Studies on drying and storage of chilgoza (Pinus gerardiana) nuts
Present studies were undertaken with the aim of screening a suitable mode of drying and packaging material for storage of chilgoza nuts. A temperature of 55 °C was found most suitable for the drying of nuts in cabinet drier. Cabinet drier was found the best drying mode among four for drying of chilgoza nuts on the basis of quality characteristics such as moisture, water activity and sensory attributes. Further, out of five packaging materials selected in the study, glass jar followed by aluminium laminate pouch was found to be suitable for the packing and storage of dried nuts in ambient conditions for 6 months on the basis of retention of better physico-chemical and sensory attributes.
Effect of pre-treatments and drying methods on quality attributes of sweet bell-pepper (Capsicum annum) powder
Pre-treatments and methods of drying for producing good quality dried bell pepper powder for use in the ready-to-eat (RTE) food products were optimized. Out of various pre-treatments used (blanching in boiling water, KMS, CA and combination of KMS + CA at different concentrations), soaking of bell pepper shreds in KMS@ 0.20 % + CA@ 0.50 % after blanching fasten the drying process (19.75 h) compared to control (22.60 h), when dried in mechanical dehydrator at 58 ± 2 °C. Blanching prior to drying improved the rate of drying and produced product with lower acidity (1.25 %). The samples (T7) treated with KMS@ 0.20 % + CA@ 0.50 % significantly (p < 0.05) retained the ascorbic acid content (47.75 mg/100 g) and also attained highest score for colour (8.0), texture (7.5) and overall acceptability (7.5) compared to rest of the treatments. Among different methods of drying, pre-treated bell peppers dried in solar poly tunnel drier produced bright red coloured powder with relatively higher amounts of sugars and ascorbic acid content, hence was optimized. Visual lump formation was observed at 19.75 % and 18.50 % critical moisture contents, which equilibrated at 42 % and 45 % RH for bell pepper powders dried in a mechanical dehydrator and solar poly tunnel drier, respectively.
Livestock Aspects of Feed Grain Policy
It is a signal event that our topic should be included on this program. In recent years, the livestock and poultry economy has scarcely been considered in the making of price and income policy for feed grains. It has been disregarded by pragmatic policy makers. It has been almost equally bypassed by theoretical economists, who usually kibitz freely. Policy for support and target prices for corn, grain sorghums, and other feed grains has been made with an eye almost exclusively fixed on the producers of those crops. The target price has been set relatively high in order to protect crop farmers' income. The latest (and current) loan rate policy has been to hold the rate low. Although a low rate facilitates moving grain into livestock and poultry consumption when crops are abundant, it does nothing to provide buffer stocks for years when crops are short. In addition, a couple of years ago it became administrative policy to dispose of the stocks inherited from an earlier period, even subsidizing their sale abroad. But the foremost example of one-sidedness is the attitude toward release prices. In all the rhetoric heard recently about the peril of holding corn or sorghums in reserve, the scold has been that release prices would not be set high enough. What group can the spokesmen have had in mind? Feed producers, of course! Not feed consumers, that is, livestock and poultry men. It has been a one-sided consideration of a two-sided issue. If all groups are to have equal voice in policy making, how can livestock and poultry interests be so ostracized? The one-sidedness has more impact now that so much livestock and poultry production has become detached from feed supply on individual farms. The livestock-poultry economy is therefore more sensitive to the availability and price of feed. It is in fact a contradiction that historically, livestock and poultry got more attention when they were still closely connected with feed production on the farm. In the early years of farm programs, the "ever-normal granary" was consciously designed to level out the supply and price of feed for livestock and poultry. Now that livestock and poultry have become more commercial and more vulnerable to a volatile feed situation, feed price stabilization has been progressively removed from the councils of farm policy. And the ultimate contradiction is that the alleged price-depressing perils of a feed reserve have been proclaimed in disregard of the fact that the main defense of feed grain producers' incomes is the target price-direct payment mechanism, not support prices. If grains on reserve should cause market prices to be reduced below target level, producers would get bigger direct payments, that is, producers with a base on their farm are protected in that way. Admittedly, production outside such a base would not be eligible for payment.