Effect of cooking on banana and plantain texture

The effect of temperature and duration of cooking on plantain and banana fruit texture and cytpoplasmic and cell wall components was investigated. The firmness of both banana and plantain pulp tissues decreased rapidly during the first 10 min of cooking in water above 70 degrees C, although plantain was much firmer than banana. Cooking resulted in pectin solubilzation and middle lamella dissolution leading to cell wall separation (as observed by SEM). Dessert banana showed more advanced and extensive breakdown than plantain. Although dessert banana had a higher total pectin content than plantain, the former had smaller-sized carboxyethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA) soluble pectic polymers which are associated with plant tissues that have a propensity to soften. Plantain had higher levels of starch and amylose than banana but this was associated with a firmer fruit texture rather than a softening due to cell swelling during starch gelatinization. Different cooking treatments showed that cooking in 0.5% of CaCl(2) solution and temperatures below 70 degrees C had significant effects on maintenance of pulp firmness.     

Texture of cooked potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). 2. Changes in pectin composition during storage of potatoes

During the storage season changes in the chemical composition of the pectin moiety of the cell walls of raw potatoes were studied. This compositional analysis was performed for the cultivars Nicola and Irene, which represent two extremes with regard to sensory-perceived texture. Both cultivars were divided into three size categories. From each size category a dry matter (DM) distribution was made. From these distributions potatoes at the low and high ends of this distribution were selected for further analysis. In total 12 different samples were analyzed three times during the storage season. The analysis comprised a pectin fractionation study. Pectic fractions were extracted from the cell wall material (CWM) by increasing the harshness of the extraction procedure. This resulted in a calcium-complexed pectic fraction, two pectic fractions weakly bound to the CWM, and a residue fraction, respectively. It was shown that no statistically significant differences (p > or = 0.95), either in yield or in chemical composition, could be observed between the two cultivars studied (Nicola and Irene), between sizes (large, medium, and small), and between potatoes with either high or low DM contents. However, statistically significant effects of storage both on the yield and on the chemical composition of the pectic moiety of the CWM could be observed, irrespective of cultivar, size, and DM content. Despite the substantial changes in the composition of the pectic moiety of the CWM of the raw material, no to minimal changes in the sensory-perceived texture of the cooked potatoes were observed upon storage. This suggests that the observed changes in pectin composition upon storage are overruled by other aspects that contribute more importantly to the sensory-perceived texture of steam-cooked potatoes.     

Preheating effects on the textural strength of canned green beans. 1. Cell wall chemistry

Variable preheating conditions allowed the modification of the firmness of two green bean cultivars after processing. The aim of this study was to elucidate the biochemical basis of this phenomenon and to relate pectin differences to different inherent firmness of two cultivars. The preheating temperature, which resulted in the highest retention of firmness after sterilization, corresponded with the optimal temperature for pectin methylesterase activity. After this preheating treatment, there was an overall reduction of the degree of methylation of the cell wall pectin. In addition, the yields of the buffer and chelator soluble fractions, as well as their average molecular mass, were higher after sterilization. Firmness differences between the two cultivars seemed to be related to the degree of methylation, the degree of acetylation, and the total amount of pectins. Preheating of green beans affects texture after sterilization most likely by demethylation of pectin by pectin methylesterase thereby (i) decreasing the beta-eliminative degradation of pectin and (ii) increasing the capacity of pectin to form Ca(2+)-mediated complexes.     

