Food Biotechnology Commons^™

An Investigation Of The Safety Of High Risk Sandwich Bar Foods Through The Application Of Microbial Analysis, Temperature Monitoring And Microbial Predictive Modelling, Marie-Clare Maher

Masters

Rising incidents of food poisoning may be related to growing evidence of unsatisfactory temperature and hygiene practices in preparing and storing ready-to-eat foods. Four sandwich bar outlets in Dublin city center were observed regarding the quality of food handling and storage practices of chilled vacuum packed cooked chicken breast. A pilot microbial sampling plan proved Staphylococcus aureus was the major microorganism of concern. Microbial counts revealed a S. aureus count of ) cfu/g on chicken straight form the vacuum pack and a count of 10(3)-10(4) cfu/g after handling/preparation (cutting, slicing and blending) had occurred. This compared poorly to the upper …

Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The formation of composite films of double-stranded DNA and cationic lipid molecules (octadecylamine, ODA) and the hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA molecules in such composite films are demonstrated. The immobilization of DNA is accomplished by simple immersion of a thermally evaporated ODA film in the DNA solution at close to physiological pH. The entrapment of the DNA molecules in the cationic lipid film is dominated by attractive electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the DNA molecules and the protonated amine molecules in the thermally evaporated film and has been quantified using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Fluorescence studies …

Poorer European Countries Are Less Concerned About Biotechnology Than Richer Countries, Michael Siegrist

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author examines the relationship between GNP, media coverage, and public perceptions of the utility, risk, and acceptability of medical and food-related applications of biotechnology.

Review Of: Alan Mchughen, Pandora's Picnic Basket: The Potential And Hazards Of Genetically Modified Foods, Shimona Pratap Singh

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the book: Alan McHughen, Pandora's Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods (Oxford University Press 2000).Acknowledgements, introduction, glossary and abbreviations, resources, index. ISBN 0-19-850674-0 [277 pp. $25.00 Cloth, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314].

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.

Submerged And Solid-State Phytase Fermentation By Aspergillus Niger: Effects Of Agitation And Medium Viscosity On Phytase Production, Fungal Morphology And Inoculum Performance, Maria Papagianni, Sue E. Nokes, Keith Filer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Qualitative relationships between agitation levels and medium viscosity, Aspergillus niger morphology and phytase production were investigated in submerged and solid-state fermentations. Overall phytase production increased with increasing shaker speeds from 150 to 300 rpm, although specific growth rates and phytase production rates were higher at 150 rpm for 72 h from inoculation. Fungal morphology was greatly influenced by agitation with the morphological forms of small pellets and entangled mycelia predominating at 150 rpm, while the free filamentous form was obtained at 300 rpm. Upon inoculation of SSF, increased productivities were obtained from inocula grown at 150 rpm. A shift towards …

Related Enzymatic Activities In Solid-Substrate Fermentation Of Sago Hampas With Pycnoporus Sanguineus, Rifat Ara Matta

Student Works (2000-2009)

Solid substrate fermentation (SSF) of sago pith residue known as 'hampas' with Pycnoporus sanguineus for enzyme production was carried out. Good growth of Pycnoporus sanguineus in SSF was noted on 'hampas' supplemented with 0.38% urea, 0.2% KH₂PO₄ and 0.05% MgSO₄·7H₂O over a period of 30 days. Xylanase, lignin peroxidase and laccase activities were detected in Pycnoporus sanguineus cultures. Maximum xylanase and laccase activities of 5.26U/g of substrate on day 10 of SSF and 14.35U/g on day 15 of SSF of substrate were obtained respectively. The lignin peroxidase activity was less pronounced with an activity of 1.31 U/g of substrate on …

Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The hybridization of DNA by sequential electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding immobilization of single-stranded complementary oligonucleotides at the air-water interface with cationic Langmuir monolayers is demonstrated. The complexation of the single-stranded DNA molecules with octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir monolayers was followed in time by monitoring the pressure-area isotherms. A large (and slow) expansion of the ODA monolayer was observed during each stage of complexation in the following sequence: primary single-stranded DNA followed by complementary single-stranded DNA followed by the intercalator, ethidium bromide. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the ODA-DNA complex were formed on different substrates and characterized using quartz-crystal microgravimetry (QCM), Fourier transform infrared …

Commercial Irrigation And Nutrition Practices For Strawberries In Western Australia, D. Phillips, D. Gatter, T. Calder, D. Pitman

Horticulture research reports

Irrigation practices employed by five commercial strawberry growers on sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near Perth Western Australia were monitored for two consecutive seasons, 1995 and 1996 during the Spring production period.

