Honey quality is clearly defined in the EU Directive 2001/110/EC, and by Codex Alimentarius (Codex Stan 12-1981) and the International Honey Commission (IHC, 2002). Our investigation aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties of honey produced on a small island, Gozo which is situated near Malta.  Ten randomly collected honey samples were analysed for moisture content, pH, free acidity, water insoluble content, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content and total phenolic compounds.  Moisture content, pH, free acidity, water insoluble content, and HMF content were within the range specified in standards but the electrical conductivity was generally higher than 0.800 mS cm-1. This may be the result of the relatively high atmospheric and soil salinity on this small island. All the samples analysed were within the 40 mg kg-1 HMF limit, which is an indicator of honey quality. The total phenolic compounds, which represent some of the constituents derived from the nectar and pollen obtained during foraging, ranged between 236.555 and 294.209 GAE kg-1 honey. Principal Component Analysis showed the properties of polyfloral honey samples obtained from the southern part of the island to be different from those obtained from the northern part.

There is growing interest in the use of natural agents with antimicrobial (AM) and antioxidant (AOX) properties. Optimization of the AM capacity for mixtures containing carvacrol, grape seed extract (GSE) and chitosan, against gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua and Enterococcus faecalis) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at 106 cfu mL-1 was studied. To observe the synergistic or antagonistic effect and find optimal combinations between the three agents, a simplex centroid mixture design was run for each microorganism, combining carvacrol (0-300 ppm, X1), GSE (0-2000 ppm, X2) and chitosan (0-2% w/v, X3). Results of the response surface analysis showed several synergistic effects for all microorganisms. Combinations of 60 ppm-400 ppm-1.2% w/v (carvacrol-GSE-chitosan; optimal AM combination 1, OAMC-1); 9.6 ppm-684 ppm-1.25% w/v (OAMC-2); 90 ppm-160 ppm-1.24% w/v (OAMC-3) were found to be the optimal mixtures for all microorganisms. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) of the same agents was then compared with a standard AOX (butylated hydroxytoluene; BHT) at different concentrations (25, 50 and 100 ppm; as well as the optimal AM concentrations) by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. RSA increased in the following order: chitosan< carvacrol< BHT< GSE and for the OAMC: OAMC-2< OAMC-1< OAMC-3. The best RSA (OAMC-3) was applied as a coating in two different food matrices (strawberries and salmon). For strawberries, P. aeruginosa was more sensitive to the action of OAMC-3 than S. cerevisiae. For salmon, S. aureus was more resistant to the action of OAMC-3 than E. faecalis and L. innocua.

In this experiment the effect on post-harvest preservation of papaya (Carica papaya L.) fruit coated with either Aloe gel (AG; 100%) or papaya leaf extract with Aloe gel (PLEAG; 1:1) was studied. To evaluate the role of coating on ripening behavior and quality of papaya the uncoated and coated fruits were stored and ripened at room temperature (25 °C-29 °C) and 82-84% relative humidity. Physico-chemical properties were analyzed at 4 day intervals during the storage period. The incidence of disease attack was also visually observed. The overall results showed the superiority of AG and PLEAG coating in lengthening the shelf-life of papaya fruit compared to controls which showed significant decay from 6th day onward and complete decay within 12 days of storage. The AG and PLEAG coated fruits maintained their shelf life for 12 days and decayed at 16th day. The coated fruits also maintained their color, flavor and firmness up to 12 days of storage. An increase in ascorbic acid content (120.2 mg/100 g) was also found in coated fruits in contrast to the control (59 mg/100 g). Only 27% disease incidence was observed in AG and 13% in PLEAG coated fruits as compared to control (100%) during the storage period. The results of this study show that both AG and PLEAG coatings have excellent potential to be used on fresh produce to maintain quality and extend shelf-life.

Underprivileged secondary school and college students tend to demonstrate limited ambitions with regards to further education and acquiring superior qualifications. In a partnership with higher education schools, such as AgroParisTech, encounters have been organised between high school students and higher education students acting as volunteering mentors.The aim is to present the high school students with the opportunity to explore new opportunities as well as to provide them with information about high profile careers and higher level training through various activities led by the higher education students, as well as through meetings, visits, weekends organised around a specific theme. Examples of such initiatives  show what benefits both the high school and higher education students can derive from them.

The main objective of this research was to compare the retention of antioxidant activity and total anthocyanin content of Saskatoon berries dried by freeze drying, microwave-vacuum drying, thin layer hot air drying and vacuum drying. Antioxidant activity of berry samples was determined by DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS radical scavenging, and the pH differential method was used to determine total anthocyanin content of the berry samples. The results showed that the freeze dried Saskatoon berries exhibited the highest retention of anthocyanin and antioxidant activity among the dried samples, followed by microwave-vacuum dried berries, thin layer hot air dried berries and vacuum dried berries. There were significant differences between the berry samples at P<0.05.  DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS radical scavenging were correlated linearly with an R2 value of 0.99 at P<0.05 showing their effectiveness for the determination of the antioxidant activity of the Saskatoon berries. However, the DPPH radical scavenging assay was more effective than the ABTS radical scavenging assay. The results also showed that antioxidant activity of the berries was highly correlated with the total anthocyanin content of the fruit. The reduction of anthocyanin in dried berry samples was linearly correlated with the reduction of DPPH radical scavenging with an R2 value of 0.97 at P<0.05 and, also, linearly correlated with the reduction of ABTS radical scavenging with an R2 value of 0.88 at P<0.05.

