Fabrication of UF-white cheese: Obtaining a different proteolysis rate, texture, and flavor via using combinations of mesophilic starter culture and Lactobacillus helveticus.

The effect of using mesophilic starter culture (Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris) and Lactobacillus helveticus (L. helveticus) at different ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) on the quality properties of UF-white cheese during 90 days of ripening was studied. The results revealed that an increase in L. helveticus ratio caused a significant decrease in the pH and total protein contents of the cheeses (p < .05). No significant changes were observed in the dry matter content of the cheeses (p > .05). The use of higher ratios of L. helveticus led to a noticeable increase in proteolysis and lipolysis indices in the cheeses (p < .05). The cheese produced with higher ratios of L. helveticus had less storage (G') and loss (G″) moduli compared to other cheeses. The more open structure was seen in the cheeses produced using higher ratios of L. helveticus. Regarding sensory properties, lower scores of body and texture, and higher scores of odor and flavor were assigned to the cheeses produced using higher ratios of L. helveticus. In conclusion, the use of combinations of mesophilic starter culture and L. helveticus at specific ratios (75:25 and 25:75) led to improve quality characteristics of UF-white cheese.

Solubilization of concentrated protein dispersion: Effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP).

In the present study, the functionality of H2O2 and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) on solubilization of whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) and isolate (WPI), resistant to sterilization temperature at various concentrations, was investigated. The physical state of the treated WPH and WPI dispersions at the presence of various concentrations of H2O2 and SHMP was related to their colloidal structures and thermal stability. Using optimum concentration of H2O2, both dispersions stabilized against heat treatment likely because free SH groups blocked by H2O2. The solubilization range by SHMP was comparably low (up to 6 and 15% w/w for WPI and WPH, respectively). Moreover, the desirable stability was reached when H2O2 and SHMP were simultaneously used. The pH adjustment (7.2), prior to sterilization, also improved the stability range. This research highlights the potential of these substances to restrain the denaturation of whey proteins. Further investigations are still required to elucidate the accurate mechanism of solubilization.

High-Pressure Carbon Dioxide Use to Control Dried Apricot Pests, Tribolium castaneum and Rhyzopertha dominica, and Assessing the Qualitative Traits of Dried Pieces of Treated Apricot.

One of the new ways of warehouse pest control is the carbon dioxide treatment, which had no residues on the target products. In the present research, at first, CO2 gas was applied to control two important pest species infesting dried apricots. Dry apricots infested with adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) or Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) were exposed to CO2 gas pressures correspond to 9.1, 16.7, 23.1, 28.6, and 33.4 mol% for 24 h. The results showed higher mortality rates with increasing the gas pressures in all the experiments. The minimum and maximum losses of the pests were determined at concentrations of 9.1 and 33.4 mol%, respectively. Evaluation of CO2 gas effects on the quality characteristics of dried apricots showed no impacts on the color, brittleness, hardness, sweetness, sourness, and general acceptance of products. CO2 gas treatments at the concentration of 33.4 mol% showed no significant influences on the chemical features of dried apricots, including pH, acidity, Brix, humidity percentage, reducing sugar, and total sugar. It was concluded that CO2 gas had the potential to control T. castaneum and R. dominica in warehouses of dried apricots, without any significant impacts on product qualities.

Gum Tragacanth: Structure, characteristics and applications in foods.

Due to the high demand (consumers and regulatory authorities) on elimination or reduction of 'additives' in food and other health related products, there is increasing interest on natural macromolecules or hydrocolloids such as gums. Gum Tragacanth (GT) is a multifunctional exudate gum with unique thickening, emulsifying, viscosity improving, stabilizing, gelling and structuring capabilities. Owing to its distinctive functionality, it has been extensively used in low-fat or non-fat food formulations, colloid-based products, edible films and coatings and (nano) encapsulation of food ingredients. This review provides the comprehensive information on its physicochemical, structural and functional characteristics with a particular focus on its application in foods.

