Pushpa R. Kulkarni

Handbook of indices of food quality and authenticity

Food quality and authenticity indicators Cereal grains Fruit and vegetables Dairy products Meat, fish and poultry Oils and fats Spices, flavourants and condiments Tea, coffee and cocoa Quality indicators for processed foods.

Starch-galactomannan interactions: functionality and rheological aspects

Abstract Incorporation of hydrocolloids into starch pastes modifies the rheological properties and also causes a synergistic increase in viscosity. These have been utilized in stabilizing products such as industrial dairy desserts and puddings. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the interaction of corn starch and the less-explored waxy Amaranthus paniculatas starch at 5% w/v with the widely used galactomannans, namely guar gum and locust bean gum, in the concentration range 0–0.2% w/v, with respect to changes in paste viscosity and the gelatinization temperature, when heated in a Brabender amylograph. Some functional properties (e.g. freeze-thaw stability and stability under canning conditions) were also studied.

Optimisation of conditions of synthesis of oxidised starch from corn and amaranth for use in film-forming applications

Gum arabic is used as an encapsulating agent because of its film-forming ability. However, India has to import gum arabic for its domestic requirement. Oxidised starch has been reported as a substitute for gum arabic but no data are reported on the exact conditions of oxidation of starch or the analytical indicators for determining the suitability of the product for such a purpose. This work reports on the effect of process conditions for oxidation of corn and waxy amaranth starch with film-forming ability as the major criterion. The process was followed using the analytical indicators of oxidation such as carboxyl content, chlorine consumption and ferricyanide number.

Effect of adenovirus infection on adiposity in chicken

Excessive fat accumulation has been observed in the field in chickens infected with adenovirus. In the present study this has been verified under experimental conditions. Chickens inoculated with adenovirus showed lesser weight gain but excessive adiposity compared to normal control chickens. These changes could not be explained by variation in food consumption. Chickens acquiring adenovirus naturally from the inoculated group showed similar adiposity. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels of inoculated and naturally infected chickens were significantly lower compared to those of the control group. Such an association between adenovirus infection and adiposity has been shown, probably, for the first time, which might help in further understanding of the complex problem of obesity.

A comparative account of conditions for synthesis of sodium carboxymethyl starch from corn and amaranth starch

Abstract Conditions for the preparation of carboxymethyl derivatives of corn and amaranth starch were compared. The two starches differed considerably with respect to the optimum conditions such as temperature, pH, time, concentration of sodium monochloroacetate, and starch:liquor ratio. In both cases, isopropyl alcohol was the solvent of choice. Multistage carboxylation was also carried out. Amaranth starch differs from corn starch in two respects. It is waxy in nature and also has a small granule size of 1–2 μm. However, comparison with rice starch, having a granule size of 1–2 μm and potato starch, having a similar amylose content as corn starch showed no correlation between any of these parameters.

Physicochemical properties of hydroxypropyl derivative from corn and amaranth starch

Abstract Hydroxypropylation of starches is known to impart useful physicochemical properties that are advantageously utilized both in food as well as in non-food applications. The alteration in these properties is not only dependent on the molar substitution, but is species–specific as well. The present work compares the pasting properties of hydroxypropyl derivative prepared from corn starch and waxy Amaranthus paniculatas starch. The properties studied were swelling power, Brabender characteristics, paste clarity and freeze–thaw stability. A remarkable improvement in freeze–thaw stability of both the starches was the most significant finding of this work.

Optimization of a process for preparing car☐ymethyl cellulose from water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes)

α-Cellulose was isolated from water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes), a free floating weed growing on shallow water. It was etherified with chloroacetic acid in a solvent medium. The process of car☐ymethylation was optimized with respect to the solvent medium, alkali concentration, acid concentration, time and temperature of the reaction.

