Chronic growth faltering amongst a birth cohort of Indian children begins prior to weaning and is highly prevalent at three years of age

Background  

Poor growth of children in developing countries is a major public health problem associated with mortality, morbidity and developmental delay. We describe growth up to three years of age and investigate factors related to stunting (low height-for-age) at three years of age in a birth cohort from an urban slum.     

Modeling the effects of rainfall on vehicular traffic

Railway Engineering Science - Traffic management and drainage system are two vital issues for any metropolitan city. Like other big cities, Karachi is also facing problems due to lack of traffic...     

Microencapsulation of Oils: A Comprehensive Review of Benefits,Techniques, and Applications

Microencapsulation is a process of building a functional barrier between the core and wall material to avoid chemical and physical reactions and to maintain the biological, functional, and physicochemical properties of core materials. Microencapsulation of marine, vegetable, and essential oils has been conducted and commercialized by employing different methods including emulsification, spray‐drying, coaxial electrospray system, freeze‐drying, coacervation, in situ polymerization, melt‐extrusion, supercritical fluid technology, and fluidized‐bed‐coating. Spray‐drying and coacervation are the most commonly used techniques for the microencapsulation of oils. The choice of an appropriate microencapsulation technique and wall material depends upon the end use of the product and the processing conditions involved. Microencapsulation has the ability to enhance the oxidative stability, thermostability, shelf‐life, and biological activity of oils. In addition, it can also be helpful in controlling the volatility and release properties of essential oils. Microencapsulated marine, vegetable, and essential oils have found broad applications in various fields. This review describes the recognized benefits and functional properties of various oils, microencapsulation techniques, and application of encapsulated oils in various food, pharmaceutical, and even textile products. Moreover, this review may provide information to researchers working in the field of food, pharmacy, agronomy, engineering, and nutrition who are interested in microencapsulation of oils.     

Kinetics of pyrolysis and combustion of oil shale sample from thermogravimetric data

Thermogravimetric (TG) data of oil shale obtained at MI (Waste to Energy laboratory) were studied to evaluate the kinetic parameters for El-Lujjun oil shale samples. Different heating rates were employed simulating pyrolysis reaction using Nitrogen as purging gas up to ∼800 °C. The extent of char combustion was found out by relating TG data for pyrolysis and combustion with the ultimate analysis. Due to distinct behavior of oil shale during pyrolysis, TG curves were divided into three separate events: moisture release; devolatization; and evolution of fixed carbon/char, where for each event, kinetic parameters, based on Arrhenius theory, were calculated. Three methods were used and compared: integral method; direct Arrhenius plot method; and temperature integral approximation method. Results showed that integral method is closer to the experiment, while no relationship was observed between activation energy and the heating rate.     

Effects of maltodextrin glycosylation following limited enzymatic hydrolysis on the functional and conformational properties of soybean protein isolate

The soy protein hydrolysate (HSPI) was first prepared using Neutrase and then glycosylated with maltodextrin (Md) at different incubation times (120, 180, 240, 270, and 300 min). The effect of glycosylation following limited enzymatic hydrolysis on the physicochemical properties of HSPI was investigated. The sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to confirm the covalent conjugation and determine the changes in the molecular weight of soybean protein isolate (SPI) during the structural modification. Surface hydrophobicity (H ₀) measurements revealed that limited hydrolysis as well as glycosylation at 120 min increased H ₀; however, further glycosylation decreased H ₀ due to the shielding effect of the maltodextrin bound. The increased secondary, tertiary conformation stability was confirmed by the far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy, the intrinsic fluorescence analysis, and the results of differential scanning calorimetry. Subsequently, the functional properties including solubility, heat stability, emulsifying property, as well as antioxidant activities were evaluated. Results indicated that the emulsifying activity index was improved notably from 86.13 ± 1.31 m²/g for the native SPI to 109.07 ± 4.45 m²/g for HSPI–Md conjugates after 270-min incubation. Additionally, the glycosylation had obviously positive effects on the antioxidant activities of the modified SPI proteins. Therefore, HSPI–Md conjugates might be used as potential emulsifiers or multifunctional wall materials for the microencapsulation of bioactive ingredients.     

Original article: Encapsulation of ascorbic acid in amorphous maltodextrin employing extrusion as affected by matrix/core ratio and water content

Ascorbic acid (AA) was encapsulated in glassy low‐dextrose equivalent maltodextrin matrix by extrusion. The effects of formulation parameters, i.e., core/matrix ratio and water content were mainly investigated on T_g of extrudate. The AA yield, AA content and water content of the products together with extrusion parameters were also determined and compared for different formulations. The T_g of extrudates containing water content from 7.860% to 10.430% ranged from 43.17 to 27.48 °C, and the T_g of extrudates which core to matrix from 1:4 to 1:8 ranged from 35.79 to 41.64 °C. AA yield of all extrudates is above 96%, and with increasing water content, there was a slight decrease in the AA yield. The increased water level and core/matrix ratio reduce specific mechanical energy and die head pressure. X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy suggested that AA was most likely molecularly dispersed within the maltodextrin indicating the miscibility of AA and maltodextrin.