Loss Of Product Quality Research Articles

Uncertainty and variability in post-processing kinetic calculations- nutritional quality loss in fruit juice products

During juice processing and subsequent handling, vitamins are prone to degradation. Quantitative assessment of the effect of post-processing parameters on nutrient loss dependent shelf life can be implemented using either typical deterministic kinetic analysis or stochastic approaches, incorporating all identified sources of uncertainty. The presented case study is based on published data of post processing Vitamin C degradation in orange juice, processed via high pressure or thermal pasteurization. Monte Carlo simulations were implemented to account for different types of uncertainty, i.e. cold chain temperature variability, raw material biological variance and parameter uncertainty. Results showed that products, processed thermally or by high pressure, had a shelf life in the 51–70, vs 98–117 days range, respectively, considering all sources of uncertainty. In comparison to the respective single estimates of 60 and 110 days, based on fixed parameter values and constant temperature conditions, the distributions obtained depict more realistically the expected product quality variation.

Financing options for logistics firms considering product quality loss

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of quality loss in transit on e-commerce supply chain pricing, production and financing decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors consider a Stackelberg game model with a supplier, logistics firm and e-commerce platform. The logistics firm is capital-constrained and obtains funding from the e-commerce platform by debt financing or equity financing. Through backward induction, this paper first solves the equilibrium results under the two financing schemes and then reveals the financing preferences of all parties.FindingsThe results demonstrate that equity financing reduces financing costs and promotes production significantly. However, it may also lead to overproduction, particularly in markets with poor profitability and high cost factors. When the percentage of product quality loss is large, equity financing is preferable. With the increasing of transportation level, the benefits of debt finance are steadily growing. In addition, equity financing is the Pareto dominant scheme for all firms under certain circumstances. The extensions consider hybrid financing and another quality loss type.Practical implicationsThe paper derives the equilibrium solutions and financing preferences, then specifies the threshold for applying financing schemes. Provide guidance for logistics firms’ finance model innovation and core enterprise involvement in the logistics industry.Originality/valueThe paper investigates how logistics firms’ financing strategies are impacted by product quality loss.

Serotype-agnostic affinity purification of adeno-associated virus (AAV) via peptide-functionalized chromatographic resins

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have emerged as a prominent family of vectors for gene delivery, providing therapeutic options to diseases once deemed incurable. At the same time, they necessitate efficient and affordable purification methods that can be platformed to serve all AAV serotypes. Current chromatographic tools, while affording high product purity, fail to bind certain serotypes, provide limited yield and lifetime, and impose harsh elution conditions that can compromise the vector's activity and safety. Addressing these challenges, this work demonstrates the application of new peptide ligands as the first serotype-agnostic technology for AAV purification by affinity chromatography. Our study reveals a pH-dependent affinity interaction: AAV2, AAV3, AAV6, AAV9, and AAVrh.10 are effectively captured at neutral pH, while binding AAV1, AAV5, AAV7, and AAV8 is stronger in a slightly acidic environment. The elution of bound AAVs was achieved using magnesium chloride at neutral pH for all serotypes, consistently affording capsid yields above 50% and genome yields above 80%, together with a >100-fold reduction in host cell proteins and nucleic acids. In particular, peptide ligand A10 exhibited remarkable binding capacity (> 1014 vp per mL of resin) and purification performance for all AAV serotypes, demonstrating broad applicability for gene therapy manufacturing. Finally, this work introduces novel alkaline-stable variants of A10 and demonstrates their use as the first affinity ligands capable of performing multiple cycles of AAV2, AAV8, and AAV9 purification with intermediate caustic cleaning without loss of capacity or product quality. Collectively, these results demonstrate the promise of this technology to further the impact and affordability of gene therapy.