The quality of frozen foods can be negatively affected if improper storage and distribution temperatures are allowed. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles, which may occur in the cold chain, on colour (Lab, Total Colour Differences (TCD), chroma and hue angle) and vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids) content of frozen strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa, Duschesne, cv. Selva). A plan of temperature abuses (TAs) was established, based on a real situation, and applied to frozen strawberries during a four month frozen storage period. The results showed that the lightness (L) was the only parameter that was not significantly affected by range of TAs studied. The colour showed some variation on the parameters a, b, TCD, chroma and hue angle. During TAs, ascorbic acid decreased about 75% and dehydroascorbic acid increased 73%. The non-abused strawberry samples showed better overall appearance than the abused samples. This work contributes to an understanding of the quality changes of frozen strawberries that might occur during frozen storage and cold chain distribution.

Oxidation decreases consumer acceptability of food by changing its organoleptic properties, destroying essential nutrients and producing toxic compounds. Antioxidants delay oxidation of lipids in foods as well in human systems. Studies reveal that synthetic antioxidants may trigger diseases in human when consumed over a certain concentration. The toxicological effects of synthetic food antioxidants have been the focus of controversy in recent years. There is scope to use natural antioxidants, present in many components of food and plant sources, as a preservative. In this review different synthetic and natural antioxidants present in various foods, reactions with food and the biological system, extraction techniques and their pitfalls as well as legal implication are discussed.

The aim of this work was to study the rheological, thermal and some other physical-chemical properties of selected honeys produced in the Northeast of Brazil. Two samples were produced by native “Jandaira” bees (Melipona subnitida) and ten other samples by Africanized bees (Apis mellifera). The samples were analyzed for pH, water activity (aW), soluble solids and water content. Viscosity flow curves were obtained using a rheometer (25ºC, 0-100s-1). Thermal analyses were performed on a differential scanning calorimeter, with heating rate of 10ºC/min (-100 to 100ºC). The water content and the pH of the honey samples varied from 17.2 to 27.9% and from 3.2 to 4.2, respectively, and, the aW of the samples varied from 0.57 to 0.74. Two samples were out of specification with respect to water content, according to Brazilian laws. In relation to rheology, all honey samples showed Newtonian behaviour with no thixotropy or dilatancy. The viscosity varied as an exponential function of the water content. The highest viscosity was obtained for the sample with lower values of water content and aW. Thermograms showed a glass transition (Tg) occurring between -52.4 and -42.6ºC, in the samples produced by Apis mellifera and -67.6 and -57.0ºC for the other samples. A linear relationship was obtained between Tg and water content. In conclusion, the honey viscosity depended on the water content of the product. The higher the water value and therefore the greater the aw, the lower viscosity and Tg of the samples.

The safety of camel milk was assessed along the value chain in Erer, eastern Ethiopia. A total of 24 camel milk samples were aseptically collected from producers in Erer (n=12), and wholesalers and retailers (n=12) along the chain. Milk quality parameters were analyzed following standard procedures. The mean (±SD) total bacteria (TBC), Enterobacteriaceae (EC), coliform (CC), spore-forming bacteria (SFBC) and yeast and mould (YMC) counts of the milk samples analyzed were 5.2 ± 1.90, 3.2 ± 2.30, 2.9 ± 2.27, 2.1 ± 2.41 and 2.7 ± 1.61 log10 cfu mL-1, respectively. The TBC, EC, CC and SFBC of milk samples obtained from retailers in the final marketing sites were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those obtained from producers and wholesalers in Erer. Salmonella spp. was detected in milk samples collected from all sites. Other microorganisms isolated from camel milk samples include Staphylococcus aureus (16.2%), Entrobacter spp. (14.9%), Streptococcus spp. (13.5%),Escherichia coli (8.1%), Acinetobacter spp. (7.4%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (6.8%), Klebsiella spp. (6.1%), Bacillus spp. (5.4%), Corynebacterium spp. (5.4%), Micrococcus spp. (4.7%), Lactobacillus spp. (4.1%), Listeria spp. (4.1%), Pseudomonas spp. (2%) and Shigella spp. (1.4% ). The quality of camel milk produced in the study area was generally poor and microbial contamination of camel milk occurs along the value chain while it is transported from the production site to the market. This calls for strict hygienic measures along the entire value chain in order to improve the quality and safety of camel milk produced in the area evaluated.

Macro and micro-structural changes take place during food dehydration. Macro-structural changes encompass modifications in shape, area and volume. Studies of such changes are important because dehydration kinetics (essential for calculating industrial dryers) may be highly influenced by changes in food shape and dimensions. The overall changes in volume, surface area (“shrinkage”) and shape (Heywood factor, with provides a close description of food shape) were determined experimentally, and the results were correlated with simple expressions. Hence, although dehydration kinetics can be modeled with simplified overall shrinkage expressions, the possibility of selecting a suitable geometry and predicting the characteristics dimensions will provide higher accuracy. An additional unresolved problem is the lack of a general model that predicts macro-structural changes for various foods and diverse geometries. In this work, based on experimental data of sweet and sour cherries, and rose hip fruits, a simplified general model to predict changes in volume and surface area are proposed. To estimate how the changes in characteristic dimensions affect the kinetic studies, experimental drying curves for the three fruits by means of a diffusional model considered the following variants for the characteristic dimensions: (i) The radius of the fresh food, assumed constant; (ii) The radius of the partially dehydrated product; (iii) The radius predicted by the correlation for structural changes, especially volume, obtained in this work and generalized for the three fruits, and (iv) to demonstrate the need to study the macro-structural changes for all dehydrated foods, also be present the case of a restructured food.