Effects of modified atmospheric packaging configuration on spoilage mould growth in damaged packages of fresh pasta

Background: Mould growth on coated wood products during shipment is the foremost apprehension for most of the wood industries in India. Well finished wood products tend to get deposited by staining moulds superficially in high humidity conditions during shipment. Though wood disfiguring fungi (stain moulds) normally have no significant effect on the mechanical properties of timber, they only affect the aesthetic appearance of the material without destructing the wood cell wall. This causes a huge economic loss to the manufacturer due to disfigurement of the appearance of wood products. Methods: The aim of this work is to test and enhance antimicrobial property of Nitrocellulose lacquer wood finish to prevent mould deposition on coated wood products. The work was carried out to screen and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of commercial Nitrocellulose lacquer. Several patents regarding antimicrobial activity of nano metal oxides have been visited. In order to enhance the mould resistance of this coating, its combinations with neem oil and ZnO nanoparticles were prepared and tested against the growth of staining moulds: Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. on the wood substrate of Melia dubia. The study was carried out for 500 hours under favorable conditions (Temperature and Relative Humidity (RH)) for the mould growth. The growth was analysed on the basis of surface area affected by stain moulds on coated wood samples. Results: The growth analysis data inferred that the ZnO nanoparticles had significant effect against the growth of stain moulds. The presence of ZnO nanoparticles increased the mould growth resistance of Nitrocellulose lacquer coating to a great extent compared to the ability of neem oil for the same. This finding demonstrates the potential use of nano ZnO for increasing the effectiveness of NC lacquer against mould growth without hampering its other properties. Conclusion: 1 % nano ZnO concentration in Nitrocellulose lacquer wood coating increased its efficacy against staining mould growth by 95 %.

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Nutritional Quality of Pasta Sold on the Italian Market: The Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13010171 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 171

Author(s):

Marika Dello Russo ◽

Carmela Spagnuolo ◽

Stefania Moccia ◽

Donato Angelino ◽

Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Content ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Food Choices ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

Food Labels ◽

Nutrition Claims ◽

Italian Market ◽

Lower Protein ◽

Fresh Pasta

Pasta represents a staple food in many populations and, in recent years, an increasing number of pasta items has been placed on the market to satisfy needs and trends. The aims of this work were: (i) to investigate the nutritional composition of the different types of pasta currently sold in Italy by collecting the nutrition facts on their packaging; (ii) to compare energy, nutrient and salt content per 100 g and serving in fresh and dried pasta; (iii) to compare the nutrition declaration in pairs of products with and without different declarations (i.e., gluten free (GF), organic, and nutrition claims (NC)). A total of 756 items, made available by 13 retailers present on the Italian market, were included in the analysis. Data showed a wide difference between dried and fresh pasta, with high inter-type variability. A negligible amount of salt was observed in all types of pasta, except for stuffed products, which had a median high quantity of salt (>1 g/100 g and ~1.5 g/serving). Organic pasta had higher fibre and lower protein contents compared to conventional pasta. GF products were higher in carbohydrate and fat but lower in fibre and protein than not-GF products, while only a higher fibre content was found in pasta with NC compared to products not boasting claims. Overall, the results show high variability in terms of nutrition composition among the pasta items currently on the market, supporting the importance of reading and understanding food labels for making informed food choices.

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Kabuli and Apulian black Chickpea Milling By-Products as Innovative Ingredients to Provide High Levels of Dietary Fibre and Bioactive Compounds in Gluten-Free Fresh Pasta

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26154442 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (15) ◽

pp. 4442

Author(s):

Michela Costantini ◽

Carmine Summo ◽

Michele Faccia ◽

Francesco Caponio ◽

Antonella Pasqualone

Keyword(s):

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Dietary Fibre ◽

Absorption Capacity ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

Structural Quality ◽

Gluten Free ◽

Food Industries ◽

Chickpea Flour ◽

Fresh Pasta

Gluten-free (GF) products, including pasta, are often characterised by nutritional deficiencies, such as scarce dietary fibre and excess of calories. Chickpea flour is increasingly being used by the food industries. Hulls, rich in dietary fibre and bioactive compounds, are discarded after milling. The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality features of short-cut GF fresh pasta added of hull (8% w/w) derived from kabuli (KH) or Apulian black (ABH) chickpeas, in comparison with control GF pasta prepared without hull. The enriched pasta, which could be labelled as “high fibre”, was characterised by a higher level of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity than the control. ABH-enriched pasta showed the highest anthocyanins (33.37 ± 1.20 and 20.59 ± 0.11 mg/kg of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside on dry matter in raw and cooked pasta, respectively). Hull addition increased colour intensity and structural quality of GF pasta: ABH-enriched pasta had the lowest cooking loss and the highest water absorption capacity; KH-enriched pasta showed the highest firmness. No significant differences in sensory liking were found among the samples, except for “aftertaste”. Chickpea hull can be used as an innovative ingredient to produce potentially functional GF pasta, meeting the dietary needs of consumers without affecting quality.

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A comparison of hygrothermal simulation results derived from four simulation tools

Journal of Building Physics ◽

10.1177/1744259120988760 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174425912098876

Author(s):

Maurice Defo ◽

Michael Lacasse ◽

Abdelaziz Laouadi

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Outer Layer ◽

Growth Index ◽

Mould Growth ◽

Simulation Tools ◽

Assembly Design ◽

Hygrothermal Simulation ◽

Moisture Performance ◽

Wood Frame ◽

Wall Assembly

The objective of this work was to compare the hygrothermal responses and the moisture performance of four wood-frame walls as predicted by four hygrothermal (HAM) simulation tools, namely: DELPHIN, WUFI, hygIRC and COMSOL. The four wall systems differ only in their cladding type; these were fibreboard, vinyl, stucco and brick. Three Canadian cities having different climates were selected for simulations: Ottawa, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta. In each city, simulations were run for 2 years. Temperature and relative humidity of the outer layer of OSB sheathing were compared amongst the four simulation tools. The mould growth index on the outer layer of the OSB sheathing was used to compare the moisture performance predicted by the respective hygrothermal simulation tools. Temperature profiles of the outer layer of the OSB sheathing were all in good agreement for the four HAM tools in the three locations. For relative humidity, the highest discrepancies amongst the four tools were found with stucco cladding where differences as high as 20% could be found from time to time. Mould growth indices predicted by the four HAM tools were similar in some cases but different in other cases. The discrepancies amongst the different HAM tools were likely related to: the material property processing, how the quantity of wind-driven rain absorbed at the cladding surface is computed and some implementation details. Despite these discrepancies, The tools generally yielded consistent results and could be used for comparing the impacts of different designs on the risk of premature deterioration, as well as for evaluating the relative effects of climate change on a given wall assembly design.

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High carbon-di-oxide modified atmospheric packaging on quality of ready-to-eat minimally processed fresh-cut iceberg lettuce

Food Science and Biotechnology ◽

10.1007/s10068-021-00881-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Md. Azizul Haque ◽

Md. Asaduzzaman ◽

Md. Sultan Mahomud ◽

Md. Rizvi Alam ◽

Alin Khaliduzzaman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Modified Atmosphere Packaging ◽

Storage Condition ◽

Modified Atmosphere ◽

High Carbon ◽

Modified Atmospheric Packaging ◽

Iceberg Lettuce ◽

Microbial Development ◽

Fresh Cut ◽

Intact Surface

AbstractFresh-cut lettuce is a very well-known salad for today's routines because it obliges minimal preparation to minimize the loss of health beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals. It is a prodigious challenge to serve its consumers fresh. Quality of freshly processed lettuce under high CO2 modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has been investigated as a realistic alternative technique for its preservation. Storage under high CO2 atmospheric treatments exhibited a significant impact in microbial development, electrolyte leakage, volatile metabolites and sensory quality of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce. This storage condition (MAP 1: 5 kPa O2 and 20 kPa CO2 balanced by N2 at 7 °C for 6 days) inhibited the growth of mesophilic bacteria and yeasts; delayed the enzymatic browning (cut-edges and intact surface) of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce and overall visual quality was also in acceptance limit. The development of off-odors was perceived in high CO2 MAP as a consequence of volatiles (ethanol and acetaldehyde) accumulation which was persisted at an inexcusable level during 6 days of storage periods.

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Effect of starch based edible antimicrobial films and modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) on extended life of composite sweetmeat.

Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications ◽

10.1016/j.carpta.2021.100055 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100055

Author(s):

Rekha Chawla ◽

S. Sivakumar ◽

Harsimran Kaur ◽

Santosh Kumar Mishra

Keyword(s):

Modified Atmospheric Packaging ◽

Antimicrobial Films ◽

Extended Life

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Stochastic Simulation of Mould Growth Performance of Wood-Frame Building Envelopes under Climate Change: Risk Assessment and Error Estimation

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings11080333 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 333

Author(s):

Lin Wang ◽

Maurice Defo ◽

Zhe Xiao ◽

Hua Ge ◽

Michael A. Lacasse

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Error Estimation ◽

Ventilation Rate ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Mould Growth ◽

Frame Building ◽

Wood Frame ◽

Water Tightness

Previous studies have shown that the effects of climate change on building structures will increase the mould growth risk of the wood-frame building envelope in many circumstances. This risk can be controlled by wind-driven rain deflection, improving water tightness of the exterior facade, and improving cladding ventilation. However, the effectiveness of these risk mitigation strategies are subject to various uncertainties, such as the uncertainties of wall component properties and micro-climatic conditions. The objective of this paper is to apply stochastic hygrothermal simulation to evaluate the mould growth risk of a brick veneer-clad wood-frame wall with a drainage cavity under historical and future climatic conditions of Ottawa, a Canadian city located in a cold climate zone. An extensive literature review was conducted to quantify the range of stochastic variables including rain deposition factor, rain leakage moisture source, cladding ventilation rate and material properties of brick. The randomised Sobol sequence-based sampling method, one of the Randomized Quasi-Monte Carlo (RQMC) methods, was applied for risk assessment and error estimation. It was found that, under the climatic condition of Ottawa, limiting the amount of wind-driven rain to which walls are subjected is a more robust mitigation measure than improving cladding ventilation in controlling mould growth risk, the improving of water tightness of exterior façade is not as robust as wind-driven rain deflection and cladding ventilation, however, the reduction of rainwater penetration can reduce the mould growth risk at different levels of rain deposition factor and cladding ventilation rate.

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