Quality Of Food Items Research Articles

A Smart IoT Solution for Monitoring and Predicting Grocery Freshness and Quality

According to the statistics,40% of the food produced is wasted before it reaches the consumers. The core problem lies in logistics and infrastructure. Firstly weather varies widely and it makes generalization difficult. This makes it impossible for perishables to naturally survive long-haul transport. Secondly, cold storage facility is not available and affordable to all farmers. Today food spoilage is a crucial problem. The food we consume can affect in any form of contamination that may occur due to storage or chemical changes within the food. This makes it necessary to develop a system that can help people to identify and predict the freshness of food or quality of food items. A smart grocery management system helps users manage groceries in large warehouses and long transportations. Users no longer have to worry about continuous food monitoring. This project aims to ensure the freshness of grocery by predicting the spoilage of grocery in prior and to notify the user about the same so that he can take necessary precautions to prevent grocery spoilage. Continuous analysis of temperature and humidity of the grocery is carried out by using DHT11 Temperature and Humidity sensor to monitor varying parameters of the grocery. ESP8266 Node MCU is used as the main controller of the system which is used to control the sensing action of the sensor. Data collected from the sensor is used to analyse the variations in the values of temperature and humidity when the grocery is fresh and when it is completely spoilt. The humidity and temperature data are sent to the cloud storage by using the Wi-Fi module which is inbuilt to the Node MCU. ThingSpeak cloud platform is set up for the storage purpose which is retrieved back to use it for predicting the spoilage of the grocery which is the main goal of the system. A prediction algorithm is used for this purpose which is basically a combination of machine learning and data mining approach for forecasting or predicting the future values based on some past set of values. The values of fresh grocery has been given as the input to prediction algorithm which is used to predict the future values of temperature and humidity. Predicted values obtained is compared with the spoilt values measured earlier to detect the spoilage of grocery. Predicted status of the grocery has been notified to the user through SMS. Key Words: food, grocery, freshness, prediction

Impact of Food Packaging Materials on the Shelf-Life and Quality of Packaged Food Products

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of food packaging materials on the shelf-life and quality of packaged food products. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to food packaging materials on the shelf-life and quality of packaged food products. Preliminary empirical review revealed that the choice of packaging material significantly influenced the preservation and quality of food items. Various studies demonstrated that different materials, such as plastics, biodegradable polymers, and paper-based materials, offered distinct advantages depending on the specific food product. While plastics provided excellent barrier properties, concerns over environmental sustainability led to increasing interest in alternative materials. The study emphasized the importance of balancing functional requirements with environmental considerations and highlighted the need for ongoing research and innovation in developing sustainable packaging solutions. Overall, the findings underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure the safety, freshness, and sustainability of packaged food products. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Diffusion theory, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Conservation of Resources theory may be used to anchor future studies on food packaging materials on the shelf-life and quality of packaged food products. The study provided several recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy in the field of food packaging. It recommended further exploration into theoretical frameworks surrounding consumer behavior and perception, as well as the adoption of a holistic approach to packaging design and optimization. Additionally, the study advocated for the development of evidence-based guidelines and regulations, implementation of supply chain traceability initiatives, and labeling regulations to enhance consumer trust and encourage the use of sustainable packaging materials. These recommendations aimed to foster innovation, transparency, and accountability throughout the food packaging value chain to ensure the safety, quality, and sustainability of packaged food products.

