Plantain (Banana-Musa AAB) is a widely growing but commercially underexploited tropical fruit. This study demonstrates the processing of plantain to flour and extends its use and convenience as a constituent of bread, cake and biscuit. Plantain was peeled, dried and milled to produce flour. Proximate analysis was carried out on the flour to determine the food composition. Drying at temperatures below 70ºC produced light coloured plantain flour. Experiments were carried out to determine the mechanism of drying, the heat and mass transfer coefficients, effect of air velocity, temperature and cube size on the rate of drying of plantain cubes. The drying was diffusion controlled. Pilot scale drying of plantain cubes in a cabinet dryer showed no significant increase of drying rate above 70ºC. In the temperature range found most suitable for plantain drying (ie 60 to 70ºC) the total drying time was adequately predicted using a modified equation based on Fick's Law provided the cube temperature was taken to be about 5ºC below the actual drying air temperature. Studies of baking properties of plantain flour revealed that plantain flour can be substituted for strong wheat flour up to 15% for bread making and up to 50% for madeira cake. A shortcake biscuit was produced using 100% plantain flour and test-marketed. Detailed economic studies showed that the production of plantain fruit and its processing into flour would be economically viable in Nigeria when the flour is sold at the wholesale price of NO.65 per kilogram provided a minimum sale of 25% plantain suckers. There is need for government subsidy if plantain flour is to compete with imported wheat flour. The broader economic benefits accruing from the processing of plantain fruit into flour and its use in bakery products include employment opportunity, savings in foreign exchange and stimulus to home agriculture.

Previous research shows that food/beverage promotions are prevalent in traditional channels, such as television, and that children's exposure to these promotions may be associated with dietary- and weight-related outcomes. However, little research has been conducted on in-school food/beverage promotions, despite evidence that promotions are present in schools and that similar associations between students' exposure to promotions and weight-related outcomes may exist. In an attempt to better understand in-school food/beverage promotions, the current study was undertaken. Specifically, the reliability of a new electronic tool to document direct observations of in-school food/beverage promotions was examined. Direct observation data, using the new tool, were collected in 30 middle schools in central Texas, and a new coding system was developed to categorize and quantify these data. Analyses were run to examine percent agreement between records for intra- and inter-rater reliability. Analyses were also run to assess percent agreement between coded records in order to examine inter-rater reliability for the new coding system. Descriptive analyses on direct observation data were conducted in order to further examine the types and prevalence of food/beverage promotions. T-tests were run to examine variations in food/beverage promotions by school-level differences including economic disadvantage and percent minority. Overall, sufficient intra- and inter-rater reliability was established for the new electronic data collection tool. Sufficient inter-rater reliability was found for the new coding system. Direct observation data showed that food and beverage promotions are prevalent in central Texas middle schools, particularly those displaying nutrition education messages, commercial products, brand logos, and unhealthier food/beverage items. Additionally, a higher prevalence of food and beverage promotions, especially for less healthy products, and those displaying commercial brands and visible logos, were found to vary by school-level differences. Specifically, lower economically disadvantaged and lower percent minority schools had significantly higher levels of these types of promotions, as compared to higher economically disadvantaged and higher percent minority schools. Future studies should further examine prevalence of and school-level differences regarding in-school food/beverage promotions, and if these promotions are associated with dietary- and weight-related outcomes. Results may inform stricter policies regarding in-school food/beverage advertising aimed at youth. / text

The world food crisis, Britain's reliance on imported food and feedstuffs and balance of payments difficulties were some of the factors which lent weight to the call for increased self-sufficiency in Britain's agriculture in the 1970s. This project considers two main areas: an investigation of the impact of radical agricultural change, designed to increase self-sufficiency, on the balance of payments; and, an appraisal of the potential role of the food industry within a radically different food system" The study proceeded by: an examination of the principles of agricultural policy and its development in Britain; an overview of the mechanism and meaning of the balance of payments; a consideration of the debate on agricultural import saving; the construction of radical agricultural strategies; the estimation of effects of the strategies , particularly to the balance of payments the role of the food industry and possible innovations within the strategies; a case study of textured vegetable proteins and" the wider implications of implememtation of radical agricultural alternatives. Two strategies were considered a vegan system, involving no livestock and an intermediate system including some livestock and dairy cattle. The study concludes that although agricultural change could principle make a contribution to the balance of payments, implementation of agricultural change cannot be justified for this purpose alone. First, balance of payments problems can be solved by more appropriate methods. Second, the UK' s balance of payments problem haa disappeared for the time being owing to North Sea oil and economic recession. Third, the political and social consequences of the changes investigated would be unacceptable. Progress in UK food policy is likely to be in the form of an integrated food and health policy.

