Richmond Ltd. has recently undergone a change in strategy, away from the traditional commodity based meat industry, towards the modern food business. To do this, opportunities to add value to their current product range must be identified. This involves the conversion of traditionally low value commodity based products into products that demand a premium. An example of this is converting muscles that are currently used for grinding meat into a further processed convenience food (i.e. ready meals). Another method is to add further value to premium products by making them more appealing to consumers (i.e. nutritional information on labels). This work details investigations into the functional properties of selected beef forequarter muscles (low value commodity products) and the nutritional properties of selected export lamb products (premium products). The functional properties of a number of beef forequarter muscles were measured to identify which had the best potential for further processing applications with respect to ready meals. The functional properties of tenderness, cook loss and shrinkage were measured for the Latissimus Dorsi, Pectorialis Profundus (Point End Brisket), Infraspinatus (Cross Cut Blade), Triceps Brachi Longhead (Main muscle in Bolar Shoulder Clod), Supraspinatus (Chuck Tender), Serratus Ventralis and Triceps Brachi Medialhead (Muscle in Bolar Shoulder Clod. From the tests conducted the Infraspinatus and the Triceps Brachi Longhead have been identified as having the best functional properties with respect to further processing for ready meal applications. As well as conducting tests to identify the forequarter muscles with the best potential for further processing applications, investigations were carried out to identify cooking regimes that would optimise the functional properties. This work confirmed that there are three major chemical reactions, which determine the resultant functional properties of cooked meat. They are the denaturation and aggregation of the myofibrillar proteins and the denaturation and solubilisation of connective tissue (collagen). At around 50°C myosin (45% to 50% of the myofibrillar proteins) denatures, which results in a substantial increase in cook loss and reduction in water holding capacity. At around 60°C collagen (main connective tissue protein) denatures, which results in a substantial increase in tenderness and increase in cook loss. This is because as the collagen denatures it loses it mechanical strength (increase in tenderness) and can no longer support its own structure, and causes it to contract. This contraction causes fluid within the meat and cook loss caused by the denaturation of myosin to be expelled from the meat by compressive forces (squeezed out). At around 70°C actomyosin (22% of the myofibrillar proteins) denatures. This results in a substantial increase in the cook loss and firming of the meat. The increase in cook loss or decrease in water holding capacity that occurs with myofibrillar protein denaturation is due to the fact that when these proteins denature and aggregate their ability to bind water is greatly reduced. From the results of the cooking regime trials it is recommended that for functional property considerations that during the cooking of further processed meat products (i.e. ready meal applications) a meat temperature of 62°C should be aimed for, for the slowest heating region during cooking (usually the centre). This is because it has been identified that a cooking temperature of 65°C should not be exceeded otherwise detrimental effects can occur to the functional properties of the cooked meat. For health concerns a 7D bacterial death reduction has to be achieved. This means that for a cooking temperature of 62°C the meat has to be held at this temperature for at least 5 minutes. Therefore the total cooking time would be the time needed to heat all the meat to 62°C plus 5 minutes to ensure a safe product. The heating or cooking system employed should also ensure that a minimal amount of the meat is heated above 65°C. This can be easily achieved by minimising the external cooking temperature, but long cooking times will result. An industrial cooking process will be a compromise between the cost associated with longer residence time and product functionality. As mentioned earlier another way to add value is to supply nutritional information for selected cuts. Consequentially one of the objectives of this project was to provide some nutritional information for selected meat cuts. Though the primary objective of this part of the project was to develop a method for producing the needed information, so that Richmond N.Z. Ltd. can develop further information on an as needs basis. The nutritional characteristics of a number of export lamb cuts from the saddle region has also been investigated and a method devised to allow further characterisation of other cuts. The method involves breaking down a standard cut into its constituent components (e.g. Frenched rack consists of loin eye, fat cap, intercostals and fatty tissue). The constituent components are tested for their nutritional properties. The frenched rack nutritional properties are calculated from the nutritional properties of the constituents components and the yield data (percentage of each constituent component within a frenched rack) for frenched racks. This method allowed the identification of the main sources of variation for nutritional characteristics. These differences were found to be caused by the lean to fat ratio, not nutritional differences in lean tissue from the same region of lamb (i.e. loin eye and tenderloin very similar nutritionally). The difference in lean to fat ration also accounts for the variation between grades (i.e. PX grade lamb cuts have a higher fat content than YX grade lamb cuts due to PX grade cuts having a higher percentage fat tissue in their cuts). The cuts characterised were the shortloin section (whole section or chop), rack section (whole section or chop), 75mm racks frenched 25mm, boneless loin and tenderloin for both PX and YX grade lamb. The method will be applicable to other regions of lamb (i.e. hindquarter and forequarter) for which nutritional information already exists, but for which yielding data will have to be collected. The method would also be applicable to other species such as beef and venison, but both nutritional data for constituent components and yielding data would have to be collected.