Experimental assessment of ozonated ice: Preparation, stability, and preservation effects on shrimp (Metapenaeus ensis)

Ozonated ice not only retains the inherent performance and function of ozone, but also serves as a cold source for food preservation. However, its preparation is challenging due to the low solubility and instability of ozone in water. So here, the major preparation techniques and the storage stability of ozonated water and ice were studied. Besides, the impact of ozonated ice treatment on the quality of shrimp (Metapenaeus ensis) was explored. To achieve these ends, a set of ozonated ice preparation devices was established, and the optimal conditions for producing ozonated water and ice were confirmed as follows: using 0 °C deionized water as the water source, achieving an outlet flow rate of 80 L/h, cyclically mixing gas-liquid twice, adding 1.0 g/kg of polyoxypropylene oxyethylene glycol ether (POGE), and freezing at −80 °C. Regarding ozone stability, an increase in initial ozone concentration and storage temperature, along with a decrease in water purity, resulted in a shorter half-life of ozone in water. Additionally, a lower storage temperature was conducive to prolonging the half-life of ozonated ice, while the addition of POGE had little effect. In practical application, under the optimal conditions for producing ozonated water and ice without POGE, shrimp stored in ozonated ice demonstrated superior sensory scores, whiteness values, and shear force compared to those stored in normal ice. Concurrently, they displayed reduced levels of TVC, TVB-N, and pH. Furthermore, the application of ozonated ice treatment mitigated blackening and improved odor quality. Consequently, this research offers a scientific foundation for the industrial application of ozonated water and ice and serves as a reference for preventing the deterioration and quality loss of shrimp and other seafood products.

Recent Advances and Perspectives on Food-Grade Immobilisation Systems for Enzymes.

The use of enzyme immobilisation is becoming increasingly popular in beverage processing, as this method offers significant advantages, such as enhanced enzyme performance and expanded applications, while allowing for easy process termination via simple filtration. This literature review analysed approximately 120 articles, published on the Web of Science between 2000 and 2023, focused on enzyme immobilisation systems for beverage processing applications. The impact of immobilisation on enzymatic activity, including the effects on the chemical and kinetic properties, recyclability, and feasibility in continuous processes, was evaluated. Applications of these systems to beverage production, such as wine, beer, fruit juices, milk, and plant-based beverages, were examined. The immobilisation process effectively enhanced the pH and thermal stability but caused negative impacts on the kinetic properties by reducing the maximum velocity and Michaelis-Menten constant. However, it allowed for multiple reuses and facilitated continuous flow processes. The encapsulation also allowed for easy process control by simplifying the removal of the enzymes from the beverages via simple filtration, negating the need for expensive heat treatments, which could result in product quality losses.

P‐84: Study and Improvement of Bacteria Contamination in TFT‐LCD Manufacturing

Bacteria has been a pain spot in TFT‐LCD manufacturing industry, which leads to a heavy loss of product quality. This work focus on the bacterial contamination in Array photo line and firstly propose the means of accurately locking the contaminated unit and the improvement of equipment, achieving a 60% reduction in bacterial contamination.

Farm Fresh Products Web Market

Abstract: Farmers Web Market represents a transformative approach to the fresh food supply chain, aiming to establish a direct connection between farmers and consumers. Traditional food supply chains often involve multiple intermediaries, leading to increased costs, delays, and a loss of product freshness and quality. In contrast, harnesses the power of technology to streamline the process, enabling farmers to connect directly with consumers, thereby ensuring the availability of high-quality, locally sourced fresh food products. The platform serves as a comprehensive marketplace, providing farmers with a digital platform to showcase their produce and enabling consumers to access a diverse range of fresh food items. Through detailed farmer profiles and product listings, consumers gain insights into the origin, farming practices, certifications, and sustainability initiatives associated with each product, fostering trust and transparency in the supply chain. Farmers have the opportunity to create personalized profiles, where they can showcase their farming practices, certifications, and commitment to sustainability. This transparency allows consumers to make informed decisions about their purchases and supports farmers in building direct relationships with their customers . The platform offers consumers an intuitive interface to browse, search, and filter products based on various criteria such as type, origin, farming practices, and price. Consumers can explore detailed product information, including nutritional values, farming methods, and environmental impact, empowering them to make conscious purchasing decisions. It facilitates direct transactions between farmers and consumers, eliminating the need for intermediaries and ensuring fair prices for both parties. By cutting out unnecessary middlemen, farmers can receive better returns for their produce, while consumers benefit from competitive prices and access to fresher products.

