Investigating the effect of production process of ball mill refiner on some physical quality parameters of compound chocolate: response surface methodology approach

Chocolate compound was produced using ball mill refiner, and the effect of agitator shaft speed and refining time on the physical quality parameters (particle size, colour and steady‐state rheology) of compound chocolate was determined using response surface methodology. The shaft speed and refining time range were selected between 40–60 r.p.m. and 10–30 min, respectively. Determination coefficient of the models established for particle size, Newtonian viscosity and colour parameters (brightness, chroma and hue angle) were found to be very close to unity. Increasing shaft speed and time induced a reduction in particle size and an increase in viscosity of the samples. Temperature sweep test was also performed, and the obtained data were successfully fitted to Arrhenius equation to calculate the corresponding parameters representing temperature dependency of the compounds. The results highlighted that the establishment of such models can provide essential information in terms of optimisation of production processes regarding usage purpose of the compound chocolate.     

Flavor Release from a Banana Soft Drink Complex Model System: Evaluation of the Efficiency of Different Adsorbents for Trapping the Released Volatiles During Storage

The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the release of aroma compounds from a banana soft drink complex model system in comparison with their release from simple model systems, each contains individual food ingredients. The effect of different food ingredients (sweeteners and thickeners at different concentrations), used in formulation of the soft drinks, on flavor release from simple model systems containing banana flavor was evaluated separately. The optimum release of isoamyl acetate (the most potent odorant of banana aroma) was observed at a concentration of 10% of each investigated sweetener (sucrose, glucose, and corn syrup). Pectin and xanthane showed the highest release at a concentration of 2.5 and 0.8% w/w, respectively. The level of each ingredient that showed the optimum release of isoamyl acetate was selected and used in formulation of a banana soft drink complex model system. The released volatiles were trapped by tenax and activated carbon. The gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis revealed a gradual decrease (p < 0.05) in the volatile compounds release from the complex banana soft drink model system during storage for 90 days. However, the total content of the volatiles adsorbed by activated carbon trap was higher than that trapped by tenax. The percentage of isoamyl acetate to total volatiles (isoamyl acetate/total volatiles %) was calculated for each sample during storage. A distinct linear correlation was found between the calculated values and storage time (r = 0.97 and 0.92 for volatiles trapped by tenax and activated carbon, respectively). Sample stored for 60 days showed the highest value. These findings confirmed the results of aroma sensory evaluation.     

Electromagnetic shielding efficiency of nonwoven insulation panels designed with recycled textiles and copper wires

Insulation applications of nonwovens has become increasingly important in the construction and automotive industries since the late 1990s. Besides, recycling and reusing fibrous waste becomes one of the most important raw materials of nonwovens to promote effective use of resources recently. On the other hand, metals are now being increasingly replaced by thermoplastics for housing commercial equipment, due to flexibility, light weight, and low cost for electromagnetic shielding purposes. In this study, we design nonwoven insulation panels containing copper wires with different intensity and length to provide electromagnetic wave protection by using recycled textiles. The method is simple, the material is cheaper, and more importantly, the whole material can be produced by using only waste materials. The electromagnetic shielding characteristics of the panels were measured and discussed. The experimental results indicated that the variation in wire length and amount affects the electromagnetic (EM) shielding property. With this method, the products with electromagnetic shielding effect in certain areas can be developed. In particular, there is a big potential for electromagnetic shielding applications in wide bandwidth, such as 1125–2925 MHz.     

Effects of almond gum as texture and sensory quality improver in wheat bread

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of almond gum as dietary fibre source in enhancing the wheat bread quality. Different amounts of almond gum (2%, 5% and 10% (w/w)) were used in bread formulation. The volume, texture, crust and crumb colour, as well as the sensorial properties, were evaluated and compared to control (without almond gum). The obtained results showed that almond gum addition enhanced significantly the volume of bread. The highest volume was obtained using 2% almond gum concentration with 23.6% increase, compared to control. Using almond gum in bread formulation improved considerably its texture with a notable decrease in hardness by 61.7% and 42.5% when using 2% and 5% almond gum, respectively. The sensory analysis scores showed that the better overall acceptability was found for breads supplemented with 2% almond gum, as compared to control and breads supplemented with 5% or 10% almond gum.     

