Taro is a plant widely produced in tropical areas for its underground corms and it is used mainly as a vegetable. Its physicochemical, sensory properties and health benefits led to its use in value-added products. The cake is a high value-added bakery product and it needs a lower amount of gluten protein, therefore, taro flour (TF) was supplemented in wheat flour (WF) at different levels (10, 20, 30 and 40%). In connection with this, the incorporation of taro flour into wheat-based products has been reported to increase their nutritional and textural quality. The taro-supplemented cake showed higher mineral and fiber content, however, reduced caloric value. It was observed that taro supplementation reduced gluten and protein content and had higher oil and water binding capacity, therefore suitable for cake preparation. Taro cake had improved texture and sensory characteristics in comparison to wheat cake. It can be concluded that addition of taro for cake preparation improves nutrition and quality characteristics, therefore, it can be recommended to use taro for cake preparation.

The aim of the present work was to develop a new soy-based food product and evaluate its chemical and sensory properties. A soy-based snack was mixed with rice (Oryza sativa), fortified with eicos-apentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Omega-3 fatty acids from sh by-products in encapsulated and emulsion form. Soy beans were subjected to grinding processes, maceration in pure distilled water, filtration and pasteurization, to obtain vegetable drinks and generate solid residue. Finally, a sensory analysis of the product obtained was carried out. The snacks protein content was around 17%. From the sensory evaluation, it could be concluded that the snacks with 50% of okara had great acceptability and the addition of Omega-3 was also acceptable. So, okara represents an excellent raw material that can be utilized for dietary protein fortification. On the other hand, it proposes based on soy and fish by-products allow sustainable development and contribute to the economy of each sector.

Rice bran (RB) is a good source of dietary fibre. Addition of rice bran into croissant interferes with the gluten formation of dough and hence affect the physicochemical properties of croissant. The effect of RB addition on physicochemical properties of croissant were determined by using 0%, 10% and 15% RB. Besides, additives such as emulsifiers and enzymes can be used in pastry to enhance the physicochemical properties of croissant. Diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono-diglycerides (DATEM) and transglutaminase (TGase) were used respectively on 0%, 10% and 15% RB to investigate the effect of such additives on physicochemical properties of croissant. Increased % RB and DATEM, produced a significant decrease in specific volume, together with a significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness. With increased % RB, TGase caused significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness but significant decrease in specic volume. The overall moisture sorption isotherm curves of the croissant belong to the Type III isotherm, also known as Flory-Huggins Isotherm (J-shaped). The critical aw obtained from the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) equation showed that the shelf life of croissants were not positively impacted by the addition of DATEM and TGase and the addition of RB did not cause any significant positive effects on quality characteristics of croissants.

Brown rice puffing (unpolished rice) gives a more nutritious product compared to traditional puffed polished rice and reduces the cost of the product significantly, even though, the rice bran layer resists expansion during puffing. In the present study, brown rice was puffed in a microwave and hot-sand-bed after its pressure parboiling. Pressure parboiling parameters, steam pressure (196, 294, 392, 490 kPa) and steaming time (5, 10, 15 min), along with pre-conditioned moisture content (8, 10, 12 % wb) were studied and optimized for puffing characteristics (puffing percentage, expansion ratio, whiteness index, bulk density and hardness). All the experiments were carried out using a full factorial design. Statistical analysis showed there was a significant effect of processing variables on puffing characteristics. Optimized steam pressure, steaming time and pre-conditioned moisture content for microwave puffing were found to be 303.6 kPa, 14.25 min and 11.6% (wb) respectively, and for hot-sand-bed puffing to be 260.7 kPa, 15 min and 8% (wb) respectively.

Many innovative teaching and learning methods are used in higher level education including project-based learning (PBL). Since 2012 a PBL assignment project has been undertaken by master students of the Advanced Molecular Gastronomy module at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). The aim is to stimulate student learning and creativity by using Note by Note cooking in a PBL assignment while at the same time complying with the requirements of the annual International Note by Note contest which is held in Paris, France. Direct and indirect assessment methods were used to assign individual grades and to gather student feedback about the module. The direct methods were both formative and summative. The indirect method used was a student feedback questionnaire. Results to date (2012-2019) showed that 92% of learners successfully passed the module. However, further evaluation of individual assessment results revealed that most students achieved higher scores for finding and using resources, asking further questions and developing their own answers than for analysing, synthesising and evaluating information (P≤0.01). Overall students were happy with the module content and said that they learnt about Note by Note cooking, chemical compounds, researching, independent-thinking and perseverance. In future students should carry out a more in-depth analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information.

