Effect of Bicarbonate Salts and Sequential Using of Frying Oil on Acrylamide and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Contents in Coated Fried Chicken Meat

In this research, the effect of different bicarbonate salts (sodium and ammonium) and their doses (0, 1, 2, and 3 g/100 g raw material) in the coating batter formula use and the sequential use of frying oil (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) on 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and acrylamide contents in coated fried chicken meat. The addition of sodium bicarbonate was efficient for reducing acrylamide content, but it increased browning and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural content compared to the control. When increasing the doses of sodium and ammonium bicarbonate from 1 to 3 g/100 g of raw material, the acrylamide content of samples did not change significantly, although adding sodium bicarbonate significantly reduced the acrylamide content as a control. These research results showed that using about 1 g/100 g raw material sodium bicarbonate rather than ammonium bicarbonate and as little frying oil as possible use during the production of coated and fried meat results in lower contents of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and acrylamide.     

Hydrogen from biomass – Present scenario and future prospects

Hydrogen is considered in many countries to be an important alternative energy vector and a bridge to a sustainable energy future. Hydrogen is not an energy source. It is not primary energy existing freely in nature. Hydrogen is a secondary form of energy that has to be manufactured like electricity. It is an energy carrier. Hydrogen can be produced from a wide variety of primary energy sources and different production technologies. About half of all the hydrogen as currently produced is obtained from thermo catalytic and gasification processes using natural gas as a starting material, heavy oils and naphtha make up the next largest source, followed by coal. Currently, much research has been focused on sustainable and environmental friendly energy from biomass to replace conventional fossil fuels. Biomass can be considered as the best option and has the largest potential, which meets energy requirements and could insure fuel supply in the future. Biomass and biomass-derived fuels can be used to produce hydrogen sustainably. Biomass gasification offers the earliest and most economical route for the production of renewable hydrogen.     

Magnetohydrodynamic Natural Convection Flow in an Enclosure with a Finite Length Heater Using the Differential Quadrature (DQ) Method

Analysis of heat and fluid flow transport due to natural convection and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows in a square enclosure with a finite length heater has been performed using the differential quadrature (DQ) technique. The heater with constant heat flux is located on the bottom wall of the enclosure and isothermal boundary conditions are applied to the right vertical wall while the remaining walls are adiabatic. The effects of heater length (0.2 ≤ ? ≤ 0.8), heater location (0.1 ≤ c/L ≤ 0.9), and direction of magnetic force (0° ≤ φ ≤ 90°) for different values of Grashof (10³ ≤ Gr ≤ 10⁶) and Hartmann numbers (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 100) on the heat and fluid flow in the enclosure are studied. According to the results obtained, heat transfer reduces when increasing the Hartmann number. The rate of reduction is higher for high values of Grashof number. The heat transfer rate for the heater closer to the cold wall is considerably higher than the heaters far from the right wall.     

Oxidative DNA damage correlates with carotid artery atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients

Oxidative stress is accepted as a nonclassical cardiovascular risk factor in chronic renal failure patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between oxidative DNA damage (8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine/deoxyguanosine [8‐OHdG/dG] ratio), oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzymes, and carotid artery intima‐media thickness (CIMT) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Forty chronic HD patients without known atherosclerotic disease and 48 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals were included in the study. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and 8‐OHdG/dG ratio were determined as oxidative stress markers. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were measured as antioxidants. CIMT was assessed by carotid artery ultrasonography. 8‐OHdG/dG ratios and MDA levels were higher; SOD and GPx activities were lower in HD patients compared to controls. HD patients had significantly higher CIMT compared to controls (0.61 ± 0.08 vs. 0.42 ± 0.05, p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CIMT and 8‐OHdG/dG ratio (r = 0.57, p < 0.01) and MDA levels (r = 0.41, p < 0.01), while there was a significant negative correlation between CIMT and SOD (r = ?0.47, p < 0.01) and GPx levels (r = ?0.62, p < 0.01). It is firstly demonstrated that CIMT is positively correlated with oxidative DNA damage in HD patients without known atherosclerotic disease.     

A preliminary study on functionality of Gundelia tournefortii L. as a new stabiliser in ice cream production

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Gundelia tournefortii L. leaves and G. tournefortii L. milk as a new natural stabiliser on the quality characteristics of ice cream. For this aim, G. tournefortii L. leaves were added to an ice cream mix at three different concentrations (0.6, 1.0 and 3.0% w/w), and also, its milk was used as a stabiliser at 0.6% w/w concentration for ice cream production. Certain physical and sensorial characteristics of ice creams were compared with those of some commercial food gums such as guar gum, carrageenan and salep. Also, the chemical structure of G. tournefortii L. milk was determined using infrared spectra and elemental analyses. In comparison with commercial stabilisers, G. tournefortii L. did not display a notable effect on quality characteristics (viscosity, overrun, first dripping times and complete melting times). However, when considering these quality characteristics, the values for G. tournefortii L. milk were close to the values obtained for the commercial gums. In terms of sensorial characteristics, all the concentrations of G. tournefortii L. leaves were given low scores by panellists compared to the commercial stabiliser. However, G. tournefortii L. milk was given scores similar to the commercial stabiliser.     