Model-based prediction of frost formation inside frozen food packages under temperature fluctuations

Abstract Frozen storage of food products is widely accepted not only in the industry but also by households. Frost formation during long-term storage is recognized as a phenomenon that causes changes in product characteristics and quality losses. However, quantitative prediction and control of frost formation remains a challenge. In this study, a mathematical model was developed to predict frost formation inside frozen food products (i.e., frozen minced meat packed in a polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) film) under fluctuating temperature conditions in a domestic refrigerator. The proposed model is based on heat transfer and energy balance equations, and the amount of frost formation is estimated from the heat generated by condensation. The heat transfer coefficients were experimentally obtained and applied to the developed model. The interactions between the amplitude and frequency of temperature fluctuations and the corresponding amount of frost formation were visualized using contour plots. Both the amplitude and frequency were found to increase frost formation. For the range of fluctuations tested (temperature amplitudes of 0.5–2.5 K and cooling rates of 0.0125–0.2 K/min when connected to the compressor), the simulation predicted that the amount of frost in the packages varied up to approximately 4.5 times (0.48–2.18 g/month for packages containing 300 g of minced meat) depending on the different temperature fluctuation settings.

Impact of pulsed electric fields on membrane disintegration, drying, and osmotic dehydration of foods

AbstractDrying is one of the oldest and most conventional methods used to preserve foods. Unique traditional methods have been applied for the drying of plant‐based food products. However, the disadvantage of this approach is the low drying rate, high energy, and processing costs accompanied by the loss of nutritional quality in food products. As a substitute, pulsed electric field (PEF) is a modern and promising technique that has various advantages over thermal treatments. Nowadays, it has become an area of innovation to meet increasing industrial demands. Application of PEF during drying and osmotic dehydration has beneficial impacts on the extension of shelf‐life, increases in storage stability, and improvement of nutritional quality. Upscaling the use of PEF from laboratory to industrial scale while maintaining productivity is an area for further research and development. The aim of this commentary review is to give an overview of a newly proposed PEF process, which improves drying rate, mass‐energy transfer, retention of bioactive compounds, and osmotic dehydration in food. PEF processing led to achieving the innovative development of a wide range of foods and was extended to solve environmental issues. Drying food products is the most promising area in the food industry which needs improvement in terms of achieving energy efficiency and cost‐effectiveness to dry food products with the maintenance of nutritional properties to adequate levels. In this regard, PEF could be a suitable and novel drying method to overcome the limitations of conventional drying methods which might open new horizons for valuable research in manufacturing dried fruits and vegetables on an industrial scale.

A dynamic condition-based maintenance policy for heterogeneous-wearing tools with considering product quality deterioration

The wear of a cutting tool can lead to tool failure and product quality deterioration, and thus timely maintenance of tools is crucial. Meanwhile, the wear of tools from a same population usually exhibits heterogeneous patterns. Therefore, this paper proposes a dynamic condition-based maintenance (CBM) policy for heterogeneous-wearing tools with considering the product quality deterioration caused by tool wear. The tool wear is modelled by an Inverse Gaussian (IG) process, and the wear rate is assumed to be a random variable to characterise the heterogeneity among tool wear processes. The posterior distribution of reciprocal of tool wear rate is dynamically estimated using the online wear data based on a Bayesian approach. Moreover, the impact of tool wear on product quality deterioration is modelled. The IG process is discretized into a discrete time Markov chain (DTMC). Under the frame of the DTMC, a cost function, containing product quality loss, preventive maintenance (PM) cost and corrective maintenance cost, is developed to determine the optimal PM threshold. The cost function updates dynamically with the dynamic estimation of tool wear rate and thus enables the optimal PM threshold to be dynamically revised. The effectiveness of the proposed CBM policy is demonstrated through a case study.

