Date of Award:

12-2016

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Karin Allen (Committee Chair), Sheryl Aguilar (Committee Co-Chair)

Committee

Karin Allen

Committee

Sheryl Aguilar

Committee

Heidi Wengreen

Abstract

Carotenoids are pigments found throughout nature in a large variety of plants including fruits and vegetables (F/V). Carotenoids provide much of the color we see in nature but are perhaps most noticeable in plants with yellow, orange, or red flesh. Carotenoids are antioxidants that serve as a protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation and other free radical producing processes in the body and in plant tissues. Once consumed, carotenoids are deposited in the skin, particularly in fatty tissue. Raman resonance spectroscopy (RRS) can be used to quantify skin carotenoid levels and has been proven a good indicator of F/V consumption. A feeding study was conducted on children wherein they were assigned to one of two groups. They were asked to consume either a high-carotenoid food, called Breakfast Bites, or a granola bar that contained no carotenoids, every day for 6 weeks. The purpose of this study was to see if the amount of carotenoids found in Breakfast Bites was enough to change skin carotenoid levels in participants. Children were scanned via RRS four times during this study to observe any changes in skin carotenoid levels. At the end of the study, children who had consumed Breakfast Bites had significantly higher skin carotenoid levels than those who had consumed granola bars. This showed that consuming similar amounts of carotenoids as is found in Breakfast Bites is enough to increase skin carotenoid levels in children and may provide health benefits to the consumer.

In our second study, we set out to observe the effects of packaging and storage methods on the shelf-stability and carotenoid content of Breakfast Bites. Carotenoids are sensitive to light, temperature, and oxygen because of their chemical structure. This makes them rather unstable molecules and requires they be handled carefully. Packaging type and storage conditions play a major role in the preservation of carotenoids in foods and should therefore be chosen carefully. Two shelf-life studies were conducted on Breakfast Bites. The Bites were packaged in cellophane wrappers, in vacuum sealed bags, or in modified atmosphere packaging (N2). Some of the packaged Bites were held at room temperature for evaluation. To evaluate freezer packaging, the remaining Bites were stored in the freezer (-17.8° C) on trays, in clear vacuum bags, or in foil vacuum bags. The Bites were analyzed at regular intervals for various shelf-life measures. At the end of each study the only significant result was the relationship between packaging type and color measures. This showed that Breakfast Bites could be packaged and stored in either cellophane or N2 backflush packaging to best retain their overall quality.

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