Starch Pasting and Textural Attributes of Elbow Macaroni as Impacted by Dough Moisture,Dough Mixing Time,and Macaroni Cooking Time

The effects of dough moisture, mixing time, and cooking time on uncooked and cooked elbow macaroni by means of starch pasting and macaroni textural characteristics were investigated. In conventional elbow macaroni production, cooking time was found to have significant contributions to cooked macaroni starch pasting properties, indicating that degree of starch cook dependent on cooking time was the main influence on cooked macaroni starch pasting phenomena. Dough moisture also showed some significant (P < 0.05) relationships with cooked macaroni starch pasting properties; however, mixing time did not show significant effect. Cooked macaroni starch pasting properties showed significantly (P < 0.05) high correlations with cooked macaroni firmness and stickiness. Cooking time was the only major variable contributing to variations in cooked elbow macaroni starch and consequently in pasting and texture characteristics. Cooking time was highly related to firmness and stickiness of cooked elbow macaroni (P < 0.0001, R² = 0.8148; P < 0.0001, R² = 0.6215, respectively). In addition, dough moisture had a slight significant (P < 0.05) effect on cooked elbow macaroni firmness and stickiness. Cooked elbow macaroni firmness and stickiness were found to be highly correlated (P = 0.0001, R² = 0.8459). Increases in firmness increased cooked elbow macaroni stickiness. As a result, when elbow macaroni was cooked for shorter times, firmer and stickier macaroni was obtained.     

Effect of Moisture Content at Harvest and Degree of Milling (Based on Surface Lipid Content) on the Texture Properties of Cooked Long-Grain Rice

The effects of the degree of milling (based on surface lipids content [SLC]) on cooked rice physicochemical properties were investigated. Head rice yield (HRY), protein, and SLC decreased with increasing milling, while the percent of bran removed and whiteness increased. Results showed that SLC significantly (P < 0.05) affected milled as well as cooked rice properties across cultivar, moisture content (MC) at harvest, and location (Stuttgart, AR, and Essex, MO). Cooked rice firmness ranged from 90.12 to 111.26 N after milling to various degrees (SLC). The decrease in cooked rice firmness with increasing milling was attributed to the lowering of total proteins and SLC. Cooked rice water uptake increased with increasing degree of milling. Water uptake by the kernel during cooking dictated the cooked rice firmness. The increase in cooked rice stickiness with increasing degree of milling was attributed to an increase in starch leaching during cooking because of the greater starch granule swelling associated with a greater water uptake.     

Variation in Firmness of Whole Beans,Embryos, and Testas of Cooked Soybean (Glycine max) Cultivars

The firmness of whole beans and of separated embryos and testas from 20 soybean cultivars grown in the same field conditions was estimated after 40 min cooking with AACC International Approved Method 56‐36.01. There were considerable variations in the firmness of whole beans, embryos, and testas among cultivars. Testas were much firmer than embryos because of their leathery texture and resistance at slots in the shear cell during compression. For soft cultivars, the firmness after 10 min cooking was also measured, and an apparent first‐order reaction kinetics model was applied to estimate the initial firmness at 0 min cooking and the softening rate constant from firmness data after 10 and 40 min cooking. The estimated initial firmness at 0 min cooking and softening rate constant of embryos and testas varied widely among seven cultivars, and these two parameters were considered to be controlled by different genetic mechanisms, because no correlation was found between the parameters. The softening rate constants of testas were much smaller than those of embryos, and the relative firmness of testas to embryos increased during cooking. The firmness of whole beans and embryos after 10 min cooking would be a useful characteristic for approximating their firmness after 40 min cooking.     

Characterization of the temperature activation of pectin methylesterase in green beans and tomatoes

