Differences In Quality Attributes Research Articles

QUALITY OF GOLDEN PAPAYA SOLD IN STREET MARKETS AND SUPERMARKETS IN JOÃO PESSOA - PB

Fruit production is a major sector of Brazilian agribusiness and papaya is one of the main fruits sold in the country. The papaya tree is believed to have originated in Central America. The physical characteristics of papaya vary according to the group and variety. There are several ways of selling the fruit, but the main ones are street markets and supermarkets, which follow the trend of modernization in commerce, with a more comfortable environment for customers and the fruit receiving greater care in packaging, handling, and the way it is presented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality characteristics of papayas marketed in two locations in the city of João Pessoa-PB, in order to identify possible differences in quality attributes. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with five treatments: fruit from two street markets and fruit from three supermarkets. The following variables were assessed: total fruit mass (g) and pulp weight (g); diameter (cm), length (cm), and color using the Colorimeter app and the physicochemical variable SS/TA ratio. The data on the variables was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the F test up to a 5% probability of error level, and then the Scott-Knoot test was carried out at a 5% significance level. With regard to the variables mass, pulp weight, and fruit diameter, the supermarkets had a higher average than the street markets. For the length variable, there was no statistical difference between the treatments. Golden papayas sold in supermarkets in João Pessoa PB showed superior physical characteristics compared to street markets, especially in terms of fruit mass, pulp weight, and diameter.

27 Quality Variation in Beef Chuck Eye Rolls Sourced from a Commercial Processor

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate quality variation in beef Chuck Eye rolls (IMPS 116D). Beef Chuck Rolls (IMPS 116A) were purchased from a commercial meat packer and fabricated to obtain beef Chuck Eye Rolls (IMPS 116D). Cases were transported to the Illinois State University Meat Lab and hand-sliced into 2.54 cm boneless beef Chuck Eye steaks (IMPS 1116D) (n = 161). Each roll contained between 7 to 10 steaks for use in further meat quality analyses in accordance with in-plant procedures. Upon slicing, steaks were allowed to bloom for 15 minutes and then used in subsequent quality analysis including color, cook loss, and tenderness evaluation. Instrumental color measurements [L* (lightness), a* (redness), b* (yellowness)] were taken for each steak in duplicate with a HunterLab Miniscan XE Plus Spectrophotometer using a D65 illuminant, 100 observer, and 35-mm aperture. All steaks were cooked to a final internal temperature of 71° C. Steaks then underwent cook loss evaluation as well as tenderness analysis via Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). Statistical analysis was performed using the Proc MIXED procedure of SAS to estimate variance components of steak quality in a nested design (steak within roll within case). For all response variables, the standard error was large for the case term. Ranges of observed response values were: L* 28.03-52.15, a* 14.55-27.82, b* 12.78-25.32, cook loss 17.58-61.11, shearforce 2.10-5.86. Variance components in L* and a* values followed similar patterns in which the greatest amount of variance was contributed by steak, followed by case, followed by roll (L* 13.541 (P < 0.001) vs. 9.035 (P = 0.1790) vs. 1.958 (P = 0.1839) and a* 4.055 (P < 0.0001) vs. 1.605 ( P= 0.2124) vs. 0.632 (P = 0.1746). Case, roll, and steak contributed variance almost equally for b* though two variance components were statistically different from zero σ2case =2.133 (P = 0.2344) σ2roll = 1.627 (P = 0.0335) σ2steak = 2.37 (P < 0.0001). Case contributed approximately 1.5 times the variance in cook loss when compared with steak (σ2case = 43.687 (P = 0.1387) vs. σ2steak=29.471 (P < 0.0001)) and approximately 3.5 times more than roll ( σ2case = 43.687 vs. σ2roll = 12.077 (P = 0.0565)). The largest impact on variance in shearforce values came from steak whereas case and roll contributed almost equally (shearforce σ2case = 0.0256 (P = 0.3894)σ2roll = 0.0333 (P = 0.2040) σ2steak = 0.2454 (P < 0.0001)). Some correlations were observed: L*:a* (-0.46, P < 0.0001), L*:b* (-0.07, P = 0.3979), L*:cookloss (0.166, P = 0.0422), and cookloss:shearforce (0.274, P = 0.0007). As lower-cost alternatives to traditional center of the plate cuts continue to grow in popularity among large volume purchasers, it is important to evaluate potential differences in quality attributes. Further evaluation of the impact of case as well as steak within Chuck Eye roll on individual steak quality is warranted.