A MODIFIED MAY–HOLLING–TANNER MODEL: THE ROLE OF DYNAMIC ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES ON SPECIES’ SURVIVAL

This paper investigates the dynamical behavior of the modified May–Holling–Tanner model in the presence of dynamic alternative resources. We study the role of dynamic alternative resources on the survival of the species when there is prey rarity. Detailed mathematical analysis and numerical evaluations, including the situation of ecosystem collapsing, have been presented to discuss the coexistence of species’, stability, occurrence of different bifurcations (saddle-node, transcritical, and Hopf) in three cases in the presence of prey and alternative resources, in the absence of prey and in the absence of alternative resources. It has been obtained that the multiple coexisting states and their stability are outcomes of variations in predation rate for alternative resources. Also, the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation, saddle-node bifurcation, and transcritical bifurcation are due to variations in the parameters of dynamic alternative resources. The impact of dynamic alternative resources on species’ density reveals the fact that if the predation rate for alternative resources increases, then the prey biomass increases (under some restrictions), and variations in the predator’s biomass widely depend upon the quality of food items. This study also points out that the survival of predators is possible in the absence of prey. In the theme of ecological balance, this study suggests some theoretical points of view for the eco-managers.

Effect of a digital biopsychometric risk profile of patients with cancer on the delivery of risk-stratified personalised prehabilitation.

e13636 Background: Cancer symptoms and treatment consequences such as fatigue, nausea, distress and breathlessness contribute to inactivity, malnutrition, sarcopenia and ultimately poor clinical outcomes. Multimodal prehabilitation, with a focus on physical activity, nutrition and emotional well-being, is associated with improved treatment outcomes. However, prehabilitation needs to be personalised to maximise adherence and impact. Digital solutions offer an opportunity to collect and consolidate health data to facilitate the personalisation of prehabilitation programmes. Methods: Patients were referred from the NHS to an independent digital prehabilitation provider, Onkohealth Ltd. Baseline health metrics were collected via validated survey tools and wearable technology to develop a biopsychometric profile including the following modifiable factors. Multi-morbidity risk (MMR) was represented as a score from 0-14. Frailty estimation was based on walking speed. Diet quality was based on the World Cancer Research Fund diet score with higher score for better quality food items (range 0-3). Psychological wellbeing was measured via an emotional distress scale (range 0-10) and self-efficacy (range 0-40). Exercise metrics included 1 minute heart rate recovery (1m HRR) and 30 second Sit to Stand test (30sSTS). Risk-stratification was undertaken using the validated thresholds for each of these 9 modifiable risk metrics, including BMI. EuroQoL EQ5D5L was used to report quality of life as health utility (EQ-HU). Results: 303 patients with a range of cancer diagnosis [gastrointestinal (41%), biliopancreatic (10%) gynaecological (16%) and breast (20%) were included. 72% of patients had at least one high-risk metric and 30% had >3 high risk metrics. 42% of patients were obese, 34% had a high MMR and 25% had a slow walking speed. There were strong correlations between age and MMR (rho=0.53; p<0.001) and walking speed (rho=0.33; p=0.004). 16% had a low HRR and 17% had a low STS. STS had significant correlation with walking speed [rho=0.47; p<0.001) and BMI (rho=0.34; p<0.001). 42% of patients reported a low quality diet. High levels of anxiety were recorded in 21% of patients and high levels of depression in 26% of patients. Higher levels of anxiety (rho-0.24; p=0.002) and distress (rho=0.29; p<0.001) and lower levels of self-efficacy (rho= 0.25, p<0.001) were associated with lower EQ HU. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that 7 in 10 cancer patients have at least one risk factor and 1 in 4 patients have more than 3 predictors of poor treatment outcomes. Bio-psychometric profiling highlights modifiable risk factors and provides a focus for prehabilitation to be personalised. The findings also highlighted the importance of psychological wellbeing as high levels of emotional distress were associated with lower reported quality of life.

An integrated multi-criteria decision-making framework for the selection of sustainable biodegradable polymer for food packaging applications.

