All Publications
Contribution of salting on the safety assurance of artisanal “Bagaces” cheese, a Mesoamerican firm dry-salted unripe cheese
ScienceDirect, 2024
The efficacy of salting to ensure the safety of “Bagaces” cheese was assessed. Six producers with different processing practices were visited to develop a standard processing protocol for “Bagaces” cheese making. The effect of two different salting methods (brine or dry direct salting) and two cheese geometries (block or cubes) were assessed on product pH, water activity (Aw) and salt content. Both cheese geometry and salting method significantly influence the salting kinetics (p=0.0027 and p=0.0187, respectively), yet based on the physicochemical properties measured and its influence on pathogens growth based on previous studies, salting may not guarantee the safety of the final product as a critical measure of control since the growth of reference pathogens is likely to occur. Therefore, milk pasteurization, refrigeration during cheese storage and distribution, and strict application of good manufacturing practices are required for the safety assurance of this artisanal Mesoamerican cheese.
Ingesta de calcio y vitamina D: relación con exceso de peso en población costarricense
Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición, 2024
La presencia de sobrepeso y obesidad aumentan la morbimortalidad de la población latinoamericana. La deficiencia de micronutrientes como el calcio y la vitamina D se han relacionado con un aumento del riesgo de obesidad. El objetivo de la investigación fue determinar la relación entre la ingesta de vitamina D y de calcio con los factores de riesgo para obesidad en la población urbana costarricense incluidas en el Estudio ELANS.
Effect of thermal treatment on selected bioactive compounds and physicochemical properties of a blackberry-soy-flaxseed beverage
NFS Journal, 2024
Over the last two decades, consumer demand for healthy food products has increased globally due the benefits of these products for maintaining and improving health. Diet and nutrition are known to contribute to the development of a range of disease conditions and age-related chronic diseases, and consumers are increasingly seeking solutions in food to prevent chronic illness and to maintain good habits for a healthy life.
Safety assurance assessment of palmito cheese: A Mesoamerican pasta filata unripe artisanal cheese
ScienceDirect, 2024
Use of acidification and kneading/stretching steps to ensure the safety of palmito cheese was evaluated. The pH (acidification) and temperature (kneading/stretching) kinetics were recorded during processing for three cheese batches from each of three artisanal producers and a pilot plant-produced cheese.
Resultados del Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS) capítulo Costa Rica
Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Costa Rica , 2023
El presente es un compendio de los resultados de los análisis del consumo de alimentos, indicadores antropométricos y actividad física en la población urbana costarricense, que llevaron a cabo en el marco del Estudio Latino Americano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS)