Raspberry juice obtained from fresh raspberry fruits was encapsulated separately using gum Arabic (GA), maltodextrin (MT), and waxy starch (WS) (1:10, w/v) and freeze-dried to develop raspberry juice powders (RBJP). The powders were characterised based on their physicochemical and phytochemical composition and their rheological and antioxidative properties, which significantly varied among the carriers. GA- and MT-encapsulated RBJP exhibited a better colour, higher yield, oil holding capacity, total anthocyanin content, and antioxidant properties. WS-encapsulated powder showed a better water holding capacity and total phenolic content; however, the powder was characterised by low solubility, total soluble solids, and redness. Hygroscopicity and titratable acidity did not significantly (p > 0.05) vary among the powders. Cyanidin diglucoside, the main anthocyanin compound identified in the RBJP, was significantly higher in MT (2549.89 µg/g) compared to GA (1935.45 µg/g) and WS (1458.81 µ... [more]

Coffee pulp is a by-product generated from coffee bean production. This waste is a potential source of bioactive compounds, which can be recovered for use as an ingredient for many products. However, this by-product is typically dumped in landfills or made into compost. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were employed to recover bioactive compounds from coffee pulp waste. Results showed that time and instrument power significantly affected the recovery yield in both UAE and MAE. The temperature was also a significant factor in UAE. The optimal MAE conditions were a radiation time of 70 min, a power of 700 W, and a 50% (v/v) ethanol solvent to sample ratio of 100:5 (mL/g), approximately 47 mg of phenolic compounds, 36 mg of flavonoid, 8 mg of chlorogenic acid, and 6 mg of caffeine could be recovered from 1 g of the material. The optimal UAE condition were an ultrasonic time of 35 min, a temperature of 60 °C, and a power of 250 W; however, bioact... [more]

The need to embrace a circular economy model for sustainable growth and development is increasing due to the rise in human population and the dwindling natural resources available to meet the demands for energy and food. In this study, anaerobic digestion of rice husk (RH) was carried out under mesophilic conditions to produce biogas and digestates. Two particle sizes (300 and 600 μm) and three dilution ratios (1:4, 1:6, and 1:8) were employed to determine the optimum conditions for biogas production. The best anaerobic digesters (300 μm/1:6 and 600 μm/1:4) in each of the categories produced a cumulative biogas of 3205 + 290 mL and 2310 + 320 mL, respectively. The digestates were separated into solid and liquid fractions and characterized to evaluate their potential as biofertilizers and nutrient sources for microalgae cultivation. The nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the solid fractions (1.00 ± 0.01 and 0.97 ± 0.04) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the liquid fractions... [more]

The particle size of wheat bran plays an important role in the quality of reconstituted whole-wheat flour and its products. The effects of wheat bran particle size on the quality of reconstituted whole-wheat flour and its cooked noodles were analyzed; the mean particle size (D50) of wheat bran ranged from 26.05 to 46.08 μm. Results show that the decreases in D50 of wheat bran induced the changes in the quality of whole-wheat flour and its noodles. Specifically, the damaged starch content, water absorption, and the solvent retention capacity of sodium carbonate and sucrose of whole-wheat flour increased at various degrees, while pasting viscosity decreased, and the gluten index and SDS-sedimentation volume increased first and then decreased. The cooking yield, cooking loss, and break rate of fresh noodles decreased first and reached a trough at D50 of 26.05 μm, and then increased. The adhesiveness of cooked noodles increased, the score of smoothness, taste, appearance, and color increas... [more]

Spices are known to have various physiological functions. We focused on the anti-glycation effects of spices, researched anti-glycation active ingredients in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds, and conducted experiments using human skin-derived fibroblast TIG-110 cells as a model of glycation. We isolated 11 compounds from two spice seeds and found several substances that showed anti-glycation activity. A new compound (5,5′-diallyl-2,2′-diglucopyranosyl-3,3′-dimethoxy diphenyl ether) was isolated from fennel seeds and showed high anti-glycation activity with an IC50 value of 0.08 mM, thereby indicating a high anti-glycosylation activity. In this study, we established a glyoxal (GO)-induced glycation test method for human skin cells, confirmed the anti-glycation effect of spice seeds using this glycation induction model, and found that the exposure of TIG-110 human skin-derived fibroblast cells to GO reduced cell viability. The most stable conditions... [more]