Manifold aspects, such as the booming market for superior quality food items with increased shelf life and the escalating concern to mitigate plastic trash due to plastic packaging have motivated researchers and food industrialists to explore sustainable eco-friendly packaging solutions extensively. Biodegradable polymers are being rigorously investigated to replace conventional plastics that are toxic, non-biodegradable, and detrimental to the marine ecosystem. The scientific methodology for the prudent selection of biodegradable polymer among the frequently used biopolymers for food packaging is being reported here. The data were extracted from the available literature. A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making framework has been developed to address the problem of material selection owing to the multiple conflicting criteria involved. Assignment of equal weights to primary criteria was selected to establish the criteria weights. Different decision-making techniques (weighted sum method (WSM), weighted product method (WPM), weighted aggregated sum product assessment method (WASPAS), and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)) were used for the comparative analysis. Thereon, the different ranks obtained for each alternative were aggregated using the degree of membership technique. The robustness of the solution was checked using sensitivity analysis which was conducted by varying weights of importance using the entropy method, the CRITIC method, and the equal weights to secondary criteria. The analysis reported polylactic acid (PLA) as the most reliable polymer for food packaging applications. The sensitivity analysis concluded that the solution was without prejudice, and water vapor permeation rating was the most critical decision criterion in deciding the optimal polymer.

EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY: AN EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY IN FOOD PROCESSING

Extrusion technology is an efficient method of producing varieties of new food products with minimal loss of nutrients. It is a food processing technique that integrates numerous unit activities such as mixing, heating, kneading, shearing, shaping, and forming into a single process. Food extrusion is a type of extrusion that is used in the food processing industry. It is a procedure in which a mixture of materials is driven through an aperture in a perforated plate or die with a food-specific pattern, and then cut to size by blades. The extruder is the machine that drives the mixture through the die, and the mixture is known as the extrudate. The extruder is made out of a big revolving screw that is firmly fitted into a stationary barrel, with the die at the end.This paper focuses on the operational practises used in the food processing business as well as their effects on various foods and their physiochemical properties. Extrusion processing is significant in food processing because it is used to make pasta, textured vegetable protein (TVP), ready-to-eat cereal snacks, baby meals, morning cereals, dietary fibre, pet foods, cereal-based modified starch, and conventional items. Extrusion cooking aids in the inactivation of enzymes and lowers microbial activity, Because of the high temperature, extrusions have an influence on the quality of food items. The most significant influence is on nutritional and physio-chemical characteristics. Because of the forward shifting of chemical structure, nature of protein, carbohydrates, and other elements. Extruded products are manufactured using many types of extruders. Key-words: Extrusion, minimal processing technology, extruded products, ready-to-eat cereal snacks, and HTST.

Optimization of Different Process Variables on Structural and Quality Attributes for the Development of Vacuum Fried Gulab Jamun

Background: Gulab jamun is a delicious dairy food items popular not only the Indian subcontinent but also in all over the world. Now a days, people are health conscious towards the healthy diet having low in fat content. However, Vacuum frying (VF) is one of the best technologies which produce high quality food items having low fat content and better appearance with respect to atmospheric frying (AF). Methods: For the preparation of gulab jamun, the dough balls were fried under the VF (oil temperature: 125, 135, 145°C, vacuum pressure: 15, 20, 25 cm Hg and time: 8, 10, 12 min) and AF (temperature: 160°C, time: 4 min) conditions. The prepared gulab jamun was compared with different parameters such as moisture content, oil content, color, volume expansion, texture and structure. Result: The optimized gulab jamun was obtained using response surface methodology at temperature 137.82°C, pressure 25 cm Hg and time 9.38 min. The product had less in oil content, intense in color, smooth and soft texture (texture analyzer) and porous in structure (X-ray micro-CT scan) as compared to atmospheric fried gulab jamun.

Frequent consumption of sap suggests that omnivory is widespread among Australian geckos.

