The objectives of this project were to investigate the critical factors impacting the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of β-chitosan based films derived from jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) pens, and to evaluate the feasibility of improving water solubility of β-chitosan through Maillard reaction. The studies examined the effect of molecular weight...
β-chitin/chitosan extracted from newly utilized jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) pens were investigated in respect to their physicochemical properties, polymeric structures, deacetylation and depolymerization characteristics, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities. These functional properties were further compared with α-chitin/chitosan prepared from shrimp shells. Due to the low mineral content (< 1%) and...
Strawberries {Fragaria ananasa) and raspberries {Rubus ideaus) are good sources ofmany important nutrients, and have great potential to improve human health. However, they are highly perishable and have a very short shelf-life mainly due to the attack of fungi and high respiration rate. Edible coatings, especially chitosan-based coatings have been...
The overall objective of this dissertation study was to develop and validate the performance of cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) incorporated fruit coatings for improving the storability of postharvest pears and bananas under various storage conditions. Four specific studies were conducted to fulfill the research objectives as stated below.
First, cellulose nanocrystal...
The objective of this project was to investigate the effects of refrigeration storage and processing technologies on the quality and nutraceutical benefit of blackberries. 'Marion' and 'Evergreen', the two major blackberry varieties in Oregon, were evaluated in this study. For refrigeration storage, fresh fruit were packed in clam-shell containers right...
Oregon produces 99% US hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.), occupying 3% world production. To ensure the quality and food safety of hazelnuts (inshells or kernels), industry and federal standards require freshly harvested nuts to be cleaned and dried to reach a final moisture content (MC) of inshells < 10%, MC of...
The objectives of this project were to evaluate the efficacies of electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) and ozonated waters as antimicrobial agents for enhancing the microbiological safety of fresh strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa). The influence of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations used for preparing EO water was evaluated on their bactericidal activities against...
The objectives of this project were to investigate the chemical composition of five varieties of wine grape pomace (WGP) skins obtained in the Pacific Northwest of the United States with the emphasis on dietary fiber (DF) and polyphenolic compounds, and further to evaluate the feasibility of developing WGP extract based...
Blackberry (Rubus sp.) fruit are a good source of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, and are consumed in fresh and processed forms. Though organic products become more popular, limited information is available about how different organic production methods affect the post-harvest quality of blackberry fruit. The objective of this project was...
Wine grape pomace (WGP), the byproduct from winemaking, is a good source of polyphenols and dietary fibers, and may be utilized as antioxidant dietary fibers (ADF) for food applications. The objectives of this thesis research were to first determine the phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in red WGP under...