Influence of Persian gum and almond gum on the physicochemical properties of wheat starch

In this study, the influence of different levels (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% w/w) of Persian gum or almond gum were incorporated into wheat starch, and their influences on water absorption, freeze–thaw stability, microstructure, pasting, and textural properties were investigated. The SEM micrographs revealed that the addition of hydrocolloids to starch leads to the formation of denser gels with smaller pores. The water absorption of starch pastes was improved in the presence of gums, and samples containing 0.3% almond gum had the highest water absorption. The rapid visco analyzer (RVA) data showed that the incorporation of gums significantly affected the pasting properties by increasing the pasting time, pasting temperature, peak viscosity, final viscosity, and setback and decreasing breakdown. In all the pasting parameters, the changes caused by almond gum were more obvious. Based on TPA measurements, hydrocolloids were able to improve the textural properties of starch gels, such as firmness and gumminess but decreased the cohesiveness, and springiness was not affected by the incorporation of gums. Moreover, the freeze–thaw stability of starch was enhanced by the inclusion of gums, and almond gum exhibited better performance

Geographic distribution and time trends of water-pipe use among Iranian youth and teenage students : A meta-analysis and systematic review

Water-pipe tobacco smoking is harmful to health, yet its rate of prevalence remains uncertain. Recent evidence has shown that the prevalence of water-pipe smoking among students is higher than in the general population. In this study, a systematic review of related literature on water-pipe use was conducted, and for this purpose, 76 articles were examined in the study. In this vein, geographic distribution and time trends of water-pipe consumption in Iran were considered. The results of this study showed that lifetime, last-year, and last-month prevalence of water-pipe smoking use among Iranian students were 28.78 (25.07–32.49), 20.84 (16.01–25.66), and 16.36 (11.86–20.85), respectively. The results also showed a wide variation by the region and sex in Iran. This study has shown the importance of addressing public prevention and alerting programs in schools and universities.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Zein Multilayer Electrospun Nanofibers Contain Essential Oil: Release Kinetic, Functional Effectiveness, and Application to Fruit Preservation

In this study, sequential electrospinning was employed to produce a multilayer film consisting of zein nanofibers (Z) and Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZMEO) with different layers. The layers include: Z (without ZMEO), Z1 (one layer of Z + ZMEO), Z3 (three layers of Z + ZMEO), and Z5 (five layers of Z + ZMEO). Then, the effect of this antimicrobial packaging was investigated in relation to increasing the shelf life of strawberries at 4 °C for 12 days. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the fibers demonstrated a uniform and smooth structure without any beads. The use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that ZMEO was physically encapsulated into multilayer Z, resulting in an enhancement in thermal stability. The multilayer film showed a sustained release pattern of the encapsulated ZMEO for Z3, lasting for 90 h, and Z5, lasting for 180 h. This was in contrast to the rapid release within 50 h observed with Z film. The release kinetics for Z5 showed a good correlation with both the Higuchi and Korsmeyer–Peppas models, while for Z1 and Z3 films, Fickian diffusion was identified as the underlying mechanism. The findings of this study indicated that the multilayer film released ZMEO through a combination of diffusion and polymeric erosion. During a 12-day period of cold storage, strawberries that were treated with Z5 showed significant preservation of their anthocyanin (32.99%), antioxidant activity (25.04%), weight loss (24.46%), titratable acidity (11.47%), firmness (29.67%), and color (10.17%) compared to the control sample. The findings indicated that the sequential electrospinning technique used to create the multilayer nanofibrous film could be used in various fields, such as bioactive encapsulation, controlled release, antimicrobial packaging, and food preservation

Assessment of Zataria Multiflora Essential Oil—Incorporated Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol Fiber Mat as Active Packaging

In this study, an active packaging containing Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZMEO), a powerful natural antimicrobial agent, encapsulated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber via electrospinning is presented. ZMEO was effective on pathogenic bacteria, particularly Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monosytogene), fungi and yeasts (Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans). Results showed that the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of fibers had a bead-free and uniform structure. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) revealed that ZMEO was encapsulated into PVA through a physical process, without chemical interaction between the ingredients. Strawberries treated with PVA/ZMEO significantly (p < 0.05) preserved the anthocyanin (18.64%), total phenols (12.95%), antioxidant (22.72%), soluble solids (6.44%), titratable acidity (20.88%), firmness (27.2%), and color (15.55%) compared to the control sample during 15 days of cold storage. According to these findings, electrospinning was an efficient method for encapsulating bioactive compounds. ZMEO loaded into PVA fiber delayed the physiological and biochemical changes of fruits and extended the fruit’s shelf-life. This study revealed the benefits of incorporating ZMEO into PVA fiber mats, which could lead to new possibilities for active packaging

Efectividad de las aplicaciones de sales de calcio poscosecha para mejorar la vida útil y mantener la calidad de la fruta de albaricoque durante el almacenamiento