Screening of hydrocolloids for reduction in oil uptake of a model deep fat fried product

Reduction of oil content in deep fat fried foods would be welcome by both the food manufacturers and the consumers. Among the many approaches that have been evaluated for this purpose, use of hydrocolloid additives is believed to be most promising. Work in this area is restricted mostly to cellulose derivatives. The mechanism of action of these derivatives is attributed to formation of an oil resistant barrier film, an alteration in surface hydrophobicity of the product being fried, and the thermal gelation. However, most hydrocolloids would alter the surface hydrophobicity, and many of them have the ability to form films. Furthermore, the presence of other food constituents can alter all these properties. Hence, hydrocolloids at 0.25— 2.00 % (on the basis of chickpea flour) were screened for their ability to reduce oil uptake in sev, a model deep fat fried product prepared from chickpea flour. Results obtained indicate that the ability to reduce oil uptake in this product decreases in the following order: gum arabic > carrageenan > gum karaya > guar gum > carboxymethylcellulose > hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose. Hydrocolloids such as xanthan, gum ghatti, gum tragacanth, and locust bean gum were found to be ineffective (<10 % reduction in the oil content) for this purpose. Screening von Hydrokolloiden zur Reduktion der Olaufnahme eines modellhaft frittierten Produkts.Die Reduktion des Olgehalts in frittierten Nahrungsmitteln wurde sowohl von den Nahrungsmittelherstellern als auch den Konsumenten begrust werden. Unter den vielen Ansatzen, die zu diesem Zweck bereits ausgewertet wurden, gilt der Einsatz von hydrokolloiden Zusatzen als am vielversprechendsten. Die Arbeit in diesem Gebiet ist vor allem auf Zellulosederivate beschrankt. Die Aktionsmechanismen dieser Derivate werden der Bildung eines olresistenten Films, der Anderung der Oberflachenhydrophobizitat des frittierten Produkts und der thermischen Gelatinisierung zugeschrieben. Allerdings wurden die meisten Hydrokolloide die Oberflachenhydrophobizitat verandern, und viele von ihnen haben die Fahigkeit, einen Film auszubilden. Daruber hinaus kann das Vorhandensein anderer Nahrungsmittelbestandteile diese Eigenschaften andern. Daher wurden Hydrokolloide in einer Konzentration von 0,25— 2,00 % (auf der Basis von Kichererbsenmehl) im Hinblick auf ihre Fahigkeit, die Olaufnahme in Sev, einem modellhaft frittierten Produkt, zu reduzieren, gescreent. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zeigen, das die Fahigkeit, die Olaufnahme bei diesem Produkt zu reduzieren, in der folgenden Reihenfolge abnimmt: Gummi arabicum > Carrageenan > Gummi karya > Guar Gummi > Carboxymethylzellulose > Hydroxypropylmethylzellulose. Hydrokolloide, wie Xanthan, Gummi ghatti, Gummi tragacanth und Johannisbrot-Gummi, stellten sich fur diesen Zweck als nutzlos heraus (<10 % Reduktion des Olgehalts).

Studies on interactions of corn starch with casein and casein hydrolysates

Incorporation of non-starchy substances into starch pastes modify their viscosity and rheological profile. Protein hydrolysates blended with starch have been used in the formulation of hypoallergenic weaning and specialised adult nutritional formulas. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the interaction of corn starch (5% w/v) with casein and its hydrolysates with respect to changes in the paste viscosity and the gelatinization temperature when heated in a Brabender amylogram. The pastes resulting on heating blends of starch and the casein/casein hydrolysates were also studied for their rheological profile on a Haake viscometer to confirm the effect under varying shear rates.

Physicochemical and functional properties of Chenopodium quinoa starch

Abstract Starch isolated from lysine-rich high protein Chenopodium quinoa grains was studied for physicochemical and functional properties. In contrast to corn starch which showed a two-stage swelling, C. quinoa showed a single-stage swelling in the temperature range of 65–95 °C. However, C. quinoa starch had a lower solubility and lower viscosity than corn starch at same concentration. The unique property of C. quinoa starch was its unusual freeze-thaw stability, a fact difficult to explain. The opaque nature of C. quinoa starch paste suggests applications in emulsion food products such as salad dressings. Utilization of C. quinoa starch has advantages, since the grain as such has limited acceptability, attributed to the presence of bitter saponins.