Food Resources
-

As a part of a packinghouse environmental monitoring program, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), protein, and allergen swabbing is used to ensure that packinghouse equipment and surfaces have been properly cleaned and prepared for sanitation. ATP, protein, and allergen swabbing is frequently incorporated to complement microbial swabbing practices or as an independent program. These swab types indicate the presence of soils and residues on equipment, determining the effectiveness of the cleaning portion of a sanitation program. Sample results can be read in minutes, unlike microbial swabs, which take days. For this reason, ATP, protein, and allergen swabs are used immediately after cleaning to rapidly confirm that cleaning procedures were thorough. Operations then sanitize and collect microbial swabs to verify the effectiveness of the sanitation process.
Laurel Dunn
|
-

Pomegranate is an emerging crop that has been experiencing a significant expansion in Georgia. Pomegranates are excellent sources of sugars, soluble fibers, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, including polyphenols with strong antioxidant activity. Because of their nutritional content, pomegranates are considered functional foods (foods that provide health benefits in addition to basic nutrition). This resource describes the main phytochemicals present in pomegranate fruits and provides an overview of the potential value-added products that may be developed from Georgia-grown pomegranates.
Emma Moore, Kirk Kealy, Jinru Chen, and Kevin Mis Solval
|
-

B 1478
Roasted Peanut Flavor
Flavor is the major determinant for consumers’ appreciation of roasted peanuts. Flavor development involves two important reactions: Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation. Maillard reaction mainly occurs during roasting to generate a pleasant “roasted” flavor. But during storage, lipid oxidation produces off-flavors and reduces roasted flavor, which is known as “flavor fade.” In order to retard lipid oxidation, high-oleic cultivars were developed. We have observed that compared to normal-oleic GA 06G, high-oleic GA 13M had higher consumer acceptability with a better capability to mitigate lipid oxidation, demonstrating that using a high-oleic trait is a potential solution to the problem of flavor fade.
Koushik Adhikari and Shangci Wang
|
-

C 1037-17
Healthy Eating on a Budget
Learn how to help your family eat healthy on a budget, and help your child keep track of what he/she eats in each food group using a simple chart.
Diane W Bales
|
-

Read about safe thawing, cooking, and storing a turkey, including current estimates of the time needed for safe thawing and cooking. Because bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature, never defrost a turkey on the counter! The cold water and microwave methods may be used when you don’t have time to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator. Whole poultry is safe when the meat is cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. All turkey meat, including any that remains pink, is safe to eat as long as all parts reach at least 165 °F.
Carla Luisa Schwan
|
-

Under the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule, produce operations are mandated to provide training to their workers on the safe handling of produce in fields and in packing operations. Currently, there are few, if any, materials available for these operations to use. As we have conducted Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training across Georgia and throughout other areas, we have been requested to develop these much-needed materials. These materials provide food safety information, consistent with the Produce Safety Rule, for training workers on produce farms and/or farmer/growers of fresh produce and can also be used with low literacy audiences and Spanish speaking audiences as well.
Judy A. Harrison, Mark A. Harrison, Ines Beltran, Laurel Dunn, and Carla Luisa Schwan
|
-

This bulletin provides the scientific basis and food-safety framework for developing a food safety plan for acid/acidified foods. This includes practical food-safety examples for the acidified foods, including foundational support of a recordkeeping system and forms. Learning how to develop a process-flow diagram, developing recordkeeping forms, and applying food-safety principles during acid/acidified-food production will provide a processor with a better understanding of how a systematic approach to food-safety principles should be applied during the production, processing, packaging, storage, and distribution of acid/acidified foods. This publication contains information on how to develop a plan, including FDA requirements for developing a food safety plan, and sample recordkeeping forms to guide an acid/acidified food processor to safely process, package, and distribute acidified foods in commerce.
Anand Mohan
|
-

The quality of an egg involves both the exterior and interior qualities of the egg. Egg quality includes the cleanliness of the shell, soundness of the shell, thickness of the albumen, and color of the yolk. Good egg quality is critical to maintaining the hatching potential of eggs, as improper handling or storage of eggs will reduce the ability of the eggs to hatch and produce good quality chicks. For table eggs, improper handling and storage of eggs will reduce the grade of the eggs and could pose a potential health hazard.
Claudia Dunkley
|
-

B 989
So Easy To Preserve
Considered the authority on preserving food at home, So Easy to Preserve covers preserving, canning, pickled products, sweet spreads and syrups, freezing, and drying food at home. The latest edition has 10 new products and two revised product recommendations, and the book is suitable for both new and veteran food preservers.
Carla Luisa Schwan, Elizabeth L. Andress, and Judy A. Harrison
|