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Article
Publication date: 19 August 2013

Helder Ken Shimo and Renato Tinos

– The purpose of this paper is to propose two operators for diversity and mutation control in artificial immune systems (AISs).

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose two operators for diversity and mutation control in artificial immune systems (AISs).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed operators are applied in substitution to the suppression and mutation operators used in AISs. The proposed mechanisms were tested in the opt-aiNet, a continuous optimization algorithm inspired in the theories of immunology. The traditional opt-aiNet uses a suppression operator based on the immune network principles to remove similar cells and add random ones to control the diversity of the population. This procedure is computationally expensive, as the Euclidean distances between every possible pair of candidate solutions must be computed. This work proposes a self-organizing suppression mechanism inspired by the self-organizing criticality (SOC) phenomenon, which is less dependent on parameter selection. This work also proposes the use of the q-Gaussian mutation, which allows controlling the form of the mutation distribution during the optimization process. The algorithms were tested in a well-known benchmark for continuous optimization and in a bioinformatics problem: the rigid docking of proteins.

Findings

The proposed suppression operator presented some limitations in unimodal functions, but some interesting results were found in some highly multimodal functions. The proposed q-Gaussian mutation presented good performance in most of the test cases of the benchmark, and also in the docking problem.

Originality/value

First, the self-organizing suppression operator was able to reduce the complexity of the suppression stage in the opt-aiNet. Second, the use of q-Gaussian mutation in AISs presented better compromise between exploitation and exploration of the search space and, as a consequence, a better performance when compared to the traditional Gaussian mutation.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-378X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2021

Temitope Omolayo Fasuan, Cynthia Chioma Anyiam, Linda Obianuju Ojokoh, Judith Uchenna Chima, Titilope Modupe Olagunju, Kingsley Osita Okpara and Kenneth Chigozie Asadu

Pasta is popularly consumed in developed and developing countries. Many low-income homes that could not afford protein-rich foods consumed pasta without further supplements as a…

Abstract

Purpose

Pasta is popularly consumed in developed and developing countries. Many low-income homes that could not afford protein-rich foods consumed pasta without further supplements as a meal. However, pasta is deficient in protein and some other health-promoting substances. Deoiled sesame and amaranth flours are rich in protein, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and many non-nutrient-based health benefits. Formulating a nutrient-dense pasta product (spaghetti) would reduce protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and improve the health status of pasta consumers. This study aims to investigate some bioactive, nutrients and non-nutrient components of developed and optimized spaghetti pasta from deoiled sesame, amaranth and modified sorghum starch blend.

Design/methodology/approach

Amaranth, sorghum and sesame grains were sorted, wet-cleaned and dried. Sesame grain was roasted while starch was extracted from sorghum grain. The innate starch was modified by heat-moisture treatment. The prepared grains and starch were milled into flours and formulated into different flour mixtures using the Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology and the process was modeled and optimized. The flour mixtures were made into spaghetti pasta. Proximate, mineral, amino acids, biological value, protein efficiency ration, phytochemical, antioxidant activity, physico-functional and sensory properties of the formulated spaghetti were evaluated using standard procedures.

Findings

An optimal mixture of deoiled sesame (31.12g/100g), amaranth (56.56g/100g) and modified sorghum starch (12.32g/100g) were established, which yielded protein (25.79g/100g), appearance (96.65%), taste (94.57%) and acceptability index (97.37%). The spaghetti was significantly (p-values ranged from 0.001 to 0.018) superior in protein, ash, fat, fiber, calcium, magnesium, zinc, alkaloids, total phenolic, flavonoids, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazl (DPPH) and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) relative to the control (100% wheat flour). Amino acid showed that the product is rich in histidine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and threonine. The high essential amino acid index of the product indicated that it is a good protein source. The spaghetti was significantly (p-values ranged from 0.001 to 0.021) superior in aroma, taste and acceptability index relative to the control.

Originality/value

This study showed the feasibility of developing spaghetti pasta from deoiled sesame, amaranth grains and modified sorghum starch. The production process described in this study is scalable; and the process could be applied on a small scale for the development of self-entrepreneurs and industrially. The high protein content of the product indicated that it could be used to reduce PEM in developing countries.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 51 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1993

M. SILLINCE and J.A.A. SILLINCE

The use of sequence and structure databanks is examined in relation to their application in some of the main branches of protein studies. Also the question of availability is…

Abstract

The use of sequence and structure databanks is examined in relation to their application in some of the main branches of protein studies. Also the question of availability is addressed by means of presenting some information on current sequence and structure databanks. Increasingly research in molecular science requires joint access to both sequence and structure databases, and the reasons for this development, together with some of the methods for integrated access, are analysed.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 49 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2022

Christiano França da Cunha, Maurilio Barbosa de Oliveira da Silva and Thelma Lucchese Cheung

Edible insects are increasingly recognized as great food resources of the future. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has a predicted market by 2030 of nearly $8 billion…

Abstract

Purpose

Edible insects are increasingly recognized as great food resources of the future. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has a predicted market by 2030 of nearly $8 billion. But this market could grow even more with the acceptance of insects as food by Western consumers, as an alternative to conventional protein sources. In this context, the authors aim to collect and analyze information about consumers' perception of insects as food in Brazil, through the word association task.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 751 participants agreed to complete the word association task in relation to entomophagy through an online questionnaire. They had to write down the first five words or terms that came to their minds when they thought of eating insects.