Low-temperature blanching of vegetables activates the enzyme pectin methylesterase (PME), which demethylates cell wall pectins and improves tissue firmness. This temperature activation of PME has been investigated by measuring the formation of methanol in intact tissue of green beans and tomatoes. Rates of methanol formation at temperatures of 35-65 degrees C were obtained by measuring the release of methanol from thin slices of tomato pericarp or green bean pod material. Activation energies of 112 and 97 kJ mol(-1) were calculated for PME activity in green beans and tomatoes, respectively. These activation energies indicate that the rate of pectin demethylation at 65 degrees C will be nearly 100 times that at 25 degrees C. PME activity was also determined titrimetrically using a solubilized form of the enzyme and purified pectin at temperatures from 30 to 60 degrees C. Under these conditions, much lower activation energies of 37 and 35 kJ mol(-1) were obtained for green beans and tomatoes, respectively. Methanol accumulation during heating of whole intact green beans was also determined and yielded an activation energy similar to that obtained with sliced beans. Whole green beans held at room temperature did not accumulate any methanol, but sliced or homogenized beans did. If whole beans were first heated to 45 degrees C and then cooled, methanol accumulation was observed at room temperature. These results indicate that two factors contribute to the observed high rate of pectin de-esterification during low-temperature blanching: (1) An irreversible change, causing PME to become active, occurs by heating to > or = 45 degrees C. (2) The high activation energy for pectin de-esterification means that the rate of de-esterification increases substantially with increasing temperature.     

Activity and process stability of purified green pepper (Capsicum annuum) pectin methylesterase

Pectin methylesterase (PME) from green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) was extracted and purified by affinity chromatography on a CNBr-Sepharose-PMEI column. A single protein peak with pectin methylesterase activity was observed. For the pepper PME, a biochemical characterization in terms of molar mass (MM), isoelectric points (pI), and kinetic parameters for activity and thermostability was performed. The optimum pH for PME activity at 22 degrees C was 7.5, and its optimum temperature at neutral pH was between 52.5 and 55.0 degrees C. The purified pepper PME required the presence of 0.13 M NaCl for optimum activity. Isothermal inactivation of purified pepper PME in 20 mM Tris buffer (pH 7.5) could be described by a fractional conversion model for lower temperatures (55-57 degrees C) and a biphasic model for higher temperatures (58-70 degrees C). The enzyme showed a stable behavior toward high-pressure/temperature treatments.     

Environmental factors that affect the ability of amylose to contribute to retrogradation in gels made from rice flour

Retrogradation in rice is a trait that describes the hardening of cooked rice after storage or cooling, and it has significant implications for many consumers of rice, since many people cook rice in the morning and consume it several hours later or the next day. Tools to select against retrogradation in breeding programs are yet to be described. Here, we aim to determine the effect on retrogradation of storage time and temperature and the role of starch, protein, and lipids using gels made from Koshihikari grown in either Australia or Japan. Immediately after cooking, cooling from 60 to 40 degrees C had a minimal effect on firmness, but cooling to 20 degrees C led to significantly firmer gels. Storing the gels at low temperatures did not have an additional effect on the firmness as compared with storing the gels at 20, 40, or 60 degrees C. The removal of proteins led to significantly softer gels at all storage treatments but did not affect the change in firmness on cooling. The removal of lipids increased the rate of retrogradation and the firmness of gels significantly for all treatments. Koshihikari grown in Japan retrograded much less than Koshihikari grown in Australia. The amount of amylose that could be washed from gels made from Australian flour was much greater than for gels made from Japanese flour. After storage, only low molecular weight amylose chains were released from the gel and only after rewarming them to 60 degrees C. Despite the fact that flours from both origins were 18% amylose, the amount of long amylose chains that were complexed with lipids was much greater for the Japanese rice, and the unavailability of the complexed long amylose chains explained the lack of retrogradation in the Japanese rice. Once the long chains were released from amylose-lipid complexes, the Japanese rice retrograded. Thus, the environmental factor affecting retrogradation in this variety is type or amount of lipids synthesized, and the degree of retrogradation was determined by the availability of long chains of amylose.     

