The probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri DSM17938 was evaluated as a starter culture in cheese production, with the intention to produce a new interesting product within the functional food market. Growth and acidification rate in milk subjected to different heat treatments, as well as supplementation with growth promoting factors or support cultures was measured during controlled fermentations. The results showed that the weak proteolytic activity of L. reuteri could be compensated for by supplementation with 1% casamino acids or 5% MRS broth. Furthermore, a decrease in growth and acidification rate could be seen when using yoghurt culture or Lactobacillus delbrueckii as adjunct cultures.

The purpose of this study is to examine which factors played an important role in the food price crisis of 2007-2008. Theories used are Microeconomic theory, explaining changes in supply and demand, and Macroeconomic theory, explaining the impact of changes in exchange rate on prices. A theory regarding speculation is also used to explain the impact of speculative activities effects on price. The method used is multiple regression analysis in order to determine the effects which ethanol production, oil price and dollar exchange rate had on the surge in the price of corn, rice and wheat.The data used is in monthly observations during the period 2005-2008. However, other factors are taken into consideration during the study, such as production quantity, stock size, economic growth, speculative activity and population growth.

Bakgrund Mat- och måltidsituationen på äldreboenden är ett område som ofta diskuteras. Det är viktigt att inhämta kunskap om de äldres näringsintag, upplevelse av matsituationen och åsikter om smaken på maten för att bättre kunna möta deras behov och genomföra förbättringar på detta område.Syfte Syftet med studien var att undersöka mat och måltid på äldreboende. Fokus lades på de äldres smakupplevelse, måltidssituation samt näringsintag.Metod Dels en kvalitativ studie där halvstrukturerade intervjuer användes som datainsamlingsmetod och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys, dels en kvantitativ studie där den kvantitativa analysen genomfördes med hjälp av Dietist XP samt bilddokumentering.Resultat Den kvalitativa analysen resulterade i två kategorier: uppfattningen om maten och upplevelsen av måltidsmiljön. Nutritionsscreeningen visade att anpassning hade gjorts för dem som hade ätproblem. Näringsintaget visade att de äldre, med vissa undantag, uppnådde det rekommenderade intaget för måltiderna.Slutsats Genom att tänka på hur maten serveras kan aptiten påverkas, vilket i sin tur kan göra att de äldre får ett bra näringsintag.

Hittills har nästan allt färskt kött, som sålts i Ica-butiker, styckats och paketerats i butikerna. Köttavdelningen hos de flesta Ica-butikerna har länge tampats med dålig lönsamhet, främst beroende på stort svinn och höga arbetskostnader. För att ändra på detta upprättade Ica tillsammans med Hilton Food Group (HFG) en anläggning i Västerås, där färskt kött finstyckas och paketeras, innan det levereras till merparten av landets Ica-handlare. Under hösten 2004 fick en del butiker sina första leveranser av så kallat kpk (konsumentpackat kött). Ica och HFG är intresserade av att se hur väl projektet slagit igenom. Denna studie är en uppföljning av projektet, och det syftar till att utreda hur lönsamheten i butikernas köttavdelning har ändrats sedan butikerna övergått till Icas kpk, samt utreda vad skillnaderna mellan butikernas lönsamhet beror på. Det empiriska materialet har insamlats genom att fyra Ica Supermarketbutiker och en Maxibutik i mellersta Sverige lämnat siffror om försäljning och kostnader i köttavdelningen. Data avser oktober - december 2004 och jämförs med samma variabler från motsvarande period 2003. Även intervjuer med butikspersonal har gjorts för att få en uppfattning om hur arbetssättet skiljer sig mellan butikerna. Studien bygger på transaktionskostnadsteorin, som förklarar hur Ica, HFG och Ica-butikerna genom vertikal integration kan undvika onödigt kostsamma transaktioner. Transaktionskostnadernas bestämningsfaktorer tillämpas på den situation, som Ica-butikerna hamnat i sedan företaget övergick att sälja Icas kpk. Precis som Ica hade förutsagt minskade butikernas kostnader vid övergången till Icas kpk.

This study explores the effects of two different post-treatment methods on stain reduction in glazed creamware from the late 20th century. The objects stains have been characterized by type one and type two stains which is the result of prolonged contact with food residues, were subjected to the same initial stain reduction. The two post-treatment methods examined are soaking the objects in deionized water and surface rinsing with deionized water. The comparative analysis included photographs under normal and UV-light exposure to assess stain visibility, weight measurements before and after treatments to monitor the absorption and evaporation of liquids, and observations throughout the experiment. The results revealed that while type two stains showed significant alterations after treatments, specifically after soaking, type one stains remained unaffected by both methods.

The amount of electricity is limited in Namibia and the large distance between towns andvillages complicates the energy supply in the country. Therefore an alternative way to provideaccess to appropriate energy technologies is needed. The Government of the Republic ofNamibia (GRN) has adopted an approach of helping off-grid households by establishing EnergyShops in each region in Namibia and these shops are going to sell basic renewable energy andenergy efficient products. The Renewable Energy Efficiency Institute in Namibia (REEEI), theinitiator of this thesis, is coordinating the establishment of these Energy Shops.The main purpose of this thesis was to examine the needs of energy products for the Namibianpopulation and develop an assessment method for the Energy Shop in how to select appropriateenergy products already on the world market. The purpose was also to develop a method forchoosing an Energy Shop.

