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Browsing by Author "Bianchi, Laurie M."

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    Cooking parameters affect the sodium content of prepared pasta
    Bianchi, Laurie M.; Phillips, Katherine M.; McGinty, Ryan C.; Ahuja, Jaspreet K.; Pehrsson, Pamela R. (2019-01-15)
    The quantitative effect of different preparation variables on the sodium content of cooked dry pasta was evaluated. Semolina spaghetti (< 5 mg sodium/100 g) was cooked by a typical method (454 g, 5.68 L water, 36 g salt, al dente, no rinsing) and after systematic variation of amount of salt, water:pasta ratio, cooking volume and time, rinsing, pasta shape, whole grain. Sodium was assayed by ICP-MS, including rigorous quality control. Pasta cooked without salt had < 5 mg sodium/140 g serving, and 247-490 mg/serving when cooked in salted water by the different variations. Rinsing reduced sodium by 34%. There was a linear relationship between salt concentration in cooking water and sodium in cooked pasta; doubling the concentration increased sodium by 243 mg/serving (> 100% of 2300 mg/day), relative to the reference method. No other variables affected sodium. Results allow more accurate estimation of sodium intake from cooked pasta, since food composition tables that do not reflect variations in cooking parameters.
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    Light Effects on Soy Oil and Soymilk Influence Oxidation, Product Quality, and Packaging Decisions
    Bianchi, Laurie M. (Virginia Tech, 2014-03-24)
    The primary goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of light on soymilk, including the oil component. Soybean oil with added chlorophyll a (0, 1, and 2μg/ml), a photosensitizer, was exposed to light (no light [control], broad-spectrum light) and narrow-band wavelengths (430nm, 450nm, and 660nm] for 4h. Chlorophyll completely degraded under broad-spectrum light and 430nm treatments; 64% degradation occurred at 660nm. Oil with chlorophyll addition resulted in significantly higher peroxide values and malondialdehyde concentrations with light exposure to broad spectrum and 430nm wavelengths. Light at 430 and 660 nm degraded chlorophyll and increased risk of oxidation in soybean oil. Soymilk contains low concentrations of chlorophyll, the photosensitizer riboflavin, as well as highly susceptible oxidizable substrates from the soy oil. Soymilk (1% fat from soybean oil) was packaged under a positive flow hood into 5 high density polyethylene (HDPE) packages and stored for 36 days at 4°C under fluorescent lighting (1122 lux ± 439 lux). Control packaging had no light protective additive (LPA; positive (foil-wrapped) and negative control) and the experimental packaging treatments had three levels of LPA (low, medium, high). Chemical and sensory analyses to measure oxidation changes were completed on the product at days, 1, 4, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. HDPE packages with high LPA protected the sensory quality of the product as well as the positive control (foil-wrapped) packages for a minimum of 15 days. High-LPA HDPE protected soymilk for 29 days from degradation of riboflavin and limited development of aldehyde end-products associated with photooxidation. Soymilk was treated with food grade TiO2 at levels of 0, 0.5, and 1.0% by weight. TiO2 significantly whitened the product as demonstrated by L* values. TiO2-treated soymilks resulted in significantly improved hedonic scores for appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste compared to control soymilk. However, in a second experiment, overall acceptability of TiO2-treated soymilk, at additions of 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% TiO2, was not higher than control soy milk.
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    Protecting soymilk flavor and nutrients from photodegradation.
    Bianchi, Laurie M.; Duncan, Susan E.; Webster, Janet B.; Johnson, Daryan S.; Chang, Hao-Hsun; Marcy, Joseph E.; O'Keefe, Sean F. (Wiley, 2015-07)
    Five different packaging treatments were studied over a 36-day period to determine if they protected soymilk from photo-oxidation. Soymilk was packaged in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles with and without light protective additives (LPA). Two controls [(1) no LPA (translucent appearance); (2) a light-protected control (foil overwrap over no LPA control)] and three LPA-containing treatments, Low (0.6% TiO2), Medium (1.3% TiO2), High (4.3% TiO2) were studied. Bottles were stored in a lighted refrigerated display case (average light intensity between 800 to 2200 lux; 3°C) for 36 days and evaluated weekly. Soymilk packaged in high LPA bottles was protected from developing light-oxidized off-flavors and odors for a minimum of 15 days. High LPA bottles provided protection for riboflavin and controlled development of photooxidative products for approximately 29 days.