Storage stability and pasting properties of hydrothermally treated pearl millet flour

Hydrothermal treatment (30 ± 2% moisture and steaming at 1.05 kg m^?2 for 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min) was given to whole and pearled pearl millet grains. Flour obtained after each treatment was evaluated for physical, functional and pasting properties. Flour obtained from steamed before pearling (SBP, 20 min) and steamed after pearling (SAP, 15 min) grains exhibited no lipase activity and acceptable physical, functional and pasting properties. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction (28.65%) was observed in total phenol content after pearling. Tannins content of control flour was 120.3 ± 2.15 mg, and a reduction of 25.2% and 16.5% was observed after 20 and 15 min of steaming in SBP and SAP samples, respectively. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in bulk density, functional properties and decrease in pasting properties of treated flour samples was observed with increase in duration of steaming. Selected flour samples (SBP, 20 min and SAP, 15 min) were found acceptable for 50 days when stored in polyethylene pouches (75 μ) at ambient conditions (15–35 °C).     

Effect of cross‐linking on some properties of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) starches

Starches separated from different potato cultivars were modified using two different cross‐linking agents: epichlorohydrin (EPI) and phosphoryl chloride (POCl₃) at different concentrations (1.0 and 2.0 g kg^?1 POCl₃; 2.5, 5.0 and 10 g kg^?1 EPI). Differential scanning calorimetry, rheological and retrogradation measurements were performed to characterise the influence of cross‐linking on the properties of potato starches. Cross‐linking considerably reduced swelling power, solubility, water‐binding capacity and paste clarity. The decrease became greater as the reagent concentration increased. The starches treated with 1.0 g kg^?1 POCl₃ exhibited exceptionally higher swelling power than their counterpart native starches. Neither cross‐linking agent caused any change in morphology of the starch granules. Studies on the phase transitions associated with the gelatinisation showed significantly higher values for the onset temperature (T_o), peak temperature (T_p), conclusion temperature (T_c) and enthalpy of gelatinisation (ΔH_gel) for the cross‐linked starches than the native starches. Starches treated with both the reagents showed lower peak storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) than their native counterparts. The tendency of the starch pastes towards retrogradation increased considerably with increases in storage duration. However, the starches treated with 1 g kg^?1 POCl₃ exhibited much lower syneresis than the other cross‐linked starches. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Meat analogs: Protein restructuring during thermomechanical processing

Increasing awareness of inefficient meat production and its future impact on global food security has led the food industry to look for a sustainable approach. Meat products have superior sensorial perception, because of their molecular composition and fibrous structure. Current understanding in the science of food structuring has enabled the utilization of alternative or nonmeat protein ingredients to create novel structured matrices that could resemble the textural functionality of real meat. The physicochemical and structural changes that occur in concentrated protein systems during thermomechanical processing lead to the creation of a fibrous or layered meat-like texture. Phase transitions in concentrated protein systems during protein‒protein, protein‒polysaccharide, protein‒lipid, and protein‒water interactions significantly influence the texture and the overall sensory quality of meat analogs. This review summarizes the roles of raw materials (moisture, protein type and concentration, lipids, polysaccharides, and air) and processing parameters (temperature, pH, and shear) in modulating the behavior of the protein phase during the restructuring process (structure‒function‒process relationship). The big challenge for the food industry is to manufacture concept-based (such as beef-like, chicken-like, etc.) meat analogs with controlled structural attributes. This information will be useful in developing superior meat analogs that fulfill consumer expectations when replacing meat in their diet.     

Dynamics of the arch-type reconfigurable machine tool

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) address challenges in modern manufacturing systems arising from product variety and from rapid changes in product demand. This paper considers an arch-type reconfigurable machine tool (RMT) that has been built to demonstrate the basic concepts of RMT design. The arch-type RMT was designed to achieve customized flexibility and includes a passive degree-of-freedom, which allows it to be reconfigured to machine a family of parts. The kinematic and dynamic capabilities of the machine are presented, including the experimental frequency response functions (FRFs) and computed stability lobes of the machine in different configurations. A comparison of FRFs and stability lobes of the arch-type RMT reveals almost similar dynamic characteristics at different reconfiguration positions. These similar characteristics arise because the dominant mode where chatter occurs is due to the spindle–tool–tool holder assembly. Consequently, to ensure consistent dynamic behavior regardless of reconfiguration, a desirable dynamic design feature for RMTs is that the machine's structural frequencies are less dominant than the structural frequencies of the spindle, tool and tool holder.     

