SAF-DYNAMICS of Food Science and Technology

Food fortification with iron

2012-01-25T01:13:00.001-08:00

The addition of certain minerals including trace minerals to food and drink is widely practiced as a public health measure. For example, in USA wheat flour is fortified with iron. In Brazil sugar is fortified with iron.

During World War II, several countries introduced fortification of wheat flour and bread with iron, and certain nutrients.

It is recommended when dietary iron is insufficient or the dietary iron is of poor bioavailability, which is the reality for most people in the developing world and for vulnerable population groups the developed world.

Iron fortification of foods is a preventive measure that aims at improving and sustaining iron nutrition on a permanent basis.

However it does depend upon there being suitable food that is consumed in adequate quantities by all in within a community.

Iron deficiency is the most widespread dietary deficiency in the world affecting close to one-third of the world’s population.

Its most visible impact is iron deficiency anemia which contributes significantly to high levels of maternal and neonatal deaths in poor, vulnerable population.

Iron is present in foods in two forms, as haem iron, which is derived from flesh foods such as meats and fish, and as non-haem iron, which is the inorganic form present in plant foods such as legumes, grains, nuts and vegetables.

Food fortification with iron

Milk chocolate

2012-01-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

To be called ‘chocolate’ the product must contain ingredients: cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin and vanillin. Milk chocolate also contains whole milk solids.

In 1847, Joseph fry was the first to produce a plain eating chocolate bar. In 1876, milk chocolate was introduced by Daniel Peters of Switzerland.

The ground nib was processed with sugar and milk solids and the result was a product that today is the mainstay of the chocolate industry.

Mixing of cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk and sugar is the first step in chocolate milk manufacturing.

The next step is refining or particle size reduction, in which the coarse paste is passed through a roller mill or media mill to reduce the particles of crystalline sugar, fibrous cocoa matter and milk solids to nominal diameter of 15 to 50 um.

Refining improves the texture of the chocolate and the degree of refining depends on the type of chocolate and the confectioner’s own recipe.

The refined chocolate is then conched, following by tempering, a mixing and cooling process specific temperature ranges to cause a small part of the liquid cocoa butter to be crystallize in the appropriate polymorphic form.

During the conching process, which can take between 6 to 72 hr, the moisture and volatile acid are evaporated which results in reduction of the viscosity of the chocolate. Conching describes the finals stages of bulk chocolate production. The purpose is to add the final touches to the texture and flavor of the product.

Milk chocolate is paler in color than dark chocolate, has a less intense flavor and is sweeter.

Milk chocolate

What is the meaning of Food Contaminant?

2012-01-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

Generally food consumers prefer high quality and intrinsically safe food for a low price, but they are also ware of food related health and safety concerns.

The possibility of harmful or toxic substances becoming part of the food supply concerns the public, the food industry and regulatory agencies.

Toxic food contaminants might also be formed within the food itself or within the human digestion tract by reactions of some food ingredients and additives.

Toxic chemical may be introduced into foods unintentionally though direct contamination, through environmental pollutant and as a result of processing.

Food may be contaminated by natural or man-made toxins, including substances shown to be carcinogenic in experimental animals and in some cases in humans.

Many naturally occurring food compounds may be toxic.

Naturally occurring carcinogen include mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxins, which contribute to causation of liver cancer in Africa and Asia.

Some substances are toxic and at the same time essential for good health such as vitamin A and selenium.

Measure require to prevent contamination include:
*Extensive analytical control food
*Determination of the source of contamination
*Legislation to establish permissible levels of contaminants.
What is the meaning of Food Contaminant?

What is soft drinks?

2012-01-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Soft drink is a soda made from carbonated water, added sugar and flavors. Carbonated soft drinks account for about 50% of the soft drink market and include colas, sparkling fruit drinks, tonics, ginger ales, shandy and carbonated teas.

Historically, soft drinks were derived form two main sources, fruit-flavoring sparkling waters associated with the popularity of the great European spas and non-alcoholic versions of domestically brewed herb beers.

