Milk is one of the eight major food allergens. Cow's milk allergy is the most common allergy in children under 2 years of age. About 1.6 to 2.8 percent of children under this age are reported to have cow's milk allergy. Casein, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin are major milk protein allergens. Nonthermal treatments like high intensity ultrasound, ultraviolet (UV) light and nonthermal plasma treatments have been reported in the literature to be effective in reducing the allergenicity of different food proteins. Hence it was expected for these treatments to reduce cow milk allergenicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high intensity ultrasound, nonthermal atmospheric plasma and UV-C light treatments in reducing the allergenicity of isolated major milk proteins. Sonics Vibracell VC 505 ultrasonic liquid processor was used to perform high intensity ultrasound treatments. UV light treatments were performed using a DDK Scientific Corporation UV tunnel. A nonthermal atmospheric plasma setup assembled in Department of Microbiology lab was used to perform plasma treatments. Samples were analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to estimate the change in protein concentration and enzyme linked immuno sorbent assays (ELISA) to observe the change in IgE binding. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the relationship between treatment time and percent IgE binding at 95% confidence level. Further investigation was conducted with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on treated casein to assess any change in the structure of protein. SDS-PAGE results for ultrasound and plasma treatments didn't show any change in gel band intensities for casein, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin indicating no significant change in protein concentration. Ci-ELISA analysis showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in IgE binding values for control and treated samples in ultrasound and plasma treatment conditions tested in this study. The intensities of all the three protein bands in SDS-PAGE gel were reduced by UV-C light treatment at 15 min treatment time. In Ci-ELISA, there was a significant difference (p< 0.05) in IgE binding values for control and treated samples and a reduction in allergenicity of proteins (25% reduction for casein and 28% reduction for whey protein fractions) was observed. Further investigations using in vivo clinical trials need to be conducted to confirm this result. NMR results didn't show any noticeable changes in the structures of casein with all three different treatments. In conclusion, UV-C light treatment can reduce the allergenicity of isolated major milk proteins to some extent. High intensity ultrasound and nonthermal atmospheric plasma treatments failed to generate effective results for reducing allergenicity at the conditions tested in this study. Higher intensity and longer treatment conditions might yield better results with ultrasound treatment. Different power and gas flow rates used to generate plasma with direct exposure of proteins might yield better results towards reducing the allergenicity of major milk allergens.

The process of partial hydrogenation produces trans fats and the fats that undergo this process are called partially hydrogenated fats (PHF). Clinical studies have shown a strong association between PHF and coronary heart diseases. In 2015 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed the Generally recognized as safe or "GRAS" status of PHF. These fats were used in confectionary, margarines, shortenings, doughnuts, cookies, cakes, etc. The PHF serve a function in food by providing a higher shelf life and a desired harder structure due to their higher melting point. Hence, the food industry is currently looking for PHF alternatives which serve the function but have no harmful health effects. One of the alternatives to replace PHF is to use interesterified fats that have a low level of saturation that makes them healthier. However, these new fats are too soft with restricted use in many food applications. In this study, we explored the use of high intensity ultrasound (HIU) to improve the functional properties of interesterified fats and make them harder. Our study showed that HIU formed small crystals in these fats and increased their viscosity. The results from this study on the flavor release from the interesterified fats showed that the physical structure and hence the amount of solid fat in the sample affected its flavor perception. The solid fats had higher flavor perception than the liquid fat samples. The goal of this study is to improve the functionality of the interesterified fats using HIU and understand the flavor release from these fats to make substitution in food products easier.

