RFTemp

Microwave ovens have been widely used in recent years to heat food quickly and efficiently. Users estimate the time to heat the food by prior knowledge or by trial and error process. However, this often results in the food being over-heated or under-heated, destroying the nutrients. In this paper, we present RFTemp, a system that can monitor microwave oven leakage to estimate the temperature of the food that is being heated and thus estimate the accurate time when the food has reached the targeted temperature. To design such a system, we propose an innovative microwave leakage sensing procedure and a novel water-equivalent food model to estimate food temperature. To evaluate the real-world performance of RFTemp we build a prototype using software defined radios and conducted experiments on various food items using household microwave ovens. We show that RFTemp can estimate the temperature of the food with a mean error of 5°C, 2x improvement over contactless infrared thermometer and sensors.

Relationships between Intensity and Liking for Chemosensory Stimuli in Food Models: A Large-Scale Consumer Segmentation

This study, which was conducted as part of the Italian Taste project, was aimed at exploring the relationship between actual liking and sensory perception in four food models. Each food model was spiked with four levels of prototypical tastant (i.e., citric acid, sucrose, sodium chloride, capsaicin) to elicit a target sensation (TS) at an increasing perceived intensity. Participants (N = 2258; 59% women, aged 18–60) provided demographic information, a stated liking for 40 different foods/beverages, and their responsiveness to tastants in water. A food-specific Pearson’s coefficient was calculated individually to estimate the relationship between actual liking and TS responsiveness. Considering the relationship magnitude, consumers were grouped into four food-specific clusters, depending on whether they showed a strong negative (SNC), a weak negative (WNC), a weak positive (WPC), or a strong positive correlation (SPC). Overall, the degree of liking raised in parallel with sweetness responsiveness, fell as sourness and pungency perception increased, and showed an inverted U-shape relationship with saltiness. The SNC clusters generally perceived TSs at higher intensities, except for sourness. Clusters were validated by associating the level of stated liking towards food/beverages; however, some unexpected indications emerged: adding sugar to coffee or preferring spicy foods differentiated those presenting positive correlations from those showing negative correlations. Our findings constitute a step towards a more comprehensive understanding of food preferences.

Development and characterization of a novel multifunctional film based on wheat filter flour incorporated with carvacrol: Antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal potentials

Wheat filter flour is a by-product derived from the modern wheat milling process. In this study, the influence of plasticizer type (glycerol (G) and sorbitol (S)) and content (25, 35, and 45 g/100 g polymer) on the wheat filter flour-based film was evaluated. Regardless of plasticizer type, increasing the plasticizer content enhanced moisture content, water solubility, and water vapor permeability of film samples. The S-plasticized films presented the greatest tensile strength and the lowest EAB%. The scanning electron microscope observations confirmed the uniform structure of G-plasticized film. Moreover, antimicrobial and physico-mechanical properties of G-plasticized (25%) film were evaluated at the presence of carvacrol (5 and 10 g/100 g polymer). The considerable improvement was achieved in water affinity (14.2%) and flexibility (8.6%) by incorporating 10% carvacrol in G-plasticized films. The greatest inhibitory properties of active wheat filter flour films were observed against Aspergillus niger. By increasing the carvacrol concentration in film-forming solution, the inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli in the liquid food model system was increased by 90.3% and 66.95%, respectively. Moreover, the active wheat filter flour-based film released a considerable insecticidal activity against Sitophilus granarius and Tribolium confusum. This work offers a novel utilization of wheat filter flour as an inexpensive blend polymer to manufacture multifunctional active film, which provides a promising approach for pest management besides enhancing the safety of products.

Antibiofilm and antioxidant activity of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil

The aim of the work was to explore the antioxidant potential and antibiofilm activity of the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil. The DPPH method was used to determine the antioxidant activity. The agar microdilution method was used to determine the minimum biofilm inhibiting concentration (MBIC). The MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper was used to evaluate the antibiofilm activity on the wood and glass surface. Vapor phase antimicrobial analysis was used to determine the effect on the food model. The antioxidant activity was 28.76 % ± 2.68 %. The MBIC for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was 25 µL.mL-1 and for Bacillus subtilis 12.5 µL.mL-1. Analysis of the mass spectra of S. maltophilia revealed an inhibitory effect from the 5th, which persisted until the end of the experiment. Analysis of the mass spectra of B. subtilis showed an inhibitory effect from the 7th of the experiment. The experiments showed an effect on both tested surfaces. The food model showed a more pronounced effect of the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil against B. subtilis. We assume that the effect of the essential oil is to disrupt the polysaccharide structure of the biofilm and consequently reduce the resistance of the biofilm. We have established that MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper is a suitable tool for evaluating changes in biofilm structure and could find more significant application for the study of biofilms in food and clinical practice.

