The aim of this thesis is to determine the external and internal incentive that affect the behavior of the final consumer in the buying process and thus contribute to the development project named "A customer-oriented company", which is being incorporated into operations of JEDNOTA, s.d. company in České Budějovice. In this work the method of oral questioning and observation method for final consumers were used. The combination of these two methods served to analyze consumer behavior in the supermarket TERNO České Budějovice, which JEDNOTA operates. These two methods were also used in consumers at a beverage center, which is managed by the supermarket TERNO.

PhD (Food Science) / Department of Food Science and Technology / Finger millet (FM) [Eleusine coracana] is an underutilised cereal grain used as a food source in South Africa. Increased research interest in FM has span over the years owing to its unique nutritional and bioactive composition. Following the recent interest in natural curative substances over their synthetic counterparts in the treatment of food dependent diseases, FM has shown potential nutraceutical effects. Some important health effects like antidiabetic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties have been reported in recent trials with FM. In view of the increasing utilisation and application of FM in the region of Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe District of South Africa, two common indigenous FM varieties (brown and dark brown) were obtained and analysed for their physicochemical properties, levels of minerals, phytic acid, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities. For this process, malted non-alcoholic beverages were produced and analysed for their physicochemical properties, levels of phenolic compounds, and total phenolics and antioxidant activities. FM grains were soaked, germinated and kilned at an interval of 24 h for 96 h, using sorghum as an external reference. Mineral composition of the FM and sorghum samples were analysed using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), and atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds were performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS). All experiments were performed in triplicate except for the UPLC-MS analysis of the malted non-alcoholic beverages that was done in duplicate. Data were analysed by one way analysis of variance, and the mean values were separated by Duncan’s multiple comparison test using SPSS version 24.0. Data showed that the FM varieties were rich in macro- and micro- or trace elements. The macro-elements calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and sulphur were found in high amounts ranging from 1597.37 mg/ kg – 6775.03 mg/ kg; iron, zinc, strontium and silicon were found in significant amounts in the range 21.47 mg/ kg – 55.67 iii mg/ kg, copper and boron were found in low amounts (2.2 mg/ kg – 7.7 mg/ kg), along with selenium and cobalt (0.02 mg/ kg – 0.05 mg/ kg). Heavy metals, barium and aluminium were found in the FM varieties. Varietal difference was found to play an important role in the mineral content of the grains during malting. Malting for 24 h reduced mineral content except for sodium. Beyond 48 h of malting, mineral content increased, particularly, for 96 h in FM grain malt. Significant (p < 0.05) increases in the mineral content of FM varieties were noted at 48 h and 96 h of malting. Increase occurred at 72 h of malting for potassium, iron and boron. Malting did not have any effect on the manganese content of the dark brown FM; however, it increased the manganese content at 48 h of malting for brown FM. Malting for 96 h significantly (p < 0.05) reduced sodium content. Consecutive decrease in phytic acid content of the grains was not recorded with durations in malting time. Although statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed, malting did not result in too much change in the physicochemical properties of the grains. Several flavonoids, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, taxifolin, and hesperitin were isolated, whilst protocatechuic acid was the only phenolic acid detected in the unmalted and malted FM. Increases in catechin, epicatechin and protocatechuic acid were observed for 72 and 96 h malt of brown FM with similar observations recorded for sorghum. Complete loss of taxifolin, catechin, and hesperitin were noted with malting time. FM grains exhibited 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2՛-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging action and iron reducing activities. Increased iron reducing activity alongside ABTS radical scavenging activity was recorded with malting time. A fermentation-time dependent decrease in the pH of the non-alcoholic beverages, with a corresponding increase in sugar content were recorded. A similar decrease was also recorded for the viscosities of the beverages. The FM malt beverages were found to contain a higher amount