The fate of wastewater-derived NDMA precursors in the aquatic environment

To assess the stability of precursors of the chloramine disinfection byproduct N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) under conditions expected in effluent-dominated surface waters, effluent samples from four municipal wastewater treatment plants were subjected to chlorination and chloramination followed by incubation in the presence of inocula derived from activated sludge. Samples subjected to free chlorine disinfection showed lower initial concentrations of NDMA precursors than those that were not chlorinated or were disinfected with pre-formed chloramines. For chloraminated and control (unchlorinated) treatments, the concentration of NDMA precursors decreased by an average of 24% over the 30-day incubation in samples from three of the four facilities. At the fourth facility, where samples were collected on three different days, NDMA precursor concentrations decreased by approximately 80% in one sample and decreased by less than 20% in the other two samples. In contrast to the low reactivity of the NDMA precursors, NDMA disappeared within 30 days under the conditions employed in these experiments. These results and measurements made in an effluent-dominated river suggest that although NDMA may be removed after wastewater effluent is discharged, wastewater-derived NDMA precursors could persist long enough to form significant concentrations of NDMA in drinking water treatment plants that use water originating from sources that are subjected to wastewater effluent discharges.     

Reduced myofibroblast differentiation on femtosecond laser treated 316LS stainless steel

In-stent restenosis is a common complication after stent surgery which leads to a dangerous wall narrowing of a blood vessel. Laser assisted patterning is one of the effective methods to modify the stent surface to control cell–surface interactions which play a major role in the restenosis. In this current study, 316LS stainless steel substrates are structured by focusing a femtosecond laser beam down to a spot size of 50 μm. By altering the laser induced spot density three distinct surfaces (low density (LD), medium density (MD) and high density (HD)) were prepared. While such surfaces are composed of primary microstructures, due to fast melting and re-solidification by ultra-short laser pulses, nanofeatures are also observed as secondary structures. Following a detailed surface characterization (chemical and physical properties of the surface), we used a well-established co-culture assay of human microvascular endothelial cells and human fibroblasts to check the cell compatibility of the prepared surfaces. The surfaces were analyzed in terms of cell adherence, proliferation, cell morphology and the differentiation of the fibroblast into the myofibroblast, which is a process indicating a general fibrotic shift within a certain tissue. It is observed that myofibroblast proliferation decreases significantly on laser treated samples in comparison to non-treated ones. On the other hand endothelial cell proliferation is not affected by the surface topography which is composed of micro- and nanostructures. Such surfaces may be used to modify stent surfaces for prevention or at least reduction of restenosis.     

The effects of achromatic and chromatic color schemes on participants' task performance in and appraisals of an office environment

This study explores the effects of chroma on participants' performance and environmental appraisal of an office. The research was conducted in a full‐scale experimental room designed as a private office where achromatic and chromatic color schemes with coequal values were applied. Sixty participants were assigned tasks and given a questionnaire to appraise the spatial color schemes. The findings show that chroma significantly affects performance and space appraisal. In terms of accuracy and time spent performance scores measured significantly better in the room with the chromatic scheme than those in the room with the achromatic scheme. The office with the chromatic scheme was found to be more pleasant, attractive, satisfying and dynamic than the one with the achromatic scheme, whereas the achromatic scheme was thought to be more formal and harmonious. Categorization of pleasantness, harmony, dynamism and spaciousness by factor analysis also showed differences between the achromatic and chromatic schemes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2012     

Chemical and microbiological status and volatile profiles of mouldy Civil cheese,a Turkish mould‐ripened variety

The objective of this study is to characterise the gross chemical and microbiological status and identify the volatile compounds of mouldy Civil cheeses. A total of forty‐one samples were surveyed, and gross compositional status of the cheeses was (as mean values): 6.5 for pH, 6.2% for fat‐in‐dry matter, 51.8% for moisture and 15.3% for water‐soluble nitrogen (as% of total nitrogen). Chemical composition of the cheese samples varied widely. Mouldy Civil cheese has similar pH values and moisture contents when compared with blue‐type cheeses, but it has distinct feature for fat contents. The microbiological counts of the samples were found to be high and some samples contained coliform bacteria. A total of 95 volatiles, including esters (28), acids (6), ketones (12), aldehydes (3), alcohols (15), terpenes (10), sulphur compounds (3) and miscellaneous (18), were identified in the volatile fractions of the cheeses, and principal volatile groups were esters, alcohols and ketones.