M. de Lamballerie

Optimization of Gluten-Free Formulations for French-Style Breads

The formulation of gluten-free bread, which will be suitable for patients with coeliac disease, was optimized to provide bread similar to French bread. The effects of the presence of hydrocolloids and the substitution of the flour basis by flour or proteins from different sources were studied. The added ingredients were (1) hydrocolloids (carboxymethylcellulose [CMC], guar gum, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose [HPMC], and xanthan gum), and (2) substitutes (buckwheat flour, whole egg powder, and whey proteins). The bread quality parameters measured were specific volume, dry matter of bread, crust color, crumb hardness, and gas cell size distribution. Specific volume was increased by guar gum and HPMC. Breads with guar gum had color characteristics similar to French bread. Hardness decreased with the addition of hydrocolloids, especially HPMC and guar. Breads with guar gum had the most heterogeneous cell size distribution, and guar gum was therefore selected for further formulations. Bread prepared with buckwheat flour had improved quality: an increased specific volume, a softer texture, color characteristics, and gas-cell size distribution similar to French bread. Bread with 1.9% guar gum (w/w, total flour basis) and 5% buckwheat flour (of all flours and substitutes) mimicked French bread quality attributes.

Impacts of treatment parameters on the inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni by high pressure: a statistical study of main effects and interactions

Aim:  The influence of environmental (temperature and pH) and biological (strain) parameters on the inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was investigated.

Membrane integrity of Campylobacter jejuni subjected to high pressure is pH-dependent

Our study focuses on a foodborne pathogen, Campylobacter, which is responsible for the most frequent bacterial enteritis worldwide. Membrane integrity of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 cells treated at high pressure (300 MPa, 20°C, 10 min) at pH 7.0 and pH 5.6 was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy of propidium iodide (PI) uptake. The percentage of membrane-damaged cells by high pressure, in which PI is allowed to penetrate, was determined using two calibration methods based on the PI fluorescence signal obtained with cells killed either by a heat treatment (80°C for 15 min) or by a pressure treatment (400 MPa, 20°C, 10 min). Both calibrations were shown to be statistically different (P<0.05), particularly at acidic pH, suggesting that a difference in the penetration of PI into bacterial cells might depend on the mode of cell inactivation. These results corroborate the fact that the mechanism of microbial inactivation by high pressure is pH-dependent.