This study explores the experiences of a cohort of young, educated, internationally mobile Chinese consumers with cheese and other dairy products, and how these experiences shape their behavior toward cheese products. In total, 41 Chinese students studying at an Irish university participated in 5 focus groups (n = 41, n = 7–10). Thematic analysis identified important factors that influence consumer behaviors regarding cheese products. Individuals' expectations toward cheese were embedded in their knowledge structures, which were constructed from previous experience. Participants had general positive expectations toward cheese due to associations with western-style foods and nostalgia; however, direct eating experience determined long-term behavior. When making a purchase decision, choice motives were weighed and negotiated to establish a fundamental driving factor for purchase. Perceived probability of choice motive fulfillment was important in determining purchase decisions, with many participants having low perceived ability to select cheese and limited motivation to engage with cheese due to limited perceived relevance of cheese to their daily food life. Individuals' innovativeness was an important factor that influences their openness to cheese products when moving beyond familiar foods. Opportunities exist such as using nostalgic cues as marketing tools to increase consumers' interest in cheese or combining cheese with Chinese food to increase perceived relevance of cheese to their daily food life. Providing information at point of purchase could reduce the disconnect between expectation and actual experience, and innovative cheese products may be developed to better fulfill important choice motives.

Light-emitting diode (LED) technologies are economical and efficient devices that could be considered in poultry processing as disinfection strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of a LED-based device to reduce the microbial load on chicken meat and investigated it's impact on selected quality parameters. Quality parameters including pH, texture and color after LED-UV exposure and during subsequent storage for 7 days at 4 ̊C were investigated. Diced chicken breast fillets were exposed to UV light wavelengths of 255, 280, 300 and 365 nm for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min. A microbiological analysis was conducted on chicken samples to enumerate bacterial counts. Reductions between 1.17 and 1.67 log CFU/g for total viable counts of mesophilic, psychrophilic bacteria and total Enterobacteriaceae counts were observed, whereas, up to 2 log CFU/g was obtained for Pseudomonas and lactic acid bacteria groups after treatment with wavelengths of 280, 300 and 365 nm. Furthermore, color, texture and pH were not affected by exposure to UV light at 280 nm even following 7 days storage. Thus, LED-based technologies could be applied on poultry meat to reduce the levels of spoilage bacteria while maintaining quality attributes.

Many strategies have been developed to improve stability of plant protein-stabilized emulsions, such as modifying properties of plant proteins, using plant protein-polysaccharide complexes, and forming gel-like emulsions. In this study, a novel method was investigated to enhance creaming stability of soy protein isolate (SPI)-stabilized emulsions by introducing alginate and alginate-based micro-gel particles to form gel-like emulsions. Gel-like emulsions could be obtained at high levels of micro-gel particles (>6.0%) in the presence of alginate (>0.1%), while the concentration of SPI-coated droplets (0–10%) played a relatively unimportant role, probably because the gelation mechanism was interactions between alginate molecules and Ca2+-induced micro-gel particles. Viscosity and creaming stability of emulsions and storage modulus (G′) of gel-like emulsions increased with increasing contents of micro-gel particles in emulsions. Emulsions without micro-gel particles showed extensive creaming during storage, and emulsions containing micro-gel particles were visually stable after storage for six weeks, although all samples showed good stability to coalescence. In addition, the presence of micro-gel particles in emulsions slightly decreased the bioaccessibility of encapsulated lycopene after in-vitro digestion. The method presented in this study was important for improving creaming stability of plant protein-stabilized emulsions and expanding application of plant protein-stabilized emulsions in food industry.

Three milk products, skim milk powder (SMP), demineralised whey powder (DWP) and a whey dominant infant formula (60/40IF) and their corresponding partially hydrolysed products (SMPhyd, DWPhyd and 60/40hyd, respectively) were subjected to static infant in vitro gastro-intestinal (GI) digestion and their digesta were subsequently analysed for protein breakdown. The pre-hydrolysis of proteins provided a head-start in the gastric digestion process compared with the intact proteins, resulting in a higher proportion of small peptides (<1 kDa), a higher degree of hydrolysis and lower observable protein coagulation or curd formation in the gastric phase of the casein dominant systems in particular, which may lead to an earlier onset of gastric emptying in vivo. Little or no differences were detected during the intestinal phase. Hence pre-hydrolysis of proteins may be used as a strategy to lower gastric transit times, which may ease the gastric digestion of infant formulations.

Deep knowledge of the microstructure and physicochemical properties of polymeric food systems, such as honey powders (HP) and coconut sugars (CS), has practical importance for industry and end users. This study investigated the effect of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) addition on microstructure, roughness, glass transition, α-relaxation temperatures and structural strength (S) of anhydrous complex carbohydrates mixtures. The addition of PVP slightly increased the glass transition and α-relaxation temperature for HP and CS systems as high molecular weight components. Systems with PVP addition showed “stronger” behaviour according to the S approach. Polarized light, scanning electron and atomic force microscopies showed slight differences in transparency and shapes between controls and systems with PVP addition. Surface morphological changes and roughness were investigated in this study to provide insight into HP and CS particles’ structural changes. Moreover, S-involved structural diagrams were built to determine S parameters for controlling the structural transformation of HP and CS systems with and without PVP addition. The results obtained in this work provide new information on polymer-carbohydrate interactions in complex food systems and structural transformations during their production and storage.

