Adding citrus fiber to meatballs improves nutritional quality, does not affect taste
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
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Contact: Christian Basi basic@missouri.edu 573-882-4430 University of Missouri-Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Many American diets fall short of meeting nutritional guidelines resulting in burgeoning obesity rates and health problems across the nation. Statistics show that most Americans consume only half of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. Now, a research team at the University of Missouri is addressing the fiber deficit by including citrus fiber in ground beef while retaining the quality and taste of the meat.
Ayca Gedikoglu, a doctoral student studying food science in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science, recently completed the first test on a citrus meatball recipe. The test consisted of three batches of meatballs, with varying percentages of the meat substituted with citrus powder, to see how much of the sweet and tangy powder could be added without adversely affecting the meatballs' texture and cooking characteristics. The test used 1 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent increments.
Gedikoglu discovered that the citrus fiber increased the cooking yield of the meatball recipe, and that the texture and color of the meatballs remained acceptable when keeping fiber at the 1 or 5 percent levels.
A restaurant-sized serving of Gedikoglu's citrus meatballs, containing 2 percent citrus powder, contains approximately five grams of fiber. Traditionally, meatballs contain no fiber.
The health benefits of dietary fiber, mainly found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, include helping maintain a healthy weight, preventing or relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Soluble fiber, found mainly in whole grains and some fruits, is particularly beneficial for diabetics, because fiber slows sugar absorption and improves blood sugar levels. Fiber tends to make a person feel full faster and stay full longer because it is less "energy dense," which means the product contains fewer calories.
Gedikoglu suggests citrus powder as a replacement for bread crumbs in meatball recipes. Citrus powder, made from citrus peels, can be purchased online at a relatively inexpensive price. Based on her initial test, Gedikoglu also thinks that adding citrus powder to some hamburger recipes would capitalize on the tangy citrus flavor.
Next, Gedikoglu intends to conduct a series of taste tests. She also will study the potential antioxidant benefits of citrus powder. Citrus fruits, particularly their peels, are rich with flavonoids, a nutrient in plants that can help prevent diseases in humans such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
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Gedikoglu presented her study at the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) conference. AMSA, the foremost association of meat science professionals, fosters community and professional development in the meat science field.
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Adding citrus fiber to meatballs improves nutritional quality, does not affect taste
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: Christian Basi basic@missouri.edu 573-882-4430 University of Missouri-Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Many American diets fall short of meeting nutritional guidelines resulting in burgeoning obesity rates and health problems across the nation. Statistics show that most Americans consume only half of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. Now, a research team at the University of Missouri is addressing the fiber deficit by including citrus fiber in ground beef while retaining the quality and taste of the meat.
Ayca Gedikoglu, a doctoral student studying food science in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science, recently completed the first test on a citrus meatball recipe. The test consisted of three batches of meatballs, with varying percentages of the meat substituted with citrus powder, to see how much of the sweet and tangy powder could be added without adversely affecting the meatballs' texture and cooking characteristics. The test used 1 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent increments.
Gedikoglu discovered that the citrus fiber increased the cooking yield of the meatball recipe, and that the texture and color of the meatballs remained acceptable when keeping fiber at the 1 or 5 percent levels.
A restaurant-sized serving of Gedikoglu's citrus meatballs, containing 2 percent citrus powder, contains approximately five grams of fiber. Traditionally, meatballs contain no fiber.
The health benefits of dietary fiber, mainly found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, include helping maintain a healthy weight, preventing or relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Soluble fiber, found mainly in whole grains and some fruits, is particularly beneficial for diabetics, because fiber slows sugar absorption and improves blood sugar levels. Fiber tends to make a person feel full faster and stay full longer because it is less "energy dense," which means the product contains fewer calories.
Gedikoglu suggests citrus powder as a replacement for bread crumbs in meatball recipes. Citrus powder, made from citrus peels, can be purchased online at a relatively inexpensive price. Based on her initial test, Gedikoglu also thinks that adding citrus powder to some hamburger recipes would capitalize on the tangy citrus flavor.
Next, Gedikoglu intends to conduct a series of taste tests. She also will study the potential antioxidant benefits of citrus powder. Citrus fruits, particularly their peels, are rich with flavonoids, a nutrient in plants that can help prevent diseases in humans such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
###
Gedikoglu presented her study at the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) conference. AMSA, the foremost association of meat science professionals, fosters community and professional development in the meat science field.
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hugh Jackman threw himself a birthday party with 4,500 guests, but they had to pay to attend.
The actor spent his 45th birthday Saturday at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, where he sang, danced and told stories for "One Night Only," a benefit concert that raised $1.85 million for the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
"This is probably the most narcissistic way to spend your birthday," he said after the show. "I chose my favorite songs and told stories about my life."
