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Abstract

The effect of processing parameters on microencapsulation of oregano essential with maltodextrin:gum arabic using a disk atomiser spray-dryer was evaluated. By means of response surface methodology, the feed flow rate and inlet air temperature were optimised. Powder yield, moisture content, essential oil retention, and antioxidant activity of microparticles were evaluated. The best conditions to produce microencapsulated oregano essential oil were 0.6 L h−1 for feed flow rate and 200 °C for inlet air temperature. With this combination a microencapsulated powder with 89.8% powder yield, 2.1% moisture content, 92.1% essential oil retention, 76 s solubilisation time, 12.9 g of water/100 g of dry matter, 0.3371 g mL−1 bulk density, 0.5826 g mL−1 tapped density, and 8.2 μm of average particle size was produced. The microencapsulation of oregano essential oil preserves the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of its bioactive compounds.

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The best alternative for reducing citrus production costs is mechanization. Machine vision is a reliable technology for the automatic inspection of fresh fruits and vegetables that can be adapted to harvesting machines. In these, fruits can be inspected before sending them to the packinghouse and machine vision provides important information for subsequent processing and avoids spending further resources in non-marketable fruit. The present work describes a computer vision system installed on a harvesting machine developed jointly by IVIA and a Spanish enterprise. In this machine, hand pickers directly drop the fruit as they collect it, which results in an important increase of productivity. The machine vision system is placed over rollers in order to inspect the produce, and separate those that can be directly sent to the fresh market from those that do not meet minimal quality requirements but can be used by the processing industry, based on color, size and the presence of surface damages. The system was tested under field conditions.

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Acta Alimentaria
Authors:
J.M. Garcia
,
S. M. Castro
,
R. Casquete
,
J. Silva
,
R. Queirós
,
J.A. Saraiva
, and
P. Teixeira

The effect of sequential treatments of pressure (50–150 MPa, 10 ºC, 5 min) and temperature (57 ºC, 15 min) on the survival and bacteriocin production of Pediococcus acidilactici HA-6111-2 cells in the exponential growth phase was assessed. The growth curves were fitted with the modified Gompertz model, and the estimated maximum specific growth rate was considered to be pressure dependent. A delay in the maximum value of bacteriocin production was registered for more severe pressure conditions, but it was found more notorious for pressure followed by temperature treatments. At lower pressure intensity treatment, regardless of the application order, there was an enhancement of bacteriocin production per cell when compared to the control while maintaining the maximum production value. Bacteriocin production after the treatments can be described by an exponential model.

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Acta Alimentaria
Authors:
C. Cano-Molina
,
A. López-Fernández
,
N. Díaz-González
,
R. González-Barrio
,
N. Baenas
,
M.J. Periago
, and
F.J. García-Alonso

Abstract

Tomato is rich in different bioactive compounds, especially the carotenoid lycopene, which intake is associated with various health benefits. Post-harvest use of ultraviolet light (UV) and light-emitting diode (LED) has been shown to increase the concentration of tomato bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet (A and C) and red-blue LED light on the concentration of carotenoids during a 7-days storage trial of mature green tomatoes. Exposure to combined UV and LED light nearly doubled the total carotenoid concentration and had no negative impact on sensory attributes.

Open access
Acta Alimentaria
Authors:
A. Vásquez García
,
S.H. Gomes de Sá
,
G. de Sousa Silva
,
J.E. Mejia Ballesteros
,
E. Barbieri
,
R.L. Moro de Sousa
,
A.M. Fernandes
, and
M. Mitsui Kushida

The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of oysters and mussels grown in Cananéia, Brazil, by analysing mesophiles, psychrothophic bacteria, moulds and yeasts, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp., and to compare the efficiency of Compact Dry EC method and the conventional method for counting of total coliforms and Escherichia coli. The microbial analysis showed that the mean values of mesophilic counts were 3.14±0.81 log CFU g−1 for oysters and 3.92±0.90 for mussels; the mean values of psychrophilic counts were 2.78±0.75 log CFU g−1 for oysters and 3.22±0.75 log CFU g−1 for mussels; the mean values of mould and yeast counts were 3.70±0.58 log CFU g−1 for oysters and 3.33±0.81 log CFU g−1 for mussels. Salmonella spp. did not present positive results, and the maximal count of Staphylococcus aureus was 1.7 log CFU g−1, therefore, within the limits established in the legislation. The correlation coefficients between the Compact Dry EC method and conventional method were >0.87 for total coliform and E. coli counts for both types of shellfish. The data in this study show that the Compact Dry EC method is an acceptable alternative to conventional methods for enumeration of total coliforms and E. coli in shellfish.

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