The definition of soft drinks in the regulation includes fruit drinks, fruit juice squashes, crushes or cordials but excludes fruit juices and nectars.

They are nonalcoholic beverages made by absorbing carbon dioxide. While the purified water and carbon dioxide are well known ingredients, the flavoring composition is a safely and jealously guarded secret among the various manufacturers.

It is generally accepted that soft drinks are sweetened, water based beverages, usually with a balancing acidity.

Acids are added to soft drinks for extra bite. The primary acid used in soft drinks is phosphoric acid.

A 12 ounce can contains about 1.5 ounces of sugar and 160 calories but little of nutritional value.

A typical sedentary woman requires only about 1200 to 1600 total calories a day to maintain optimal weight and good health.

Two or three soft drinks can considerably reduce her daily food allotment as well as her nutrient supply. If the soft drink calories are added to the food calories, the excess would be stored as fat.

What is soft drinks?

Gout and Seafood

2012-01-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

There is small but significant association between incidence of gout and increased consumption of seafood.

What is gout? Gout is considered a form of arthritis that may benefit from anti-inflammatory diet that restricts saturated fat and sugar and includes omega-3 fatty acids.

People with gout suffer from joint pain caused by a buildup of uric acid.

Uric acid is the end product of the degradation of chemical called purines. The diet most often recommended for gout restricts purines.

Purine is one of uric acid component. Seafood rich purines especially sardines and anchovies.

Most of our own purines are recycled for re-use by our cells. The problem is that our food contributes to purines, which are broken down immediately in the gut membranes to create uric acid before transported in the blood to the kidney.

If the level of uric acid raised in the blood due to purine rich food and drink is taken rapidly where no more can be dissolved, crystal will form.

Crystal will be deposited in joints and soft tissue, where they cause local mechanical pressure and acute or chronic inflammation.

In the early stages, gout is characterized by episodic attacks of joint inflammation, which are usually monoarticular (affecting one joint) and begin abruptly with intense pain, swelling, warmth and redness of the affected joint.

What are the symptoms of gout?
*Pain and swelling within joint
*Often, an initial episode that occurs at night.
*Red skin around the affected joint.
*Extreme tenderness around the joint
Gout and Seafood

Potato chips production

2012-01-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

The food industry is shifting from an industry whose task was, during the twentieth century, the scaling up of small production processes into highly efficient fabrication lines.

Potato chips are thin slices of deep fried potato of about 2% moisture that come in a variety of flavors – from the traditional salted and barbeque, ranch and cheddar favorites to more gourmet and ethnic flavors.

Most establishment use white-skinned potatoes for chips compared to 10% that use red skinned potatoes.

Many reason were given for preferred skin color. These included tuber quality, price, availability and economical oil consumption.

The process started with peeling and rinsing the potato. Peeling should remove as little of the cortisol tissue, which contains 40-50% of the total solids.

While rinsing removes surface starch which prevents potato slices from adhering to each other during drying and sugar.

At the same time, rotten, spots, deep black eyes, and other physical defects are removed.

Then sliced into 1 mm slices using a food processor. The slices were washed afterwards in warm water several times to remove surface starch.

Blanching is carried out to improve the color of the finished product – the process may reduce browning during the frying process.

About 60% of the establishment blanch before frying.

Then the slices are deep fried for 3 minutes at temperature ranging from 180-185 degree C. Water is removed from slice and is replaced by oil amounting to as much as 35-40% of the finished chips.

The oil or fat used does not seem affect product quality. Oils and fat used were either vegetable-based or corn based.

When the temperature of the slices is near 150 degree C the vacuole of the tuber cells began to breakdown sugar are released and the chip starts to develop color.

The chips are allowed to drain afterwards for 2-3 minutes before transferred into a stainless food container.

Potato chips production

Cost Effective of HACCP

2012-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

HACCP is widely recognized in the food industry as an effective approach to establishing good production, sanitation and manufacturing practices that produce safe foods.

After the initial setting up of the system, be extremely cost effective.

