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Food Industry (food + industry)
Terms modified by Food Industry Selected AbstractsDoes ,Protection for Sale' Apply to the US Food Industries?JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2008Rigoberto A. Lopez Abstract This paper tests the Protection for Sale model in terms of the structure of protection and how realistic the estimated domestic welfare weight is relative to campaign contributions. Using data from US food manufacturing, empirical results support the key predictions for the structure of protection when either all food manufacturing industries or most of the general population is assumed to be politically organised. The domestic welfare weight is estimated as low as 0.837, the lowest econometric estimate to date, underlining that protection is for sale and that, with a qualified ,yes', the model fits the data for these industries. [source] Appetite for Change: How the Counterculture Took on the Food IndustryCULTURE, AGRICULTURE, FOOD & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2007Deborah Wagner No abstract is available for this article. [source] Patterns and Determinants of International Trade Costs in the Food IndustryJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009Alessandro Olper F1; F13; F14 Abstract This paper documents patterns in international trade costs in processed foods for a large cross-section of developing and developed countries, during the 1976,2000 period. A trade costs index is inferred from a micro-founded gravity equation that incorporates bilateral ,iceberg' trade costs. For 2000, the trade costs, expressed as weighted average tariff equivalent, range from 73% for the north to 134% for the south countries. The time patterns show an average reduction of about 13% in the observed period that rises to 26% for the emerging countries. However, the same does not occur for south countries. On ranking the trade costs determinants, we find that, on average, geographical and historical factors seem to dominate those of infrastructure and institutions. However, trade policy emerges as an important determinant of the trade costs between north and emerging countries. [source] An Educational Needs Assessment of Pennsylvania Workforce: Opportunities to Redefine Secondary Career and Technical Education to Meet Food Industry NeedsJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2006Larry Napoleon ABSTRACT: This article describes the outcomes of a needs assessment concerning current training needs and performance targets for non-degreed employees in the food industry. Focus groups were used to gather data from 5 food-processing companies: a fresh vegetable company, a canned vegetable company, 2 snack food companies, and a meat company. Focus group participants consisted of 1 senior-level manager each from human resource, production, quality assurance, purchasing, and product development departments within each company. The needs assessment identified 4 major themes that employers indicated as beneficial knowledge and skills for employees to possess: safety training, knowledge of food and production systems, learning and applying mathematical skills, and professional conduct. The authors anticipate that the knowledge of industry needs, with respect to the desired incoming workforce competencies and knowledge, will facilitate the development of integrated curriculum modules for secondary career and technical education programs (high school grades). These integrated curriculum modules will address the growing needs of the food industry and facilitate the development of employment skills required to function and prosper in the new global economy. [source] Allergen Management in the Food Industry , Potential and Limitations , with Claudia HischenhuberMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 1 2005Stefan Vieths [source] Chancen und Grenzen der Mikroverkapselung in der modernen LebensmittelverarbeitungCHEMIE-INGENIEUR-TECHNIK (CIT), Issue 11 2003B. Kunz Prof. Dr. Abstract Die Mikroverkapselung ist in der Lebensmittelindustrie immer bedeutender geworden, besonders im Bereich der funktionellen Lebensmittel und der Nahrungsergänzungsmittel. Die Verkapselung dient dem Schutz des eingeschlossenen Materials vor schädlichen Einflüssen. Das Verfahren birgt ein großes Potenzial für die Entwicklung neuer Produkte. Der Einschluss von ernährungsphysiologisch positiv zu bewertenden Substanzen führt zu Produkten mit einem zusätzlichen gesundheitlichen Nutzen (Added Value). Obwohl die Mikroverkapselung sich erst am Anfang ihrer Entwicklung befindet, ist es sinnvoll, die Chancen und Risiken dieser vielversprechenden Technologie abzuschätzen. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Möglichkeiten der Mikroverkapselung in der Lebensmittelindustrie und zeigt zugleich die Grenzen der neuen Technologie auf. Chances and Limits of Microencapsulation in Progressive Food Industry Microencapsulation has gained importance in food technology especially in coevolution with the developments in functional food and dietary supplements. The aim of microencapsulation is to protect the core material from harsh conditions, so that it keeps its nutritional value. Although microencapsulation is in an early state of development, it seems to be necessary to evaluate the chances and risks of this technology. Because of the effects which can be reached by using the microencapsulation process there seems to be a great potential for the developments of new products or products with an added value. This contribution reviews the chances of microencapsulation in the food industry and tries to present and evaluate the limits of this new technology. [source] Chemical composition and inhibitory effect of essential oil and organic extracts of Cestrum nocturnum L. on food-borne pathogensINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Sharif M. Al-Reza Summary In this study, we examined the chemical compositions of essential oil and tested the efficacy of oil and organic extracts of Cestrum nocturnum L. against food-borne pathogens. The chemical