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Encapsulating Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) in Dairy Proteins Using High Pressure Processing and pH Shifting
No full textBranched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are essential amino acids important for muscle metabolism, recovery, and energy regulation. However, their inherently low solubility and bitterness limit their use in functional foods and nutritional formulations. This study presents a combined pH-shifting and high-pressure processing (HPP) strategy to encapsulate BCAAs within dairy protein matrices to improve their solubility and sensory performance. Leucine was selected as the model amino acid due to its strong bitterness and its central role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. pH shifting increased leucine solubility, reaching 4 w/v% at neutral pH and up to 8 w/v% at alkaline pH (pH 11). Then, HPP was used to engineer whey-protein–based encapsulation matrices. At high whey protein isolate (WPI) concentrations (16% WPI) and 8% leucine, HPP induced protein gelation that effectively entrapped leucine within a three dimensional network. At lower protein concentrations (4% WPI) and 4% leucine, HPP promoted partial protein unfolding and hydrophobic interactions that facilitated leucine encapsulation. Overall, alkaline pH conditions enhanced encapsulation efficiency compared with neutral pH, and higher pressure (600 MPa) showed significantly stronger encapsulation than lower pressure (300 MPa). These findings show a robust, scalable approach for improving the functional and sensory properties of BCAAs in high-protein food systems
Creating a Functional Snack From Pelletized Mycelium With Enhanced Sensory and Nutritional Benefits
No full textHarnessing edible fungal mycelium as a future food ingredient presents a promising strategy for developing sustainable, nutrient-dense alternatives to conventional snack products. However, fundamental understanding of how processing and formulation influence the structural and textural functionality of mycelium-based materials remains limited in the context of practical food applications. This project investigates the feasibility of developing pelletized Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium as a functional crunchy snack ingredient by characterizing how cultivation, freeze-drying, and ingredient imbibition influence its structural, textural, and visual properties. Mycelium pellets produced via submerged cultivation exhibited inherent variability in size and morphology, forming a dynamic substrate for post-processing modification. Selected food-grade ingredients were imbibed into the pellets to evaluate uptake behavior and their effects on color, surface appearance, and mechanical performance. Freeze-drying was applied to preserve the filamentous architecture while inducing crisp, low-moisture textures. Instrumental texture analysis (double-compression TPA) quantified changes in hardness, fracturability, cohesiveness, and crispiness across formulations, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) visualized pore structure and microscale hyphal organization. Preliminary early-stage prototypes and an exploratory concept survey provided early insights into consumer perceptions of a mycelium-based crunchy snack format. Together, these findings establish a foundational understanding of how processing conditions and imbibed ingredients can tailor mycelium pellet functionality, supporting their development as a novel, health-forward, and structurally tunable snack ingredient
A Brave New World of Human Resources Research: Navigating Perils and Identifying Grand Challenges of the GenAI Revolution
No full textThis paper reviews the transformative role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Human Resource (HR) management, from a practice perspective, highlighting both opportunities and challenges and laying out a use-inspired future research agenda. This scoping review is grounded in insights from a unique Summit held in Spring 2024, which brought together HR academic scholars with dozens of Fortune 500 Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) and their top technical leaders to discuss the workforce implications of GenAI. The paper identifies six key themes from the Summit practitioners: GenAI as disruptive and transformative, data as competitive advantage, adoption challenges, potential ethical abuses, the experimentation imperative, and the critical role of CHROs. These six themes provide a foundation for future research directions, which are discussed regarding six functional HR areas: recruitment and selection, training and development, performance manage-ment, job and work design, talent management, and compensation and benefits. The research agenda in each area emphasizes the need for academic researchers to understand and address the practical challenges posed by GenAI. Overcoming these substantive challenges will demand meaningful effort and a keen willingness to learn, on the part of both HR leaders and scholars. The paper concludes with a call to action for management scholars to engage in use-inspired research that bridges the gap between academic knowledge and practical HR challenges
Italy, Almasri, and the ICC: A Case of Judicial Intervention versus Domestic Sovereignty
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Disability Stats Your Way at DisabilityStatistics.org
No full text[Excerpt] The newly relaunched DisabilityStatistics.org website aims to advance disability inclusion by providing improved access to important data. People using the site can easily create and save maps, charts, and tables of national, state, and local disability statistics. They can copy from the site to reports, presentations, and other documents that they use in their work
Key Metric Measuring Quality Hires and Best Practices That Enhance Hiring Outcomes
No full textQuality of hire is a central metric in talent acquisition, often considered a reflection of how effectively new hires contribute to organizational success. Despite its importance, there is no universally accepted definition of quality of hire. Quality of hire is often conceptualized as a combination of employee performance, retention, and cultural fit over time. Industry research emphasizes that organizations employing multi-metric approaches are better equipped to evaluate and improve hiring outcomes. Given the complexity of defining and measuring quality of hire, this report synthesizes key metrics and best practices to provide actionable insights for improving hiring outcomes