Traditional Cooking Process Research Articles

Mapping the variability in physical, cooking, and nutritional properties of Zamnè, a wild food in Burkina Faso

Zamnè is an Acacia seed used as a terroir food in Burkina Faso. It has been introduced as a famine-resilience crop and has become a cultural diet. However, little is known about its culinary and nutritional properties. This study aimed to explore the cooking and nutritional properties of Zamnè (Senegalia macrostachya (Reichenb. ex DC.) Kyal. & Boatwr.). Zamnè presented characteristics of medium size, flattened, dry, and hard-to-cook legume. The moisture, cylindrical ratio, diameter, thickness, weight, true density, coat percentage, coat thickness, and cooking time of the seeds were in the range of 4.5–5.8%, 1.1, 7.4–8.0 mm, 1.6–1.8 mm, 65.0–76.4 mg, 1.1 g/ml, 16.8–22.2%, 9.0–11.9 mg/cm2, and 180 min, respectively. The raw Zamnè showed 39.8–43.6, 9.7–11.5, 16.6–29.4, 13.3–20.2, 16.6–26.4, and 3.7–3.9 (g/100 g dry weight) of protein, fat, total dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber, digestible carbohydrate, and ash contents, respectively. The traditional cooking process improved most of the parameters determining the proximate compositions but resulted in 51–52% of protein and 47–50% carbohydrate losses into the cooking wastewater. Besides, pseudoZamnè, a famine-emergency crop similar to Zamnè, revealed inferior cooking quality than Zamnè. The data reported here provide a basis for alternative cooking techniques and further investigations of Zamnè and pseudoZamnè seeds’ nutritional quality.

Innovation of Cooking Juice in Process Production of Red-Cane Sugar in Lawang Village of Agam District

Cane refining activities which produce red-cane sugar has traditionally been the primary source of income in Lawang villagers of Agam district since hundred years ago. Three main weaknesses found in the process traditionally conducted are lower evaporation rate caused in longer time production and need more fuel, lower product quality caused in lower price, and flue gas pollution. Heat transfer mechanisms involved as long as evaporation takes place in traditional cooking process of juice, namely conduction, convection, and radiation, are not well evaluated yet. Meanwhile, falling film evaporation is not found and gummy cakes formed and accumulated in the surface of basket made of woven bamboo placed in the juice pot. The influence of evaporator like device made of a series of diameters of aluminium circular plates to evaporation process has been studied in traditional cane refining in Lawang village. The device was introduced to the juice pot which significantly faster evaporation process, namely reached about 45% faster then what usually run by villagers. The influences of introduction of lids of aluminium plates as well as any variation in circular plates to faster evaporation process had also been studied. It showed that the numbers of circular plates in a series and introduction of lid of aluminium plate contributed dominantly to faster evaporation process till about 56.67% faster, while the incline of circular plates in a range of 0 to 20 degree and the existence of some holes in the inner plates for circulation of juice cooking are not significantly shorten the time needed for evaporation process. It was also found in this study that falling film evaporation occurred in the evaporator like device introduced that contributed to faster evaporation process. The special channel added at the outsider of circular plate could play a role to accumulate gummy cakes formed.

Kebab: can the traditional cooking process sanitize a natural contamination by Listeria monocytogenes?

Over the last few years a considerable spread of ethnic foods was observed in Italy. Among them is the Döner kebab. During 2014-2015, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional cooking process, raw product (defrosted), sliced cooked portions cut through electric knife and assembled sandwich were officially sampled in kebab houses and in a local industrial kebab producer in Reggio Emilia (a province in Italy). Microbiological researches for safety and hygienic microbiological indicators were carried out (research of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli; enumeration mesophilic aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, sulfite-reducing bacteria growing under anaerobic conditions, yeasts and molds). Between the raw and the cooked product an average of 3 log reduction in mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts was observed. In two out of three kebab houses sampled, which were supplied by the same local industrial producer, the presence of L. monocytogenes was detected. During the official inspection carried out at the production plant a contamination of L. monocytogenes was assessed in both ambient and instruments. Furthermore, 3 lots of products were analyzed and all were found to be contaminated by L. monocytogenes (always above 100 CFU/g). In order to verify the capability of the traditional cooking process to reduce the risk of contamination at an acceptable level, a batch of naturally contaminated kebab (4.5 log CFU/g) was cooked and sliced simulating a day work activity in a kebab shop. The product was then sampled during preparation and enumeration of L. monocytogenes was obtained. After an hour of cooking, the residual contamination was 1.8 log CFU/g, after two hours and a half L. monocytogenes was no longer detectable in the product, but half an hour later it was again detectable in 25g. At the end of the experiment, the contamination grown up to the same level enumerated after an hour of cooking (1.8 log CFU/g). Considering the microbiological results, traditional cooking obtained a rate of -2.40 log CFU/gh-1, a D=26 min that corresponds to a temperature of maximum 60°C (z=6). In conclusion, our experiment demonstrates the traditional kebab cooking process could not always guarantee a complete product decontamination.

