Life Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Factors Associated With The Eating Behaviours And Influences On Food Choice In Irish Teens, Aisling Daly

Doctoral

Aim The aim of this research was to understand the eating behaviour traits and food choice motivations of Irish teens, and to investigate the social, psychological, and attitudinal determinants of these eating behaviour traits and influences on food choice.

Methods Mixed methods were used in this research, using quantitative analysis of data from the National Teens’ Food Survey II (NTFSII), a cross-sectional study of teens aged 13-18 years old (N=428). Data predominantly came from the TFEQ-r18 and VARSEEK tools for eating behaviour traits, and the FCQ tool for food choice motivations, as well as socio-demographics, anthropometrics, behaviour/attitudes and dietary intakes. …

Understanding The Potential Of Plasma Activated Liquids For Biomedical Applications, Evanthia Tsoukou

Doctoral

Atmospheric cold plasma has evolved as a new technology for applications used in biomedicine, agriculture and food industry. Recently, treatment of liquids using various atmospheric pressure plasmas has attracted much attention owing to multiple practical applications such as water purification, surface cleaning and decontamination with impact in dentistry, wound healing and sterilisation, or cancer therapy. The over-arching aim of this study is to build a better understanding of the parameters which govern the liquid chemistry generated in a liquid exposed to cold plasma and how these translate into biological effects on pro- and eu-karyotic organisms. The objective was to investigate …

Development Of Novel Pectinase And Xylanase Juice Clarification Enzymes Via A Combined Biorefinery And Immobilization Approach, Shady Hassan

Doctoral

Hydrolytic enzymes, such as pectinase and xylanase, maybe harnessed for numerous industrial applications in food industry. Therefore, economic factors such as achievement of optimum yieldsandoverall production costs, in addition to biocatalyst instability,are the main obstacles tothe industrial production and exploitation of a enzymes. For example, microbially-derived enzymes are typically produced in fermenters using expensive growth media, which may account for 30 to 40% of the production cost, and such expense may be compounded further by downstream processing operations.To counter such disadvantages, the major trend in industrial utilization of enzymes in cost-sensitive processes has been to immobilize such biocatalysts on a …

Chemical Effects Of Cold Atmospheric Plasma On Food Nutrients, Juan Manuel Pérez Andrés

Doctoral

A range of nonthermal techniques have demonstrated process efficacy in ensuring food 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 both macro and micronutrients are evident, leading to both desirable and undesirable changes in food products. It is important to outline the effects of non-thermal 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 non-thermal techniques. Degradation of key macromolecules largely depends on the processing …

Recognising The Place Of Food Tourism In Ireland: An Autoethnographic Perspective, John D. Mulcahy

Doctoral

This is an autoethnographic account, utilising prior publications, of my role in positioning food as a critical ingredient in Ireland’s tourism policy and strategy since 2009. As the architect and instigator of this project, my priorities were threefold: first, working from the ground up identifying local activists across the food tourism landscape to create an active and vibrant network; second, providing thought leadership for food tourism; and third, encouraging and funding others to conduct and disseminate similar research. I have chosen six book chapters, published as a result of my advocacy strategy, for this PhD by prior publication. They are …

Plasma Functionalised Liquids: From Bench To Prototype For Safe Fresh Food Preservation, Uta Schnabel

Doctoral

Fresh-cut produce such as lettuce may contain a very high microbial load, including human pathogens. Therefore, the need for antimicrobial interventions at post-harvest stages to prevent microbial growth is evident. Sanitation steps based on non-thermal plasmas at atmospheric pressure opens up innovative food processing possibilities by application at different points along the food chain; for production, modification and preservation, as well as in package treatment of plant- and animal-based foods. Plasma differs from the gaseous state of matter by a certain amount of free charge carriers caused by ionisation processes of the gas atoms and molecules due to the supply …

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs): A Potential Quality Tool For Infant Formula Manufacture, Xavier Cama Moncunill

Doctoral

Breast milk is considered the ideal food for infants. However, breastfeeding is at times supplemented or replaced with suitable alternatives. Infant formula (IF) is an industrially produced food intended as a breast milk substitute, which needs to satisfy, by itself, all nutritional requirements of infants. For this reason, it is of critical importance that IF provides the adequate amounts of nutrients including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising emission spectroscopic technique for elemental analysis, which can provide real-time measurements with little to no sample preparation. Hence, the main goal of this thesis was …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Interactions With Microbiological Risks In Fresh Food Processing, Apurva Patange