M13 bacteriophage is a promising biomolecule capable of various bionano and material science applications. The biomaterial can self-assemble into matrices to fabricate bioscaffolds using high phage concentration and high phage purity. Previous studies aimed to acquire these conditions in large-scale phage production and have identified the optimal culture temperature range at 28−31 °C. However, explanations as to why this temperature range was optimal for phage production is absent from the work. Therefore, in this study, we identified the relation between culture temperature and M13 phage production using ATP expenditure calculations to comprehend the high yield phage production at the optimal temperature range. We extended a coarse-grained model for the evaluation of phage protein and ribosomal protein synthesis with the premise that phage proteins (a ribosomal protein) are translated by bacterial ribosomes in E. coli through expenditure of ATP energy. By comparing the ATP energy for... [more]

During the olive oil production process, certain olive varieties, such as ‘Hojiblanca’ and ‘Picual’, create pastes from which it is difficult to separate the oil, resulting in low extraction yields. To improve oil extraction, one alternative is the addition of natural microtalcs (NMT). In the present study, a NMT of great purity (CaCO3 concentration less than 6 wt.%) and small average particle size (ϕ ≤ 2.1 µm) was added in the malaxation stage on an industrial scale at two olive mills. In one of them and using ‘Hojiblanca’ olives, the performance of the high-purity NMT was compared with that of a traditional NMT, while in the other, the effect of its dosage in the quality of ‘Picual’ oils was assessed. The performance of the high-purity NMT was evaluated in terms of industrial oil yield, extractability index, quality parameters and oxidative stability of the resulting oils. The addition of the high-purity NMT not only increased the extraction yields but also improved the quality of th... [more]

Diabetes is coupled with hyperglycemia, a state in which elevated glucose levels trigger oxidative stress (OS) in various body functions. One of the organs most afflicted by diabetes is the kidney. Despite this, specific treatments to mitigate the harmful effects of hyperglycemia-induced OS in the kidney have not been extensively explored. This study evaluates the anti-hyperglycemic efficacy of magnesium-enhanced alkaline-reduced water (MARW) in human kidney-2 (HK-2) cells. OS, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and fibrosis markers were assessed in high glucose (HG)-induced HK-2 cells, followed by treatment with experimental water for 24 h. Surprisingly, MARW rescued the vitality of HG-induced HK-2 cells, in contrast to that seen with other experimental waters. Additionally, MARW maintained reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, hepatocyte growth factor and glucose uptake in HG-induced HK-2 cells but not in tap water and mineral water.... [more]

The elastic modulus and hardness of lithium niobate crystals were obtained by nanoindentation technology, and critical load and critical indentation depth range were determined by AFM by indentation morphology under different loads. According to the normal distribution characteristics of abrasive grains, the critical load model of lapping was deduced, and the critical load of lithium niobate during lapping process under different grain sizes was obtained. It was verified using a single-factor experiment in which experimental results were consistent with theoretical research.

Despite the research that has been conducted on biogas production from different waste materials through the anaerobic digestion process, there are still limited studies on their application for thermal systems. This paper presents an energetic and exergetic analysis of a multigeneration system comprising a micro-gas turbine, an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), an absorption chiller, and a water heater. It uses energy from biogas combustion produced through anaerobic co-digestion of food and animal waste. The reported biogas yield from 3 different studies was used in designing the fuel input for the system. The results showed that substrate combination of poultry manure and food waste (Biogas-A) needs 35.07 tons of volatile solids (tons-VS/day) of waste compared to 33.11 tons-VS/day for Biogas-B (Cattle manure and food waste), and 81.87 tons-VS/day for Biogas-C (swine manure and corn straw). For an increase in the methane content from 40% to 60%, the substrate amounts were reduced by 42.3%... [more]

