Lipid Droplets and Their Autophagic Turnover via the Raft-Like Vacuolar Microdomains

Although once perceived as inert structures that merely serve for lipid storage, lipid droplets (LDs) have proven to be the dynamic organelles that hold many cellular functions. The LDs’ basic structure of a hydrophobic core consisting of neutral lipids and enclosed in a phospholipid monolayer allows for quick lipid accessibility for intracellular energy and membrane production. Whereas formed at the peripheral and perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum, LDs are degraded either in the cytosol by lipolysis or in the vacuoles/lysosomes by autophagy. Autophagy is a regulated breakdown of dysfunctional, damaged, or surplus cellular components. The selective autophagy of LDs is called lipophagy. Here, we review LDs and their degradation by lipophagy in yeast, which proceeds via the micrometer-scale raft-like lipid domains in the vacuolar membrane. These vacuolar microdomains form during nutrient deprivation and facilitate internalization of LDs via the vacuolar membrane invagination and scission. The resultant intra-vacuolar autophagic bodies with LDs inside are broken down by vacuolar lipases and proteases. This type of lipophagy is called microlipophagy as it resembles microautophagy, the type of autophagy when substrates are sequestered right at the surface of a lytic compartment. Yeast microlipophagy via the raft-like vacuolar microdomains is a great model system to study the role of lipid domains in microautophagic pathways.     

Global Water Flow Measurement and Calibration Facilities: Review of Methods and Instrumentations

Water Flow Calibration Facilities (WFCFs) are widely used for the calibration of water flowmeters all over the world. Last two decades have witnessed significant research contributions in the development of instrumentation and techniques with special emphasis on reducing the measurement errors and improving the measurement uncertainty in flow calibration. It is difficult to find a consolidated report/review of such developments for the new entrants/researchers/metrologists in this field. Therefore, authors considered that it is high time to review the literature and compile a concise report to this effect. Present paper is an attempt to publish terse review on the historical background, recent developments and current status of WFCF and related works. The work going on at National Physical Laboratory, India, in this direction is also briefly described.     

Synthesis and evaluation of antioxidant and antifungal activities of novel ricinoleate-based lipoconjugates of phenolic acids

Syntheses of four castor oil fatty acid-based novel lipoconjugates of phenolic acids were carried out following Mitsunobu methodology. The lipid part consists of methyl ricinoleate and its saturated analogue, methyl-12-hydroxystearate and the phenolic moieties are ferulic and vanillic acid. Synthesised compounds are evaluated for antioxidant activity using three in vitro assays (DPPH radical scavenging assay, DSC studies for oxidative induction temperature of linoleic acid and autoxidation of linoleic acid in Tween 20 micellar medium) and compared with three widely used antioxidants in the food industry, BHT, α-tocopherol, and dodecyl gallate. Synthesised compounds are found to exhibit good antiradical activity. These compounds also exhibited very good antifungal activity against studied fungal strains. All these results suggested the applicability of the synthesised compounds as potent lipophilic antioxidants for combating oxidative stress.     

Effects of extrusion screw speed,feed moisture content,and barrel temperature on the physical,techno-functional,and microstructural quality of texturized lentil protein

Utilizing lentil protein as a novel ingredient for producing texturized vegetable proteins (TVPs) can provide new opportunities for the production of next-generation hybrid meat products. TVPs from lentil protein isolate were manufactured using low-moisture extrusion cooking at different combinations of screw speed (SS), feed moisture content (MC), and barrel temperature (BT) profile. In total, seven different combinations of processing treatments were tested, and the resulting TVPs were characterized for their physical (rehydration ratio, texture profile analysis, color, and bulk density), techno-functional (oil and water holding capacities), and microstructural properties. The processing conditions of higher SS and lower MC resulted in increased values of several textural profile attributes (springiness, cohesiveness, and resilience), increased water holding capacity (WHC), and decreased bulk density. Compared to raw lentil protein, TVPs showed enhanced oil holding capacity, though WHC either decreased or remained constant. The extrusion response parameters (die pressure, torque, and specific mechanical energy) showed positive correlations with several physical properties (texture, WHC, and total color change), revealing their potential for serving as important TVP quality indicators. TVPs produced at SS, MC, and BT of 450 rpm, 30%, and 140°C, respectively, showed relatively better overall physical and techno-functional quality and can be used as meat extenders in hybrid meat patties. Overall, this research evidenced the viability of lentil protein as a potential ingredient for producing low-moisture TVPs.     

