Food Processing Commons^™

Development Of An Intact Mass Spectrometry Method For The Detection And Differentiation Of Major Bovine Milk Proteins, Emily F. Harley-Dowell

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The authentication of products with claims regarding protein sources or compositions is a challenge for traditional analytical methods, which generally lack the required specificity whole protein analysis can provide. For example, the establishment of milk as “A2” is achieved through genetic testing of cows before milk production, with no methods to authenticate milk products themselves. Establishment of A2 milk is completed through genetic testing of the cows before milk production, but with no methods to authenticate the milk products themselves. Intact protein mass spectrometry (MS) has the potential to directly authenticate protein products, including specific proteoform claims. The development of …

Influence Of Overcooking On Food Digestibility And In Vitro Fermentation, Wensheng Ding

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Areas of char or overcooking commonly appear in foods people consume. It has been reported that overcooked food is harmful to human health. However, little research exists on the effect of overcooking on in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. This study aimed to reveal the connection between overcooking and in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. In vitro protein digestibility of an overcooked ground beef patty was almost half that of a standard cooked sample (27 ± 2% versus 48 ± 6%, respectively; p = 0.02). Whole wheat bread protein digestibility was also …

Evaluating Salmonella Cross Contamination In Raw Chicken Thighs In Simulated Post-Chill Tanks, Raziya Sadat

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Salmonella contamination poses a significant risk to food safety, particularly in poultry products and public health. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of peracetic acid (PAA) treatment in mitigating Salmonella cross-contamination in chicken thighs within simulated post-chill tanks, considering different inoculum concentrations and organic matter (OM) levels.

The experiment involved the use of five distinct Salmonella serovars to inoculate chicken thighs, which were categorized into two groups: higher inoculation level (ca. 7 log CFU/mL) and lower inoculation level (ca, 4 log CFU/mL). These groups underwent treatment with four different solutions, including 540 ppm PAA with 1.5% OM, 540 ppm …

Optimizing Soil Nutrient Management To Improve Dry Edible Bean Yield And Protein Quality, Emily Jundt

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil nutrient management is of the utmost importance to ensure crop yields are maximized to feed the world’s growing population. Micro and macronutrient deficiencies can be detrimental to plant growth and cause a drastic reduction in yield. Optimization of nutrient management needs extensive research. Nutrients such as nitrogen increase crop yield, even in legumes capable of using a large amount of nitrogen (N) via biological N fixation. Iron (Fe) fertilizers are also crucial for legumes as they are susceptible to Fe deficiency induced chlorosis.

Dry edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are leguminous plants and excellent dietary protein sources. Great …

Antimicrobial Efficacy Of A Citric Acid/Hydrochloric Acid Blend, Peroxyacetic Acid, And Sulfuric Acid Against Salmonella On Inoculated Non-Conventional Raw Chicken Products, Emma Nakimera

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The utilization of non-conventional chicken parts as human food varies widely across countries. The high prevalence of Salmonella, especially in the giblets, poses a high risk to public health. Poultry processors have implemented multiple hurdle technology to reduce this gram-negative pathogen in chicken parts. This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of a commercial blend of citric acid/ hydrochloric acid (CP), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), and sulfuric acid (SA) in reducing Salmonella inoculated on two chicken giblets: livers and hearts. Chicken hearts and livers were inoculated (6 log CFU/ml of rinsate) by individually immersing them in a cocktail …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Germination And Fermentation In Producing Biologically Active Peptides From Pulses, Ashley Newton

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recently, there has been a profound increase in demand of plant-based proteins, especially pulse proteins. However, pulses contain high concentrations of antinutritional factors that hinder the digestibility of proteins. Processing techniques such as enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and physical processing modulate nutritional quality and functionality of pulses. Processing also releases peptides from parent proteins that exhibit health-beneficial bioactivity against various disease risk factors. In this study, germination, gastrointestinal digestion, and microbial fermentation were evaluated to determine the nutritional quality and release of bioactive peptides during and after processing.

