Processed Food Commodities Research Articles

Structural chokepoints determine the resilience of agri-food supply chains in the United States.

The agricultural and food systems of the United States are critical for ensuring the stability of both domestic and global food systems. Thus, it is essential to understand the structural resilience of the country's agri-food supply chains to a suite of threats. Here we employ complex network statistics to identify the spatially resolved structural chokepoints in the agri-food supply chains of the United States. We identify seven chokepoints at county scale: Riverside CA, San Bernardino CA, Los Angeles CA, Shelby TN, Maricopa AZ, San Diego CA and Cook IL; as well as seven chokepoints at freight analysis framework scale: Los Angeles-Long Beach CA, Chicago-Naperville IL, New York-New Jersey NJ, New York-New Jersey NY, Remainder of Texas, Remainder of Pennsylvania, and San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CA. These structural chokepoints are generally consistent through time (2007, 2012, 2017), particularly for processed food commodities. This study improves our understanding of agri-food supply-chain security and may aid policies aimed at enhancing its resilience.

Screening of food allergens in cereals using real-time PCR

Allergen is a substance that induces hypersensitivity reactions. Most of the food allergens are protein in nature and cause life-threatening allergies as well as influencing the quality of life. The present study was designed to evaluate the screening of major allergens in commercially available processed food commodities of wheat, soybean species and the cross reactivity of peanut in tree nuts using real-time PCR. Analysis of the results demonstrates that the SYBER Green qPCR assay is a quick and reliable method for screening of allergens. A total of 42 food samples were collected for these studies and analyzed results. Peanut allergen was detected in tree nuts of walnut, coconut, almond, and hazelnut, wheat allergen was detected in rice, oat, barely and buckwheat, while soybean allergen was detected in the species of pea, broad bean, bean seed, and kidney bean. This study will provide information for affected consumers and to do meaningful risk assessment.

Development of a paper-based chromogenic strip and electrochemical sensor for the detection of tannic acid in beverages

The nutritive and immunogenic potential of fresh and processed food commodities is largely dependent on the antioxidant capacity and total polyphenolic content. Polyphenols plays a major role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, activation of signaling pathways to initiate immune responses and in the prevention of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Several chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods are used for the identification and quantification of phenolic compounds present in food products and beverages. Here, an electrochemical sensor and a point-of-test paper-based chromogenic strip for the detection of tannic acid in beverages and food products has been developed. The electrochemical sensor showed linear voltametric correlation with a sensitivity of 7.97 × 10−7 A/mM.mm2, whereas, the paper-based chromogenic strip has a detection limit of 0.024 mM. The developed strip and electrochemical sensor have potential to be employed by regulatory agencies and industries for on-site analysis of polyphenolic content in beverages and food products to ensure food safety and quality assessment.

Optimization of a sample preparation workflow based on UHPLC-MS/MS method for multi-allergen detection in chocolate: An outcome of the ThRAll project

Developing reliable methodologies for detecting and quantifying allergens in processed food commodities is crucial to support food business operators in allergen risk assessment and properly implementing precautionary allergen labels whenever required to safeguard the health of allergic consumers. Multiple Mass Spectrometry (MS) methods have been developed so far and applied for single and multi-allergen detection in foods, generating a heterogeneous literature on this topic, with little attention paid to the extraction and the digestion steps, crucial in delivering accurate allergen measurements.This investigation carried out within an international consortium specifically built up to convey a prototype MS based reference method, reports on the first part of the method development, namely the optimization of the sample preparation protocol for six allergens detection (cow's milk, hen's egg, soy, peanut, hazelnut, and almond) in chocolate. The latter was chosen as model complex food matrix, having a high lipid and polyphenol content.Different steps of the sample preparation protocol have been taken into consideration: (i) sampling, (ii) composition of the extraction buffer, (iii) protein purification, (iv) protein enzymatic digestion, (v) peptide purification and pre-concentration, and some experiments were carried out by two independent laboratories and two different MS platforms to provide a first assessment of the robustness of the method under development. Fifty target peptides were monitored in multiple reaction monitoring mode and validated in different laboratories to trace the six allergenic ingredients in the incurred chocolate and the best performing protocol for sample preparation was identified. This work paves the way of the forthcoming full analytical validation of a prototype reference method for MS-based allergen quantification.

Functional Asymmetries Routing the Mating Behavior of the Rusty Grain Beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae).

