Modelling of sorghum soaking using artificial neural networks (MLP)

A peleg modeling of water absorption in cold plasma-treated Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars

Plasma processing appears to be the mainstay of food preservation in the present day due to its effectiveness in controlling microorganisms at low temperatures. Legumes are usually soaked before cooking. Six chickpea varieties (Kripa, Virat, Vishal, Vijay, Digvijay, and Rajas) were soaked in distilled water at room temperature, and Peleg model was fitted after plasma treatment. Cold plasma treatment was used at 40, 50 and 60 Watt with exposure times of 10, 15 and 20 min. K₁ (Peleg rate constant) consistently decreased from 32.3 to 4.3 × 10^-3 (h % - 1) for all six chickpea cultivars, indicating an increased water absorption rate with increasing plasma power and treatment time. It was lowest in 60 W 20 min plasma treatment in Virat cultivar. K₂ (Peleg capacity constant) ranged from 9.4 to 12 × 10^-3 (h % - 1) for all six chickpea cultivars. Thus, plasma treatment showed no effect on water uptake capacity (K₂), as it did not increase or decrease consistently with increasing plasma power and treatment time. Fitting the Peleg model successfully revealed the correlation between the water absorption of chickpea cultivars. The model fit ranged from R² ≥ 0.9873 to 0.9981 for all six chickpea cultivars.

Response surface optimization of pudding formulation containing fish gelatin and clove (Syzygium aromaticum) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) powder: Effect on color, physicochemical, and sensory attributes of the final pudding product

In this study, the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the pudding formulation ingredients including the fish/bovine gelatin ratio and cinnamon and clove powder and determine the color and physicochemical and sensory attributes’ change in final pudding product. Experiments were carried out based on a central composite design (CCD). The results showed that by increasing the ratio of fish gelatin to bovine gelatin (FG/BG) up to 3%, the moisture content increased slightly and then decreased significantly. Increasing the cinnamon powder to 0.5% reduced the moisture content. Increasing the FG/BG in the formulation of pudding samples reduced the protein content. The effects of cinnamon and clove powder on the protein content were increasing and decreasing, respectively. By increasing the FG/BG ratio, the samples syneresis showed a significant decrease, while the effects of cinnamon and clove powder on the syneresis were nonsignificant. As the level of cinnamon and clove powder increased, the L^* value decreased. Cinnamon and clove powder had a linear effect, and the interaction of gelatins and clove powder had a significant effect on changes in redness. The effects of cinnamon and clove powder on b^* value were significant. In terms of sensory evaluation, increasing the cinnamon powder concentration increased the appearance scores, while in the case of fish gelatin, this trend was downward. The linear effect of cinnamon powder on taste was significant, while other variables had no significant effect on the taste of the samples. The sample texture was significantly affected by fish gelatin and clove powder. Increasing FG/BG from 0% to 2.5% increased the texture score, but after this range, a decrease in the texture score was observed. The overall acceptance of samples was more affected by spice powder compared to gelatin. By increasing the cinnamon powder and FG/BG, the overall acceptance increased and decreased, respectively. In conclusion, the optimal FG/BG and cinnamon and clove powder were introduced 1.479%, 0.288%, and 0.619% respectively.

African Sorghum-Based Fermented Foods: Past, Current and Future Prospects

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a well-known drought and climate resistant crop with vast food use for the inhabitants of Africa and other developing countries. The importance of this crop is well reflected in its embedded benefits and use as a staple food, with fermentation playing a significant role in transforming this crop into an edible form. Although the majority of these fermented food products evolve from ethnic groups and rural communities, industrialization and the application of improved food processing techniques have led to the commercial success and viability of derived products. While some of these sorghum-based fermented food products still continue to bask in this success, much more still needs to be done to further explore evolving techniques, technologies and processes. The addition of other affordable nutrient sources in sorghum-based fermented foods is equally important, as this will effectively augment the intake of a nutritionally balanced product.