Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1992. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Food Technology)-Dept of Biotechnology, Durban University of Technology, 2007 xvi, 106 leaves / Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a spore-forming spoilage micro-organism found in fruit juices whose spores are not destroyed by typical pasteurisation. Once its spores outgrow and multiply in finished juice products, they produce two volatile taint compounds namely guaiacol and 2,6-dibromophenol. In the food industry margins for errors are small and monitoring of products to avert such errors is crucial. Conventional microbiological monitoring is one such technique for spoilage micro-organisms another being automated systems which can detect taints. Both these categories were evaluated in this study with the electronic nose and gas chromatograph being the specific automated systems being assessed. Sensory evaluation was also assessed as a diagnostic tool in the detection of taints. Isolation and identification of what was thought to be A. acidoterrestris was a laborious and expensive exercise which eventually proved inconclusive. A pure culture was purchased and juices were then inoculated with two levels of A. acidoterrestris spores and incubated. Juices from each level of inoculation were evaluated at different time intervals via the above-mentioned monitoring techniques. Of the three media assessed in the microbiological method, Bacillus acidoterrestris medium (BAM) was found to be the most effective for enumerating A. acidoterrestris followed by K-medium (KM) then Orange Serum Agar (OSA). While BAM was still indicating the presence of A. acidoterrestris KM and OSA were not (counts of <10cfu/g). This illustrated that this micro-organism could be easily overlooked if KM or OSA were being used to enumerate them. Considering that many workers actually do use KM and OSA as their media of choice in enumerating A. acidoterrestris (perhaps because BAM is very tedious to prepare) the cause for concern is a real one. Assessment of the resultant taints via sensory evaluation after inoculation and incubation reveals the inability of many panellists to detect taints at levels (as assessed by GC) far above their documented threshold values. While GC is an extremely useful and powerful tool, the level of expertise and skill required to use such an instrument cannot be overlooked nor can the expense involved. With regard to the electronic nose assessment for the presence of the volatile taint compounds, an important finding was that the electronic nose indicated significant differences between test and control samples when panellists performing sensory evaluation did not. This also correlated to an interval when enumeration on OSA illustrated no A. acidoterrestris after several days of inoculation and incubation and BAM and KM did. Without implying that the electronic nose has no drawbacks, it has proved, in this instance to be a simple and easy piece of equipment to use. It can be used to detect taints produced under simulated spoilage conditions at reduced analysis times, levels of expertise, cost and energy.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Food Technology)-Dept of Biotechnology, Durban University of Technology, 2007 xvi, 106 leaves / Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a spore-forming spoilage micro-organism found in fruit juices whose spores are not destroyed by typical pasteurisation. Once its spores outgrow and multiply in finished juice products, they produce two volatile taint compounds namely guaiacol and 2,6-dibromophenol. In the food industry margins for errors are small and monitoring of products to avert such errors is crucial. Conventional microbiological monitoring is one such technique for spoilage micro-organisms another being automated systems which can detect taints. Both these categories were evaluated in this study with the electronic nose and gas chromatograph being the specific automated systems being assessed. Sensory evaluation was also assessed as a diagnostic tool in the detection of taints. Isolation and identification of what was thought to be A. acidoterrestris was a laborious and expensive exercise which eventually proved inconclusive. A pure culture was purchased and juices were then inoculated with two levels of A. acidoterrestris spores and incubated. Juices from each level of inoculation were evaluated at different time intervals via the above-mentioned monitoring techniques. Of the three media assessed in the microbiological method, Bacillus acidoterrestris medium (BAM) was found to be the most effective for enumerating A. acidoterrestris followed by K-medium (KM) then Orange Serum Agar (OSA). While BAM was still indicating the presence of A. acidoterrestris KM and OSA were not (counts of <10cfu/g). This illustrated that this micro-organism could be easily overlooked if KM or OSA were being used to enumerate them. Considering that many workers actually do use KM and OSA as their media of choice in enumerating A. acidoterrestris (perhaps because BAM is very tedious to prepare) the cause for concern is a real one. Assessment of the resultant taints via sensory evaluation after inoculation and incubation reveals the inability of many panellists to detect taints at levels (as assessed by GC) far above their documented threshold values. While GC is an extremely useful and powerful tool, the level of expertise and skill required to use such an instrument cannot be overlooked nor can the expense involved. With regard to the electronic nose assessment for the presence of the volatile taint compounds, an important finding was that the electronic nose indicated significant differences between test and control samples when panellists performing sensory evaluation did not. This also correlated to an interval when enumeration on OSA illustrated no A. acidoterrestris after several days of inoculation and incubation and BAM and KM did. Without implying that the electronic nose has no drawbacks, it has proved, in this instance to be a simple and easy piece of equipment to use. It can be used to detect taints produced under simulated spoilage conditions at reduced analysis times, levels of expertise, cost and energy.