Oxidation in oils and muscle foods has been studied for many years to understand its mechanism and furthermore to control and manage it. A series of different processing steps or different packaging techniques can alter oxidative stability. The objective of the current study was to examine oxidative stability of processed oil and to evaluate the effect of carbon dioxide generating mineral on quality of beef and chicken under different storage conditions. In Study 1 (Chapter 3), the effect of ultrasound on oxidative stability of interesterified soybean oil and soybean oil was examined. Sonication did not affect oxidation rate until the oils were highly oxidized. Sonicated interesterified soybean oil exhibited a slightly but significantly lower oxidation rate than non-sonicated oil during long-term storage, while sonication of non-interesterified soybean oil led to a significantly higher oxidation rate than in non-sonicated soybean oil after induction period. In Study 2 (Chapter 4), the feasibility of trona as a CO2 producing product in a model system and in modified atmosphere packaging of beef steaks was investigated. Trona was able to generate more carbon dioxide than sodium bicarbonate with salicylic acid in model systems. Steaks stored with trona/acid mixture had similar color stability and delayed lipid oxidation compared to those stored in high oxygen packaging. In Study 3 (Chapter 5), the effect of packets containing trona and acid placed in a simulated self serve retail case and closed butcher case on the quality of ground beef was studied. Mineral packets did not affect color, lipid oxidation, or microbial growth of ground beef since there was not a sufficient amount of moisture to generate CO2 effectively. In Study 4 (Chapter 6), the quality of chicken breast/thigh portions stored with mineral packets was compared to those without mineral packets during extended storage, and mineral packets had an antimicrobial effect of CO2 only on day 15. In conclusion, high intensity ultrasound did not affect the rate of oxidation of oil until the oil had already become noticeably rancid, and mineral packets containing trona and an acid with low water solubility can be used as CO2 generating sachet if sufficient moisture is given.

A principal reação de derivatização da quitina é a hidrólise dos grupos acetamido, que gera o polímero conhecido como quitosana. O foco do presente estudo é desenvolver um processo eficiente, reprodutivo e versátil para produção de quitosanas com características controladas. Nesse sentido, o processo de desacetilação de quitina assistida por irradiação do ultrassom de alta intensidade, denominado processo DAIUS, foi estudado. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo proposto, as seguintes etapas foram realizadas: i) extração, fracionamento e caracterização de beta-quitina extraída de gládios de lulas; ii) estudo quimiométrico visando determinar as variáveis mais importantes do processo DAIUS; iii) estudo quimiométrico visando a otimização do processo DAIUS empregando gráficos de superfícies de resposta e iv) estudo cinético da desacetilação de beta-quitina via processo DAIUS. A caracterização das quitosanas, obtidas pelo processo DAIUS com o auxílio do planejamento fatorial de experimentos revelou que a intensidade da irradiação de ultrassom é a variável menos importante durante a desacetilação da beta-quitina, e que a temperatura e o tempo de reação são as variáveis que mais afetam a despolimerização da beta-quitina. Desse estudo resultaram quitosanas com elevados <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD (92%) e <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (5,42x105g/mol), enquanto o parâmetro de acetilação (PA) apresentou valores próximos de 1,0, que corresponde ao padrão randômico ideal de distribuição de unidades GlcN e GlcNAc, sugerindo que o processo DAIUS ocorre homogeneamente. A análise dos gráficos de superfícies de resposta permitiu observar que o aumento da temperatura e do tempo de sonicação gera quitosanas mais desacetiladas, porém com menores massas molares. Esta análise também permitiu avaliar os efeitos do processo DAIUS sobre <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD, <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv e PA, sendo que nesse estudo quitosanas com elevada <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (9,83x105g/mol) foram obtidas, porém o aumento da temperatura e do tempo de sonicação resultou em quitosanas mais despolimerizadas, e também mais desacetiladas. A seleção das principais variáveis do processo DAIUS, temperatura de reação e do tempo de sonicação, permitiu uma melhor compreensão da variação do <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD e da <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv, e permitiu a obtenção de quitosanas que apresentaram valores