Optimization Lactic Acid Production from Molasses Renewable Raw Material through Response Surface Methodology with Lactobacillus Casei M-15

AbstractLactic acid is one of the functional and valuable compounds utilized in food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries while Poly lactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer that has a variety of applications. In recent years, microbial conversion of renewable raw materials has become an important objective in industrial biotechnology. Sugarcane molasses can be considered as potential renewable raw materials in PLA production. The objective of this study is to optimized fermentation medium and conditions to obtain maximum lactic acid production and Colony Forming Unit (log CFU/mL) through response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum lactic acid production (38.33%) and log CFU/mL (8.30) by Lactobacillus casei M-15 was under 3.82% of molasses and 8.02% of inoculum level within 24 hr at 37°C respectively. This process will be advantageous for increasing yields of lactic acid and enhancing productivity by optimization technique. Moreover, it can reduce waste disposal and pollution and can selectively produce by sustainable agriculture such as agriculture material. In addition, the high-performance of lactic acid-producing microorganisms, qualified renewable raw materials and effective fermentation processes will be benefit for bioplastic technologies

Non-Standard Errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

Social work-generated evidence in traumatic brain injury from 1975 to 2014: a systematic scoping review

The International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury (INSWABI) commissioned a systematic scoping review to ascertain the social work-generated evidence base on people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of working age. The review aimed to identify the output, impact and quality of publications authored by social workers on this topic. Study quality was evaluated through assessment frameworks drawn from the United Kingdom National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions. In the 40-year period from 1975 to 2014, 115 items were published that met the search criteria (intervention studies, n = 10; observational studies, n = 52; literature reviews, n = 6; expert opinion or policy analysis, n = 39; and others, n = 8). The publications could be grouped into five major fields of practice: families, social inclusion, military, inequalities and psychological adjustment. There was a significant increase in the number of publications over each decade. Impact was demonstrated in that the great majority of publications had been cited at least once (80.6%, 103/115). Articles published in rehabilitation journals were cited significantly more often than articles published in social work journals. A significant improvement in publication quality was observed across the four decades, with the majority of studies in the last decade rated as high quality

Viability of 4 Probiotic Bacteria Microencapsulated with Arrowroot Starch in the Simulated Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) and Yoghurt

Probiotic bacteria are usually encapsulated to increase their survival through passage of the simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Four Lactobacilli were freeze-dried and encapsulated with maltodextrin (maltodextrin 1.25 g, whey 0.25 g, bacteria 0.5 g, and water 2 mL) and arrowroot starch (arrowroot 1.25 g, whey 0.25 g, bacteria 0.5 g, and water 2 mL). The effects of different coatings were evaluated for their viability in the GIT and yogurt. The findings indicated no significant differences at p > 0.05 in the survival of the encapsulated cells with increased concentrations of arrowroot and maltodextrin. The viability of the encapsulated bacteria was increased in the simulated GIT with high counts of 109 cfu/mL after 30 min stiffening in 1 µm size beads. However, the bead fermented yogurt exhibited insignificant difference on the survivability of the organisms in a simulated GIT after 15 days. Lactobacillus plantarum, Weissela paramesenteroides, Enterococcus faecalis, and Lactobacillus paraplantarum showed a significant increase of viable cells at p > 0.05 after freeze-drying in comparison with free cells at high bile salt concentrations and low acidity. This study confirmed that arrowroot starch and maltodextrin combinations in encapsulation might be an effective method that could allow viable probiotic bacteria to reach the large intestine

Mathematical Modeling to Describe Drying Behavior of Kyoho (Vitis labruscana) Skin Waste: Drying Kinetics and Quality Attributes

Grape skin (Kyoho: Vitis labruscana), a by-product of processed grapes, was experimentally investigated for its drying behavior at different drying temperatures with five thin layer drying models. Moreover, we determined the effect of drying temperature on the bioactive capacity of Kyoho skin. The experimental moisture ratio decreased with increasing drying temperature. The drying process was predicted by mathematical models, such as Page (303.15 K: R2 = 0.9815, 333.15 K: R2 = 0.9685) and two-term (313.15 K: R2 = 0.9639, 323.15 K: R2 = 0.9737) models. Moisture diffusivity (Deff) ranged from 2.87 × 10−8 to 9.82 × 10−8 m2/s, with an activation energy (Ea) of 33.78 ± 1.06 kJ/mol. Total phenolic compounds (0.37 ± 0.04 to 0.23 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activities (DPPH• activity of 93.06 to 73.31%) of Kyoho skin were significantly affected by drying temperature. Thus, this study concluded that the drying process decreased the bioactive potential of grape skin; therefore, we recommend that the food processing industry needs to consider drying variables during the processing of grape skin-based value-added products for improved food production

Effect of drying techniques on color and bioactive potential of two commercial edible Indonesian seaweed cultivars