Doctoral

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a novel emerging non-thermal technology that has attracted attention as a decontamination tool in several industrial, food and healthcare sectors. This study investigated the anti-microbial efficacy of ACP against microbiological risks associated with fresh foods. Treatment was performed using in-package ‘dry’ ACP technology and plasma functionalised liquid to decontaminate microorganisms, exploring the responses to real and challenging microbiological risks pertinent to both fresh foods themselves as well as the effluents generated from food processing industry. A range of critical control process parameters were investigated with respect to key pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms commonly implicated in …

Development And Diagnostics Of Novel Non-Thermal Plasmatreatment Systems, Laurence Scally

Doctoral

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been a point of interest in many areas over the last few decades. Much research has been,and continues to beundertaken,to understand the fundamentals of plasma discharges. This is such a broad topic due to the very nature and variable dependencies that set the conditions for plasma discharge to occur. This can come in the form of electrode geometry and spacing, dielectric barrier thickness, humidity of environment, material selection for electrodes and dielectric barriers, the power supply used, and the operating gas(es) used. A lot of these influencing factors can be set and kept constant, but still …

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 …

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 …

Novel Spectral And Spatial Process Analytical Tools For Meat Quality And Safety Assessment, Yash Dixit

Doctoral

Meat and meat products are highly nutritious, containing important levels of protein, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, which are important for human growth and development. Beef has emerged as an important protein source in human diets. Minced beef is the primary ingredient for a variety of products such as burgers, meat balls, meat pastes, sausages and so on. Authenticity of the meat is a major requirement to meet the demands of consumers and assuring compliance with the government regulations and safety standards. Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) are sensing solutions which provide real time quality control and assurance. Laser …

Microbiological Control And Mechanisms Of Action Of High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma, Lu Han

Doctoral

Dielectric barrier discharge-atmospheric cold plasma (DBD-ACP) is a promising non-thermal technology effective against a wide range of microorganisms. These studies were performed using a custom built DBD-ACP system. The inactivation efficacy was found to be governed by a series of critical control parameters, including treatment time, mode of exposure (Direct/Indirect exposure), applied voltage, applied gas content but was also very dependent on the characteristics of treatment targets. In this study, these parameters were investigated using in-package design along with a post-treatment storage procedure to align with industrial processing times as well as mitigation of post-process contamination. A range of food …

Cold Plasma Treatment Of Biodegradable Films And Smart Packaging, Shashi Pankaj

Doctoral

Cold plasma is an emerging technology offering many potential applications for food packaging. While it was originally developed to increase the surface energy of polymers, enhancing their adhesion and printability, it has recently emerged as a powerful tool for surface sterilisation of both food and food packaging materials. The food packaging industry is still dominated by petroleum derived polymers but in the past few decades there has been significant interest in the development of environment friendly, biodegradable green polymers. In this study, the interaction and effects of cold plasma with biopolymer based packaging materials (polylactic acid, zein, sodium caseinate, starch, …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma As A Tool For Microbiological Control, Dana Ziuzina

Doctoral

Outbreaks of foodborne human illnesses resulting from contaminated raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables have been widely reported globally. The microbiological challenges associated with fresh produce are diverse and respond differently to minimal processing technologies. Atmospheric cold plasma is a relatively new technology and represents a potential alternative to traditional methods for decontamination of foods. The objective of this work was to determine the influence of extrinsic atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment control parameters and to optimize treatment parameters for decontamination with respect to different forms of key safety challenges pertinent to fresh produce.

The optimisation studies demonstrated that …

Effect Of Nonthermal Plasma On Quality Of Fresh Produce, Nrusimhanath Misra

Doctoral

No abstract provided.

Valorisation Of The Cider And Brewing Industry By-Products As Nutraceutical Ingredients, Sofia Reis

Doctoral

By-products from the cider and brewing industries, including apple pomace (AP) and brewer’s spent grain (BSG) respectively, constitute major environmental problems due to the large quantities produced every year. They are sources of valuable compounds such as protein, fibre, essential fatty acids, phenolic compounds and minerals, some of them with antioxidant and prebiotic properties. Their high nutritional value leads to their potential use as human food products and several applications have been considered recently. The aims of this work include i) the nutritional and compositional characterisation of AP, BSG and final extruded and baked prototypes containing these by-products and ii) …

Innovative Food Product Development Using Molecular Gastronomy: A Focus On Flavour And Sensory Evaluation, Mark Traynor