Germination of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) modulated the protein profile, and …

Safety Assessment Of Novel Foods And Food Proteins, Niloofar Moghadam Maragheh

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The global food market needs to grow and supply food demand to feed the growing world population. Alternative food proteins, including novel sources of safe foods and ingredients, are the candidates that could provide more environmentally sustainable choices, animal welfare, and consumers health. Novel foods and food proteins must undergo premarket safety evaluations including allergenicity assessment to reduce the risk of cross-reactivity with known allergens and uncharacterized risk to food allergic individuals. This research addressed the safety assessment of some novel foods and food ingredients using the study of stability of proteins in pepsin and sequence identity analysis in the …

Identification Of Gut Microbiome Composition Responsible For Gas Production, Erasme Mutuyemungu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gas production remains a significant barrier to increasing intake of dietary fiber-containing foods for many consumers. Therefore, this thesis is comprised of two studies focusing on the role of the gut microbiome in contributing to gas production during fermentation of dietary components. Previous studies have reported significant correlations between Megasphaera elsdenii and gas production during fermentation of pulses. Therefore, the objective of the first study was to determine the role of M. elsdenii in gas production by the microbiome during fermentation of foods commonly associated with gas production. Human fecal microbiomes were separated based on the presence (Me+) or absence …

Comparative Assessment Of Human Exposure To Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Due To The Consumption Of Various Food Products In The United States, Yifan Wu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Antibiotic resistance (AR) was increasingly recognized as a global and national problem. Prevention efforts are hampered by a lack of complete understanding of how transmission pathways contribute to human AR exposure. Many reports have indicated the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in foods at retail, suggesting that food consumption, animal-derived foods in particular, can represent a significant source of AR exposure among consumers. The presence of Salmonella, including antibiotic-resistant Salmonella, has been frequently reported in terrestrial animal-derived foods such as meat, poultry, and dairy products, as well as in aquaculture products. Identification of the significant food sources that harbor …

High Pressure Processing Of Cashew Milk, Rachel Coggins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Plant-based foods are becoming increasingly popular because of changing consumer preferences. Most plant-based milks are not a direct replacement for cow’s milk because they do not have the same nutritional value and physicochemical properties. However, these properties could be modified and enhanced through processing. For example, high pressure processing (HPP) can affect irreversibly protein structure and functionality and potentially enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. HPP is used widely in the beverage industry for cold pasteurization. In this study, the effects of HPP treatment on (a) the inactivation of Listeria innocua, a commonly used surrogate for Listeria monocytogenes in HPP research, in …

Evaluation Of Human Microbiota-Associated (Hma) Porcine Models To Study The Human Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Nirosh D. Aluthge

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Research conducted in the past couple of decades has showcased the importance of the gut microbiota in human health and well-being. While many studies have reported on the differences in community membership between a disease state and a healthy state, few have investigated the mechanisms through which an aberrant microbiota contributes to a disease phenotype. One of the primary reasons for this are the many technical and ethical barriers to conducting the necessary studies directly in human individuals. Human microbiota-associated (HMA) porcine models have the potential to become important research tools which can enable the testing of hypotheses regarding host-microbiota …

Evaluating The Microbial Quality And Use Of Antimicrobials In Raw Pet Foods, Leslie Pearl Cancio

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) are emerging pet foods that pose food safety risks because of the potential presence of pathogens that could cause illness to humans. In this research, the microbial quality of select RMBD products sold by pet food companies online and the use of chemical antimicrobials to reduce the microbial load in chicken liver, a common RMBD ingredient, were evaluated.

