Effect of heat on loofah gourd seeds chemical composition and fatty acids of raw seeds

Dehulled loofah gourd seeds (DLGS), Luffah cylindrica was divided into three parts namely; raw (DLGSR), boiled for 5 min at 100 oC (DLGSB) and cooked for 30 min (DGLSC). Proximate composition, amino acids, amino acid scores and energy were determined in DLGSR, DLGSB and DLGSC and fatty acids constituents only in DLGSR on dry matter basis. Crude protein content of DLGSB and DLGSC were similar and significantly lower (p<0.05) than DLGSR while crude fibre, carbohydrate, ash, and the ether extract were not (p>0.05). Glutamic acid (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp), leucine (Leu), arginine (Arg), lysine (Lys), valine (Val) and phenylalanine (Phe) were concentrated in DLGSR in the order listed. Arg, Thr, Asp, Glu, Pro,Gly and Ala were significantly highest (p<0.05) in DLGSC while Lys, Asp and Ser were highest (p<0.05) in DLGSR and Gly and Tyr in DLGSB. The percent total non-essential amino acid (TNEAA) and the protein efficiency ratio (P-PER) were highest (p>0.05) in raw and boiled seeds respectively. The limiting amino acid in the samples was Met+Cyst. The fatty acid constituents were myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidic acid. DLGSR contained 99.1% total fatty acids, 31.4% total saturated fatty acids, 67.7% total unsaturated fatty acids. Loofah gourd seed is a good potential vegetable protein source as food/feed.Keywords: Boiled, cooked, dehulled, proximate, energy

Potential vegetable sources for biodiesel production:Cashew, coconut and cotton

This work presents a study on crude oil and biodiesel obtained from the seeds of the tropical plants Anacardium occidentale L (cashew), Cocos nucifera (coconut palm) and Gossypium hirsutum (upland cotton). The following crude oil and biodiesel physical-chemical properties were determined: acid number, iodine value, copper corrosivity, density and viscosity at different temperatures. Also, the chemical composition of the fatty acid methyl esters was measured using gas chromatography and a comparison was made with biodiesel from other sources reported in the literature. The analysis pointed out that cashew, coconut palm and upland cotton are potential sources for biodiesel production. Among the biodiesel types tested, cashew showed the highest oxidation stability

Bioavailability of Iron, Zinc, Phytate and Phytase Activity during Soaking and Germination of White Sorghum Varieties

The changes in phytate, phytase activity and in vitro bioavailability of iron and zinc during soaking and germination of three white sorghum varieties (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), named Dorado, Shandweel-6, and Giza-15 were investigated. Sorghum varieties were soaked for 20 h and germinated for 72 h after soaking for 20 h to reduce phytate content and increase iron and zinc in vitro bioavailability. The results revealed that iron and zinc content was significantly reduced from 28.16 to 32.16% and 13.78 to 26.69% for soaking treatment and 38.43 to 39.18% and 21.80 to 31.27% for germination treatments, respectively. Phytate content was significantly reduced from 23.59 to 32.40% for soaking treatment and 24.92 to 35.27% for germination treatments, respectively. Phytase enzymes will be activated during drying in equal form in all varieties. The results proved that the main distinct point is the change of phytase activity as well as specific activity during different treatment which showed no significant differences between the varieties used. The in vitro bioavailability of iron and zinc were significantly improved as a result of soaking and germination treatments

Composition of unfermented, unroasted, roasted cocoa beans and cocoa shells from Peninsular Malaysia

Composition of cocoa beans depends on origin and cocoa processing such as fermentation, drying and roasting. However, less research has been conducted to analyse the composition of Peninsular Malaysia cocoa bean at different processing stages. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the proximate, phytosterol level, antioxidant content and activity of Peninsular Malaysia unfermented, unroasted, roasted cocoa beans and cocoa shells. Analysis involved was proximate analysis, total phenolic compound (Folin–Ciocalteu reagent assay), antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay) and phytosterol composition. Results show that the crude fiber of unroasted cocoa beans and cocoa shells increased from 17.19 to 28.45% and 13.86 to 16.06% respectively after roasting process. The roasting process is suspected to increase the dietary fiber content of cocoa products due to the interaction between polysaccharides, protein, polyphenolic and Maillard products at high temperature. The total phenolic content in cocoa bean and cocoa shells ranged from 2.42 to 10.82 µg GAE/ml. The unfermented cocoa beans contain significantly (p < 0.05) higher antioxidant activity (92.3%) compared to other samples. This study shows that cholesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol were present in roasted cocoa beans and cocoa shells. Hence, the information on the composition of Malaysia unfermented, unroasted, roasted cocoa beans and cocoa shells are needed to enrich the databases composition as a reference for the cocoa industry

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children &lt;18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p&lt;0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p&lt;0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p&lt;0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Comparability of the amino acid composition of aril and seed of blighia sapida fruit

Akee apple fruit (Blighia sapida Konig), is one of the popular small-scale tropical fruits and it is an important crop. B. sapida may be eaten raw (without the pink raphe attaching the aril to the seed) or after cooking when it resembles scrambled eggs. Fruits like the akee apple are novelties for many people except in the savannah belt; in the localities where they grow they are eaten and relished. In view of this, an investigation into the concentrations of amino acids of the aril and seed parts of Blighia sapida fruit was carried out using standard methods to determine amino acid profiles; quality of dietary protein was determined using various methods like: amino acid scores determination [(in three different ways); (i) amino acid score based on the whole hen’s egg, (ii) essential amino acid score based on the provisional amino acid scoring pattern, (iii) essential amino acid score based on suggested school child requirement] essential amino acid index and predicted protein efficiency ratio. For quick precipitation of protein, the isoelectric point was also determined. Glutamic acid was the most abundant amino acid (11.4-12.7 g/100 g) and while Arg was the most abundant (7.25 g/100 g) essential amino acid in the aril, it was Leu (6.58 g/100 g) in the seed. The total essential amino acid in aril was 33.7 g/100 g (50.2 %). It was 33.8 g/100 g (45.8 %) in the seed. The limiting essential amino acid (based on provisional scoring pattern) was Met + Cys (0.60) in aril and Thr (0.59) in seed. The essential amino acid index ranged from 1.08 (seed) to 1.62 (aril); the predicted protein efficiency ratio was 1.83 in aril and 2.20 in the seed whereas the isoelectric pointranged between 3.89 in aril and 4.0 in the seed. At á 0.05, significant differences existed in the samples in amino acid profiles and calculated isoelectric point (pI). The results of this study indicated that the amino acid profiles of akee apple aril and seed are similar in composition, being good sources of many of the essential amino acids. Whilst the aril is eaten fresh, the seed can be exploited for human food.Key words: Blighia sapida, amino acid profiles, qualit

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease