International Journal of Food Science

Considering drying as a key farm-based, quality determining unit operation in the cocoa processing chain, this paper reviews recent studies in the drying methods and quality parameters of cocoa beans. Open sun, solar, oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods have been investigated at various levels in the drying of cocoa beans with objectives to improve the drying properties and final quality of cocoa beans. While an open sun dryer employs natural passive mechanisms, the solar drying methods can employ a combination of passive and active mechanisms. The oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods are fully active requiring electrical energy inputs. To improve drying rates in the open sun method, dryer materials and location of drying trays are the parameters optimized since the drying temperature depends on solar intensity. For solar dryers, materials, angles of elevation, heaters, and fans are manipulated to optimize energy absorption and drying parameters. For the oven and microwave methods, drying air properties are directly controlled by electronic systems. Moisture content, mouldiness, bean colour, pH, titratable acidity, fat content, and acetic acid concentration are the most widely evaluated bean quality parameters.

One way to valorize “Saba” banana peel waste is to extract high-value compounds, such as pectin, and use it for food applications. In this study, the parameters for the microwave-assisted extraction of pectin were screened and optimized using Response Surface Methodology. The pectin was purified and then subjected to characterization. Results showed that the optimum extraction conditions were 195°C, 8% solid-liquid ratio, and pH 3 hydrochloric acid (HCl), with predicted and actual yields of 12.8% and 14.2%, respectively. The subsequent purification method increased the purity of pectin by 300%. The pectin was found to be low-methoxy in nature and had an average particle size of 300 nm. The pectin application in whey protein isolate resulted in a shear-thinning fluid, with an improved viscosity compared to a control. When applied to a commercial orange juice, the in vitro digestion study showed that the fluid’s viscosity was higher before and during the gastric and intestinal digestion at the low physiological shear rate.

The diffusion of potassium in potato (Solanum tuberosum) at different leaching conditions was investigated. Two modes of pretreatment of potato samples (cubes and spheres) by preheating to 80°C and leaching at temperatures of 20-80°C were performed using a temperature- and agitation-controlled batch extractor. A Fickian model incorporating the effective diffusion coefficient (), partition coefficient () between the solute concentration in the potato and medium, and mass transfer coefficient () was developed to simulate and predict the fraction of potassium leached from the potato at any temperature. Results showed significant reduction in activation energies from 92 to 25.02 kJ/mol for cubes and from 75.02 to 13.40 kJ/mol for spheres culminating in higher extraction rates when samples were preheated to 80°C. The , , and values obtained were in the range of , , and , respectively. The kinetic parameters showed a change in slope or discontinuity in the gelatinization temperature range as a function of temperature, an indication of a change in the diffusional matrix. The optimum operating conditions were 80°C preheating and leaching at temperatures up to 50°C. The proposed mathematical model offered a satisfactory description of both dynamic and equilibrium mass transfers of potassium by adequately predicting the fraction of potassium from potato cubes and spheres. The present findings could be useful in the pretreatment of potato for renal patients.

Food safety has become a global issue due to the morbidity and mortality associated with it, particularly in developing countries. The objective of this community-based study is to examine food safety practices and its associated factors among postnatal mothers in the Western Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from August 1 2019 to January 31, 2020 from which data was obtained from the postnatal mothers (). The data was analysed using SPSS v.23. The findings suggest that majority (86%) of the respondents exhibited good food handling practices. Also, 66.3% and 91.7% of the respondents exhibited good food preparation and proper storage practices, respectively. Results also revealed that the odds of performing good handling practice among respondents within the age group of 36-45 years were five times higher compared to those within the age group of 18-25 years [ (95% CI: 1.44–16.86), ]. Moreover, respondents who had tertiary education qualifications were more likely to have proper food handling practices compared to those with primary education [ (95% CI: 0.09–0.71), ]. These findings provide useful insights for policy directions. The government of Ghana and other stakeholders should develop a communication strategy to increase and sustain publicity and education on food safety particularly to postnatal mothers and the citizenry in general.

The environment and food safety are major areas of concern influencing the development of biodegradable packaging for partial replacement of petrochemical-based polymers. This review is aimed at updating the recent advances in biodegradable packaging material and the role of virtual technology and nanotechnology in the tomato supply chain. Some of the common biodegradable materials are gelatin, starch, chitosan, cellulose, and polylactic acid. The tensile strength, tear resistance, permeability, degradability, and solubility are some of the properties defining the selection and utilization of food packaging materials. Biodegradable films can be degraded in soil by microbial enzymatic actions and bioassimilation. Nanoparticles are incorporated into blended films to improve the performance of packaging materials. The prospects of the fourth industrial revolution can be realized with the use of virtual platforms such as sensor systems in authentification and traceability of food and packaging products. There is a research gap on the development of a hybrid sensor system unit that can integrate sampling headspace (SHS), detection unit, and data processing of big data for heterogeneous tomato-derived volatiles. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and artificial neutral network (ANN) are some of the common mathematical models for data interpretation of sensor systems.

The purpose of this research was to determine if freezing rates and holding temperatures influence peach quality during short- and long-term frozen storage. Fresh peaches (Prunus persica) were purchased locally, sliced, dipped in 2% ascorbic acid then drained, and packaged. The study was divided into two experiments, one to determine the effect of the freezing rate on peach quality and the second to determine the effect of frozen holding temperatures on peach quality. For the freezing rate experiment, freshly packaged peaches were placed in freezers at different temperatures (-7°C, -12°C, -18°C, -29°C, and -77°C) then removed for testing when the core temperature of the peaches reached the temperature of all freezer temperatures. The second experiment determined the long-term holding effect on quality using both fresh and prefrozen peaches held at -7°C, -12°C, -18°C, -29°C, and -77°C through 360 days. Quality measurements included freeze thaw and weight loss, lightness, firmness, moisture content, ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (AAEAC), hexanal detection using gas chromatography (GC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and sensory evaluation. During the freezing phase (experiment 1), peach weight loss and surface ice crystal pore size significantly decreased with increased freezing rates. Peaches held at -77°C and -29°C maintained overall quality to a greater degree than the higher holding temperatures. However, all samples enzymatically browned when thawed; therefore, frozen peaches may best if used in the frozen state or in applications where appearance is a critical factor. In general, fresh and prefrozen peaches were not acceptable by the sensory panelists after 270 days of frozen storage.