The overall aim of this study was to investigate the culinary practices of Basotho with regard to traditional bread, to characterise breads and to apply the cultural hedonic framework to describe consumers’ perceptions about the acceptance of traditional Basotho breads. The culinary practices of Basotho have been transferred from one generation to the other without or with very limited documentation. The only sourced information was a research done by Ashton in 1939. The knowledge of traditional bread preparation and its acceptance by Basotho consumers is currently limited. Food practices are embedded in culture and every culture has specifications pointing to the hedonic characteristics of food such as taste, appearance, flavour and aroma, which are determined by the context in which the food is selected or consumed. It was important to understand the cultural hedonic framework underlying Basotho bread acceptance. The study was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Food acceptance and cultural hedonic framework theories were used to explore the reasons underlying the choice of bread. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques of collecting data in the three phases. Data related to culinary practices was collected by a structured questionnaire and focus groups in phase 1. Phase 2 was the standardisation of recipes obtained in phase 1. The standardised breads were characterised in phase 3 by describing selected physico–chemical and sensory characteristics of dough and breads. The responses to the questionnaire and descriptive sensory evaluation were statistically analysed and the grounded theory approach was used to analyse data from focus groups. Ten Basotho breads prepared from wheat, maize and sorghum were identified in both rural and urban areas of Lesotho. Preparation of traditional Basotho breads involves preparation of grains (washing, sorting, soaking, dehulling, dry milling and wet milling), mixing/kneading, fermentation and cooking. Steaming method is applied to all breads, but baking and pot-roasting are used for wheat breads only. Younger participants were less familiar with maize and sorghum breads than they were with wheat breads. Unfamiliarity with the sensory attributes of these products, contributed to their lower acceptance. The older participants were familiar with all traditional breads and valued them for use in the important Basotho cultural ceremonies. The movement from the rural areas to urban areas has also changed the traditional bread practices to modern westernised ways. This therefore placed Lesotho into both higher and lower cultural hedonic context such that rural and old people are higher context cultures and urban and younger people are lower context cultures. The type of grain flour used influenced the sensory characteristics of breads. Red sorghum breads reflected dark red crumb and white maize breads reflected white crumb. Fine flour produced lighter breads than coarse flour of the same cereal type. Non-wheat breads were more crumbly, hard and fibrous than wheat breads. The instrumental texture analysis showed plastic deformation for wheat breads, brittle deformation for non-wheat breads and elastic deformation for standard breads. It is recommended that more attention be given to the development, standardisation and improvement of traditional bread recipes in order to produce bread with acceptable sensory attributes. The findings of this study help to understand and interpret the overall scope of Basotho attitude towards breads for the maximum utilisation of local grains in Lesotho. The study adds the Basotho perspective of cultural food acceptance to the excisting global knowledge of food choice regarding traditional food products. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Consumer Science / PhD / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Species of Campylobacter, Arcobacter and Helicobacter have been associated with various diseases in humans and animals; and chickens have been identified as a reservoir of these microorganisms. Two published techniques and a new technique, developed in this dissertation, were evaluated to test its efficiency in removing PCR inhibitors from chicken samples. All of the techniques were based on agarose/DNA slants and were evaluated using multiplex PCR and an Internal Amplification Control. The new technique was found to be most effective and consequently used further in the study. A novel study was done to evaluate the survival of Campylobacter, Arcobacter and Helicobacter strains in chicken blood at -20, 4, 37 and 42ºC as well as at ambient room temperature (±222ºC). It was found that all strains could survive at all temperatures, albeit at different duration times. Most notably, an A. butzleri strain was able to survive at 4ºC for up to 297 days. / South Africa

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Background: The rate of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 12-19 years has quadrupled since 1980. Reducing obesity is a key public health priority, as obesity is associated with individual and population-level health and economic consequences. Afterschool-based obesity prevention programs that aim to develop nutrition and culinary self-efficacy have shown promise. However, the level of aptitude among program instructors is directly correlated with student success, suggesting the importance of effective train-the-trainer (TTT) mechanisms for implementing and scaling up these strategies. Pink and Dude Chefs (PDC) is an afterschool nutrition education and culinary skills program for middle-school adolescents aged between 11-14 years. The PDC online TTT platform trains lay instructors on program content and preparation, lesson delivery, and classroom and kitchen safety. Trained instructors deliver PDC lessons on topics ranging from macronutrients and USDA MyPlate to knife skills and food preparation. The literature on online TTT models and instructor impact on student outcomes is limited and the PDC online training mechanism has not been evaluated. The current project sought to address these critical gaps with the aim of creating the most effective intervention model. Methods: This project was implemented in Santa Maria, Guadalupe, and New Cuyama, California from Fall 2015 to Spring 2016. Eleven instructors and 68 middle school students participated and comprehensive surveys were used to evaluate instructor and student outcomes. Results: Instructors’ performance on all three domains (food and kitchen safety, program knowledge, and overall knowledge) increased following training (45%, 63%, and 53%, respectively), all p≤0.01. Students outcomes (food and kitchen safety, nutrition knowledge, and overall knowledge) also improved following participation (14%, 33%, and 23%, respectively), all p≤0.001. Impact analyses revealed that students with instructors who scored high in overall knowledge performed better than students with low-scoring instructors (p=0.01). Conclusion: If obesity prevention programs that incorporate online TTT mechanisms, such as PDC, continue to show promising outcomes for both instructors and adolescents, larger scale efforts may contribute to decreasing the public health and economic burdens associated with obesity.

