The application of hyperspectral imaging technique in the wavelength range of 400-1000 nm to estimate some of the maturity parameters of mangoes was investigated. Mangoes with different quality levels were grouped using principle component analysis (PCA). Feature wavelengths were identified to predict total soluble solids content, water content and firmness using simple correlation, first derivative, partial least square (PLS) regression analysis and measured values. Calibration models were developed using the selected wavelengths from correlation coefficients, first derivative, partial least square (PLS) regression analysis and corresponding maturity parameters employing artificial neural network model to predict total soluble solids content, water content and firmness of the fruit. Performance of the models was compared using the correlation coefficient (r) values. Fruit firmness was predicted with high correlation coefficient (r=0.88) followed by water content (r=0.81) and total soluble solids (r=0.78) using wavelengths selected from simple correlation of first derivative data with the parameters and ANN model. The results of the study demonstrated the scope for further research on maturity and quality evaluation of fruits using hyperspectral imaging technique.

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No description available.

Debido a diversos problemas observados en el proceso de producción de mango Kent fresco para exportación en la agroindustria GANDULES INC. S.A.C., ubicada en Jayanca (Antigua Panamericana Norte Km. 43,5), se planteó mejorar esta línea de producción a través de la identificación y análisis de los problemas existentes, para luego determinar las causas que los originaron. Posteriormente, se procedió a determinar los métodos más adecuados para solucionar dichos problemas y a partir de estos se elaboró una propuesta de mejora. Por último se realizó la cuantificación de los beneficios de dicha propuesta. Para poder llevar a cabo los objetivos planteados se realizó un diagnóstico, el cual arrojó la existencia de operaciones que no agregaban valor al producto como: transporte innecesario, desperdicios de procesamiento incorrecto y retrabajo. Luego del análisis de dicha situación se procedió a establecer el estado ideal del proceso mediante la estandarización de los tiempos, el ajuste del ritmo de producción al Takt Time y la reorganización del layout de la planta. Todo esto se reflejó en mapas de flujo de valor, que permitieron tener una visualización global del proceso estudiado. Luego del desarrollo del estado ideal, se llegó a la conclusión de que a través de la eliminación de los transportes innecesarios, la redistribución y capacitación del personal de acuerdo a las necesidades en la línea de producción, la eliminación de los almacenes provisionales de materia prima y de producto terminado, y el ajuste del ritmo de producción a la demanda se logra: reducir el tiempo de ciclo total de 30,07 minutos a 24,12 minutos y en consecuencia incrementar la productividad del proceso, respecto de la mano de obra y tiempo utilizados, en 0,5 pallet por hora. Esto se tradujo en un incremento promedio de los ingresos del 7% respecto del total de los ingresos anuales de los próximos 5 años.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide and polyphenols are under investigation as an alternative to conventional treatment approaches of breast cancer. The anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activities of polyphenols have been demonstrated in many studies, yet cellular targets and the underlying cellular mechanisms remain unclear. The overall goal of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties of polyphenol compounds extracted from the mango variety Keitt in MCF-12A breast non-cancer and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells by assessing the modulation of signaling pathways involved in inflammation and carcinogenesis. Mango polyphenols were identified by HPLC-MS analysis. The generation of reactive oxygen species was performed using fluorescence intensity in the DCFH-DA assay. Gene expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR, and protein expression was conducted by Western Blotting and Multiplex Bead assay analysis. Bioactive compounds identified in the mango pulp by HPLC-MS included a great variety of polyphenols such as gallic acid, galloyl glucosides with different degree of polymerization and other polyphenols. The anti-inflammatory activities of mango polyphenols were evaluated in MCF-12A non cancer breast fibroblasts. An inflammatory microenvironment for MCF-12A breast cells was induced with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The generation of reactive oxygen species was suppressed significantly compared to cells induced with TNF-α, where there was no significant difference between the concentrations of mango polyphenol extract. Results showed a significant down-regulation of mRNA and protein expression of inflammatory genes involved in the PI3K/AKT pathway and related downstream targets such as NF-κB and mTOR involved in biological processes including cell growth, proliferation and survival. Moreover, mango polyphenols had a significant impact on the miRNA-126-PI3K/AKT axis which plays an important role in inflammation and carcinogenesis, suggesting a potential anti-inflammatory underlying mechanism. The cytotoxic effects of mango polyphenols were investigated in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. Mango polyphenols decreased the production of reactive oxygen species; however no significant differences were found between the tested concentrations of mango polyphenols. The gene expression of proapoptotic factors involved in the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway such as cytochrome C and caspase-3 were significantly regulated after mango polyphenol treatment. In addition, the suppression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and downstream effectors such as HIF-1α and VEGF as well as the disruption of the miRNA-21-PTEN/AKT axis were identified as potential underlying mechanism of the cytotoxic properties of mango polyphenols. Overall, findings from this study show that mango polyphenols counteract inflammatory and cancerous cell signaling processes; therefore the potential of mango polyphenols in the prevention of breast-cancer focusing on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-axis should be further investigated.