Tomato is a horticultural crop of interest, that is widely consumed fresh or as processed products. The present investigation was to evaluate the antioxidant indices (total phenolic content, flavonoid content, ferric reducing antioxidant power, radical scavenging activities, inhibitory action against lipid oxidation) and anti-cholinesterase action (acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) of tomato fruits (ripe and unripe) and  pastes (paste 2 and paste 1) after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The total phenolic content (mg/g GAE) of the In vitro digested tomato fruits and pastes showed higher values (ripe tomato: 61.08; tomato paste1: 56.02; tomato paste 2: 60.36; unripe tomato: 38.97) than the ethanolic extracts, with digested ripe tomato ranking higher. Similar results were also obtained for total flavonoid content, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and the radical scavenging activities (DPPH*, ABTS˙+, NO*, OH*), with the in vitro digested samples ranking high. The ability of the enzyme digested and ethanolic extracts of tomato fruits and pastes to inhibit iron and sodium nitroprusside induced lipid oxidation in rat’s liver and brain homogenate increased in a concentration dependent manner, with the enzyme digested tomato fruits and pastes ranking high. Similarly, the ability of the in vitro digested tomato fruit and pastes to enhance activities of the antioxidant enzymes (GPx, GSH, SOD and Catalase) and to inhibit the formation of cholinesterases ranked high. The result of this investigation showed that the studied tomato fruit and pastes possess antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities that would be bio-available after the gastrointestinal digestion and by implication could be harnessed as functional food.

Barhi Dates are an important food and often consumed and sold in the market during the stage Khalal, when the colour is yellow and their taste is sweet with the disappearance of their astringent taste. During the Khalal stage, these dates become physiologically mature with gives the sweet taste. For this reason, they are sold and consumed in a short period of time before these fruits turn into Rutab, a stage at which they lose that distinguishing characteristic. The high moisture, rapid ripening, and delays in transportation or improper storage conditions quickly result in Rutab stage. Thus The Khalal stage lasts for a short time until the fruits get ripe. In the present study, Barhi Khalals were packaged in air (control) and by two types of modified atmosphere packaging: MAP A (5% O2+ 20% CO2 and 75% N2) and MAP B (40% O2+ 20% CO2 and 40% N2). Afterwards, all samples were stored at 5°C for 30 days. On days zero, 10, 20 and 30 of storage, the fruits were evaluated in terms of the changes in the quality indices of weight loss, colour, Total Soluble Solids (TSS), and firmness of the fruits and sensory features. The results showed that the minimum weight loss was 0.45% in modified atmosphere packaging, especially with MAP A and the minimum increase in the TSS was 37.35 Brix° after 30 days of the storage. On the other hand, the results for firmness, colour, and sensory evaluation were better with control packaging.

A computational fluid dynamics model was designed to study the problem of thermal processing of a liquid food product containing whey proteins within a heat exchanger consisting of heating, holding and cooling tubular sections. This physical problem is associated with strong coupling between the phenomena of fluid flow, heat transfer, and thermal denaturation-aggregation of whey proteins. Our primary objective was to investigate the two-way coupling between these phenomena within the heat exchanger. This was carried out by analyzing the model predictions of velocity, temperature and product properties at both axial and radial directions. Attention was focussed on the whey proteins present in a cream cheese formulation. The thermal denaturation-aggregation kinetics was supposed to follow that of the beta-lacto-globulin, which plays a major role in fouling when milk derivatives are submitted to thermal processing in heat exchangers. Model predictions demonstrated that the apparent viscosity of the liquid product exhibited a complex behavior along the processing unit: in addition to its dependence on local temperature, it was affected by the local degree of denaturation of whey proteins – and hence on the product history previous to this position in the heat exchanger. The numerical model was structured into a sequence of computational domains; its versatility was illustrated by changing the length of the holding section and then assessing the impact on the final degree of denaturation of the whey proteins present in the liquid product.

Eggs and their products such as desserts, confectioneries, bakery mixes, mayonnaise and many convenience foods have been implicated in food-borne disease outbreaks due to microorganism contamination. The effect of gamma irradiation on the presence of microorganisms in egg powder was investigated. Egg powder samples were exposed to several doses of irradiation: 0, 5, 10 and 15 kGy and stored for up to 12 months at ambient temperature (25 oC). Results indicated that the total viable count (TVC) (5.56 log10 cfu g-1), total coliform counts (TCC) (6.46 log10 cfu g-1) and mold and yeast counts (MYC) (9.12 log10 cfu g) in un-irradiated (control) samples of egg powder were higher than the maximum limits (4.88, 2.00 and 1.70 log10 cfu g-1, respectively). Application of the higher doses (10 and 15 kGy) decreased the TVC, TCC and MYC of the egg powder samples to less than 1 log10 cfu g-1 and the counts remained almost constant during storage for 12 months. D10 values for Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium were 0.714 and 0.278 kGy, respectively. Gamma irradiation treatment could be chosen on the basis of preliminary microbiological tests including TVC, TCC and MYC and help improve the hygienic quality by killing and reducing the microorganisms that might be present inside of egg powder to meet national and international standards.

The influence of early lactation on chemical composition and the concentration of antimicrobial proteins of donkey’s milk produced in Cyprus were investigated. Milk samples from 10 female donkeys in their first season of lactation were collected at 7, 15 and 30d postpartum. The average contents of donkey milk gross composition were 1.40% protein, 0.16% fat and 8.74% total solids. Results showed that lactation had a significant negative effect on protein concentration, while total solid concentration showed an increased followed by a decrease. Composition of antimicrobial proteins also showed a significant decreased during lactation period except from lactoferrin which showed an increase. On the other hand, throughout the lactation, pH and fat were constant.