of citric acid compared to the sorghum malt beverage. A decrease in the citric acid content with fermentation time was noted in the grain malt beverages fermented with Lactobacillus fermentum, particularly for the iv FM beverage. The phenolic compounds detected in the FM malt beverages fermented with the grain microbial flora and Lactobacillus fermentum were protocatechuic acid, catechin and epicatechin. Taxifolin and kaempferol along with the earlier mentioned compounds were detected in the sorghum malt beverage. Catechin was found in higher amount compared to other phenolic compounds in the FM and sorghum malt beverages. FM malt beverages were found to contain a higher amount of total phenolics compared to the beverage prepared from sorghum malt. Fermentation with the grains’ microbial flora and L. fermentum resulted in reduced total phenolics of FM and sorghum malt beverages, particularly after 24 h of fermentation. A fermentation-time dependent decrease in total phenolics of FM beverages fermented with L. fermentum was noted. Fermentation within 24 - 48 h using the grain microbial flora showed higher total individual phenolic compounds for the dark brown FM and sorghum, compared to other fermentation periods. Fermentation of the beverages for 24 h retained a higher amount of the total phenolics compared to other fermentation periods, especially for the L. fermentum beverages. Reduced total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the beverages were noted at 24 h of fermentation for the two microbial sources. Significant (p < 0.05) increases in total phenolics were observed within 72 – 96 h of fermentation of the brown FM malt beverage with the grains’ microbial flora. Fermentation for 72 h and 96 h with L. fermentum increased the total phenolic content of the brown FM. Increase in total flavonoid content (TFC) of brown FM malt beverage was noted at 72 h fermentation for both microbial sources. Unlike with L. fermentum, no significant (p > 0.05) change in TFC was observed for the dark brown FM beverage after 24 h fermentation with the grains’ microbial flora. Beverages exhibited DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging action and iron reducing activities, which were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 96 h fermentation for both microbial sources. The 24 h fermented beverage retained a higher amount of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and had higher antioxidant activity compared to other fermentation periods for both microbial sources. The study shows that FM is a rich source of essential minerals and v phenolic compounds, and demonstrates that 72 to 96 h of malting has a positive effect on minerals and certain phenolic compounds over the 48 h malting period widely used for preparation of FM malt. The presence of hesperitin in FM grain was established. A new method was developed for the production of FM non-alcoholic beverage with measurable amounts of health-promoting compounds. An ideal fermentation period (24 h) for FM malt non-alcoholic beverage production with enhanced health-promoting compounds, using Lactobacillus fermentum was demonstrated. Fermentation limit (96 h) for production of FM malt beverage using either the grain microbial flora or L. fermentum was confirmed. These findings provide a rationale for increased utilisation of FM as a functional food grain, and its use as malt in production of non-alcoholic beverage for health promotion and wellness. / NRF

<p>Конзумација хране и пића од стране туриста, најважнији облик туристичке потрошње, је у великој мери занемарена у литератури о угоститељству и туризму.&nbsp; Данас, са све много већим интересовањем за јединствену и аутентичну храну&nbsp; и пиће, прехрамбене производе и&nbsp; кухињу све већи број&nbsp; људи путује управо да би искусио&nbsp; локалне специјалитете.&nbsp; Стога&nbsp; је у докторској дисератцији анализиран допринос локалне хране и&nbsp; пића, као и култура&nbsp; исхране у процени потрошње локалних гастрономских производа, атрактивности дестинације, укупног&nbsp; задовољства и будућих намера туриста да поново посете дестинацију, као и провера имиџа српске гастрономије са посебним акцентом на социо- демографске карактеристике страних туриста који су посетили градске центре Србије. Истраживање у докторској дисертацији има четири задатака. Главни задатак&nbsp; је провера предложеног модела доприноса хране, пића и културе&nbsp; исхране на примеру Србија. Први&nbsp; задатак&nbsp; рада&nbsp; је да се утврде&nbsp; разлике између ставова туриста који су боравили у Новом Саду и Београду у перцепцији локалне хране,&nbsp; пића&nbsp; и културе&nbsp; исхране Србије. Други&nbsp; задатак&nbsp; рада&nbsp; је испитивање&nbsp; разлика између социо-демографских карактеристика испитаника у конзумацији локалне хране и пића као и искуства у вези са културом&nbsp; исхране кодиспитаника. Трећи&nbsp; задатак&nbsp; је да се утврди у којој мери конзумација локалне хране, локалног<br />пића и искуству у култури исхране доприноси&nbsp; у процени&nbsp; атрактивности&nbsp; дестинације, укупномзадовољству и будућим намерама туриста да поново посете дестинацију.