Game for Food Ingredients Grouping Improving Student's Understanding of Sources of Nutrition

According to the 2018 Global Nutrition Report, the habit of school-aged children choosing meals is still bad over the world. Around 30.3 % of school-aged children do not eat fruit daily, whereas 43.7 % consume soda daily. This study aims to increase student's knowledge about the material sources of nutrients in food through a game of grouping foodstuffs using a food model with a constructivist learning approach designed by the author. The participants in this study were 33 SDIT Raudhatul Jannah Lubuklinggau grade 4,5 and 6 students. The method used in this study uses an experimental design with a pre and post-test approach without control. Total sampling was used for sampling, and the Wilcoxon test was used for interpretation. This study was completed in March of 2021. Research results show a p-value of .000 (<.05), indicating that students' awareness of the material sources of nutrients in food increased after they were given a game grouping food ingredients using a food model. It is recommended that educators be able to provide students with learning resources that take a constructivist approach, such as games that actively engage students, so that students' awareness can be developed through direct experiences.

Effect of Hydroxymethylfurfural and Low-Molecular-Weight Chitosan on Formation of Acrylamide and Hydroxymethylfurfural during Maillard Reaction in Glucose and Asparagine Model Systems

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the addition of 0.5% hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and low molecular chitosan on acrylamide and HMF formation in a food model system, which contains 0.5% glucose, asparagine, and HMF within 30 min of heating at 180 °C. At an interval of 10 min, all solutions were evaluated in the following aspects: reducing sugar, asparagine, acrylamide, HMF content, pH, Maillard reaction products, kinematic viscosity, and color. After heating for 10 min, the kinematic viscosity of solutions containing chitosan reduced significantly. The values of the acrylamide, HMF, and absorbance increased at OD294 and OD420 (optical density measured at 294 nm and 420 nm) of solutions. Experimental results showed that low-molecular-weight chitosan might be hydrolyzed into much lower molecular weight, followed by the decrease in kinematic viscosity of the solution at pH lower than 6 and the increase in the formation of acrylamide after heating for 30 min.

A Physiologically-Based Pharmaco-Kinetic Model For Disposition Of Dioxins And Furans In Fish

A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed for the disposition of dioxins in various fish species. The model was developed based on available information on the mechanisms of uptake, distribution, storage and elimination of dioxins in various species (other than fish) and empirical data on disposition of dioxins in the fish tissues. Two versions of the model were implemented: one for exposure to dioxins in water through the gill and the other one for exposure through food. Model compartments included the gill, kidney, liver and other richly-perfused tissues, as well as fat and other slowly-perfused tissues. In the food exposure version, the gut was also included as a richly-perfused tissue. The water exposure model was calibrated using two independent data sets for exposure of fathead minnow and medaka to 2,3,7,8-TCDD in water. The estimated parameter values in the two data sets were comparable and the predictions agreed with the observations very well. The results were compared to those produced by the default methods (bioconcentration factors). Uncertainty in the model prediction as a result of variability in input parameters was also discussed for the parameters with the highest impacts on the model outcome. The predictions of the food pathway exposure model were compared to data for rainbow trout liver.

A Physiologically-Based Pharmaco-Kinetic Model For Disposition Of Dioxins And Furans In Fish

A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed for the disposition of dioxins in various fish species. The model was developed based on available information on the mechanisms of uptake, distribution, storage and elimination of dioxins in various species (other than fish) and empirical data on disposition of dioxins in the fish tissues. Two versions of the model were implemented: one for exposure to dioxins in water through the gill and the other one for exposure through food. Model compartments included the gill, kidney, liver and other richly-perfused tissues, as well as fat and other slowly-perfused tissues. In the food exposure version, the gut was also included as a richly-perfused tissue. The water exposure model was calibrated using two independent data sets for exposure of fathead minnow and medaka to 2,3,7,8-TCDD in water. The estimated parameter values in the two data sets were comparable and the predictions agreed with the observations very well. The results were compared to those produced by the default methods (bioconcentration factors). Uncertainty in the model prediction as a result of variability in input parameters was also discussed for the parameters with the highest impacts on the model outcome. The predictions of the food pathway exposure model were compared to data for rainbow trout liver.