de PA&asymp;1,0, correspondente ao padrão randômico ideal de distribuição de unidades GlcN e GlcNAc. O estudo da cinética da desacetilação da beta-quitina via processo DAIUS revelou a ocorrência de duas etapas bem distintas quantos às suas velocidades, sendo a primeira, atuante nos primeiros 20 minutos, mais rápida (k=29,4 min-1 103) quando comparada com a segunda etapa (k=7,6 min-1 103). As quitosanas geradas no desenvolvimento do estudo cinético do processo DAIUS foram analisadas por difração de raios X, revelando que durante o processo DAIUS ocorre perda de água do retículo cristalino da beta-quitina, fato atribuído à cavitação gerada pela irradiação de ultrassom de alta intensidade. Assim, é proposto que o fenômeno da cavitação, que resulta em importantes alterações morfológicas, reduzindo as dimensões médias das partículas e aumentando sua rugosidade e uniformidade, também atue no interior do retículo cristalino da beta-quitina, resultando na expulsão de moléculas de água e facilitando o acesso do hidróxido de sódio aos grupamentos acetamido da beta-quitina mesmo nos domínios cristalinos. A utilização do ultrassom de alta intensidade na desacetilação de beta-quitina coloca em destaque a obtenção de quitosanas com características controladas. / The main reaction of chitin is the hydrolysis of its acetamido groups, which generates a polymer known as chitosan. The focus of the present study is the development of an efficient, reproductive and versatile process for chitosan production with controlled characteristics. In this sense, the chitin deacetylation assisted by high intensity ultrasound irradiation, called USAD process, was studied. The development of the proposed study was carried out in four steps: i) the extraction, fractionation and characterization of beta-chitin, extracted from squid pens; ii) the chemometric approach, aiming to determine the most important variables of the USAD process; iii) the chemometric approach aiming to the USAD process optimization, employing response surface and iv) the deacetylation kinetics studies of beta-chitin via USAD process. The characterization of the chitosans obtained by the USAD process, supported by factorial design, showed that the intensity of the ultrasound irradiation is the least important variable in the beta-chitin deacetylation, and the temperature and reaction time are the variables that most affect the beta-chitin depolymerization. From this study, chitosans with high <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD (92%) and <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (5.42 x105g/mol) were produced, with acetylation parameter (AP) values close to 1.0, which corresponds to an ideal random pattern of distribution of GlcNAc and GlcN units, suggesting that the USAD process occurs homogeneously. The analysis of response surfaces allowed to observe that the increase of temperature and sonication time generates more deacetylated chitosans, but with lower average molecular weights. This analysis also allowed us to evaluate the effects of USAD process in <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD, <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv, and AP variations: chitosans with high <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (9.83x105g/mol) were obtained, but the increase of temperature and sonication time resulted in more degraded and more deacetylated chitosans. The selection of the main USAD process variables, temperature and sonication time, allowed a better understanding of <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD and <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv variation, and allowed to obtain chitosan with PA&asymp;1.0, which corresponds to an ideal random pattern of distribution of GlcNAc and GlcN units. The study of beta-chitin deacetylation kinetics via USAD process revealed the occurrence of two stages: the first step, active in the first 20 minutes, is faster (k = 29.4 min-1 103) when compared with the second one (k = 7.6 min-1 103). The chitosans generated in the kinetic study of the USAD process were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, which revealed some water loss in the crystalline structure during the USAD process, which is attributed to the cavitation generated by irradiation of high intensity ultrasound. Thus, it is suggested that the phenomenon of cavitation, which results in significant morphological changes by reducing average particle size and increase uniformity and roughness, also act within the crystalline structure of beta-chitin, resulting in the expulsion of water molecules and facilitating the access of sodium hydroxide to beta-chitin acetamido groups even in the crystalline domains. The use of high intensity ultrasound in deacetylation of beta-chitin highlight the production of chitosans with controlled characteristics.

