Mathematical expressions for calculation of oil‐polymer blends

A study of the recent literature emphasized the importance of blending polymers with oils for improving the performance characteristics (like flexibility, corrosion resistance, etc.) of adhesives, coatings and laminates. Investigation of the available data revealed that several properties of such oil‐polymer blends could be correlated by molar refraction (R_M), with reasonable accuracies. The properties of the linseed oil‐polystyrene (PS) and linseed oil‐polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) blends studied are iodine value (IV), hydroxyl value (HV), inherent viscosity (η), melting temperature (T_M), and glass transition temperature (T_g). In the case of safflower, palm and peanut oil‐sucrose polyester formulations, the viscosity at 40 °C (η₄₀) and the melting point T_M have been correlated by R_M with the average absolute deviations (ē) of 17.8% and 3.0%, respectively. Using the orientation polarization P_O (to represent polarity) in addition to R_M, η₄₀ and T_M of oil‐polyester formulations could be calculated with ē values of 8.9% and 1.7%, compared to 17.8% and 3.0% using R_M alone. The results indicated the importance of P_O in improving the accuracy of predictions for properties.     

Fermentation of feruloyl and non-feruloyl xylooligosaccharides by mixed fecal cultures of human and cow: a comparative study in vitro

For the first time, a comparative study was undertaken with respect to the fermentation of (a) monosaccharides (glucose, galactose, arabinose, and xylose); (b) disaccharide (lactulose); (c) Jerusalem artichoke; (d) xylooligosaccharides (XO); and (e) feruloyl xylooligosaccharides (FXO) by mixed fecal cultures of human and cow. Among monosaccharides, arabinose and xylose exhibited prebiotic properties, and among these arabinose was found to be a better substrate than xylose. Glucose and galactose did not have any impact with respect to either increase or decrease in different bacterial populations present in both human and cow feces and liberated very small amounts of SCFA indicating them to be the least prebiotic among all the substrates tried. Both lactulose and Jerusalem artichoke increased the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in pooled fecal cultures of human and cow. Bovine fecal bacteria utilized XO and FXO more effectively than human fecal bacteria as indicated by relatively high levels of the cell wall–degrading enzyme activities. Growth of different bacterial populations was monitored by the fluorescent in situ hybridization method at 12 and 24 h. XO increased the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria and decreased the growth of Bacteriodes and clostridia, whereas FXO increased the growth of lactobacilli in cow fecal cultures. In human fecal cultures, FXO promoted the growth of bifidobacteria, but to a lesser extent compared with cow fecal bacteria. Quantitative variations were observed with respect to the profile of short-chain fatty acids liberated in the fecal culture filtrates of human and cow grown on XO and FXO.     

Characterization of purified xylanase from finger millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleusine coracana-</Emphasis>Indaf 15) malt

Xylanase (E.C. 3.2.1.8) was purified to apparent homogeneity from 96 h finger millet (Eleusine coracana, Indaf-15) malt by a three step purification procedure via ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose ion exchange and Sephadex G-75 gel permeation chromatographies with a recovery of 4.0% and fold purification of 60. Xylanase, having a molecular weight of 29 ± 2 kDa was found to be monomeric on SDS-PAGE. pH optimum of the enzyme was found to be in the range of 5.0–5.5. The activation energy was 25 kJmol⁻¹. Xylanase showed maximum stability at 35 °C in a pH range of 5.0–6.0. K _m and V _max of purified xylanase were found to be 0.2% and 4.5 μmol min⁻¹, respectively. Metal ions such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Ag²⁺ and Ni²⁺ enhanced xylanase activity at 5 mM concentration. p-chloromercuribenzoate, citric, oxalic and boric acids inhibited the enzyme in concentration dependent manner. The mode of action of xylanase was found to be “endo” as determined by the analysis of products liberated from larchwood xylan by ESI-MS and H¹NMR. In vitro studies using Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus sp. confirmed the prebiotic activity of the xylo-oligosaccharides.     

Amylose‐lipid complex formation during extrusion cooking: effect of added lipid type and amylose level on corn‐based puffed snacks

The effect of amylose‐lipid complex formation during extrusion was studied with respect to expansion characteristics and oxidative stability of the extrudates. Full factorial design was adopted to investigate the effects of variables, amylose (two levels, 25% and 45%), types of lipid (coconut oil, fish oil and MaxEPA) and levels of lipid (1.5% and 3%), on amylose‐lipid complex formation, expansion ratio, crispness, hardness and oxidative stability. Increased amylose content in feed mixture produced crispy extrudates with significantly higher (P < 0.05) amylose‐lipid complex formation, greater radial expansion, lower hardness and higher oxidative stability. Amylose‐lipid complex formation and its complimentary effect, that is, oxidative stability were significantly higher in extrudates incorporated with coconut oil compared to those with fish oil or MaxEPA. However, better physical properties viz. radial expansion, crispness and lesser hardness were displayed by extrudates added with MaxEPA followed by those with fish oil. Between these two, fish oil‐incorporated extrudates exhibited significantly higher oxidative stability compared to MaxEPA incorporated products. Thus, the study demonstrates the usefulness of amylose rich corn flour to make oxidatively stable fish oil‐incorporated extrudates with better expansion characteristics.     

Delivery of Omega-3 Fatty Acids into Cake Through Emulsification of Fish Oil-in-Milk and Encapsulation by Spray Drying with Added Polymers

Fortification of cakes with fish oil encapsulates was performed to enhance the consumption of health-beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Fish oil-in-milk emulsions prepared by ultrasonication at different amplitudes were encapsulated by spray drying using different wall materials. The oxidative stability of fish oil encapsulates was determined for 32 days at room and refrigerated temperatures. Oxidatively stable encapsulates and organoleptic quality of fortified cakes reveal that emulsification of fish oil-in-milk and encapsulation by spray drying are potential processes to produce fish oil encapsulates suitable for fortification of bakery products with omega-3 fatty acids.