Browsing by Author "Donkor, L."
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Item Bio-based and sustainable food packaging systems: relevance, challenges, and prospects(Applied Food Research, 2023) Donkor, L.; Kontoh, G.; Yaya, A.; Bediako, J.K.; Apalangya, V.Packaging materials are critical in ensuring the safety and quality of foods. Conventional packaging materials from non-renewable sources have revolutionized the food packaging industry, driven largely by convenience, low cost, good moisture barriers, and exhibition of excellent mechanical and handling properties. However, the growing ecological crisis and health burden emanating from heterogenous plastic waste demands sustainable and biodegradable alternatives, which promote circularity and lead to responsible material consumption. Beyond protection and containment, sustainable food packaging materials, unlike their traditional fossil cousins, leave minimal environmental impact and low carbon footprint from birth to dust. There is, therefore, a growing body of research on sustainable food packaging systems from different classes of natural polymers derived mainly from plants and animals. Bio-based packaging materials have been identified as possible renewable sources that can potentially replace conventional packaging materials. They can be extracted from biomass, chemically synthe sized, or produced by microorganisms. Besides, they can be processed using wet and dry processes, and other complementary processes. Bio-based materials are generally abundant in nature, and their sources can be broadly categorized into polysaccharides, proteins, and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Though noted as renewable sources, their application has some limitations, such as difficulty in processing and poor performance. However, they can be blended with other materials to overcome these limitations, improving their intrinsic and extrinsic properties, thereby increasing their applicability in the food industry. This review aims to provide an overview of bio-based packaging materials and their consideration for sustainable food packaging. Besides, it discusses the properties critical for their application in the food industry, their limitations, and prospects.Item Modelling the Survival of Acid-Adapted and Nonadapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Burkina: A Western African Traditional Fermented Milk Product(International Journal of Food Science, 2023) Donkor, L.; Affrifah, N.S.; Kunadu, A.P.H.; et al.Burkina, a traditional fermented dairy product, is consumed in most parts of West Africa, including Ghana. Studies on the microflora of Burkina have indicated the presence of Escherichia coli and other pathogenic organisms. Thus, predicting the survival of E. coli in the product will inform the best manufacturing and handling practices. This study investigated the combined effect of storage temperature and time on the survival of acid-adapted and acid-non-adapted E. coli O157:H7 in Burkina. Samples were pasteurised and inoculated with acid-adapted or acid-non-adapted E. coli O157:H7. They were stored at 5, 15, and 30° C for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, and 48 h, and the bacteria colonies were enumerated. Growth rate (survival versus time) models were developed using MATLAB software. Observed data were fitted to the Baranyi model using the DMFit curve fitting software. The E. coli O157:H7 strain appeared inherently tolerant to acid, with storage time having the most significant effect on the response parameter, survival (log CFU/mL). A negative correlation was observed for the primary models (survival versus time), which accounted for 79-97% of the relationship (p < 0 05). Although E. coli survived, its growth was inhibited over time regardless of acid adaptation.Item A Systematic Review of Linear Programming Techniques as Applied to Diet Optimisation and Opportunities for Improvement(Journal of Optimization, 2023) Donkor, L.; Essien, E.; Afrifah, N.S.Food provides the required nutrients for adequate growth and development. However, meeting the recommended nutrients while considering environmental sustainability can be complicated and challenging. Previously, trial-and-error methods were used for product development, but these are tedious and time-consuming. Mathematical techniques such as linear programming offer an alternative and rapid approach to developing products with nutritional and/or sustainability considerations. Tis method has been extensively used in diet optimisation but does not satisfactorily address dietary problems with more than one objective function. Aim. The review aimed to explore the extent of mathematical approaches to addressing dietary problems. Methodology. A systematic review approach was adopted for the research. The major search engines used were Scopus, PubMed, and and Science Direct, based on selected keywords. A stepwise structural method was used to obtain articles. Articles that contained The search keywords that were applied in nonhuman cases were excluded. Duplicated articles were also excluded and accounted for as one. All articles were subjected to further review based on their abstract and complete titles before passing them for data analysis. Results. The total number of articles obtained from the search activity was 280. Fifty-six were retained after the criteria for inclusion were applied to them. Out of the 56 articles retained, only two studies used goal programming and nonlinear generalised mathematical approaches to address dietary problems. All other studies used the linear programming approach, focusing mainly on one or two constraints (nutrients and/or acceptability), highlighting the limitations of linear programming in addressing the multiple factors of a sustainable diet. Several researchers have proposed using multiobjective optimisation, an extension of linear programming to address challenges with sustainable diets. These approaches can be further explored to address sustainable dietary problems.