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Kelly Hensel

February 1, 2015

UV Light May Benefit Fresh-cut Fruit
A study published in the Journal of Food Science shows that treating fresh-cut mango and pineapple with ultraviolet (UV-C) light may extend the fruit’s shelf-life while enhancing microbial inactivation and health-promoting compounds. The fruits were exposed to UV-C for 0, 15, 30, and 60 min while heat treatments were carried out at 70°C for 0, 5, 10, and 20 min. Both treatments reduced the microbial count and extended the shelf-life of the fruits. While the antioxidants were enhanced with UV-C treatment, the heat treatments resulted in decreased antioxidant activities. The researchers concluded that the ability of UV-C treatment to retain quality and enhance antioxidant activity in fruits could be well exploited for the benefit of consumers.

Face-to-Face: Meet Oscar Rodriguez-Gonzalez
After pursuing a B.S. and M.S. degree in agricultural engineering, Oscar Rodriguez-Gonzalez went on to complete his Ph.D. in food science in 2010. The following year, Gonzalez started his own company—Rodriguez-Gonzalez Services—which includes a portfolio of services in the food sector, such as automated vending, consulting, and food safety auditing. In addition, Gonzalez is hard at work writing a book on sustainability for IFT Press Books. Read about Gonzalez’s work challenges in his Face-to-Face interview.

IFT on Facebook: Day in the Life Video
Winners of The Amazing Race Season 25, Amy DeJong and Maya Warren show us what life is like for Ph.D. students in food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

JFS Author Video
In a recent Journal of Food Science “Take 5 for Food Science” author video, Soo Yeun Lee and Shelly Schmidt from Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, tell us about their research into the sensory differences between beet and cane sugars, published in three recent papers.

This Month's List: Mindless Eating Solutions

According to Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, what food is visible in your kitchen will impact your food choices and, ultimately, your weight.