In an effort to understand the physical and rheological behavior as well as the mechanical and sensory attributes of foods, processing focus and emphasis have shifted to the microstructure level. Microstructure elements such as air bubbles or cells, starch granules, protein assemblies and food biopolymer matrices contribute greatly to the identity and quality of foods (Aguilera, 2005). The micr...

As food quality becomes more complex, consumers are tending to reduce their involvement in the food purchase decisionmaking process. Consequently, prices are becoming more significant as they represent an easy choice criterion when consumers have less information about the differences between the product and process quality inherent in food items (including environmental or social issues). The ...

Commercial fruit baby food is a preserved fruit product usually made with fruit purees, sugar, water and variable additives (thickening agents, antioxidants, etc.). As the foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses, baby foods for infants and young children conforms to a set of strict guidelines e.g. maximum levels for pesticide residues, microbiological contamination, addition of addi...

Introduction Plant cell walls constitute the key structural components of plants and many foods derived thereof. For decades, it has also been appreciated that they play a central role in determining the quality characteristics of many plant-based foods, particularly texture (Van Buren 1979). There is an implicit assumption that by understanding the physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and molecul...

Background: Asthenozoospermia, a disorder of sperm motility, is a common cause of human male infertility and is found to play a role in approximately 19% of infertile patients. Epidemiological studies indicated a link between environmental pollutants, lifestyle changes, and dietary habits and infertility. In view of the fact that nutrition is coming to the fore as a major environmental factor, ...

It is essential to guarantee the safety of unprocessed plants and food supplements if consumers' health is to be protected. Although botanicals and their preparations are regulated at EU level, at least in part, there is still considerable discretion at national level, and Member States may choose to classify a product either as a food supplement or as a drug. Accurate data concerning the finis...

In the food industry, quality management has become crucial to companies responsible for ensuring that the safety of products complies with the strict government regulations and/or copes with the increasing customer demand for new products and shorter product development cycles, whilst simultaneously having to protect their brands from food scandals or other adverse situations. In this paper we...

In spite of the technologies developed during the last decade, the level of food loss is still high and is reported in many countries. According to the United Nations, more than 30 per cent of the mortality rate world-wide is caused by alimentary diseases. The desire of most countries to make food safer for consumption requires better food preservation and production techniques. In this regard,...