2008 SEP 1 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "To overcome various limitations of conventional viscometers in measuring salted or unsalted surimi paste, a capillary extrusion viscometer was developed. The viscosity of surimi paste was measured as a function of moisture content (MC) (75-80%), salt content (2-4%) and liquid egg white (LEW) content (2-4%)," scientists in South Korea report.

  "As moisture, salt and LEW contents increased, viscosity gradually decreased. The viscosity values, as affected by MCs, showed a highly negative relationship with fracture properties of surimi gel, especially shear stress from the torsion test, indicating that MC is linearly correlated to the strength of gels at fracture," wrote B.Y. Kim and colleagues, Kyung-Hee University ...read more

  2008 SEP 1 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "The objective of this research was to evaluate the shelf life of two nectarine flesh typologies in order to determine the exporting potential of fresh nectarines to distant markets. ''Maria Dolce'' (subacid fruit type) and ''Venus'' (normal fruit type) nectarines were harvested at two maturity stages, based on fruit ground color," scientists in Santiago, Chile report.

  "Fruits were stored at 0C and 90% R.H. for 14 or 42 days, simulating storage duration aimed respectively to shipping to close or distant marketplaces. Nectarines were evaluated after a period of ripening at 20C, when flesh firmness reached 9.8-19.6 N. Visual appearance, color, aroma, flesh texture, sweetness, sourness, juiciness, flavor and acceptability were evaluated," wrote R. Infante and colleagues, University of Chile ...read more

  2008 SEP 1 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Establishing genetic origin of food products allows verification of the authenticity of valuable foods and discourages adulteration with material of lower cost and value. This is particularly important for food products that have obtained European recognition," researchers in Foggia, Italy report.

  "The use of molecular markers could be a solution for species and cultivar identification and for the genetic traceability. The development of efficient DNA-extraction protocols is an essential step for the procedure. In this work, a method for total DNA isolation was developed for hazelnut, almond and walnut seeds. The efficiency and reliability of the method was tested by assessing quantity and quality of the extracted DNA, and by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification, using two decamer primers and three universal primer pairs designed on the chloroplast DNA," wrote A. Akkak and colleagues, University of Foggia ...read more