Seaweeds (Kappaphycus alvarezii and Sargassum duplicatum) are potentially rich sources of bioactive compounds and functional constituents that are used in food applications. Sun, oven, vacuum, and freeze-drying techniques are commonly used seaweed drying techniques and could be classified as cheap (sun and oven) and expensive (vacuumand freeze) drying techniques based on ovens’ market price. Therefore, the study was designed to investigate the effect of cheap (sun and oven) and expensive (vacuum and freeze) drying techniques based on color and antioxidant potential of K. alvarezii and S. duplicatum using phenolic and antioxidant assays. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were employed to discriminate the drying techniques by instrumental color analysis. The results revealed that oven-dried seaweed extracts exhibited higher levels of phenolic (0.30 to 0.36 mg GAE g−1) and antioxidant potential (3.59 to 79.68%). PCA and HCA discriminated the drying techniques into two well-defined groups/clusters I (oven, vacuum, and freeze-drying) and II (sun drying) and revealed higherΔE values of sun-dried seaweed samples, which was interpreted as color was preserved using drying techniques of cluster I. Overall, oven, vacuum, and freeze-drying techniques reported similarities in color characteristics and could be an alternate drying technique to preserve the color of seaweed cultivars. Therefore, oven drying technique is recommended due to low cost (compared with vacuum and freeze-drying) and an affordable alternative to sun drying, the preferred technique in fishing communities of low-and-middle-income countries, for the development of seaweed-enriched functional foods

A Comprehensive Characterization of Biodegradable Edible Films Based on Potato Peel Starch Plasticized with Glycerol

Potatoes are a source of starch, which is an eco-friendly alternative to petrochemicals in plastic production. Increasing potato production also creates agricultural waste that could be converted to potato peel starch (PPS) and developed as films. A response surface method approach was employed to optimize the bioconversion of PPS (2, 4, and 6% w/v) and compared with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based films. The microstructure analysis of PPSF showed increased thickness, decreased swelling power, water solubility, and vapor permeability, which were linked to increased molecular interactions as a function of PPS increments. However, low-starch PPSF exhibited high transparency, good mechanical properties, and thermal stability (high melting temperature), pliability, and accelerated seawater and soil biodegradation (~90%: 20 and 50 days, respectively). All films exhibited thermal stability at >100 °C and retained similar amorphous characteristics, evidenced by their flexibility, which confirmed the potential use for PPS in packaging perishable and cooled foods

An optimised low-salinity seawater decolourising method produces decolourised seaweed (Kappaphycuz alvarezii) as semi-refined carrageenan raw material:

Semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) production from decolourised Kappaphycuz alvarezii treated by chemicals (CaCO3) drives the search for ‘greener’ decolourisation methods to sustainably supply cheaper and energy efficient products. Therefore, a decolourisation method of low-salinity seawater (LSS) (3, 9 and 15 g/L) was investigated to replace CaCO3. In addition, decolourised seaweed colour powder (DSP) and SRC colour, yield, viscosity and gel strength were used to screen the salinity treatments. SRC prepared from LSS (3 g/L) treatment demonstrated similar colour and physical properties to CaCO3 treatments, which indicated low-salinity seawater (3 g/L) could replace CaCO3 as a decolourising agent. Moreover, purity of SRC (3 g/L salinity) were confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX), and its functional group by fourier transform infrared (FTIR). In this study, waste seawater from LSS (3 g/L) exhibited radical scavenging properties. This decolourising method could be easily adopted by smallholder seaweed farmers in low- and middle-income countries

Characterization of Biodegradable Films Made from Taro Peel (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>) Starch

Studies of renewable polymers have highlighted starch’s role to replace petroleum-based components to produce biodegradable films with plastic-like qualities. In this study, the novelty of taro peel starch (TPS) to produce such films using the casting technique is reported for the first time. A response surface method (RSM) approach was employed to optimize different concentrations of TPS (2.5–3.5%, w/w) and glycerol (25–35%, w/w) and investigate their effects on the physico-mechanical and water barrier properties of TPS films. TPS films showed a positive linear effect (p 2∙kPa∙h), and cubic effect (p < 0.05) for moisture content (0.58–1.57%), which were linked to high starch concentrations when plasticized with glycerol. X-ray diffraction analysis of TPS films depicted “amorphous”-type crystalline structure peaks at 19.88°, while the thermogravimetric analysis of the film samples exhibited 75–80% of the weight loss of TPS film in the second phase between temperatures of 300 °C to 400 °C. All films exhibited homogenous, transparent surfaces with flexibility, and completely degraded in 5 days in simulated river water and composting soil environments, which confirmed TPS as a promising film polymer in food packaging

Antioxidant effects of 14 Chinese traditional medicinal herbs against human low-density lipoprotein oxidation

The relationship between the antioxidant activities and inhibitory effect of 14 Chinese medicinal herbs against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) formation was evaluated. Prolongation of the lag phase of LDL oxidation depended on the concentration of the herbs. The concentration of each herb that was able to prolong the lag time by about two-fold was calculated and expressed as doubling-time concentration. The lower the doubling-time concentration, the stronger the inhibitory effect exhibited toward LDL oxidation. Among them, Chrysanthemi Flos (Chrysanthemum morifolium ramat; 甘菊花 gān jú huā), Crataegi Fructus (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. var. major N.E.Br.; 山楂 shān zhā), and Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.; 洛神 luò shén) showed significant inhibitory effects. Correlation coefficients between doubling-time concentration and radical-scavenging activities were high; the total phenolic content was also high. In conclusion, phenolic compounds contributed not only to antioxidant activities, but also to the inhibitory effect against LDL oxidation. Chrysanthemi Flos, Crataegi Fructus, and H. sabdariffa, with lower doubling-time concentrations, could be potent phytochemical agents to reduce LDL oxidation and prevent the progression of atherosclerosis