The lack of water on a global level has a direct impact on the development of agriculture and food industry, which is directly reflected in the in the increase of food production. The fact that water is a limiting factor in the production of food and the knowledge that a large number of people dying of starvation, indicating the importance of water in food industry. In addition to the food industry, pharmaceutical industry is also directly related to human health. Both of these industries not only consume large amounts of water but also have specific requirements in terms of the quality and water conditioning. Due to the high level of quality, these waters are subject to special statutory supervision, in which chemicals are without certificates FDA (Food and Drug Administration) should not be added to the water, whether it is a water treatment or conditioning. Requests of this kind often cause problems and limit the development of the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Most agricultural water sources are often considered contaminated, due to poorly maintained sanitation systems, polluted river streams and other water catchment areas. Agricultural water used for irrigation and reconstitution of pesticides is suspected to play a direct or indirect role in the transmission of human pathogens to fresh produce. The contamination of fresh table grapes during pesticide spraying can therefore be seen as a potential risk factor. This study focuses on identifying possible sources and levels of bacterial contamination in a river, holding dam and tank in table grape production areas. In addition, the ability of selected pathogens to attach and survive on table grape surfaces was studied using transmission electron microscopy. Water sources sampled in this study were found to be microbiologically contaminated. Microbial populations varied with season, sampling period within a season and water treatment conditions. No human pathogens were detected under natural field conditions on crops irrigated with contaminated water used for reconstituting agricultural pesticides. This study further showed a wide range of pesticide products that permitted survival and multiplication of most of the tested foodborne pathogens i.e. Escherichia coli 157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. This information provides insight into the potential risk that may be associated with table grapes due to the use of contaminated water. These findings highlight the importance of considering pesticides used, water quality and spray schedules prior to application. Detailed risk assessment studies on the potential of contaminated irrigation water and the actual link with foodborne disease outbreaks have not been investigated and should in future be determined as well as intervention strategies.

Engineering the interface of oil-in-water emulsion droplets with biopolymers that modify its permeability could provide a novel technique to improve flavour retention in dry powders. The objective of this study was to determine if volatile compounds were more retained in dry emulsions stabilized by pea protein isolate (PPI)/pectin complex than that stabilized by PPI alone. The retention of ethyl esters during spray-drying increased with decreasing volatility of the encapsulated compound and ranged from 28% to 40%. The addition of pectin to feed emulsions was quite effective in markedly improving the retention of the three studied flavour compounds. In our previous work (Gharsallaoui et al., 2010), we showed that pectin was able to improve physical integrity of emulsion oil droplets during spray-drying. However, the pectin positive effect on both the droplet stability and the flavour retention at the time of spray-drying can also be explained by a protein molecular structure protective effect. Indeed, the obtained FTIR results showed that pectin was able to preserve the β-sheet secondary structure of pea protein when pea globulins/pectin complexes are heated. The study of the release characteristics of a flavour compound from dried powders showed that pectin addition did not affect the release profile mainly accomplished by the diffusion mechanism.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 6, 12, 18, 24, or 30h transport period on the physiology and reproductive success of breeding age gilts, simulating transport of breeding gilts from one farm to a commercial breeding herd. Fifty gilts were allocated to one of five transport (TRANS) treatment groups; transported for 6, 12, 18, 24, or 30h. Fifteen gilts were allocated to one of five control (CON) treatments; gilts remained in their home pen for 6, 12, 18, 24, or 30h. Every 6h, gilts from one TRANS treatment were removed from the trailer. Blood samples were collected from gilts and their respective controls before and after transport. Gilts were then bred after puberty. The granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio (P<0.05) and cortisol concentrations (P<0.07) were greater in TRANS compared with CON gilts after a 6 and 12h transport period. Albumin concentrations were greater (P<0.001) in transported gilts after an 18 and 30h transport period compared with CON gilts. Blood urea nitrogen, glucose, and total protein concentrations were greater (P<0.05) in transported gilts compared with controls, regardless of the transport period. Reproductive performance measures did not differ (P>0.05) among treatments regardless of the length of transport duration. These data indicate that gilts transported for a period of up to 30h experienced initial acute stress during the first 6 to 12h and changes in water homeostasis throughout the 30h journey due to dehydration, food deprivation, and transport, however reproductive measures suggest that the long-term homeostasis of the gilts in this study were not significantly compromised. Transport of breeding gilts induced acute, transient stress but did not negatively impact reproductive performance. Interestingly, gilts were more at risk of physiological perturbations when transported 6h or less than 12 to 30h.

