Development of Cellular High-Protein Foods: Third-Generation Yellow Pea and Red Lentil Puffed Snacks

This study aimed to evaluate how extrusion cooking conditions and microwave heating play a role in enhancing physical and thermal properties of third-generation expanded cellular snacks made from yellow pea (YP) and red lentil (RL) flours for the first time. Increasing temperature and moisture content during extrusion resulted in darker, crunchier and crispier products with higher expansion index (EI). Microwave heating after extrusion led to an increase in cell size and porosity of YP and RL products when qualitatively compared to extrusion alone. Additionally, extrusion followed by microwave heating resulted in extensive damage to starch granular structure and complete denaturation of proteins. Using microwave heating, as a fast and inexpensive process, following partial cooking with extrusion was demonstrated to greatly improve the physical and thermal properties of YP and RL snacks. Microwave heating following mild extrusion, instead of severe extrusion cooking alone, can potentially benefit the development of high quality nutritionally-dense expanded cellular snacks made from pulse flours.

Determination of Ideal Cooking Conditions for Pulp Production from Avocado Wood (Persea americana Mill.) by Kraft Method

In this study, hand sheets were made from pulp produced by the Kraft method using avocado wood. The raw materials were supplied by a fruit orchard and consisted of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) trees that had completed their useful life and were cut during routine thinning maintenance. In order to determine the ideal cooking conditions in the production of pulp from avocado wood via the Kraft method, 16 cooks were carried out by varying the cooking time (T), active alkali (AA), and sulfidity (S) ratios. The general pulp properties, especially the screened pulp yield, pulp viscosity, and Kappa number, were evaluated. The pulp yield was taken as the primary basis in determining the cooking conditions. The ideal cooking conditions were also determined by considering some physical, mechanical, and optical properties of the paper. According to this study, the conditions found to be ideal in pulp production from avocado (Persea americana Mill.) wood via the Kraft method were: 18 % AA, 22 % S, and 75 min T.

Araucaria angustifolia (bert.) Otto kuntze): Comparative evaluation of phenolic composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of seeds cooking water

Araucaria angustifolia var. angustifolia and Araucaria angustifolia var. indehiscens, seeds (common pinhão and monkey pinhão) are consumed after cooking, coats and water represent waste. In this work, pinhão was submitted to different cooking conditions, the water extracts were analyzed to determine and identify their phenolic compounds content, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential. Cooking for 45 minutes without addition of sodium chloride resulted in residual water with highest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP), both for the common pinhão and for the monkey pinhão. Protocatecuic acid, vanillin and coniferaldehyde were identified and quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS as the most prevalent phenolic compounds. No antimicrobial potential was observed against Salmonella enterica Typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Bacillus cereus (ATCC 11778).

A Study of Automatic Judgment of Food Color and Cooking Conditions with Artificial Intelligence Technology

In this study, the machine vision and artificial intelligence algorithms were used to rapidly check the degree of cooking of foods and avoid the over-cooking of foods. Using a smart induction cooker for heating, the image processing program automatically recognizes the color of the food before and after cooking. The new cooking parameters were used to identify the cooking conditions of the food when it is undercooked, cooked, and overcooked. In the research, the camera was used in combination with the software for development, and the real-time image processing technology was used to obtain the information of the color of the food, and through calculation parameters, the cooking status of the food was monitored. In the second year, using the color space conversion, a novel algorithm, and artificial intelligence, the foreground segmentation was used to separate the vegetables from the background, and the cooking ripeness, cooking unevenness, oil glossiness, and sauce absorption were calculated. The image color difference and the distribution were used to judge the cooking conditions of the food, so that the cooking system can identify whether or not to adopt partial tumbling, or to end a cooking operation. A novel artificial intelligence algorithm is used in the relative field, and the error rate can be reduced to 3%. This work will significantly help researchers working in the advanced cooking devices.

Revisiting the condensation reaction of lignin in alkaline pulping with quantitativity part I: the simplest condensation between vanillyl alcohol and creosol under soda cooking conditions

The condensation reaction of lignin is believed to interfere with delignification in alkaline pulping processes, without any clear evidence, which has motivated us to quantitatively revisit it. This paper is the first of a series, and hence we employed the simplest model system using 4-hydroxymethyl-2-methoxyphenol (vanillyl alcohol, Va) and 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (creosol, Cr) under soda cooking conditions. The α-5-type condensation product between these compounds [VaCr, 2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-6-methoxy-4-methylphenol] was identified and quantified as exclusive. VaCr was yielded with a mole amount of 24%, 46%, 62%, or 72% based on that of disappearing Va at a reaction time of 120 min when the ratio of the initial concentration of Cr to that of Va was 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, or 7.5, respectively. These yields and an HPLC analysis of the reaction solution obtained by a treatment of Va as the sole compound under the same soda cooking conditions suggested the formation of self-condensation products of Va even in the treatments containing Cr. The obtained results comprehensively suggested that the self-condensation of Va progresses more readily than the condensation between Va and Cr. The factors behind this will be the topic of our next paper.

A simplified kinetic model for modern cooking of aspen chips

Kraft pulping kinetic models are an important component of any fundamental continuity based continuous digester model. These models can be used to further develop our understanding, or as a framework to support the development of real-world control, estimation and optimization strategies. Effective models are tailored to a specific species of wood and must be applicable for a wide range of expected cooking conditions. In this work a series of experiments were conducted on hardwood Aspen chips for 5 different cooking conditions. Each series of cooks were interrupted at different time intervals to capture the dynamic response of the cook. The key chips and liquor components were measured and reconciled at each interval. A dynamic model was then developed based on a simplification of a continuous digester model under batch conditions. This ensures continuity between the key assumptions governing both the batch kinetics model and the expanded continuous form. A kinetic model structure was adapted from the literature that quantifies all three accepted phases of lignin and cellulose degradation, i. e. the initial, bulk and residual phases as well as the effect of modern cooking practices such as intra-cook white liquor addition on the transition between the bulk and residual phases. Additionally, modifications were made to the kinetic model structure to reduce the overall number of states and to impose a floor limit on degradation, thereby reducing the overall complexity and computational burden. The model was then fit to the data using weighted least squares and simulation optimization techniques.

Effects of soy flour types and extrusion-cooking conditions on physicochemical, microstructural and sensory characteristics of puffed rice snack base

The physicochemical properties of puffed rice snack base (PRSB) prepared via extrusion cooking under various feed moisture contents and screw speeds were investigated. The moisture content, screw speed, and soy flour type significantly (p < 0.05) affected the physicochemical properties of PRSB viz; size, density, porosity, color, breaking strength, crystallinity, water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI). While, a slight effect on pasting properties was observed between PRSB added with defatted and full-fat soy flour, respectively. Soy flour lipids significantly (p < 0.05) influenced extrusion cooking conditions especially at high screw speed and feed moisture content. The result revealed that extrusion cooking with addition of full-fatty soy flour can be exploited as a viable method to produce PRS with a high expansion ratio and low breaking strength at recommended extrusion conditions of feed moisture content of 19 % and screw speed of 300 rpm.