Ground meat blends and livers from four animal species (beef, pork, chicken, turkey) were purchased from four online companies that delivers directly to consumers through parcel businesses. Products were procured at three different times during one year and …

Food Sensitivity In Individuals With Altered And Unaltered Digestive Tracts, Walker Carson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) against food proteins has become the subject of much discussion with regards to its role in adverse food reactions. An estimated 20% of the population suffers from some type of food intolerance. Food sensitivity can present with a vast range of symptoms and severities. Diet can have a substantial impact on the wellbeing of individuals with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Incidentally, these diseases have been associated with elevated levels of food-specific IgG as well an increased likelihood of food sensitivity. The presence of food-specific IgG and food sensitivity in …

Microbial Challenge Studies Of Radio Frequency Heating For Dairy Powders And Gaseous Technologies For Spices, Xinyao Wei

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Persistence, thermal resistance, and survival of Salmonella in low moisture foods (LMF) have resulted in several foodborne illness outbreaks. Both existing and novel pasteurization technologies need to be validated for microbial safety of LMF. In this dissertation, a framework for using radio frequency (RF) heating to enhance microbial safety of milk powders and egg white powder was established. Thermal inactivation kinetics of Salmonella in milk powders were determined to guide the dairy industry for identifying thermal processing conditions for pasteurization. Storage time showed no effect on the thermal resistance of Salmonella, which can simplify the process validation study in …

Process Interventions For Improving The Microbiological Safety Of Low Moisture Food Ingredients, Tushar Verma

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The recurrence of Salmonella in low moisture foods and the implementation of the FSMA rule requires a need to validate legacy and novel processing technologies. In this dissertation, a legacy thermal (extrusion), a novel thermal (radiofrequency (RF) heating), and a non-thermal (chlorine dioxide) technology, were evaluated as intervention technologies for Salmonella in low moisture foods. The twin-screw extruder was performed at different levels of screw speeds, temperatures, moisture contents, and fat contents to understand the impact of processing conditions on Salmonella inactivation in oat flour. At temperature >65°C, the Salmonella population was below the detection limit. At 55°C, Salmonella reduction …

Research Tools And Their Uses For Determining The Thermal Inactivation Kinetics Of Salmonella In Low-Moisture Foods, Soon Kiat Lau

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The reputation of low-moisture foods as safe foods has been crumbling over the past decade due to repeated involvement in foodborne illness outbreaks. Although various pasteurization technologies exist, a majority are thermal processes and have not been well-characterized for pasteurizing low-moisture foods. In addition, the nature of a low-moisture food matrix introduces various experimental complications that are not encountered in high-moisture foods. In this dissertation, the development, building instructions, and characterization of various open source tools for studying the inactivation kinetics of microorganisms in low-moisture foods are described. The first tool is the TDT Sandwich, a dry heating device for …

Effect Of Processing On Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates In Whole Grains, Caroline Smith

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is potential to increase microbiota accessible carbohydrates (MAC) in whole grains through food processing. Therefore, different processing conditions for boiling and extrusion of whole wheat flour were studied for their effect on MAC. Processing conditions had a minimal effect on fermentation response using 2 fecal samples of disparate composition. However, the processing method had an impact on the fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates and subsequent short chain fatty acids production, but only for a microbiome with high diversity and a predominance of microbes associated with dietary fiber intake. Subsequently, five processing methods: boiling, extrusion, unleavened bread, yeast bread, and sourdough …

Formation Of Low Density And Free-Flowing Hollow Microparticles From Non-Hydrogenated Oils And Preparation Of Pastries With Shortening Fat Composed Of The Microparticles, Joshua Gudeman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Solid fats provide critical functionality in the structuring, shortening, and stabilizing of many foods. However, their use as an ingredient is foods can present a number of challenges. The physical properties of solid fat can make them difficult to apply to or incorporate into foods consistently. On an industrial food production scale, handling of solid fats can difficult because they are often packed in heavy cubes or totes, and production delays and inefficiencies may be caused by the need to remelt the oils before use. Oils as a macronutrient also contribute a relatively high number of calories at 9 calories …

Encapsulation Of Astaxanthin-Enriched Camelina Seed Oil Obtained By Ethanol-Modified Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction, Liyang Xie