compositions of the oil was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty-seven compounds representing 93.28% of the total oil were identified. The oil [5 ,L of 1:5 (v/v) dilution of oil with methanol] and organic extracts of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol (300 ,g per disc) of C. nocturnum displayed a great potential of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538 and KCTC 1916), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19166 and ATCC 15313), Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 2004, Salmonella typhimurium KCTC 2515 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Also the oil had strong detrimental effect on the viable count of the tested bacteria. The results obtained from this study may contribute to the development of new antimicrobial agents with potential applications in food industries as natural preservatives to control food-borne pathogens. [source] Presentation and comments on EU legislation related to food industries,environment interactions: sustainable development, and protection of nature and biodiversity , genetically modified organismsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary The European Union (EU) legislation regarding sustainable development moves along two distinct lines: the impact of industries (food industries included) on the environment (release of gases and green house effect and the effect of cultivating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the environment. EU voted three communications [COM(2002)524, COM(2003)301, COM(2004)38] in an attempt to set an action plan based on technologies to manage pollution, by promoting less polluting and less resource-intensive products and services and ways to manage resources more efficiently. As such environment-friendly technologies pervade practically all economic activities and sectors it is anticipated that they will reduce effectively energy and resource consumption thereby creating fewer emissions and less waste. As regards the cultivation and/or importing of GMOs, EU legislation was based on two directives (E.U. 90/219/EEC, E.U. 2001/18/EC) and four regulations [Regulation (EC) No. 258/97, Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003, Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003 and Regulation (EC) No. 1946/2003]. The directives aimed at adopting measures for limited use of GM micro-organisms, making the procedure for granting consent to the deliberate release and placing on the market of GMOs more efficient and more transparent, making GMO labelling compulsory and thereby enhancing GMOs traceability along the entire food chain. [source] Presentation and comments on EU legislation related to food industries,environment interactions: organic contaminants (chemicals, pesticides, dioxins, furans, biocides and their waste management)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary The first part of this review on European Union (EU) legislation related to food industries,environment interactions deals with chemicals which, in their majority, make their way to food. Such substances are the pesticides and fertilizers the residues of which abound in many agricultural produces (both of plant or animal origin). Another crucial issue is the unintentional release of dioxins and furans through combustion. Detergents or sanitizers in conjunction with compounds considered hazardous or corrosive or flammable stand for other topics falling in the general category of chemicals employed in the food industry. The aim of this review is to cover all the current EU legislation in the field of chemicals (dioxins, furans, pesticides, biocides products, fertilizers, sanitizers) coming directly or indirectly in contact with food and their waste management by providing six comprehensive and easy-to-use tables, and a synopsis of the main points of the currently in force EU legislation. [source] Integrated polymerase chain reaction-based procedures for the detection and identification of species and subspecies of the Gram-positive bacterial genus LactococcusJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Z.Y. Pu Aims:,Five species of the Gram-positive bacterial genus Lactococcus (Lactococcus lactis, L. garvieae, L. plantarum, L. piscium and L. raffinolactis) are currently recognized. The aim of this work was to develop a simple approach for the identification of these species, as well as to differentiate the industrially important dairy subspecies L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris. Methods and Results:,Methods were devised based on specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications that exploit differences in the sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA genes of each species, followed by restriction enzyme cleavage of the PCR products. The techniques developed were used to characterize industrial cheese starter strains of L. lactis and the results were compared with biochemical phenotype and DNA sequence data. Conclusions:,The PCR primers designed can be used simultaneously, providing a simple scheme for screening unknown isolates. Strains of L. lactis show heterogeneity in the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence. Significance and Impact of the Study:,This work provides an integrated set of methods for differentiation and identification of lactococcal species associated with agricultural, veterinary, medical and processed food industries. [source] Who are organic food consumers?JOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2-3 2007A compilation, review of why people purchase organic food This paper integrates and synthesizes the findings of published research on organic food consumption. We identify several themes that reflect the various rationales used by consumers when deciding to purchase organic food. The literature clearly indicates that the word "organic" has many meanings, that consumers of organic foods are not homogeneous in demographics or in beliefs, and that further research could help better describe the various constituencies that are