A comparison of different technologies to improve temperature control in refrigerated containers: A table grape export case

PurposeTable grapes are exported in refrigerated (reefer) containers owing to their temperature sensitivity. Previous studies have found that insufficient airflow around pallets of fruit cause hotspots in reefer containers, which could negatively affect fruit quality. This study compared the efficacy of two technologies fitted inside reefer containers to improve airflow for table grape shipments. MethodAmbient and pulp temperature sensors were inserted in two shipments of three containers each; each shipment had one container fitted with airflow Technology 1, one fitted with airflow Technology 2, and a control container. Sensors were placed in cartons in the top, middle and bottom layers of six pallets per container to obtain the ambient and pulp temperature profiles of table grapes along the export cold chain from the cold store in South Africa until the destination distribution centre in the Netherlands. Descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA tests were used to analyse the datasets. FindingsThe largest number of temperature breaks and the longest temperature breaks were recorded in the control containers. Overall, the containers fitted with airflow technologies fared better than the control containers. The containers fitted with Technology 2 performed marginally better than those fitted with Technology 1. However, the sample size of this study was too small to draw definitive conclusions. Further research with larger sample sizes is required for more definitive results. OriginalityThis article identifies areas along the table grape export cold chain where temperature deviations occur more frequently and links the temperature deviations to product quality. It also ascertains which airflow technologies can help to limit the deterioration of product quality and cut financial losses.

Quality investment and tolerance setting under the product inspection

This study considers the modified Shin et. al.’s [14] model with process control and tolerance. In the first phase, the process parameters setting model considers Taguchi’s quadratic quality loss and process cost of product for obtaining the original values of mean and standard deviation. Then the second phase, i.e., the tolerance setting model considers the process promotion with quality investment. The optimal tolerance can be also determined under the 100% inspection under the specified Cpkm value and sampling inspection with specified Cpkm value and consumer’s risk, respectively. The numerical result are described for explanation.

In-Use Stability of SB12 (Eculizumab, Soliris Biosimilar) Diluted in Saline and Dextrose Infusion Solution after an Extended Storage Period.

SB12 is a biosimilar to eculizumab reference product [SolirisTM (Soliris is a trademark of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)] that acts as a C5 complement protein inhibitor. The infusion stability of in-use (diluted) SB12 outside the conditions stated in the reference product's label is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the stability of SB12 after extended storage in conditions not claimed in the originator label. Infusion stability was assessed in SB12 samples (diluted in 0.9% NaCl, 0.45% NaCl, and 5% dextrose, final concentration of 5mg/mL per clinical trial protocol and the reference product's label) kept at 5±3°C for up to 3months, then 30±2°C/65±5% relative humidity (RH) for 72h. The product was stored in different containers [polyolefin (PO) bags, glass bottles and syringes], and the protocol followed International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) requirements for stability evaluation of biological products. Stability was evaluated using complementary assays, including pH, protein concentration (A280), purity (size exclusion-high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis-sodium dodecyl sulfate, and imaged capillary isoelectric focusing), biological activity (C5 binding and inhibition), and safety (subvisible particles). Except for charge variants in SB12 diluted in 5% dextrose, all results met the stability acceptance criteria. There were no major changes in terms of physicochemical stability, biological activity, and subvisible particles. The infusion stability of SB12 after extended storage (5±3°C for up to 3months, then 30±2°C/65±5% RH for72 h) was demonstrated for longer periods and at higher temperatures than what is stated in the EU and US labels of the reference product. The physicochemical properties, biological activity, and subvisible particles of in-use SB12 diluted in 0.9%NaCl and 0.45%NaCl were maintained under the described conditions and for all tested containers. However, instability was observed for the diluted SB12 in 5%dextrose. These results may reduce the workload of clinical staff and minimize drug waste from treatment delays without any loss in product quality and biological activity.

Peptide ligands targeting the vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) protein for the affinity purification of lentivirus particles.

