Spray-drying microencapsulation of ascorbic acid: impact of varying loading content on physicochemical properties of microencapsulated powders.

Background: There is increased interest in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in using ascorbic acid as an important component in the human diet for health support and disease prevention. However, its use as an ingredient is limited by its high instability and sensitivity to environmental conditions. Microencapsulation technology has been proposed to increase the stability of ascorbic acid.

Military ration chocolate: the effect of simulated tropical storage on sensory quality, structure and bloom formation.

A storage trial was conducted to observe the effect of typical northern Australia climatic conditions on a military ration chocolate (RC). The results indicate that sensory quality decreased during storage; after seven days the chocolate was no longer of acceptable appearance. Deterioration in RC sensory quality was strongly correlated with decreases in visual acceptance (appearance) and increases in degree of blooming.

Folates in Asian noodles: III. Fortification, impact of processing, and enhancement of folate intakes.

Asian noodles, a widely consumed staple food, were evaluated as potential vehicles for fortification with folic acid. Samples of white salted, yellow alkaline, and instant noodles, prepared under controlled laboratory conditions, were fortified and folates were measured at each stage of processing using a microbiological assay. Although the 3 styles showed differing patterns of retention, overall losses were slightly more than 40% and were similar for all styles.

Folates in Asian noodles: II. A comparison of commercial samples and the impact of cooking.

The folate contents of 26 commercial noodle samples were investigated. The impact of ingredients, pH, and cooking on folate content was studied for the 3 predominant styles of noodles: white salted, yellow alkaline, and instant. Some variability was found in the proportion of folate present in the free form and the noodles generally had low total folate contents.

Folates in Asian noodles: I. Microbiological analysis and the use of enzyme treatments.

Asian noodles are a major end use of common wheat flour globally. A microbiological assay protocol for the folate contents of flour and Asian noodles has been developed. Different approaches were compared for enzymatic extraction and deconjugation of folate following the establishment of optimum inoculum concentration for analysis.