&nbsp; На крају, четвртизадатак је провера имиџа&nbsp; српске гастрономије из перспективе страних туриста.&nbsp; Анкетноистраживање је спроведено у Србији, конкретно у Београду и Новом Саду,&nbsp; током шестистраживачки месеци од маја до октобра 2016.&nbsp; године. Циљну узорачку популацију чинили су страни туристи који су у&nbsp; истраживачком периоду&nbsp; боравили у Србији. Пригодним узорковањемсакупљено је&nbsp; укупно 674 валидних анкета које су даље коришћене у статистичким анализама. Застатистичку обраду коришћено је неколико статистичких&nbsp; техника и статистичких&nbsp; софтвера.Анализа&nbsp; варијансе,&nbsp; т-тестова и вишеструка хијерархијска регресиона анализа&nbsp; су статистичке технике коришћене за истраживање.&nbsp; Статистички софтвери SPSS 18.0, AMOS&nbsp; 21&nbsp; и&nbsp; &bdquo;lavaan&quot; направљеног за R окружење су коришћени за обраду података.</p><p>На основу тестираног модела може се закључити да је на примеру Србије у тестираном узорку локална храна, локално пиће и култура исхране&nbsp; су&nbsp; значајни конструкти у процени&nbsp; потрошње производа, атрактивности дестинације, укупног задовољства и будућих намера туриста да поново посете дестинацију али и у испитивању разлика између&nbsp; социо-демографских карактеристика испитника. Према резултатима налаза&nbsp; интерна&nbsp; поузданост&nbsp; модела&nbsp; за&nbsp; све&nbsp; конструкте је у задовољавајућем степену. Даље, резултати су показали да је српска храна, пиће и&nbsp; култура исхране прихватљива код страних туриста и да се сматрају значајним елементом&nbsp; туристичког производа.&nbsp; Већина социо-демографских &nbsp;карактеристика испитника су показале&nbsp; разлике са осталим варијаблама (конзумација локалне хране, конзумација локалних пића и&nbsp; култура исхране).&nbsp; Резултати показују да је имиџ српске гастрономије из перспективе страних туриста позитиван. Показано је да су туристи локалну гастрономију оценили као &bdquo;укуснa&quot;, да је понуда богата јелима од меса и да је цена прихватљива тј разумна цена, без обзира на&nbsp; град који&nbsp; су посетили. Главни допринос истраживања конзумације локалне хране и пића, као и искуство у&nbsp; вези са културом исхране&nbsp; на дестинацији није да повећа број посетилаца већ да&nbsp;&nbsp; заинтересује и&nbsp; задовољи искуство туриста и развије идентитет локалне кухиње&nbsp; као моћно средство у изградњи&nbsp; бренда и имиџа дестинације.</p> / <p>Konzumacija hrane i pića od strane turista, najvažniji oblik turističke potrošnje, je u velikoj meri zanemarena u literaturi o ugostiteljstvu i turizmu.&nbsp; Danas, sa sve mnogo većim interesovanjem za jedinstvenu i autentičnu hranu&nbsp; i piće, prehrambene proizvode i&nbsp; kuhinju sve veći broj&nbsp; ljudi putuje upravo da bi iskusio&nbsp; lokalne specijalitete.&nbsp; Stoga&nbsp; je u doktorskoj diseratciji analiziran doprinos lokalne hrane i&nbsp; pića, kao i kultura&nbsp; ishrane u proceni potrošnje lokalnih gastronomskih proizvoda, atraktivnosti destinacije, ukupnog&nbsp; zadovoljstva i budućih namera turista da ponovo posete destinaciju, kao i provera imidža srpske gastronomije sa posebnim akcentom na socio- demografske karakteristike stranih turista koji su posetili gradske centre Srbije. Istraživanje u doktorskoj disertaciji ima četiri zadataka. Glavni zadatak&nbsp; je provera predloženog modela doprinosa hrane, pića i kulture&nbsp; ishrane na primeru Srbija. Prvi&nbsp; zadatak&nbsp; rada&nbsp; je da se utvrde&nbsp; razlike između stavova turista koji su boravili u Novom Sadu i Beogradu u percepciji lokalne hrane,&nbsp; pića&nbsp; i kulture&nbsp; ishrane Srbije. Drugi&nbsp; zadatak&nbsp; rada&nbsp; je ispitivanje&nbsp; razlika između socio-demografskih karakteristika ispitanika u konzumaciji lokalne hrane i pića kao i iskustva u vezi sa kulturom&nbsp; ishrane kodispitanika. Treći&nbsp; zadatak&nbsp; je da se utvrdi u kojoj meri konzumacija lokalne hrane, lokalnog<br />pića i iskustvu u kulturi ishrane doprinosi&nbsp; u proceni&nbsp; atraktivnosti&nbsp; destinacije, ukupnomzadovoljstvu i budućim namerama turista da ponovo posete destinaciju.&nbsp; Na kraju, četvrtizadatak je provera imidža&nbsp; srpske gastronomije iz perspektive stranih turista.&nbsp; Anketnoistraživanje je sprovedeno u Srbiji, konkretno u Beogradu i Novom Sadu,&nbsp; tokom šestistraživački meseci od maja do oktobra 2016.&nbsp; godine. Ciljnu uzoračku populaciju činili su strani turisti koji su u&nbsp; istraživačkom periodu&nbsp; boravili u Srbiji. Prigodnim uzorkovanjemsakupljeno je&nbsp; ukupno 674 validnih anketa koje su dalje korišćene u statističkim analizama. Zastatističku obradu korišćeno je nekoliko statističkih&nbsp; tehnika i statističkih&nbsp; softvera.Analiza&nbsp; varijanse,&nbsp; t-testova i višestruka hijerarhijska regresiona analiza&nbsp; su statističke tehnike korišćene za istraživanje.