Browsing by Subject "quality"
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Item Alginate-Based Edible Coating to Enhance Quality and Shelf-Life of Fresh-Cut Watermelon (Citrullus Lanatus)(2012-10-19) Sipahi, RabiaFresh-cut watermelon is appreciated for its taste, flavor, and juiciness. However, there are challenges in maintaining the freshness since fresh-cut processing of fruits promotes faster deterioration. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of multilayered antimicrobial edible coating on the shelf-life of fresh-cut watermelon while keeping its original attributes for longer, without affecting its sensory properties. A set of solutions containing sodium alginate (0.5, 1, 2% w/w), beta-cyclodextrin, trans-cinnamaldehyde (antimicrobial agent), pectin, and calcium lactate were used as coating systems for fresh-cut watermelon cylinders. The samples were coated by the layer-by-layer dipping technique and stored at 4 degrees C for 15 days. Results were analyzed individually for each quality attribute evaluated, and the best concentration among the solutions to improve each attribute was found. Watermelon quality was measured in terms of texture, color, juice leakage (weight loss), oBrix, and pH. Microbiological analysis consisted of total coliforms, yeasts and molds, aerobics, and psychrotrophs. A consumer test was carried out (~ 40 panelists) to support the objective quality data. Panelists scored the samples using a 9-point hedonic scale. Uncoated samples served as controls. Quality tests were conducted at days 1, 3, 7, 12, and 15 of storage. Sensory tests showed high acceptance (P < 0.05) of the coated samples when compared to the controls. Quality attributes, particularly texture (firmness) and juice leakage (weight loss) were enhanced (P < 0.05) by the coating. Microbiological analysis demonstrated that alginate-based edible coating has a huge effect against microbial growth. 1% sodium alginate coating provided better preservation in terms of quality parameters, microbiological growth, and sensory acceptance. These results indicate that different ratios between solutions present a significant variation for each quality attribute measured in this study; and the thickness of the coating as well as the amount of antimicrobial are critical for shelf-life extension of fresh-cut watermelon. Hence, application of an alginate based multilayered edible coating has tremendous potential to enhance microbial quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut watermelon.Item Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence: perceptions of district personnel of implementation and impact on collective teacher efficacy(Texas A&M University, 2005-11-01) LeRoy, Kathryn A.The purpose of this study was to identify those elements of the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence that central office leaders, principals, and teachers perceive as having an impact on collective teacher efficacy. The study determined if there was a relationship between the perceptions of central office leaders, principals, and teachers concerning the implementation of the criteria, the difficulty of implementation, and the impact of implementation on collective teacher efficacy. The population for this study included sixty individuals from three school districts from Texas, North Carolina, and New Mexico who have implemented the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence for a minimum of five years. The Delphi Technique was used for the study utilizing a questionnaire linked to six of the seven categories of the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, which were reported using numerical and graphic techniques. The key findings of this study suggest that the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence, which the three study school districts chose as a framework for improving organizational performance, has had a perceived positive impact on collective teacher efficacy. The following conclusions were drawn from the data analysis: ?? Implementation of the Baldrige Criteria requires a long-term commitment, ?? Districts committed to implementation of the criteria develop systematic approaches to management processes, persevere in their deployment, and continually assess performance to determine areas for improvement. ?? The difficulty of implementation of the criteria relates to the effort required to align and deploy systematic approaches throughout the organization. ?? Commitment and implementation begins at the senior leadership level of central office and cascades through the organization to principals and classroom teachers. The extent to which systematic management approaches have been deployed to the classroom teacher level determines the level of impact of implementation on collective efficacy. ?? The Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence provide a framework for school districts to improve organizational performance from a systems perspective to achieve organizational and student success. ?? The more mature a district??s deployment/implementation of the criteria, the greater the impact on collective teacher efficacy.Item Critical processes and performance measures for patient safety systems in healthcare institutions: a Delphi study(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Akins, Ralitsa B.This dissertation study presents a conceptual framework for implementing and assessing patient safety systems in healthcare institutions. The conceptual framework consists of critical processes and performance measures identified in the context of the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence. Methodology: The Delphi technique for gaining consensus from a group of experts and forecasting significant issues in the field of the Delphi panel expertise