Consumer demand for organic products, rapidly growing urbanizations levels requires the food supply chain to reduce lead-time and maintain higher product quality. For the food supply chain to cope with the raising issues an e-commerce type of supply chain must be implemented. This approach creates challenges for supply chain, because the food industry must shift towards high variety and low quantity freight forwarding with multiple delivery points. The methodology of the paper consists of scientific literature analysis and macro indicator clustering. The author of the paper proposes a supply chain management framework, which is grounded through complexity theory. The framework mainly consists of 3 characteristics, which organizations should operationalize to maintain system resilience and which in the long-run would evolve to sustainable development−capabilities, collaboration, complexity management. The proposed framework defines how operational and tactical levels should be automated... [more]

Recently, interest in exploring phytochemicals with health benefits has grown significantly. In this research, we aimed to develop the processing profile and functionality of Moringa oleifera Lam. Here, we implemented biopolymer-mediated extrudate formulations of M. oleifera (leaves, seed, and husk) in order to enhance the phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant capacity. The formulation-1 (F1) was prepared for leaves, seed, and husk using biopolymers (10% w/w), namely: whey protein isolate (10% w/w) and lecithin (5% w/w) with vitamin E (2% w/w). The formulation-2 (F2) was composed of lecithin (5% w/w) with ascorbyl palmitate (10% w/w) and vitamin E (2% w/w), processed by hot-melt extrusion (HME). It was observed that the total phenol and flavonoid contents were persistent in the lecithin-mediated F2 formulation of leaves, seed, and husk. Likewise, antioxidant capacity was significantly stayed in the F2 formulation of all organs, compared to the extrudate and control. The IC50 values reve... [more]

Vegetable tannin is widely applied in various industries, in agriculture, and in water treatment as a natural polyphenolic compound; however, little data has been collected concerning the relationship between structure and eco-toxicity. Here, the toxicity of six commercial tannin and three model chemicals was assessed using Photobacterium phosphoreum. Two kinds of hydrolyzed tannin displayed higher bioluminescence inhibition than four kinds of condensed tannin, and the model chemical of hydrolyzed tannin also showed greater toxicity than those of condensed tannin, indicating the structure dependent eco-toxicity of vegetable tannin. The reactive toxicity mechanism was proposed, which was illustrated by molecular simulations based on the model chemicals and luciferase.

This study investigated the effect of combining tumbling and sous-vide cooking processes on the tenderness, cooking losses and colour of bovine Semitendinosus (ST) muscles sampled from Charolais-breed cows. Half of the ST muscles were tumbled for 12 h with a compression rate of 40%. All muscle samples, whether tumbled or not, were then sous-vide cooked at 50 °C, 60 °C or 80 °C for 1 h or 4 h. After cooking, we measured the shear forces (SF), cooking losses, total water content and the main colour characteristics of pre-tumbled and non-tumbled meat pieces. Pre-tumbled meat pieces had 20% lower SF values than non-tumbled meat pieces, regardless of the cooking conditions applied. All meat pieces cooked at 50 °C had significantly higher (p < 0.05) SF values and lower (p < 0.05) cooking losses than meat pieces cooked at 60 °C or 80 °C. Pre-tumbled meat pieces showed significantly lower cooking losses (p < 0.001) than non-tumbled meat pieces. Applying the tumbling process before coo... [more]

Food plants have been recognized for their medicinal properties for millennia, a concept supported by epidemiological studies indicating long-term health benefits for people consuming greater amounts of fruits and vegetables. As our technology and instrumentation advance, researchers have the ability to identify promising phytochemicals, and examine their potential benefits, or detriments, to human health. While results from trials investigating single chemical supplementation have sometimes produced negative health results, studies investigating the synergistic action of phytochemicals—either within our diet or as an adjuvant to radiation or chemotherapy—appear promising. Utilizing phytochemicals as synergistic agents may lower the chemotherapeutic doses needed to incur physiological results, while also using chemicals with fewer toxic effects. This review investigates a variety of plant-produced chemicals humans typically ingest, their impacts on overall health patterns, molecular me... [more]