First by building the controls into the process, failure can be identified at an early stage and therefore less finished product will be rejected at the end of the production line. It will prevent of waste and incident costs.

Secondly, by identifying the Critical Control Points, a limited technical resource can be targeted at the management of these.

Thirdly the disciplines of applying HACCP are such that there is almost always going to be improvement in product quality. Adequate training of personnel is a key to effective implementation of the HACCP system.

HACCP entails extensive planning, commitment of resources and new transaction disciplines - monitoring, cord keeping, audit/verification procedures and trend analysis techniques.

Consumer awareness of their right to purchase food that is safe has increase significantly over the past few years.

Here the controls used to prevent the presence of a harmful contaminant, such as glass are so often likely also to prevent the occurrence of less harmful contaminant, therefore providing brand quality protection as well as consumer protection.

An effective HACCP based product safety will include statement that: designate product safety as a top business priority.
Cost Effective of HACCP

Pizza dough

2012-01-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

Basic pizza dough is the most common type so dough used in pizza. Pizza dough is traditionally yeasted bread dough which is fermented before use therefore it is similar to cream cracker dough.

Basic pizza dough produces a crust that tastes good and crunches nicely when baked on a pizza stone, on a pizza screen or in a pizza pan.

Basic dough be made using only flour, natural yeast, salt and water. The dough then must be kneaded by hand or using mixers. The dough kneaded until smooth, before shape it into a ball.

Flour is an important ingredient in dough. Just the right fraction of flour is needed to make the dough. If too much flour the dough will be dry and difficult to knead. If less the dough will become sticky.

Unlike other bread dough, pizza dough needs to rise only once. Then letting it rest for 15 minutes before rolling or stretching to the desired shape.

The dough then cut into two or three equal potions using a non-serrated knife.

The traditional Italian pizza is a disc of fermented bread dough liberally topped with vegetables and meat pieces in a tomato sauce and garnished with grated cheese then baked in a very hot sole plate oven immediately before eating.

Pizza must be baking in a very hot oven, 500 °F. The best way to cook is directly on a pizza stone, which is crisps up the bottom of the crust and dried it out perfectly.

Baking pizza bases is aimed at a pale surface color and a good rise to a stable set structure within the pieces.

Pizza dough

Filled Milk

2011-12-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Filled milk is a milk or cream to which a fat other than butter fat has been added. A typical milk consists of skim milk or nonfat dry milk to which a vegetable fat has been added. It’s cheaper and contains less cholesterol than whole milk.

The water phase contains milk solids. These solids usually give a good flavor background, which usually makes addition of a milk or cream flavor unnecessary.

Usually the protein ingredient comes from soybeans, through sometimes the soya proteins is combined with a chalky protein substance called sodium caseinate, which is derived from real milk.

It is a homogenized product and its fat content should not less than 3 per cent and SNF 8,5 per cent.

This product was very unpopular initially, the ‘Filled Milk Act’ was passed by the US Congress in 1923 to prohibit interstate and foreign shipments of such products.

Congress claimed that filled milk was unhealthy, and that it was manufactured to look like real milk, thus confusing consumers.

By 1970s, the drive to reduce the intake of cholesterol on the diet resulted in an increased demand for filled milk products.

Filled Milk

Salt for cooking

2011-11-26T16:57:00.001-08:00

Almost 80% of the sodium consumed comes from processed food. Salt has been used to preserve food since human started cooking.

Salt performs many culinary functions, and one of them, is to enhance the flavor of foods.

Different people have such widely different tolerances for salt in their food that no recipe can guarantee to please every palate.

Salt is harvested from sea and rocks. Sea salt is more expensive and can be found in many high, expensive grades, colors.

Sea salt is much preferred in cooking by professional chefs for its more delicate flavor. Harvested from evaporated seawater, it contains useful trace minerals, including some naturally occurring iodine.

Rock salt is literally minced from earth, from dried up sedimentary lakes and seas. It is refined to produce pure sodium chloride. Iodized slat is rock fortified with iodine and has noticeably metallic flavor.

