Conrad Perera | The University of Auckland (original) (raw)

Papers by Conrad Perera

Drying Technology, Jan 7, 2003

... 120021876 CO Perera a * , VJ Jasinghe a , FL Ng a &amp; AS Mujumdar b pages 1091-1099... more ... 120021876 CO Perera a * , VJ Jasinghe a , FL Ng a &amp; AS Mujumdar b pages 1091-1099. ... The world appetite for mushroom is increasing and the sale of US-produced mushrooms alone, in 2000 has reached US$867 million.[4]4. Anon. 2001. Food for the gods, medicine for man. ...

Integrative Cancer Therapies, 2022

Propolis is a resinous beehive product that has a wide range of biological activities, namely ant... more Propolis is a resinous beehive product that has a wide range of biological activities, namely antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Propolis is collected by the bees from plant resin and exudates to protect hives and maintain hive homeostasis. The aim of the present systematic scoping review is to explore the potential and suitability of propolis as an adjunctive treatment in breast cancers, based on the latest available experimental evidence (2012-2021). After applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 83 research publications were identified and retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and Pubmed. Several relevant key themes identified from the included studies were cytotoxicity, synergistic/combination treatment, improvement in bioavailability, human clinical trials, and others. A majority of the studies identified were still in the in vitro and in vivo stages. Nonetheless, we managed to identify 4 human clinical trials that demonstrated the successful use of propolis in alleviating side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy while increasing the quality of life of breast cancer patients, with minimal adverse effects. In conclusion, propolis, as an adjunctive treatment, may have therapeutic benefits in alleviating symptoms related to breast cancers. However, further clinical trials, preferably with higher number of participants/subjects/patients, are urgently needed.

CRC Press eBooks, Jun 10, 2020

Acta horticulturae, Apr 1, 1992

Elsevier eBooks, 2018

Abstract Electrospinning is a technology that involves the application of electric power to spin ... more Abstract Electrospinning is a technology that involves the application of electric power to spin polymers into fibers with a range of diameter widths measured in nanometers. The fiber mats so produced usually exhibit high porosity and large surface area-to-volume ratios that have the great advantage of enhancing the interaction with their surrounding media. Nanostructures produced from natural polymers by this process are able to encapsulate functional components and nutraceuticals due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, and find use in a wide range of applications, such as new food ingredients, food additives, novel packaging materials, edible food coatings, and food sensors. Food packaging materials constructed from electrospun biobased polymers can be used to improve the shelf life of food products and to retain their sensory properties. Intelligent active packaging materials can be produced by this process by incorporating biosensors into the fibers to indicate the expiration date and food quality. Using novel nanotechnology methods, sensor devices can be coupled with the electrospun fibers as effective screening devices to detect bacteria and other microorganisms, and to distinguish antioxidants and other useful components. This chapter will review the latest developments in the manufacture of electrospun nanofibers for food applications using various electrospinning techniques.

International Journal of Food Engineering, Feb 14, 2005

Osmotic dehydration is gaining considerable attention as a minimal processing method because of i... more Osmotic dehydration is gaining considerable attention as a minimal processing method because of its advantages such as saving energy to compliment drying process, better control of flavor loss and tissue damage problems and improved retention of color and nutritional constituents. The problems of flavor loss, tissue damage, color degradation and nutritional loss are present in traditional hot air drying due to the high temperature involved. However, except for candied food, large penetration of solute into the food becomes a major problem in osmotic dehydration. The application of a coating on food prior to osmotic dehydration is a promising solution to alleviate the large solute intake problem. Edible coatings serve as a barrier to limit the penetration of solute without having an adverse effect on water removal. This paper focuses on this combined technology and its potentials. The effects of edible coatings on both water and solute mass transfer in osmotic dehydration are reviewed. Suitable coating materials and their applicable concentration range for osmotic dehydration of food are evaluated. Mathematical models describing the mass transfer in osmotically dehydrated food with coatings are also reviewed.

Food Chemistry, Jul 1, 2005

The aggregation process of the proteins coagulated by glucono-d-lactone (GDL) was monitored by us... more The aggregation process of the proteins coagulated by glucono-d-lactone (GDL) was monitored by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Solutions of 11S, 7S and 2S proteins, after heating at 100°C for 10 min, were mixed with GDL and formed aggregates with different aggregation profiles. When the three protein solutions (11S, 7S and 2S) were mixed with GDL and deposited onto the mica for 1, 2 and 4 min, 11S proteins formed the largest clusters of aggregates, 2S proteins formed smaller clusters of aggregates than 11S but bigger clusters of aggregates than 7S and 7S proteins formed the smallest cluster of aggregates. It was also found, by turbidity measurement, that when GDL was added to the three protein fractions, the level of turbidity was in the order of 11S > 2S > 7S. Both these results showed that, when GDL was added to the three protein fractions, the speed of aggregation was in the order of 11S > 2S > 7S.