The application of high content omics for comparability testing of an allogeneic cell therapy

Background & Aim Allogeneic cell therapies derived from primary cell sources often have a finite specification for expansion before the cells become exhausted or their phenotype changes due to climatization to the culture process. Consequently, these products may require the generation of new master cells banks to maintain clinical and/or commercial supply. The use of new master cell banks requires in-depth product knowledge and a comprehensive comparability study to ensure that any differences in quality attributes have no adverse impact on the safety or efficacy of the drug product. In this study we demonstrate an approach for product comparability testing of an allogenic therapy in Phase I/IIa clinical trials for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa. The therapy is centred on the ability of foetal derived human retinal progenitor cells (hRPCs) to differentiate into mature photoreceptors while also establishing a neuroprotective microenvironment. Current strategies to maintain supply of the therapy for on-going clinical analysis include an increase in the passage level of the drug substance and the derivation of new master cell banks. Both approaches require comparability assessment as outlined in guidance documents such as ICH 5QE. Methods, Results & Conclusion Three new GMP master cell banks from primary tissue sources were established for the hRP cells. We then performed an extensive omic characterisation of the product (cell surface markers, proteomics, RNA-sequencing), and identified a panel of markers that may be associated with function, maintenance and regenerative characteristics of the cells. This panel was used to assess changes in gene expression at higher cell passages and across different donors. Analysis with multiple independent replicates demonstrated that the expression of key markers remained similar up to 6 additional passages, while only minor changes were observed in the new master cell banks. This similarity was also assessed using single-cell RNA-sequencing, a method which could potentially be used as a predictor of product potency. This omics-based approach provides a comprehensive characterisation of the current hRPC therapy product. It also allows an assessment of the impact of changes to both the manufacturing process and the cellular starting material. This work sets crucial groundwork for selecting critical quality attributes of the therapy and enables routine testing of new sources of hRPC material ensuring continued supply of the product through to commercialization.

Freezing Efficiency and Quality Attributes as Affected by Voids in Plant Tissues During Ultrasound-Assisted Immersion Freezing

Voids, filled with air, in plant tissues, can attenuate ultrasound, resulting in weakening the effectiveness of ultrasound during immersion freezing. The effect of voids on ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing (UF) in selected plant tissues, apple, radish, and potato was investigated in the present study. The freezing time and quality attributes of firmness, drip loss, total calcium content, and total phenolic content were investigated in apple, radish, and potato samples treated by normal immersion freezing (IF) and UF. The results showed that the more the percentage voids in the plant tissues, the lower the effectiveness of the ultrasound treatment. The total freezing time reduction (%) due to UF was a power function of the volume of voids (%): y = 0.018x−1.057 (R2 = 0.994). Ultrasound at 0.62 W/cm2 (28 kHz) resulted in the best firmness and lowest drip loss in potato, while no significant (p > 0.05) differences in quality attributes were observed between IF and UF in apple samples. These findings indicated that UF was more effective in freezing fruit or vegetables with a highly dense structure.

Quality of physical surroundings and service encounters, airfare, trust and intention during the flight

Purpose This study aimed to examine young, middle-aged and mature air-travelers’ perceptions of the quality levels of in-flight physical surroundings and service encounters, and investigated the drivers of their repurchase intentions in the low-cost airline industry. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 402 passengers on international flights was used. An ANOVA and a series of multiple-regression analyses based on Baron and Kenny’s (1986) suggestion were used. Findings In general, significant differences in quality attributes were identified across age groups. Additionally, the role of these quality components, perceived level of the airfare and trust in the airline were found to be decisive in low-cost airline passengers’ decision formation. Further, the mediating impact of perceived level of the airfare and trust was identified. Originality/value Research about air-travelers’ decision formation by considering their age is rare in a low-cost airline context. Results of the present study provided meaningful insights for researchers and practitioners in the airline industry.