<p>Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka vilken uppfattning pedagoger i förskola och skola har om sambandet mellan mat och koncentration. Anser de att mat har en betydelse för barns förmåga att delta i de verksamheter de befinner sig i? För att barn och vuxna skall orka vara delaktiga i sociala sammanhang och kunna vara koncentrerade krävs en näringsriktig kost. Vi har därför sökt att få fram vad som betraktas vara en näringsriktig måltid för barn. Genom enkätundersökning, intervju, observation samt litteraturstudier har vi försökt att få fram svar på dessa frågor. Vi berör skolmatens historia och politiken kring hur det kom sig att barn överhuvudtaget skall serveras mat i de verksamheter de befinner sig i. Vi har försökt se bortanför det psykomedicinska paradigmet för att förklara vissa orsaker till koncentrationsvårigheter.</p><p>The purpose with this work is to examine how the pedagogy personnel in pre-school and school thinks about the connection between food and concentration. Do they believe that food has meaning for the children’s ability to participate in the educational programs they attend in? The strength children and adults need to have, for the ability to participate in social interaction, demands good nourishing food. Therefore we have tried to find answers to what a nutritious meal is for children. Trough questionnaire, interview, observation and litterateur studies we have tried to find answers to these questions. We discuss the history of the school-meal and the politics surrounding the question why children should be served food in the educational programs they attend in. We have tried to look beyond the psycho medical paradigm to explain some causes to behavior problem.</p>

<p>The aim of the present thesis was to study elderly self-managing and disabled women’s dietary intake and meals in relation to age, household structure (single-living or cohabitant), disability and cooking ability. The women were aged 64-88 years and living at home, in the mid-eastern part of Sweden. The self-managing women were randomly selected. The disabled women – suffering from Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis or stroke – were selected from patient records. A total of 139 self-managing and 63 disabled women participated. Two dietary assessment methods were used: a repeated 24-h recall and a three-day estimated food diary, providing dietary intake for five non-consecutive days. The results indicate that elderly women still living in their homes seem to manage a sufficient dietary intake despite disability and high age. The reported energy intakes in all groups of women were low, which might be explained by an actual low intake and/or under-reporting. The portion sizes seemed to be smaller in the highest age group, leading to lower intakes of some nutrients. Thus also the nutrient density of the food should be given greater consideration. The meal pattern was shown to be regular and the distribution of main meals and snacks was found to be satisfactory. Meals and snacks that were defined as such by the women themselves thus seem to be more significant from an energy and nutritional perspective. Perceived cooking ability co-varied with energy and nutrient intake as well as with meal pattern.</p><p>Further, a qualitative dietary assessment method, FBCE, was analysed. It was concluded that it must be supplemented with a dietary assessment method providing energy intake figures to ensure a sufficient intake, especially when studying groups at risk for low energy intake. </p><p>Furthermore, the aim was to perform a dropout analysis. When studying older women and food, a low participation rate might be expected since the most active, the very ill as well as the disabled tend to decline participation, but also since food is a gender issue. Food could, especially for women, be a sensitive area of discussion, even though older women seem to choose "healthy foods" and eat "proper meals".</p>