Fresh apricot is a nutritious and popular fruit because of its special aroma and taste. However, high ripening rates and susceptibility to mechanical injury and postharvest diseases limit its shelf life. Therefore, the effect of immersion in different calcium salts solution on the qualitative and biochemical characteristics of fresh apricot fruit ʻShahroudi’ cv was evaluated. Treatments were solutions of calcium chloride (CaCl2), calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2, and calcium sulfate (CaSO₄) at a concentration of 1 or 2%. Distilled water was used as a control. Fruits were immersed in water or calcium salts solution for 2 min, air-dried, and then stored at 2±1 °C for three weeks. However, the highest firmness was related to 2% CaCl2 treatment, which was about 60% higher than control, followed by 1% Ca(NO3)2 treatment (50% more than control). Also, the lowest Total Soluble Solids value was 10.46%, which was obtained from 2% CaCl2 and the highest value was obtained in control (15.1%). Besides, the mentioned treatments improved the nutritional value of apricot fruit by increasing total phenolic compounds, and tissue calcium content. The shelf life was 15.67 days in control, while 2% CaCl2 treatment doubled (35.33 days) the shelf life of apricot fruit. In general, the best result was obtained using CaCl2 at 2% treatment for 2 min, which may be applied as a postharvest treatment to improve the storage life of apricot fruit ʻShahroudi’ cv.El albaricoque fresco es una fruta nutritiva y popular debido a su aroma y sabor especial. Sin embargo, las altas tasas de maduración y la susceptibilidad a daños mecánicos y enfermedades de poscosecha limitan su vida útil. Por tanto, se evaluó el efecto de la inmersión de la fruta en diferentes soluciones de sales de calcio sobre las características cualitativas y bioquímicas del fruto fresco de albaricoque cv. ‘Shahroudi’. Los tratamientos incluyeron control (agua destilada) y soluciones de cloruro de calcio (CaCl2), nitrato de calcio Ca(NO3)2 y sulfato de calcio (CaSO₄) en una concentración de 1 o 2%. Las frutas se sumergieron en agua o en una de las soluciones de sales de calcio durante 2 min, se secaron al aire y luego se almacenaron a 2±1 °C durante tres semanas. Sin embargo, la mayor firmeza se relacionó con el tratamiento con CaCl2 al 2%, que fue aproximadamente un 60% más alto que el control, seguido del tratamiento con Ca(NO3)2 al 1% (50% más que el control). obtenido a partir de CaCl2 al 2% y el mayor valor se obtuvo en el control (15,1%). Además, los tratamientos mencionados mejoraron el valor nutricional de los frutos de albaricoque al aumentar los compuestos fenólicos totales y el contenido de calcio en los tejidos. La vida útil fue de 15,67 días para el control, mientras que, el tratamiento con CaCl2 al 2% duplicó (35,33 días) la vida útil de la fruta de albaricoque. En general, el mejor resultado se obtuvo usando el tratamiento 2% de CaCl2 durante 2 min, el cual se podría aplicar como tratamiento de poscosecha para mejorar la vida de almacenamiento de la fruta de albaricoque cv. ‘Shahroudi’

Campylobacter prevalence from food, animals, human and environmental samples in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Campylobacter regarded as a major cause of foodborne gastroenteritis in humans. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of campylobacter in food, animal and human samples of Iran. Results Quantitative synthesis was performed from 119 articles. White meat had the highest pooled prevalence of Campylobacter spp. (43.9%). Pooled prevalence of 7.9% and 5.5% for Campylobacter, respectively, were determined for red meat and eggs from Iran. Campylobacter was seen in 14.9% of environmental samples and 8.4% of human samples. In most of the samples C. jejuni had higher frequency than C. coli. Most of the isolated Campylobacter harbored several of the known virulence related genes of this pathogen. Conclusion Chicken was identified as the Campylobacter reservoir. As such preventive strategies in all stages of poultry production until consumption are necessary to control foodborne human infection with Campylobacter in Iran

Optimization of spray drying process parameters for the food bioactive ingredients

Spray drying (SD) is one of the most important thermal processes used to produce different powders and encapsulated materials. During this process, quality degradation might happen. The main objective of applying optimization methods in SD processes is maximizing the final nutritional quality of the product besides sensory attributes. Optimization regarding economic issues might be also performed. Applying optimization approaches in line with mathematical models to predict product changes during thermal processes such as SD can be a promising method to enhance the quality of final products. In this review, the application of the response surface methodology (RSM), as the most widely used approach, is introduced along with other optimization techniques such as factorial, Taguchi, and some artificial intelligence-based methods like artificial neural networks (ANN), genetic algorithms (GA), Fuzzy logic, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Also, probabilistic methods such as Monte Carlo are briefly introduced. Some recent case studies regarding the implementation of these methods in SD processes are also exemplified and discussed