Expanding the concept of salt to include seasonings such as miso, tamari, shoyu, umeboshi, and even olives and sauerkraut can give much more inventiveness to the cooking.

Most of these salt seasoning have extra power, not just seasoning power; because they have undergone a fermentation process, beneficial are part of their essence.

It should be used with great care. It assist in the color and finish pastry. If using salted butter or margarine, less salt is required.
Salt for cooking

HACCP Programs

2011-11-19T20:08:00.001-08:00

HACCP programs should be strictly related to food safety.

Critical Control Points should only be used to control those points in a process where lack of control will likely result in the development of a potential safety hazard.

They should not be used to control non hazardous situations which are of serious regulatory, consumer or economic consequence.

Too much monitoring (i.e. inclusion of non-hazardous points) will dilutes out the HACCP effort, resulting in nothing being monitored or the wrong points being monitored.

There will be then no insurance that the product being release meets all safety requirements and therefore, a potential hazard may be delivered to consumers.

Non-safety related monitoring procedures should be part of a standard quality assurance programs.
HACCP Programs

Xylitol as a sweetener

2011-11-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Xylitol is a polyhydric alcohol having the formula C5H7(OH)5. It is presently used in chewing gum, mainly because of its noncariogenic property (it has not been found to cause tooth decay).

Xylitol’s intense and distinctive cooling effect in combination with its equal sweetness to sugar make it perfect ingredient for use in chewing gum especially sugar free chewing gums.

Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that for all purpose looks and tastes like white sugar.

It occurs naturally as a constituent of any fruits and vegetables, and is a normal intermediary product of carbohydrate metabolism in humans and in animals.

Because xylitol is slowly absorbed into blood stream and is only partially metabolized, it has a much lower caloric value about 40 percent lower than white sugar.

Commercially, it is produced by the hydrolysis of xylan (which is present to many plants), to xylose. Which is then hydrogenated to produce xylitol.

Xylitol is then purified and crystallized. Xylitol impart a sweet taste, which also appears to have a cooling effects. As it is metabolized by many organisms, it is quite stable.

Xylitol has been shown to improve breath color, retard loss of tooth enamel, reduce infections in the mouth and nasopharynx and relieve dry mouth.
Xylitol as a sweetener

Dark Chocolate

2011-11-13T01:27:00.001-08:00

Dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, and has been shown to decrease levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), the ‘bad’ cholesterol, by 10 percent.

Including dark chocolate in diet may benefit the heart by helping arterial damage caused by free radicals, and inhibit aggregation which could cause a heart attack or stroke.

Dark chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants called flavonoids. The two most common flavonoids are catechin and epicatechin, both of which have potent antioxidant effects.

Flavonoids are shown to neutralize free radicals which are released during energy production and other processes in the body.

Free radicals can inflict damage to cells and tissues and is an indicator of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a process of free radical release.

There have also been studies indicating that the flavonoids in cocoa relax the blood vessels, which inhibits an enzyme that causes inflammation.

Epidemiological studies indicate that at inverse relationship exist between heart disease and the consumption of flavonoids.

Dark chocolate contains more cocoa than typical milk chocolate candy bar. Cocoa is rich in natural compounds that are powerful enough to make dark chocolate a superfood.

One ounce of dark chocolate ( 60-70% cocoa) has about 160 calories. It is rich in magnesium, a mineral that human body needs for normal nerve and muscle function; and provides 5% of daily need of selenium, a mineral the works as an antioxidant.
Dark Chocolate

World Fishing industry

2011-10-26T04:08:00.000-07:00

About three quarters of global fish production is sued as food for humans. Much of the rats is processed into fishmeal, oil or fertilizer.

With an increasing percentage of fish going to the frozen and fresh markets, and the increasing requirement for high quality waste (secondary raw materials for by products), the attitude for the entire fishing industry is changing.

The fishing industry is composed of harvesting, processing and marketing segments, each with an associated infrastructure. This sequence must be started by the fisherman.

The expansion of deep ocean fishing has been driven by a number of factors, including technological developments in fishing boats, gear, processing and transportation.