Two classes of parameters are important in product quality control and process design: thermo-physical and rheological properties. Reliable estimates of thermal properties (thermal conductivity, diffusivity, density, specific heat, and glass transition temperature) are needed to model the rate of heat transfer during food processing. Measurements of rheological parameters like viscosity and elasticity have been recognized as important tools to provide fundamental insights on structural organization of the food. Small amplitude oscillatory testing is useful in evaluation of gel characteristics and texture development in different food products. Proper design of industrial plants, modeling and automation in food process industry require data on these properties for better quality control and improve the shelf life. Thermal processing has been a traditionally accepted method for developing safe and shelf-stable products. However, a disadvantage of thermal treatment is the reduced sensory and nutritional qualities. High pressure (HP) treatment, a novel non-thermal preservation technique, is used for producing high quality products. HP processing can also be used to achieve products with better textural properties and improved nutrition when supplemented with proteins. / This research was carried out in two parts. In first part, experiments with mango pulp were carried out at four temperatures (20, 40, 60 and 80°C) and total soluble solids concentrations (15, 20, 30 and 40°Brix) and their rheological and thermo-physical properties were evaluated and modeled. Thermal properties of mango puree were primarily dependent on the moisture content of the sample, and increased with temperature and decreased with concentration. Density showed a reverse trend. Glass transition temperatures increased with an increase in concentration indicating better stability. Separate models were developed for each thermal property as a function of temperature and concentration (R2 >0.90). Mango puree exhibited pseudoplaticity during steady shear measurements, and the power law model well described their flow behavior. Consistency coefficient increased with concentration and decreased with temperature. The flow behavior index decreased with concentration and generally increased with temperature beyond 40°C. Dynamic oscillation shear measurements revealed that mango puree behaved like a weak gel and demonstrated visco-elastic properties. / In the second part, experiments were divided in to two parts. In first part, the original soluble solids in mango puree (28°Brix) was lowered to 20, 23 and 26°Brix and each was supplemented with 2, 5 and 8% of whey protein. Effect of HP treatment at 425, 500, and 575 MPa with 0, 3 and 6 min holding times on rheological properties were evaluated. Pressure treatment resulted in a positive effect on elastic (G') and viscous modulii (G") as well as complex viscosity (eta*). Values of G' were higher than G" demonstrating the product to behave more and more like a gel. The changes in rheological parameters at 500 MPa were modeled based on soluble solids and protein content. In the second part of the experiments, the protein (P) and soluble solids concentrations (S) were simultaneously varied maintaining a total solids content at 28% (same as in the original mango puree) and their combined influence (P/S: 2/26, 3/25, 5/23, 7/21 and 8/20) on the rheology of the product after selected HP treatments (425-575 MPa, 0-6 min) were evaluated. The effects of holding time and pressure level were similar to those observed previously in first part of this study. However, the positive effect of added protein was over dominated by negative effect of the simultaneous decrease in the soluble solids concentration, resulting in an overall decreasing effect as protein content increased (with a same magnitude decrease in soluble solids content). Developed models well predicted the combined influence of protein and soluble solids concentration on rheological parameters (R2>0.85). / Sensory evaluation of mango puree supplemented with protein (2, 5 and 8%) was performed before and after high pressure treatment (500MPa/3min) using a nine point hedonic scale. The quality parameters chosen were color, sweetness, mouthfeel, flavor and acceptability. Sensory evaluation results indicated that protein enrichment up to 5% level did not adversely affect the sensory qualities.

Debido a diversos problemas observados en el proceso de producción de mango Kent fresco para exportación en la agroindustria GANDULES INC. S.A.C., ubicada en Jayanca (Antigua Panamericana Norte Km. 43,5), se planteó mejorar esta línea de producción a través de la identificación y análisis de los problemas existentes, para luego determinar las causas que los originaron. Posteriormente, se procedió a determinar los métodos más adecuados para solucionar dichos problemas y a partir de estos se elaboró una propuesta de mejora. Por último se realizó la cuantificación de los beneficios de dicha propuesta. Para poder llevar a cabo los objetivos planteados se realizó un diagnóstico, el cual arrojó la existencia de operaciones que no agregaban valor al producto como: transporte innecesario, desperdicios de procesamiento incorrecto y retrabajo. Luego del análisis de dicha situación se procedió a establecer el estado ideal del proceso mediante la estandarización de los tiempos, el ajuste del ritmo de producción al Takt Time y la reorganización del layout de la planta. Todo esto se reflejó en mapas de flujo de valor, que permitieron tener una visualización global del proceso estudiado. Luego del desarrollo del estado ideal, se llegó a la conclusión de que a través de la eliminación de los transportes innecesarios, la redistribución y capacitación del personal de acuerdo a las necesidades en la línea de producción, la eliminación de los almacenes provisionales de materia prima y de producto terminado, y el ajuste del ritmo de producción a la demanda se logra: reducir el tiempo de ciclo total de 30,07 minutos a 24,12 minutos y en consecuencia incrementar la productividad del proceso, respecto de la mano de obra y tiempo utilizados, en 0,5 pallet por hora. Esto se tradujo en un incremento promedio de los ingresos del 7% respecto del total de los ingresos anuales de los próximos 5 años. / Tesis

Currently, Ghana does not use Hot Water Treatment (HWT) as a phytosanitary control measure for mangoes. The effect of HW on the quality of ‘Keitt’ mangoes in Ghana was evaluated. Mangoes were washed with chlorinated water or hot water treated at 47°C for 70 min and stored at 25°C for 8 days. There was no treatment*Storage effect (P> 0.05) on the variables studied. Mangoes TA decreased (P<= 0.05) and pH increased with storage time. HWT had no impact on mango quality but had 50% reduction in decay during storage.

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No description available.