often lumped together as "organic food consumers". The organic and broader food industries must better understand the variety of motivations, perceptions, and attitudes consumers hold regarding organic foods and their consumption if their own long-term interests, as well as those of other stakeholders of food marketing, are to be best served. We conclude with implications and suggestions for further research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Food safety performance in European union accession countries: Benchmarking the fresh produce import sector in HungaryAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006Marian Garcia Martinez Countries that accede to the European Union face a complex and urgent task to adopt and implement the Acquis Communautaire on food safety. For the food industries in such countries, this implies that the European Union's standards of food production and processing, food quality and safety have to be met to ensure a high level of consumer protection and satisfaction. The authors assess the level of food safety performance in one accession country, Hungary, in one food sector (the fresh produce importing chain), and evaluate the capacity of the system to demonstrate quality assurance to the satisfaction of private customers and public regulators. The analysis of food safety performance has been undertaken through gap analysis using a novel application of a benchmarking methodology taking the United Kingdom fresh produce importing chain as the benchmark. The insights are relevant to other accession countries and to other candidate countries for European Union enlargement. [EconLit Classifications: Q130, Q180]. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 22: 69,89, 2006. [source] OPTIMIZATION OF PERMEABILIZATION PROCESS FOR LACTOSE HYDROLYSIS IN WHEY USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGYJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009GURPREET KAUR ABSTRACT To overcome the permeability barrier and prepare whole cell biocatalysts with high activities, permeabilization of Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis NCIM 3566 in relation to, -galactosidase activity was optimized using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as permeabilizing agent. Permeabilized whole cells can be advantageous over pure enzyme preparations in terms of cost-effectiveness and increased stability maintained by the intracellular environment. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize concentration of CTAB, temperature and the treatment time for maximum permeabilization of yeast cells. The optimum operating conditions for permeabilization process to achieve maximum enzyme activity obtained by RSM were 0.06% (w/v) CTAB concentration, 28C temperature and process duration of 14 min. At these conditions of process variables, the maximum value of enzyme activity was found to be 1,334 IU/g. The permeabilized yeast cells were highly effective and resulted in 90.5% lactose hydrolysis in whey. PRACTICAL APPLICATION , -Galactosidase is one of the most promising enzymes, which has several applications in the food, fermentation and dairy industry. However, the industrial applications of , -galactosidase have been hampered by the costs involved in downstream processing. The present investigation was focused on developing the low-cost technology for lactose hydrolysis based on permeabilization process. Disposal of lactose in whey and whey permeates is one of the most significant problems with regard to economics and environmental impact faced by the dairy industries. Keeping this in view, lactose hydrolysis in whey has been successfully performed using permeabilized Kluyveromyces marxianus cells. Hydrolysis of lactose using , -galactosidase converts whey into a potentially very useful food ingredient, which has immense applications in food industries. Its use has increased significantly in recent years, mainly in the dairy products and in digestive preparations. Lactose hydrolysis causes several potential changes in the manufacture and marketing of dairy products, including increased solubility, sweetness and broader fermentation possibilities. [source] ESSENTIAL OIL AND OLEORESINS OF CINNAMOMUM TAMALA (TEJPAT) AS NATURAL FOOD PRESERVATIVES FOR PINEAPPLE FRUIT JUICEJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 5 2008I.P.S. KAPOOR ABSTRACT The essential oil and oleoresins (methanol, ethanol, isooctane and CCl4) from tejpat have been used as a natural food preservative for pineapple juice. The stored samples were studied for pH, total and reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, peroxide value, titrable acidity and microbiological count at fixed time intervals of 7 days. Significant changes were observed during the storage period. The essential oil showed better preservative effect than the oleoresins did. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Essential oils and oleoresins derived from spices are considered luxurious items because of their uses in aromatherapy, confectionary, beverages and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, they also possess antioxidant and antimicrobial efficiency. Essential oil and oleoresins extracted from tejpat are used in the preservation of pineapple juice, which is better and safer than synthetic conservers. This characteristic is of great interest for the food industries. [source] STORAGE TIME STUDY OF SUGAR-FREE AND REDUCED CALORIE MILK CHOCOLATESJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 5 2009LAURO LUÍS MARTINS MEDEIROS DE MELO ABSTRACT In order to study storage time, sensory properties and acceptability among consumers, regular, free-sugar (sucralose [Sucra] or stevioside [Ste]) and free-sugar/reduced calorie (Sucra or Ste], with whey protein concentrate as fat replacer) milk chocolates were evaluated over storage (0, 3, 6 and 9 months). Quantitative descriptive analysis showed that sensory properties do not change throughout the studied storage period. These results were confirmed by acceptability data. No significant changes (P , 0.05) were observed on acceptability means for appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall liking. These results show that sugar-free and reduced calorie milk chocolates prepared with high-intensity sweeteners, Sucra and Ste, with partial fat replacement with whey protein concentrate had a similar storage time behavior as compared with regular chocolates. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This research aims to study sensory storage time of regular, sugar-free and sugar-free/reduced calorie milk chocolates. It can help food industries to understand storage time of these products as sensory properties for highly stable food products, such as chocolate, usually define shelf life. [source] GROWTH INHIBITION OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS VEGETATIVE CELLS AND SPORES USING CHICKEN IMMUNOGLOBULIN YJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 4 2009MIN S. SONG ABSTRACT Egg yolk antibody (IgY) was isolated by the water dilution method from the egg yolk of chickens immunized with Clostridium perfringens vegetative cells and spores. Specific binding activity of IgY against C. perfringens vegetative cells and spores remained relatively high during the immunization period (up to 9 weeks). The titer of specific IgY against C. perfringens spores was 1.4-fold less than that of specific IgY against C. perfringens vegetable cells. The specific IgY powder (10 µg/mL) was found to inhibit the growth of C. perfringens vegetative cells or C. perfringens spores in a liquid medium. The difference of C. perfringens vegetative cell growth between the treatment and control groups was 8.9 × 106 colony forming units (cfu)/mL at 8 h of incubation and 9.95 × 107 cfu/mL at 24 h of incubation. Significant cfu reductions in C. perfringens spores were also observed with specific IgY powder at 24 h of incubation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS IgY antibody exerts an antimicrobial activity against pathogens by binding, immobilizing and consequently reducing or inhibiting the growth, replication or colony forming ability of pathogenic bacteria; thus, it is proved to be a viable alternative for antibiotics and preservatives. In this study, IgY against Clostridium perfringens can be used to replace chemical preservatives in food industries. Because IgY functions well at low temperature, it can be used to inhibit the growth of Clostridia which germinate in refrigerated storage conditions, thus preventing foodborne enterotoxicity caused by such bacteria. In practical applications, natural antimicrobial IgY antibody can be applied to meat products for the improvement of food safety. [source] Food Waste Management by Life Cycle Assessment of the Food ChainJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 3 2004THOMAS OHLSSON ABSTRACT: In the past, environmental activities in the food industry used to be focused on meeting the requirements set by authorities on waste and sewage disposal and, more recently, regarding emissions to air. Today environmental issues are considered an essential part of the corporate image in progressive food industries. To avoid sub-optimization, food waste management should involve assessing the environmental impact of the whole food chain. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an ISO-standardized method to assess the environmental impact of a food product. It evaluates the resources used to perform the different activities through the chain of production from raw material to the user step. It also summarizes the emission/waste to air, water, and land from the same activities throughout the chain. These emissions are then related to the major environmental concerns such as eutrophication, acidification, and ecotoxicity, the factors most relevant for the food sector. The food industry uses the LCAs to identify the steps in the food chain that have the largest impact on the environment in order to target the improvement efforts. It is then used to choose among alternatives in the selection of raw materials, packaging material, and other inputs as well as waste management strategies. A large number of food production chains have been assessed by LCAs over the years. This will be exemplified by a comparison of the environmental impact of ecologically grown raw materials to those conventionally grown. Today LCA is often integrated into process and product development, for example, in a project for reduction of water usage and waste valorization in a diversified dairy. [source] Improvement of L(+)-lactic acid production from cassava wastewater by Lactobacillus rhamnosus B 103JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2010Luciana Fontes Coelho Abstract BACKGROUND:L(+)-Lactic acid is used in the pharmaceutical, textile and food industries as well as in the synthesis of biodegradable plastics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different medium components added in cassava wastewater for the production of L(+)-lactic acid by Lactobacillus rhamnosus B 103. RESULTS: The use of cassava wastewater (50 g L,1 of reducing sugar) with Tween 80 and corn steep liquor, at concentrations (v/v) of 1.27 mL L,1 and 65.4 mL L,1 respectively led to a lactic acid concentration of 41.65 g L,1 after 48 h of fermentation. The maximum lactic acid concentration produced in the reactor after 36 h of fermentation was 39.00 g L,1 using the same medium, but the pH was controlled by addition of 10 mol L,1 NaOH. CONCLUSION: The use of cassava wastewater for cultivation of L. rhamnosus is feasible, with a considerable production of lactic acid. Furthermore, it is an innovative proposal, as no references were found in the scientific literature on the use of this substrate for lactic acid production. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Preparation and antioxidant activity of wheat gluten hydrolysates (WGHs) using ultrafiltration membranesJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 5 2008Xiangzhen Kong Abstract BACKGROUD: Many hydrolysates from animal and plant proteins have been found to possess physiological activities. Wheat gluten, an important by-product of the wheat starch industry, is produced worldwide in enormous quantities. In this study, wheat gluten hydrolysates (WGHs) were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis and fractionated using ultrafiltration membranes. The antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates were investigated by various antioxidant assays, including the ability to inhibit the autoxidation of linoleic acid and the scavenging effect on free radicals. Amino acid composition and molecular weight distribution were also evaluated to determine their relationship with antioxidant activity. RESULTS: The pepsin hydrolysate (PeWGH) had the highest activity and was ultrafiltrated into three major types, PeWGH I (5,10 kDa), PeWGH II (3,5 kDa) and PeWGH III (<3 kDa). PeWGH III showed stronger inhibition of the autoxidation of linoleic acid and higher scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, superoxide and hydroxyl free radicals. Furthermore, PeWGH III had the highest total hydrophobic amino acid content (45.11 g per 100 g protein), and its molecular weight distribution ranged from 1700 to 100 Da. CONCLUSION: The low molecular weight and amino acid composition of PeWGHs were found to be strongly correlated with their antioxidant activity. PeWGH could be used as a natural antioxidant in the pharmaceutical and food industries in the future. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Non-essential dietary factors: from test tube to lifespanJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 10 2007S Luke Hillyard Abstract The agriculture and food industries have an opportunity to change the future of food production by providing foods containing non-essential dietary factors (NEDFs) that improve health beyond a freedom from disease. In order to accomplish this in a safe and time-effective manner, however, each NEDF needs to be tested on a number of levels before it is incorporated into foods. In vitro assays are useful for discovering potential beneficial NEDFS, but in vivo studies are needed to both confirm positive effects and to detect negative effects. The genetic and metabolic similarities between humans and Caenorhabditis elegans, combined with the ease with which this nematode can be manipulated in the laboratory make it an attractive candidate to fulfill the role of an early stage in vivo model. Measuring the lifespan of C. elegans cultured in the presence of a range of concentrations of a NEDF would be of both mechanistic and strategic value in identifying those NEDFs that warrant further testing. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Alleviating peanut allergy using genetic engineering: the silencing of the immunodominant allergen Ara h 2 leads to its significant reduction and a decrease in peanut allergenicityPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Hortense W. Dodo Summary Peanut allergy is one of the most life-threatening food allergies and one of the serious challenges facing the peanut and food industries. Current proposed solutions focus primarily on ways to alter the immune system of patients allergic to peanut. However, with the advent of genetic engineering novel strategies can be proposed to solve the problem of peanut allergy from the source. The objectives of this study were to eliminate the immunodominant Ara h 2 protein from transgenic peanut using RNA interference (RNAi), and to evaluate the allergenicity of resulting transgenic peanut seeds. A 265-bp-long PCR product was generated from the coding region of Ara h 2 genomic DNA, and cloned as inverted repeats in pHANNIBAL, an RNAi-inducing plant transformation vector. The Ara h 2-specific RNAi transformation cassette was subcloned into a binary pART27 vector to construct plasmid pDK28. Transgenic peanuts were produced by infecting peanut hypocotyl explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA 105 harbouring the pDK28 construct. A total of 59 kanamycin-resistant peanut plants were regenerated with phenotype and growth rates comparable to wild type. PCR and Southern analyses revealed that 44% of plants stably integrated the transgene. Sandwich ELISA performed using Ara h 2-mAbs revealed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in Ara h 2 content in several transgenic seeds. Western immunobloting performed with Ara h 2-mAb corroborated the results obtained with ELISA and showed absence of the Ara h 2 protein from crude extracts of several transgenic seeds of the T0 plants. The allergenicity of transgenic peanut seeds expressed as IgE binding capacity was evaluated by ELISA using sera of patients allergic to peanut. The data showed a significant decrease in the IgE binding capacity of selected transgenic seeds compared to wild type, hence, demonstrating the feasibility of alleviating peanut allergy using the RNAi technology. [source] Assessment of impact of aquaculture on Kolleru Lake (India) using remote sensing and Geographical Information SystemAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 16 2006Marappan Jayanthi Abstract Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food industries and the rapid growth of aquaculture worldwide has resulted in growing concerns about its impact on important ecosystems. Kolleru Lake, India's largest fresh water body, and Ramsar site have undergone tremendous changes due to the development of aquaculture. To assess the impact of aquaculture on Kolleru, satellite data were found appropriate because of the synoptic-detailed overview and accuracy. Satellite data of IRS 1D, LISS III from 2004 and Survey of India topographic maps from 1967 were processed using image processing techniques in erdas imagine and analysed in Geographical Information System (GIS) such as arc gis 9.1. Land use map prepared from the satellite data was verified in the field using Global Positioning System to check the land and water use classes and its areal extent. It was estimated from the topographic maps of 1967 that the total lake boundary area was 180.38 km2, in which 70.70 km2 had water throughout the year and 100.97 km2 