Dariusz Andrejko

Food allergies in rural areas

Introduction A food allergy is a group of symptoms occurring in the organism and resulting from consuming some food, where the problems are conditioned by immunological mechanisms. The symptoms may become apparent first in adulthood and they may be an initial manifestation of a latent allergy. Typical symptoms of a food allergy occur in different organs, thus not only in the digestive system, but also in the skin, respiratory system and circulatory system. Aim To assess the frequency of food allergy onset in rural areas of the Lublin region as well as to determine which factors induce such allergies. Material and methods A survey was conducted, involving the participation of 340 inhabitants of rural areas. The study monitored the knowledge and situation of the disease, concerning allergens, allergy symptoms, methods of treatment and opinions regarding such treatment. Results The analysis focused on 124 people with diagnosed allergies. Conclusions Introducing a diet did not result in a statistically significant difference regarding elimination of the symptoms, as compared to the patients who did not follow any diet. On the other hand, pharmacological treatment causes statistically worse results than using other methods or not being treated at all. The patients in whom allergy symptoms disappeared were more convinced about the positive character of their diet than those in whom the symptoms were not eliminated. The age when the allergy becomes evident does not affect its duration, yet it matters as to the time of its later elimination. The more symptoms were experienced by a patient, the longer the duration of the allergy was.

Effects of atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating with DBD on Lavatera thuringiaca L. seeds’ germination

The paper presents the results of an experiment on the effect of pre-sowing stimulation of seeds with atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD plasma jet) on the process of germination of Thuringian Mallow (Lavatera thuringiaca L.). Five groups of seeds characterized by a different exposure times (1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 minutes) as well as untreated seeds—control were used. Pre-sowing plasma stimulation of seeds improved germination parameters such as: germination capacity and germination energy for all tested groups relative to control. The highest germination parameters were obtained for seeds stimulated with plasma for the exposure times of 2 and 5 min. The analysis of the contact surface angle indicated the decrease of its’ mean values upon seed stimulation while no statistical effects were observed. Analysis of the SEM scans revealed the increase in seed pattern intensity which could be attributed to removing of the surface parts of cuticle possibly covered with wax upon short time—2 and 5 min plasma treatment. Such a phenomenon can act similarly to mechanical scarification of seeds. Longer exposure of seeds to plasma resulted in affecting the deeper zone of cuticle and damage or fracture of some parts of the cuticle. Lower germination parameters of seeds upon longer exposure times to plasma may indicate mechanical damage of the seeds.

Experimental determination of thermophysical properties by line heat pulse method

The data available in literature concerning thermal conductivity and volumetric specific heat values of plant products show substantial discrepancies that arise not only from their varying moisture content or temperature at measurement. Hence, a quick, low cost field and lab method to determine these characteristics of plant material proves to be essential. Application of the line heat pulse method (LHPM) seems to be the optimal solution for the problem. The paper presents the study on the measurement accuracy results related to these properties of selected fruits and vegetables measured by means of a two-needle probe at the range of its positive and negative temperatures of foodstuff. It was found that the LHPM is applicable for quick measurement of thermal conductivity and volumetric specific heat over the positive temperatures. Agreement between the predicted and measured values is statistically significant. In the case of thermal conductivity at the phase transition, the measured values and those calculated differ significantly. Notably, the values of thermal conductivity and volumetric specific heat provided by the line heat pulse method and the values computed at the temperature range below the phase change agree to a great extent.

Multivariate analysis of textural properties of butternut squash during thermal treatment

In this paper, changes in the textural properties of butternut squash caused by thermal treatment in a convection steam oven with different levels of temperature, steam, and different process durations were considered. Textural properties of pumpkin pulp were measured in terms of five features (characteristics): hardness, chewiness, gumminess, springiness, and cohesiveness. Pearson’s correlation coefficients for measurements of the characteristics indicated significant linear relationships at a significance level of 0.05. This fact justified the use of multivariate statistical methods to explore the simultaneous impact of temperature, steam, and time on textural attributes of butternut squash. Shapiro–Wilk tests did not disprove the normality of four textural characteristics; namely, hardness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness. Based on the measurements of the four above normally distributed features, three-way multivariate analysis of variance with all double interactions between the factors proved their significant impact on textural properties of butternut squash pulp at a significance level of 0.05. Additionally, applied multivariate techniques such as canonical correlation analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, clustering analysis, and discriminant analysis explained relationships between the factors and characteristics under consideration.

Changes in Particle Size Distribution of Bran and Flour Obtained from Vacuum Impregnated and Infra-red Heated Wheat Grain

This study aims to provide comprehensive information on the process of vacuum impregnation of wheat grains. Vacuum impregnation, saturating materials with additional liquid components, is a well-known process originally developed to ensure leak tightness or reduce the porosity of various materials. We describe its potential uses in the food processing industry relating to the impregnation of grains and leguminous plant seeds. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of impregnation and infrared heating of wheat grains on flour efficiency, moisture content and particle size distribution in the resulting flour and bran. The experimental material comprised three varieties of wheat. The results showed that the method of preparing the wheat grains for milling combined with impregnation had a significant impact on the particle size distribution of bran but not on the particle size distribution of flour. A more complete view of the process characteristics requires further investigation of factors related to the structural and textural properties of the impregnated material, factors which are highly varied in the case of food materials and food products.

Physical Properties of Seeds of the Selected Oil Plants

Abstract The paper examines the selected physical properties of seeds of 8 plants used in agri-food processing industry. These are: winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Adriana cultivar, sesame (Sesamumindicum L.), common flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Luna cultivar, husked sunflower (Helianthus L.) (country of origin – Bulgaria), hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Benikocultivar, blue poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) Major cultivar, garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.), black caraway (Nigella Sativa L.). In the research material we determined the following: mass of thousand seeds (MTS), piling angle and angle of repose, tap and bulk density and compressive resistance of single seeds. Some seeds from the selected plant species differed with shape and size. Thus, the results determining the physical properties were varied.