AC conductivity and mechanism of conduction study of Ba0.2Sr1.8FeMoO6 double perovskite using impedance spectroscopy

Journal of Electroceramics - The barium-stronium double perovskite Ba0.2Sr1.8FeMoO6 compound have been synthesized by the sol - gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique....     

Influence of Oven-Drying Temperature on Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Date Fibre Concentrates

Agri-food by-products rich in dietary fibres may be used as feeds and health foods. Owing to its high fibre content, date flesh could be useful in human nutrition. It is interesting to study the influence of oven-drying temperatures of date fibre concentrates (DFC) on their physicochemical and functional properties for possible use as a potential fibre source in the enrichment of food. DFC from 11 Tunisian date cultivars were dried at different temperatures (40, 50 and 60 °C) and analysed regarding proximate composition (moisture, ash, protein and lipids), physicochemical (water activity (a _w), pH) and functional properties (water holding capacity (WHC), swelling capacity (SC), oil holding capacity (OHC) and emulsifying capacity (EC)). DFC dried at different temperatures showed interesting functional characteristics such as hydration properties, high OHC (2.73–4.60 g oil/g dry fibre) and EC (5.93–12.87%) values. Although drying temperatures promoted little modifications affecting the physicochemical properties of DFC, significant decreases in WHC, SC and EC of DFC were noticed at the highest temperature (60 °C) for most of the date varieties. The observed influence of drying temperature on functional DFC properties calls for the use of low temperature in order to obtain DFC as suitable food ingredient.     

Effect of drying methods on physico-chemical and antioxidant properties of date fibre concentrates

Effects of different drying methods (freeze-, oven- and sun-drying) on physico-chemical properties of date fibre concentrates (DFC) from three potential Tunisian cultivars were investigated. DFC had high contents of dietary fibre (71.01–93.46% dry matter), with high proportions of insoluble dietary fibre. Freeze dried DFC had the highest values of swelling, water holding and oil holding capacities. This drying method gave also the lightest DFC colour. Kentichi fibre produced by freeze-drying had the highest viscosity and the lowest bulkier particles. The present work assessed polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of DFC using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The highest polyphenol content was found for freeze dried DFC, contrary to radical scavenging activity which was not affected by drying methods. Results suggest that freeze dried DFC had the highest potential to be used as a functional ingredient in food products.     

A new scorpion venom toxin paralytic to insects that affects Na+ channel activation. Purification, structure, antigenicity and mode of action

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common autosomal recessive genetic disorder in Caucasians. Since identification of the gene responsible for CF in 1989, over 400 sequential alterations of the CFTR gene have been tabulated by the CF Genetic Analysis Consortium. However, except for the delta F508 mutation, which occurs in approximately 70% of CF chromosomes, the worldwide frequency of most mutations in this gene is less than 1%. In Orientals and African blacks, CF is very rare. In Japanese only 100 cases have been reported. A few genotypes of these cases have been analyzed but no delta F508 or other mutations were found. We have analyzed mutations of the CFTR gene in Japanese with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), which is found only in Orientals and shares pathologic and clinical characteristics with mild adult CF. However, no significant mutation of the CFTR gene was identified in this series. This suggests a different etiological background from that of CF.     

Structural Characterization,Technological Functionality,and Physiological Aspects of Fungal β-D-glucans: A Review

β-D-glucans are a (1→3)-linked glucose polymer with (1→6)-linked side chains and a major component of fungal cell walls. They exhibit structural integrity to the fungal cell wall. In addition, β-glucans are widely used as food adjuvant in food and pharmaceutical industries because of their physico-chemical properties. Several studies have focused on different isolation processes of (1→3) (1→6)-β-glucan that could affect the physico-chemical and functional properties of β-glucan such as chemical composition, solubility, viscosity, hydration properties, and oil binding capacity. Immunological activity is one of the most important properties of β-glucans. Thus, they are effective in inhibiting growth of cancer cells and metastasis and preventing bacterial infection. In humans, β-glucans reduce blood cholesterol, improve glucose absorption by body cells, and so help wound healing. This review described the prebiotic potentiality of fungal β-D-glucans with the objective to detail the methodologies applied for their extraction, their structure and techno-functional properties, and finally their biological effects.