A Study of the Volatile Profiles of Several Cheddar-Type Enzyme Modified Cheeses

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. 2021. Major: Food Science. Advisor: Gary Reineccius. 1 computer file (PDF); 152 pages.Enzyme modified cheese (EMC) can add a very desirable cheese component to natural cheeses and products made from them. EMCs may be used to increase product uniformity, functionality, and the nutritional content of a food product. EMCs have been used for decades in food products such as snack foods and frozen meals, yet little research has compared the volatile profile across EMCs of a singular cheese type. The aromatic profile of nine Cheddar EMCs was extracted using solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) and was evaluated using a trained panel of seven sniffers, gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In this study, seventy-four unique odor-contributing chemicals were identified among all samples and given intensity ratings. The total number of volatiles per EMC ranged from 22 to 48. Of these, twelve chemicals provided an olfactory stimulus in only one EMC and only two – butyric acid and δ-octalactone – were perceived in all nine EMCs. Free fatty acids (FFA) were the most prevalent (area %) chemical group in all samples except one in which acetoin was most abundant. Six of the nine EMCs contained FFAs in a quantity of over 97% of the total odor-contributing volatiles. Most non-acid odorants were ethyl esters, δ-lactones, and 2-ketones, however, despite their low concentration, panelists labeled either γ-decalactone or γ-dodecalactone as one of the most intense non-acid odorants in eight of nine EMCs. Through the understanding of the variations in the aromatic profiles of nine different Cheddar-type EMCs, product formulation can be improved increase to meet a customer’s or a consumer’s needs faster and more thoroughly.Enzenauer, Katherine. (2021). A Study of the Volatile Profiles of Several Cheddar-Type Enzyme Modified Cheeses. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/220569

A Narrative Review of the COVID-19 Infodemic and Censorship in Healthcare

Ideological and financial motivations have undermined science for decades. In this narrative review, we explore how organizations and governments used misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and secrecy to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Various rationales for employing censorship and secrecy during the COVID-19 pandemic are examined including how organizations and governments create confusion about the risks associated with their products and blame avoidance to shift responsibility and to avoid accountability for their actions. Methods of censorship employed during the COVID-19 pandemic are reviewed, examples are provided, and the consequences of these actions are reviewed. Information included in this review was obtained from scientific papers, government documents, mass media articles, books, and personal accounts of physicians and scientists. We examine how the use of censorship and secrecy created a challenge for scientists, physicians, politicians, and the general public in trying to understand COVID-related topics. Finally, strategies for managing censorship and secrecy during a pandemic are presented

Q fever endocarditis masquerading as Mixed cryoglobulinemia type II. A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: The clinical manifestations of Q fever endocarditis are protean in nature. Mixed cryoglobulinemia type II is rarely a facet of the presenting clinical manifestations of Q fever endocarditis. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 65-year-old pensioner with such an association and review the literature. As transesophageal echocardiograms are usually normal and blood cultures are usually negative in Q fever endocarditis, many of the manifestations (fever, rash, glomerulonephritis/evidence of renal disease, low serum C4 complement component, presence of mixed type II cryoglobulin, constitutional symptoms as arthralgias and fatigue) can be attributed to Mixed cryoglobulinemia type II per se. The use of Classic Duke Endocarditis Service criteria does not always suffice for the diagnosis of Q fever. CONCLUSION: The application of the modified criteria proposed by Fournier et al for the improvement of the diagnosis of Q fever endocarditis will help to reach the diagnosis earlier and thus reduce the high mortality of the disease. We would like to stress the importance of ruling out the diagnosis of Q fever endocarditis in cases of mixed type II cryoglobulinemia