Regional relationships between inherent coffee quality and growing environment for denomination of origin labels in Nariño and Cauca, Colombia

International markets are increasingly signaling demand for quality-differentiated coffee, which the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) proposed to exploit to identify those regional coffees that would fulfill the requirements to be classified as denomination of origin. The objective of this study was to develop and implement a sound, robust and repeatable approach with and for the FNC to identify regional causal relationships between coffee quality and environmental characteristics as bases for labels of denomination of origin. Environmental differences between coffee-growing areas in the departments of Cauca and Nariño were statistically significant for several characteristics, including the number of dry months, annual precipitation and diurnal temperature range. The dominant varieties (Caturra and Colombia) did not show major differences in quality attributes, and were pooled for the analyses with the environmental data. There are significant differences in biochemical and sensorial product characteristics between the two departments. The spatial patterns in product characteristics exhibit a non-random, regionally-changing structure that is related to those in the environmental data. The generated results provided ample evidence to support the application for regionally-based denominations of origin. Recommendations were derived to help mainstreaming the developed approach and thereby facilitate policy decisions for its use in other geographies and with other crops. Furthermore, the importance of systematic interdisciplinary institutional collaboration for large-scale denomination of origin projects was corroborated for food policy dialogue and decision making. It seems plausible that producers of high-quality products within other commodities are likely to follow the FNC in seeking denomination of origin for their goods. The presented approach is crucial to facilitate policy.

Regulatory guideline for biosimilar products in Korea

The regulatory framework of biosimilar products in Korea is a 3-tiered system: 1) Pharmaceutical Affairs Act; 2) Notification of the regulation on review and authorization of biological products; 3) Guideline on evaluation of biosimilar products. A biosimilar product is regulated under the same regulation as biological products. The difference from new biological product is that biosimilar product requires full comparability data with reference product. Based on these data, some of the non-clinical and clinical data could be abbreviated. As Korean guideline for biosimilar products was developed along with that of the WHO’s, most of the recommendations were based on similar principle except the clinical evaluation to demonstrate similarity. No biosimilar products are licensed yet, however, 4 IND products have been approved for phase I or III clinical trials. The addressed issues during review were as follows: acceptability of reference products manufactured in different sites, determination of acceptable criteria for differences and selection of analytical tests for the comparability exercise to detect potential differences in quality attributes, relevant species for non-clinical study, and duration of toxicity study, etc. These and other future issues will be dealt with scientific advancement, experiences of collaborating work with WHO or other NRAs, which will be reflected in the guidelines on regulations of biosimilar products in Korea.

Effects of oral administration of sodium citrate or acetate to pigs on blood parameters, postmortem glycolysis, muscle pH decline, and quality attributes of pork1,2

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of oral administration of sodium citrate (CIT) or acetate (ACE) to pigs on blood parameters, postmortem glycolysis, pH decline, and quality attributes of pork. Previous studies have shown that CIT has the potential to inhibit phosphofructokinase (PFK), a key enzyme in postmortem muscle glycolysis. In Exp. 1, CIT, ACE, or water was orally administered (0.75 g/kg of BW) to 24 pigs. After a 30-min rest, pigs were exercised, and blood samples were taken at 45 and 75 min after oral treatment. Citrate and ACE tended (P = 0.08) to increase blood pH and increased (P = 0.02) bicarbonate levels immediately after exercise. After a 30-min rest, blood pH of pigs administered ACE tended (P = 0.09) to remain higher, whereas blood pH of CIT-treated pigs was similar to that of control pigs. Bicarbonate levels in ACE- and CIT-treated pigs were still greater (P < 0.05) than those of control pigs at 75 min after oral treatment. In Exp. 2, 30 pigs were administered CIT, ACE, or water 45 min before stunning (electric plus captive bolt). Antemortem treatments had no effect (P > 0.10) on muscle pH or postmortem concentrations of the glycolytic metabolites of glucose-6 phosphate, fructose-6 phosphate, fructose-1,6 bisphosphate, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, or lactate. Minor, but inconsistent, differences in quality attributes were found in LM chops, and no differences in quality attributes were found between control and CIT- or ACE-treated pigs for inside and outside semimembranosus muscles (P > 0.10). There was no significant inhibition of the PFK enzyme by orally administered CIT or ACE; however, the PFK glycolytic metabolite data analysis indicated that PFK was a main regulatory enzyme in postmortem muscle.