The recent uptick in the approval of ex vivo cell therapies highlights the relevance of lentivirus (LV) as an enabling viral vector of modern medicine. As labile biologics, however, LVs pose critical challenges to industrial biomanufacturing. In particular, LV purification-currently reliant on filtration and anion-exchange or size-exclusion chromatography-suffers from long process times and low yield of transducing particles, which translate into high waiting time and cost to patients. Seeking to improve LV downstream processing, this study introduces peptides targeting the enveloped protein Vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) to serve as affinity ligands for the chromatographic purification of LV particles. An ensemble of candidate ligands was initially discovered by implementing a dual-fluorescence screening technology and a targeted in silico approach designed to identify sequences with high selectivity and tunable affinity. The selected peptides were conjugated on Poros resin and their LV binding-and-release performance was optimized by adjusting the flow rate, composition, and pH of the chromatographic buffers. Ligands GKEAAFAA and SRAFVGDADRD were selected for their high product yield (50%-60% of viral genomes; 40%-50% of HT1080 cell-transducing particles) upon elution in PIPES buffer with 0.65 M NaCl at pH 7.4. The peptide-based adsorbents also presented remarkable values of binding capacity (up to 3·109 TU per mL of resin, or 5·1011 vp per mL of resin, at the residence time of 1 min) and clearance of host cell proteins (up to a 220-fold reduction of HEK293 HCPs). Additionally, GKEAAFAA demonstrated high resistance to caustic cleaning-in-place (0.5 M NaOH, 30 min) with no observable loss in product yield and quality.

The interaction of chia mucilage-based edible film and transglutaminase enzyme on spent hen meat nuggets

ABSTRACT 1. The aim of this study was to utilise low-value spent hen meat and investigate the possibility of using chia (Salvia hispanica L.) as a mucilage-based edible film to prevent loss of quality in meat products. For this purpose, spent hen meat was reconstructed with the addition of transglutaminase (TGase) at different concentrations (0.5, 1 and 1.5%) and used to produce nuggets. These were covered with chia mucilage-based film and kept at 4°C for 7 d. 2. The addition of transglutaminase and coating with film decreased meat pH (P < 0.01). Samples containing transglutaminase had higher thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value (P < 0.01), while the DPPH value of the samples was not affected by the transglutaminase and edible film (P > 0.05). Hence, mucilage-based edible film did not prevent or delay the oxidation of nuggets. 3. Transglutaminase improved the texture characteristics of the nuggets and the edible film reduced fat retention in the samples. The combined use of transglutaminase and film decreased cooking loss and increased water holding capacity (P < 0.01). In the sensory analysis, nuggets with transglutaminase and film had more overall acceptability scores, although the results were not statistically significant.

Isolation, characterization, and application of bacteriophage cocktails for the biocontrol of Pseudomonas fluorescens group strains in whole and skimmed milk.

Pseudomonas fluorescens group strains can lead to spoilage of milk as well as loss of quality in dairy products through their heat-resistant enzymes. Phages are important alternatives for combating spoilage bacteria in food industry and used successfully in many applications. The aim of this study was the isolation and characterization of phages and to assess the efficiency of a phage cocktail in whole and skimmed milk. For this purpose, phages effective against Pseudomonas fluorescens (L23.2), Pseudomonas tolaasii (P22.1), and Pseudomonas rhodesiae (A11.1) were isolated. Their host range was found to be highly specific, and the transmission electron micrographs indicates that they belonged to Tectiviridae family. Their genome sizes were found to be vary between 38.3 and 53.5 kb. The latent periods and burst sizes were determined as 15, 10, 15 min and 91, 20, 80 PFU/infected cell for L23.2, P22.1, and A11.1, respectively. All three phages were found to be sensitive to low pH and high temperature. The effect of the phage cocktail was monitored in milk with different fat contents during storage at 4 °C for 5 days. As a result, bacterial reductions up to 4.09 and 5.29 log-units were observed for the whole and skimmed milk, respectively. Thus, the efficacy of a phage cocktail against a bacterial mixture of different P. fluorescens strains was tested in milk samples with different fat contents in accordance with real-life scenarios for the first time.

