Microwave ovens are popular for their convenience, but uneven heating can affect the quality and safety of cooked food. A modified microwave oven with a fibre optic system was developed to investigate the effect of packaging on temperature distribution. The oven had a frequency of 2450 MHz and a rated output power of 1000 W. To evaluate the package geometry effect, baby potatoes (3-5 cm diameter; about 450 g) were arranged in layers within airtight polypropylene containers equipped with a steam vent hole and cooked at maximal power for 6 min. Potatoes were stacked in 3, 2, and 1 layer in the cylindrical (5.2 cm radius, 14.7 cm depth), cuboidal (14.5 L x 14.5 W x 8.5 H cm), and rectangular (19.5 L x 12.5 W x 4 H cm) containers, respectively. The results showed that package geometry and potato arrangement did not significantly affect the temperature profile in headspace and potatoes positioned at the container periphery in all the packages tested. Steam vent hole of 4 mm diameter had no significant effect on the time taken for the potatoes and headspace to reach the maximal temperature (100oC). However, the time taken to reach 100oC for the potatoes located at the centre was considerably longer for the cylindrical container (6 min) than the rectangular container (2 min). This study showed that minimizing the potato stack layer within a package would improve product temperature uniformity during microwave cooking.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop and ranks fourth in the world after wheat, rice, and maize. Potato is usually consumed after processing with or without its peel where most of the phenolic compounds and glycoalkaloids are concentrated. Glycoalkaloids, a group of nitrogen-containing compounds are toxic to humans if consumed in high concentrations. Plant glycoalkaloids are toxic steroidal glycosides and the common types found in potatoes are α-solanine and α-chaconine. Canadian consumers are rarely exposed to toxic levels of glycoalkaloids that cause serious health effects. However, there are occasional reports of short-term adverse symptoms, usually from eating potatoes that contain elevated concentrations of glycoalkaloids like burning sensation in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, stomach and abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Therefore, Health Canada has set the level of total glycoalkaloids (TGA ) concentrations to not exceed 200 mg/kg (2,00,000 ppb) fresh weight, in any of the potato variety before marketing. Thus, the current study seeks to estimate the level of TGA using analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique in various potato varieties. Samples were placed under LED light, continuously for a period of twenty days after which the tubers were assessed for their TGA content at 0, 3-, 5-, 7- and 20-day intervals of light exposure and assessed for TGA content. The levels of TGA found in the analyzed potato samples were below maximum residue level, rendering them safe for human consumption.

Unripe plantain slices were pretreated, deep-fried, then their quality and shelf life were evaluated in this work. Pretreatment techniques were; an ultrasound probe; 20KHz frequency at 600W maximum power, dipping in honey, and soaking in sugar solution. Plantain slices, with average weight, thickness, and diameter of 3g, 3mm, and 30mm respectively were fried using sunflower oil at a temperature of 170 o C for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 minutes. The Moisture content (MC), oil uptake (OU), moisture diffusivity (MD), and carotenoid content (CC) of fried plantain chips were evaluated. The honey and sugar pretreatments caused the samples to have lower MC before frying compared with ultrasound and control (samples with no treatment). The lowest OU was seen with ultrasound and sugar samples. Moisture transfer rate correlation coefficient (R2) ranged from 0.90 to 0.99 demonstrating a good fit for the experimental data with the sugar sample having the highest MD. Statistically, the honey sample with the lowest k-value and highest CC retention was the best in taste, aroma, crispiness, greasiness, and overall acceptability when fried for 10 minutes using 30 semi-panelists. The pretreated sample fried for 2 minutes was best in color with a mean and S.D value of 9.18±0.94^e at P<0.05. Microbial analysis of samples pretreated with ultrasound had minimal coliform and other pathogenic bacteria as compared with other samples after 28 days in aluminum foil stored in 27o C condition. However, the various pretreatments were found to have some advantages in improving the quality of plantain chips.

