Food Manufacturing in New Jersey is important. It represents 10% of New Jersey’s Gross State Product. This amounts to $9.6 billion in sales and $4.5 billion in value added (that is, the remainder from sales after the cost of external purchases of goods and services are subtracted). Food manufacturing pays $1.0 billion in wages. Of twenty manufacturing sectors in New Jersey, the food manufacturing sector ranks second in both value of shipments and value added.
CAFT was founded in 1985, a period when most manufacturing in New Jersey was decreasing at a fairly rapid rate.
It is very difficult to determine the impact of a research and development activity upon an industry sector. However, we believe that the Center played an important role in the following statistics for the food manufacturing sector (that compare twenty New Jersey manufacturing sectors during the period 1987 through 1992):
The CAFT funding comes from two main sources:
a. The New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology provided core support funding for CAFT for ten years between 1986 and 1996. The funds were used to:
support research,
pay for facilities operations and maintenance for Commission supported buildings,
support staff for public relations, marketing, proposal development, and
miscellaneous university related activities.
In April, 1996, the Commission announced its intent to discontinue funding of the Center.
b. External support pays for research and development, but not for marketing, proposal development, or university related activities. The University and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station were both helpful in providing support.
CAFT seeks to initiate an endowment to assist the Rutgers food initiative to maintain its worldwide leadership position. Gifts to the Rutgers University Foundation designated for the support of the Center for Advanced Food Technology may be sent to:
|
|
Would you like to know what foods to eat for healthier living? Would you like to teach your children and grandchildren what to eat for healthier living? So would we and we are doing something about it ! |
One of the ongoing CAFT's projects is capitalizing on the Federally funded Human Genome Project, which is identifying all of the structure of all human genes. Some of these genes have been identified as having health related jobs. The genes produce or suppress production of important proteins which keep cells healthy or which cause cells to function irregularly an thus become the source of ill health.
Much of the food that we eat is processed so that it is readily available and easy to use in meal preparation. Many processes are important converters of food substances from one form into another. The post-processing form of food substance may have beneficial effects.
A
CAFT research project
is developing test tube type systems which can screen a food substance and determine
whether it affects a specific gene’s ability to produce an important protein.
The CAFT
screening system shows which foods have effects. Once a food is identified in the test
tube screen, the CAFT project takes the food substance to animal testing and if the animal
studies are positive, to human clinical studies. With this approach, we will be able to
tell you what foods are good for healthier living.
|
|
Would you like fat free foods that taste good? Would you like high fiber foods that taste good? So would we, and we are doing something about it ! |
Another
CAFT
research project is leading to an understanding of
flavor development, protection, and release. There is also research leading to an
understanding of texture development, protection, and deterioration. These two
parallel
approaches will lead to knowledge that will allow the prediction of flavor entrapment and
release and texture development and loss in foods which have reduced fat and increased
fiber.
A picture of the CAFT invention "the Hartman-Lu Model Mouth System" can be found here. This ingenious device simulates the human mouth:
vibrating steel ball bearings are used to simulate the grinding and chewing action of the mouth
artificial saliva is used to create the mouth environment
the entire system is kept at the temperature of the human body.
With a vacuum pump, the system draws the flavor compounds released from the chewing action to the "Hartman sorption trap", which captures the aroma compounds. After five seconds or ten seconds or whenever, the sorption trap is inserted into the "Hartman Thermal Desorber" which releases the trapped aromas into a gas chromatograph instrument which can then measure the amount of flavor released.
This has been demonstrated to really work with food samples containing normal amounts of flavor components. The rate at which flavors are released from food in the mouth is critical to making foods taste "right". When fat is removed or fiber is added, the release of flavors changes because of changed interactions between flavors and the missing or added ingredients.
Some foods are built upon their ability to instantaneously release flavor and then have the flavor instantly disappear when the food is swallowed. Other foods are designed to release flavors slowly while the food is being chewed and to then leave a long lasting flavor sensation or aftertaste.
For more information about these exciting CAFT projects and activities contact:
|
|
|
|