The fishing activities expanded with development of technologies such as refrigeration, random communications, fish finders, satellites systems and so on.

The complex physical and biological environments, the difference in food requirements between many developed and developing nations, and the political relationships between nations complicate predications of these food resources and the ability to chart a course of action.

The highly nutritious protein foods from the sea and inland fresh waters do have an important place in feeding people. This impact can be increased tremendously through both harvesting and aquaculture operations.

One sign of pressure on commercial fishing is the growing number of harvesting restrictions being placed on species around the world.

Another factor is the growing consumer concern about pollution of ocean and fresh water resources. This strengthen aquaculture’s position as an alternate source of seafood.

Like all modern developments based on technology, the solution involves major financial investments, enlightened management and wise application of the technology.

Today, fishing is increasingly subject to government control. Regulation cover everything from limitations on fishing grounds and catches, or fishing quotas, to the types of gear that can be used.
World Fishing industry

Fructose Metabolism

2011-10-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Fructose metabolism occurs mainly in the liver, kidney and small intestine.

Fructose is absorbed rapidly by a carrier mechanism that facilitates transport across the intestinal epithelium; this process is mediated by the glucose transporter isoform, GLUT5 and GLUT2.

Fructose is slowly absorbed, then assimilated in the liver and metabolized by the body, independent of insulin production, and does not cause rapid rises in blood glucose after ingestion.

Therefore fructose does not promote the secretion of insulin.

It is therefore, suitable for diabetics and also for use in drinks intended to act as a lower more sustained energy source.

Owing it to limited effect on blood glucose, it is a low glycaemic index sweetener (compared with glucose).

This is an area of increased nutritional interest and may be a stimulus to the greater use of fructose in drinks.

Three liver enzymes allow fructose to be assimilated into pathways of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis.

Fructose has also been shown to have an increase satiety effect, compared with other sweeteners.

About ten percent of the calories contained in the Western diet are supplied by fructose.
Fructose Metabolism

Yoghurt production technology

2011-10-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Commercial yoghurts are divided into three main categories, plain/natural, fruit and flavored and these different types of yoghurt are manufacture in either the set or stirred or drinking form. The latter type is more popular.

The milk use during production depends on the type of yoghurt being made. Whole milk or skimmed milk can be used.

Milk is heat treated to denature milk proteins, which gives a more stable yoghurt as well as eliminating bacteria contaminants and reducing the oxygen content of the milk.

For the production of drinking or natural set yoghurt, milk should be concentrated to 18-35 g total solids 100 g, diluted with equal volume of boiling water spontaneously cooled to incubation temperature and the milk fermented.

This method of processing the milk produces good quality yoghurt but, with low fat milk. Homogenization is recommended.

Yoghurt milk heated to 85°C for 20 minutes and incubated for 42° for 3 hours. The incubation may be in stored tanks or in retail containers. In both styles, flavoring can easily be added by a dosing pump immediately before dispensing into the containers used for distribution.

Milk is turned into yoghurt using bacteria called Bacillus lactus. These are added to the milk as a bacteria culture.

The bacteria grow and produce lactic acid that thickens the milk and creates the acidic flavor of yoghurt.

The final product has a pH value of about 4-4.2 and contains 0.7-1.1% of lactic acid. The yogurt is then cooled to 5° C and stored at the temperature.

The variety of products is increased by the addition of fruits and fruit pastes to yoghurt. The addition of fruit or fruit pastes and sugar yields special products.

Top quality yoghurt is smooth, without grittiness or granules and without effervescence.
Yoghurt production technology

Nutritional value of bread

2011-10-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

Healthy concepts related to nutritional value are emerging as fundamental quality attributes of bread products.

Bread is a nutritious food. It is starchy food that contains other vital nutrients. It is recommended to eat six slices of bread a day.

The excellent bread can be made from with flour, yeast, salt and water. Of the four ingredients, flour is the only variable, and the nutritional value of that will change according to the extraction rate or by addition during milling.

