Effects of four different drying methods on the colour, texture, sensory quality, microstructure, bacterial viability and storage stability of probiotic-enriched apple snacks were assessed.  The drying methods were air drying (AD), freeze drying (FD), freeze drying followed by microwave vacuum drying (FD+MVD) and air drying followed by explosion puffing drying (AD+EPD).  Overall, FD+MVD can be used as a suitable drying method for the development of probiotic enriched apple snacks in consideration of colour, texture, sensory quality, bacterial viability and storage stability.  Probiotic bacteria in FD+MVD-dried samples remained above 1×10⁶ CFU g^–1 for 120 days at 25°C.  Interestingly, bacterial viability in FD+MVD-dried samples turned out to be significantly higher than FD-dried samples during storage for 120 days.  

In this paper, toxicity and safety of high-dose irradiated chicken-breast meat were evaluated. For assays of acute toxicity, genetic toxicity, and sub-chronic toxicity, ames test, mice bone marrow erythrocyte micronucleus, and mice sperm abnormality were performed. The results showed that, in the acute oral toxicity tests, median lethal dose (more than 10 000 mg kg-1) in male and female ICR mice showed no toxicological signs. For subacute 30-d oral toxicology of irradiated chicken-breast meat with dose of 10, 15 and 25 kGy in both male and female SD rats, no noticeable toxicological effects were observed. It is concluded that chicken-breast meat with high-dose irradiation has no acute toxicity and no genotoxicity, nor harmful effects on the animal body at the tested dosage range. Therefore, high-dose irradiated chicken-breast meat is safe for pet consumption.