unique features in terms of substrate's recognition and binding mechanism influenced by exclusive residues, two transmembrane helices, and a flexible loop.

Chemical Modifications Of Lipids And Proteins By Nonthermal Food Processing Technologies, Juan M. PéRez-AndréS, CléMentine Charoux, Patrick J. Cullen, Brijesh K. Tiwari

Articles

A range of nonthermal techniques have demonstrated process efficacy in ensuring product safety, extension of shelf life, and in general a retention of key quality attributes. However, various physical, chemical and biochemical effects of nonthermal techniques on macro and micro nutrients are evident, leading to both desirable and undesirable changes in food products. The objective of this review is to outline the effects of nonthermal techniques on food chemistry and the associated degradation mechanisms with the treatment of foods. Oxidation is one of the key mechanisms responsible for undesirable effects induced by nonthermal techniques. Degradation of key macromolecules largely depends …

Sodium Caprate Enables The Blood Pressure-Lowering Effect Of Ile- Pro-Pro And Leu-Lys-Pro In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats By Indirectly Overcoming Pept1 Inhibition, John Gleeson, Jesus Maria Frias, Sinead Ryan, David J. Braydon

Articles

The tripeptides, Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) and Leu-Lys-Pro (LKP), inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) resulting in lowered blood pressure. Our hypothesis was that the medium chain fatty acid permeation enhancer, sodium caprate (C10), may prevent the decrease in permeability of the tripeptides when PepT1 is inhibited by glycyl-sarcosine (Gly-Sar), a situation that may occur in the presence of food hydrolysates. Using Caco-2 monolayers and isolated rat jejunal tissue, the apparent permeability coefficients (Papp) of [3H]-IPP and [3H]- LKP were assessed in the presence of Gly-Sar with and without C10. Gly-Sar decreased the Papp of both tripeptides across monolayers and isolated jejunal tissue, but …

Lactic Acid Fermentation Of Arthrospira PlatensisIs (Spirulina) Biomass For Probiotic-Based Products, Alberto Niccolai, Emer Shannon, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Natascia Biondi, Liliana Rodolfi, Mario R. Tredici

Articles

The first objective of this study was to evaluate the use of lyophilised biomass of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis F&M-C256 as the sole substrate for lactic acid fermentation by the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014. After 48 h of fermentation, the bacterial concentration was 10.6 log CFU mL−1 and lactic acid concentration reached 3.7 g L−1. Lyophilised A. platensis F&M-C256 biomass was shown to be a suitable substrate for L. plantarum ATCC 8014 growth. The second objective of the study was to investigate whether lactic acid fermentation could enhance in vitro digestibility and antioxidant activity of A. platensis biomass. …