Superiority of Traditional Cooking Process forBugak(Korean Traditional Fried Dish) for Plasma Lipid Reduction

In this study, the efficacy and mode of action of the Korean traditional fried dish bugak for reducing plasma lipids are investigated. Three different studies were performed as follows: lipid-lowering effects of bugak compared with (1) different preparation methods, (2) different batters, and (3) different frying oils. Traditionally, bugak is prepared with fermented glutinous rice batter (FGR) and pan-fried in unroasted sesame oil (USSO; this preparation of bugak is referred to as FGRUSSO). FGR is prepared by placing the glutinous rice and water in a crock for 7 days at room temperature. For the study, wheat flour batter (WF) and soybean oil (SBO) were alternatively used. Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLr⁻/⁻) mice (n=24) were fed atherogenic diets with bugak (20 g/100 g of feed) for 10 weeks. Plasma triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration and hepatic lipid accumulations decreased significantly in mice fed FGRUSSO, compared with bugak made with WF and fried in SBO (WFSBO). Protein expression of fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) in the FGRUSSO group was decreased, although sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP-1 and -2) were not different. When batter differences were compared, TG concentration of mice fed bugak prepared with FGR and fried in SBO (FGRSBO) was lower than the WFSBO group due to suppression of hepatic FAS expression. In the oil comparison study, TC and LDL-C concentrations in the FGRUSSO group were lower due to attenuated HMGCR activity. In conclusion, bugak prepared by traditional cooking methods was most effective for lowering plasma TG, TC, and LDL-C via suppressing hepatic FAS and HMGCR activity, although transcription factors for regulating lipogenic enzyme expression were not significantly different.

The effect of several cooking treatments on subsequent chilled storage of thawed deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) treated with different melanosis-inhibiting formulas

Abstract This work deals with the effect that different cooking methods have on quality of shrimps (Parapenaeus longirostris) during the chilled storage. Vacuum-cooking (sous-vide) and steaming were compared with the traditional cooking process in boiling water. The effect of prior treatment with several melanosis-inhibiting agents (with a commercial sulphite- or 4-hexylresorcinol-based formula) was also tested. Neither the melanosis-inhibiting blends nor the cooking methods used significantly affected the water-holding capacity, firmness or moisture content of the cooked shrimps. Spraying with a 4-hexylresorcinol-based formula was effective in preventing microbial growth during storage. Vacuum-cooking was also shown to be the most effective way of preventing microbial growth although the TVB-N content of cooked shrimps increased significantly. By discriminant analysis, a combination of prior spraying with 4-hexylresorcinol-based formula followed by vacuum-cooking, proved to be the best method for obtaining shrimps with a very good appearance and high microbial quality. The foregoing may be very important for the cooking industries.

The fate of deoxynivalenol and fumonisins in wheat and maize during commercial breakfast cereal production

A study of the changes undergone by Fusarium mycotoxins present in maize and wheat at intake during the processing of commercial grain samples into breakfast cereals was carried out. Natural concentrations of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in wheat were mostly low although higher levels of fumonisins occurred in maize. An exhaustive cleaning regime was used for wheat received from UK farms that reduced deoxynivalenol levels by about 50%, although this varied considerably between consignments. During processing to manufacture two commercial breakfast cereals, further loss of deoxynivalenol was minimal. However, this was significantly greater in a product from which excess aqueous cooker effluent was drained, suggesting that loss was due to solution of the mycotoxin in the cooking liquor rather than to hydrolysis. It is estimated that deoxynivalenol present at the EC maximum limit of 1,250 µg/kg in intake wheat would be reduced to about 700 and 400 µg/kg respectively for the 2 types of whole-wheat breakfast cereals examined during processing. Maize flaking grits were inherently low in mycotoxin concentrations compared to the raw maize so that the mycotoxin levels in the cereal ingredient for cornflakes used in this manufacturing process were unlikely to approach EC regulatory levels. In processing these grits, fumonisins were reduced further by at least 93% although no reduction of deoxynivalenol occurred. It is estimated that fumonisins and deoxynivalenol at the EC maximum limits in raw maize of 4,000 µg/kg and 1,750 µg/kg would be reduced to about 17 µg/kg and 288 µg/kg respectively in corn flakes made by the traditional cooking process used in the UK.