The nutritional value of bread can be increased by such addition as fat, milk, sugars, malt fruit and nuts.

Despite the fact that the nutritional composition of bread varies with the type of bread, bread is an energy dense product due to the carbohydrate content in the form of starch.

Bread is particularly important as an energy for food, providing 20-30% of the total energy requirements of the people.

It has 70 calories in an average slice. In some tests overweight people have succeeded in shedding pounds on diets of 1,200 to 1,500 calories of which almost half were from bread.

In term of protein, bread has an approximate protein content of 8%. About 20% of the protein intake of the people is provided by the bread baker. It is the cheapest source of protein.

It is also provide the amount of dietary fiber and does not contain cholesterol.

Although breads may appear similar, their ingredients vary widely. Breads made mostly from whole-grain flours provide more benefits to the body than breads made of enriched, refined, wheat flour.

Some ‘high fiber’ breads may contain purified cellulose or more nutritious whole grains. Low carbohydrate breads may be regular white bread thinly sliced to reduce carbohydrates per serving, or may contain soy flour, barley flour, or flaxseed to reduce starch content.

Whole grains breads provided the kind of dietary fiber that reportedly helps prevent such intestinal problems as constipation, diverticulosis and cancer of the colon.
Nutritional value of bread

Plastic film packaging

2011-10-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

The preservation of a food product packed in a plastic firm mainly depends on the maintaining of its original quality by protecting it against external deterioration influences.

This achieved through the barrier properties of the packaging material.

From the early 1960s, to now, polymer film has been dominant film packaging material in the snack food, bakery and candy industries.

The majority of plastic films are transparent and not easily colored by dyeing or adding pigments. In order to develop opacity, films can be cavitated during film manufacture.

The films are heat-sealable and they have the advantages of being grease and oil resistant for the protection of the contents.

The required protection of the foodstuff may be achieved with a single layer of polymer or necessitates the use of multilayered films including different polymers, coating and metal foils.

The barrier properties, hence the protecting capacity of a package, mainly originate from its permeability to gases and vapors that are noxious to the quality of the product.

A loss of water may lead to undesirable drying detrimental to both the texture of the product and the purse of the manufacturer.

The film is used because of it excellent moisture barrier properties, stiffness, gloss, printability and crispness. When needed, special coatings provide excellent oxygen barrier property as well.

Generally, films are by definitions less than 1oo um thick. Film is used to warp products, to overwrap packaging to make sachets, bags and pouches and is combined with other plastics and other materials in laminates, which in turn are converted into packaging.
Plastic film packaging

Foodborne Disease Incidence

2011-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Accurate estimates of the yearly incidence of foodborne disease are difficult and sometimes impossible, depending on the reporting systems in different countries.

Many countries have no system for collecting and reporting data on gastrointestinal infections and even where these exists the reported data is acknowledged to represent only a fraction of the true number of cases.

The true incidence of food borne infection is also difficult to determine since asymptomatic infection is common, because only a minority of people will seek medical treatment and because only a minority of patients will be investigated microbiologically.

Food borne disease statistics in some European countries and the Americas, where reporting systems are netter than some other regions, are dominated by cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis.

While in other regions, however, foodborne disease statistics tend to rely on outbreak information only, and in some cases, other organism, are identified as leading causes of illness.

For example in Australia, of the 17,2 million cases of gastroenteritis each year in Australia, there are 5.4 million cases that are conservatively estimated to be due to contaminated food resulting in the loss of 6.5 million days of paid work.

In the US, it has been estimated that foodborne disease cause approximately 78 millions illnesses, 325,000 hospitalization and 5000 deaths each year, with known pathogens accounting for 14 millions illness, 60,000 hospitalizations and 1800 deaths.

The organism identified as causing the largest number of foodborne related cases of illness were Norwalk-like virus, followed by campylobacter, salmonellas, Clostridium perfringes, Giardia lamblia, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, and Toxoplasma gondii, respectively.

A number of well publicized outbreaks of food borne illness and recalls of meat and meat products have occurred during the past decade.