Findings

Individual mentions were categorized according to their similarities and/or proximity. Based on this grouping the authors identified six dimensions, with emphasis on “hedonic attitudes and feelings”, “cultural aspects” and “exotic”. The study concludes that Brazilians see insect consumption as belonging to another culture, not Western.

Originality/value

Few studies have explored the association of words in relation to entomophagy, especially in Brazil. This article aims to fill this gap, using this methodology applied to the Brazilian public.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1975

Natural selection—survival of the fittest—is as old as life itself. Applied genetics which is purposeful in contrast to natural selection also has a long history, particularly in…

Abstract

Natural selection—survival of the fittest—is as old as life itself. Applied genetics which is purposeful in contrast to natural selection also has a long history, particularly in agriculture; it has received impetus from the more exacting demands of the food industry for animal breeds with higher lean : fat and meat : bone ratios, for crops resistant to the teeming world of parasites. Capturing the exquisite scent, the colours and form beautiful of a rose is in effect applied genetics and it has even been applied to man. For example, Frederick the Great, Emperor of Prussia, to maintain a supply of very tall men for his guards—his Prussian Guards averaged seven feet in height—ordered them to marry very tall women to produce offspring carrying the genes of great height. In recent times, however, research and experiment in genetic control, more in the nature of active interference with genetic composition, has developed sufficiently to begin yielding results. It is self‐evident that in the field of micro‐organisms, active interference or manipulations will produce greater knowledge and understanding of the gene actions than in any other field or by any other techniques. The phenomenon of “transferred drug resistance”, the multi‐factorial resistance, of a chemical nature, transferred from one species of micro‐organisms to another, from animal to human pathogens, its role in mainly intestinal pathology and the serious hazards which have arisen from it; all this has led to an intensive study of plasmids and their mode of transmission. The work of the Agricultural Research Council's biologists (reported elsewhere in this issue) in relation to nitrogen‐fixing genes and transfer from one organism able to fix nitrogen to another not previously having this ability, illustrates the extreme importance of this new field. Disease susceptibility, the inhibition of invasiveness which can be acquired by relatively “silent” micro‐organisms, a better understanding of virulence and the possible “disarming” of organisms, particularly those of particular virulence to vulnerable groups. Perhaps this is looking for too much too soon, but Escherichia coli would seem to offer more scope for genetic experiments than most; it has serotypes of much variability and viability; and its life and labours in the human intestine have assumed considerable importance in recent years. The virulence of a few of its serotypes constitute an important field in food epidemiology. Their capacity to transfer plasmids—anent transfer of drug resistance— to strains of other organisms resident in the intestines, emphasizes the need for close study, with safeguards.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 77 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2015

Nina Veflen Olsen, Themistoklis Altintzoglou, Valérie Lengard Almli, Margrethe Hersleth, Aase Skuland and Pirjo Honkanen

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how vegetable side components (carrot and broccoli) influence children’s associations and expected liking of two common Norwegian…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how vegetable side components (carrot and broccoli) influence children’s associations and expected liking of two common Norwegian dishes (meatballs and salmon).

Design/methodology/approach

Children aged 11-12 years old were recruited to complete an adapted free association test (n=89). Each participant was exposed to four pictures of dishes that included combinations of the experimental food items served with potatoes and sauce. Participants stated their immediate associations and how much they liked each meal on a five-point smiley face scale for children. Evoked associations were coded and categorized before the relationship between the expected liking of the dishes and the associations were visualized based on correspondence analysis.

Findings

The authors found that the expected liking of the dishes was significantly affected by the composition of the dish, that the associations related to the meal changed when the vegetable component changed, and that children’s associations to food are quite similar to what previous studies have found for adults.

Originality/value

How children categorize complex dishes and how their mental representation explains expected liking has rarely been investigated before. By investigating how dishes with different components activate different associations and how these associations co-occur with children’s expected liking of the dishes, the authors gain knowledge that can help us develop strategies for improved dietary change.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 117 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 March 2021

Joop de Boer and Harry Aiking

A shift to a healthy and sustainable diet (as recommended by the EAT Lancet Commission) needs to have a strong societal legitimation. This makes it relevant to investigate to what…

Abstract

Purpose

A shift to a healthy and sustainable diet (as recommended by the EAT Lancet Commission) needs to have a strong societal legitimation. This makes it relevant to investigate to what extent countries are using their Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) in ways that can stimulate such a shift.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the pivotal role of protein, the authors examined what patterns of protein-related recommendations are used to guide consumers and how these patterns are related to specific contexts and societal priorities of the countries.