To value-added utilization of the rice straw, two types of lignin were extracted from the by-products of sugar production. The ether-extracted lignin with a purity of 98.7% was extracted from the pretreatment filtrate with two times the concentrated filtrate volume of ether, where the lignin yield was 6.62 mg/g of the rice straw. The ball-milled lignin with a purity of 99.6% was extracted from the milled enzymatic hydrolysis residue with a 1,4-dioxane solution, where the revolution speed and grinding time were 300 rpm and 12 h, respectively. The yield of ball-milled lignin was 34.52 mg/g of the rice straw, which was 421.5% higher than that extracted from extract-free rice straw. In the process of rice straw pretreatment and lignin extraction, 76.43% by mass of phosphotungstic acid catalyst and approximately 98% by volume of 1,4-dioxane solution could be recycled and reused. Compared with the soda lignin extracted from papermaking black liquor, the scavenging rates of DPPH radical and A... [more]

Functional foods represent one of the most intensively investigated and widely promoted areas in the food and nutrition sciences’ market today. The purpose of this work is to determine the possibility of using computed microtomography to assess the homogeneity of distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (vitamins K and D and calcium) throughout chocolate. Algorithms for analyzing of microtomographic images were proposed to quantify the distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in chocolate: the Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, quadtree decomposition and hyperspectral imaging. The use of the methods of analysis and processing of microtomographic images allows for a quantitative assessment of the homogeneity of the distribution of components throughout the sample, without a 3D reconstruction process. In computer microtomography analysis, it is possible to assess the distribution of those components whose density differs by at least a unit in the accepted scale of g... [more]

As an alternative to conventional anaerobic digestion for methane production, anaerobic fermentation (AF) of organic matter can produce short chain organic acids (SCOAs) in a sustainable way. This study investigated the effect of microwave (MW) pre-treatment on the AF of model food waste to SCOAs and ethanol. The MW pre-treatment was investigated at three temperatures (120, 150 and 180 °C) and residence times (2, 5 and 8 min). The MW treatment gave a significant reduction in the pH and volatile suspended solids (VSS). The largest reduction in the VSS was 20%, indicating solubilisation of the organic matter. The latter was also confirmed by the increase, although it was not statistically significant, in the soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) and soluble carbohydrates. In the fermentation batch tests, the total product yield was higher (17.5% COD COD−1) than for the untreated substrate (11.1% COD COD−1). An electricity price of GBP 0.06 kWh−1 would correspond to the market value of the... [more]

The effects of tetracycline (TC) and copper (Cu) on the growth of water spinach and the bacterial community structure in soil were examined in this study. The results revealed that a single Cu treatment decreased water spinach development more severely than TC, and that the toxic effects of TC and Cu on water spinach were synergistic at low doses and antagonistic at high concentrations. The single Cu treatment had the largest influence on the activities of three antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Peroxidase (POD), Catalase (CAT)) and the content of Malondialdehyde (MDA) in water spinach leaves, followed by the TC and Cu composed treatment, with the single TC treatment having the least effect. The results of 16Sr RNA sequence analysis showed that the richness and diversity of soil bacterial communities were reduced by either a single TC or Cu treatment. Cu had a greater effect on the composition of the microbial community at genus level than TC. In conclusion, Cu had a gre... [more]

