The overall objective of the study was to investigate different food ingredient conditions and ultrasound treatment on pea protein in terms of surface morphology and thermal characteristics. The motivation of this work was based on previous studies focusing on non-chemical physical modifications of plant proteins and the increasing demand for functional alternative proteins. Ultrasonication time and amplitude, pH, protein concentration, and salt concentration all influenced the thermal and interfacial properties of pea protein. Ultrasound treatment altered the quaternary and tertiary structure of the storage protein and disrupted non-covalent bonds. The structural altercations and a reduction in particle size led to improved functionality. For foams generated at pH 5.0 with 4% (w/v) ultrasound treated protein, the foams had acceptable capacity and stability even when high levels of sugar (5% sucrose) and salt (0.6 M) were incorporated. An acceptable angel food cake simulation can be achieved by replacing egg white with ultrasound treated pea protein. Color and loaf height were different, but similar texture profiles were achieved. Ultrasound treatment significant improved the emulsifying capacity (up to 1.4 fold), emulsion stability, and creaming index compared to control samples (no ultrasound) over two weeks. The ultrasound treated emulsion yielded lower TBARS values, likely due to the change in exposed protein reactive groups. These findings demonstrate that ultrasound processing is an effective nonchemical method to change the structural and physiochemical properties of pea protein. Pea protein processed with this method might allow for the functionality in a bakery, dressings, or beverage products, which is appealing to many consumers and manufacturers.

Mutton meat was tested in different products in order to obtain prototype products in which mutton can effectively be used without the objectionable mutton off flavor. Mutton flavor reduction was achieved in the processed meat products by: (a) lowering mutton fat to a level of 10% or less, (b) using spices, smoking and/or curing, (c) substituting fat from beef or pork for mutton fat, and (d) the action of microbial starter cultures. Four taste panel sessions were set up to rate these products against an all beef or all pork control for consumer acceptability. Taste panel results indicate that flavor had the greatest effect on overall acceptability of these products, compared to texture and appearance. Proximate meat analysis for fat, protein, moisture and ash were performed using the Technicon InfraAlyzer 400R and the results were compared with values obtained by reference AOAC methods. Correlation coefficients of 0.992, 0.867, 0.992 and 0.511 were obtained for fat, protein, moisture and ash respectively. The two methods were not significantly different (p = .05). These results indicate that the InfraAlyzer may be used as a rapid method for proximate analysis of fat, protein and moisture.

Whole milk acidified to pH 5.3 with hydrochloric acid was used for the manufacture of Monterey cheese. The milk was inoculated with one and one-half percent lactic starter and set with 12.5 ml rennet per 1000 pounds of milk. Normal washing treatments resulted in cheese with moisture in excess of 44 percent. Moisture content was brought below 44 percent by using wash water at a temperature such that the water-curd whey mixture was 35 C. The pH of cheese made by preacidification was all between 5.21 and 5.09. No acid defects were encountered. Preacidification eliminated chance of spoilage or losses caused by starter failure and abnormally sweet cheese. The lactose content of Monterey cheese made by preacidification was higher (2.9 percent) than that made by the conventional process (1.1 percent), while flavor and body and texture scores were comparable.

The size, shape, and handling of the large swiss cheese wheels have given rise to problems of labor, marketing, and waste in cutting. At the present time, there is a trend to produce a smaller swiss cheese which will enable the manufacturer and marketing agencies to overcome the difficulties in handling the large wheels.

Fresh beef was modified-atmosphere packaged in carbon monoxide or oxygen to prolong red surface color. After comparison of several packaging method using carbon monoxide, steaks pretreated with 5% carbon monoxide for 24 hours and then vacuum packaged had the best combination of color and microbial stability (5 weeks), with the least potential for carbon monoxide inhalation. In the evaluation of ground beef in high-oxygen, modified-atmosphere-packaging, thiobarbituric-acid numbers increased over time, and the flavor was disliked slightly after 6 or 10 days of storage at 2° Celsius. The antioxidant effect of milk-mineral was tested in raw and cooked ground pork stored refrigerated or frozen. Thiobarbituric-acid numbers were low for all raw treatments. For cooked ground pork, thiobarbituric-acid numbers were lower for samples with milk-mineral or sodium-tripolyphosphate, compared to control or samples with butylated-hydroxytoluene. Sodium-tripolyphosphate, a type 2 antioxidant (iron chelator), was also very effective in preventing heme degradation during refrigerated storage.