CO2 monitoring associated with the quality of soybean grains stored in different moisture contentes

The objective of this study was to quantify the levels of CO2 produced by soybeans stored at room temperature in a prototype silo, with initial moisture contents of 12, 14, and 16% (w.b.), as well as to evaluate the quality of the product over storage. Analyses of the moisture content, ash, proteins, lipids, color, germination, and electrical conductivity were performed. In the atmosphere in the silos, the amount of CO2, relative humidity, and temperature were monitored every hour using a CO2 meter data logger. Grain quality evaluations took place at four storage times (0, 30, 60, and 90 days). Analyses were performed in triplicate, and data were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression, adopting the 5% level of significance. The moisture contents, protein, lipids, germination, and color were reduced over time, resulting in a loss of grain quality. Soybeans initially stored with 16% (w.b.) of initial moisture content showed greater losses associated with the rise in the levels of CO2. The rise in CO2 emission in the internal atmosphere of the silo signals the beginning of grain deterioration and can be used as a decision-making tool, aiming at preventing and reducing losses in product quality over storage.

An Effective approach for Plant Disease Detection Using Assessment-Based Convolutional Neural Networks (A-CNN)

Agriculture is crucial in determining land availability and economic productivity in developing countries, where most of the population relies on this sector. Even though plant diseases are common, they are primarily identified in agriculture. Automated disease detection technology is necessary for the timely identification of plant diseases. Detecting plant diseases is crucial in avoiding loss of production and enhancing agricultural produce quality. Lack of proper attention in this area can cause severe damage to plants, resulting in loss of product quality, quantity, or productivity. Diagnosing plant diseases can be a complex process that requires specialized knowledge and hands-on attention. The previous methods didn't find accurate disease in the plant leaves. To combat this problem, this paper presents deep learning (DL) based Assessment-based Convolutional Neural Network (A-CNN) method to detect healthy and unhealthy plant leaves. We first collect the plant image dataset from a Kaggle repository. To enhance the quality of plant images and achieve a smoother appearance, an Optimized Gaussian Wiener Filter (OGWF) can be utilized for image pre-processing. Additionally, the edges of plant leaves can be detected by implementing Sobel and Canny operators. Then we use Otsu's Threshold Fragment (OTF) algorithm to segment the disease-affected region. Additionally, the Spatial Grey-Level Dependence Matrix (SGLDM) algorithm is utilized to identify the most suitable feature of the impacted leaf. The A-CNN method is employed to detect healthy and unhealthy plant leaves accurately. The proposed simulation results have shown higher accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in predicting plant diseases than other methods.

Continuously detached and recycled thermoplastic carbon fiber tapes with a new recycling approach

On June 28, 2023, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, announced that their researchers had developed a novel recycling process to recover the fiber composite material of used pressure tanks in a peeling process and reuse it for new lightweight products. The aim is to recycle fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) without any significant loss of product quality. The Fraunhofer team has now reportedly succeeded in doing so in the “Tankcycling” research project: Over 90 percent of the mechanical strength properties are retained in the recycled material.

Plant Protection Practises and Their Impact on Environment

The world population is increasing by 81 million every year and people need more agricultural production to avoid hunger. Despite modern farming methods, where advanced technologies and new production systems such as soilless agriculture are applied, production seems far from meeting the nutritional needs of people today or in the future. Although phytopathogens, insects and weeds, which cause significant yield and quality losses in agricultural products, are struggled today, it is estimated that the total loss of crops is 36.5% in the world every year due to these pests. Plant protection practices (cultural measures, physical control, legal measures, biological control, chemical control, alternative control) are carried out against pests in order to prevent product yield and quality losses in agriculture. Among these applications, chemical control is the most effective control method against pests, the results of which can be seen in a short time. However, especially in conventional agriculture, irregular and intensive pesticide applications made to protect yield and quality with economic concerns cause environmental pollution and deterioration in soil, water resources and troposphere ecosystems. In this review, the effects of plant protection practices on non-target organisms in different ecosystems are presented.