Fresh ripe, cantaloupes were processed into juice and juice concentrate. Processing trials were conducted on fresh and frozen fruits with and without rind. The effects of maceration enzymes and fining agents on yield and quality were investigated. Compositional measurement included °Brix, pH, titratable acidity, formol values, ascorbic acid content, total carotenoids, sugar and nonvolatile acid profiles, browning indices and Hunter color parameters. Considerable ascorbic acid degradation occurred during processing. The high juice yield (80%) and low acidity suggest its potential use as an alternate sweetener source. Sensory evaluation by a trained panel showed that concentrating the juice samples from flesh and rind can remove the rind aroma and flavor characteristics. Juices obtained from flesh and from flesh and rind were not significantly different (p [less than or equal to] 0.05) except for overall intensity and fresh fruit flavor characters. Single strength juice was significantly different (p [less than or equal to] 0.05) from concentrate on most aroma and flavor characters. / Graduation date: 1991

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). "January 2009." Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-236). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Commercially bottled, vitamin C-fortified, cranberry juice cocktail and cranberry-apple (cranapple) juice drinks were stored at 5°C under simulated home-use conditions. Ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) levels were evaluated over a period of seven days by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Total vitamin C content was also determined by a classical spectrophotometric method. The HPLC data revealed a significant decrease of AA during the storage of both juice drinks resulting in losses of 35% and 27% in the cranberry and cranapple drinks, respectively. The loss of ascorbic acid was offset by the simultaneous increase of DHA (a biologically active vitamin) so that the sum of AA+DHA decreased 13% and 0% in the cranberry and cranapple drinks, respectively. Thus ascorbic acid retention was apparently influenced by the nature of the juice system. The spectrophotometric results indicated no significant loss of total vitamin C activity during the storage of either juice drinks. The observed differences between the spectrophotometric and HPLC results were attributed to interference problems associated with the spectrophotometric method. / Graduation date: 1988

Graduation date: 1994

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1991. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-71).

Thesis (Msc Food Sc (Food Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Fruit juices were until recently considered to only be susceptible to spoilage by yeasts, mycelial fungi and lactic acid bacteria. Spoilage by these organisms was prevented by the acidic pH of fruit juices and the heat-treatment applied during the hot-fill-hold process. Despite these control measures, an increasing number of spoilage cases of fruit juices, fruit juice products and acidic vegetables due to contamination by thermophilic acidophilic bacteria (TAB) have been reported. The genus Alicyclobacillus, containing TAB were first classified as Bacillus, but were reclassified in 1992. Species of Alicyclobacillus are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacteria. The unique characteristic of these organisms is the presence of ω-alicyclic fatty acids, such as ω-cyclohexane and ω-cycloheptane, as the major components of the cellular membrane. This organism has been shown to survive pasteurisation conditions of 95°C for 2 min and grows within a pH range of 2.5 to 6.0 and temperatures between 25° and 60°C. The genus currently consists of 11 species, with A. acidoterrestris, A. acidocaldarius and A. pomorum being the only species associated with the spoilage of fruit juices and fruit juice products. The aim of this study was to evaluate culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches for the detection and isolation of Alicyclobacillus spp. from pasteurised South African fruit juices and concentrates. The culture-dependent approach was evaluated by comparing five different growth media, for growth and recovery of A. acidoterrestris, A. acidocaldarius and A. pomorum at different incubation temperatures, from sterile saline solution (SSS) (0.85% (m/v) NaCl), diluted and undiluted fruit juice concentrates. The five media evaluated included potato dextrose agar (PDA), orange serum agar (OSA), K-agar, yeast extract (YSG)-agar and Bacillus acidocaldarius medium (BAM). The culture-independent approach was used to identify the micro-organisms present in fruit juices and concentrates from different South African manufacturers before and after pasteurisation, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and DNA sequencing. Spread plates of PDA at pH 3.7 and incubation temperature of 50°C for 3 days was found to be the best isolation media for species of Alicyclobacillus from fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate. With the inclusion of a heat shock treatment at 80°C for 10 min the growth media of preference for spores of Alicyclobacillus from fruit juice concentrates was OSA at pH 5.5 and an incubation temperature of 50°C for 3 days. The culture-dependent approach could detect cells or endospores at a minimum concentration of 104 cfu.ml-1 in SSS and diluted fruit juices. PCR-based DGGE analysis was more sensitive and detected cells of Alicyclobacillus spp. from fruit juices and concentrates at a minimum concentration of 103 cfu.ml-1. Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris was found to be present in South African apple juice, pear juice, white grape juice and aloe vera juice. White grape juice was also found to contain A. pomorum. Other organisms present in the orange, apple, mango and pear juices were two uncultured bacteria that were identified as members of the genus Bacillus, and one uncultured bacterium closely related to Alcaligenus faecalis. This study confirmed the presence of TAB in pasteurised South African fruit juices and concentrates and emphasises the need for the rapid and accurate detection of TAB in food products.