had water during the rainy season. The digital image processing of 2004 satellite data revealed that Kolleru was no longer a lake and the lake area of 62.65 km2 (34.73%) only remained in a degraded state, extensively colonized by macrophytes. The total loss of lake area was 109.02 km2 between 1967 and 2004, in which aquaculture was developed in 99.74 km2, which represented 55.3% of the 1967 lake area. The maximum conversion to aquaculture occurred from the lake liable to be inundated during the 1967 rainy season. The area under agriculture was 16.62 km2 in 2004, the increase in lake area for agriculture between 1967 and 2004 being 8.22 km2 (4.55% of lake). If human induced degradation is allowed to continue, the lake will very soon disappear. Now, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, has initiated schemes and laws to restore the lake to its pre-development state. Lessons learnt from the Kolleru Lake cautioned that there is a need for regular monitoring of important water resources throughout the world to protect the biodiversity of the earth. [source] Structure of xylanase Xys1, from Streptomyces halstediiACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 8 2003Albert Canals Xylanases hydrolyze the ,-1,4-linked xylose backbone of xylans. They are of increasing interest in the paper and food industries for their pre-bleaching and bio-pulping applications. Such industries demand new xylanases to cover a wider range of cleavage specificity, activity and stability. The catalytic domain of xylanase Xys1 from Streptomyces halstedii JM8 was expressed, purified and crystallized and native data were collected to 1.78,Å resolution with an Rmerge of 4.4%. The crystals belong to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 34.05, b = 79.60, c = 87.80,Å. The structure was solved by the molecular-replacement method using the structure of the homologue Xyl10A from Streptomyces lividans. In a similar manner to other members of its family, Xys1 folds to form a standard (,/,)8 barrel with the two catalytic functions, the acid/base and the nucleophile, at its C-terminal side. The overall structure is described and compared with those of related xylanases. [source] Rhamnolipid Surfactants: An Update on the General Aspects of These Remarkable BiomoleculesBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 6 2005Marcia Nitschke Pseudomonas strains are able to biosynthesize rhamnose-containing surfactants also known as rhamnolipids. These surface-active compounds are reviewed with respect to chemical structure, properties, biosynthesis, and physiological role, focusing on their production and the use of low-cost substrates such as wastes from food industries as alternative carbon sources. The use of inexpensive raw materials such as agroindustrial wastes is an attractive strategy to reduce the production costs associated with biosurfactant production and, at same time, contribute to the reduction of environmental impact generated by the discard of residues, and the treatment costs. Carbohydrate-rich substrates generated low rhamnolipid levels, whereas oils and lipid-rich wastes have shown excellent potential as alternative carbon sources. [source] Introducing natural-convective chilling to food engineering undergraduate freshmen: Case studied assisted by CFD simulation and field visualizationCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 1 2009J. A. Rabi Abstract A computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-assisted didactic activity has been applied to Food Engineering freshmen aiming at introducing basic concepts of process modeling and simulation towards the food industry. Evoking natural convection, a relatively simple case study was proposed involving two initially room temperature porous samples (identified as two fruits) that were placed inside a refrigeration chamber. Three different configurations were suggested for placing such warmer samples so that students were asked to order them with respect to their chilling capability, that is, to their ability to chill samples as fast as possible. Freshmen's written answers were collected before CFD was used to simulate and visualize each distinct chilling scenario. Accordingly, a finite-volume FORTRAN simulator for transport phenomena in domains fully or partially filled up with porous matrix was used to help compare each chilling performance. Among all possible combinations, answer distribution is presented and discussed in the light of freshmen's scholar background as well as based on the way natural convection concepts were introduced. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 34,43, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae20161 [source] Some simple economics of GM foodECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 33 2001Dietmar Harhoff Public opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops (GM food) has not been based solely on concern about biological risks. Economic risks have been widely cited too: the fear that the world's food supply will be concentrated in the hands of a few large firms, the fear that such firms will engage or are already engaging in anti,competitive practices, and the fear of the transfer of ownership rights over genetic resources to the private sector. Are these fears justified? We argue that the GM food industry may be on course for further consolidation, and this could be anti,competitive. In fact, policymakers face a dilemma: a stringent regulatory approval process enhances food safety, but at the cost of increasing market concentration. We argue also that the integration of seed and agri,chemical manufacturers may bias the introduction of GM traits in undesirable directions. Some business practices (such as tie,in contracts between seeds and complementary products such as herbicides) may have an exclusionary motive that warrants scrutiny on anti,competitive grounds, while some other practices (such as the use of terminator genes) appear more benign. Finally, we argue against granting patents on genes or even on gene ,functions'. Doing so may delay the