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Astaxanthin is a high-value carotenoid widely used in the food, feed, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Natural sources of astaxanthin are preferable to synthetic sources. However, current sources of natural astaxanthin are limited and fall short of global demand. In addition, effective extraction and stabilization strategies are needed before the utilization of natural astaxanthin in food applications. This work investigated 1) the feasibility of ethanol-modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of astaxanthin from engineered camelina seed, a potential source of natural astaxanthin, and 2) the potential of an emulsion-based system to protect astaxanthin after extraction. The physical properties of the emulsion …

Energy And Water Assessment And Plausibility Of Reuse Of Spent Caustic Solution In A Midwest Fluid Milk Processing Plant, Carly Rain Adams

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Food Energy and Water Nexus (FEW Nexus) is the inseparable connection linking these resources. The concept of the FEW Nexus within the food industry addresses the connection of water and energy as key members of food production. The steady increase in population and the increase in food demand are directly related, therefore, the need for water and energy. Immediately taking on this critical challenge will lead to tangible impacts on the water and energy crisis facing the food system. To reduce the distance between process productivity and resource efficiency it must first be determined, within food processing, where water …

Thermal Inactivation Kinetics Of Salmonella Enterica And Enterococcus Faecium In Ground Black Pepper, Sabrina Vasquez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Food safety concerns of low-a_wfoods have boosted, given the increased number of foodborne illnesses related to these products. Black pepper, among other spices, has been implicated in several outbreaks and recalls in recent years.Salmonella entericahas been identified as the causing agent of outbreaks of contaminated spices. Therefore, increased efforts should be conducted to ensure food safety of spices, including black pepper. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) demands all food processing facilities to conduct proper validations of the decontamination technologies applied to food products. Complete thermal process validations require a deep understanding of the thermal inactivation kinetics …

Effect Of Processing On In-Vitro Protein Digestibility And Other Nutritional Aspects Of Nebraska Crops, Paridhi Gulati

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Among plant based agricultural products, Nebraska ranks first nationwide in the production of Great Northern beans (GNB), second in proso millet production, and eighth in production of winter wheat. The present research was focused on the effect of processing on nutritive components and in vitroprotein digestibility of these crops with the aim of promoting their human consumption. Proso millet based extrudates had physical properties similar to commonly extruded rice but had lower expansion than corn. GNB extrudates had limited expansion and high bulk density mostly due to high fiber and protein content. Extrusion significantly reduced the anti-nutritional components in …

Effect Of Gallic And Ferulic Acids On Oxidative Phosphorylation On Candida Albicans (A72 And Sc5314) During The Yeast-To-Hyphae Transition, Rehab Aldahash

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Candida albicans is a dormant commensal in the mucosa of healthy individuals but can become an opportunistic pathogen when the host microflora is compromised. It has been reported as the most common cause of fungal infection among hospitalized U.S. patients, with elevated mortality rate. Candida species have been reported as resistant to antifungal drugs that increase the application of novel strategies to treat this infection. Among the natural compounds that have most gained attention as potential agents against fungi are phenolic compounds against fungi. C. albicans has the ability to switch phenotype from yeast-to-hyphae cells, with hyphae being the most …

Radiofrequency Processing For Inactivation Of Salmonella Spp. And Enterococcus Faecium Nrrl B-2354 In Whole Black Peppercorn And Ground Black Pepper, Xinyao Wei

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Black pepper has been implicated in several foodborne illness outbreaks and food product recalls due to Salmonella contamination. Conventional decontamination methods for black pepper are challenged by harmful residues or quality deterioration. Radiofrequency (RF) heating reduces the come-up time which allows to design a high-temperature short-time processing to inactivate Salmonella with minimal deterioration in product quality. The objectives of this study were to investigate RF heating for inactivation of Salmonella in whole black peppercorn and ground black pepper samples, evaluate Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a surrogate for Salmonella, and assess quality deterioration during RF heating of whole black peppercorn …

Whole Grain Processing And Effects On Carbohydrate Digestion And Fermentation, Sandrayee Brahma

