Novel processing methods for enhancing nutritional quality and functionality of foods

在我的收获后技术研究项目中，我们研究了新颖、有效、节能的食品干燥和热处理方法，以更好地保留其营养和健康有益成分，延长其保质期，确保食品安全。本建议中的活动以此为基础。我们建议开发微波流化床干燥系统（MWFBD）的智能实时控制系统，并研究使用非热方法（如电流体动力干燥（EHD），超声波，非热等离子体（NTP））在加工食品时不降解热敏有益健康成分（如维生素）。为了开发一个实时系统来控制豌豆和切好的蔬菜在MWFBD中的干燥，我们组装了一个使用计算机视觉的在线监测系统。我们正在开发算法来分析食物材料在干燥过程中大小和颜色的变化。主要的挑战是食物颗粒是不断移动的。该系统生成的数据将与食品干燥时的成分和质变信息一起使用，以训练人工神经网络，利用这些数据提供对干燥机的智能控制，从而生产出营养丰富、令人满意的产品。在我们的非热干燥工作中，我们注意到在EHD中使用高压电场会对蛋白质结构产生影响，从而影响蛋白质的功能，如消化率和过敏原性。这些影响引起了极大的兴趣，因为它们是社会关注的主要问题。我们研究了非热过程对大豆、猕猴桃、虾等蛋白质结构的影响，使用圆二色性和分子动力学模拟等工具来确定和可视化蛋白质构象的变化。我们将使用激光成像质谱等更先进的工具继续这些研究。我们已经和一个研究过敏症的医疗小组讨论了如何对加工猕猴桃蛋白的致敏性进行临床试验。我们正在研究一种非热的方法来净化新鲜农产品，特别是叶菜，很难在不影响食物的情况下消毒。经NTP处理的水会形成具有抗菌性能的成分（如过氧化氢、臭氧、亚硝酸盐、硝酸盐）。因此，等离子体活化水（PAW）可以用作洗涤，以减少产品上的细菌负荷。活性成分容易降解，因此对环境的影响很小。我们将研究PAW对食品营养和物理特性的影响。这项工作将开发控制系统和技术，将用于食品加工部门的研究人员和工业，以提高食品质量。该项目将培养人才，并提供良好的职业选择，最近的毕业生在加拿大食品公司和研究所找到职位的成功证明了这一点。

In my research program on post-harvest technologies, we have worked on novel, effective, and energy efficient methods to dry and thermally treat foods to better retain its nutritious and health beneficial contents, extend its shelf life, and ensure food safety. The activities in this proposal build upon this. We propose to develop an intelligent real-time control system for microwave fluidized bed drying system (MWFBD) and to study the use of non-thermal methods (ex. electrohydrodynamic drying (EHD), ultrasound, non-thermal plasma (NTP)) for processing foods without degrading heat-sensitive health-beneficial components (ex. vitamins). To develop a real-time system to control drying of peas and sliced vegetables in a MWFBD, we have assembled an on-line monitoring system that uses computer vision. We are developing algorithms to analyze images for changes in size and colour of the food material as it undergoes drying. The main challenge is that the food particles are constantly moving. The data generated by this system will be used in conjunction with information on compositional and qualitative changes in the food as it dries to train artificial neural networks to use this data to provide intelligent control of the dryer to result in nutritious and desirable products. In our work on non-thermal drying, we noted that using high voltage fields such as in EHD had an effect on protein structures, which could affect protein functions such as digestibility and allergenicity. The implications are of great interest since these are major concerns of society. We studied the effects of non-thermal processes on protein structures in soybeans, kiwifruits, shrimps, etc., using tools such as circular dichroism and molecular dynamic simulations to determine and to visualize changes in protein conformation. We will continue these studies using more advanced tools such as laser imaging mass spectrometry. We have discussed with a medical group working on allergies to do clinical trials on the allergenicity of processed kiwifruit proteins. We are working on a non-thermal method to decontaminate fresh produce, especially leafy vegetables that are difficult to sterilize without affecting the food. Water treated with NTP results in the formation of components that have antimicrobial property (ex. hydrogen peroxide, ozone, nitrites, nitrates). The plasma activated water (PAW) can thus be used as a wash to decrease bacterial load on the produce. The active components readily degrade and thus have little environmental impact. We will study the effects of PAW on the nutritional and physical properties of the food. This work will develop control systems and techniques that will be of use to researchers and industry in the food processing sector to enhance the quality of food products. This program will train personnel and provide excellent career options as evidenced by the success of recent graduates in finding positions in Canadian food companies and institutes.