Many million of kilograms of ground beef and luncheon meat have been recalled because of potential contamination with E. coli o157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, respectively.

A large outbreak in the early 1990s due to E. coli O157:H7 contaminated hamburgers resulted in four deaths and hundred of illnesses.
Foodborne Disease Incidence

Health benefits of wheatgrass juice

2011-10-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Wheatgrass juice comes from young wheat that is 7-10 days old and organically grown in soil.

The ultimate value from the humble wheat grain is obtained from sprouted wheat and wheatgrass shoots that are pressed into a juice, termed wheatgrass juice.

Most juice bars prepare and applaud its health and healing benefits.

Wheatgrass juice helps to detoxify the body by increasing the elimination of hardened mucus, crystallized acids and solidified, decaying fecal matter.

Wheatgrass juice’s high enzyme content helps dissolve tumor. It is the fastest way to eliminate internal waste and proved an optimum nutritional environment.

The chlorophyll content is the major contributor of benefits, especially as it is obtained so fresh and alive with enzymes and living nutrients.

Wheat grass juice contains over 70 percent chlorophyll. Because it is absorbed into the body stream almost immediately, the juice can be a potent blood cleanser in the body. It detoxifies liver and blood stream and helps neutralize pollutants like carbon monoxide.

It may start an immediate reaction with toxins and mucus in the stomach, possibly causing nausea.

Abundant in alkaline minerals, wheatgrass can reduce over acidity in the blood making in useful for over-acid body conditions like arthritis, rheumatism, candida yeast overgrowth, chronic fatigue, AIDS and allergies.

It is recommended the use of three to six ounces of fresh wheatgrass juice every day or so a added protection from the pressures and stresses of modern living.
Health benefits of wheatgrass juice

Technology of bread baking

2011-09-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

The function of baking is to present cereal flours in an attractive, palatable and digestible form.

Most bakery products are made of the same few ingredients – flour, shortening, sugar, eggs, water or milk and leavenings.

The dough is kneaded by hand or machine. After the dough rests for some time (about 2 hours) it is manipulated to push out the gas that has been evolved.

Three process are commence when the ingredients for bread making are mixed.
*The protein in the flour begin to hydrate and to combine with some water , to form gluten.
*Air bubbles are folded into dough. During the subsequent handling of the dough these bubbles divide or coalesce.
*Enzyme in the yeast start to ferment the sugars present in the flour and later sugar released by diastatic action of the amylases on damaged starch in the flour, breaking them down to alcohol and carbon dioxide.

The dough is then moulded into loaf shape and allowed to rest in the baking pan for 45 to 60 minutes at 38° – 48° C for final proof and is then baked for about 30 minutes with steam injected into the oven to produce a glaze on the crust.

Loaf sized are breads is baked in an oven pre-heated to 204° C. After the first 15 minutes of baking, the temperature is reduced if the crusts become to brown. Baking is continued until the bread is fully baked.

There are four major changes to the dough piece which can be seen as it is baked:
*A large reduction in product density – the dough gets thicker, associated with development of an open porous or flaky structure
*A change of shape associated with shrinkage or spread and increase on thickness
*A reduction in moisture level, to between 1-4%
*A change in surface coloration
Technology of bread baking

Food Safety Tips

2011-09-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Tips to keep food safe:
* Don't buy produce that's bruised or damaged.

* Do not buy or use canned goods that are swollen, dented or otherwise damaged. * When possible, buy seasonal local produce or grow your own.

* Keep fruits and vegetables separate from meats and fish.

* Do not buy frozen foods that have thawed.

* Transport food in a cool environment – an air conditioned car, insulated cooler or ice packed bags.

* Refrigerate fruits and vegetables at 40 degrees F or below. Danger zone for most foods is the temperature range between 40 140 degree F.

* Food stored in the freezer needs to be wrapped in freezer bags or freezer paper.

* Wash hands thoroughly, in hot, soapy water before handling any food.

* Wash fruits and vegetables under running water before eating them -- even if you peel them. However, peeling will reduce the amount of pesticides in nonorganic fruits and vegetables but it will not entirely eliminate them.

* Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth or paper towel.

* Do not allow food to sit in the sun. Keep hot foods hot an cold foods cold.

* Wash your hands after preparing fresh produce.

* Cut away any bruised or damaged parts of fruits or vegetables.

* Throw out any rotten produce.

* Do not eat moldy food. Can save hard cheese and from fruits and vegetables by cutting the mold out. Remove the large area around the mold.

* Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with soap and hot water after preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood, and before preparing produce that'll be eaten raw.
Food Safety Tips

Natural Sources of Vitamin D

2011-09-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Diet is not a major source of vitamin D. Perfectly reasonably and well balanced diet may not supply the amount required to prevent deficiency.

Some food items that naturally contain small amounts of vitamin D include oil fish such as salmon, mackerel and blue fish. Cod liver oil is the best source of vitamin D.

The two basic substances with vitamin D activity D2 and D3, occur only in yeast and fish liver oils.

Vitamin D is also present in small quantities in vegetables, meat and egg yolk.

The main food source are those to which crystalline vitamin D has been added. Milk, because it is commonly used, has prove to be the most practical carrier.

The most efficient source of the vitamin is not a food at all, but exposure to sunlight, which transforms a related pro-vitamin substance in the skin into a substance which the kidney can change into active vitamin D.

Sunlight, in the form of ultraviolet-B radiation, providing 90-100% of the requirement for most people who are exposed to adequate sunlight.

Like other fat soluble vitamins, the sunlight activated pro-vitamin D can be stored away in the liver.

Vitamin D can also be obtained from nutritional supplements, For example, multivitamin supplements typically contain 400 IU vitamin D and pharmaceutical preparations can contain as much as 50,000 IU vitamin D per capsule/tablet.
Natural Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D and Rickets

2011-09-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

In an infant or child this deficiency results in the disease called rickets, in which the rapidly growing bones grow soft and eventually bend under the weight of the body.

It’s a defect in the mineralization of bone matrix with increase bone mass.

Affected children lack the exposure to ultraviolet light necessary for the dermal synthesis of vitamin D and have a poor diet in vitamin D in which the component (high fiber and high cereal) probably contribute to the excessive breakdown of vitamin D.

In adults, the same disorder is called osteomalacia or adult rickets. It is to be distinguished from osteoporosis where bone mass is decreased from hypophosphatemic osteopeniaof premature infants, and from renal osteodystrophy.

The name rickets is from the Old English wrickken, to twist. The more technical medical term, rachitis, which comes from Greek, the spine , was suggested by Francis Glisson in 1650.

Vitamin D deficiency rickets occurs in underprivileged populations throughout the world, particular in the northern hemisphere.

Women in United States usually take multivitamins and eat vitamin D dairy foods so rickets and vitamin D deficiency is less a problem than in developing countries and northern Europe.
Vitamin D and Rickets

Shellfish of abalone

2011-09-21T19:13:00.001-07:00

Abalone is a shellfish or mollusk, Haliotus spledens, H. rufescens, H. cracherodii, also sometimes called ormer, or sea ear.

The abalone has two features that recommend it to humankind. One is that suitably, tenderized and seasoned, the meat of the abalone is very good eating.

Second, the ‘mother of pearl’ inside surface of shell of the abalone is used in jewelry.

People in many parts of the world harvest abalones. The largest species, the red abalone, is collected along the coast of California, while in southern Australia divers pursue the smaller Roe’s abalone.

Abalones are to be found in many parts of the world, including the coastal zones of the Mediterranean, region, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands and western North and South America.

Today, China and Taiwan raise more 90% of the world’s farmed abalones in saltwater pens or suspended cages.

It takes three to four years for an abalone to reach market size of four to six while abalone per pound (nine to thirteen per kg).

In the USA there is a traditional market for abalone, which is mainly in California, where there was a flourishing fishery until the early 1970s.

The traditional US market now consists primarily of expensive, white tablecloth restaurants in California.
Shellfish of abalone