<p>The high prevalence of diabetes mellitus among the Sudanese population is linked to obesity, poor glycaemic control and a high rate of complications. This study investigated 1/ Leptin hormone and its correlations with different biochemical characteristics in Sudanese diabetic subjects, 2/ The impact of glycaemic control on pregnancy outcome in pregnancies with diabetes, 3/ The glycaemic response to Sudanese traditional carbohydrate foods, 4/ The influence of glucose self-monitoring on the glycaemic control among this population, 5/ The health related quality of life in Sudanese subjects with diabetes-related lower limb amputation. </p><p>Leptin was significantly lower in diabetic subjects compared with controls of same BMI in both females (P =0.0001) and males (P =0.019). In diabetic subjects, serum leptin correlated positively with the homeostatic assessment (HOMA) of both beta-cell function (P =0.018) and insulin resistance (P =.038). In controls, leptin correlated only with insulin resistance. Pregnancy complications were higher among diabetic compared with control women (P<0.0001) and varied with the type of diabetes. Infants of diabetic mothers had a higher incidence of neonatal complications than those of non-diabetic women (P<0.0001). In six Sudanese traditional carbohydrate meals over all differences in incremental AUCs were significant for both plasma glucose (P = 0.0092) and insulin (P = 0.0001). Millet porridge and wheat pancakes displayed significantly lower post-prandial glucose and insulin responses, whereas maize porridge induced a higher post-prandial glucose and insulin response. In type 2 diabetic subjects SMBG or SMUG was not related to glycaemic control. In type 1 diabetic subjects, SMBG was significantly associated with better glycaemic control, as assessed by HbA1c (P=0.02) and blood glucose at clinic visits (P=<0.0001), similar associations were found for SMUG respectively. Neither glycaemic control nor glucose self-monitoring was associated with education level. Diabetic subjects with LLA had significantly poorer HRQL compared to a reference diabetic group (P=<0.0001). Duration of diabetes and amputation had negative impact on HRQL in subjects with LLA (P=<0.0001) respectively. Diabetic subjects with LLA had decreased sense of coherence and high presence of symptoms. Improving health services at the primary level is important to reduce the complications and burden of disease in the Sudanese population.</p>

The high prevalence of diabetes mellitus among the Sudanese population is linked to obesity, poor glycaemic control and a high rate of complications. This study investigated 1/ Leptin hormone and its correlations with different biochemical characteristics in Sudanese diabetic subjects, 2/ The impact of glycaemic control on pregnancy outcome in pregnancies with diabetes, 3/ The glycaemic response to Sudanese traditional carbohydrate foods, 4/ The influence of glucose self-monitoring on the glycaemic control among this population, 5/ The health related quality of life in Sudanese subjects with diabetes-related lower limb amputation. Leptin was significantly lower in diabetic subjects compared with controls of same BMI in both females (P =0.0001) and males (P =0.019). In diabetic subjects, serum leptin correlated positively with the homeostatic assessment (HOMA) of both beta-cell function (P =0.018) and insulin resistance (P =.038). In controls, leptin correlated only with insulin resistance. Pregnancy complications were higher among diabetic compared with control women (P&lt;0.0001) and varied with the type of diabetes. Infants of diabetic mothers had a higher incidence of neonatal complications than those of non-diabetic women (P&lt;0.0001). In six Sudanese traditional carbohydrate meals over all differences in incremental AUCs were significant for both plasma glucose (P = 0.0092) and insulin (P = 0.0001). Millet porridge and wheat pancakes displayed significantly lower post-prandial glucose and insulin responses, whereas maize porridge induced a higher post-prandial glucose and insulin response. In type 2 diabetic subjects SMBG or SMUG was not related to glycaemic control. In type 1 diabetic subjects, SMBG was significantly associated with better glycaemic control, as assessed by HbA1c (P=0.02) and blood glucose at clinic visits (P=&lt;0.0001), similar associations were found for SMUG respectively. Neither glycaemic control nor glucose self-monitoring was associated with education level. Diabetic subjects with LLA had significantly poorer HRQL compared to a reference diabetic group (P=&lt;0.0001). Duration of diabetes and amputation had negative impact on HRQL in subjects with LLA (P=&lt;0.0001) respectively. Diabetic subjects with LLA had decreased sense of coherence and high presence of symptoms. Improving health services at the primary level is important to reduce the complications and burden of disease in the Sudanese population.

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka vilken uppfattning pedagoger i förskola och skola har om sambandet mellan mat och koncentration. Anser de att mat har en betydelse för barns förmåga att delta i de verksamheter de befinner sig i? För att barn och vuxna skall orka vara delaktiga i sociala sammanhang och kunna vara koncentrerade krävs en näringsriktig kost. Vi har därför sökt att få fram vad som betraktas vara en näringsriktig måltid för barn. Genom enkätundersökning, intervju, observation samt litteraturstudier har vi försökt att få fram svar på dessa frågor. Vi berör skolmatens historia och politiken kring hur det kom sig att barn överhuvudtaget skall serveras mat i de verksamheter de befinner sig i. Vi har försökt se bortanför det psykomedicinska paradigmet för att förklara vissa orsaker till koncentrationsvårigheter. The purpose with this work is to examine how the pedagogy personnel in pre-school and school thinks about the connection between food and concentration. Do they believe that food has meaning for the children’s ability to participate in the educational programs they attend in? The strength children and adults need to have, for the ability to participate in social interaction, demands good nourishing food. Therefore we have tried to find answers to what a nutritious meal is for children. Trough questionnaire, interview, observation and litterateur studies we have tried to find answers to these questions. We discuss the history of the school-meal and the politics surrounding the question why children should be served food in the educational programs they attend in. We have tried to look beyond the psycho medical paradigm to explain some causes to behavior problem.

