Acid-induced gelation behavior of sonicated casein solutions

Casein gels were made from solutions sonicated by 24 and 130 kHz ultrasounds for 0, 60 and 120 min, followed by acidification with glucono-δ-lactone at 30 °C. The dynamics of gel formation were studied using rheological methods and microstructure of gels was monitored using scanning electron microscopy. Sonication postponed the gelation point to a lower pH value and increased the elasticity of freshly formed gels. It also resulted in gels with a more interconnected structure and smaller non-distinguishable particulates. This structure was especially dominant for the gel made from the solution already sonicated for 120 min.     

Biopreservation of hamburgers by essential oil of Zataria multiflora

Hamburgers with high nutrient supply and a loosely-packed structure present favourable conditions for microbial growth. In this study, the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Zataria multiflora and its potential application as a natural preservative in reducing the indigenous microbial population of hamburgers were investigated. Carvacrol, thymol and linalool were found to be the most abundant constituents of the essential oil using GC-MS analysis. The essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Addition of Z. multiflora essential oil in concentrations higher than MIC values influenced the microbial population of hamburgers stored at 25°C, 4°C and -12°C. The significant results of this study are our observations that the use of Z. multiflora essential oil at 0.05% v/w increases the time needed for the natural microflora of hamburgers to reach concentrations able to produce a perceivable spoilage at refrigerator and room temperatures without any inverse effect on their sensory attributes. Freezing of essential oil-treated hamburgers may also reduce the risk of diseases associated with consumption of under-cooked hamburgers through significant microbial reduction by more than 3 log.     

Prediction of Rheological Properties of Multi-Component Dispersions by Using Artificial Neural Networks

This article shows the ability of artificial neural network (ANN) technology for predicting the correlation between rheological properties of multi-component food model systems and their chemical compositions. Multi-component food model systems were made of whey protein isolate (WPI) (2, 4 wt%), Iranian tragacanth gum (TG) (Astragalus gossypinus) (0.5, 1 wt%) and oleic acid (5, 10% v/v). The input parameters of the neural networks (NN) were these chemical compositions, namely WPI and TG concentrations, and oleic acid volume fractions. The output parameters of the NN models were rheological properties of multi-component food model systems (flow and consistency indices, viscosity, loss and storage moduli). Results showed that, ANN with training algorithm of back propagation (BP) was the best one for the creation of nonlinear mapping between input and output parameters. The best topology was 3-10-5. The ANN model predicted the rheological properties of multi-component food model systems with average RMSE 4.529 and average MAE 3.018. These results show that the ANN can potentially be used to estimate rheological parameters of multi-component food model systems from chemical composition. This development may have significant potential to improve product quality control and reduce time and costs by minimizing the rheological experiments.     

Rheological characterization of functional walnut oil-enriched butters stabilized by the various polysaccharides

Dynamic rheological measurements provide a valid determination of the ability of polymeric ingredients to compensate the reduced contribution of fat to texture and mouthfeel, as well as provide an emulsion that easily breaks down in commercial low-fat butters. In this study, the linear effects of pectin (PE, 0.5%) and xanthan gum (XG, 0.1%) and their interactions with locust bean gum (LBG, 0.2% and 0.4%), sodium-alginate (ALG, 0.2% and 0.4%), and modified starch (MS, 0.2% and 0.4%) on the flow behavior, dynamic rheological characteristics, and stability of reduced-fat butters containing 10% walnut oil (WO) were investigated. Results showed that the power law model can adequately fit the shear-rate/shear-stress data (0.888?≤?r?≤?0.992, p?G′?>?G″ at all frequencies. The samples prepared with PE–LBG (0.2% and 0.4%) and XG–ALG (0.4%) had the highest G′ values. The phase angle (G″/G′) decreased with increasing frequency from 0.03 to 15?Hz. The maximum apparent viscosity and stability were, respectively, found for WO butters formulated with XG–0.2% ALG and PE–0.4% LBG.     

Characterization of hydrogels formed by non-toxic chemical cross-linking of mixed nanofibrillated/heat-denatured whey proteins

In the current research, whey protein isolate (WPI) solution was nanofibrillated or denatured by heating at pH 2.0 or 8.0, respectively. The formation of whey protein nanofibrils with a nanometric thickness and micrometric length was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Subsequently, different concentrations of citric acid (0–200 mM) as a gelling agent was used to fabricate cold-set hydrogels from heat-denatured, fibrillated, and mixed fibrillated/heat-denatured protein solutions at pH value of 8.0. The fibrillated and mixed fibrillated/heat-denatured solutions required lower concentrations of citric acid to form self-supporting gels compared to the heat-denatured WPI. The formation of covalent bonds between the network-building protein units through the citric acid-induced gelation was confirmed by gel electrophoresis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Hydrogels made of nanofibrillated and mixed solutions were firmer, had a lower water holding capacity, and showed more degradation at the simulated gastric fluid than the gel from heat-denatured WPI. The increase in citric acid concentration also increased the firmness and gastric degradation stability of the hydrogel samples. The results also showed that the hydrogels in the presence of nanofibrils were degraded much more than the fibril-free gel samples in the simulated gastric condition. Generally, these findings suggested that the combination of nanofibrillation and citric acid-mediated cross-linking could be employed to fabricate hydrogels with excellent techno-functional attributes.

     

Modeling and Scaling of Food Dispersions

Scaling laws, determined by dimensional analysis, have been used to make experimental predictions of constitutive shear-flow rheology. This study aimed to scale and model the flow curves of various suspensions consisting of xanthan gum (0.5, 1 wt%) and WPI (2, 4 wt%), and to determine the best-scaling law and rheological model. The scaling methods were relative viscosity, Péclet number, and Reynolds number. When the apparent viscosity is reduced relative to the viscosity of the medium at zero-shear rate, a distinct reduced flow curve is obtained, regardless of xanthan and WPI concentrations. This study tough to develop a technique of simplifying complex non-Newtonian flow curves and, therefore, predicting the rheological flow curves and fluid mechanics when different modifiers are added to food suspensions. The flow behavior of all samples was successfully modeled with the power law, Ellis, and Cross models; the power law model best described the flow behavior of dispersions. Results showed that both G′ and G″ increased with xanthan and WPI. However, viscoelastic behavior was mainly governed by the xanthan gum content.     

Studying the Interaction of Xanthan Gum and Pectin with Some Functional Carbohydrates on the Rheological Attributes of a Low-Fat Spread

Effects of xanthan gum (XG) (0.1 wt%) and pectin (PE) (0.5 wt%) alone and in combination with different concentrations (0.2 and 0.4 wt%) of locust bean gum (LBG), modified starch (MS), and Na-alginate (ALG) on some of the rheological characteristics of low-fat spreads, including flow behavior curves, rheological modeling, apparent viscosity, rheological modules (storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″)), and delta degree (G″/G′) were studied. Results showed the power-law model was better than the Herschel–Bulkley model to describe the flow curve of dispersions. The k-value in the power-law model increased with increase in biopolymers concentration in solution. All samples exhibited shear-thinning flow behavior with a low yield stress. Dynamic oscillatory shear test showed that the spreads had a viscoelastic solid behavior with a gel-like structure. The G′ value was increased by increasing frequency from 0.03 to 15 Hz, while the G″ and G″/G′ values decreased. Also, MS in combination with XG and PE led to increase the G′ values of spreads in comparison with ALG and LBG. Moreover, microstructural and stability observations revealed that the spreads prepared with 0.1% XG-0.2% LBG significantly had the highest oiling out.