Recipient Organization
UNIV OF IDAHO
875 PERIMETER DRIVE
MOSCOW,ID 83844-9803
Performing Department
School of Food Science
Non Technical Summary
The Pacific Northwest region is endowed with diverse agricultural, aquatic and other natural resources that are of critical importance to the US economy. Among these are grains, legumes, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, fish, and other aquatic products that are usually processed for human consumption. During the processing steps, large quantities of byproducts and co-products are generated. These byproducts can and should be converted into enhanced valued food and other non-food products to increase the profitability of the various commodities. Brassica seed meals (BSM) and fish processing byproducts can be made into value added films with bioactive and antimicrobial properties to improve food safety (which has been listed by USDA NIFA as one of the five societal challenge areas). These enhanced value products can be prepared using novel processing technologies, including ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction followed by drying into continuous films, powders, or flakes for direct use or further processing into other products. This project will lead to the development of new processing techniques and products while solving environmental problems associated with the disposal food processing byproducts.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Obj 1. Advancing the fundamental science and application of technologies to ensure safety and improve quality of food products
Obj 1a. Utilize innovative methods to characterize food materials
Obj 1b. Develop new and improved processing technologies
Obj 1c. Develop mathematical models to enhance understanding of, and, optimize food processes
Obj 2. Develop pedagogical methodologies for improved learning of food engineering principles
Obj 3. Develop outreach programs to disseminate best practices for enhancing food safety and quality to stakeholders
Project Methods
Biopolymer films (made from fish gelatin or Brassica seed meals) will be prepared in the lab by solution casting onto specially prepared Teflon plates after degassing the solutions to remove air bubbles. The dried films will be removed and put inside a relative humidity chamber to equilibrate at 50% RH for 2 days. Films without antioxidants and metal (oxide) nanoparticles (NPs) will serve as a control. The antimicrobial agents including silver NPs will be incorporated into the films prior to casting using procedures previously developed. The specific tasks will be as follows: (1) Extraction of Bioactives using Microwave and Ultrasound: Microwave (MW) energy will be applied from a 2450MHz lab system with controls to measure input power. The product will be heated at different power levels (1.0, 2.0, and 4 W/g) for 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 minutes. The effect of power level and time on antioxidants will be analyzed using the DPPH and photochemiluminescence methods to determine the optimal extraction conditions. The second approach will be to use a laboratory scale high power ultrasound (HPU) generator UP200S and Branson Sonifier S-450A. The temperature of product will be controlled using cold water in an outer jacket. (2) Evaluation of Chemical and Thermophysical Properties: Extracts obtained after microwave and/or power ultrasound treatments will be analyzed for anthocyanin content (ACY) and total antioxidant activity (TAA). ACY will be measured by the pH differential method. Absorbance at 515 nm will be recorded at different intervals until the readings become steady. The data generated will be analyzed statistically to understand the effect of HPU or MW on extraction at different power levels and treatment durations. Thermal transitions, including glass transition temperature (Tg) of dehydrated extracts and films will be determined using a modulated DSC while consistency of film-forming solutions will be measured using either cone and plate to elucidate the rheological (structural) properties of the materials. Sonication of liquid-phase media will be used to break up any agglomerates and uniformly disperse the metal (oxide) NPs throughout the film-forming solution. A laser particle size analyzer will be used to measure particle sizes before and after sonication and high pressure homogenization. The films conditioned after drying will be tested for water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), and percent elongation at break (%E) using a texture analyzer while water mobility will be measured using dynamic vapor sorption analyzer (VSA, Decagon Devices, Pullman, WA). (3) The extracts/film forming solution prepared by power ultrasound and high pressure homogenization will be dried in a pilot scale Refractance Window dryer (MCD Technologies, Tacoma, WA). The moisture content will be measured before and after drying process. The dried films or Brassica seed meal products will be analyzed for TAA and for color quality using CIE L,a, b color values (Minolta color meter CR-400).