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Child malnutrition is a major health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Complementary foods made from African indigenous and locally available raw materials are often low in protein and nutrients. It is, therefore, important to supply complementary foods that are nutritious and affordable, and with an acceptable consistency and taste. The objective of this study was to develop, on a pilot scale, food-to-food fortified, convenient, canned complementary porridges based on blends of African indigenous crops, i.e., orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) flour, and leguminous (i.e., cowpea, and Bambara groundnut) and cereal flours (i.e., teff, finger millet, maize, and amaranth), and milk powder. Plant-based, African complementary foods are often lacking in vitamin A, zinc, iron, and energy. Porridge with OFSP on a 32% dry weight (dw) basis achieved recommended levels of vitamin A (530 µg per 100 g dw). Satisfactory energy (431 Kcal per 100 g dw) was obtained by supplementation of vegetable oil. A nutritious, low-cost porridge (costing 0.15 € per 100 g can) that fulfills consistency constraints was obtained by including supplements of zinc and iron salts as ingredients. The solids content and thus protein/energy could be significantly increased using protein fractionated or germinated cowpea flours without compromising on viscosity. The sensory profile was characterised by more intense vegetable, leguminous, and malty flavours as compared to traditional reference porridges., (© 2024 The Author(s). Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Innovative active packaging has the potential to maintain the food quality and preserve the food safety for extended period. The aim of this study was to discover the effect of active films based on commercially available polylactic acid blend (PLA b ) and natural active components on the shelf life and organoleptic properties of chicken fillets and to find out; to what extent they can be used as replacement to the traditional packaging materials. In this study, commercially available PLA b was compounded with citral and cinnamon oil. Active films with 300 µm thickness were then produced on a blown film extruder. The PLA b -based films were thermoformed into trays. Fresh chicken breast fillets were packed under two different gas compositions, modified atmosphere packaging of 60% CO 2 /40% N 2 , and 75% O 2 /25% CO 2 and stored at 4 °C. The effect of active packaging materials and gas compositions on the drip loss, dry matter content, organoleptic properties, and microbial quality of the chicken fillets were studied over a storage time of 24 days. The presence of active components in the compounded films was confirmed with FTIR, in addition the release of active components in the headspace of the packaging was established with GC/MS. Additionally, gas barrier properties of the packages were studied. No negative impact on the drip loss and dry matter content was observed. The results show that PLA b -based active packaging can maintain the quality of the chicken fillets and have the potential to replace the traditional packaging materials, such as APET/PE trays.

The effect of different amounts of transmitted green light on photooxidation in pasteurized milk was studied. Five different green films produced with combinations of pigments and additives to minimize exposure to harmful wavelengths with regard to photosensitizers (400-450 and 600-650 nm) were evaluated. In addition, a non-colored transparent film and an orange film were compared with 1 selected green film. Pasteurized milk (3.9% fat) was packed in an air atmosphere and exposed to light for 14, 20, 26, and 32 h at 4 °C under the different films. Samples stored in the dark were control samples. The results showed that the most-effective green film had low overall light transmission, and also almost completely blocked light wavelengths shorter than 450 nm and wavelengths longer than 600 nm, which prevented photooxidation of riboflavin and chlorophyllic compounds. Chlorophyll degradation was highly correlated with sensory properties (coefficient of determination = 0.80-0.94). To preserve milk quality, total blocking of all visible light would be preferable. If total blocking is not feasible, then light transmission for wavelength below 450 nm and above 650 nm should be minimized (e.g., less than 5%). The newly developed green film can be used as a prototype for protection of dairy products to reduce the degradation of photosensitizers., (Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The effect of different colored filters and atmospheres on photooxidation and quality in milk was studied. Pasteurized bovine milk (3.9% fat) was packed in 2 different atmospheres (air and N(2)) and exposed to light for 20 h at 4 degrees C under 8 transparent filters with different light transmission properties. The following transparent, noncolored, and colored filters based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were used: noncolored (PET), noncolored with 2 different UV-block regions, yellow, green, amber, orange, and red. Control samples were stored in darkness and in a carton. Sensory evaluation showed off flavors significantly increased in milk stored under all filters compared with the control samples. Variation in atmosphere resulted in significant differences in formation of rancid flavor in milk stored under different filters. Milk samples stored in N(2) underwent the most sensory deterioration under orange and red filters, whereas milk samples stored in air were most deteriorated under noncolored filters. According to the oxidation compounds measured by gas chromatography, milk samples stored under noncolored and orange filters were highly oxidized, whereas red, green, and amber filters offered better protection against photooxidation. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to examine the degradation of photosensitizers (riboflavin, protoporphyrin, and chlorophyllic compounds) in the milk samples. Degradation of protoporphyrin and chlorophyllic compounds in N(2) correlated well with sensory properties related to photooxidation (R(2)=0.75-0.95). The study indicates that protoporphyrin and chlorophyllic compounds were effective photosensitizers in milk. To avoid photooxidation in milk, it is therefore important to protect it against light from the UV spectrum as well as light from the entire visible region., (Copyright (c) 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)