Preliminary observations on cooking quality parameters as indicators of adulteration of basmati rice

Differential length-breadth ratio and loss of solids in cooking water have been found to be reliable indicators of adulteration of Basmati rice with Saket-4 rice, which is one of the rice varieties used frequently for adulteration.     

Accumulation of vasicine and vasicinone in tissue cultures of Adhatoda vasica and evaluation of the free radical-scavenging activities of the various crude extracts

The indigenous medicinal plant, Adhatoda vasica (L.) Nees. (Acanthaceae), commonly known as vasaka, is used as a herbal remedy for allergen-induced bronchial obstruction, asthma, and tuberculosis and possesses hepatoprotective activity. This plant is a natural source of vitamin C. Tissue cultures of A. vasica, initiated on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with various plant growth regulators, showed the presence of alkaloids, vasicine and vasicinone. Water extracts of shoot cultures contained high levels of these alkaloids. The vasicine and vasicinone contents in these extracts were 5.98% and 5.2% of dry weight and the water extracts of the selected elite parent plant contained 3–4% dry weight of vasicine. The methanolic extracts of the parent plant and shoot cultures showed quantitative differences in the level of both vasicine and vasicinone. Maximum free radical-scavenging activity of DPPH radicals was observed in the water extracts.     

Efficient method for scattering from a homogeneous, circular,cylindrical shell with an inhomogeneous angular-region

The two-dimensional (2-D) scalar problem of a circular, dielectric, cylindrical shell exposed to transverse magnetic (TM) incident field is considered. The shell is considered to be homogeneous everywhere, except in a narrow angular-region where it is allowed to be inhomogeneous. The problem is formulated using the moment method (MM). It is shown that the resulting system of MM equations could be very efficiently solved employing a new theory of diagonally-perturbed circulant matrices. The method presented here could be applied for thin shells as well as shells which are “not-so-thin.” Results of computer simulations are also provided verifying the validity of the method proposed     

Production of α‐amylase under solid‐state fermentation utilizing coffee waste

Coffee industry substrates such as coffee pulp, coffee cherry husk, silver skin, spent coffee and mixtures of these coffee wastes (MC) were evaluated for their efficacy as sole carbon source for the synthesis of α‐amylase in solid‐state fermentation (SSF) using a fungal strain of Neurospora crassa CFR 308. For SSF with coffee pulp and with MC, α‐amylase activity of 3908 U g^?1 ds (units per gram of dry substrate) and 3870 U g^?1 ds, respectively, was observed. Parameters such as moisture (60%), pH (4.6), temperature (28 °C), particle size (1.0 mm), inoculum size (10⁷ spores g^?1 ds), and fermentation time (5 days) were optimized for enzyme synthesis, wherein 4981 and 4324 U g^?1 U g^?1 ds of α‐amylase activity was obtained in SSF with coffee pulp and MC, respectively. The enzyme production was further improved when the substrates were subjected to pre‐treatment by steaming. Accordingly, maximum α‐amylase activity of 7084 U g^?1 ds and 6342 U g^?1 ds was obtained with steam‐pretreated coffee pulp and MC, respectively, demonstrating them to be excellent sole carbon sources for synthesis of α‐amylase production. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Studies on deep-fat fried snacks from some cereals and legumes

Deep-fat fried products, prepared from cereals, legumes and their blends, are universally popular due to their desirable organoleptic profile. Grain types differ in their chemical make-up and physicochemical properties, which may account for the differences in the oil content of the snacks. In addition, the frying medium also plays an important role in the oil pick-up during deep-fat frying. This work attempts to correlate these parameters with the oil content in a traditional Indian extruded and deep-fat fried product, sev, using flours from rice, wheat, amaranth, chickpea, cowpea, black gram and green gram. No correlation between the proximate constituents (water-holding capacity and oil-holding capacity) and the oil content of the fried sev was seen. Oil content in sev was minimum when fried in cottonseed oil. © 1998 SCI.     

