Date of Award:

5-2015

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Donald J. McMahon

Committee

Donald J. McMahon

Committee

Marie Walsh

Committee

Robert Ward

Committee

Karin Allen

Committee

Sean Johnson

Abstract

The Western Dairy Center (WDC) at Utah State University demonstrated opportunities to improve the quality of high-protein snack foods that becoming more prevalent in western diets. Previously, such high-protein nutrition bars became too hard during storage and they had a limited shelf life, resulting in disappointment by consumers or loss of product as older products needed to be discarded.

With sponsorship as a doctoral student by the Iraq Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and in conjunction with WDC researchers, an investigation was conducted into the chemistry of high-protein nutrition bars and how the various components (protein, carbohydrate and lipid) could be varied to improve their texture and prevent hardening during storage. This project developed a scientific understanding of why hardening occurs during storage based on the chemistry that control interactions on the surface of proteins in high-protein food systems. We further identified combinations of protein powders and carbohydrates that could be used to allow high-protein nutrition bars to be successfully stored for longer times and making it possible to increase the level of protein that can be in the bars.

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