A principal reação de derivatização da quitina é a hidrólise dos grupos acetamido, que gera o polímero conhecido como quitosana. O foco do presente estudo é desenvolver um processo eficiente, reprodutivo e versátil para produção de quitosanas com características controladas. Nesse sentido, o processo de desacetilação de quitina assistida por irradiação do ultrassom de alta intensidade, denominado processo DAIUS, foi estudado. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo proposto, as seguintes etapas foram realizadas: i) extração, fracionamento e caracterização de beta-quitina extraída de gládios de lulas; ii) estudo quimiométrico visando determinar as variáveis mais importantes do processo DAIUS; iii) estudo quimiométrico visando a otimização do processo DAIUS empregando gráficos de superfícies de resposta e iv) estudo cinético da desacetilação de beta-quitina via processo DAIUS. A caracterização das quitosanas, obtidas pelo processo DAIUS com o auxílio do planejamento fatorial de experimentos revelou que a intensidade da irradiação de ultrassom é a variável menos importante durante a desacetilação da beta-quitina, e que a temperatura e o tempo de reação são as variáveis que mais afetam a despolimerização da beta-quitina. Desse estudo resultaram quitosanas com elevados <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD (92%) e <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (5,42x105g/mol), enquanto o parâmetro de acetilação (PA) apresentou valores próximos de 1,0, que corresponde ao padrão randômico ideal de distribuição de unidades GlcN e GlcNAc, sugerindo que o processo DAIUS ocorre homogeneamente. A análise dos gráficos de superfícies de resposta permitiu observar que o aumento da temperatura e do tempo de sonicação gera quitosanas mais desacetiladas, porém com menores massas molares. Esta análise também permitiu avaliar os efeitos do processo DAIUS sobre <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD, <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv e PA, sendo que nesse estudo quitosanas com elevada <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (9,83x105g/mol) foram obtidas, porém o aumento da temperatura e do tempo de sonicação resultou em quitosanas mais despolimerizadas, e também mais desacetiladas. A seleção das principais variáveis do processo DAIUS, temperatura de reação e do tempo de sonicação, permitiu uma melhor compreensão da variação do <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">GD e da <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv, e permitiu a obtenção de quitosanas que apresentaram valores de PA&asymp;1,0, correspondente ao padrão randômico ideal de distribuição de unidades GlcN e GlcNAc. O estudo da cinética da desacetilação da beta-quitina via processo DAIUS revelou a ocorrência de duas etapas bem distintas quantos às suas velocidades, sendo a primeira, atuante nos primeiros 20 minutos, mais rápida (k=29,4 min-1 103) quando comparada com a segunda etapa (k=7,6 min-1 103). As quitosanas geradas no desenvolvimento do estudo cinético do processo DAIUS foram analisadas por difração de raios X, revelando que durante o processo DAIUS ocorre perda de água do retículo cristalino da beta-quitina, fato atribuído à cavitação gerada pela irradiação de ultrassom de alta intensidade. Assim, é proposto que o fenômeno da cavitação, que resulta em importantes alterações morfológicas, reduzindo as dimensões médias das partículas e aumentando sua rugosidade e uniformidade, também atue no interior do retículo cristalino da beta-quitina, resultando na expulsão de moléculas de água e facilitando o acesso do hidróxido de sódio aos grupamentos acetamido da beta-quitina mesmo nos domínios cristalinos. A utilização do ultrassom de alta intensidade na desacetilação de beta-quitina coloca em destaque a obtenção de quitosanas com características controladas. / The main reaction of chitin is the hydrolysis of its acetamido groups, which generates a polymer known as chitosan. The focus of the present study is the development of an efficient, reproductive and versatile process for chitosan production with controlled characteristics. In this sense, the chitin deacetylation assisted by high intensity ultrasound irradiation, called USAD process, was studied. The development of the proposed study was carried out in four steps: i) the extraction, fractionation and characterization of beta-chitin, extracted from squid pens; ii) the chemometric approach, aiming to determine the most important variables of the USAD process; iii) the chemometric approach aiming to the USAD process optimization, employing response surface and iv) the deacetylation kinetics studies of beta-chitin via USAD process. The characterization of the chitosans obtained by the USAD process, supported by factorial design, showed that the intensity of the ultrasound irradiation is the least important variable in the beta-chitin deacetylation, and the temperature and reaction time are the variables that most affect the beta-chitin depolymerization. From this study, chitosans with high <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD (92%) and <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (5.42 x105g/mol) were produced, with acetylation parameter (AP) values close to 1.0, which corresponds to an ideal random pattern of distribution of GlcNAc and GlcN units, suggesting that the USAD process occurs homogeneously. The analysis of response surfaces allowed to observe that the increase of temperature and sonication time generates more deacetylated chitosans, but with lower average molecular weights. This analysis also allowed us to evaluate the effects of USAD process in <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD, <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv, and AP variations: chitosans with high <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv (9.83x105g/mol) were obtained, but the increase of temperature and sonication time resulted in more degraded and more deacetylated chitosans. The selection of the main USAD process variables, temperature and sonication time, allowed a better understanding of <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">DD and <span style=\"text-decoration: overline\">Mv variation, and allowed to obtain chitosan with PA&asymp;1.0, which corresponds to an ideal random pattern of distribution of GlcNAc and GlcN units. The study of beta-chitin deacetylation kinetics via USAD process revealed the occurrence of two stages: the first step, active in the first 20 minutes, is faster (k = 29.4 min-1 103) when compared with the second one (k = 7.6 min-1 103). The chitosans generated in the kinetic study of the USAD process were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, which revealed some water loss in the crystalline structure during the USAD process, which is attributed to the cavitation generated by irradiation of high intensity ultrasound. Thus, it is suggested that the phenomenon of cavitation, which results in significant morphological changes by reducing average particle size and increase uniformity and roughness, also act within the crystalline structure of beta-chitin, resulting in the expulsion of water molecules and facilitating the access of sodium hydroxide to beta-chitin acetamido groups even in the crystalline domains. The use of high intensity ultrasound in deacetylation of beta-chitin highlight the production of chitosans with controlled characteristics.