Polysaccharide zeta-potentials and protein-affinity.

The ζ-potential, a parameter typically obtained by model-dependent transformation of the measured electrophoretic mobility, is frequently used to understand polysaccharide-protein complexation. We tested the hypothesis that two anionic polysaccharides with identical ζ-potentials would show equal binding affinity to the protein ß-lactoglobulin (BLG). We selected two polysaccharide polyelectrolytes (PE) with very different structures: hyaluronic acid (HA) and tragacanthin (TG). Highly precise (±0.1%) turbidimetric titrations were performed to determine critical pH values of complex formation; and PE ζ-potentials were measured for different ionic strengths I at those critical pH values. While phase boundaries (pHcvs. I) showed that HA binds to BLG more strongly (e.g. at a lower pH, for fixed I), comparisons made at fixed ζ-potential indicated that TG binds more strongly. The source of this contradiction is the effect of the bulky side chains of TG on its friction coefficient which diminishes its mobility and hence the resultant ζ-potential; while having a distinctly separate effect on the interaction between BLG and the carboxylated backbone of TG. Thus, unless the locus of the bound protein coincides with the shear plane, the ζ-potential does not directly contribute to the electrostatic PE-protein interaction.

Coacervation and precipitation in polysaccharide-protein systems.

Precipitation poses a consistent problem for the growing applications of biopolymer coacervation, but the relationship between the two types of phase separation is not well understood. To clarify this relationship, we studied phase separation as a function of pH and ionic strength, in three systems of proteins with anionic polysaccharides: ß-lactoglobulin (BLG)/hyaluronic acid (HA); BLG/tragacanthin (TG); and monoclonal antibody (mAb)/HA. We found that coacervation and precipitation are intrinsically different phenomena, responsive to different factors, but their simultaneity (for example with changing pH) may be confused with transitions from one state to another. We propose that coacervate does not literally turn into precipitate, but rather that both coacervate and precipitate are in equilibrium with free protein and polyanion, so that dissolution of one and formation of the other can overlap in time. While protein-polyanion complexes must achieve neutrality for coacervation, precipitation only requires tight binding which leads to the expulsion of counterions and water molecules. The pH-dependence of phase separation, considered in terms of protein and polyion charge, revealed that the electrostatic magnitude of the protein's polymer-binding site ("charge patch") plays a key role in the strength of interaction. These findings were supported by the inhibition of precipitation, seen when the bulky side chains of TG impede close protein-polymer interactions.

Stabilization of biopolymer microgels formed by electrostatic complexation: Influence of enzyme (laccase) cross-linking on pH, thermal, and mechanical stability.

Biopolymer microgels formed by electrostatic complexation are often susceptible to disintegration when environmental conditions are changed, and so methods are required to improve their stability. In this study, microgels were formed by electrostatic complexation of a protein (type-B gelatin) and a polysaccharide (beet pectin). The impact of enzyme (laccase) crosslinking of the ferulic acid groups on the beet pectin was then studied as a method to improve microgel stability to environmental stresses. Gelatin-beet pectin (1:0.25w/w) microgels were formed at 35°C and pH4.4, and then the pH dependence of the ζ-potential, size, turbidity, and microstructure of the microgels was measured in the absence and presence of laccase cross-linking. Our results suggested that crosslinking occurred within the microgels (rather than between them) since no particle aggregation was observed after enzyme treatment. Enzyme crosslinking did not affect the ζ-potential of the microgels, but it did decrease their size. Both cross-linked and non-cross-linked microgels were stable to aggregation at low (2-3) and high (4.4-7) pH values, but not at intermediate values (3-4.4), which was attributed to their low surface charge. Cross-linking improved the resistance of the microgels to shearing-induced disruption (300rpm for 24h) and to thermal-induced disruption (50°C for 2min). These cross-linked biopolymer microgels may have applications for texture modification, encapsulation, or controlled release.