Nutritional practices for the same grower group plus one Albany grower were monitored by plant, soil and sap analysis at 14 day intervals throughout the 1996 season.

Irrigation records showed that market quality strawberries could be produced at this time of year (August to December in Perth) on soils with very poor water retention properties with an average crop factor(E Pan) for the season of 0.7 …

Food For Thought On Cognitive Scripts And Genetically Engineered Food, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies some of the common thought sequences seemingly harbored by members of the sociopolitical opposition to the production and sale of genetically engineered food.

The Risks And Benefits Of Genetically Modified Crops: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Garry D. Peterson, Saul Cunningham, Lisa Deutsch, Jon Erickson, Allyson Quinlan, Ernesto Ráez-Luna, Robert Tinch, Max Troell, Peter Woodbury, Scot Zens

Dartmouth Scholarship

Worldwide, the area planted in genetically modified (GM) crops has increased dramatically in recent years. Between 1996 and 1999, it rose from 1.6 X 10⁶ ha to more than 35 X 10⁶ ha (James 1998, May 1999). This rapid increase has provoked an explosion of concern, particularly in Europe, over the health and environmental impacts of these crops. Despite claims of safety and warnings against popular panic, public concern over GM crops has resulted in changes in their marketing, labeling, planting, and trade. These changes have fueled an increasingly heated debate among environmental advocates, critics of industrial agriculture, …

The Intellectual And Technical Property Components Of Pro-Vitamin A Rice (Goldenricetm): A Preliminary Freedom-To-Operate Review, R. David Kryder, Stanley P. Kowalski, Anatole F. Krattiger

Law Faculty Scholarship

Rice is a staple food for millions of people, predominantly in Asia, but lacks essential nutritional components such as Vitamin A. This is very important for over 180 million children and women of child bearing age who suffer from Vitamin A deficiency in Asia alone. For this reason, an improvement was made under an effort led by Profs. Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer by inserting several genes into rice to produce an improved product called GoldenRice. Because GoldenRice has the potential to be easily integrated into the farming systems of the world's poorer regions, the advent of GoldenRice promises to …

Prediction Of Rice Sensory Texture Attributes Using Spectral Stress Strain Analysis And Jack-Knife Model Optimization, Marura Lenjo, Jean-Francois Meullenet

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Sensory texture characteristics of cooked rice were predicted using an extrusion test and a novel multivariate analysis method. Eleven sensory texture characteristics were evaluated via a trained descriptive panel and predicted for force/deformation spectra with partial least squares regression. Only four sensory attributes—adhesion to lips (Rcal = 0.83), cohesion of bolus (Rcal = 0.78), cohesiveness (Rcal = 0.69), and hardness (Rcal = 0.72)—were successfully predicted from instrumental measurements.

Stock Market Reactions To Unfavorable Product Information: A Case Study Of Comments On Beef Safety Made On An Oprah Winfrey Show, Elpida Ormanidou, Michael Thomsen

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This study examines the impact of unfavorable media coverage on the stock market prices of major food companies, an issue of increasing importance to the food industry. The study focuses on the 16 April 1996 Oprah Winfrey Show, a popular television program that raised questions about the safety of the U.S. beef supply. The show resulted in considerable controversy, and some cattle feeders blamed the show for a drop in cattle prices. The focus of this study is on the impact of the program at other stages of the food system. We examined the stock returns of two major beef …

Fissure Characterization Of Rice Kernels Using Video Microscopy, Jerry W. Fendley, Terry J. Siebenmorgen, Rustico C. Bautista

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Fissures are fractures of a rice kernel that can be created during the drying and tempering process. They cause tremendous postharvest losses in milling yield. Understanding why and how rice kernels fissure will lead to optimal drying and tempering operations. This information could also provide input to plant breeders for producing rice cultivars that are more resistant to fissuring. Rice kernels were dried using various air conditions in a controlled environment chamber. The kernels were viewed by video microscopy to observe the occurrence of fissures. A videocassette recorder recorded the images for a 24-hour period after the drying process. The …

Normalizing Novelty: Regulating Biotechnological Risk At The U.S. Epa, Les Levidow, Susan Carr

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Levidow and Carr examine EPA's regulation of biotechnology in the field of genetically modified organisms.

