In this study, a self-cooling laboratory system was used for pressure–shift freezing (PSF), and the effects of pressure–shift freezing (PSF) at 150 MPa on the quality of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) during frozen storage at −30 °C were evaluated and compared with those of conventional air freezing (CAF) and liquid immersion freezing (LIF). The evaluated thawing loss and cooking loss of PSF were significantly lower than those of CAF and LIF during the whole frozen storage period. The thawing loss, L* value, b* value and TBARS of the frozen fish increased during the storage. After 28 days storage, the TBARS values of LIF and CAF were 0.54 and 0.65, respectively, significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the 0.25 observed for PSF. The pH of the samples showed a decreasing trend at first but then increased during the storage, and the CAF had the fastest increasing trend. Based on Raman spectra, the secondary structure of the protein in the PSF-treated samples was considered more stable. The α-helix content of the protein in the unfrozen sample was 59.3 ± 7.22, which decreased after 28 days of frozen storage for PSF, LIF and CAF to 48.5 ± 3.43, 39.1 ± 2.35 and 33.4 ± 4.21, respectively. The results showed that the quality of largemouth bass treated with PSF was better than LIT and CAF during the frozen storage.

Recently, functional noodles have gained significant attention from food scientists to meet the consumer’s demand for convenient and healthy food products. Researchers are developing functional noodles with enhanced nutritional properties and health-promoting activities by adding various food materials and ingredients. This review is the first attempt to compile the chemical, color, texture, sensory, pasting, antioxidant, functional and other properties of functional noodles. This review will be useful for the food industry to launch functional noodles with superior sensory and functional quality in the market. In addition, food scientists can use this paper as a reference to develop novel functional noodles using low-cost and locally available nutritional food ingredients.

The paper demonstrates a low-cost rice quality assessment system based on image processing and machine learning (ML) algorithms. A Raspberry-Pi based image acquisition module was developed to extract the structural and geometric features from 3081 images of eight different varieties of rice grains. Based on features such as perimeter, area, solidity, roundness, compactness, and shape factor, an automatic identification system is developed to segment the grains based on their types and classify them by using seven machine learning algorithms. These ML models are trained using the images and are compared using different ML models. ROC curves are plotted for each model for quantitative analysis to assess the model’s performance. It is concluded that the random forest classifier presents an accuracy of 77 percent and is the best-performing model for the classification of rice varieties. Furthermore, the same algorithm is efficiently employed to determine the price of adulterated rice samples based upon the market price of individual rice.

Non-thermal processing of milk can potentially reduce nutrient loss, and a low-temperature-high-pressure (LTHP) treatment is considered as a promising alternative to thermal treatment, attracting considerable attention in recent years. The effect of LTHP treatment (−25 °C, 100–400 MPa) on the phase transition behavior of frozen milk was evaluated. The lethal and injured effects of different pressures and cycle numbers on E. coli in frozen milk were studied by using selective and non-selective enumeration media. Results from the gathered transient time–temperature–pressure data showed that pressures over 300 MPa could induce a phase transition from Ice I to Ice III. The treatment at −25 °C and 300 MPa could achieve a lethal effect similar to the two-cycle treatment of 400 MPa at room temperature. This meant that LTHP conditions can lower the operating pressure by at least 100 MPa or reduce the operation from two cycle to one cycle. Increasing the number of pressure cycles enhanced the lethal effects, which was not additive, but resulted in a transformation of part of the injured cells into dead cells. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided direct evidence for the breakdown of cell membrane and cell walls by phase transitions. Combined with a designed internal cooling device, the LTHP process can be expected to be a more attractive alternative to non-thermal processing for the dairy industry.

This study assessed the combined effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and slightly acidic electrolyzed water ice (SAEW-ice) on the quality of pomfrets over a period of 18 d of cold storage at 4°C. A presoak for 5 min in SAEW solution (22 mg/L) was used before the pomfrets were placed on SAEW-ice (pH 6.45; ORP: 803 mV; ACC: 18 mg/L); The changes in physicochemical properties (i.e., pH, thiobarbituric acid, total volatile basic nitrogen and texture profile), microbial loads and sensory characteristics were all analyzed. Compared with the tap water (TW) group, the total bacterial counts of the SAEW group significantly decreased by 1.27 log10 CFU/g after immersion (p<0.05). The shelf life of the pomfrets was prolonged by 9 d by the combined treatment of SAEW and SAEW-ice during storage at 4°C. On the 18th day, the gumminess and chewiness values of the pomfrets in the SAEW+SAEW-ice group were 195 g and 3.97 mJ, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the other groups (p<0.05). The results suggested that SAEW+SAEW-ice treatments have great potential as a novel method to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of pomfrets during refrigerated storage. Keywords: pomfret, slightly acidic electrolyzed water, slightly acidic electrolyzed water ice, storage quality, preservation DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211401.5967 Citation: Huang X L, Zhu S M, Zhou X M, He J S, Yu Y, Ye Z Y. Preservative effects of the combined treatment of slightly acidic electrolyzed water and ice on pomfret. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 14(1): 230–236.