&nbsp; Statistički softveri SPSS 18.0, AMOS&nbsp; 21&nbsp; i&nbsp; &bdquo;lavaan&quot; napravljenog za R okruženje su korišćeni za obradu podataka.</p><p>Na osnovu testiranog modela može se zaključiti da je na primeru Srbije u testiranom uzorku lokalna hrana, lokalno piće i kultura ishrane&nbsp; su&nbsp; značajni konstrukti u proceni&nbsp; potrošnje proizvoda, atraktivnosti destinacije, ukupnog zadovoljstva i budućih namera turista da ponovo posete destinaciju ali i u ispitivanju razlika između&nbsp; socio-demografskih karakteristika ispitnika. Prema rezultatima nalaza&nbsp; interna&nbsp; pouzdanost&nbsp; modela&nbsp; za&nbsp; sve&nbsp; konstrukte je u zadovoljavajućem stepenu. Dalje, rezultati su pokazali da je srpska hrana, piće i&nbsp; kultura ishrane prihvatljiva kod stranih turista i da se smatraju značajnim elementom&nbsp; turističkog proizvoda.&nbsp; Većina socio-demografskih &nbsp;karakteristika ispitnika su pokazale&nbsp; razlike sa ostalim varijablama (konzumacija lokalne hrane, konzumacija lokalnih pića i&nbsp; kultura ishrane).&nbsp; Rezultati pokazuju da je imidž srpske gastronomije iz perspektive stranih turista pozitivan. Pokazano je da su turisti lokalnu gastronomiju ocenili kao &bdquo;ukusna&quot;, da je ponuda bogata jelima od mesa i da je cena prihvatljiva tj razumna cena, bez obzira na&nbsp; grad koji&nbsp; su posetili. Glavni doprinos istraživanja konzumacije lokalne hrane i pića, kao i iskustvo u&nbsp; vezi sa kulturom ishrane&nbsp; na destinaciji nije da poveća broj posetilaca već da&nbsp;&nbsp; zainteresuje i&nbsp; zadovolji iskustvo turista i razvije identitet lokalne kuhinje&nbsp; kao moćno sredstvo u izgradnji&nbsp; brenda i imidža destinacije.</p> / <p>The consumption of food and beverages by the tourists, the most important form of tourist consumption is being largely ignored in the literature of hospitality and tourism. Today, with a greater interest in the unique and authentic food and beverages, food products and cuisine, there are an increasing number of people who travel just to experience local specialties. Therefore, this PhD thesis analyzes the<br />contribution of local food and beverages, as well as food culture in the assessment of consumption of local culinary products, destination attractiveness, overall satisfaction and future intentions of tourists to re-visit a tourist destination, and also the verification of the image of Serbian gastronomy with a special emphasis on socio-demographic characteristics of foreign tourists who visited the city centers of Serbia.There are four tasks in the study of this doctoral thesis. The main task is the verification of the proposed model of the contribution of food, beverages and food culture in the case of Serbia. The first task of thestudy was to determine the differences between the attitudes of tourists who stayed in Novi Sad and Belgrade in their perception of local food, beverages and food culture of Serbia. Another task of this paper is testing the differences between socio-demographic characteristics of respondents in the consumption of local food and beverages, as well as the experiences related to the culture of food in respondents. The third task is to determine to what extent is the consumption of local food, local beverages and the experience of food culture contributes to the assessment of destination&lsquo;s attractiveness, overall satisfaction and future intentions of tourists to re-visit a destination. Finally, the fourth task is to verify the image of Serbian gastronomy from the perspective of foreign touris ts. The survey was conducted in Serbia, i.e. in Belgrade and Novi Sad, during a six months research from May to October 2016. The target sample population being comprised of foreign tourists who stayed in Serbia<br />during the period of the survey. A total of&nbsp; 674 valid surveys were collected by&nbsp; appropriate sampling,and these were later used in statistical analyses. For the purpose of statistical analysis, several statistical techniques and statistical software were used. Statistical techniques used for the sur vey are t-tests variance analysis and multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Statistical software SPSS 18.0, AMOS<br />21 and &bdquo;lavaan&quot; made for R environment were used for data processing.