Journal of Food Engineering, Feb 1, 1997

An improved general thermal conductivity prediction model has been developed for fruits and veget... more An improved general thermal conductivity prediction model has been developed for fruits and vegetables as a function of water content, porosity and temperature. Thermal conductivity values of apple, pear; corn starch, raisin and potato were used to develop the model using 164 data points obtained from the literature. Raisin has the maximum mean percent deviation of 15.1% (standard deviation 10.1) and pear gave minimum mean percent deviation of 6.8% (standard deviation 7.3). The errors for predicting the thermal conductivity using this improved model for fruits and vegetables are therefore within the range of 6.8-15.1%, which is acceptable for general engineering practice.

Arquivos de biologia e tecnologia, 1986

Food Manufacturing Efficiency, Feb 1, 2010

Drying Technology, Oct 22, 2009

Infrared Spectroscopy for Food Quality Analysis and Control, edited by Da-Wen Sun. Academic Press... more Infrared Spectroscopy for Food Quality Analysis and Control, edited by Da-Wen Sun. Academic Press: New York, USA, 2008, 448 pp., hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-12-374136-3, ISBN-10: 0-12-374136-X). Infrared Spectroscopy for Food Quality Analysis and Control is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with the principles of infrared (IR), including data treatment techniques and instruments. Part 2 covers its applications in quality analysis and control for major food groups such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, dairy, eggs, and cereals. Infrared spectroscopy deals with the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It measures the absorption of different IR frequencies by a sample positioned in the path of an IR beam. IR spectroscopy is one of the most common spectroscopic techniques used in the food industry. With the rapid development in infrared spectroscopic instrumentation software and hardware, the application of this technique has expanded into many areas of food research. It has become a powerful, fast, and nondestructive tool for food quality analysis and control. Infrared Spectroscopy for Food Quality Analysis and Control reflects this rapid technology development.

Journal of Food Science, Mar 1, 2003

Drying behavior at 60 °C was studied in uniform rings of apple fruit parenchyma after vacuum infi... more Drying behavior at 60 °C was studied in uniform rings of apple fruit parenchyma after vacuum infiltration of fluids with different osmolality and surface tension. All infiltrations gave a halved final porosity. Both reduced surface tension and reduced osmolality caused tissue destruction shown as darker visual color. Addition of surfactant resulted in a higher drying rate on a surface area basis corresponding to 15% more water lost after 2 h. The results indicate that biological mechanisms related to function and structure of living tissue are important for drying behavior. The apple ring model is suitable for further studies of biological and other types of drying behavior in relation to the tissue organization.

Emerging Food Processing Technologies, 2022

Dehusked coconuts were immersed and rinsed well in a sanitizing solution of 100ppm Aqua-Plus 5 an... more Dehusked coconuts were immersed and rinsed well in a sanitizing solution of 100ppm Aqua-Plus 5 and left to air dry. The dried samples were vacuum-packed and kept in the freezer for a period of two months while testing the percentage extraction of milk, free fatty acid (FFA)

Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 2022

Propolis is a resinous beehive product that is collected by the bees from plant resin and exudate... more Propolis is a resinous beehive product that is collected by the bees from plant resin and exudates, to protect and maintain hive homeostasis. Propolis has been used by humans therapeutically to treat many ailments including respiratory tract-related diseases and disorders. The aim of the present systematic scoping review is to evaluate the experimental evidence to support the use of propolis as a primary or an adjunctive therapy in respiratory tract-related diseases and disorders. After applying the exclusion criteria, 158 research publications were retrieved and identified from Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar. The key themes of the included studies were pathogenic infection-related diseases and disorders, inflammation-related disorders, lung cancers, and adverse effects. Furthermore, the potential molecular and biochemical mechanisms of action of propolis in alleviating respiratory tract-related diseases and disorders are discussed. In conclusion, the therapeutic benefits of propolis have been demonstrated by various in vitro studies, in silico studies, animal models, and human clinical trials. Based on the weight and robustness of the available experimental and clinical evidence, propolis is effective, either as a primary or an adjunctive therapy, in treating respiratory tract-related diseases.

Journal of Functional Foods, 2022

Handbook of Food Preservation, 2020