Multiferroic properties of Ba(FexTi1 − x)O3 nanorods

Multiferroic Ba(Fe_xTi_1 ? x)O₃ (BFT) nanorods were prepared by a chemical route using polyvinyl alcohol as surfactant. The presence of PVA in excess is responsible to convert cubic or spherical shaped nanoparticles into rodlike structure. Tetragonal phase and nano dimensions in the form of rods of BFT specimens are identified. These BFT nanorods show improvement in the coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism of multiferroic properties than their nanoparticles. The effect of low dimensions of BFT rods to control dielectric constant with low loss up to higher frequency region has been observed. With 1% of Fe-doping BFT shows higher value of spontaneous polarization, saturation magnetization and dielectric constant than with other dopants.     

Starch–cassia gum interactions: A microstructure – Rheology study

We present for the first time the interactions of starch and cassia gum – a novel galactomannan recently approved for use in food processing. Viscoelastic, pasting and microstructural characterization of various starches (waxy; high amylose; normal; cross-linked waxy corn starch; potato starch) containing different levels of the cassia gum was carried out. Significant changes were observed in the morphology of granule remnants formed during gelatinization in the starch pastes prepared with and without the addition of cassia gum. The freeze-dried starch–cassia gum pastes presented a shrunken and tight arrangement of the starch granule remnants, when studied by scanning electron microscopy. A significant reduction in the granule remnant size was also calculated using laser diffraction particle size analysis. The extent of interaction with cassia gum differed significantly among the various starch types. All the unmodified corn starches recorded an increase in peak viscosity at all levels of the cassia gum addition. An increase in the final viscosity of these starches was also observed by the addition of cassia gum, with high amylose and normal corn starch showing the maximum. Similarly, the extent of breakdown and setback viscosity also differed among the different starch types. Ranges of dynamic rheological measurements (temperature, time and frequency sweeps) were performed within the viscoelastic zones. Rheological parameters, such as storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″) and the gelatinization temperature (T_gel), of the corn starches during the heating cycle were observed to increase, when cassia gum was present at lower levels. The starch–gum systems also exhibited higher tan δ values during both the heating and the cooling cycles, indicating the dominance of the viscous modulus. The G′ and G″ of all the corn starch gels containing cassia gum showed higher values throughout the frequency sweep range. However, the increase in G′ and G″ of different starches was not always consistent with the increase in cassia gum levels. The changes in rheological behaviour during storage of the starch gels, aged on the plate of the rheometer and then studied through time sweeps at 5 °C and frequency sweeps at 25 °C, suggested that the starch gels containing cassia gum had less pronounced changes in the rheological parameters than had their control counterparts.     

Synthesis and optimization of soy protein fiber based graft copolymer through response surface methodology for removal of oil spillage

Present study deals with the development of novel biodegradable polymer device for petroleum fraction removal from different petroleum-saline emulsion. Soy protein fiber was graft copolymerized with poly(methylmethacrylate) using sequential experimental design approach. Six process variables, such as solvent amount, monomer concentration, FAS:KPS ratio, reaction time, reaction temperature, and pH were taken at two levels as per Resolution-V design. Significant process variables were monomer concentration, reaction temperature, and pH. In phase-2, screened variables were taken for model building and optimization as per optimal response surface design. At optimum conditions (monomer concentration: 3.10 mmol L^?1; reaction temperature: 84.2 °C; pH 6.03), the graft percentage was found to be 272 %. Graft copolymer was characterized using FTIR, SEM, TGA, DTA, and DTG techniques. Further, graft copolymer was evaluated for acid–base and moisture resistance behavior. The synthesized soy protein fiber based polymer showed 76–70 % petroleum fraction absorption from different petroleum-saline emulsions.