Simple SummaryWe evaluated the behavioral asymmetries of Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) males during courtship and mating with potential mates. The highest proportion of males showed left-biased approaches towards females, and turned 180° to their left. Right-biased males (i.e., approaching mates from the right and then turning 180°) were fewer than left-biased males. A low percentage of males approaching from the front and back side achieved successful mating. Left-biased-approaching males had a significantly shorter copula duration in comparison with other males. Left-biased males performed shorter copulation attempts and copula in comparison to right-biased males. This research contributes to understand the role of lateralization in the beetle family Laemophloeidae.The rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae), is a serious secondary pest of stored and processed food commodities. In the present study, we investigated the lateralization of males during courtship and mating, attempting to understand if it can be linked with a high likelihood of successful copulation. Most males exhibited left-biased (41%) approaches towards females, and turned 180° to their left, with 37% mating success. Right-biased males (i.e., approaching from the right and then turning 180°) were fewer than left-biased ones; 26% out of 34% managed to copulate with females. Only 9% out of 13% and 7% out of 11% of the back side- and front side-approaching males succeeded in mating, respectively. Directional asymmetries in approaching a potential mate, as well as the laterality of side-biased turning 180°, significantly affected male copulation success, with left-biased males achieving higher mating success if compared to right-biased males. Copula duration was significantly lower for left-biased-approaching males (1668.0 s) over the others (i.e., 1808.1, 1767.9 and 1746.9 for right-biased, front and back side-males, respectively). Left-biased males performed shorter copulation attempts and copula compared to right-biased males. Overall, our study adds basic knowledge to the lateralized behavioral displays during courtship and copula of C. ferrugineus.

Development of a simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry approach to simultaneously detect grains specified in food allergen labeling regulation on processed food commodities

An analytical approach using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed to simultaneously detect Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (buckwheat) and cereals containing gluten (Triticum species including wheat and spelt, rye, barley, and oats) that were specified in regulations for food allergen labeling on processed foods. Trypsin-digested peptides were purified from different processed food commodities and heptapeptides derived from buckwheat 13S globulin (GFIVQAR, m/z 395.8 [precursor] > 177.0 [product]) and Triticum low molecular weight glutenin (QIPEQSR, m/z 429.3 [precursor] > 616.2 [product]) were specifically detected each species at levels as low as 0.050–0.056 µg/L and 0.028–0.032 µg/L, respectively. Detection of these synthetic peptides was quantitative to over 100 µg/L by reference to the synthetic peptide calibration curves and at recovery rates, 76.6 ± 4.1%–104.8 ± 17.1% and 82.4 ± 2.0%–105.8 ± 5.3%, for GFIVQAR and QIPEQSR, respectively, when 1–1,000 µg of these peptides were spiked into a retort tomato sauce for pasta or dried instant soup. In combination with LC–MS/MS detection methods specific to other cereals containing gluten (rye, barley, and oats), the developed analytical approach was applicable to a wide variety of processed food commodities for food allergen labeling.

Proof of concept: could snake venoms be a potential source of bioactive compounds for control of mould growth and mycotoxin production.

The objective was to screen 10 snake venoms for their efficacy to control growth and mycotoxin production by important mycotoxigenic fungi including Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, Penicillium verrucosum, Fusarium graminearum and F. langsethiae. The Bioscreen C rapid assay system was used. The venoms from the Viperidae snake family delayed growth of some of the test fungi, especially F. graminearum and F. langsethiae and sometimes A. flavus. Some were also able to reduce mycotoxin production. The two most potent crude snake venoms (Naja nigricollis and N. siamensis; 41 and 43 fractions, respectively) were further fractionated and 83/84 of these fractions were able to reduce mycotoxin production by >90% in two of the mycotoxigenic fungi examined. This study suggests that there may be significant potential for the identification of novel fungistatic/fungicidal bioactive compounds as preservatives of raw and processed food commodities post-harvest from such snake venoms.

JARINGAN SYARAF TIRUAN ALGORITMA BACKPROPAGATION DALAM MEMPREDIKSI KETERSEDIAAN KOMODITI PANGAN PROVINSI RIAU

A system for predicting the availability of food commodities can help in making decisions. Artificial Neural Network is a method that is able to carry out mathematical processes for predicting the availability of food commodities. With the Backpropagation algorithm, the previous data processing is used as input to predict the availability of food commodities. Data processed as input variables are Area of ​​Harvest, Productivity Level, Number of Production and Number of Consumption Needs. While the processed food commodities are types of Rice, Corn, Soybeans, Peanuts, Green Beans, Cassava and Sweet Potatoes. The data was taken from 2006 to 2013. The years 2006 to 2012 were used as input data, while for 2013 they were targeted data. Some stages of Backpropagation are initializing weights, activating, calculating input weights and output biases and changing weights and biases. This stage will obtain the output to be achieved with the smallest error approach so that the predicted results of the availability of food commodities are obtained. The training process uses Matlab software tools 6.1. The result is a prediction of the amount of food commodity availability by the training and testing process producing actual output as the target achieved.