Doctoral

The primary goal of this research was to develop novel ice cream products using the principles of molecular gastronomy. An ice cream model system (emulsion) was developed, in which the effects of ingredient levels on stability and formation were investigated and optimised using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Two characteristic volatiles of banana (isoamyl acetate and furfuryl acetate) were added to the optimised emulsion, and their headspace emission was quantified using Solid Phase Microextraction with Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. RSM was used to investigate the main and interactive effects of ingredient, salt and pH levels on the headspace emission of these …

An Investigation Of The Bioactivity Of Irish Seaweeds And Potential Applications As Nutraceuticals., Sabrina Cox

Doctoral

The primary goals of this research were to; identify the bioactivity of a range of edible Irish seaweeds, to examine the current technological procedures currently applied with respect to seaweed processing and in light of this information, to examine the potential of incorporating seaweeds into traditional food products in order to enhance their nutraceutical properties. Currently most Irish seaweeds are washed, dried and packaged, with little done to increase consumer appeal or interest and dried seaweed may appear inaccessible and unfamiliar to consumers. Seaweeds possess an excellent nutritional quality, such as high fibre and phytochemical content, low cholesterol and low …

Exposure Assessment Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Vacuum Packed Cold-Smoked Salmon In The Republic Of Ireland, Sapna Dass

Doctoral

Contamination of cold-smoked salmon with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium causing listeriosis, presents a risk to consumer health. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the prevalence and source of L. monocytogenes in different stages of vacuum packed cold-smoked salmon production chain/retail market and to develop a risk assessment model to quantitatively assess the risk of human listeriosis upon consumption of vacuum packed cold-smoked salmon. The study necessitated the identification of novel isolation techniques for the isolation and quantification of L. monocytogenes in vacuum packed cold-smoked salmon. The techniques currently used in isolation of L. monocytogenes from ready-to-eat food …

Functional And Bioactive Components From Mackerel (Scomber Scombrus) And Blue Whiting (Micromesistius Poutassou) Processing Waste, Zied Khiari

Doctoral

The use of fish processing waste from an oily fish model (mackerel, Scomber
scombrus) and a white fish model (blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou) as a source of functional and bioactive compounds was investigated.
Gelatines were extracted from fish heads and skins using pre-treatment with
different organic acids (acetic, citric, lactic, tartaric and malic acids). Gelatines from fish bones were extracted after pre-treating the bones either chemically or enzymatically. The type of pre-treatment affected the yield, colour, turbidity, amino acid profiles as well as functional properties of fish gelatines. Mackerel gelatines formed stronger and more stable gels than blue whiting. Acetic …

Metabolic Profiling And Fingerprinting For The Detection And Discrimination Of Mechanical Damage In Mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporus) During Storage, Aoife O'Gorman

Doctoral

Horticultural products such as mushrooms are exposed to external agents during their postharvest life, which are going to affect product quality. Loss of whiteness during storage is particularly important in the mushroom industry. Rough handling and distribution of crops, fruiting body senescence, bacterial and viral infection are among the causes of mushroom discolouration. The aim of this work was to study the use of metabolic fingerprinting and metabolic profiling tools for the detection and discrimination of mechanical damage on mushrooms. This research involved: 1. Investigating whether the chemical changes induced by mechanical damage and ageing of mushrooms could be (a) …

Efficacy Of Ozone And Ultrasound For Microbial Reduction In Fruit Juice, Sonal Patil

Doctoral

Concerns have arisen regarding the microbiological safety of fruit juices due to a number of outbreaks associated with pathogens. Non-thermal technologies for the inactivation of microorganisms are of increasing interest to the food industry for the control of spoilage as well as safety concerns. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the efficacy of ultrasound and ozone treatments for control of microbial issues associated with fruit juices. Inactivation of Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922, NCTC 12900) using power ultrasound was found to be influenced by strain, prior acid adaptation and suspension liquid, but the effect was negated at the higher …

Design And Synthesis Of Carbohydrate Based Derivatives As Antimicrobial Compounds, Aoife Smith

Doctoral

Investigations into the design of analogues of GlcNAc-Ins, the substrate for the enzyme GlcNAc-Ins deacetylase (mshB), a therapeutic target on the pathway to mycothiol biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis are described. Initial studies directed towards the design of a substrate analogue were based on the 3-D structure and a proposed mechanism of action of mshB (deduced by Dr. Andrew McCarthy, EMBL). The compounds were designed with the aim to produce an analogue which could better mimic the natural substrate for mshB (GlcNAc-Ins) for crystallisation and mechanistic studies to further improve the knowledge of this enzyme. A series of fatty acid ester …