Findings

The analysis of data from 93 countries worldwide revealed two emerging patterns of recommendations. One pattern (found in a cluster of 23% of the countries) combined positive advice about key protein sources with limiting messages to reduce (or replace) the consumption of animal protein. The other pattern (found in a cluster of 24%) encouraged both animal and plant protein, thereby diversifying the set of protein sources, without negative advice on animal-based food sources. The two patterns of recommendations were differently associated with health and nutrition variables, including the countries' level of animal protein supply (in particular, dairy) and the prevalence of overweight individuals among adult men.

Social implications

For all stakeholders, it is of crucial importance to realize that an increasing number of countries in the world are moving in the direction of acknowledging and addressing the diet-health-environment nexus by adapting their patterns of recommendations for key protein sources.

Originality/value

This study is the first that reveals patterns in recommendations with respect to protein sources by different nations worldwide.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 123 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1994

David Patient and Paul Ainsworth

Concentrates on the type and importance of flour proteins by discussingtheir structure and evaluating their function in bread making. Intendsto introduce the reader to some of the…

4221

Abstract

Concentrates on the type and importance of flour proteins by discussing their structure and evaluating their function in bread making. Intends to introduce the reader to some of the complex interactions which take place during the preparation of bread by discussing some of the chemical and physical changes which are involved in bread making. Examines the composition of wheat flour and discusses an explanation of its suitability as a bread‐making flour. Emphasizes the importance of protein type in flour and how these proteins can be identified in flour. Explains the development of the gluten network, essential for the production of bread.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 94 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Jessica Lambert-De Francesch, JoAnne Labrecque and Stéphanie Lessard

This study identifies new factors influencing the adoption of two recently promoted messages in Canada's updated food guide (FG): enhancing pleasure of eating healthy foods…

Abstract

Purpose

This study identifies new factors influencing the adoption of two recently promoted messages in Canada's updated food guide (FG): enhancing pleasure of eating healthy foods (PEHFs) and shifting food choices towards plant protein foods. Currently, limited and contradictory evidence is available regarding associations between environmental values, nutrition literacy, PEHFs, and plant/animal protein food consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey measuring environmental values; nutrition literacy, distinctively based on previous (2007) and most recent (2019) FG messages; PEHFs; and annual changes in the consumption of protein foods was sent to Quebec residents (N = 128).

Findings

Greater nutrition literacy of both 2007 and 2019 FGs and greater environmental values were associated with greater PEHFs (ß = 0.248, p < 0.01; ß = 0.209, p < 0.05; ß = 0.423, p < 0.001, respectively). Greater PEHFs was associated with greater consumption of plant protein foods (ß = 0.405, p < 0.001). Greater nutrition literacy of the 2007 FG was associated with greater consumption of animal protein foods (ß = 0.409, p < 0.001), whereas greater nutrition literacy of the 2019 FG was linked to lower consumption of animal protein foods (ß = −0.225, p < 0.05).

Practical implications

Enhancing PEHFs may require increasing general FG nutrition literacy and strengthening environmental values. To encourage plant protein food consumption and decrease animal protein food consumption, the authors recommend promoting PEHFs and increasing nutrition literacy based on newest FG recommendations.

Originality/value

This new evidence may help develop strategies promoting PEHFs and plant protein food consumption, thus increasing uptake of new FG recommendations.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Morgane Innocent, Agnes Francois Lecompte, Samuel Guillemot and Ronan Divard

This aim of this study is to identify the ways of helping public authorities bring about change to environmentally sustainable household food practices.

Abstract

Purpose

This aim of this study is to identify the ways of helping public authorities bring about change to environmentally sustainable household food practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identified the practices involved in this concept from the consumer perspective and measured their diffusion among French households. The analyses were conducted following two successive data collection campaigns comprising 571 and 501 respondents in France. The methodology involved two complementary scaling techniques: factor analysis and item response theory.

Findings

The results show that consumers understand sustainable food through five food practices: buying and cooking products with sustainable attributes, anti-waste storage, self-production, plant protein consumption and anti-waste cooking.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that while at the individual level people appear to have incorporated anti-waste practices into their daily lives, at the household level, there is still work to be done for improving diets and stimulating the production of home-grown food. It is also worth noting that the emerging vision typically involves sustainable foods that are organic, locally grown, seasonal, based on fair trade and packaging-free.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

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