A Standardized Method for the Instrumental Determination of Cooked Spaghetti Firmness

A standardized method to determine cooked spaghetti firmness was developed. The effects of process and instrument variables were investigated and optimized to provide reproducible results between laboratories and to enable discrimination among samples with similar firmness characteristics. Commercial spaghetti samples of varying thickness were chosen to artificially create a range in firmness, and used to investigate the effect of a wide range of variables on cooked spaghetti firmness including sample preparation, cooking procedure, postcooking treatment, sample presentation, and instrument settings. Cooked spaghetti firmness determined using a TA‐XT2i texture analyzer was significantly affected by optimum cook time, postcook cooling, rest time, and crosshead speed (P < 0.001), as well as strand length, spaghetti to cooking water ratio, number of strands cut, and strand position (P < 0.05). Although previous work showed a reasonable correlation between laboratories when using in‐house methods (r = 0.85), the correlation improved to r = 0.96 when using the standardized method to analyze 29 commercially produced spaghetti samples. The Spearman rank correlation increased from r_s = 0.81 to r_s = 0.95, prestandardization and poststandardization, indicating greater agreement between laboratories in sample ranking.     

Physicochemical Changes in Nontraditional Pasta During Cooking

Physicochemical changes in the components of nontraditional spaghetti during cooking were reflected in the quality of the cooked product. Spaghetti formulations used were semolina (100%), whole wheat flour (100%), semolina/whole wheat flour (49:51), semolina/flaxseed flour (90:10), whole wheat flour/flaxseed flour (90:10), and semolina/whole wheat flour/flaxseed flour (39:51:10). Spaghetti quality was determined as cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness. Physicochemical analyses included total starch, starch damage, pasting properties, and protein quality and quantity of the flour mixes and spaghetti cooked for 0, 2, 4, 10, and 18 min. As cooking time progressed, total starch content decreased up to 5.7% units, starch damage increased up to 11.7% units, and both pasting parameters and protein solubility decreased significantly in all six formulations. Changes in the starch damage level, total starch content, and pasting properties of spaghetti correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with the cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness values recorded for the spaghetti. High levels of glutenin polymers and low levels of the albumin and globulin fractions were associated with low cooking losses and cooked weight and with high cooked firmness, indicating the involvement of these proteins in the cooked quality of nontraditional spaghetti.     

熟制方式对牦牛平滑肌食用品质和微观结构的影响

为研究熟制方式对牦牛平滑肌食用品质和微观结构的影响,将牦牛平滑肌分别在水浴熟制(方式1(80℃、60 min)、水浴熟制方式2(100℃、60 min)、蒸汽熟制(100℃、60 min)和高压熟制(0.20 MPa、10 min)4种条件下熟制,测定不同熟制方式下牦牛平滑肌蒸煮损失、热收缩率、剪切力、质构、胶原蛋白含量和微观结构的变化。结果表明,牦牛平滑肌经水浴熟制方式1处理后剪切力较大;经水浴熟制方式2处理后其蒸煮损失和热收缩率较大;经蒸汽熟制其胶原蛋白含量较高;水浴熟制方式2和蒸汽熟制方式下其硬度和咀嚼性均大于水浴熟制方式1和高压熟制。苏木精-伊红染色结果表明,水浴熟制方式1下牦牛平滑肌的肌纤维和肌束膜受热收缩明显;水浴熟制方式2和蒸汽熟制方式下其肌纤维和肌束膜边界清晰,肌束膜膨胀存在于肌纤维之间,肌纤维有明显裂痕;高压熟制方式下其肌纤维断裂程度较大。本研究结果为牦牛平滑肌的精深加工提供了理论依据和数据支持。     

Pectic methyl and nonmethyl esters in potato cell walls.

Because pectins are released from potatoes and other plants under conditions that cleave ester linkages, it has been suggested that there are other galaturonoyl ester cross-links between pectin chains in addition to the known non-cross-linking methyl esters. A microscale titration method and a copper binding method were developed for the measurement of total polymer carboxyl (essentially pectic) ester content in potato cell walls. Relative to the uronic acid content of the cell walls, the degree of total esterification was 57-58%. Comparison with levels of methanol released on ester hydrolysis allowed nonmethyl uronoyl esters to be estimated to be 14-15% relative to total uronic acid. The possibility of nonmethyl-esterified linkages being formed in potato cell walls by a side-reaction catalyzed by pectin methyl esterase (PME) was investigated, but no increase in nonmethyl-esterified pectin was observed under conditions where pectin was being effectively de-esterified by endogenous PME activity.     