An investigation on the impacts of different prebiotics (inulin, galactofructose, soy protein isolate (SPI), and spirulina) and co-culturing with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei on the biological metabolites [free amino acids (FAAs), free fatty acids (FFAs), and organic acids] and stability parameters of fermented milk is presented. All fermented milks represented an increased FAA content compared with their milk counterparts, while the synbiotic fermented milk supplemented with galactofructose (YGF) and spirulina (YSP) were more efficient in this regard. The total organic acid content of the samples was not significantly affected by the type of prebiotics, and co-culturing by L. paracasei, YGF and YSP presented a different pattern, with the highest succinic acid (0.77 mm) and oxoglutaric acid (0.27 mm) contents, respectively. The thermal stability of the fermented milks did not change by loading various prebiotics and co-culturing, while the phase, colloidal, mechanical, and shear stability indexes were significantly affected.

The aim of this work was to investigate the gelation mechanism of curdlan on surimi using a myosin gel model. Experimental results showed that with increased levels of curdlan, the water-holding capacity, gel strength, and storage modulus of a myosin gel first increased and then decreased. The optimum level of curdlan was found to be 1%. Moreover, myosin–curdlan mixed gel showed decreased water liquidity based on the results of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. The enhanced physicochemical properties of myosin–curdlan mixed gel were attributed to the strengthened hydrogen bonding and to the uniform and compact network structure shown by Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results of this study suggest that curdlan has the potential to be used in surimi-based seafood products to enhance the gel structure.

Foaming can pose a major challenge during processing of acid whey (AW). In this study, nano-filtered mineral AW was collected from a commercial plant before (AW0) and after pasteurisation (AWpast; 75 °C, 15 s). Both AW samples were foamed at 21 °C and in addition, AWpast was foamed at 61 °C, corresponding to the temperature of in-plant foaming. Physicochemical, foaming, and surface properties of AW samples were compared. Foaming at 21 °C resulted in less pronounced foam characteristics for AWpast compared with AW0. Pasteurisation was found not to significantly affect physicochemical properties; however, interfacial kinetics during foaming were altered, which affected foaming behaviour. Foaming of AWpast at 61 °C produced more stable, “dry” foams. FTIR spectra confirmed the influence of protein unfolding at elevated temperatures on foaming, which was reversible upon cooling. This is significant as it gives processors a mean of controlling foaming through temperature control, where possible.

Recent times have seen an increasing move towards harnessing the health-promoting benefits of food and dietary constituents while providing scientific evidence to substantiate their claims. In particular, the potential for bioactive protein hydrolysates and peptides to enhance health in conjunction with conventional pharmaceutical therapy is being investigated. Dairy-derived proteins have been shown to contain bioactive peptide sequences with various purported health benefits, with effects ranging from the digestive system to cardiovascular circulation, the immune system and the central nervous system. Interestingly, the ability of dairy proteins to modulate metabolism and appetite has recently been reported. The ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a) is a G-protein coupled receptor which plays a key role in the regulation of food intake. Pharmacological manipulation of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor-type 1a (GHSR-1a) receptor has therefore received a lot of attention as a strategy to combat disorders of appetite and body weight, including age-related malnutrition and the progressive muscle wasting syndrome known as cachexia. In this study, a milk protein-derivative is shown to increase GHSR-1a-mediated intracellular calcium signalling in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. Significant increases in calcium mobilisation were also observed in a cultured neuronal cell line heterologously expressing the GHS-R1a. In addition, both additive and synergistic effects were observed following co-exposure of GHSR-1a to both the hydrolysate and ghrelin. Subsequent in vivo studies monitored standard chow intake in healthy male and female Sprague-Dawley rats after dosing with the casein hydrolysate (CasHyd). Furthermore, the provision of gastro-protected oral delivery to the bioactive in vivo may aid in the progression of in vitro efficacy to in vivo functionality. In summary, this study reports a ghrelin-stimulating bioactive peptide mixture (CasHyd) with potent effects in vitro. It also provides novel and valuable translational data supporting the potential role of CasHyd as an appetite-enhancing bioactive. Further mechanistic studies are required in order to confirm efficacy as a ghrelinergic bioactive in susceptible population groups.

This Review describes the objectives and methodology of the DairyWater project as it aims to aid the Irish dairy processing industry in achieving sustainability as it expands. With the abolition of European milk quotas in March 2015, the Republic of Ireland saw a surge in milk production. The DairyWater project was established in anticipation of this expansion of the Irish dairy sector in order to develop innovative solutions for the efficient management of water consumption, wastewater treatment and the resulting energy use within the country's dairy processing industry. Therefore, the project can be divided into three main thematic areas: dairy wastewater treatment technologies and microbial analysis, water re-use and rainwater harvesting and environmental assessment. In order to ensure the project remains as relevant as possible to the industry, a project advisory board containing key industry stakeholders has been established. To date, a number of large scale studies, using data obtained directly from the Irish dairy industry, have been performed. Additionally, pilot-scale wastewater treatment (intermittently aerated sequencing batch reactor) and tertiary treatment (flow-through pulsed ultraviolet system) technologies have been demonstrated within the project. Further details on selected aspects of the project are discussed in greater detail in the subsequent cluster of research communications.