A comparative study on different concentration methods of extracts obtained from two raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars: evaluation of anthocyanins and phenolics contents and antioxidant activity

The effects of conventional (CV) and microwave (MW) heating on total soluble solid (TSS) content, total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of raspberry juice obtained from two cultivars of Amol (AM) and Siyahkal (SK) were scrutinised. Antioxidant activity of the juices was measured by 2,2 diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity and expressed as EC₅₀ value. In the both methods, the concentration rate constant for the juices was significantly decreased by increasing operational pressure from 12 to 100 kPa (P < 0.05). A first‐order reaction kinetic model was successfully fitted for the degradation of monomeric anthocyanins at all operating pressures. The results also showed that thermal treatment of MW compared CV in both SK and AM cultivars caused a lower decrease in the TAC, TPC and antioxidant activity. Moreover, the changes in trend of the antioxidant activities due to the thermal treatment were positively correlated with the TPC (r = 0.74, P < 0.05) and TAC (r = 0.61, P < 0.05).     

Production of active lipase by Rhizopus oryzae from sugarcane bagasse: solid state fermentation in a tray bioreactor

This study deals with production of lipase in solid state fermentation by Rhizopus oryzae from sugarcane bagasse. A tray bioreactor was designed for the extracellular enzyme production. Daily, lipase production was evaluated at several incubation temperatures. Furthermore, the influence of temperature and humidity of the cabinet, depth of solid bed, particle size, initial moisture content and supplementary substrate (olive oil) as carbon source was investigated. The obtained results showed that bioreactor temperature of 45 °C, humidity of 80%, solid bed depth of 0.5 cm, particle size in the range of 0.335–1 mm, substrate initial moisture content of 80% for the top tray and 70% for the middle tray and supplementary substrate of 8% (v/w) olive oil led to maximum lipase production. Under optimum fermentation conditions after 72‐h incubation, maximum lipase activities for the top, middle and bottom trays were 215.16, 199.36 and 52.64 U gds^?1, respectively.     

In vitro antimicrobial effects of Myristica fragrans essential oil on foodborne pathogens and its influence on beef quality during refrigerated storage

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) seed was subjected to the hydro-distillation method to extract its essential oil (NEO). Its main constituents were α-pinene (20.16%), sabinene (14.45%), and β-pinene (13.26%) with great antimicrobial and antioxidant actions. A novel edible coating was then fabricated based on the sage seed mucilage (SSM) and NEO, to ameliorate the quality and shelf-life of beef slices. The NEO-loaded SSM coating was able to significantly decrease the population of total viable count, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, psychrotrophic bacteria, and fungi. Moreover, lipid oxidation of beef slices was remarkably suppressed upon the application of bioactive NEO-loaded SSM edible coating, as compared with the control by Day 6. The coated beef sample, especially NEO-rich SSM coated ones perceived a higher consumer acceptance and firmness than the SSM coated and noncoated samples. The SSM edible coating containing NEO could therefore have the potential to control the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and lipid oxidation, and to improve the color stability and sensory properties of meat and meat products.     

Mechanical Behavior of Lentil Seeds in Relation to their Physicochemical and Microstructural Characteristics

The mechanical characteristics (rupture force, maximal deformation, and rupture energy) of red and green lentils under compression loading were determined as a function of moisture content ranging from 9.5 to 21.1% (w.b.). Scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction particle size analysis, and instrumental texture evaluation were successfully applied to relate the microstructure and texture of different lentil seed varieties. Results demonstrated that all of the mechanical parameters of the green lentils, which have smaller starch granules, were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of the red lentils. At a loading rate of 4 mm min^?1, the force required for initiating seed rupture decreased with an increase in moisture content, for vertical and horizontal orientations (p < 0.05). The scanning electron microscopy observations also revealed that seeds were more flexible in a horizontal orientation.     

Assessment of in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and immune activation potentials of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Phyllanthus niruri

BACKGROUND: Recently much attention has been paid to biologically active plants because of their low production cost and fewer adverse effects compared with chemical drugs. In the present investigation the bioactivity of Phyllanthus niruri ethanol and aqueous extracts was evaluated in vitro. RESULTS: The ethanol extract of P. niruri showed a high level of flavonoid content (123.9 ± 0.002 mg g^?1), while the aqueous extract showed the highest 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH; IC₅₀6.85 ± 1.80 µmol L^?1) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS; 46.44 ± 0.53 µmol L^?1) free radical scavenging activities with high phenol content (376 ± 0.02 mg g^?1) and elevated levels of ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP; 23 883 ± 0.019 mmol g^?1) with excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (20 mm inhibition zone) and Streptococcus agalactiae (12 mm inhibition zone), respectively, in addition to the best immune activation potential of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (450.5%). CONCLUSIONS: It is clear from our results that both extracts of P. niruri has excellent bioactivity roles via elevated levels of antibacterial, antioxidant and percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation, which could lead to the development of medications for clinical use. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Geometrical model to calculate the consumption of sewing thread for 504 over-edge stitch

Sewing thread is one of the most important components of a sewn product that contributes significantly in the useful life of a product. Stitch class 504 is the one which is used in all types of sewn products. Its thread consumption is higher than class 300 and class 400. A mathematical model to predict the sewing thread consumption of stitch class 504 has been proposed in this paper. The model is based on the geometry of the stitch. The proposed model takes into account material thickness and stitch density. The model was validated by using 24 samples (with different material thickness and stitch densities). The accuracy of the model was found to be 99%. Sensitivity analysis revealed that stitch density has 62% effect and material thickness has 38% effect on thread consumption. The proposed model can predict the thread consumption accurately; therefore, it can be used for better estimation of required thread and encourage its better utilization in sewn product industry.     

Phase change materials,their synthesis and application in textiles—a review

Phase change materials (PCMs) are widely being used in thermal energy storage systems for solar engineering, building materials, heat pumps, spacecraft, and in textile field especially smart and technical textiles. There are large numbers of organic and inorganic PCMs that possess a wide range of melting and solidifying temperature which attracts researcher’s attention for their applications in different fields. This review paper summarizes the investigation and analysis of the available organic and inorganic PCMs, different encapsulating techniques, characterization techniques, incorporation into fiber and pad application on textiles with practical applications in the field of smart textiles.