Vacuum infusion of plant or fungal pectinmethylesterase and calcium affects the texture and structure of eggplant

The effect of vacuum infusion on eggplant quality of a commercial fungal (Aspergillus niger) and citrus pectinmethylesterase (PME) with calcium chloride (4000 ppm) was investigated after processing and during storage. Firmness of infused eggplants using fungal or citrus PME was significantly increased compared to controls (fresh noninfused and water-infused control) after processing and during storage for 7 days at 4 degrees C. Activity of fungal PME-infused eggplant increased almost 32 times, whereas activity of eggplant infused with Marsh grapefruit PME increased 2-fold. Degree of esterification of pectin of eggplants infused with fungal or citrus PME decreased slightly. Cryo-SEM showed that samples treated with fungal PME/ CaCl2 displayed more integrity among cells as compared with water-infused control. The change of pectin in the cell wall was visualized using monoclonal antibodies JIM5 (low-esterified pectin) and JIM7 (high-esterified pectin). JIM5 showed more binding than JIM7 with the cell walls of eggplant tissues from fungal PME/ CaCl2 treatment.     

Gluten Enhances Cooking,Textural, and Sensory Properties of Oat Noodles

Whole grain oats are widely regarded as conferring significant health benefits. Composite flour of whole grain oat flour, wheat flour, and tapioca starch in the ratio 1:1:0.16 was formulated to make oat noodles with the addition of gluten at various levels. The influence of gluten on pasting and gelling properties of composite flour, and on cooking, textural, and sensory properties of salted oat noodles was evaluated. Addition of gluten decreased the paste viscosity, reduced hardness and springiness of gel, reduced cooking yield, cooking loss, and broken ratio during cooking, and increased the tensile strength and firmness of cooked noodles. Scanning electron microscopy showed that gluten tightened the network of protein in the noodles by forming oriented fibrils. Addition of gluten had little effect on the color of raw and cooked oat noodles, which were somewhat yellow. Sensory evaluation indicated that addition of gluten could enhance the overall acceptability of cooked oat noodles. This study may stimulate further interest in using functional whole grain cereal ingredients in developing healthy staple foods.     

Extraction of green labeled pectins and pectic oligosaccharides from plant byproducts

Green labeled pectins were extracted by an environmentally friendly way using proteases and cellulases being able to act on proteins and cellulose present in cell walls. Pectins were isolated from different plant byproducts, i.e., chicory roots, citrus peel, cauliflower florets and leaves, endive, and sugar beet pulps. Enzymatic extraction was performed at 50 degrees C for 4 h, in order to fulfill the conditions required for microbiological safety of extracted products. High methoxy (HM) pectins of high molar mass were extracted with three different enzyme mixtures. These pectins were subsequently demethylated with two pectin methyl esterases (PMEs), either the fungal PME from Aspergillus aculeatus or the orange PME. It was further demonstrated that high molar mass low methoxy (LM) pectins could also be extracted directly from cell walls by adding the fungal PME to the mixture of protease and cellulase. Moreover, health benefit pectic oligosaccharides, the so-called modified hairy regions, were obtained after enzymatic treatment of the residue recovered after pectin extraction. The enzymatic method demonstrates that it is possible to convert vegetable byproducts into high-added value compounds, such as pectins and pectic oligosaccharides, and thus considerably reduce the amount of these residues generated by food industries.     