Barn i åldrarna 4-9 år har tydliga önskemål kring hur de vill att deras restaurangbesök ska se ut. I samarbete med Barnens Bästa Bord har en kvalitativ studie gjorts med fokus på barns önskemål vid restaurangbesök. Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka barnens önskemål när de går på restaurang med hänsyn till hela måltidsupplevelsen gällande mat, miljö, meny och bemötande. Metoderna som har använts är bildövning där barn har ritat sin favoriträtt, fokusgruppintervjuer med barn samt enkätundersökningar med föräldrar.Resultatet visar att gemenskapen inom familjen är viktig för barnen vid restaurangmåltiden. Barnen är medvetna om att vid restaurangbesök önskas lugn och ro, dock är stillasittande ett problem för barnen.

This study aims to evaluate the waste management in Norrbottens municipalities in key areas such as possibilities to reach the two national waste goals, information to the public, the effect of legislation, future of waste management and differences in geographic- and demographic areas. The Waste Framework Directive (WFD) issued by the EU and incorporated into Swedish law plays a major part in waste management by defining a hierarchy in five steps how waste should be treated. Interviews conducted with each of the fourteen municipalities aimed to find out what step in the hierarchy they are at and what effect the implementation of EU-legislature into Swedish law has had. Based on the interviews a diverse range of answers was found in relation to the questions asked, generally the more populated municipalities saw a more positive future of waste management, mainly because more developed infrastructure to handle waste is already in place. However the smaller the municipality is the harder it is to allocate resources for waste management and problems arise in the form of expensive transports of waste.

I Sverige idag är normen att man ska äta kött. Om man blir bortbjuden och är vegetarian, vegan eller något annat som innebär att man inte äter alla sorters djur, förutsätts det vanligen att man som gäst meddelar denna specialkost i förväg på samma sätt som man förväntas informera om eventuella allergier. Många vet inte hur den mat som vi äter blir till, trots att det enligt skolans läroplan ingår vissa grundläggande kunskaper om kost. Man ska veta hur bröd bakas, principen för hur växter planteras och skördas och hur en fläskkotlett ska stekas. Men inte någonstans i grundskolans undervisning, varken på hemkunskapen, naturkunskapen eller i något annat ämne får man veta hur kött blir till.

The aim of this paperisto find out which plants the Cistercian monks might have cultivated in Sweden during the Middle Ages and which types of plants it would have been practical to grow inside or outside of the Cistercian monastery precinct. Archaeologicaland archaeobotanical studies have been consulted to find out which plants were available in Sweden during the Middle Ages. Examples, mainly from Scandinavia, but also from the continent, are used to show that the monasteries were large institutionsthat had to feed a large number of people and that there would not have been enough space to cultivate everything needed within the monastery precinct.Secondary sources have in the main been used to gather this information, except in the case of the Swedish monastery of Nydala where F-Topo, a database developed by the County Museum of Jönköping,has been used to analyse the amount of land and the types of properties owned by the monastery.The conclusion is that for practical reasons the monks would have cultivated plants that needed to be close at hand, that were rare or delicate, that could not be stored for long periods and that were used in small quantities within the monastery precinct. This would include medicinal plants, herbs for cooking and some vegetables like lettuce, spinach,and similar,that do not keep well. Most other items, grains, cabbages, root vegetables, peas and beans could equally well be cultivated outside the walls.

Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world and about 70-80 % of the population lives in rural areas. The land is strongly affected by land erosion which makes it difficult for the agriculture and food production. Agroforestry is a system where tree plantation is combined with livestock- and crop production. The system provides soil fertilization and binds the soil together. Some of the trees used in agroforestry systems are also used as fodder.

This study investigates how nutrients from source-separated human urine from Gothenburg properties can be used as fertiliser in agriculture or for parks or sports fields. The initiator is the Department of Sustainable Water and Waste Management at the City of Gothenburg. Today urine-diverting systems are installed in two apartment buildings and two public-use buildings. Urine recycling is expected to lead to less exploitation of natural resources and less eutrophicating discharges into water recipients. In the study the urine?s market potential is investigated, for which practical handling issues, business aspects and acceptance of customers, employees and visitors have proved to be important.

The aim in this thesis is to use carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope analysis on teeth and bone to track diet and mobility of the population as well as the individual level from the articulated and disarticulated individuals from the passage grave Frälsegården, situated in Gökhem parish in the region of Falbygden, western Sweden.50 human samples were analyzed from tooth, mandibula and femur, together with 11 faunal samples from different bone elements of local wild and domestic animals.The results fall well in line with earlier stable isotope work done on passage grave individuals from Falbygden in stable isotopes: A homogenous group with a diet which was clearly terrestrial and lived on a pretty high trophic level. It also seems that the analyzed individuals deliberately focused their food intake to the cultural and natural, megalith and limestone landscape of Falbygden, and not to its surroundings, even if the passage grave is situated in the outermost areas of the region.A small study compares the sulfur results to with earlier work done on strontium isotopes. The results show that the different methods might provide a deeper understanding in the interpretation of the methods, and therefore suggesting that further work should be done to compare the methods..

Länsförsäkringar in Värmland, Sweden, had during the year 2003 a total level of 6.1 percent of people on the sick-list, which was higher than average in the business (4,5%) and for salaried employees in the private sector (3,3%). The average age of those put on sick-list was 47 years, whish is four years higher than the average for the whole LF-group. The cost for the total amount of people being on sick-list at LF-company (6,1%) was estimated to 1 500 kkr, according to a calculation model coming from Försäkringskassan. For every percent the sick level could be reduced, the company would save 239 kkr. To map out the state of health of each and every collaborator in LF, the company offered all employees to make a health profile at the company's health service, Clarahälsan AB.

The purpose of this study is using McDonald?s in China and Sweden as a case to find out how fast food restaurant retailers combine adaptation and standardization with symbolic attributes of store atmospherics under different cultural background, and find out possible reasons. The study used McDonald?s in a case format to study in-store atmospheres. Further, the research has an investigating and explanatory qualitative approach, collecting the empirical data through observation with photos.