To gain insight in the relationship between innate immune system and metabolic disease, we aimed to investigate the effects of lactoferrin in obesity-related metabolic disturbances. Circulating lactoferrin concentration was significantly decreased in subjects with altered glucose tolerance (AGT) and associated negatively with obesity-related metabolic disturbances. The SNPs-induced aminoacidic changes in lactoferrin N-terminus region were associated with a low atherogenic lipid profile. Lactoferrin production in neutrophils decreased significatively in aging, chronic low-grade inflammation and type 2 diabetes. In vitro, lactoferrin increased insulin signaling pathway, even under insulin resistance conditions and displayed dual effects on adipogenesis (antiadipogenic in 3T3-L1 and adipogenic in human adipocytes). In conclusion, lactoferrin might play a potential protective role against insulin resistance and obesity related metabolic disturbances. / Per aprofundir en la relació entre el sistema immunològic innat i els trastorns metabólics, s’investiga l’efecte de la lactoferrina en els desordres metabòlics associats a l’obesitat. Els nivells circulants de lactoferrina es trobaven significativament disminuits en subjetes amb la tolerància a la glucosa alterada (AGT), i aquests es correlacionaven negativament amb trastorns metabòlics associats a obesitat i resistència a la insulina. Els canvis aminoacídics en la seva regió N-Terminal s’associaven a un perfil lipídic menys aterogènic. La producció de lactoferrina es troba reduïda en condicions d’envelliment, inflamació crònica i diabetes tipus 2. In vitro, la lactoferrina incrementava la via de senyalització de la insulina, inclús en condicions de resistència a la insulina i presentava efectes dual en la adipogenesis (antiadipogenic en 3T3-L1 i adipogenic en adipòcits humans). En conclusió, la lactoferrina podria tenir un potencial efecte protector enfront les enfermetats metabòliques associades a obesitat i resistència a la insulina.

The aim of the present thesis was to study elderly self-managing and disabled women’s dietary intake and meals in relation to age, household structure (single-living or cohabitant), disability and cooking ability. The women were aged 64-88 years and living at home, in the mid-eastern part of Sweden. The self-managing women were randomly selected. The disabled women – suffering from Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis or stroke – were selected from patient records. A total of 139 self-managing and 63 disabled women participated. Two dietary assessment methods were used: a repeated 24-h recall and a three-day estimated food diary, providing dietary intake for five non-consecutive days. The results indicate that elderly women still living in their homes seem to manage a sufficient dietary intake despite disability and high age. The reported energy intakes in all groups of women were low, which might be explained by an actual low intake and/or under-reporting. The portion sizes seemed to be smaller in the highest age group, leading to lower intakes of some nutrients. Thus also the nutrient density of the food should be given greater consideration. The meal pattern was shown to be regular and the distribution of main meals and snacks was found to be satisfactory. Meals and snacks that were defined as such by the women themselves thus seem to be more significant from an energy and nutritional perspective. Perceived cooking ability co-varied with energy and nutrient intake as well as with meal pattern. Further, a qualitative dietary assessment method, FBCE, was analysed. It was concluded that it must be supplemented with a dietary assessment method providing energy intake figures to ensure a sufficient intake, especially when studying groups at risk for low energy intake. Furthermore, the aim was to perform a dropout analysis. When studying older women and food, a low participation rate might be expected since the most active, the very ill as well as the disabled tend to decline participation, but also since food is a gender issue. Food could, especially for women, be a sensitive area of discussion, even though older women seem to choose "healthy foods" and eat "proper meals".