Backed by a 17-member orchestra, Jackman performed a variation of his recent Broadway show, with personal stories, a few film clips and selections from classic Hollywood musicals — including a tap-dancing routine during "Singin' in the Rain." He talked about his family, sang a tribute to his wife and shared music and images of his native Australia.
"A lot of guys would say to their wife, 'Do you mind if I go play golf with my buddies?' That's how I am about the show," he said. "I love it. If there's a song I don't like, I cut it and bring in a new song. Everything is something I want to do. So to be here tonight, supporting this cause — and it couldn't have been a more generous crowd if it tried — in every way it was great."
Jackman said he donated his birthday performance to the Motion Picture & Television Fund because it offers "that unconditional helping hand you get in a family." The organization provides health care and other services to entertainment-industry workers and retirees.
Cybill Shepherd, Bryan Singer, Darren Criss and songwriter Carole Bayer Sager were among the famous faces in the industry-heavy audience for the two-and-a-half-hour show, which ended with Jackman auctioning off an electric Fiat, a pair of Wolverine claws and two sweaty undershirts he wore during the night's performance. The shirts went for $11,000 each.
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at http://www.twitter.com/APSandy .
TORONTO (Reuters) - Whether it's a heartfelt note to a loved one or a thank you letter following a job interview, new apps are aiming to revive the tradition of hand-written notes with a high-tech twist.
Bond Gifts, a free app for iPhones, lets users write a digital message that is converted into a hand-written note. A robot called Giles at the company's New York headquarters writes the letter with a fountain pen on embossed stationery.
The notes are sent in the mail, complete with a wax seal, to the recipient.
"It's a way to marry technology with tradition. When you get the mail there's never anything good anymore because we're all communicating digitally," said Sonny Caberwal, founder and chief executive officer of Bond Gifting, which created the app.
"People might think about writing a note, but very few people actually do it," he said, adding it is a quick way to provide a personal touch.
The user types the message and provides the recipient's address, or the app can find the address for the sender. Each hand-written note costs $5.
The app also sells and sends gifts, such as books and candles, with a hand-written note within the United States. It also keeps track of birthdays and special events.
"Remember when you a had a box of printed photos? They had permanence. We want to bring that same feeling back," said Caberwal.
Felt, an app for the iPad, also sends hand-written notes and lets users select from multiple designs, pen styles and ink colors.
Tomer Alpert, the CEO of the Telluride, Colorado-based company, said he got the idea for the app after driving home from a dinner party. He wanted to send a thank you card but was too tired to stop to find one.
Other apps converted text to computer-generated cursive font, but didn't use people's actual hand-writing, according to Alpert.
"There wasn't a simple option to hand write your card and hand address the envelope, and just let someone else deal with the stamps," he explained.
With Felt, users write their message on the iPad and it is printed in their own handwriting on the card. The notes, only available in the U.S., cost $3.99.
Bond Gifting's Caberwal said some of the most interesting messages his company has seen involve the U.S. government shutdown.
"We're starting to see people write notes to Congress telling people to get back to work," he said.
This summer's NSA revelations opened a lot of people's eyes. The government can (and does) surveil the American people, sometimes scooping data right off the servers of Google and Facebook. But surely Snapchat, the service that deletes all messages after they've been read, is safe? Not so much.
Sony's Captain Phillips earned $600,000 as it began rolling out in theaters Thursday night, boosting chances that the movie will hit $20 million in its debut.
Directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, the Somali pirate drama hopes for a berth in this year's awards race. The critically acclaimed film cost $55 million to produce.
Captain Phillips outpaced the $450,000 earned Thursday night by Lee Daniels' The Butler, which had a $24.6 million opening in August. However, with Gravity still taking up plenty of oxygen, Sony believes Captain Phillips will instead match the $19.5 million opening of Argo in October 2012.
Warner Bros.' Gravity, enjoying record-breaking weekday business, is expected to top the North American box office in its second weekend with a gross north of $28 million. AlfonsoCuaron's space epic, starring Sandra Bullock and GeorgeClooney, will cross the $80 million mark domestically sometime on Friday.
Robert Rodriguez' Machete Kills took in $200,000 Thursday night. The exploitation action film is expected to earn $8 million in its domestic opening.
There are few figures more legendary in Silicon Valley than Nolan Bushnell, the Atari co-founder who gave Steve Jobs his first tech job and the guy who turned down the offer to buy a third of Apple for $50,000. Bushnell has a new book out called Finding The Next Steve Jobs which, he told me, is designed to help companies find that "quirky" fellow who can do the "strange things" that will change the world.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QDaF9cIZv54/
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