The diets of many animals are influenced by resource availability, competition, and evolutionary selected traits enabling the utilization of palatable foods. Omnivores are species that maintain their macronutrient balance by supplementing highly abundant but poor nutritional quality food items, with sporadically available but high nutritional quality food items. Although there are anecdotal observations of Australian geckos (Lacertilia: Gekkonidae) consuming plant exudates, the consumption of plant material has long been considered to be anomalous behavior among Australian geckos. Here, we test the idea that sap feeding may not be anomalous behavior but instead a dietary niche of geckos that has gone unappreciated due to constraints on the methods used to quantify geckos' diets. We tested this idea by investigating the consumption of Acacia victoriae gum by the gecko Gehyra versicolor using timed searches and time-lapse photography. We found that geckos frequently consumed gum, and G. versicolor numbers were five times greater on A. victoriae trees that exhibited significant gum bleeds compared to gecko numbers on non-bleeding trees. Taken together, our observations that G. versicolor spp. frequently feed on gum along with anecdotal reports of geckos consuming gum provide compelling evidence that gum/sap feeding is not anomalous behavior and suggest that many Australian gecko species are omnivores whose diets include plant exudates and animal prey.

COVID-19: Impact of Service and Food Quality on Student Satisfaction and Food Wastage in a Tunisian Canteen

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to far-reaching health, social, and economic consequences. In order to secure the safety of students and staff, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has established general guidelines for University campuses including canteens, based on prevention and protective measures. Food wastage is a major global issue impairing food security. The objective of the present study was to evaluate these COVID-19 measures on food wastage in a Tunisian University canteen. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the university canteen has changed their practices by setting up a meal bag service for lunch and dinner. Face to face interviews based on a structured questionnaire, were conducted during one month on 154 on 143 student respondents (mean age 23 years old, 76% women) in June 2020, after COVID-19 lockdown lifting. Interestingly the COVID-19 crisis has positively impacted the students’ awareness about food wastage since 28% of respondents declared not throwing away food and 55% claimed to have reduced their food waste levels. Most of respondents (72.4%) have highly appreciated the new concept based on take-away. About 63.1% declared eating at least every other day at the canteen, and 67.8% going more often. Interestingly 93.1% claimed to have noticed improvements in the quality of food items. These changes were related to better food presentation (72% of respondents), better food safety (64%), better overall sensory quality (36%), whereas only 1% claimed not having observed any changes. Food quality service has been evaluated as very good by 45% of respondents, and quality of prepared foods as good by 43%. However, although the COVID-19 measures allowed a reduction by 21% of self reported food wastage in the canteen, most of respondents (71.3%) affirmed not finishing their plates. The most discarded dishes were soups (62% of respondents), stews (52%), vegetables (48%) and salad (45%) whereas dairy products (65.4% of respondents), fruits (64.4%), rice (51.9%), Tunisian dish tajin (51.9%) and chicken (50%) were not wasted. In conclusion, our study has shown that providing good take-out meals has potential for reducing food wastage among students, strengthening the importance of food safety and convenience as effective tools for food waste prevention.

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Food Adulteration and Its Impact on Health

Food adulteration is the addition or mixing of inferior, harmful, substandard, useless or unnecessary substances to foods. This loses the nutritional content and quality of food items. Adulteration poses a number of health hazards which include health diseases and weaken the immune system. The main objectives of this study was to aware of consumer about food adulteration and use of organic food items. Department of Food Technology and Quality Control under Ministry of Agricultural and Cooperatives is the major Government Institution responsible for food safety and quality management. There is a need of public campaign to make the general public aware about the quality of food items. We consumer should be aware of and conscious while buying food items. This study is based on the informations taken from secondary sources. At the end some suggestions and recommendations are given for improving the health status of consumers.

Sex differences in response to experimentally induced sexual conflict in Cinereous Tits Parus cinereus

ABSTRACT Capsule The experimental removal of either the male or female from breeding pairs of Cinereous Tits Parus cinereus revealed that both sexes could increase their nestling provisioning rate to compensate fully for the loss. However, single females but not males delivered lower quality food. Aims Parents would benefit from transferring the burden of costly parental care onto their mates, which leads to sexual conflict. Here, we tested how each sex might change their investment when their partners were temporarily removed. Methods We used video recordings at nests of 24 pairs of Cinereous Tits to compare the nestling provisioning rate and prey quality of parents before, during and after the experimental, temporary removal of the other parent. Results Under biparental care, male and female parents had the same rate of food delivery to their broods, but females provided a higher proportion of higher quality food. When either parent was removed, the remaining parent increased their provisioning rate to equal that of the pair before the removal. However, while males increased the quality of food items to compensate for their removed females, females provisioned with lower quality food when their males were removed. Conclusions Our results suggest that males and females face different energetic costs when provisioning nestlings. We also show the importance of considering food quality, as well as food quantity, when considering parental care compensation that might arise as a result of sexual conflict.