Pasta‐to‐Water Ratio,Hotplate Surface Temperature,and Beaker Material Affect Pasta Cooking Time and Cooked Quality

Three experiments were conducted to determine the influence of hotplate surface temperature (250, 300, 350, and 400°C), pasta‐to‐water ratio, and beaker material (glass versus stainless steel) on the final quality of cooked spaghetti. In all the experiments, 13, 20, 27, 33, and 48 g of pasta were cooked and its final quality measured as cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness. Cooking time was greater when cooked at 250 than 400°C, with 48 than 13 g of pasta, and with a glass than with a stainless steel vessel. Cooking loss, cooked weight, and cooked firmness were greater when cooked at 400 than 250°C, with 13 than 48 g of pasta, and with a stainless steel than with a glass vessel. Evidence of the effects of hotplate surface temperature, pasta‐to‐water ratio, and beaker material on pasta cooking time and cooked quality suggests that these parameters should be addressed in AACC International Approved Method 66‐50.01.     

Pectin fraction interconversions: Insight into understanding texture evolution of thermally processed carrots

In situ changes in pectin fractions for thermally processed carrots were related to textural changes. The texture of pretreated and subsequently thermally processed carrot disks was determined. Alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) was extracted from the pretreated and thermally processed tissues. The AIR was characterized in terms of the degree of methylation (DM) and changes in pectin fractions. Distinct differences in texture and DM were observed during thermal processing. Pretreatment conditions that induced a significant decrease in DM showed better textures. Demethoxylation caused interconversion of pectin fractions, water soluble pectin (WSP) changing into water insoluble pectin [chelator (CSP) and alkali (NSP) soluble pectin]. This process was reversed during cooking accompanied by remarkable alterations in molecular weight (MW) distribution patterns. The WSP depicted polydisperse MW distribution patterns, strongly dependent on the pretreatment condition. Confirmatory results of interconversions of pectin fractions (WSP, NSP) were demonstrated by the MW distribution patterns and neutral sugar profiles. All thermal related transformations of pectin structural parameters were decelerated by lowering the DM.     

Rapid headspace gas chromatographic method for assessment of oxidative stability of cooked chicken meat

Experiments were conducted to determine the volatile compounds in cooked chicken meat using a static headspace gas chromatographic (GC) technique. Preheating conditions for samples in vials were tested at 70, 80, and 90 degrees C for 20-120 min at each temperature. The majority of the peaks increased in size as the temperature and time increased. Optimum conditions were established as preheating at 80 degrees C for 30 min followed by analysis on a packed column of 8% Poly MPE on Tenax GC with the temperature programmed from 50 to 200 degrees C at 10 degrees/min. Coefficients of variation for major peaks ranged from 8.3 to 14.7%. These results were compared with those obtained with a capillary column analysis of samples preheated at the same conditions. Cooked and stored chicken patties, pretreated with different levels of sodium tripolyphosphate, were analyzed by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method and the headspace GC technique. Significant positive correlations were obtained between TBA numbers and the areas of 3 major peaks of the headspace profiles, indicating the applicability of the rapid headspace GC method for the determination of oxidative changes in chicken meat.     

Cooking Characteristics and Quality of Noodles from Food Sorghum

Three white food sorghums, ATx631*RTx436, ATxARG*RTx436, and SC283‐14, were decorticated, milled into flour and processed into 100% sorghum noodles. Flour, water, and salt (1%) were preheated using a hotplate or a microwave oven. The mixtures were put through a forming extruder to produce noodles. Extruded noodles were dried by three methods: air‐dry method (23°C, 48 hr); one‐stage (60°C, 30% rh, 3 hr), or two‐stage (60°C, 100% rh for 2 hr followed by 60°C, 30% rh for 2 hr). Noodles were evaluated dry and after cooking. Sorghum flours with smaller particle sizes yielded better noodles. The microwave preheating method yielded better noodles than the hot‐plate method. Stronger and firmer noodles, dry or cooked, were prepared using two‐stage drying compared with the other drying methods. Fine flour that was preheated using a microwave oven and dried using the two‐stage method gave the best noodles with moderate (10%) dry matter loss. Optimized processing conditions yielded sorghum noodles with good qualities when properly cooked.