development of socially beneficial applications. [source] Applications of the Liquid Cyclone in Biological SeparationsENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2004E. Ortega-Rivas Abstract Hydrocyclone technology has been suggested as a practical alternative in solid/liquid separations involving biological materials. This paper reviews applications of hydrocyclones in food processing, considering the non-Newtonian nature of most suspensions treated in the food industry. The hydrocyclone is easy to install and operate, and requires very limited space. It represents an unsophisticated piece of equipment, which runs in a continuous manner and it can be operated at lower costs than most solid/liquid separation techniques. Hydrocyclones have been used in the food industry for the refining of starch, to separate gossypol from cottonseed protein in cottonseed oil processing, and for some other applications, such as multi-stage mixer/separator extraction systems for soluble coffee. More recently, some other applications in biological systems, which will be discussed in this article, have also been tested. [source] Geographical Aspects of Food Industry FDI in the CEE Countries Geografische Aspekte ausländischer Direktinvestitionen (ADI) in der Lebensmittelindustrie in mittel- und osteuropäischen Ländern Les dimensions géographiques de l'IDE dans l'industrie alimentaire des pays d'Europe centrale et orientaleEUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2009Csaba Jansik Summary Geographical Aspects of Food Industry FDI in the CEE Countries Food industry FDI has favoured certain food processing sub-sectors over others and it has also been distributed rather unevenly in geographical terms both between countries and regionally within each country. As for the regional distribution, foreign investors have typically targeted locations with a relatively high density of consumers as opposed for instance to prioritising the proximity of agricultural raw materials. The capital city areas and their surrounding regions have attracted a much higher proportion of total food industry FDI than their contribution to agricultural and food processing output would warrant. FDI has contributed in many ways to the development of the regions and industries which have received capital inflows. There has been some levelling off in FDI between countries more recently, a trend driven by the tendency for multinational enterprises to shift their production capacity across national borders among their CEE subsidiaries in a search for greater economies of scale or cost savings. This realignment has helped certain branches of the food industry in some CEE countries perform better than others in competing for common EU food markets. Positive effects of the recent FDI inflows include rapid productivity improvements and enhancement of food export volumes. L'IDE dans l'industrie alimentaire a privilégié certains sous-secteurs de la transformation alimentaire plutôt que d'autres et sa répartition géographique, à la fois entre pays et entre régions au sein d'un même pays, a été plutôt inégale. En termes de répartition régionale, les investisseurs étrangers ont typiquement ciblé des zones où la densité des consommateurs est assez élevée plutôt que de donner, par exemple, la prioritéà la proximité des produits agricoles primaires. Les capitales et les régions qui les entourent ont attiré une proportion bien plus grande de l'ensemble de l'IDE dans l'industrie alimentaire que ce que leur contribution à la production agricole et alimentaire représenterait. L'IDE a contribué de maintes façons au développement des régions et des industries qui ont reçu des capitaux. Une certaine égalisation de l'IDE s'est produite plus récemment entre pays, ce phénomène étant entraîné par la tendance des entreprises multinationales à transférer leur capacité de production d'un pays à l'autre entre leurs filiales d'Europe centrale et orientale, à la recherche d'économies d'échelle et de coûts. Ce rééquilibrage a aidé certaines branches de l'industrie alimentaire de certains pays d'Europe centrale et orientale à réussir mieux que d'autres dans la compétition sur les marchés alimentaires de l'UE. Parmi les effets positifs des entrées de capitaux d'IDE récentes, figurent des améliorations rapides de la productivité et la croissance en volume des exportations de produits alimentaires. Ausländische Direktinvestitionen (ADI) in der Lebensmittelindustrie haben sich auf bestimmte Teilsektoren konzentriert. Außerdem ist die Konzentration der ADI sowohl geografisch zwischen den Ländern als auch den Regionen einzelner Länder ungleich. Bei der regionalen Konzentration haben die ausländischen Investoren ihre Wahl nicht etwa anhand der Entfernung zu landwirtschaftlichen Rohstoffen getroffen, sondern Orte mit einer relativ hohen Kundendichte bevorzugt. Auf die Hauptstadtregionen entfiel ein viel größerer Anteil an den gesamten ADI als es ihre Beteiligung an der Produktionsmenge in Landwirtschaft und Lebensmittelverarbeitung rechtfertigen würde. ADI haben in vielerlei Hinsicht zur Entwicklung der Regionen und Industrien beigetragen, die einen Kapitalzufluss erfahren haben. In letzter Zeit wurden ADI zwischen den Ländern etwas weniger konzentriert, da multinationale Unternehmen danach streben, ihre Produktionskapazitäten länderübergreifend auf ihre MOE-Tochtergesellschaften zu verlagern, um Skaleneffekte und Kosteneinsparungen besser nutzen zu können. Durch diese Neuorientierung konnten sich bestimmte Lebensmittelindustriezweige in einigen MOEL gegenüber anderen im Wettbewerb um die gemeinsamen Lebensmittelmärkte der EU behaupten. Zu den positiven Auswirkungen von ADI-Zuflüssen zählen eine rasche Steigerung der Produktivität sowie größere Mengen an Lebensmittelexporten. [source] GMO Food Labelling in the EU: Tracing ,the Seeds of Dispute'EUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2003Maria L. Loureiro Summary GMO Food Labelling in the EU: Tracinq ,the Seeds of Dispute' Genetically modified (GM) food labelling has become a critical issue in the international trade