The decision regarding when and to what extent to use convenience food products is a perennial issue in the hospitality industry. Despite the pertinence of this issue in the industry, it has never been explicitly examined in the hospitality literature. Potential advantages of adopting convenience food products in food-service operations include: savings in time and costs, better portion and cost control, ease of training and evaluation, superior customer relationships through product consistency, increased safety, ease of storage, and added eye appeal. On the other hand, noticeable disadvantages may include: staff motivation problems, facilitated labor mobility, increased emotional labor for supervisor, health and nutrition down-sides, and more waste. Therefore, to further explore this issue, a paper and pencil survey was administered to culinary managers in a large university dining setting. Respondents included 132 chefs representing ten dining facilities. The results indicate that even though the time and labor cost savings brought about by the use of convenience food products are perceived as advantageous, the implied consistency of the final product and superior portion control are not as important. Furthermore, customer relationships, catering to special groups, and final products' eye appeal appear to be better facilitated by non-convenience foods. Even though it is easier to train chefs/ cooks/ employees to use convenience food products rather than non-convenience ones and these employees appear to be under less psychological pressure in their jobs, they will conversely be less motivated and worse paid. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed herein. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the need for a high school Hospitality and Tourism Program in Washington County, Tennessee and to identify skills food service operators deemed important for entry- level positions that are to be obtained. Three high schools and 114 restaurants in Washington County were involved in the study. Data were collected through a quantitative phone study questionnaire. The findings of the study identified that the restaurant industry and teachers indicated there was a need for skilled workers through the implementation of the Hospitality and Tourism program in the Washington County schools. Finally, it was determined that there was a need for better training of students entering the restaurant industry and a willingness of restaurant operators to work with these students.

Pink and Dude Chefs: A nutrition and culinary intervention for middle school students Tianna Sheehan The prevalence of obesity in US adolescents has more than tripled in the past 35 years, and the greatest impact has been among low-income and minority racial/ethnic populations. Adolescents report inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, an overconsumption of sweetened beverages, and a high reliance on fast food locations for meals or snacks; increasing the risk of adolescent obesity. Building knowledge and skills through culinary interventions may empower middle school students to create and also choose healthful foods. Pink and Dude Chefs, a six-week nutrition and culinary intervention, aims to improve healthy eating behaviors by increasing nutrition knowledge and culinary ability. Trained research assistants from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) led middle school boys and girls in lessons ranging on topics including macronutrients, real-world application of USDA MyPlate guidelines, and meal planning and budgeting. Cal Poly research assistants supported middle school participants in cooking recipes that were specifically chosen to highlight themes covered in the nutrition lesson and to progress in difficulty throughout the program. The program consisted of 12 lessons that were each divided into 1 hour of classroom nutrition instruction and 1 hour of hands-on cooking practicum. The program took place in two locations, at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande, California and Carpinteria Middle School in Carpinteria, California with 15-20 middle school volunteer participants who enrolled in each program. Questionnaires were used to measure fruit and vegetable preferences, dietary behavior, and barriers to healthy eating, culinary skill, culinary confidence, and basic nutrition knowledge pre- and post-intervention. Participants’ responses indicated an improved dietary profile as indicated by fruit and vegetable preferences, and fruit and vegetable intake. Responses also indicated increased culinary confidence and improved nutrition knowledge. More research is needed to test the long-term impact of participation in nutrition and culinary interventions.

The epidemic of adolescent obesity has become one of the greatest public health concerns in the United States. Approximately 20.5% of adolescents of both sexes aged 12-19 years are considered obese. Higher rates of obesity are evident in ethnic minority and lower income status children with the highest prevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black populations. The causes for obesity are multifactorial in nature and highlight disparities nationwide. These factors include socioeconomic status, education, environment, availability and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and behavior patterns. Successful intervention methods that have reduced the impact of adolescent obesity have incorporated nutrition knowledge and culinary skill building into afterschool programs. Pink and Dude Chefs, a 12-lesson nutrition education and culinary skills afterschool program targeted toward middle school students, aims to improve nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior in low income and minority populations. Based off of evidence-based curriculum, the program focuses on culinary fundamentals while incorporating nutrition lessons about macronutrients, micronutrients, label reading, kitchen safety, and USDA guidelines. Research assistants from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, were trained to implement each lesson. The program took place at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande, CA; Shandon, CA; and two sites in Nashville, TN from Spring 2014 to Fall 2014. Thirty-two middle school students participated in the study aged 11-14 years. Questionnaires were used to measure fruit and vegetables preferences, nutrition knowledge, and fruit and vegetable intake. Results indicate that participants’ fruit and vegetable preferences, nutrition knowledge and fruit and vegetable intake all increased. However, statistical significance was only achieved with nutrition knowledge, likely due to small sample size. If programs such as Pink and Dude Chefs show promise for decreasing risk for obesity, the public health impact could improve long-term health outcomes for adolescents and mitigate obesity related consequences.

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