Genetic diversity and virulence potential of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from raw and processed food commodities in Shanghai

The risk of zoonotic transmission to humans highlights the need to understand the molecular ecology of Staphylococcus aureus in foods. In this study, 142 S. aureus isolates obtained from various raw and processed foods from Shanghai, China were characterized to determine their genetic diversity and virulence gene content. A total of 16 clonal complexes (CCs), 34 staphylococcal protein A (spa) types, and 6 accessory gene regulator (agr) allelic groups were identified and analyzed among the 142 S. aureus isolates. Among these, the genotype CC188-t189-agr Ι was the most prevalent, constituting 28.2% of all isolates. The presence of virulence genes encoding 20 staphylococcal enterotoxins (se), toxic shock syndrome toxin (tsst1), exfoliative toxins (eta, etb, and etd), Panton–Valentine leukocidin (lukS-PV and lukF-PV), as well as methicillin resistance gene (mecA), was determined by PCR. Of these S. aureus isolates, 72.5% harbored toxin genes, in which the most frequent toxin gene was sep (43.7%), followed by sej (26.1%) and pvl (21.1%). In contrast, see, ses, set, tsst1, etb, and etd were not found in any of the isolates tested. Eight S. aureus isolates (5.6%, 8/142), seven from raw milk and one from frozen food, were mecA positive and resistant to oxacillin, thus were MRSA. The 142 S. aureus isolates displayed 52 different toxin gene profiles. Although no direct association was found between toxin gene profile and the S. aureus genotype, the isolates belonging to CC5, CC9, CC20, CC50, and CC72 clonal lineages in general carried more toxin genes (>5) compared with the isolates in other CCs. It was also revealed that raw milk and raw meat were the major sources of isolates containing multiple toxin genes. S. aureus isolates from food that were genetically highly related, displayed diverse toxin gene profiles, implying the significant role of horizontal gene transfer in the emergence of highly toxigenic S. aureus isolates.

Urbanization and International Trade and Investment Policies as Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

There are three dominant globalization pathways affecting noncommunicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): urbanization, trade liberalization, and investment liberalization. Urbanization carries potential health benefits due to improved access to an increased variety of food imports, although for the growing number of urban poor, this has often meant increased reliance on cheap, highly processed food commodities. Reduced barriers to trade have eased the importation of such commodities, while investment liberalization has increased corporate consolidation over global and domestic food chains. Higher profit margins on processed foods have promoted the creation of ‘obesogenic’ environments, which through progressively integrated global food systems have been increasingly ‘exported’ to developing nations. This article explores globalization processes, the food environment, and dietary health outcomes in SSA through the use of trend analyses and structural equation modelling. The findings are considered in the context of global barriers and facilitators for healthy public policy.

Biological control of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) by single and double releases of two larval parasitoids in bulk stored wheat

The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella is a world-wide economically important pest of stored-products and processed food commodities including bulk grain. Two larval parasitoids, Habrobracon hebetor and Venturia canescens were studied under laboratory conditions to suppress small populations of P. interpunctella in 30-L polyethylene jar filled with 20 kg wheat. Twenty 3 to 4-week-old moth larvae were released into the jar and were allowed to produce webbings in the grain for 3–4 d. Then 10, 20 or 40 female parasitoids were added. A further batch of parasitoids was added to half of the jars 4 d after the first batch, 7–8 d after the introduction of P. interpunctella.Treatments comprised untreated control, only V. canescens or only H. hebetor released, and the combination of both parasitoids per release. After two weeks, the grains were sieved, the numbers of surviving parental parasitoids recorded and the cocoons of moths and parasitoids were collected from each jar and kept under controlled conditions of 25 °C. The emerged moth adults and parasitoid progeny were recorded until day 42.The highest mortality (93%) was observed with a single release of 20 H. hebetor plus 20 V. canescens (host-parasitoid ratio 1:1 for each parasitoid species). The various numbers of H. hebetor and V. canescens alone or in combination, once or twice released, led to mortalities between 50% and 80% that did not differ significantly. The single release of 10 H. hebetor or 10 V. canescens resulted in the lowest mortalities of P. interpunctella ranging from 34% to 39%. The different treatments affected the number of parasitoid offspring produced. Venturia canescens progeny occurred in all trials with combinations of the two parasitoid species. The single release of 20 H. hebetor resulted in more progeny emerged compared to all other treatments. For application in biological control, our data suggest the combination could be as least as effective as the release of H. hebetor alone.