Les méthodes d'imagerie et de vélocimétrie ultrasonores ont prouvé leur efficacité pour étudier des matériaux divers. À haute intensité, il est connu que les ultrasons exercent des forces stationnaires dans les fluides newtoniens, par le biais d'effets non linéaires comme la pression de radiation acoustique. Néanmoins, ces effets n'ont encore jamais été exploités d'un point de vue fondamental dans le contexte de la physique des matériaux mous. L'objet de cette thèse est d'exploiter l'interaction d'ultrasons de puissance avec des matériaux bloqués afin de sonder activement, voire d'influencer leurs propriétés mécaniques. Nous proposons tout d'abord une méthode de microrhéologie active : la « mésorhéologie acoustique ». En analysant le mouvement d'un intrus sous l'effet de la pression de radiation acoustique, nous caractérisons localement la rhéologie du matériau étudié. Nous mettons cette technique en œuvre avec un fluide à seuil simple : un microgel de carbopol. Nous exploitons les résultats obtenus à la lumière d'une caractérisation rhéologique poussée du comportement de ce matériau en dessous de son seuil d'écoulement et proposons diverses pistes d'amélioration du dispositif.Ensuite, nous décrivons la mise en écoulement d'un empilement granulaire immergé par des ultrasons intenses focalisés et comparons les observations aux résultats de simulations de dynamique moléculaire. La transition de fluidification observée car l'injection d'énergie y est discontinue. Elle est intermittente et hystérétique, propriétés reproduites par des simulations numériques et dont un modèle phénoménologique simple permet de rendre compte.Enfin, en remplaçant le plan d'un rhéomètre classique par un transducteur ultrasonore, nous mesurons l'effet de vibrations à haute fréquence sur les propriétés mécaniques d'un gel colloïdal fragile de noir de carbone. Nous observons un effet significatif et potentiellement irréversible des ultrasons sur le module élastique et sur la mise en écoulement de ce système. Les vibrations semblent favoriser le glissement du gel aux parois mais il semble toutefois qu'elles induisent également des changements en volume dans l'échantillon. / Ultrasonic imaging and velocimetry has been proved to be very efficient methods to study various materials. At high intensity, ultrasonic waves are known to exert steady forces in newtonian fluid through nonlinear effects like the acoustic radiation pressure. However those effects have never been used in fundamental studies of the physics of soft materials. This thesis aims at exploiting the interaction between high intensity ultrasound and soft jammed materials to probe actively and even modify their mechanical properties.We first introduce an alternative technique for active microrheology we called « acoustic mesorheology ». By analyzing the motion of an intruder under the acoustic radiation pressure we characterize locally the rheology of the system under study. We test this technique on a simple yield stress fluid, namely a carbopol microgel. We compare the results with those obtained by standard rheology measurements of the behaviour of this gel under its yield stress.Then we describe the fluidization of an immersed granular packing by high intensity focused ultrasound. We compare our observations with the results of molecular dynamics simulations. The obtained fluidization is original as the injection of energy is discontinuous in time. It is hysteretic and intermittent and those properties are well captures by both simulations and a phenomenological model.Finally, we replace the plane of a standard cone-plate rheometer by an ultrasonic transducer. This allows us to characterize the effect of high frequency vibrations on the rheology of a fragile carbon black gel. We observe a significant and eventually irreversible effect of ultrasound on the elastic modulus and on the yielding of the system. Vibrations are shown to favor wall slip but seem to induce changes in the volume of the sample though.