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A trained panel developed rating scales for crispness, crunchiness and crackliness for dry and wet foods based on the auditory perception of selected foods. The newly developed scales were then evaluated by 40 untrained panelists and the sound perception of standard foods was assessed through the analysis of the root mean square (RMS) of the 5-s audio waveforms and multidimensional scaling (MDS PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCrispness, crunchiness and crackliness are not only important and useful descriptors of food texture, but are also desirable textural qualities in many foods. The lack of consistency in the procedures used for the evaluation of crunchy, crispy and crackly in sensory studies often results in confusion when training expert panels. Research will benefit textural studies through an improvement of consistent textural definitions and development of standard scales and evaluation techniques. 345The crispness, crunchiness and crackliness scales developed and applied in the current study represent a new potential standard frame of reference that may be used for training panelists in texture parameters related to food auditory perception. The scales may be considered illustrations demonstrating full and practical ranges for each texture attribute with regard to analyzing auditory parameters of foods and effective objective tools for assessing panelists in descriptive analysis.

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) were dried combining microwave-vacuum, hot-air drying and freeze drying technologies to retain their nutritional value. Polyphenol retention, total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity were evaluated in dried blueberries. Glycoside compounds for ellagic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol exhibited a higher retention than phloridzin, and R- and S-naringin in dried blueberries following dehydration. Freeze and HA-MIVAC® dried blueberries had a higher retention of total polyphenols and anthocyanins. Freeze dried blueberries had higher antioxidant activity, followed by the combination of HA-MIVAC®, MIVAC® and HA drying methods. FD, HA-MIVAC® and MIVAC® treated blueberries had a higher retention of individual polyphenols than HA treated blueberries, indicating that the nutritional properties of berries may be retained to a greater extent when these processes are employed.

A 915-MHz Microwave-Circulated Water Combination (MCWC) heating technology was validated for a macaroni and cheese product using inoculated pack studies. Before the tests, heat resistances of a Clostridium sporogenes (PA 3679) spore crop were determined in neutral phosphate buffer and macaroni and cheese product. Trays of macaroni and cheese products were subjected to 3 processing levels: target process (F 0 = 2.4), under target process (F 0 = 1.2), and over target process (F 0 = 4.8). The inoculated packs were evaluated by count-reduction method and end-point method. The microbial results showed that microbial destruction resulting from MCWC heating technology matched the calculated degree of sterilization (F 0 value). This study suggests that the MCWC heating technology has potential in sterilizing packaged foods.