Browsing by Author "Goel, G"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Consumer attitudes and perceptions towards chilled ready‑to‑eat foods: a multi‑national study
    (2023-03) Goel, G; Smigic, N
    Understanding consumers’ behavior and their handling of high-risk foods at home is essential for reducing the number of foodborne illnesses. This study shows the results of a cross-national analysis of consumers’ perception from nine countries, and the identifcation of customers’ clusters and its characteristics in order to understand customers’ behavior, and to build safe chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods prevention strategies. The cluster analysis resulted in two clusters: (1) “Precautious consumers” characterized by the orientation towards pre-packed RTE foods, with consumers mainly coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. Their attitudes and self-reported practices may be categorized as less risky in terms of food-borne illnesses connected with the consumption of RTE foods; (2) “Unconcerned consumers” preferred cutting and slicing RTE foods freshly at the point of purchase, usually sold at the delicatessen department in a supermarket or at open markets. Those consumers mostly came from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia and their attitudes and self-reported practices were riskier. These results allow a better understating of what characterizes consumers of RTE foods in diferent countries.
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    Eurasian consumers' food safety beliefs and trust issues in the age of COVID-19: evidence from an online survey in 15 countries
    (2023-07) Tomasevic, I; Hambardzumyan, G; Raghav, M; Goel, G
    BACKGROUND: This investigation provides an important insight into Eurasian consumers' food safety beliefs and trust issues influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted in 15 European and Asian countries involving more than 4000 consumers. RESULTS: It has confirmed that different socioeconomic characteristics, cultural aspects and education levels shape food safety perceptions within Eurasian countries. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced their beliefs and trust in food safety, which is rela tively low on average. However, it is significantly higher for European consumers (especially European Union ones) compared to their Asian counterparts. Both Asian and European respondents agreed that food fraud and climate changes represent a food safety issue. However, European consumers were less concerned regarding the food safety of genetically modified foods and meat and dairy analogs/hybrids. Asian consumers were, to a greater extent, worried about the risk of getting COVID-19 from food, restaurants, food retail establishments and home food deliveries. CONCLUSION: Eurasian consumers have put their greatest extent of trust, when food safety assurance is concerned, into food scientists and food producers holding a food safety certificate. Broadly, they are uncertain to what extent their federal govern ments and food inspectors are competent, able and efficient in ensuring food safety. Higher education of Eurasian consumers was followed by increased food safety confidence in all parts of the food chain.
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    Eurasian consumers' food safety beliefs and trust issues in the age of COVID-19: evidence from an online survey in 15 countries
    (2023) Tomasevic, I; Hambardzumyan, G; Marmaryan, G; Nikolic, A; Mujcinovic, A; Sun, W; Mujcinovic, X-C; Kovačević, DB; Markovinović, AB; Terjung, N; Heinz, V; Papageorgiou, M; Skendi, A; Goel, G
    This investigation provides an important insight into Eurasian consumers' food safety beliefs and trust issues influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted in 15 European and Asian countries involving more than 4000 consumers. RESULTS: It has confirmedthatdifferent socioeconomic characteristics, cultural aspects and education levels shape food safety perceptions within Eurasian countries. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced their beliefs and trust in food safety, which is rela tively low on average. However, it is significantly higher for European consumers (especially European Union ones) compared totheir Asiancounterparts.BothAsianandEuropeanrespondentsagreedthatfoodfraudandclimatechangesrepresentafood safety issue. However, European consumers were less concerned regarding the food safety of genetically modified foods and meat and dairy analogs/hybrids. Asian consumers were, to a greater extent, worried about the risk of getting COVID-19 from food, restaurants, food retail establishments and home food deliveries. CONCLUSION: Eurasian consumers have put their greatest extent of trust, when food safety assurance is concerned, into food scientists and food producers holding a food safety certificate. Broadly, they are uncertain to what extent their federal govern ments and food inspectors are competent, able and efficient in ensuring food safety. Higher education of Eurasian consumers was followed by increased food safety confidence in all parts of the food chain. ©2023TheAuthors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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    Multivariate analysis of structural and functional properties of fbres from apple pomace using diferent extraction methods
    (2023) Fidriyanto, R; Singh, BP; Manju, KM; Widyastuti, Y; Goel, G
    In recent years, diets rich in fbres have become more popular due to their well-documented benefcial health efects. This has driven exploration of novel dietary fbres from various bioresources. Apple pomace, an industrial waste rich in fbres was used in this study to extract the insoluble dietary fbres. The efect of various extraction methods (hot water, acid, and alkali) on the physico-chemical, structural and functional properties, and prebiotic activity of dietary fbres was evaluated. Hot water extraction resulted in highest yield of dietary fbres in comparison to other methods (p<0.05). All the fractions resulted in diferent organization of fbrous components as depicted by scanning electron micrographs, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Difraction (XRD) pattern and Thermo Gravimet ric Analysis (TGA). The acid extracted fbre fraction was observed to be amorphous with loose and porous structure whereas the alkali extracted fraction was more thermal stable based on TGA profle. Among the functional proper ties, acid extracted dietary fbres fraction possessed highest water and oil holding capacity (p<0.05). The hot water extracted dietary fraction resulted in maximum increase in viable cell count of standard probiotic strains Lactobacillus sporogenes and Streptococcus faecalis. The Principal Component Analysis revealed that acid extracted fraction pos sessed better functional activity which also correlates with the structural properties whereas for prebiotic activities, the fbre obtained from hot water extraction method served the best method. These results indicate that dietary fbres extracted through hot water can be employed as a potential prebiotic substrate for the probiotic cultures and could be further explored in foods to improve textural, functional, and bioactive properties of foods.
