Volumetric flow rate comparisons for water and product on pasteurization systems.

A flow calibration tube system was assembled to determine the volumetric flow rates for water and various dairy products through a holding tube, using three different flow promotion methods. With the homogenizer, the volumetric flow rates of water and reconstituted skim milk were within 1.5% of each other. With the positive displacement pump, the flow rate for reconstituted skim milk increased compared with that for water as the pressure increased or temperature decreased. The largest increase in flow rate was at 310-kPa gauge and 20 degrees C. On a magnetic flow meter system, the volumetric flow rates of water and reconstituted skim milk were within .5% of the flow rate measured from the volume collected in a calibrated tank. The flow rate of whole milk was similar to that of skim milk on the three flow promoters evaluated. Ice milk mix increased the flow rate of the positive displacement pump, but not the homogenizer and magnetic flow meter system.

Heterocyclic aromatic amine content of selected beef flavors.

Previous work has shown that meat extracts contain potent mutagenic and/or carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs). Because meat extracts and some beef flavors are produced from similar precursors and processing steps, the beef flavors may also contain HAAs. This study analyzed 24 commercial beef flavors and 2 food-grade beef extracts for creatine and creatinine concentrations, mutagenic activity and HAA concentrations (IQ, MeIQ, MeIQx, DiMeIQx, Glu-P-1, Glu-P-2 and PhIP). The creatine and creatinine levels of the flavors ranged from 0 to 73 and from 0 to 21 mg/g (dry wt.), respectively. The mutagenic activities of the flavors ranged from 0 to 3200 Salmonella typhimurium TA98 revertants/g (dry wt.). No direct relationship was found between creatine and/or creatinine concentrations and mutagenic activities. However, flavors with high creatine (> 1.5 mg/g) or creatinine (> 2 mg/g) levels exhibited higher mutagenic activities than did flavors with low levels of these compounds. Flavors with high mutagenic activities (> 1500 revertants/g) contained measurable amounts of HAAs. Three flavors contained MeIQx (7.2-21.2 ng/g [dry wt.]) and one contained DiMeIQx (4.2 ng/g [dry wt.]).

Evaluation of precision estimates for fiber-dimensional and electrical hygrometers for water activity determinations.

The precision of instruments used in 3 collaborative studies conducted within the Food and Drug Administration over a 4-year period (1981, 1982, 1984) for water activity (aw) determinations according to the official AOAC method is evaluated. Calibration responses of the instruments were tested for linearity over the aw range from 0.75 to 0.97. Average absolute percent difference between predicted and assigned aw values for the linear model ranged from 0.3 to 0.7% for a fiber-dimensional hygrometer (Abbeon) and 3 electrical hygrometers (Beckman, Rotronics, and Weather Measure). The calibration responses for another electrical hygrometer (Hygrodynamics) were nonlinear. The fiber-dimensional hygrometer yielded mean aw values and precision estimates that did not differ significantly from those obtained with the electrical hygrometers for (NH4)2SO4slush, KNO3 slush, sweetened condensed milk, pancake syrup, and cheese spread. However, the mean aw value for a soy sauce was 0.838 for the electrical hygrometers compared with 0.911 for the fiber-dimensional hygrometer. The fiber-dimensional hygrometer was affected by a volatile component(s) in the soy sauce that caused an erroneously high aw value. Pooled estimates of reproducibility (Sx) in the 3 studies were 0.008 for the fiber-dimensional hygrometer and 0.010 for the electrical hygrometers; these values were not significantly different from those reported in the study that verified the current official AOAC method.

Heat Processing of Oysters Naturally Contaminated with Vibrio cholerae Serotype 01.

Pathogenic Vibrio cholerae 0-Group 1 survived for more than 3 weeks in artificial sea water with little loss in viability. Live oysters placed in such contaminated, artificial sea water took up but did not concentrate V. cholerae . Heat treatments provided by an in-can pasteurization process and by preparation of naturally contaminated oysters according to common recipes effectively reduced the numbers of V. cholerae by 5 logs/g.

Two-phase slug flow heat exchanger for microbial thermal inactivation research.

A continuous two-phase (air-liquid), slug flow, tubular heat exchanger was developed for microbial thermal inactivation research to give exposure times and temperatures in the range of high-temperature, short-time milk pasteurization as well as heat-treated sample volumes of at least 2 ml. The use of air to compartmentalize the liquid in the capillary tubing prevented the development of laminar flow, which enabled precise identification of the residence time of the fastest flowing particles in the heating, holding, and cooling sections of the instrument. Residence time distributions were quantitated by measuring the degree of spreading of radioactive tracers for water, whole milk, chocolate milk, cream, and ice-cream mix with holding temperatures from 50 to 72 C, holding times from 2 to 60 sec, and heating and cooling times of 1.7 sec each. For a holding time of 60 sec and a fastest particle velocity of 10.2 cm/sec, the velocity ratios of the fastest moving particle to the median particle were 1.05, 1.05, 1.10, and 1.13 for whole milk, chocolate milk, cream, and ice-cream mix, respectively. With shorter holding times, these velocity ratios were even closer to unity. These velocity ratios indicated that the instrument would be an effective tool for thermal inactivation research on microorganisms suspended in homogeneous fluids with a viscosity of 15 centipoises or less at the exposure temperature.