Combination Of Natural Variability Estimation With Real Time Measurement For Mushroom Shelf Life Assessment., Leixuri Aguirre

Doctoral

The shelf life of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) is affected by the natural variability of the produce which influences the perishable vegetable quality. One of the main causes of this variability is non-homogeneity in the product maturity at harvest, resulting in each vegetable batch being at a different stage of senescence. The present work aims to study a new approach to improve the assessment of the shelf life of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) taking into account this variability. The study of variability involved the: i) study of the shelf life, quality parameters and variability of the mushrooms and modelling these experimental laboratory …

Novel Copper(Ii) And Silver(I) Complexes Incorporating Benzimidazole And Related Nitrogen Donor Ligands: Synthesis, Biomimetic, Anticancer And Antifungal Activities, Mark O'Connor

Doctoral

This project describes the synthesis and biomimetic/biological properties of sixty nine copper (II) and silver (I) complexes. The complexes were derived from reactions of four copper (II) carboxylate compounds along with copper(II) and silver(I) salts with various nitrogen donor ligands. Approximately sixty of the complexes are novel. X-ray crystal structures for five of the novel copper (II) complexes are reported. [Cu9salH)2 (1) [Cu2(asp)4(H2O)2].H2O (2) [Cu(dipsH)2(H2O) (3) and {Cu(msal)(H2))}n (4) were generated when copper (II) hydroxide was reacted with the relevant carboxylic acid. Complexes (1) – (4) reacted with simple benzimidazoles to yield twelve complexes with three of them being structurally …

Characterisation Of The Aldo Keto Reductase From Helicbacter Pylori., Denise Cornally

Doctoral

Aldo keto reductases reversibly reduce toxic aldehydes to their corresponding alcohol products. The aldo-keto reductase from Helicobacter pylori (HpAKR) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a His-tag fusion protein and purified using nickel chelate chromatography. The enzyme is a monomer with a molecular mass of approximately 39 kDa. It reduces a broad range of aldehyde substrates with a high catalytic efficiency and exhibits dual co-factor specificity for both NADH and NADPH. HpAKR can function over a broad pH range (pH 4-9) with a pH optimum of 5.5. Inhibition of AKR activity was observed with sodium valproate. Generation of …

Influence Of Novel Preservation Methods On The Quality Of Minimally Processed Iceberg Lettuce And Carrot, Daniel Rico

Doctoral

The market of ready-to-fresh vegetables has grown rapidly in recent decades as a result of changes in consumer attitudes. Chlorine solutions are widely used to sanitise fresh-cut fruit and vegetables in the industry. However, the possible formation of carcinogenic chlorinated compounds in water has called into questions the use of chlorine in food processing plants. There is a real need to find new alternatives fro the preservation of minimal processed vegetables in order to maintain their quality attributes after processing. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of novel preservation methods on the quality of minimally process …

Development Of Innovative, Quick-Cook Legume Products: An Investigation Of The Soaking, Cooking And Dehydration Characteristics Of Chickpeas (Cicer Arietinum L.) And Soybeans (Glycine Max L. Merr.), Aoife Gowen

Doctoral

The primary goal of this research was to create new alternatives to the legume products currently available to consumers, i.e. canned and dry beans. Chickpeas and soybeans are well established in the Irish consumer market and possess excellent nutritional quality, such as high protein, fibre and phytochemcial content, low cholesterol and low glycaemic index (G.I.), and therefore have potential for classification as functional foods. The first stage of the research culminated with the development of quick-cook chickpeas and soybeans that could be stored in the chill cabinet or freezer. Water intake and textural attributes during soaking were investigated. Using non-linear …

The Effect Of An Altered Cytokinin Metabolism On Plant Development And C Ell Aging In Crop Plants, Ian Mcevoy

Doctoral

Isopentenyl transferase (IPT) is an enzyme encoded by a bacterial gene that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in cytokinin biosynthesis. Under the control of senescence-associated promoter (pSAG12), isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana, it has been shown to delay senescence in several herbaceous species. Cytokinin synthesis begins at the onset of senescence and is then stopped when senescence ceases. This auto regulatory control of the transgene ensures normal development and morphology of the transformed plant, which may be affected in plants constitutively expressing ipt. In this study, it was investigated if an altered cytokinin metabolism, as a result of transformation by pSAG12: ipt, …