Effect of Drying Temperature and Exposure Times on Aspergillus Flavus Growth and Aflatoxin Production on Artificially Inoculated Hazelnuts.
Aspergillus flavus may colonise hazelnuts and produce aflatoxins in field and during storage. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of drying temperature and exposure times on the viability and ability of A. flavus to produce aflatoxins during the drying process and storage. Hazelnuts were inoculated with A. flavus and dried […]
Does ‘activating’nuts affect nutrient bioavailability?.
Claims in the lay literature suggest soaking nuts enhances mineral bioavailability. Research on legumes and grains indicate soaking reduces phytate levels, however, there is no evidence to support or refute these claims for nuts. We assessed the effects of different soaking regimes on phytate and mineral concentrations of whole and chopped almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and […]
Nutritional, Microbial, and Allergenic Changes during the Fermentation of Cashew ‘Cheese’ Product Using a Quinoa-Based Rejuvelac Starter Culture.
Fermentation has been applied to a multitude of food types for preservation and product enhancing characteristics. Interest in the microbiome and healthy foods makes it important to understand the microbial processes involved in fermentation. This is particularly the case for products such as fermented cashew (Anacardium occidentale). We hereby describe the characterisation of cashew samples throughout […]
A Targeted Approach by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry to Reveal New Compounds in Raisins.
Raisins are dried grapes mostly obtained from cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. and are extensively consumed worldwide. They are rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, which are associated with a broad range of health benefits. The aim of the present study was to compare the phenolic profiles of three different raisin varieties (Thompson seedless, Muscat, and […]
Aspergillus, Penicillium and Cladosporium species associated with dried date fruits collected in the Perugia (Umbria, Central Italy) market.
A total of 20 dried date samples, chosen as representative among those available on the Perugia (Umbria, Central Italy) market, were analyzed for the possible occurrence of fungal species and related contamination by fungal secondary metabolites. Twenty-six isolates, representative of the total mycobiota, were obtained and morphologically identified as belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium […]
Advances in Crop Improvement and Delivery Research for Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.).
Groundnut is an important global food and oil crop that underpins agriculture-dependent livelihood strategies meeting food, nutrition, and income security. Aflatoxins, pose a major challenge to increased competitiveness of groundnut limiting access to lucrative markets and affecting populations that consume it. Other drivers of low competitiveness include allergens and limited shelf life occasioned by low […]
Effect of post inoculation drying procedures on the reduction of Salmonella on almonds by thermal treatments.
Since two outbreaks of salmonellosis were linked to the consumption of almonds in 2001 and 2004, the study of pathogen inactivation kinetics in almonds has been encouraged, often by conducting inoculated challenge studies. The inoculation method could affect the results of such challenge studies, because of the possible increase of moisture on the almonds resulting […]
Genome-wide association studies for yield component traits in a macadamia breeding population.
Background: Breeding for new macadamia cultivars with high nut yield is expensive in terms of time, labour and cost. Most trees set nuts after four to five years, and candidate varieties for breeding are evaluated for at least eight years for various traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are promising methods to reduce evaluation and selection cycles […]
Allergen Removal and Transfer Using Wiping and Cleaning Methods in Retail and Food Service Establishments.
Preventing the transfer of allergens from one food to another via food-contact surfaces in retail food environments is an important aspect of retail food safety. Existing recommendations for wiping and cleaning food-contact surfaces is mainly focused on preventing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses from contaminating foods. The effectiveness of these wiping and cleaning recommendations […]
Updated population minimal eliciting dose distributions for use in risk assessment of 14 priority food allergens.
Food allergy and allergen management are important global public health issues. In 2011, the first iteration of our allergen threshold database (ATDB) was established based on individual NOAELs and LOAELs from oral food challenge in roughly 1750 allergic individuals. Population minimal eliciting dose (EDp) distributions based on this dataset were published for 11 allergenic foods […]