arena. Policymakers and consumers in the European Union (EU) seem to agree on the need to control the use of biotechnology in the food industry. As a consequence, recently the EU Commission approved a measure that establishes strict rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but which lifts the moratorium on GMO production and marketing. This new Directive deals with mandatory labelling of GM foods and their traceability along the food chain. In spite of the substantial effort made to reconcile the different opinions in the escalating debate about biotechnology, the new GMO regulation seems to be unsatisfactory for too many interest groups. A system of total traceability from ,farm to fork' and mandatory labelling for genetically modified products may be considered too complex and too expensive to implement, particularly by those countries or industries that have produced GMO foods for many years. Yet, giving European consumers the freedom to choose GMOs may be the only option that there is until Europeans restore their confidence in the food system and food regulators. A market or consumer-driven solution may eventually terminate the GMO dispute between the two transatlantic trading blocks. , Assurance , Revenud a ns , Agriculture Européenne ,étiquetage des aliments contenant des organismes génétiquement modifyés (OGM) est devenu une question cruciale sur la scène du commerce international. Tant les décideurs politiques que les citoyens de , Union européenne semblent s'accorder sur la nécessité de soumettre à contrôle , utilisation des biotechnologies dans , industrie alimentaire. En conséquence, la Commission européenne a récemment approuvé une mesure qui établit des règies strictes sur les OGM, mais qui lève le moratoire sur leur production et leur commercialisation. Cette nouvelle directive concerne ,étiquetage obligatoire des aliments contenant des OGM et la façon ? en assurer le suivi dans les filières alimentaires. Ce nouveau règlement OGM, en dépit des efforts réels effectués pour réconcilier les différents points de vue dans la montée du débat sur les biotechnologies, semble inconciliable avec trop de groupes ? intérêts pour être satisfaisant. Un système assurant une traçabilité totale, ,du champ à la fourchette' et un étiquetage obligatoire pour tout produit contenant des OGM, paraît bien trop complexe et coûteux à mettre en ,uvre, en particulier pour les pays ou les industries qui produisent des aliments génétiquement modifyés depuis des années. Et pourtant, il se pourrait bien que la seule façpn de restaurer la confiance perdue des Européens dans le système alimentaire et ses institutions soit justement de leur donner le droit de choisir. La fin de la querelle des OGM entre les blocs commerciaux des deux rives de , Atlantique peut venir de solutions apportées par le marché et issues des consommateurs. Einkommenversicherung in der Europäischen Landwirtschaft Die Kennzeichnung von genetisch veränderten Lebensmitteln ist zu einer der bedeutendsten Streitfragen auf dem Gebiet des internationalen Handels geworden. Politische Entscheidungsträger und Verbraucher in der Europäischen Union scheinen dahingehend überein zu stimmen, dass der Einsatz von Biotechnologie in der Nahrungsmittel-industrie kontrolliert werden sollte. Als Reaktion darauf hat die EU-Kommission kürzlich einer Maßnahme zugestimmt, welche ein strenges Regelwerk für genetisch veränderte Organismen (GVO) festschreibt, mit der aber gleichzeitig das Moratorium für die Produktion und Vermarktung von GVO aufgehoben wird. Die neue Richtlinie beschäftigt sich mit der Pflichtkennzeichnung von genetisch veränderten Nahrungsmitteln und mit ihrer Rückverfolgbarkeit entlang der Nahrungsmittelkette. Trotz der erheblichen Anstrengungen, die verschiedenen Standpunkte in der eskalierenden Debatte um Biotechnologie zu berücksichtigen, scheint die neue GVO Richtlinie in den Augen (zu) vieler Interessengruppen unbefriedigend zu sein. Ein System der vollständigen Rückverfolgbarkeit vom Stall bis zum Teller und die Pflichtkennzeichnung von genetisch veränderten Nahrungsmitteln mag in der Umsetzung als zu komplex und zu teuer betrachtet werden, insbesondere von den Ländern oder Industriezweigen, welche seit vielen Jahren GVO-Nahrungsmittel hergestellt haben. Dennoch könnte der Ansatz, den europäischen Verbrauchern die freie Wahl für oder gegen GVO zu gewähren, der einzig gangbare Weg sein, bis die Europäer ihr Vertrauen in das Produktions- und Kontrollsystem für Nahrungsmittel zurückgewonnen haben. Eine markt- oder verbraucherorientierte Lösung könnte letztlich den Streit um GVO zwischen den beiden transatlantischen Handelsblöcken beenden. [source] Effect of various extraction conditions on the phenolic contents of pomegranate seed oilEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LIPID SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Hajar Abbasi Abstract Pomegranate seeds are byproducts of the pomegranate juice industry. Because of the presence of large amounts of certain pharmaceutical and nutraceutical components in the seeds, a proper extraction method to obtain these components is highly demanded in the food industry. In this study, the effect of different extraction methods on the total phenolic contents of the oil extracted from pomegranate seeds of the Malas variety from Shahreza, Iran, was investigated. Four different extraction methods including normal stirring, Soxhlet, microwave irradiation and ultrasonic irradiation using two types of organic solvents as well as a supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method using CO2 as solvent were applied. The different organic solvents of this study did not indicate any significant differences in the total phenolic contents of the extracted oils, but the extracted oils from the various conditions of SFE indicated wide changes in the amount of phenolic compounds (7.8,72.1,mg/g). The total phenolic content of the extracted oil from one of the SFE runs was several times greater than those in the extracted oils using organic solvents. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||