Exogenously applied phytohormones improve the endosperm cells and establish greater kernel sink capacity and grain filling, improving grain yield. In this study, 28-Homobrassinolide (HBR) dosages (20, 25, and 30 mg a. i. ha−1) were applied separately at the silking stage under controlled conditions, and EDAH (a mixture of ethephon and diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate) dosage of 90 g a. i. ha−1 was sprayed at the jointing stage to enhance the lodging resistance. Our objective was to investigate whether the application of HBR under controlled conditions or with EDAH could enhance the grain filling rate by regulating endogenous hormones. The results showed that HBR at the silking stage significantly increased endogenous hormones (ABA, IAA, Z+ZR), hampered leaf senescence, enhanced photosynthetic, improved dry matter accumulation in grains, and increased the grain-filling period, filling rate, and thousand-grains weight. Additionally, HBR 25 and 30 mg a. i. ha−1 increased the final yield by 9.... [more]

Ibrutinib (IBR) metabolism (primarily by CYP3A enzyme) is the main route of excretion for IBR, which could lead to drug−drug/herb−drug interactions with herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, and other foods. Sinapic acid (SA) is a bioactive phytonutrient that is used as a dietary supplement to treat a variety of illnesses. Pharmacokinetic interactions may occur when IBR interacts with SA, which influences the pharmacokinetic processes such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Therefore, it is obligatory to investigate the safety apprehensions of such parallel usage and to evaluate the possible impact of SA on the pharmacokinetics of IBR and propose a possible interaction mechanism in an animal model. The IBR concentration in plasma samples was determined using a validated UHPLC-MS/MS method after administration of a single oral dosage of IBR (50 mg/kg) in rats with or without SA pretreatment (40 mg/kg p.o. each day for 7 days, n = 6). The co-administration of IB... [more]

Background: Green extraction involves using green solvents, such as water, to reduce energy consumption, avoid health and environmental hazards and induce the quality and quantity of the extract. Date palm fruits are a vital source of food and medicinal activities, as they contain a high diversity of phytochemicals, mainly phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The main aim of this study is to investigate the use of water as a green solvent, when assisted by different ultrasonic frequencies, in the extraction of four different cultivars of date palm fruits, by evaluating the phenolic and flavonoid composition as well as the antioxidant capacity of the extract. Methods: Four date palm fruits’ cultivars (Agwa, Anbarah, Khalas, and Reziz) were extracted using conventional methods (by water and ethanol) and by ultrasonic means, using two frequencies, 28 and 40 kHz, and applying temperatures (30, 45, and 60 °C), also measuring extraction times (20, 40, 60 min.). Response surface methodology was... [more]

Volatile markets and increasing demands for quality and fast availability of specialty chemical products have motivated the rise of small-scale, integrated, and modular continuous processing plants. As a significant unit operation used for product isolation and purification, cooling crystallization is part of this trend. Here, the small-scale and integrated quasi-continuous filter belt crystallizer (QCFBC) combines cooling crystallization, solid-liquid separation, and drying on a single apparatus. This contribution shows the general working principle, different operation modes, and possibilities of temperature control with the modular setup. For precise temperature control in cooling crystallization, Peltier elements show promising results in a systematic study of different operation parameters. Sucrose/water was used as a model substance system. The results confirm that seed crystal properties are the most important parameter in crystallization processes. Additionally, an oscillating... [more]

Orange juice is one of the most popular juices sold in the world. Although very popular, most orange juice sold in the market is pasteurized, presenting off-flavor compounds and aromas different from the freshly squeezed juice. This study investigated how green chemistry, through the application of glow discharge plasma, can help improve the aroma and mitigate off-flavors of pasteurized orange juice. Orange juice was processed at different plasma flow rates (10 to 30 mL/min) for 10 to 30 min. Glow discharge plasma processing induced several chemical reactions enabling positive changes in the volatile profile of pasteurized orange juice. Chemical pathways were proposed and correlated to the changes in aroma and mitigation of off-flavor compounds. Glow discharge plasma increased the concentration of terpenoid and aldehyde compounds that give the orange juice its fresh-like characteristics and reduced the off-flavor compound concentration by 61%.

Diet plays an unquestionable role in the growth, development, and maintenance of all body functions [...]