Quality Control Laboratory of Cereals and Bakery Products

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<p>OBJECTIVES<br />

Taking into consideration that cereal products provide over  50% of humankind's food sources, the research carried out in the Quality  Control Laboratory of Cereals and Bakery Products aims to find new ways of  superior development as regards raw materials, that may allow both production  of food ranges adapted to local specific features and to consumer's taste, and  providing superior quality from the point of view of its innocuousness. Also,  through our activities we want to insure human resources training, which are  able to guarantee safety and quality of end products by applying the modern  biotechnologies associated with the new faster analyzing methods.</p>

<p>ACTIVITIES<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Analyses of  local crops quality<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Measurement  of flours&rsquo; tenacity, extensibility, elasticity and baking strength <br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Determination  of moisture absorption capacity of flour of a given consistency<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Selection  and improvement of flour plastic quality <br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Monitoring  dough tolerance and weakening&nbsp; during the  kneading process<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Measurement&nbsp; of&nbsp;  &alpha;-amylases in flours<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Monitoring  the relationship between rheological properties and micro structural characteristics  of dough<br />

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MAIN THEMATICS<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Research  concerning higher capitalization of local vegetable resources to get some  products with functional food materials role.&nbsp;  Due to the main humankind concerns regarding the increase of population  health state in general and obesity control in particular, the development of  some cereal and pseudo-cereal processing technologies becomes of fundamental  importance.<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Research  regarding the influence of different types of &alpha;-amylases on quality of bread.  Our objectives were to study the effects of &alpha;-amylase addition on dough and  bread attributes and to relate these performance differences to amylolytic  mechanisms and to differences between types of amylolytic sources (malt, fungal  and bacterial), and, also to see if we could obtain a significant increasing in  the area of shelf life extension.<br />

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Evaluation  of Mycotoxins impacts on the processing industry The agro-food products are  excellent culture media for different molds. These fungi produce mycotoxins  that have been found to be highly toxic and carcinogenic for humans and cattle.  Even at very low concentrations, chronic effects can occur such as the  reduction of fertility and of immune-resistance. Practical strategies to  eliminate these mycotoxins from feed and food are required, although some  progress is being made at level of individual compound or group of compounds.<br />

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MAIN RESEARCH EQUIPMENT<br />

Stereomicroscope&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Foto 1 <br />

Falling Number Perten&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Foto 2 <br />

Alveoconsistograph Chopin&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Foto 3</p>

<p>SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION 2005-2010: 43 publications, 5 books, 4  national research grants, 2 international research network ISEKI FOOD 3, and  ISEKI MUNDUS, 2 researches grants with local producers<br />

MAIN COLLABORATIONS: <br />

Laboratory of Enzymes et Derivates Romania, Institute  of&nbsp; Food Bioresources Romania, Kansas  State University, U.S.A., The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa  State University of Science and Technology, Iowa, USA, Escola Superior de  Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal, Technical University of Moldavia</p>

<p>TEAM<br />

Associate professor PhD Gabriela POP - Head of the research  team<br />

Phone: 0230/216147 int.542<br />

e-mail: gabipop@usv.ro <br />

MEMBERS<br />

Associate professor PhD Adriana DABIJA<br />

Lecturer PhD Silvia MIRONEASA<br />

Lecturer PhD Georgiana CODINA</p>