Spaghetti cooking by microwave oven: Cooking kinetics and product quality

The cooking kinetics of spaghetti cooked in boiling water by a traditional method: (TRC) and by microwave (MWC) using an innovative oven suitable for pasta cooking were investigated. The quality of cooked spaghetti was studied as a function of the following cooking parameters: weight increase, total thermal effect and gelatinization extent. Microwave cooking resulted in a time–temperature profile different from that of the traditional cooking process and when the cooking parameters were equal, the microwave cooking was characterized by a lower total thermal effect. In spite of the lower total thermal effect, when the weight increase was equivalent, microwave cooking resulted in more gelatinized and softer products than traditional cooking. The higher gel degree and amylose solubility were not reflected in a higher cooking loss or stickiness; this was due to a more compact gluten network in the outer layer of spaghetti. By modulating the cooking time it was possible to obtain MWC samples with values of weight increase, gel degree and firmness, respectively, equal to the TRC ones; thus different “optimum cooking times” were defined. Sensory panels did not perceive any significant differences between TRC spaghetti and MWC spaghetti samples cooked for different “optimum cooking times” except for the yellow colour intensity, which resulted higher for MWC pasta in agreement with the instrumental analysis data.

The effects of nitrite on the survival of Clostridium sporogenes and the autoxidation properties of the Kavurma

Kavurma is a traditional cooked (fried) meat product manufactured to preserve meat. Some bacterial genera, e.g., clostridia are important in kavurma. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of nitrite and the traditional cooking process on the survival and proliferation of Clostridium botulinum and the autoxidation properties of the kavurma. For this purpose, Clostridium sporogenes having similar characteristics to C. botulinum was used, and the samples were inoculated with 10 6 CFU/g C. sporogenes cells before the traditional cooking. The final products were packaged and stored under refrigeration for 6 months, and then the oxidation parameters (TBA, peroxide and free fatty acid values) and C. sporogenes counts of samples were determined. It was observed that C. sporogenes could survive during the traditional cooking process and storage. However, counts decreased during storage; for example, nitrite containing samples initially had 3.21 log CFU/g C. sporogenes and 2.73 log CFU/g at the end of storage. While nitrite had a slight antimicrobial effect on clostridia, it significantly reduced the TBA, peroxide and FFA values of the samples. In conclusion, it is suggested that addition of 100 ppm of nitrite might be useful in kavurma processing because of its role in limiting oxidation as well as its antimicrobial effect.

Changes in dietary fiber content and its composition as affected by processing of black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, Tamazulapa variety)

This paper presents the effect that the traditional cooking process of black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, Tamazulapa variety) has on the quantity and composition of soluble (SDF) and insoluble (IDF) dietary fiber of beans, as well as on its protein digestibility and protein quality. There was an increase of IDF from 18.1% in cooked beans to 22.4% in fried beans, and a decrease in SDF from 8.4% to 6.6%, respectively. Starch content decreased from 34.5% to 31.3%. No change was found in lignin. The xylose content was higher in IDF than in SDF and decreased to some extent from cooked to fried beans. Arabinose content was similar in IDF and SDF with no change caused by processing. The fraction containing glucose, mannose and galactose in IDF was higher than in SDF, the content increasing in IDF and decreasing in SDF, with processing. Protein content in IDF was higher than in SDF, with no major change when processing. About 29.5% of the total protein of beans was bound in DF. Protein digestibility and protein quality decreased from cooked to fried beans and was positively related to IDF.

Extraction of Agar by the Traditional Cooking Process from Seaweeds

The agar extraction by the traditional cooking process (from the seaweeds) was comparatively investigated at two string agar factories at Nagano State. The amount of extraction agar was equilibrated in 8hr and the melting points of raw agar gels reached to the maximum in 3hr.The other fundamental knowledges for the process control were also obtained and discussed.