Glossary

A document prepared in accordance with the principles of
HACCP to ensure control of hazards which are significant for
food safety in the segment of the food chain under consideration

A positive bias garnered toward your firm, either by customers or investors. For business ventures in their funding stage, this may occur when a sizable investment is made in their company or when a highly regarded venture capitalist invests, encouraging other offers to follow largely based on the nature of the investment.

Hanza (Boscia senegalensis) is a traditional foodplant, originating from Sahel region in West Africa. Hanza is a shrub that produces clusters of berry-sized fruits.

Fruits are ready for human consumption at the beginning of the rainy season, when most crops are just being planted, and there is little other food available. Fruits can be consumed raw and cooked. Raw fruits initially contain a sweet pulp that then dries out to a sugary solid, difficult to separate from seed. Fruits are often cooked prior to consumption. Juice can also be extracted and boiled down into a butter-like consistency that can be mixed with millet and milk to make cakes. In Sudan, the fruit is fermented into a beer.

The seeds of B. senegalensis are also important sources of nutrition, especially during times of famine. To gain access to the seeds, fruits are dried in the sun, pounded to remove the outer seed coat and soaked in water for several days, changing the water every day. The seed soaking process, also known as debittering, is essential to remove bitter and potentially toxic components. Seeds are usually cooked prior to consumption. Cooked seeds are texturally similar to a chickpea and can be used as a cereal substitute in stews, soups and porridges. Additionally, seeds can be re-dried and stored for later use or ground into a flour that can be used to make porridge. Roasted seeds can also serve as a substitute for coffee.

A biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of, food with the potential to cause an adverse health effect.

The process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards, and conditions loading to their presence, to decide which are significant for food safety and therefore should be addressed in the HACCP plan.

See also Denaturation and Acid denaturation.

Many proteins are strongly effected by heat, causing denaturation.

Meat consist to about 20% of proteins, like e.g. myosin and collagen. They undergo substantial structural changes at temperatures between 57°C to 75°C, which impacts the texture, water holding capacity, and shrinkage of meat. On the one hand these changes make meat more easily digestible, on the other hand the water-holding capacity is reduced. Therefore, resting a steak after cooking allows some of the water to find new interactions with proteins, resulting in less juice leaking out when the steak is cut.
While heat usually causes a change in the 3D structure of proteins, there are some exceptions to this:

Casein, a protein in milk is exceptionally stable to heat, which makes it possible to boil and even pasteurize milk without causing coagulation. The protein beta-lactoglobulin, however coagulates at boiling temperatures and forms the characteristic protein skin on top of boiled milk.

A technological process that uses high pressure to destroy microorganisms and enzymes whilst retaining food quality.

The act of giving someone a job. The term can also be used to describe renting a piece of equipment.

A sudden and sharp increase in growth after an initial period of losses. For startups, this often occurs at the point when startup expenses shrink and revenues increase.