This paper presents results about the determination of chemical composition of a new annual plant (Cynara cardunculus L. or Cardoon in English) growing in Portugal at experimental scale. Two raw materials were studied. The first one concerns over mature crops collected in 1996, whereas the second one was collected at the right time in 1997. The Klason lignin content of the first raw material wa...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND AND AIMS The negative logarithmic relationship between orthodox seed longevity and moisture content in hermetic storage is subject to a low-moisture-content limit (m(c)), but is m(c) affected by temperature? METHODS Red clover (Trifolium pratense) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) seeds were stored hermetically at 12 moisture contents (2-15 %) and five temperatures (-20, 30,...

Extrusion cooking, as a multi-step, multi-functional and thermal/mechanical process, has permitted a large number of food applications. Effects of extrusion cooking on nutritional quality are ambiguous. Beneficial effects include destruction of antinutritional factors, gelatinisation of starch, increased soluble dietary fibre and reduction of lipid oxidation. On the other hand, Maillard reactio...

The quality of preserved food is largely dependent on its moisture content, moisture migration and/or moisture uptake of the food during storage. Therefore, the water activity level, which corresponds to a range of equilibrium moisture contents, must be determined by, for example, the use of moisture isotherms. The shape of the isotherm curve is dependent on the interactions between the vapour ...

Different packaging is available to consumers, and marination is widely applied. However, their effects on the quality of broiler breast fillets during home freezing are not well known to consumers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of packaging materials on the quality of chicken breast fillets after 1, 3, and 6 wk storage at -18°C. A total of 256 fillet were ra...

Blanching beef for use in home meal replacements (HMR) is an important process that determines the final quality of the beef after the cooking process. Thermal pretreatment also minimizes the change in quality during the main cooking process or storage. In this study, beef samples were washed and sliced, then treated by immersion in boiling water (1-10 min), steaming (1-10 min), or pan-frying i...

The purpose of this study was to judge the feasibility of gasification for the disposal of waste streams generated through salmon harvesting. Gasification is the process of converting carbonaceous materials into combustible "syngas" in a high temperature (above 700 degrees C), oxygen deficient environment. Syngas can be combusted to generate power, which recycles energy from waste products. At ...

The test panels obtained from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Eastern beech (Fagus orientalis L.) were initially adjusted to have 8%, 10%, and 12% moisture content in this study. One-component semimatte and two-component water borne varnishes were applied on the surfaces in order to investigate the effect of the type and the moisture content of the wood on the hardness and the gloss values...

Decay prediction models are frequently used to estimate the service life of wooden components. These models require knowledge of how the material climate, i.e. moisture content and material temperature, varies over time. Therefore, a reliable material climate prediction model is crucial in situations when measurements are not viable. The aim of this paper is to test and evaluate the performance...

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of refined, solar, and bamboo salt on the physico-chemical properties and sensory characteristics of cured pork loin. Moisture, protein, fat, and ash content, lightness, yellowness, cooking yield, and color, juiciness, and tenderness of sensory properties on curing pork loin exhibited no significant differences regardless of the nature of sa...