The thesis objective was to investigate methods for improving the solubility of yellow mustard precipitated protein isolate (RTech Laboratories, USA) to allow for its use in protein enhanced acidic beverages along with soluble protein isolate in the pH range of 2 to 4.5. Four treatments were tested: hydrolysis with Alcalase®; cross-linking with transglutaminase; salting in with sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, and sodium hexametaphosphate; and protective colloid formation with pectin. The effectiveness of each was determined by its ability to improve nitrogen solubility (Nx6.25, AOCS-Ba11-65). The most effective treatments were hydrolysis and pectin stabilization. Pectin (1.5 w/v%) improved solubility from 6% to 29% at pH 4. Alcalase increased solubility from 20% to 70% at pH 3 after 2 h of hydrolysis (0.5AU/5g PPI, pH 8.5, 50-55degC) and eliminated the protein’s isoelectric point in the acidic pH range. Investigating the combined use of both treatments to further increase PPI solubility is recommended.

The thesis objective was to investigate methods for improving the solubility of yellow mustard precipitated protein isolate (RTech Laboratories, USA) to allow for its use in protein enhanced acidic beverages along with soluble protein isolate in the pH range of 2 to 4.5. Four treatments were tested: hydrolysis with Alcalase®; cross-linking with transglutaminase; salting in with sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, and sodium hexametaphosphate; and protective colloid formation with pectin. The effectiveness of each was determined by its ability to improve nitrogen solubility (Nx6.25, AOCS-Ba11-65). The most effective treatments were hydrolysis and pectin stabilization. Pectin (1.5 w/v%) improved solubility from 6% to 29% at pH 4. Alcalase increased solubility from 20% to 70% at pH 3 after 2 h of hydrolysis (0.5AU/5g PPI, pH 8.5, 50-55degC) and eliminated the protein’s isoelectric point in the acidic pH range. Investigating the combined use of both treatments to further increase PPI solubility is recommended.

Employee theft in a beverage operation can cause critical management problems. The dollar amounts involved are large enough to tremendously influence the cost effectiveness of the total business operation. This subject has been investigated by means of a review of written material pertinent to the theft problem within beverage operation. To further explain the problem, the author has drawn upon his actual work experience as well as his experience as an instructor in this field. The problem of employee theft is not limited to the personnel in any particular job category. In this case, the possibility of theft extends from the entry level positions throughout the organization to top management. A method of control then becomes the primary emphasis of the author's work. This comprehensive control system for inventory, from purchasing to the delivery of the goods to the consumer, has the capability of reducing the opportunity for employee theft. In addition, the system can provide management with inventory information, cost per serving, customer preferences, etc. The control system is, therefore, not limited to controlling the opportunities for t-heft but can be utilized as an effective management tool as well. All of the benefits of the system can lead to better management and greater cost effectiveness of the beverage operation.

The aim of this thesis is to introduce theoretical basis and practical review of actual revenue management usage in hospitality, espacially in the Food&Beverage Department. First chapter brings out the concept of revenue management from the view of its origin, development and integration into other industries. The second and third chapter describes different tools and approaches between the Rooms and Food&Beverage Department. The purpose of the last chapter is to compare revenue management usage through survey within both mentioned departments in the Czech Republic.

