Optimization of Texture Determination of ‘Yali' by Texture Analyzer

[Objectives] This study was carried out to determine texture parameters for texture profile analysis （TPA）, and optimize the texture determination of ‘Yali’ by texture analyzer.[Methods] The traditional varieties of ‘Yali’ were taken as the materials, and texture parameters were determined at different compression rates and deformations at target.[Results] In the process of the TPA, the deformation at target had an extremely significant influence on 8 TPA texture parameters, namely, the hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, adhesiveness, gumminess, resilience, fracturability, and chewiness （ P ≤0.01）, while the compression rate had significant influence on the hardness and gumminess （ P ≤0.05）, had an extremely significant influence on fracturability （ P ≤0.01）, and had no significant influence on other 5 TPA parameters.[Conclusions] Taking the compression rate of 1 mm/s and 20% deformation at target as the experimental conditions for TPA could avoid the impact load of high speed on the tissue and objectively reflect the textural characteristics of ‘Yali’ pulp tissue.

Multi-objective optimization of the design parameters of texture bottom profiles in a parallel slider

In this paper, a square textured parallel slider is considered for a study to improve the hydrodynamic performance of moving parts. The numerical method is employed for the analysis of a square texture with different bottom profiles:flat, triangle T1, triangle T2, and curved. The governing Reynolds equation is solved using a finite difference numerical discretization technique with the Gauss–Seidel iterative scheme. To obtain optimized process parameters, the response surface methodology-based central composite design along with grey relational analysis multi-objective optimization is used. The multi-objective responses are the load capacity and friction coefficient. The triangle T2 bottom profile yields the highest load capacity and the lowest friction coefficient compared to flat, triangle T1, and curved bottom profiles, of which the triangle T1 bottom profile yields the worst results. For the triangle T2 bottom profile, the flow speed is found to be the most significant process parameter, followed by the aspect ratio. Texture density is found to be the least significant parameter based on increasing the load capacity and decreasing the friction coefficient.

Acceptability of a reformulated grain-based food:Implications for increasing whole grain consumption

Idli is a popular Indian breakfast dish consumed by many people all over the world,made from white rice(Oryza sativum)(75%–80%)and black gram(Phaseolus mungo)(20%–25%).Idli’s wide consumption makes it ideal as a model for studying acceptability of a food reformulated with whole grains.The objective was to compare acceptability regarding texture,color and sensory properties when white rice was replaced with brown rice at 5 replacement levels(0%(control),25%,50%,75%and 100%).Textural attributes and L*a*b*color values were measured by a texture analyzer and a Chroma meter,respectively.Informed and blind sensory tests were conducted.Instrumental hardness and gumminess were proportional to the level of whole grain replacement,while springiness and cohesiveness did not vary by replacement level.Liking ratings for overall acceptability were similar at the three lowest levels of brown rice replacement.Although brown rice replacement reduced the liking score for various sensory attributes,especially for 75%and 100%replacements,more than 90%of the panelists preferred brown-rice-blended idli as their first choice.There are ample opportunities to increase whole grain consumption through reformulation of regularly consumed traditional refined grain foods by partial or complete replacement with whole grains.©2013 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

Influence of cooking time and cooling rate on the functionality and microstructure of processed cheese spreads

The objective of this work was to study the influence of cooking time and cooling rate on functionality and microstructure of processed cheese spreads. When the cooking time was 20 min, the hardness and apparent viscosity were increased, and formed a homogenous, dense, and three-dimensional protein network, and a stronger gel was formed at this time. The slow cooling can increase the hardness and apparent viscosity of products, protein wall was thicker, and network was closer, so products can formed a stronger gel structure. The influence of cooking time on the functional properties was more significant than the influence of rapid cooling.

Treatability of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of different textures along a vertical profile by mechanical soil aeration：A laboratory test

Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technology that is suitable for sites contaminated with volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons（VCHs）. Conventionally, this technique is used to treat the mixed soil of a site without considering the diversity and treatability of different soils within the site. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical soil aeration for remediating soils of different textures（silty,clayey, and sandy soils） along a vertical profile at an abandoned chloro-alkali chemical site in China. The collected soils were artificially contaminated with chloroform（TCM） and trichloroethylene（TCE）. Mechanical soil aeration was effective for remediating VCHs（removal efficiency 〉 98%）. The volatilization process was described by an exponential kinetic function.In the early stage of treatment（0–7 hr）, rapid contaminant volatilization followed a pseudofirst order kinetic model. VCH concentrations decreased to low levels and showed a tailing phenomenon with very slow contaminant release after 8 hr. Compared with silty and sandy soils, clayey soil has high organic-matter content, a large specific surface area, a high clay fraction, and a complex pore structure. These characteristics substantially influenced the removal process, making it less efficient, more time consuming, and consequently more expensive. Our findings provide a potential basis for optimizing soil remediation strategy in a cost-effective manner.

Evaluation of pavement skid resistance using high speed texture measurement

Skid resistance is an important parameter for highway designs, construction, management, maintenance and safety. The purpose of this manuscript is to propose the correlation between skid resistance, which is measured as skid resistance trailer, and mean profile depth （MPD） or the macro surface texture, which is measured by vehicle mounted laser, so that highway agencies can predict the skid resistance of pavement without the use of expensive and time consuming skid resistance trailer, which also causes disruption of traffic in use. In this research skid numbers and MPD from 5 new asphalt pavements and 4 old asphalt pavements were collected using a locked wheel skid trailer and a vehicle mounted laser. Using the data collected, a correlation between the skid number （SN40R） collected by locked wheel skid tester and the texture data or MPD collected by a vehicle mounted laser operating at highway speeds was developed. The proposed correlation for new pavements was positive for MPD values less than 0.75 mm to reach a peak SN40R value, then there was a negative correlation as the MPD increases until the MPD value was equal to 1.1 mm and beyond the MPD value of 1.1 mm to the maximum value of 1.4 mm, SN40R value remained almost constant. There were significant data scatter for the MPD value of 0.8 mm. To explain these results, water film thickness during the friction test was calculated and the critical MPD was defined. The effect of sealed water pool on the SN40R was discussed. The test result showed a similar trend for older asphalt pavements, but with lower SN40R values due to the polishing of pavement micro-texture by traffic. Hence, a reduction factor was proposed for older pavements based on cumulative traffic volume for the above correlation to predict the skid resistance of older pavements.

Use of Agaricus bisporus mushroom in beef burgers:antioxidant,flavor enhancer and fat replacing potential

This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of Agaricus bisporus mushroom as a natural antioxidant,fat/salt substitute and flavor enhancer in beef burger.Ten treatments were considered using a fractional factorial design(salt[0.5,1.25 and 2.0%],fat[10,15 and 20%]and mushroom content[0,15 and 30%]).Treatments were characterized by instrumental and sensory measurements.The statistical design indicated that fat content had little influence on the results.The principal component analysis showed that the incorporation of mushrooms and salt modified the texture,moisture and water activity.Oxidative stability decreased as the salt content increased,at a low-fat content.Finally,the sensory profile was affected by the mushroom and salt contents,with the fat content exerting the least influence.Therefore,mushroom incorporation in beef burger may be a feasible strategy to reduce the fat content of beef burgers.