Qualitative Evaluation of Fish Fingers Prepared from Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Pangasius (Pangasius pangasius) Stored at -18±2°C

Background: The fish being highly perishable food item consumed in all strata of people. The production of freshwater fish is on the rise and need to be processed in a variety of forms to make them available for people. Nowadays, numbers of value added fish products are available in the market for consumption to achieve health beneficial effect and to cope up with malnutrition. However, consumers are unaware of the quality of the products available in the market. Therefore, the present work was undertaken to evaluate the quality of fish fingers produced from tilapia and pangasius during storage at -18±2°C. Methods: The fresh tilapia and pangasius were purchased from local market to prepare fillets. The fingers were prepared from tilapia and pangasius fillets and par fried at 180°C for 30 seconds. The fried fingers were cooled at once at room temperature and stored in deep freeze at -18±2°C for shelf-life study during November 2019 to March 2021. Result: The results indicated that the fish fingers prepared from tilapia could be stored for 33 days and pangasius fingers had a shelf-life of only 27 days. All biochemical parameters viz. pH, TVB-N, PV, FFA and TBA were found increasing as the storage study progresses. The sensory score of the fish fingers produced from both the fishes were got drastically reduced at the end of deep freeze storage at -18±2°C. Overall study indicated that tilapia and pangasius fish can be successfully utilized for the preparation of various value added fish product such as fish fingers and would have sufficient shelf life at deep freeze storage at -18±2°C.

Genomic evidence of environmental and resident Salmonella Senftenberg and Montevideo contamination in the pistachio supply-chain

Pistachios have been implicated in two salmonellosis outbreaks and multiple recalls in the U.S. This study performed an in-depth retrospective data analysis of Salmonella associated with pistachios as well as a storage study to evaluate the survivability of Salmonella on inoculated inshell pistachios to further understand the genetics and microbiological dynamics of this commodity-pathogen pair. The retrospective data analysis on isolates associated with pistachios was performed utilizing short-read and long-read sequencing technologies. The sequence data were analyzed using two methods: the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) analysis and Whole Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (wgMLST). The year-long storage study evaluated the survival of five strains of Salmonella on pistachios stored at 25 °C at 35% and 54% relative humidity (RH). Our results demonstrate: i) evidence of persistent Salmonella Senftenberg and Salmonella Montevideo strains in pistachio environments, some of which may be due to clonal resident strains and some of which may be due to preharvest contamination; ii) presence of the Copper Homeostasis and Silver Resistance Island (CHASRI) in Salmonella Senftenberg and Montevideo strains in the pistachio supply chain; and iii) the use of metagenomic analysis is a novel tool for determining the composition of serovar survival in a cocktail inoculated storage study.

Investigation of oxidation and sensory properties of different forms of fish oil supplements during consumer use

Omega-3 fatty acid consumption is getting more and more common due to their positive impacts on human health. Since consumers cannot get their omega-3 needs from natural sources, omega-3 supplements play an essential part of the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly susceptible to oxidation; thus, storage conditions affect the quality of these fatty acids. Supplement form is also another factor, which is critical for stability. In this project, it is aimed to compare the effects of different forms (capsule, chewable nd syrup) and packaging types of fish oil supplements on fatty acid composition, oxidative stability and sensory properties when stored at room temperature and in dark conditions. Moreover, the effect of consumer behavior regarding the recommended usage after the bottles are opened were assesed during storage study. It was observed that, syrup forms are more susceptible to oxidation than capsule and chewable forms. Moreover, capsule forms complied more with limit values during storage and better protected according to the sensory evaluation scores. Fish oil samples belonging to the same company but provided from different stores showed significant differences in some of the sensory attributes which is an indicator of non-standard raw material, ingredient or processing.

Development and evaluation of barnyard millet instant dosa mix

Instant mixes offer great convenience to the homemakers to prepare traditional delicacies. It reduces the time and drudgery associated with the preparation. The present study aimed to at standardization of barnyard millet instant dosa mix. The impact of barnyard millet flour incorporation on sensory characteristics and shelf life of instant dosa mix was studied. Instant barnyard dosa mix with 50 per cent of barnyard millet flour was finalisedand assessed for shelf life. The particle size distribution of barnyard millet dosa mix and cooking characteristics of best accepted variation was carried out using standard procedures.The results revealed that, as millet flour increased, the thickness of dosa decreased and diameterwas increased, resulting in increased spread ratio.The nutrition composition of 100 g barnyard millet instant dosa mix contains9.50 % moisture, 12.67 % protein, 2.64 % fat, 1.81 % crude fibre,2.57 % ash, 72.62 %carbohydrates, 4.93 mg of iron, 2.21 mg of zinc and 23.94 mg of calcium. From storage study it is evident that the barnyard millet instant dosa mix stored in food grade aluminum foil pouches at ambient temperature can be stored for four and half months.

Potential of cold plasma to control Callosobruchus chinensis (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) in chickpea cultivars during four year storage

Cold plasma has proven itself as a promising method of food preservation by controlling food spoilage bacteria at very low temperatures. It is showing potential for insect control. Synthetic pesticides are mostly used to control Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) to which it has developed resistance. The prospective potential of cold plasma treatment to control pulse beetle infestation of chickpea in the storage for about four years of plasma treatment was studied. The four chickpea cultivars were treated with cold plasma at different power 40, 50, and 60 W each for 10, 15, 20 min. Plasma treated and untreated chickpeas were stored in an airtight ziplock pouch. At regular intervals, the grains were observed for infestation. It was found most effective in controlling the pulse beetle infestation of treated chickpea samples. While plasma untreated chickpeas were attacked and damaged mostly by pulse beetle within the first quarter of the storage study. To avoid the problems created by the use of pesticides cold plasma treatment is found to be the best alternative in the protection of chickpea invasion by pulse beetle during a longer storage period. The findings in the present research may be used for the preparation of legumes which may also soak and cook faster like quick-cooking legumes and preserved for years without invasion of pulse beetle.

Attempts for Developing Novel Sugar-Based and Sugar-Free Sea Buckthorn Marmalades

Sea buckthorn (Hippophaė rhamnoides L.) is recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C and antioxidants, frequently used as nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. In the present study, attempts are made to produce and characterize a novel type of marmalade using sea buckthorn berries processed at 102 °C into marmalade in two combinations, with whole cane or stevia sugar. Changes in the phytochemical profile, antioxidant activity, color, shelf-life, texture, microbiological, and sensorial characteristics were determined. The total carotenoids content in the marmalades were significantly different, with values of 0.91 ± 0.03 mg/g dry weight (DW) in the sample with whole sugar cane (Cz) and 2.69 ± 0.14 mg/g DW in the sample with Stevia sugar (Cs). Significant values of polyphenols were found, of 59.41 ± 1.13 mg GAE/g DW in Cz and 72.44 ± 2.31 mg GAE/g DW in Cs, leading to an antioxidant activity of 45.12 ± 0.001 μMol Trolox/g DW and 118.07 ± 0.01 μMol Trolox/g DW, respectively. Accelerated storage study showed a decrease in all the phytochemicals, however no significant changes were found in antioxidant activity. Values of <100 CFU/g for yeasts and molds and <5 CFU/g for Enterobacteriaceae after 21 days of storage at the room temperature of the marmalades were determined. The sensorial and color results were more than acceptable. Overall, the results highlighted the potential of using sea buckthorn as a potential rich source of bioactive compounds to be used in the sugar-based products manufacturing.