Occurrence of Fungi and Mycotoxins in Some Commercial Baby Foods in North Africa

Aflatoxins, are one of over 200 known mycotoxins produced by filamentous fungi. They are toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic and may be present in many raw and processed food commodities including cereals and milk used as ingredients in infant food products. Consumption of these commodities may pose a potential risk to the health of infants. The mycoflora of 84 samples of baby food commercially available in North Africa was determined. The feeds were screened for mycotoxins using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and further analyses were carried for the total aflatoxins by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a Kobra cell to derivatise the aflatoxins (B1, G1, B2 and G2). Twenty-four fungal isolates were recovered from the samples consisting of 5 Aspergillus. spp, 13 Penicillum. spp, 5 Mucor. spp and an unidentified species Of these, 45.8% of the isolates were found to be mycotoxigenic however only 2.4% of the samples contained aflatoxins (19 to 70 µg·kg–1) and the remaining contained undetectable levels of the toxin. Storage at elevated relative humidity for 7 days showed a slight increase in the fungal counts but the toxin levels were unaffected. The results show the importance of periodic testing regime of ingredients used infant food formula for the presence of fungal contamination.

Applying the Input-Output Method to Account for Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade in the Haihe River Basin in China

The virtual water strategy which advocates importing water intensive products and exporting products with low water intensity is gradually accepted as one of the options for solving water crisis in severely water scarce regions. However, if we count the virtual water embodied in imported products as the water saved for a region, we might overestimate the saving by including the virtual water that is later re-exported in association with the proceeded products made from the originally imported products. This problem can be avoided by accounting for the saved water through calculating water footprint (WF) in domestic final consumptive products. In this paper, an input-output analysis (IOA) based on the water footprint accounting framework is built to account for WF and virtual water trade of final consumptive products in the water stressed Haihe River basin in China for the year 1997, 2000, and 2002. The input-output transaction tables of the three years are constructed. The results show WF of 46.57, 44.52, and 42.71 billion m(3) for the three years, respectively. These volumes are higher than the water used directly in the corresponding years in the basin. A WF intensity (WFI) indicator is then used to assess if the economic activities in the basin are consistent with the virtual water strategy. The temporal change of the WFI is also decomposed by the index number analysis method. The results showed that the basin was silently importing virtual water through the trade of raw and processed food commodities under the background of the whole economic circulation.

Masked Mycotoxins: an Emerging Issue for Food Safety

The presence of masked or hidden forms of <I>Fusarium</I> mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, DON, zearalenone, ZEN and fumonisins B1, B2 and B3) were studied in wheat and maize derived products. Significant amounts of these forms were found both in raw and in processed food commodities. Deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside was found in wheat products up to 30% of DON concentration. Bound forms of fumonisins often account for an equal or even higher amount in comparison with the free forms.

TRADE REFORM AND THE PROSPECTS FOR PROCESSED FOOD EXPORTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This paper draws attention to the relative neglect of the consequences of barriers to processed food exports from developing countries in the literature examining the effects on these countries of agricultural trade liberalisation. These barriers are of three kinds: trade policy barriers; differing health, food safety and environmental standards; and, barriers arising from the evolving market structure in food processing and distribution in developed country markets. The paper discusses the likely significance of the gains to developing countries from reduction of tariffs on processed food commodities and examines the consequences of the EU single market programme for developing country food exports.

Food group symposium advances in the production and application of processed food commodities

AbstractThe following are summaries of papers presented at a symposium on “Advances in the production and application of processed food commodities” organised by the Food Group. It was held at 14 Belgrave Square, London on 8 and 9 February 1977. The papers so published are entirely the responsibility of the authors and in no way reflect the views of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Anthocyanins and their stability in foods

The anthocyanin pigments are responsible for the red, blue, and purple color of most fruits and vegetables. This review covers the following aspects of anthocyanins: their chemical structure and the relation between chemical structure and color; the theories of their biogenesis and factors affecting their synthesis in plants; their distribution among fruits and vegetables; the chemical, physical, and biochemical factors affecting their degradation in fresh and processed food commodities; degradation schemes; ways and means for stabilizing these pigments in foods and methods for extracting, identifying, and quantifying their concentration in foods.

Statistical Evaluation of Regional Differences in the Market for Processed Food Commodities

Statistical Evaluation of Regional Differences in the Market for Processed Food Commodities