Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Science

Committee Chair/Advisor

William Whiteside

Committee Member

George Cavender

Committee Member

William Bridges

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how retort processing affects the heat penetration and rheological characteristics of starches, such, as corn, tapioca, potato and native rice starches in Alfredo sauce. Modified corn starch is commonly used in sauces. The aim was to explore alternatives and compare how different starches behave in terms of viscosity changes, color variations and processing times. The study also looked at the time needed to achieve a Fo=6 for Clostridium botulinum. The results showed that modified corn starch had an increase in viscosity from 3,328 cP to 13,296 cP, with a relatively short processing time of around 31.33 minutes. Modified tapioca starch displayed a rise in viscosity from 3,440 to 8,176 cP over the processing duration of approximately 38.38 minutes indicating its thermal stability. Native rice and modified potato starches showed changes in color with decreases in lightness and shifts in chromaticity suggesting alterations to pigments during processing. Interestingly native rice starch exhibited increased surface smoothness after retort treatment due to the decomposition of starch granules. These findings highlight the importance of selecting the type of starch for Alfredo sauce formulations considering their reactions during retort processing. Overall modified potato starch emerged as an alternative to corn starch due to its rheological properties. This research study presents findings for the food industry by enhancing processing techniques and selecting starches to maintain the quality and safety of thermally processed Alfredo sauce.

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