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Whole grains are a major source of dietary fibers in the human diet that provide specific nutrients to the gut microbiota and thereby plays a major role in modulating microbiota composition and increasing diversity of the gut ecosystem. A common approach of consuming whole grains is in the form of ready-to-eat extruded breakfast cereals. Studies reported herein established that extrusion conditions not only affected the physicochemical properties but also in vitro starch digestibility, β-glucan extractability and in vitro fermentation characteristics of whole grain oats. Moderate screw speed (300 rpm) led to higher slowly digestible starch (SDS) with an accompanying decrease …

Increasing Cis-Lycopene Content Of The Oleoresin From Tomato Processing Byproducts Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide And Assessment Of Its Bioaccessibility, Lisbeth Vallecilla Yepez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent years, health- and wellness-promoting foods have been one of the major focus of consumers; therefore, the food industry is increasing its efforts in developing these food products. Tomatoes, tomato-food products and their byproducts have gained special attention in virtue of the carotenoids-rich source that they represent, especially lycopene (~90%). The role of lycopene in human diet has been highlighted as a result of its direct relationship with the decrease of chronic diseases. Nevertheless, lycopene is water-insoluble making its extraction simple with organic-toxic solvents; in addition, lycopene degrades easily with light, time, and storage. Lycopene exist in nature mostly …

Validation Of Extrusion Processing For The Safety Of Low-Moisture Foods, Tushar Verma

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Salmonella in low-moisture foods is an emerging challenge due to numerous food product recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. The new Food Safety Modernization Act requires the food processors to validate their process controls that indeed kills the desired number of bacteria. This research had two major objectives: 1) Develop a response surface model for Salmonella inactivation during the extrusion of low-moisture food 2) Evaluate the use of Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as an adequate surrogate for Salmonella during the extrusion of low-moisture food. Oat flour was selected as a low-moisture food model. For inoculation, cocktail of five different strains of …

Feasibility, Safety, Economic And Environmental Implications Of Whey-Recovered Water For Cleaning-In Place Systems: A Case Study On Water Conservation For The Dairy Industry, Yulie E. Meneses-GonzáLez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Several countries around the world are facing the challenge of producing food with limited water resources for a growing population. This reality is forcing all sectors involved in the food supply chain to look for water conservation strategies that contribute to assure global food security. Besides water consumption, the food industry has to deal with wastewater generation; therefore, water reconditioning and reuse is an attractive solution to address both issues. The goal of this research was to demonstrate that high quality water can be recovered from whey, a by-product of the cheese making process, and reused in cleaning-in place (CIP) …

Improving The Utilization Of Dry Edible Beans In A Ready-To-Eat Snack Product By Extrusion Cooking, Franklin Sumargo

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The growing snacking habit and steady increasing demand for healthy snacks have drastically changed the ready-to-eat snack market in recent years. While the current healthy, ready-to-eat snack products are still dominated by whole cereal grains, legumes, especially dry edible beans, have a high potential to emerge in nutritional, novel food. Dry edible beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L) are not only economically valuable but also nutritionally important, since they are important sources of proteins, B vitamins, mineral elements, and soluble dietary fibers even when compared to whole grain cereals. Recent studies have shown extrusion processing is not only effective at producing …

Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And Shiga Toxin Producing E. Coli (Stec) Throughout Beef Summer Sausage Production And The Use Of High Pressure Processing As An Alternative Intervention To Thermal Processing, Eric L. Oliver

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and six additional serogroups of Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC-7) have been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks related to fermented sausage products and are considered adulterants by the USDA-FSIS. The objective of this study was to evaluate high pressure processing (HPP) as an alternative to thermal treatment to reduce STEC-7 meeting the USDA-FSIS performance standards (5.0-log reduction). A rifampicin-resistant, non-pathogenic E. coli (surrogate) cocktail, was used in manufacturing testing. Sausages were fermented at ~42.2°C, slowly increased to 54.4°C internal temperature, cold showered, and chilled for 6 hours. Sampling occurred post-fermentation (PF; pH 5.0), internal temperature 48.9°C (I-48.9°C), …