Effects of oral administration or feeding of sodium citrate or acetate to pigs on post-mortem glycolysis, pH decline, and pork quality attributes (2005)

Previous studies have shown that citrate has the potential to inhibit phosphofructokinase (PFK), a key enzyme in post-mortem glycolysis. The objective of our study was to determine the effects of oral administration and feeding of citrate or acetate to pigs on post-mortem glycolysis, pH, and pork quality attributes. In Experiment 1, citrate, acetate, or water was orally administered to 30 pigs 45 min before stunning (electric plus captive bolt). In Experiment 2, citrate or acetate was fed to 30 gilts in 454 g of feed 60 min before stunning. Ante-mortem treatment had no effect (P > 0.05) on muscle pH or post mortem concentrations of glycolytic metabolites: glucose- 6 phosphate, fructose-6 phosphate, fructose-1,6 bisphosphate, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, or lactate. Minor, but inconsistent, differences in quality attributes were found in longissimus chops and inside and outside semimembranosus quality attributes among treatments (P>0.05). The reason for the lack of PFK inhibition is not known. Glycolytic-metabolite data indicate that PFK was a main regulatory enzyme in post-mortem muscle.; Swine Day, 2005, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2005

Liquid Drainage and Firmness in Full‐fat, Lowfat, and Fat‐free Cottage Cheese

ABSTRACTFour different cottage cheese curds, as well as one full‐fat (FFD), two lowfat (LF), and two fat‐free (NF) dressings, were used to study liquid drainage’ and firmness of the products. After 10 hr at 4°C the volume of drained liquid after 1 and 7 days, was: FFD 77 to 38 mL, LF 59 to 2 mL, and NF 48 to 12 mL. Residual curd firmness was generally FFD &gt; LF &gt; NF. Both curd and dressing properties affected liquid drainage and firmness, indicating that using the same curd in the three cottage cheese varieties would likely result in variety differences in quality attributes.

Variation in storage and eating quality of clones of Cox’s Orange Pippin apples

SummaryThe storage potential of clones of cv Cox’s Orange Pippin apples was compared. Ground colour and firmness varied between clones in absolute values, but rates of change during storage were similar. Differences between clones were found in amounts of wastage, primarily due to the incidence of senescent breakdown. Rootstocks affected the nature and extent of clonal differences in quality attributes.

Quality as a Dimension of Competition in the Fluid Milk Industry

EVEN though conventional economic theory has historically emphasized price competition and price output analysis, competition is now generally viewed as a joint resultant of product,' price and promotion. It is also consistent with our normative ideas about market performance that physical product quality should be an important aspect of the product dimension of competition. However, the importance and implications of physical product quality as a dimension of competition may vary tremendously among industries. In the fluid milk industry, physical product quality has traditionally been emphasized as an important competitive element. This is especially true for the distribution of fluid milk through retail food stores where the prices and services offered to consumers are often identical among brands. It is this segment of the industry that is given particular attention in this paper. Economic theory indicates that the intensity of product quality competition in the fluid milk industry, in spite of its traditional emphasis, should be limited. Limiting factors include the lack of natural opportunities for quality competition because of the relatively invisible nature of milk quality and the magnitude of institutional arrangements, as health department regulations, which place restrictions on the use of any natural opportunities that might exist. As a result, the primary opportunity for physical quality variability in the industry would seem to be in the area of vertical quality differences as contrasted to horizontal and/or innovational differences.2 That is, any physical quality differences among fluid milk brands would likely be caused by differences in quality attributes which are capable of objective measurement and laboratory testing. Examples of these attributes include keeping quality and specific nutrient content. Abbott, however, suggests that horizontal and innovational differences, not vertical differences, offer the greatest possibilities for in-