was used. Data collection included a series of questionnaires where the first round questionnaire was based on literature review and the MBNQA criteria for excellence in healthcare, and tested by an instrument review panel of experts. Twenty-three experts (MBNQA healthcare reviewers and senior healthcare administrators from quality award winning institutions) representing 18 states participated in the survey rounds. The study answered three research questions: (1) What are the critical processes that should be included in healthcare patient safety systems? (2) What are the performance measures that can serve as indicators of quality for the processes critical for ensuring patient safety? (3) What processes will be critical for patient safety in the future? The identified patient safety framework was further transformed into a patient safety tool with three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Additionally, the panel of experts identified the major barriers to the implementation of patient safety systems in healthcare institutions. The identified "top seven" barriers were directly related to critical processes and performance measures identified as "important" or "very important" for patient safety systems in the present and in the future. This dissertation study is significant because the results are expected to assist healthcare institutions seeking to develop high quality patient safety programs, processes and services. The identified critical processes and performance measures can serve as a means of evaluating existing patient safety initiatives and guiding the strategic planning of new safety processes. The framework for patient safety systems utilizes a systems approach and will support healthcare senior administrators in achieving and sustaining improvement results. The identified patient safety framework will also assist healthcare institutions in using the MBNQA Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence for self-assessment and quality improvement.Item Electron Beam Irradiation for Improving Safety of Fruits and Vegetables(2012-07-16) Adavi, Megha SarthakIncrease in consumption of fresh cut produce over the past decade has resulted in a rise in incidents of food borne outbreaks due to pathogens. Conventional techniques of sanitizing washes may not be effective since the organic matter released from the fresh produce use up the free chlorine thus reducing the sanitizing potential of wash water just when it is needed most and a heat treatment step to kill pathogens cannot be applied if the purpose is to consume fresh produce. Electron beam (e-beam) irradiation was used to treat cut cantaloupe, cut roma tomatoes, baby spinach, romaine lettuce which were surface inoculated with a cocktail of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. Results showed that irradiation reduced Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 significantly with increasing doses at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 kGy. The D10-value for Salmonella on irradiated cut cantaloupe, cut roma tomatoes, baby spinach, and romaine lettuce was found to be 0.71 kGy, 0.64 kGy, 0.19 kGy, and 0.23 kGy respectively. The D10-value for E. coli O157:H7 on the produce listed above was found to be 0.73 kGy, 0.54 kGy, 0.18 kGy, and 0.20 kGy respectively. Low dose e-beam irradiation was found to be an excellent tool for ensuring the reduction of spoilage organisms and extending shelf life in cut cantaloupe, cut roma tomatoes, baby spinach, romaine lettuce, strawberries, and green onion. The produce were tested for 12 days of storage for aerobic plate count, yeast and mold, lactic bacteria, color, texture, and respiration rate as a function of irradiation doses 0, 1, 3, and 5 kGy. Aerobic plate counts, yeast counts, and lactic acid bacteria were reduced appreciably at all doses tested on all commodities. Molds did not grow on any samples including control for cut cantaloupe, cut tomatoes, and green onion but for the other commodities, mold was reduced at the same rate as yeasts and vegetative bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria were reduced at all doses while the reduction was highest with 5 kGy in all commodities. When irradiated with 5 kGy, during storage, strawberries, spinach, and green onion displayed wet, soggy and mushy appearance, romaine lettuce leaves were wilted, had a translucent midrib and brown pigmentation. E-beam irradiation increased respiration rate for all samples on day 0 compared to non-irradiated control irrespective of the commodity type and the effect was dose dependent. Firmness reduced appreciably for cut roma tomatoes, baby spinach, strawberries, romaine lettuce, and green onion with increasing doses. Cut cantaloupe was low in firmness but the effect was not dose dependent. Irradiation at low doses is a promising tool to reduce pathogens and enhance keeping quality of cut cantaloupe, cut tomatoes, baby spinach, romaine lettuce, strawberries, and green onion. Irradiation is to be implemented as part of an overall HACCP plan and is not meant to replace existing control measures.Item Estimating third -party examiners' scoring stability on selected applications to the Texas Award for Performance Excellence(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Plunkett, Brandi LynThis study was an attempt to add to existing research by estimating the ability of third-party examiners to assess whether or not an organization successfully implemented strategies based on the criteria of the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (TAPE). The TAPE is given each year by the Quality Texas Foundation and recognizes organizations that demonstrate superior performance as it is defined by customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. The TAPE is a