Amino acids derived from the degradation of casein in cheese serve as precursors for the generation of desirable and undesirable flavor compounds. Microbial degradation of aromatic amino acids is associated with the formation of aroma compounds that impart putrid-fecal, barny-utensil, and floral off-flavors in cheese, but pathways for their production had not been established. This study investigated Tyr and Phe catabolism by Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus helveticus cheese flavor adjuncts under simulated Cheddar cheese-ripening conditions (pH 5.2, 4% NaCl, 15°C, no sugar). Enzyme assays of cell-free extracts and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography of supernatants indicated that L. casei and L. helveticus strains catabolize Tyr and Phe by successive transamination and dehydrogenation reactions. Major products of Tyr and Phe catabolism included off-flavor compounds formed by chemical degradation of the α-keto acids, produced by transamination, and aromatic α-hydroxy acids derived from α-keto acids by α-hydroxy acid dehydrogenases. Action of Lacrococcus lactis aminotransferase enzymes on Trp, Tyr, and Phe also leads to the formation of α-keto acids, but unlike lactobacilli, the former bacteria do not express dehydrogenase activity under cheese-like conditions (pH 5.2, 4% NaCl, 15°C, no sugar). Since aromatic α-keto acids may degrade spontaneously into undesirable flavor compounds, α-hydroxy acid dehydrogenases may be useful in controlling off-flavor development via diversion of chemically labile α-keto acids to more stable a-hydroxy acids. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of D-hydroxyisocaproate dehydrogenase overexpression by a L. casei adjunct on chemical and sensory properties of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese made with and without addition of 20 mM α-ketoglutarate. The D-hydroxyisocaproic acid dehydrogenase gene (D-HicDH) was cloned into a high copy number vector pTRKH2 and transformed into L. casei ATCC334. Reduced-fat Cheddar cheeses were made with Lactococcus lactis starter only, starter + L. casei ATCC334 with pTRKH2, and starter + L. casei ATCC334 with pTRKH2: D-HicDH, and then volatile analysis was performed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis of volatile data after 3 mo of ripening at 7°C showed profiles of ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, sulfur compounds, and benzaldehyde were significantly altered by culture treatments and α-ketoglutarate addition, and these treatments also affected sensory flavor attributes of experimental cheeses. Results also indicated overexpression of D-hydroxyisocaproic acid dehydrogenase can divert labile α-keto acids into more stable compounds, but the overall effect seemed to diminish both beneficial and detrimental flavor notes.

A procedure was developed for measuring residual rennin activity in curd extracts and whey. A sensitive substrate at pH 5.8 was prepared by mixing 6 grams of low-heat nonfat dry milk in 500 milliliters buffer containing 0.05 molar cacodylic acid, 0.02 molar calcium chloride, and 0.012 molar triethanolamine, and storing it at 2 degrees centigrade for 18 hours. Two milliliters of whey or curd extract were inoculated into 25 milliliters of substrate at 30 degrees centigrade. The coagulation time was measured and compared to that induced by 2 milliliters of a known rennin concentration added at the same time to identical substrate. Recovery of activity was determined by adjusting milk samples to pH 5.20 and coagulating them with a known concentration of rennin. The clot was broken by agitation and the curd separated from the whey by centrifugation. Activities accounted for in the curd and whey amounted to 91±1.6 per cent the activity added to the milk. Maximum release of activity from curd was achieved by diluting the curd 1:15 with water and adjusting the pH to 6.80. Inclusion of curd particles with the inoculum decreased the sensitivity of the substrate.

This study sought to investigate the role of the C55 undecaprenol lipid carrier in the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS), the effect of exopolysaccharide producing (EPS+) starter cultures on the viscosity of Mozzarella cheese whey, and the possible protective characteristics of capsular EPS against freezing and freeze drying. Efforts to investigate the role of the lipid carrier in EPS production employed pAMbacA, a plasmid that encodes an enterococcallipid kinase that confers bacitracin resistance by increasing intracellular levels of undecaprenol phosphate lipid carrier. Unfortunately, this avenue of study was thwarted by the inability to demonstrate bacA expression in a model dairy lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus lactis. To study the effect of EPS+ cultures on cheese whey, Mozzarella cheese was made with starters consisting of Lactobacillus helveticus (LH100) paired with one of four Streptococcus thermophilus strains. These strains included a capsular EPS producer (Cps+) MR-1C; a non-exopolysaccharide producing negative mutant (EPS-) of MR-1C, DM10; a ropy EPS producer, MTC360; and a non-EPS producing industrial strain, TA061. Results showed that Mozzarella cheese made with a Cps+ or ropy EPS+ S. thermophilus strain had significantly higher moisture levels than cheese made with non-exopolysaccharide producing (EPS-) streptococci. Melt properties were also better in cheeses with higher moisture. Viscosity measurements of unconcentrated and ultrafiltered (5-fold concentrated) whey showed that ultrafiltered whey from cheeses made with S. thernzophilus MTC360 was significantly higher in viscosity than whey from cheeses made with MR-1C, TA061, or DM10. There was no significant difference in the viscosity of unconcentrated or concentrated whey from cheese made with S. thermophilus MR-1C and cheese made with the commercial starter culture TA061. The results indicated that non-ropy, encapsulated exopolysaccharideproducing S. thermophilus strains can be used to achieve higher cheese moisture levels and to improve the melt properties of Mozzarella cheese without significantly increasing cheese whey viscosity. Finally, S. thermophilus MR-1C and DM10 were subjected to freezing and freeze drying to test for possible protective effects of the capsular exopolysaccharide. Analysis of variance of cell counts taken before and after freezing or freeze drying cycles revealed there was no significant difference between the viability of these strains.

One of the least controlled defects in Swiss cheese is development of splits. Split defect is characterized by fissures or cracks in the body of the cheese that can be as short as 1 cm in length or long enough to span a 90-kg block. This defect appears during refrigerated storage after the cheese is removed from the warm room. Swiss cheese with splits is downgraded because it is unsuitable for use on high-speed slicing equipment (up to 1,000 slices per minute). A 2x2x2 factorial experiment was used to determine the effect of different commercial Lactobacillus helveticus starters combined with commercial gas-forming strains of Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii on the occurrence of split defect in Swiss cheese. Two strains of L. helveticus recommended for Swiss cheese manufacture were used along with two strains of P. freudenreichii ssp. shermanii. The same strain of Streptococcus thermophilus was used in all treatments. To investigate the influence of seasonal variations in milk supply, eight vats were made in the summer and eight vats were made in the winter, each producing five 90-kg blocks of cheese. Each 90-kg block of cheese was cut into twenty-four 4-kg blocks, and each 4-kg block was graded based on the presence of splits. If splits were present, the cheese was downgraded from A to C grade. Only small variations were found in the composition of cheeses made during the same season. There were no correlations between cheese moisture, pH, fat, protein, calcium, lactose contents, D/L lactate ratio, or protein degradation that could be used to predict the amount of splits present after 90 d of storage. The extent of split formation was influenced by both the L. helveticus and P. freudenreichii ssp. shermanii cultures used. In this study, we were able to show a fivefold reduction in downgraded cheese through proper culture selection from 90% to 14% in the summer cheese. Even though less than 6% of the cheese split in the winter, the culture effect was nonetheless repeatable with a similar reduction through culture selection from 6% to 1% in winter cheese. Split formation also increases with storage time. If a cheese has a tendency to split, there will be a higher percentage of downgraded cheese the longer it is kept in storage.

Whey permeate was anaerobically digested in laboratory scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. Nine hydraulic retention times between 5 and 0.2 days were examined with a fixed influent concentration of 10.6 ± 0.2 g COD/L. Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency ranged from 99.0 to 18.9% and maximum production rate of methane gas was 2.67 L/L/day at a hydraulic loading rate of 12.97 kg COD/m3/day. About 70% of the chemical oxygen demand removed was converted to methane. Both the nonlinear least square method with 95% confidence interval and linear regression were used to evaluate kinetic coefficients. The maximum substrate utilization rate, k, and half saturation coefficient, KL, were determined to be 1.269 ± 0.163 Kg COD/kg VSS/day and 1.000 ± 0.179 kg COD/kg VSS/day. The yield coefficient, Y, and biomass decay rate coefficient, Kd, were also determined to be 0.160 ± 0.012 kg VSS/kg COD and 0.027 ± 0.004 day-1, respectively.