</p><p>Based on the tested model, it can be concluded that in the case of Serbia in the sample tested, local food, local beverages and food culture are a significant construct in the assessment of product consumption, attractiveness of a destination, overall satisfaction and future intentions of tourists to re-visit a destination, but also in examining the differences between socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. According to research findings, the internal reliability of the model for all constructs is at a satisfactory level. Furthermore, the results showed that the Serbian food, beverages and food culture are acceptable to foreign tourists and are to be considered an important element of the tourism product.Most of the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents have shown differences with the other<br />variables (consumption of local food, local beverages and food culture). The results show that the image of Serbian gastronomy from the perspective of foreign tourists is positive. It is indicated that tourists assess local gastronomy as ―delicious‖, that there is a&nbsp; lot of dishes made of meat on offer and that the price is acceptable i.e. reasonable, regardless of the city they stayed in. The main contribution to the research on consumption of local food and drinks, as well as food culture related experience at a destination is not to increase the number of visitors, but to intrigue and satisfy the experience of tourists and develop the identity of local cuisine as a powerful tool in creating a brand and an image of the destination.</p>

It is essential for both employers and employees to know and understand their obligations and rights about occupational health and safety. The study aimed at developing guidelines for the managers of health and safety programmes to promote compliance with OHS Act (No. 85 of 1993) among the food and beverage industry in South Africa. The study sites were from the four selected provinces of South Africa, with twenty three of them located in the Gauteng Province. A quantitative research method which is descriptive in nature was used to obtain in-depth knowledge on compliance to the health and safety legislation. Data was collected from 27 study sites using an inspection checklist and an interview- led questionnaire for the 202 employees. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Most employees on the study sites were young and therefore needed regular supervision, information, instruction and training to promote safe work and reduce injury and diseases. The study sites were male dominated. It emerged that there was general lack of consultation and communication with regards to health and safety matters between the employers and the employees. It was also noted that most study sites did not have a written and conspicuously placed health and safety policy and the OHS Act No. 85 of 1993. Majority of the study sites did not deploy adequate resources to manage problems related to health and safety at work and reduce their incidence. In addition, employees experienced injuries or illnesses at one point or the other as they were exposed to various occupational hazards. Finally, most study sites had poor housekeeping practices. Employers did not have the appropriate control measures, such as baseline risk assessments, in place. This placed employees at an increased risk of injuries and illnesses as well as the possibility of employers facing financial burdens such as higher compensation claims, medical specialist fees, fees involved in the replacement of injured employees or fees for the recruitment and training of new recruits. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This thesis explores the integration of IoT protocols to enhance supply chain efficiency and sustainability by developing a flexible automated system. The research covers the integration of a palletization optimizer with a flexible robotic platform, a project conducted in collaboration with OpiFlex and Linköping University. Flexibility and sustainability in production, particularly in the food and beverage industry, are critical yet challenging to achieve. This research addresses these challenges by proposing a system that aligns the output with customer needs by combining these technologies. The research employs a combination of case study and exploratory methodologies. The development approach synthesizes elements from Set-Based Design, Point-Based Design, and Agile development frameworks. The primary research questions focus on identifying the best system architecture for integrating the palletization optimizer with a lower-level automation platform and outlining the steps needed to transform this integration into a commercially viable product. The system includes the optimizer, capable of processing customer orders and configuring products on mixed output pallets, integrated with a flexible robotic system provided by OpiFlex. The work involved evaluating communication protocols, MQTT, OPC UA, and TCP/IP, and designing robust interactions and interfaces between the subsystems. The results demonstrate the system's architecture and interaction protocols.  The thesis concludes with a discussion of the results in comparison to the application scenario and the standards consulted. The conclusion is that the chosen interface practices should remain largely intact but be re-developed using an OPC UA-based architecture. The main reasons for this are its support for both pub/sub and client-server models, increased security, and greater support for enterprise application integration. However, depending on the specific application, the downsides of OPC UA may outweigh its benefits.