Mascarpone Cheese: Production, Versatility, and Nutritional Profile

Mascarpone cheese, similar to ricotta, is a type of fresh, non-ripened cheese made through a combination of acidification and heat treatment. Unlike most cheeses that rely on a mesophilic culture, mascarpone does not require a starter culture.

Cheeses produced using heat involve heating milk, whey, or milk skin until the whey proteins denature, typically at 85 ºC for 30 minutes, using an organic acid such as citric, acetic, or lactic acid. This denaturation causes the whey proteins to remain largely in the cheese matrix during the 20-hour draining process. Cheeses made with heat and acidification, like mascarpone, generally have a pH between 5 and 6, which differs from other cheeses with a lower pH of 4.6. This higher pH contributes to the softer texture of these cheeses.

Mascarpone's fat content, which ranges from 70 to 80%, makes it a popular ingredient in foods such as desserts, bagels, dips, and flavored spreads. The high-fat content lends it a rich, creamy texture, enhancing the mouthfeel and flavor of various dishes.

Beyond its common use in desserts like tiramisu, mascarpone is also versatile in savory dishes. It can thicken and enrich sauces, offering a luxurious texture without needing additional thickeners. Its mild flavor allows it to blend well with both sweet and savory ingredients, making it a valuable addition to many recipes.

The production of mascarpone is relatively straightforward compared to other cheeses, with the absence of a starter culture simplifying the process and reducing the time and complexity involved. This ease of production, along with its creamy texture and flavor, has made mascarpone popular in both home kitchens and professional culinary settings.

Nutritionally, mascarpone is rich in fats but also provides essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and D, important for vision and bone health, respectively. These nutrients add to the appeal of mascarpone, balancing its indulgent qualities with some nutritional benefits.

In summary, mascarpone cheese is distinguished by its unique production process, versatility, and rich, creamy texture, making it a valuable ingredient in a wide range of culinary creations.
Mascarpone Cheese: Production, Versatility, and Nutritional Profile

Polysaccharide of chitin

Chitin is a major structural polysaccharide found in inveterate animals and lower plants. It is widely available biopolymer obtained principally from shrimp and crab shell waste.

It is occurs as highly ordered microfibrils in many species, in a variety of arrangements, from diatom spines to cell was components of many fungi and yeasts.

Chitin is a type of polysaccharide composed of an amino sugar and consisting of a straight chain molecule by binding D-glucosamines in which each amino sugar is acetylated by β-1,4 linkage.

Chitin

Among the three forms, α-chitin is the most abundant, crystalline, tightly compacted and stable form in which the chains are arranged in an anti-parallel fashion. α-chitin is found where extra hardness proves essential, whereas β- and γ-chitin provide toughness, flexibility and mobility.

Chitin is considered the second most plentiful biomaterial following cellulose. When chitin is deacetylated to about 50% of the free amine form, it is referred to as chitosan.

Chitin is produced by removing calcium carbonate and proteins from the shells. In the production of chitin, calcium carbonate is first dissolved by stirring the shells in dilute hydrochloric acid at ambient temperature.

Proteins are then extracted from the decalcified shells by threatening them with dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide; crude chitin is then obtained.
Polysaccharide of chitin

Production of fudge

The name fudge covers a wide range of products which are basically toffee formulation but in which sugar crystal has been developed during processing.

Fudge consists of oil, water and milk ingredients.  Normally fudge contains more sugar and milk than a toffee, but composition can vary between very wide limits. The hardness and texture of the final fudge are mainly determined by the water content, which in turn is controlled by the boiling temperature. The higher the temperature, the lower the water content and it will harder the final product.

Fudge is produced by boiling a caramel batch to 120 – 123 ° C, cooling it to about 105 ° C. It is then cats or spread on tables to allow crystallization to develop.

Fudge is a grained product, and some means of graining is required. This can be done by removing part of the cooked batch, cooling it and working it until crystallises, when it is added back to the remainder of the hot batch and thoroughly mixed in.

Whilst this is feasible it is not usual and use of fondant to provide seed crystal is almost universal. Usually about 5% is required but increasing the quality will produce finer crustal and a more plastic product.

In fudge applications, the fat works as a smoothing and shortening agent making the product less sticky.

Another very important function of the fat is as a flavour carrier which means that it needs to have very good flavor and flavour stability.
Production of fudge 

Mannitol food applications

D-mannitol (D-manhohexa-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexanol) is a constituent of several plants including the Manna ash, several edible plants, and seaweed. Part of the latter contain up to 10% mannitol by weight.

Mannitol is a low calorie sweetener that could replace sucrose, lactose or fructose in food products, conferring similar sweetness and taste.

Mannitol is only about 70% as sweet as sucrose and is also noncariogenic. Because of its nonhygroscopic nature, mannitol is used as a dusting powder and anticaking agent, besides its special dietary food application.

The highest demand for mannitol is in sugarless chewing gum and sugar free chocolates.

Mannitol can be used in chocolate-flavored compound coatings that are sued to enrobe ice cream and confections such as marshmallows and butter creams.

Mannitol replaces the sucrose in this application to make a sugar-free compound coating.

D-mannitol is widespread in nature. It is naturally occurring sweetener in many plants, algae and molds. It occurs in the sap of manna tree, an ash native of southern Italy, and can also be made by the reduction of either of the monosaccharides, mannose or galactose.

The by far largest quantity of mannitol is produce by chemical hydrogenation of fructose which yields a mixture of mannitol and sorbitol. The mixture of subjected to fractionated crystallization.

As sweetener mannitol may be effective in preventing tooth decay, since oral bacterial are unable to form acid from mannitol.
Mannitol food applications 

Production of High Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS (42%) is produced from dextrose hydrolysate that has been clarified, carbon-treated, ion-exchange and evaporated to 40-50 wt% (dry basis).

The production of HFCS generally begins with a 40% solution of insoluble corn starch that is adjusted to pH 6.0; then calcium and a thermostable alpha-amylose are added.

Production of HFCS

Magnesium is needed as a cofactor to maintain isomerase stability and to prevent inhibition by trace amounts of residual calcium.

The production of HFCS from glucose syrup requires the use of ion-exchange chromatography to remove calcium which inhibits glucose isomerase. Chromatographic techniques are used to produce syrups with various proportions of fructose and glucose.

HFCS is used in bakery products, canned and processed foods, dairy products and of course, confectioneries.
Production of High Fructose Corn Syrup

The Goals of Modern Food processing

The Goals of Modern Food processing
Formulation
A logical basic sequence of steps to produce an acceptable and quality food product from raw materials.

Easy production procedure
Develop methods that can facilitate the various steps of production.

Time economy
A cohesive plan that combines the science of production and manual labor to reduce the time needed to produce the product.

Consistency
Application of modern science and technology to assure the consistency of each batch of products.

Product and worker safety
The government and the manufacturers work closely to make sure that the product is wholesome for public consumption and the workers work in a safe environment.

Buyer friendliness
Assuming the buyer dislikes the product, the manufacturer must do everything humanly possible to ensure that the product is user friendly (size, cooking instructions, keeping quality, convenience, etc).

Obviously, to achieve all these goals is not a simple matter. The first question is why do we want to process food?

At present, there are many modern reasons why foods are processed, for example, adding value to a food, improving visual appeal and convenience.

However, traditionally the single most important reason we wish to process food is to make last longer without spoiling.

Probably the oldest methods of achieving this goal are the salting of meat and fish, the fermenting of milk and the pickling of vegetable.
The Goals of Modern Food processing