The optimization of drying techniques for preserving the structural integrity and quality of dehydrated food products is critical in the food industry. This study examines the microstructural changes in potato samples subjected to freeze drying (FD), infrared drying (ID), and hot air drying (HD). The 3D X-ray micro-computed tomography was used to quantify morphological alterations across various drying intervals 4, 8, 12, and 16 hours. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to predict the quality changes across drying time. The study revealed that FD samples consistently demonstrated minimal shrinkage, with a notable increase in total porosity, predominantly open porosity, as drying time increased. Conversely, ID and HD samples exhibited considerable shrinkage and density changes, although ID samples experienced a significant porosity increase over time. The findings from this study indicated FD’s superiority in preserving microstructural integrity, enhancing porosity, minimizing density changes, and optimizing color retention, thereby underscoring its potential to improve product quality and shelf life but at the cost of increased energy consumption. ID and HD presented a more favorable energy consumption profile but compromised the sample structure. This study provided valuable insights for the food processing industry, guiding the selection of optimal drying techniques that balance energy efficiency to achieve desired product quality.

This research focused on the structural and allergenic characteristics of cod proteins, which pose challenges for seafood product development. The objective was to explore the impact of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) on cod, particularly regarding protein structural changes and allergenicity reduction. Ultrasound was applied for various periods (0-60 minutes) to assess its effect on protein attributes. Significant findings include the decrease in total soluble protein and the transition of protein secondary structures from α-helices to β-sheets and disordered formations, as validated by FTIR and CD spectroscopy (p < 0.05). UV spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy corroborated these alterations, showing protein denaturation and potential Maillard reactions. Analysis through SDS-PAGE revealed protein degradation and aggregation, and ELISA tests indicated a reduction in allergenic potential by up to 31.82%, especially after prolonged exposure (60 minutes). These changes demonstrate that ultrasound treatment can effectively modify protein configurations and diminish allergenicity. The findings suggest that HIU could be a valuable method for enhancing the safety and quality of seafood, paving the way for innovation within the food sector.

This research investigated the influence of a pulsing microwave pretreatment, on the osmotic dehydration of waxy skin highbush blueberries. Initially, fresh blueberries were subjected to 20% microwave power for one and a half minutes before undergoing osmotic dehydration for 8 hours in a 60 °Brix sucrose solution. The study evaluated the mass transfer and the reduction of total soluble solid content during osmotic dehydration, alongside assessments of texture and color, across four temperature levels (room temperature, 60 °C, 65 °C, and 70 °C). Results revealed that the most substantial decrease in total soluble solid content within the osmotic solution occurred during the initial phase of the process (0-4 hours), with a negligible and gradual decline thereafter (4-8 hours). Microwave pretreatment showed no impact on the chromatic characteristics of blueberries color, particularly in parameters a, b, and L parameters. Although microwave pretreatment did not significantly alter texture compared to untreated blueberry samples, it notably boosted the efficiency of osmotic dehydration at higher temperatures. Optimizing microwave pretreatment parameters hold promise for reducing both processing time and temperature requirements in osmotic dehydration processes, especially beneficial for large-scale processing of waxy skinned berries.

The aim of this study was to develop a synbiotic legume-based beverage powder using spray drying with maximum probiotic viability, enhanced shelf life, and consumer acceptability via response surface methodology. The synbiotic beverage was made using green mung beans (Vigna radiata L.) and red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as prebiotic sources and Lacticaseibacillus casei as the probiotic. The optimization was done using Box-Behnken design with independent variables viz., inlet temperature of spray dryer (130-150 ℃), feed flow rate (20-30 mL/min), and gum acacia (GA) concentration (1-3%). The responses were total viable probiotic count (log CFU/mL), powder yield (%), and moisture content (%). The results showed that the optimized spray-dried power could be obtained at 130 ℃ inlet temperature, 20 mL/min feed rate and 2.32% GA concentration with maximum probiotic count (8.80 ± 0.06 log CFU/mL), yield (50.92 % ± 0.12) and desirable moisture content (50.92 % ± 0.12). The obtained synbiotic powder at optimized conditions also showed good powder characteristics (bulk, tapped & particle density, porosity, flowability, cohesiveness, dissolution, color, and encapsulation efficiency), desirable probiotic growth (>7 log CFU/mL) under simulated gut conditions (acidic and bile juices), and higher shelf life (> 55 days). The particle morphology and thermal properties were also desirable in comparison to the commercial control sample. Thus, the developed synbiotic legume-based beverage powder can be used as a novel dairy alternative and vegan product in the functional food industry by serving as a ready-to-reconstitute instant mix and a dairy alternative with added health benefits.