Tag Archives: food quality

846-856 A. Mencarelli, F. Marinello, A. Marini and L. Guerrini
Physical parameters kinetics during the drying process of quarters and halves cut tomatoes
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Physical parameters kinetics during the drying process of quarters and halves cut tomatoes

A. Mencarelli, F. Marinello, A. Marini and L. Guerrini*

University of Padua, Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Viale dell’Università 16, Legnaro (PD), IT35020, Italy
*Correspondence: lorenzo.guerrini@unipd.it

Abstract:

Tomato drying is a time-consuming industrial process. Moreover, the prolonged use of high temperatures decreases the quality of tomatoes and increases the environmental footprint of the process. In most cases, drying is performed on halved tomatoes. Alternatively, the use of quarter tomatoes could guarantee a drying times reduction without compromising the final product quality. This work aimed at modelling changes in physical characteristics of half and quarter tomatoes. The drying tests were conducted at 50 and 60 °C. The kinetics of weight loss, colour change, and volume reduction were determined. Colour change was monitored through image analysis, while volume reduction using RGB-D reconstructions. Based on the results, an increase in the drying temperature and the use of quartered tomatoes allow a significant reduction in drying times. The loss of water kinetic allowed the determination of critical moisture. Between initial and critical moisture, loss of water occurred at constant rate (zero-order kinetic), while after that the rate decreased exponentially (first-order kinetic). The colour kinetics showed an initial constant rate followed by a linear increase for brown pixels. The variation of red pixels did not have a clear trend. Increasing the temperature there was no significant reduction in colour quality while quarter tomatoes showed a greater loss of redness than halved tomatoes. Furthermore, the temperature increase does not affect the volume reduction of the tomatoes. Increasing the temperature and the use of quartered tomatoes are simple solutions to reduce drying times. However, quartered tomatoes are less visually appreciable than halved tomatoes.

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585-591 I. Blanco-Penedo, M., López-Alonso, R.F. Shore, M. Miranda, C. Castillo,J. Hernández and J.L. Benedito
Evaluation of food safety and quality in organic beef cattle in NW Spain; a comparison with intensive and conventional systems
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Evaluation of food safety and quality in organic beef cattle in NW Spain; a comparison with intensive and conventional systems

I. Blanco-Penedo¹, M., López-Alonso¹, R.F. Shore², M. Miranda³, C. Castillo¹,J. Hernández¹ and J.L. Benedito¹

¹Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Patoloxía Animal, Facultade deVeterinaria, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
²NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue,Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK.
³Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Departamento de Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias,Facultade de Veterinaria, 27002 Lugo, Spain.e-mail: isabel.blanco.penedo@usc.es

Abstract:

The objective of this study was to analyse how beef-cattle farming in NW Spain on organic farms compares with intensive and conventional systems in terms of impacts on the safety and quality of cattle products. Data on the hygiene and quality of 244, 2596 and 3021 carcasses of calves from organic, intensive and conventional farms, respectively, were collected at the slaughterhouse. Organic calves generally had fewer condemnations for liver, kidney and heart pathologies. Liver parasitic infections were 2 fold higher in organic calves than those from other types of farm. Farm processes and resultant food product quality are linked through the health of the animal and its disease status. Overall better health status was not reflected by carcass performance as this was significantly lower for organic calves than for calves from conventional and intensive farms. Carcass performance seemed to be more determined by dietary component than by health status in the animals in our study.

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719-727 E. Rembiałkowska and D. Średnicka
Organic food quality and impact on human health
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Organic food quality and impact on human health

E. Rembiałkowska and D. Średnicka

Chair of Organic Foodstuffs, Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences,Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warszawa, Poland, phone: 48 22 5937038, fax: 48 22 5937036;e-mail: ewa_rembialkowska@sggw.pl.

Abstract:

During the last decades consumers‟ trust in food quality and safety has drastically decreased, mainly due to several food scandals and growing ecological awareness. Consumers have started to look for safer foods, produced in environmentally friendly, authentic and local systems. Organically produced foods are believed to satisfy these demands.Organic crops contain less nitrates and pesticide residues, but more dry matter, vitamin C,phenolic compounds, essential amino acids and sugars than conventional ones. Organically produced milk contains usually more dry matter, fat, calcium, selected vitamins and beneficial conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) compared to conventional milk from high input systems. Meat from organically raised cattle, pigs and sheep was found to contain less total fats and saturated fatty acids but higher content of unsaturated fatty acids and better n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio.The health effects of organic vs. conventional foods have been investigated in severalstudies. In vitro analyses indicated better repair of bacterial DNA and decrease of cancer cells proliferation on organic vs. conventional plant materials. Animal studies indicated better fertility indexes and increased immune parameters in organically fed animals. The effects of organic foods on human health are still not well known. However, according to PARSIFAL study children representing antrophosophic lifestyle, including biodynamic and organic food, had less allergies and lower body weight, while KOALA study associated consumption of organic dairy products with lower eczema risk in children.The overall number of studies analyzing the quality and safety of organic foods andinvestigating the health effects of organic food consumption is growing. However, the results are still insufficient to formulate the explicit conclusions.

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