The purpose of this study was to identify the essential competencies for entry-level management positions in the food and beverage (F&B) industry based on the perspectives of Taiwanese industry professionals across three groups: work experience in Taiwan and/or mainland China, two F&B sectors (Hotel F&Bs and restaurants), and three management levels (first-line, middle, and top). A total of 515 Taiwanese F&B industry professionals participated in this study with 104 participants currently employed in mainland China, some of whom worked previously in Taiwan, and 411 participants working in Taiwan, without work experience in mainland China. Factor analysis produced four dimensions of important competencies: leadership, F&B management, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Results indicated that communication skills was the only dimension that showed significant difference between participants with and without work experience in mainland China. The findings of this study indicated that 14 of 41 competency items were ranked in the top 10 based on the responses of the three groups. Participants from all three groups ranked "high level of personal integrity" as the most important competence and "ability to communicate orally in proper English" was ranked as the second most important competence by all groups except the restaurant sector. The results also showed that 10 of 41 competency items were ranked differently between participants with and without working experiences in mainland China. Findings are beneficial for graduates preparing to enter a management position in F&B, industry leaders/managers, recruiters and corporate trainers, educators, and future research.

Health and well-being have become one of the most important topics in organizational research. The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the stress levels in all sectors across the world. The current environment has created unprecedented levels of employee turnover, in what economist have been calling the "Great Resignation," where individuals are not only quitting but are questioning their career choice and choosing to leave their profession altogether. This research utilized Conservation of Research (COR) theory and the Buffer Hypothesis (the notion that social support protects individuals from the negative impacts of workplace stress) to investigate occupational stress and well-being (i.e., burnout and job satisfaction) in the full-service restaurant segment. Prior research on occupational stress has investigated the buffering effect of support by focusing mainly on social support in general (support from friends and family), organizational support, supervisor support, and coworker support. This research is one of the first to conceptualize workplace support to include the role of customer-initiated support as well as organizational support, supervisor support, and coworker support in the occupational stress literature, specifically in the restaurant industry. Additionally, this study simultaneously investigated intention to stay with the employer and intention to change careers/career turnover. The results indicated that workplace stress positively impacts both dimensions of burnout: exhaustion and job disengagement. Subsequently, burnout was found to decrease job satisfaction, which was found to be an important driver of retention. Interestingly, job satisfaction was not significantly related to career turnover, suggesting overall job satisfaction is not enough to prevent career turnover and the buffering hypothesis was not supported. Results suggest that workplace support, including customer-initiated support, may play a different role in the occupational stress, burnout, turnover path. A discussion of the results, implications, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Divestiture activity within the restaurant industry has increased in the last twenty years, however there is a dearth of research investigating the subsequent effects of the phenomenon. In particular none of the studies in the literature, have specifically examined the effects of restaurant firms' brand diversification strategies and systematic risk on shareholder wealth when controlling for divestiture completions. This research extends the knowledge from previous work on corporate unbundling and brand diversification strategies to the unique restaurant industry. Drawing on agency theory, the long- and short-term effects of the resulting brand diversification levels on firm shareholder wealth following a divestiture is examined. In addition, the effect of systematic risk on shareholder wealth following a divestiture is investigated. The study is applied to one of the leading U.S. restaurant firms, Brinker International, Inc., since the company has completed a number of divestitures that have resulted in a reduction of its brand diversification. Time series data from 1994 to 2013 is used in the study. The Wharton Research Data Services database and Brinker International, Inc.'s Securities and Exchange Commission annual and quarterly filings are utilized in acquiring the data for the study. Data analysis for the study consists of a cointegration error correction model. Specifically, the study's methodology includes unit root tests, cointegration, vector error correction, and causality tests for the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between shareholder wealth, brand diversification, and systematic risk. In addition, a short-term positive relationship exists between Brinker's level of systematic risk and divestiture completion. In addition, a negative short-term relationship is found between Brinker's brand diversification and shareholder wealth with divestiture completion. However, no statistically significant relationships are found between brand diversification, systematic risk, and shareholder wealth for Brinker in the short term. Overall, the study's model for the short-term explains 23.63% of the variance in Brinker's shareholder wealth. This study provides various theoretical and managerial implications for the restaurant literature, as well as, provides a catalyst for future studies to expand on the relationships between brand diversification, systematic risk, and shareholder wealth for restaurant firms when considering divestitures.