Chitosan inhibits premature browning in ground beef

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of chitosan on premature browning in refrigerated ground beef patties stored in different packaging systems. Ground beef patties (15% fat) with chitosan (1% w/w) or without chitosan (control) were individually packaged either in vacuum (VP), aerobic packaging (AP), carbon monoxide modified atmosphere packaging (LO-OX; 0.4% CO+19.6% CO(2)+80% N(2)), or high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (HI-OX; 80% O(2)+20% CO(2)), and stored for 0, 1, or 3 days at 1°C. At the conclusion of storage, raw surface redness was evaluated, patties were cooked to internal end-point temperatures of either 66°C or 71°C, and internal cooked color was measured. The incorporation of chitosan increased (P<0.05) the interior redness of patties stored in AP, VP, and LO-OX, but not in HI-OX. The results of the present study suggest that the incorporation of 1% chitosan minimizes premature browning in ground beef patties stored under AP, VP, and LO-OX.     

Evolutionary concepts in the functional biotics arena: a mini-review

Over the years, the attempts to elucidate the role of beneficial microorganisms in shaping human health are becoming fairly apparent. The functional impact conferred by such microbes is not only transmitted by viable cells or their metabolites but also through non-viable cells. Extensive research to unveil the protective action of such wonder bugs has resulted in categorizing the beneficial microflora and their bioactive metabolites into a variety of functional biotic concepts based on their intended applications in various forms. In the modern era, these are often termed as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, next-generation probiotics, psychobiotics, oncobiotics, pharmabiotics, and metabiotics. Currently, the concept of traditional probiotics is being widened to include microbes beyond lactic acid bacteria. Indeed, this diversification has broadened the functional food portfolio from food to pharmaceuticals. In this context, the present review aims to summarize the existing biotic concepts and their differences thereof.     

Adaptive Echo Cancellation Based on a Multipath Model of Acoustic Channel

Usually Acoustic Echo Cancellers (AECs) are realized by adaptive Finite duration Impulse Response (FIR) filter having large number of coefficients and Least Mean Square (LMS) as an adaptive algorithm resulting in slow convergence speed and poor tracking performance of these adaptive filters. In this paper, we have proposed a Multiple Sub-filter (MSF) parallel structure based on multipath acoustic echo model using the basis that each sub-filter will compensate the echo contributed by each path of multipath acoustic channel. To realize the MSF, modified Generalized Autocorrelation-based Estimator (MAE) has been used to estimate time delay associated with each path while the order of each sub-filter has been estimated using Power Spectral Density (PSD) method. Accuracy Percentage (AP) performance measure has been used to characterize the performance of the estimator. Simulation results show that the performance of the MAE improves with the increase in SNR and/or decrease in number of multipath. Using these estimates MSF based AEC is constructed. The convergence performance of MSF-based AEC has been studied, via computer simulation, and compared with the conventional Single Long length adaptive Filter (SLF)-based canceller for different SNRs and number of multipath. The results of MSF have been found to be very encouraging in almost all of the various situations considered. Subsequently, the tracking behavior has also been studied with variation in the channel parameters of the multipath model. The proposed MSF can track variations in the channel parameters of the multipath model faster as compared to the conventional echo canceller.     

USING IMPEDANCE CONTROL METHOD TO ACHIEVE SIGNAL INTEGRITY IN BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT

Diagnostic instruments need very high signal accuracy for interpretation of diseases. In the design of a high-speed multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) for medical instruments, partitioning of power/ground planes breaks the return path of the signal current, either through power/ground plane. It causes undesirable side effects on the PCB due to radiation effect, reflection of signal or crosstalk. Routing on the biomedical system with a smaller number of routing layers reduces performance of the PCB while high frequency signals cross the split plane. In this article, the impedance control method is proposed for minimizing the slot plane effect when high frequency signals crossing the slot gaps. It is a geometry-based method to understand the physical degradations in the PCB.     

Bio‐diesel lubricity: correlation study with residual acidity

Bio‐diesel has been accepted as a renewable liquid biofuel worldwide. In order to ensure customers' acceptance, standardisation and quality assurance are the key factors to the market introduction of bio‐diesel as a transport fuel. Lubricity of bio‐diesel is an important issue and it is well reported that 1–2% bio‐diesel is sufficient to maintain the lubricity of diesel even of very poor lubricity. However, a wide variation in lubricity performance of bio‐diesel from different vegetable oils and sources has been noticed. In addition, on critical examination, it was noticed that the variation in the lubricating performance of bio‐diesel could be better linked to its residual acidity than to variation in fatty acid composition. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.