Sensory and nutritional quality of white rice after residential storage for up to 30 years.

Rice is a staple food that may be packaged for long-term storage to ameliorate unpredictable circumstances such as crop failures and natural disasters. The sensory and nutritional quality of 18 samples of long grain white rice (11 regular, 7 parboiled) packaged in cans stored up to 30 years at ambient temperature in residential locations was evaluated. Hedonic scores for overall liking ranged from 5.6 to 6.6 (9-point scale) and all samples regardless of age scored above 5, "neither like nor dislike". All but one 30-year parboiled sample were considered acceptable for everyday use by greater than 50% of panelists, and for emergency use by over 88% of panelists. Thiamin concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 3.6 µg/g. Although vitamin stability appears to be limited, rice retains much of its sensory quality over time and the presence of minerals and other stable macronutrients may justify its inclusion in a long-term food storage regimen.

Quality and sensory characteristics of hard red wheat after residential storage for up to 32 y.

Samples of hard red wheat packaged for long-term storage, ranging in age from 0 to 32 y, were obtained from donors in residential households. All samples had been stored under nonabusive conditions (7% to 10% moisture, 13 to 27 °C). Selected quality parameters of the wheat (moisture, thiamin, free fatty acids, flour extraction rate, bread loaf volume, and bread firmness) and sensory properties of bread made from the stored wheat (aroma, appearance, texture, flavor, overall liking, acceptance for use as part of the regular diet, and acceptance for use in emergency situations) were evaluated. Free fatty acids increased significantly from 0.897 to 11.8 µmol/g, and flour extraction rate decreased significantly from 76.5% to 69.9% over time. None of the other quality parameters measured (moisture, thiamin, bread loaf volume, and bread firmness) were significantly correlated with wheat storage time. Panelists who frequently or occasionally consume whole wheat bread rated all breads made from the stored wheat with hedonic scores (9-point scale) of at least 6.4 (like slightly to moderately). Consumer ratings of bread texture, flavor, and overall acceptability were negatively correlated with storage time (P < 0.001); however, at least 70% of panelists indicated that they would consume the bread as part of their regular diet even after 32 y of wheat storage, while over 97% would do so in an emergency. These data indicate that wheat maintains nutritional quality and makes acceptable bread when stored up to 32 y at 13 to 27 °C and 7% to 10% moisture. Practical Application: Wheat stored for the purposes of disaster relief has the potential of being stored for extremely long periods of time, which may result in undesirable changes in milling and baking quality. Therefore, we tested wheat that had been stored under residential conditions for up to 32 y to determine its functional quality and consumer acceptability. Our results indicate that wheat of low moisture (7% to 10%) packaged in sealed cans and stored for up to 32 y at or below typical room temperature retains quality and can be made into bread that is well accepted by consumers. Thus, whole wheat has good long-term storage stability and can be recommended for emergency food supplies.

Sensitivity comparison of sequential monadic and side-by-side presentation protocols in affective consumer testing.

The relative sensitivity of side-by-side and sequential monadic consumer liking protocols was compared. In the side-by-side evaluation, all samples were presented at once and evaluated together 1 characteristic at a time. In the sequential monadic evaluation, 1 sample was presented and evaluated on all characteristics, then returned before panelists received and evaluated another sample. Evaluations were conducted on orange juice, frankfurters, canned chili, potato chips, and applesauce. Five commercial brands, having a broad quality range, were selected as samples for each product category to assure a wide array of consumer liking scores. Without their knowledge, panelists rated the same 5 retail brands by 1 protocol and then 3 wk later by the other protocol. For 3 of the products, both protocols yielded the same order of overall liking. Slight differences in order of overall liking for the other 2 products were not significant. Of the 50 pairwise overall liking comparisons, 44 were in agreement. The different results obtained by the 2 protocols in order of liking and significance of paired comparisons were due to the experimental variation and differences in sensitivity. Hedonic liking scores were subjected to statistical power analyses and used to calculate minimum number of panelists required to achieve varying degrees of sensitivity when using side-by-side and sequential monadic protocols. In most cases, the side-by-side protocol was more sensitive, thus providing the same information with fewer panelists. Side-by-side protocol was less sensitive in cases where sensory fatigue was a factor.

The acute and delayed effects of hydrostatic dilation on rat femoral arteries.

The technique of intraoperative vessel dilation is sometimes used to facilitate microvascular anastomosis and prevent vasospasm. Although this technique is not new, its application has not gained widespread acceptance mainly due to concerns raised about potential damage to the vessels acutely and during the postoperative period, leading to decreased vessel patency. The goal of this study was to determine the acute and delayed histologic effects of hydrostatic dilation on rat femoral arteries and to compare the response of dilated arteries to vasodilating and vasoconstricting agents. The femoral arteries in 22 rats were used in 2 experimental groups; 9 in the acute group and 13 in the delayed group. Six animals served as controls. After the vessels were exposed, a microcatheter was inserted into a segment of the vessel that had been isolated between 2 vessel clamps. Saline was infused into the artery until a pressure of 300 mm Hg was attained and then maintained for 60 seconds. In the acute group, the animals were euthanized at the end of the dilation, while in the delayed group the animals were euthanized 24 hours later. Hydrostatic dilation of rat femoral arteries was found to increased vessel diameter acutely, with subsequent relief and prevention of vasospasm during the ensuing 24 hours. Histologically, there was no increased damage of the vessel walls in the dilated vessels compared with control vessels. Based on the data reported in this study, hydrostatic dilation of rat microvessels appears to be safe and may be used to technically facilitate microanastomoses and decrease vasospasm.

The use of end-to-side nerve grafts to reinnervate the paralyzed orbicularis oculi muscle.

Facial paralysis is a serious neurologic disorder, particularly when it affects the eye. Loss of the protective blink reflex may lead to corneal ulceration and, possibly, visual loss. The purpose of this study was to compare different nerve-grafting techniques to reanimate the paralyzed eyelid. Sixteen adult dogs (25 kg each) were allocated into four groups. Denervation of the left hemi-face was performed in all cases. One dog served as a control animal (group I). Group II dogs (n = 5) underwent end-to-side coaptation of the nerve graft to the intact palpebral branch and end-to-end coaptation to the denervated palpebral branch. Group III dogs (n = 5) underwent end-to-end coaptation of the nerve graft to the intact palpebral branch and end-to-end coaptation to the denervated palpebral branch. Group IV dogs (n = 5) underwent end-to-side coaptation of the nerve graft to the intact and denervated palpebral branches. The animals were monitored for 9 months after the surgical procedures, to allow adequate time for reinnervation. The dogs were postoperatively monitored with clinical observation, electrophysiologic testing, video motion analysis, and histologic assessments. Clinical observation and electrophysiologic testing demonstrated the production of an eye blink in the denervated hemi-face in all experimental groups. There was a trend toward increased speed of reinnervation for group III animals (end-to-end coaptations). It was concluded that end-to-side coaptation can produce a contralateral synchronous eye blink in a clinically relevant, large-animal model.