Malnutrition and the mental health of children: the sub-Saharan Africa perspective

Child malnutrition has been a notably significant health challenge over the years especially in Africa where the prevalence is high. The World Health Organization has defined malnutrition as deficiencies or excesses in the intake of nutrients, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired use of nutrients. Studies have further shown that the burden of malnutrition in children in Africa can be traced to the sub-Saharan region of Africa. A lot of factors are responsible for this some of which include; poverty, ignorance, inaccessibility of quality food items, among others. And although malnutrition in children is associated with a number of non-communicable diseases, it has a significant association with mental health affecting motor, cognitive and behavioural development, etcetera. Several researches have highlighted the relationship between malnutrition in children and mental health disorders. Hence, this paper discusses the relationship between malnutrition and the mental health of children in sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of malnutrition-induced mental health disorders in this region, factors affecting this prevalence as well as suggestions involving the government at various levels in the region, not-for-profit organizations, individuals and the entire society at large in addressing this very serious issue as it affects the future of the next generation.

Customer Preferences towards Premium Category Super Food Products in Modern Trade Outlets

The super-food competition in Indian consumer industry is very demanding. Indian consumers have shown growing interest in nutritious and quality food items with high nourishing value, environmental sustainability and food safety. A person with a positive attitude towards the food product of this type is more likely to make a purchase; this makes a marketer's analysis of consumer preference highly important. The primary purpose of this analysis was to examine consumer expectations for quality and safe super food items. The target demographic of this research includes consumers in Chennai region. 173 respondents were chosen using the convenience sampling method. The results of the research study have shown that factors such as ethnicity, monthly income and family status, level of intake, brand knowledge and health issues are linked to customer demand for super-food items. The Structured Equation Modeling methodology was used to define determinants that may describe consumers' propensity for purchasing these groups of food stuffs. Consumers choose food products of this type due to safety considerations, quality issues and environmental concerns, as well as to qualities such as nutritional benefit, taste satisfaction, freshness and attractiveness of organic food items that matter a lot to consumers. This work may be used into further study into the application of various marketing campaigns by advertisers and the examination of other variables.

An assessment of the rural consumer food environment in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

ABSTRACTRural residents face disparities in economic and geographic access to retail sources for healthy, quality and affordable food, but there remains a relative paucity of rural research on the in-store consumer food environment. We conducted a census of the rural consumer food environment in Canada’s easternmost province, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), where the burden of noncommunicable diseases is disproportionately high and industry data suggest convenience stores are a dominant retail presence. We audited n = 78 stores (23% supermarkets, 56% convenience stores, and 21% gas stations with convenience), using a nutrition environment measures survey-store adapted for NL comprised of 14 measures encompassing 98 food items. This paper reports on key findings on store characteristics as well as the availability, variety, and quality of food items in key product categories, and the implications for intervention development.

From lesser-known to super vegetables: the growing profile of African traditional leafy vegetables in promoting food security and wellness.