Mini Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. | Most agricultural water sources are often considered contaminated, due to poorly maintained sanitation systems, polluted river streams and other water catchment areas. Agricultural water used for irrigation and reconstitution of pesticides is suspected to play a direct or indirect role in the transmission of human pathogens to fresh produce. The contamination of fresh table grapes during pesticide spraying can therefore be seen as a potential risk factor. This study focuses on identifying possible sources and levels of bacterial contamination in a river, holding dam and tank in table grape production areas. In addition, the ability of selected pathogens to attach and survive on table grape surfaces was studied using transmission electron microscopy. Water sources sampled in this study were found to be microbiologically contaminated. Microbial populations varied with season, sampling period within a season and water treatment conditions. No human pathogens were detected under natural field conditions on crops irrigated with contaminated water used for reconstituting agricultural pesticides. This study further showed a wide range of pesticide products that permitted survival and multiplication of most of the tested foodborne pathogens i.e. Escherichia coli 157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. This information provides insight into the potential risk that may be associated with table grapes due to the use of contaminated water. These findings highlight the importance of considering pesticides used, water quality and spray schedules prior to application. Detailed risk assessment studies on the potential of contaminated irrigation water and the actual link with foodborne disease outbreaks have not been investigated and should in future be determined as well as intervention strategies. | Microbiology and Plant Pathology | MSc | Unrestricted

Tesis (Ingeniero de Alimentos).--Universidad de Cartagena. Facultad de Ciencias E Ingenierías. Programa de Ingeniería de Alimentos, 2012 | En el diseño, formulación y desarrollo de nuevos productos alimenticios o el mejoramiento de los productos tradicionales, están condicionados al conocimiento de las características fisicoquímicas, bromatológicas y reológicas de sus componentes. Un eje de valiosa importancia en el área de los alimentos son las dispersiones complejas tales como las emulsiones. Ahora bien, en la formulación y elaboración de las emulsiones se utilizan agentes surfactantes como las proteínas, que se constituyen en barreras moleculares que estabilizan las dispersiones y favorecen su formación. De acuerdo a lo anterior se estandarizara una emulsión alimentaria tipo aceite en agua (O/W) con proteína de Arenca (Triportheus magdalenae), para esto se ha realizado la caracterización fisicoquímica y bromatológica del musculo del pescado, obteniendo un porcentaje de proteína, de 17,85±0,12 permitiendo la recuperación de 72 a 90% en el aislado proteico, para su aplicación en productos alimenticios como pueden ser salsa para ensaladas, mayonesas, pastas para untar, aderezos entre otros productos. Por lo anterior se ha obtenido una emulsión alimentaria tipo aceite en agua (O/W) estabilizada con proteínas aisladas de la Arenca (Triportheus magdalenae), con un comportamiento de fluido No Newtoniano tipo pseudoplástico, el cual presenta una distribución de pequeñas gotas de forma homogénea. Los análisis para evaluar la estabilización se realizaron después de 24 horas de elaborada la emulsión mostrando estabilidad en el producto.

Seeking to advance our knowledge of water flows and footprints and the factors underlying them, we apply, on the basis of an extended 2004 Social Accounting Matrix for Spain, an open Leontief model in which households and foreign trade are the exogenous accounts. The model shows the water embodied in products bought by consumers (which we identify with the Water Footprint) and in trade (identified with virtual water trade). Activities with relevant water inflows and outflows such as the agrarian sector, textiles, and the agri-food industry are examined in detail using breakdowns of the relevant accounts. The data reflect only physical consumption, differentiating between green and blue water. The results reveal that Spain is a net importer of water. Flows are then related to key trading partners to show the large quantities involved. The focus on embodied (or virtual) water by activity is helpful to distinguish indirect from direct consumption as embodied water can be more than 300 times direct consumption in some food industry activities. Finally, a sensitivity analysis applied to changes in diets shows the possibility of reducing water uses by modifying households’ behavior to encourage healthier eating.