state-level award for quality that uses the same criteria as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence. This research was an analysis of the TAPE process at the level of examiners, also known as the Board of Examiners. The Board is made up of approximately 150 experienced professionals from several types of business sectors and is responsible for evaluating organizational self-assessments. In this quantitative study, data were converted from the Quality Texas Foundation into a database. Because the set of the TAPE applicants included in the study consisted of the entire population of TAPE applicants selected from 2001 to 2004, descriptive statistics were appropriate for producing informative data that could be analyzed for variation and stability in the scoring process. Exploration of patterns in descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were the primary tools used in this particular study along with Cronbach??????s Alpha as an indicator of reliability. Since scoring for the TAPE is based on an individual examiner??????s best subjective assessment, it was impossible to have one objective score against which all the other scores could be measured. The team consensus score was therefore used as the true score for measurement. Establishing reliability of examiners?????? scores was a problem due to the fact that organizations and teams did not repeat. Results from the study led to the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to make a determination on what influences examiners?????? scoring consistency. More data will need to be collected in such a way so as to make it possible to identify that impact consistency of examiner scores.Item Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of high lysine maize(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Bhatnagar, SandeepQuality Protein Maize (QPM) with the mutant gene opaque-2 (o2), has higher lysine and tryptophan content and hard endosperm which is less susceptible to mechanical and biological damage. Three experiments were conducted to characterize the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of high lysine maize. In the first experiment two separate diallels including 7 white and 9 yellow QPM inbreds were evaluated in five southern USA environments to estimate the general (GCA) and specific combining abilities (SCA) for grain yield and to identify potential heterotic relationships among them. QPM hybrids yielded less than commercial checks. GCA effects across environments were non-significant for grain yield but highly significant for secondary traits. Best yielding hybrids resulted from crosses among inbreds from different programs (CIMMYT, Mexico; University of Natal, South Africa and TAMU, USA). In the second experiment testcrosses between QPM inbreds and Tx804, were evaluated for agronomic performance, aflatoxin resistance and quality. QPM inbreds in testcrosses have similar flowering dates, plant height, ear height and test weights but lower grain yield than normal checks. Population 69 inbreds and their testcrosses were least susceptible to aflatoxin. Aflatoxin in testcrosses was positively correlated with endosperm texture (0.67) and kernel integrity (0.60) but negatively correlated with grain yield (-0.30) and silking date (-0.50). Tryptophan content was negatively correlated with endosperm modification. Amino acid levels of inbred lines were significantly correlated with those of hybrids, but with low predictive value. In the third experiment 92 high lysine maize inbreds with different origins [Stiff Stalk, Non Stiff Stalk, Pop 69, temperate (Tx802, Tx804, Tx806, B97, B104) and exotic subtropical lines (CML161, Do940y and Ko326y)] were haplotyped on a cM scale utilizing 43 mapped SSR markers to characterize genetic diversity on chromosome 7, estimate linkage disequilibrium around opaque-2 locus and determine the parental contribution in some inbreds. Dendrograms of genetic similarity showed clusters in agreement with the different origin of inbreds. A total of 200 alleles were detected with an average of 4.7 alleles/locus. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected around opaque-2 locus. Parental contributions of haplotypes showed segments of chromosome 7 exclusively contributed by one or the other parent.Item Possible Quality Defects in Beef Caused by Multiple Applications of Antimicrobial Interventions(2014-04-21) Eastwood, Lauren ClayThis study was designed to address ground beef quality defects noted by further processors across the country. Multiple hurdle antimicrobial intervention strategies are commonly employed in all facets of beef product manufacturing to ensure the highest level of food safety possible. For that reason, a theory was postulated that repetitive antimicrobial applications may be responsible for lessened color shelf-life and reduced onsumer acceptability of ground beef patties. Four antimicrobial treatment combinations (hot water applied to hot carcass followed by hot carcass lactic acid application; Hot water applied to hot carcass followed by hot carcass lactic acid application, followed by a pre-fabrication cold forequarter lactic acid spray; Hot water applied to hot carcass followed by hot carcass lactic acid application, followed by a pre-fabrication cold forequarter acidified sodium chlorite spray; Hot water applied to hot carcass followed by hot carcass lactic acid application, followed by a pre-fabrication cold forequarter Beefxide spray); in addition to a control (hot carcass lactic acid spray only), were used in this study. Following carcass treatments, trimmings were assigned to one of four treatment groups (acidified sodium chlorite, Beefxide, lactic acid or control). Trimmings were sprayed following forequarter fabrication and were subsequently held in cold storage for 