There are hundreds of traditional leafy vegetables and wild food plants of horticultural and nutritional significance in Africa. These lesser-known crops and wild food plants that are highly adapted to harsh growing conditions thrive with little care and are available when other sources of food fail or are out of season. They are rich in micronutrients and are often the cheapest sources of many essential vitamins and minerals in many localities. Many of them are very important functional foods in African traditional diets and are rich in nutraceuticals, including polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids and flavonols, that exert demonstrable antioxidant, free radical scavenging and enzyme inhibition activities and have antimicrobial properties that provide scientific justification and possible mechanisms for their use in the management of a wide range of ailments, including diet-related, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. African traditional leafy vegetables are invaluable in promoting food security and wellness in Africa on account of their availability and affordability, their great nutritional value, chemotherapeutic and health-promoting properties and other unique qualities. Long recognised by the rural populace as quality food items, they are becoming more popular even with the more affluent urban elites. There is the need to develop improved management practices for these super vegetables to promote their cultivation and boost their exploitation for food security and wellness in Africa. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparative study regarding food adulteration and food safety in rural and urban area.

Legally the term “Adulteration” means that a food product fails to meet standards. Adulteration is an addition of other substance to a food item in order to increase the quantity of the food item in raw form or prepared form, which may cause in the loss of the pure quality of food item. These substances may be food items or non-food items. Nutritive food plays vital role in maintaining proper health and also helps in preventing diseases. All body functions like metabolic, hormonal, mental, physical or chemical cannot be performed by the body without nutritive food. The world is facing a number of significant changes which will impact on food safety. But off all deception practiced, adulterating food with ingredients deleterious to health is the most criminal.

Novel, smart and RFID assisted critical temperature indicator for supply chain monitoring

In order to reduce food waste and meet the needs of the demanding modern consumer regarding the quality of food items, it is crucial to monitor the supply chain and storage conditions of perishable food products. Considering this scenario, temperature plays an important role on food safety and quality during storage and supply. In this work, a critical temperature indicator (CTI) based on a solvent melting point is developed. Furthermore, the present CTI working principle is improved by the use of microfluidics technology. As final result, a novel and functional CTI-smart sensor which combines irreversible visual color changes and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies is achieved. Such CTI integrated to a RFID tag provides a unique advantage to monitor the supply chain in real time by the simple use of a RFID reader in strategic points.

Slime moulds use heuristics based on within-patch experience to decide when to leave.

Animals foraging in patchy, non-renewing or slowly renewing environments must make decisions about how long to remain within a patch. Organisms can use heuristics ('rules of thumb') based on available information to decide when to leave the patch. Here, we investigated proximate patch-departure heuristics in two species of giant, brainless amoeba: the slime moulds Didymium bahiense and Physarum polycephalum. We explicitly tested the importance of information obtained through experience by eliminating chemosensory cues of patch quality. In P. polycephalum, patch departure was influenced by the consumption of high, and to a much lesser extent low, quality food items such that engulfing a food item increased patch-residency time. Physarum polycephalum also tended to forage for longer in darkened, 'safe' patches. In D. bahiense, engulfment of any food item increased patch residency irrespective of that food item's quality. Exposure to light had no effect on the patch-residency time of D. bahiense. Given that these organisms lack a brain, our results illustrate how the use of simple heuristics can give the impression that individuals make sophisticated foraging decisions.

외식업체 도시락 이용에 대한 중요도-만족도 조사

A study was performed on the consumption of prepackaged meals (Dosirak) sold by food service providers through Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA) to determine the factors that consumers seek in quality Dosirak. According to the analysis, food service providers need to concentrate on food freshness and temperature while maintaining food taste. As for food packaging, consumers were found to prefer microwaveable plastic containers the most (29.3%). Nonetheless, they found that packaging needed improvements in securing food content during transportation and in food labeling, especially for expiration dates. The study also investigated which factors, including menu selection and advertising, affected the sales of food service provider Dosirak the most. The most important factor was determined to be price. Regarding menu selection, the quality of food seasoning and ingredients, daily specials and the variety of combination sets were found to be important. Availability of delivery (3.83/5.00), advance ordering (3.82/5.00) and discounts (3.75/5.00) were important factors in advertising. The conclusions of the study point to a consumer base that recognizes the ease and benefits of Dosirak but desires high quality food items at low cost. To expand the consumer base, food service providers must continually develop new menu items that satisfy consumer tastes and trends, maintain sanitary conditions and improve food labelling.