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    Multivariate analysis of structural and functional properties of fbres from apple pomace using diferent extraction methods
    (2023-02) Goel, G; Singh, B
    In recent years, diets rich in fbres have become more popular due to their well-documented benefcial health efects. This has driven exploration of novel dietary fbres from various bioresources. Apple pomace, an industrial waste rich in fbres was used in this study to extract the insoluble dietary fbres. The efect of various extraction methods (hot water, acid, and alkali) on the physico-chemical, structural and functional properties, and prebiotic activity of dietary fbres was evaluated. Hot water extraction resulted in highest yield of dietary fbres in comparison to other methods (p<0.05). All the fractions resulted in diferent organization of fbrous components as depicted by scanning electron micrographs, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Difraction (XRD) pattern and Thermo Gravimet ric Analysis (TGA). The acid extracted fbre fraction was observed to be amorphous with loose and porous structure whereas the alkali extracted fraction was more thermal stable based on TGA profle. Among the functional proper ties, acid extracted dietary fbres fraction possessed highest water and oil holding capacity (p<0.05). The hot water extracted dietary fraction resulted in maximum increase in viable cell count of standard probiotic strains Lactobacillus sporogenes and Streptococcus faecalis. The Principal Component Analysis revealed that acid extracted fraction pos sessed better functional activity which also correlates with the structural properties whereas for prebiotic activities, the fbre obtained from hot water extraction method served the best method. These results indicate that dietary fbres extracted through hot water can be employed as a potential prebiotic substrate for the probiotic cultures and could be further explored in foods to improve textural, functional, and bioactive properties of foods.
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    Sukshmjeevanu in Vedas: The Forgotten Past of Microbiology in Indian Vedic Knowledge
    (2020-10) Kuhad, U; Goel, G; Maurya, P; Kuhad, R
    No one questions the existence of presumptive knowledge of invisible organisms causing disease, decay and destruction mentioned before the discovery of the microbial world by Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, who was the first to describe the invisible world as per literature available today. However, the knowledge about microbial world by Indian Rishis presented in Sanskrit shlokas or suktas of our traditional manuscripts such as Vedas remained unseen, where the Rishis had predicted the role of microorganisms known as Krimi or Jeevanu years before Leeuwenhoek. This note is an attempt to bring an emphasis to revisit our traditional Vedic knowledge and establish them through research based facts for wider acceptance globally.
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    Transcriptome Analysis of Podoscypha petalodes Strain GGF6 Reveals the Diversity of Proteins Involved in Lignocellulose Degradation and Ligninolytic Function
    (2022-08) Mahajan, R; Hudson, B; Sharma, D; Kolte, V; Sharma, G; Goel, G
    The present study reports transcriptomic profil ing of a Basidiomycota fungus, Podoscypha petalodes strain GGF6 belonging to the family Podoscyphaceae, isolated from the North-Western Himalayan ranges in Himachal Pradesh, India. Podoscypha petalodes strain GGF6 pos sesses significant biotechnological potential as it has been reported for endocellulase, laccase, and other lignocellulo lytic enzymes under submerged fermentation conditions. The present study attempts to enhance our knowledge of its lignocellulolytic potential as no previous omics-based analy sis is available for this white-rot fungus. The transcriptomic analysis of P. petalodes GGF6 reveals the presence of 280 CAZy proteins. Furthermore, bioprospecting transcriptome signatures in the fungi revealed a diverse array of proteins associated with cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin degradation. Interestingly, two copper-dependent lytic poly saccharide monooxygenases (AA14) and one pyrroloquin olinequinone-dependent oxidoreductase (AA12) were also identified, which are known to help in the lignocellulosic plant biomass degradation. Overall, this transcriptome pro f iling-based study provides deeper molecular-level insights into this Basidiomycota fungi, P. petalodes, for its potential application in diverse biotechnological applications, not only in the biofuel industry but also in the environmental biodeg radation of recalcitrant molecules.