Purification,structural data and biological properties of polysaccharide from Prunus amygdalus gum

This work demonstrates the efficiency of almond gum polysaccharides (AGPs) as bioactive compounds. AGPs were first extracted using H₂O₂, in the presence of NaOH, at different times and temperatures. The optimal extraction conditions were 4% H₂O₂ and 2 N NaOH, for 7 h at 50 °C, leading to an extraction yield of 58.2% (w/w). After a purification step, the retained AGPs were characterised using high‐performance liquid chromatography showing a molecular weight of 99.3 kDa. The monosaccharide composition of AGPs were assessed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. AGPs were found to be a complex heteropolysaccharide with a repeating unit mainly composed of galactose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid with the respective ratios: 45:26:7:10:1:11. The acidic nature of the polysaccharide is due to the presence of glucuronic acid. Total antioxidant activity, free radical‐scavenging activity and reducing power assay of AGPs were investigated. The obtained results showed high antioxidant activities of AGPs. Furthermore, beyond 60 mg mL^?1, AGPs exhibited bacterial growth inhibition for five pathogenic strains: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus feacalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium.     

Innovative hydrogen release from sodium borohydride hydrolysis using biocatalyst-like Fe2O3 nanoparticles impregnated on Bacillus simplex bacteria

For the first time in this innovative study, microorganisms such as Bacillus simplex bacteria, mostly used in biological activity studies, are used as a bio-supporter agent of iron to release hydrogen from sodium borohydride hydrolysis at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. The goal is to investigate thoroughly sodium borohydride hydrolysis catalyzed by Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles impregnated on microorganism such as Bacillus simplex (BS) bacteria (Fe₂O₃@BS NPs) known with strong antibacterial properties, which makes innovative them a candidate for hydrolysis reaction. This study was focused on the preparation, identification, and catalytic use of biocatalyst-like Fe₂O₃@BS NPs for hydrogen release from the sodium borohydride hydrolysis at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. The characterization results made after and before hydrolysis reaction using by SEM/SEM-EDX, FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, XPS, DLS, ELS Zeta potential, ESR, and TEM techniques reveal the formation of highly active, stable, durable, and long-lived biocatalysts-like Fe₂O₃@BS NPs.     

Food safety practices among pregnant women and mothers in the women, infants, and children program, Miami, Florida

Pregnant women and infants are two groups at the highest risk of severe outcomes from foodborne illnesses. We surveyed adult clients of a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic serving predominately African Americans in inner-city Miami, Florida, to assess food safety practices. Eligible and consenting women completed a 23-item self-administered survey with questions concerning food handling practices around the Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight BAC! campaign constructs of "clean", "separate" (not cross-contaminated), "cook", and "chill". Of 342 eligible clients, 299 (87.4%) consented to participate. In general, the clients' food safety practices were most problematic in the cook and chill constructs. Using a cooking thermometer, refrigerating foods within 2 h, and thawing them safely were the least commonly reported safe practices. Women who were pregnant with their first child had the lowest food safety practice scores. Of the 62 pregnant participants, 32 (51.6%) reported eating hot dogs or deli meats without first reheating them some of the time or more often, and 22 (35.5%) reported eating soft cheeses and blue-veined cheeses some of the time or more often, putting the women at risk of listeriosis. Although all women in the WIC program could benefit from food safety education, these findings indicate that women during their first pregnancy should especially be targeted for food safety education.     

LC–MS/MS characterization,antidiabetic, antioxidative,and antibacterial effects of different solvent extracts of Anamur banana (Musa Cavendishii)

Food Science and Biotechnology - The main objective of this study was to examine the phenolic compounds and the antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-α-glucosidase and anti-α-amylase...