Fire-retardant materials

Conventional materials (natural and man-made fibres, plastics, wood, paper etc.) used in everyday life are, in different degrees, liable to ignition. This fact has impelled the development of new materials which are inherently resistant to flame and heat or to modify these materials by using flame-retardant additives/treatments to meet the stringent regulations set for fire protection. This paper gives an overview of the newly developed inherently flame-retardant fibres and engineering plastics specifically aramids, polyimides, polybenzimidazole, novoloid, polyphenylene sulphide and carbon fibres. The use of various additives and FR finishes has also been highlighted.     

Studies on frozen pourable custard apple (Annona squamosa L) pulp using cryoprotectants

Custard apple pulp treated with 100 ppm ascorbic acid as antibrowning agent and packed in 200 gauge polyethylene was frozen at −25 °C in an alcohol bath and stored at −18 °C in a deep‐freeze. The effect of three cryoprotectants (w/w), namely 0.5% propylene glycol (I), 0.5% glycerol (II) and 2% glycerol + 1% propylene glycol + 10% glucose syrup + 10% maltodextrin (III), on the thawing time of this pulp was studied for a period of 3 months. A control sample without any cryoprotectant was included for comparison. The half‐life for ascorbic acid degradation was monitored in the control pulp and that containing the cryoprotectants. It was found that formulation (III) gave a product that was pourable even on frozen storage and also had the highest half‐life of 75.33 days for ascorbic acid degradation as compared to 34.82 days for the control. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Comparison of Oxidizing Ability of Novel Surfactant-Immobilized Interlayered-Manganate and Chromate Clays over Metal Cation Exchanged Clays Impregnated with Manganate/Chromate

Novel surfactant immobilized-Mn (VII) and -Cr (VI) nano-dispersed in the interlayer of smectite clays are used for the first time in the oxidation of organic molecules. Oxidation of benzyl alcohol to its aldehyde was used as a model reaction to test the activity of these interlayer clays. The nano-dispersed interlayer manganate and chromium species were not only able to oxidize benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde but also showed higher yields and better regeneration characteristics than ion-exchanged smectites impregnated with Mn (VII) and Cr (VI) species. The latter showed a sharp decrease in the activity after regeneration while the surfactant immobilized nano-dispersed samples retained their activities for oxidation of benzyl alcohol even after several regenerations. It is seen that the active species responsible for oxidation within the interlayer are the oxides of Mn (IV) and Cr (III) which are held in the interlayer region firmly and are not easily leached out. However, in the case of impregnated catalysts leaching of the active species was found to be easy. Thus the bentonites with surfactant immobilized nano- dispersed interlayer-species are novel catalysts and offer the possibility of their utility as recyclable clays and could be advantageously used in organic oxidations.     

Ionic Liquid Activation of Amorphous Metal‐Oxide Semiconductors for Flexible Transparent Electronic Devices

Amorphous metal‐oxide semiconductors offer the high carrier mobilities and excellent large‐area uniformity required for high performance, transparent, flexible electronic devices; however, a critical bottleneck to their widespread implementation is the need to activate these materials at high temperatures which are not compatible with flexible polymer substrates. The highly controllable activation of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide semiconductor channels using ionic liquid gating at room temperature is reported. Activation is controlled by electric field‐induced oxygen migration across the ionic liquid‐semiconductor interface. In addition to activation of unannealed devices, it is shown that threshold voltages of a transistor can be linearly tuned between the enhancement and depletion modes. Finally, the first ever example of transparent flexible thin film metal oxide transistor on a polyamide substrate created using this simple technique is demonstrated. This study demonstrates the potential of field‐induced activation as a promising alternative to traditional postdeposition thermal annealing which opens the door to wide scale implementation into flexible electronic applications.     

Regional management modeling of a complex groundwater system for land subsidence control

The three-dimensional groundwater flow model MODFLOW and the one-dimensional consolidation model are coupled and calibrated to simulate the piezometric levels and land subsidence in the complex multi-aquifer system of the lower Central Plain of Thailand. The mathematical models are calibrated against historical data for the period 1955–1990 by considerably updating the system conditions used by previous studies. The aquifer system responses to different pumping schemes are then predicted for the period 1991–2010. The modeling procedure is carried out in close consultation with the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), Royal Thai Government. The conclusions of the study will allow the DMR to develop and implement updated groundwater management policies, land subsidence control strategies and action programs in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.