The purpose of this study is to examine how school meals are organized in a selection of Stockholm's secondary schools and to examine the relationship between school meals and the different parameters that indicate each school's symbolic capital and educational capital. By looking at the statistics from each school on the basis of the final grade average, percentage of pupils with foreign background and gender, I examine whether it is possible to see a relationship between how schools organize meals and which pupils attend the school.  In my study, I systematically went through each school's website and tried to identify how school meals at each school are organized. To increase the validity of the study, I have also conducted a questionnaire survey by mail addressed to school principals.   In order to analyse and understand my results and put them in relation to my current knowledge about the schools in my sample, I am using Bourdieu's theoretical tools that a given aid, both in methodological and analytical purpose. Based on Bourdieu's theories of symbolic capital, cultural capital and educational capital, I can understand and analyse school meals are organized and focused as part of schools' symbolic assets in competition with other schools.   The first part of the study shows that there are four different organizational models for school meals, fully equipped kitchen and canteen, heating kitchen and canteen, school meals in restaurants and school meal card.    In the second part, I have examined the relationship between the type of organization for school meals used and the symbolic resources available at the school. I can conclude from the results that it is difficult to find a correlation between the symbolic resources and the different categories. But even though it is not possible to see all the schools' symbolic assets equally clear, there are still some very telling examples. In many ways, these examples can be seen as polar opposites to each other based on Mikael Palme’s concepts ”goal rational” and ”education oriented” schools.

Literary Meals in Canada étudie Pig Tails ’n Breadfruit d'Austin Clarke, Chorus of Mushrooms et The Kappa Child de Hiromi Goto, This Body de Tessa McWatt, ainsi que Diamond Grill de Fred Wah. Cette thèse entreprend d’établir la signification de la nourriture dans ces récits, ce qu'elle permet aux auteur(e)s d'exprimer par rapport à divers thématiques—les structures sociales, la culture, le langage, ou encore la subjectivité—et comment ils/elles établissent des connexions entre elles, et quelles conclusions ils/elles en tirent. En d'autres termes, cette thèse s'interroge sur les stratégies utilisées par ces auteur(e)s lorsqu'ils écrivent de la “nourritéra-ture.” Ma lecture de ces oeuvres est aussi ancrée au sein d'une conversation sur la nourriture au sens large: que ce soit dans les cercles académiques, dans les supermarchés, par l'intermédiaire des étiquettes, ou dans les médias. J'examine comment mon corpus littéraire répond, infirme, ou confirme les discours actuels sur la nourriture. Divisé en quatre chapitres—Production, Approvisionnement, Préparation, et Consommation—ce mémoire précise la signification du “literary supermarket” de Rachel Bowlby, en s'appuyant sur les travaux de Michael Pollan et Hiromi Goto; compare la haute cuisine d'Escoffier à la “hot-cuisine” d'Austin Clarke; recherche les connections entre l’acte de faire la cuisine et celui de l’écrire chez Luce Giard, Austin Clarke, et Fred Wah; confronte les préceptes d'Emily Post concernant les bonnes manières de la table à la cacophonie et aux bruits de mastication chez Hiromi Goto; et relie Tessa McWatt et Elspeth Probyn qui partagent, toutes deux, un intérêt et une approche à la sustentation des corps. Les textes qui composent ce corpus sont des “foodbooks” (“aliment-textes”). La nourriture, et les différentes activités qui y sont associées, y est transcrite. C’est pourquoi cette thèse accorde une grande importance aux particularités de ce moyen d'expression. / Literary Meals in Canada examines Austin Clarke’s Pig Tails ’n Breadfruit, Hiromi Goto’s Chorus of Mushrooms and The Kappa Child, Tessa McWatt’s This Body, and Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill. It asks, what does food mean to these stories, what does it allow the writers in question to say—about social structures, culture, language, and subjectivity—and how do they go about making these connections or drawing these conclusions? In other words, what are their food-writing strategies? I also read these texts as part of a larger conversation about food, a conversation taking place in academic circles as well as at the supermarket, on food labels, on television, and other media outlets. I look for moments in which my literary corpus responds to and challenges food-centred discourse. Comprised of four chapters—Production, Procurement, Preparation, and Consumption—this dissertation explicates Rachel Bowlby’s term, “literary supermarket,” through Michael Pollan and Hiromi Goto; it compares Escoffier’s haute cuisine with Austin Clarke’s “hot-cuisine”; it tracks the kinship between “doing-cooking” and writing cooking, as articulated by Luce Giard, Austin Clarke, and Fred Wah; it reads Emily Post’s advice on table manners against Hiromi Goto’s cacophony of gnashing and nibbling; and it pairs Tessa McWatt with Elspeth Probyn, both of whom share a similar approach to, and interest in, bodies that eat. The texts that make up this corpus are foodbooks. Food and the activities and processes associated with it are therefore mediated by language. For this reason the dissertation attends to the particularities and the potential effects of writing food.