48 h before grinding. Ground beef patties were produced from each trimming subgroup (n = 40) and designated for shelf-life, consumer panel, or trained panel evaluation. Beef patty temperature, pH and color (L*, a*, b*) measurements were taken on the day of patty production, in addition to daily color measurements taken over the 5 d shelf-life period. While some visual darkening of patty color occurred by the completion of the shelf-life period, few significant changes were seen in color space values for each treatment combination. Although there were some significant interactions reflected in consumer panel scores, there is no clear trend describing interaction effects and consumer ratings. In general, findings from this study support that food safety interventions, while effective in reducing microbiological counts on product surfaces, do not negatively impact beef patty quality.Item The Development and Validation of a Pre-Evaluation Instrument for the Virtual College of Texas to Measure Quality in Distance Education Courses(2010-07-14) Claus, Edna Q.The purpose of this study was to 1) provide a detailed examination of the criteria for preevaluation utilized to measure quality in a distance education course for the Virtual College of Texas (VCT) and consortium members, 2) examine the process of each VCT consortium member in order to determine the criterion for the quality of distance education courses being provided by a host or provider college, and 3) develop and validate a pre-evaluation instrument to pre-determine quality in distance education courses for the Virtual College of Texas and consortium members. This was a qualitative research study that utilized document analysis, semi-structured interviews questions and incorporated a modified use of the research and development cycle. The data was gathered from the member colleges that are part of the Virtual College of Texas Consortium. The entire 43 member college?s websites were searched for documents containing the criteria that they used to evaluate the quality of on-line courses. These documents were also used to formulate the questions used in the semi-structured telephone interview questions. During the course of this study it became evident that an educational research and development strategy would be utilized due to the development of a pre-evaluation instrument to pre-determine quality in distance education courses for the Virtual College of Texas. There are 10 major steps in the educational research and design (R and D) process however in this study it was modified since not all of the major steps were applicable. It is clear that determining quality criteria is not easily accomplished due to the differences in and of the decision makers, however the participants in this agreed on the final development of a pre-evaluation instrument to pre-determine quality in a distance education course. The use of a pre-evaluation instrument to pre-determine quality in a distance education course may aid distance education in promotion of its foundational purpose of connecting the instructor with the student for learning and in promoting the value of connecting human beings in a meaningful way through the use of distance education for human resource development (Swanson and Holton, 2001).Item The effects of selected visual cues on tourists' perceptions of quality and satisfaction, and on their behavioral intentions(2009-05-15) Tomas, Stacy ReneeIn tourism, the product is the experience. The destination sets the stage, which facilitates the experience. First impressions, based largely on visual cues in the environment, help to determine the level of quality tourists should expect from their encounter. While much research has focused on destination image in advertising, little attention has been given to on-site assessments of tourists? perceptions of the visual environment. This study had three specific objectives. The first was to determine if changes in the visual environment affect respondents? attitudes, perceptions of quality and satisfaction. The second objective set out to determine which visual quality elements have the strongest influence on respondents? attitudes, their perceptions of quality and satisfaction. The final objective was to explore the interrelationship between attitudes, quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Utilizing a series of digitally modified photographs and an experimental design approach with three treatments, this study examined how selected visual environmental cues affected respondents? perceptions. The relatively high adjusted R2 values across the three treatments suggests the strong influence of visual quality elements on hedonic (R2 values ranging from .16 to .27) and utilitarian attitudes (R2 values ranging from .16 to .24), and particularly on satisfaction (R2 values ranging from .31 to .44) and overall quality (R2 values ranging from .28 to .35). The visual cues having the strongest influence on perceptions were level of crowding, available seating, maintenance and upkeep, and type of signage. Utilizing structural equation modeling, this study examined the interrelationship between the endogenous variables in the model. The influence of hedonic attitude on overall quality and satisfaction was confirmed, but the influence of utilitarian attitude on overall quality and satisfaction was not. This suggests that some tourism experiences are more hedonic in nature. This research supports previous literature suggesting that a high level of quality will result in a high level of satisfaction for the visitors (significant path estimate of .422). Additionally, standardized path coefficients indicate that overall quality (.416) and satisfaction (.486) were both related to behavioral intentions, with satisfaction being a stronger predictor.