Does A Genetically Modified Rose Still Smell As Sweet: Labeling Of Genetically Modified Organisms Under The Biosafety Protocol, Lisa A. Tracy

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Genetically Modified Foods, Olivia Boyce

Masters

In recent years, Genetically Modified (GM) foods have become increasingly common on our supermarket shelves. Consumer concerns regarding their safety have prompted codes of practice and legislation requiring labelling of all GM-food-containing products. Labelling requires some means of verification. There is no simple means of detecting GM food and until recently, there were no tests available. The object of this study was to develop a simple, rapid and user-friendly method of detecting genetically modified foods. The study concentrated on the detection of GM tomatoes, using a commercially available tomato paste. The method of choice was the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) …

Attitudes To Biotechnology And Genetically Modified Food : A Review, Juliana Rose Cannon

Theses : Honours

Debate surrounds the introduction of new biotechnological applications such as genetically modified food (GMF). With this in mind a critical review of the debate, it's emerging themes, and approaches to measurement was undertaken. The intention of this review was to argue that while existing empirical measures have advanced our understanding of attitudes to GMF, they are limited both conceptually and methodologically. Overall, the validity and reliability of research support was compromised. Conceptually, attitudes to GMF were composed of a number of potential dimensions that have yet to be measured. Adherence to sound scale construction techniques may facilitate more reliable and …

Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh

Faculty Works

Purple membrane (PM, λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 570 nm) of H. halobium on treatment with sulphuric acid changes its colour to blue (λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 608 nm). The purple chromophore can be regenerated from the blue chromophore by exogeneous addition of anions such as CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4. Chloride ion is found to be more effective than the dibasic phosphate ion in regenerating the purple chromophore. Nevertheless, one thing common to the anion regeneration is that both CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4 show marked pH effect. At pH 1.0 the efficiency of …

Anaerobic Treatment Of Whey Permeate Using Upflow Sludge Blanket Bioreactors, Seokhwan Hwang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Whey permeate was anaerobically digested in laboratory scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. Nine hydraulic retention times between 5 and 0.2 days were examined with a fixed influent concentration of 10.6 ± 0.2 g COD/L.

Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency ranged from 99.0 to 18.9% and maximum production rate of methane gas was 2.67 L/L/day at a hydraulic loading rate of 12.97 kg COD/m³/day. About 70% of the chemical oxygen demand removed was converted to methane.

Both the nonlinear least square method with 95% confidence interval and linear regression were used to evaluate kinetic coefficients. The maximum substrate …

Rapid Determination Of Milk Components And Detection Of Adulteration Using Fourier Transform Infrared Technology, Ivan Von Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Absorption bands responding to changes in fat, protein, and lactose concentrations in milk were determined. The effects of milk fat variation and lipolysis on the infrared spectrum were studied.

Absorbances from 1283 to 1100 cm^-1 correlated with fat, protein, and lactose concentration and showed a low response to milk fat variation and lipolysis. A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer equipped with an attenuated total internal reflectance cell was calibrated using these absorption band s, partial least squares statistics, and milk samples from herds in Minnesota. When the fat, protein, and lactose concentrations in these samples were predicted, the standard deviations …

Synthetic Meat : Is It A Threat To Our Livestock Industries?, G A. Robertson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Synthetic "meats" are becoming accepted as an alternative protein source by many consumers in Western Europe, USA and Japan. Their relatively low cost and uniform quality make tbem attractive to the catering trade.

Australians are not generally aware of their increasing use although it has been suggested that "meat-like products" are a potential threat to our meat exports. This article outlines the current situation and emphasises the need to be fully informed about such products.

The author has studied this problem for some years and kept in close contact with developments while living in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Feeding For Egg Yolk Colour, P Smetana

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ON July 3, 1961, the Western Australian Egg Marketing Board commenced paying a bonus to producers for yolk colour.

This is an extremely important step in the marketing of eggs and should have a widespread beneficial effect on the poultry industry of this State.

Studies On Restaurant Sanitation And The Effect Of Sodium Azide On The Physiology Of Streptococcus Salivarius, Kenneth D. Rose

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

Whether restaurant eating utensils serve as vectors in the transmission of respiratory and related diseases is still a matter for question, in spite of the overwhelming evidence in support of this contention.This is due to largely to the lack of epidemiological evidence, the tracing of an outbreak of a disease directly and unquestionably to contaminated eating utensils.The very nature of the vectors concerned obviates any possibility of obtaining this epidemiological evidence, since the contaminating agent exists as such only momentarily at the best. This research problem was undertaken with the hope that a technique designed to demonstrate the appearance of …