Antioxidant potential, phytochemical and nutrient compositions of Nigerian hog plum (Spondias mombin) seed kernel as a new food source

The Nigerian hog plum (Spondias mombin) seed kernel was studied for its possible anti-oxidative potential and its proximate and nutrient compositions measured. The fruits were submitted to washing, pulp removal and drying to facilitate fibre separation from the seed kernel. Seeds were Milled to obtain samples, while analysis was carried out using standard Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) methods and phytochemical assays. The seed kernel contains carbohydrate (40.56%), ash (8.09%), crude fibre (31.86%), moisture content (8.48%), crude protein (7.73%), crude fat (3.28%), calcium (1317 mg/kg), iron (839.08 mg/kg), magnesium (494.71 mg/kg), manganese (17.93 mg/kg), zinc (15.27 mg/kg), and copper (7.68 mg/kg). Phytochemical analyses indicated the presence of tannins (0.06%) and phytate (0.0022%), but did not indicate the presence of flavonoids, oxalate and saponins. The free radical scavenging activity against the 2, 2–diphenyl–1–picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical was at the level of 15.09%, while total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were 856.7±5.84 mgAAE/100g and 573.32±11.5 mgGAE/100g respectively. The seed kernel of Spondias mombin is a potential source of nutritious food, good anti-anaemic and anti-diabetic agent as a result of iron and zinc content, and potential chemo-protective agent with the ability to offer possible protection against the activities of the toxic Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) from the results of total phenolic content, antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities

Development and preliminary testing of a bambara groundnut sheller

A centrifugal bambara groundnut pod shelling machine was designed and constructed to crack various sizes and varieties of bambara groundnut. The sheller was fabricated with locally available materials from the formation of a new idea which aimed at easing the pain, stress, intensive labour, time consumption, undue cost and the cumbersome operation encountered in the traditional method of shelling. The machine consists of three main units, namely the hopper, shelling unit and power transmission unit. The sheller uses impact technique and was designed to shell bambara groundnuts effectively and also to eliminate drudgery associated with the traditional methods of shelling legumes. Five hundred (500) samples of sundried bambara groundnuts at 6% (wet basis) which were randomly selected were shelled at an impeller rotation speed of 1636 rpm. The results of the test showed that the shelling efficiency, seed damage, partially shelled pods, unshelled pods and the machine capacity were 83.2%, 17.4%, 7.8%, 9% and 75000 seeds/hr respectively

Simultaneous UV-C and ultrasonic energy treatment for disinfection of tomatoes and its antioxidant properties

The simultaneous use of UV-C radiation at 640 or 900 μWcm-2 and ultrasonic energy of 13.78 W/L at 40 kHz was applied on tomatoes to study its ability to disinfect tomatoes from microbes. Total aerobic bacteria and yeast and mold population decreased with increase of UV-C dosage application from 0.72-10.76 kJ/m2 at constant ultrasonic energy supply. At simultaneous treatment dosage of 6.46 kJ/m2, total aerobic bacteria were significantly (p<0.001) reduced by 2 log reductions. Yeast and mold survivors were undetected at higher dosage treatment from 4.31 to 10.76 kJ/m2. Lower dosage treatment from 0.72 to 2.15 kJ/m2 presented minor log reductions of 0.14 to 0.75. The treatment also stimulated 41.26-50.37% increase of total phenols from an initial value of 13.38 mg GAE 100g-1 FW. Antioxidant activity increase from 27.51-36.07% was obtained at dosage level of 8.61 kJ/m2

Effects of simultaneous UV-C radiation and ultrasonic energy postharvest treatment on bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of tomatoes during storage

The effects of a novel technology utilizing a simultaneous combination of Ultraviolet-C radiation and ultrasound energy postharvest treatment on tomato bioactive compounds during 28 days’ storage period was investigated by varying Ultraviolet-C radiation intensities of 639.37 or 897.16 µW/cm2 at a constant ultrasound intensity of 13.87 W/L from a 40 kHz–1 kW transducer. A minimal treatment time of 240 s at Ultraviolet-C dosage of 2.15 kJ/m2 was observed to provoke a considerable increase in bioactive compounds content, proportionated to treatment time. Although treatment led to temperature increase in the system reaching 39.33 °C due to heat generation by ultrasonic cavitation, the extractability and biosynthesis of phytochemicals were enhanced resulting in 90%, 30%, 60%, 20%, and 36% increases in lycopene, total phenols, vitamin C, hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities respectively. Results present the potential use of the combined non-thermal technologies as post-harvest treatment to improve bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity during storage

Combination of ultrasound and ultraviolet‐C irradiation on kinetics of color, firmness, weight loss, and total phenolic content changes in tomatoes during storage

A kinetic study was conducted to account for the changes occurring in color, firmness, weight loss, and total phenolic content of tomatoes subjected to combined ultrasound technology (40 kHz, 13.78 W/L) and ultraviolet‐C radiation (639.37 µw/cm2) treatment for 28 min. Combined treatment delayed ripening, increased firmness, weight loss, and induced total phenolic content retention of tomatoes compared to untreated samples. The change in color parameters of hue angle and chroma was described using the fractional conversion and zero‐order models, respectively. Fractional conversion kinetic model was also found suitable for firmness degradation, while the zero‐order and first‐order models were appropriate for change in weight loss and total phenolic content retention prediction, respectively. Activation energy for measured parameters ranged from 121.29 to 199.70 kJ/mol at a temperature range of 33.76–37.12ºC, and showed highest sensitivity to treatment temperature in reduced ranking for firmness degradation, weight loss, total phenolic content retention, hue angle, and chroma

Optimisation of treatment conditions for reducing Shewanella putrefaciens and Salmonella Typhimurium on grass carp treated by thermoultrasound-assisted plasma functionalized buffer

A novel method of thermoultrasound-assisted plasma functionalized buffer (PFB) for decontaminating grass carp was evaluated using the Box–Behnken design (BBD) with processing variables including PFB generating voltage (PV), ultrasound treatment time (UT) and temperature (TP). The predicted models were found to be significant (p  0.05) lack of fit and high coefficient of determination (R2≥0.97) values. The optimum decontamination conditions for the responses of S. putrefaciens and S. Typhimurium were PV of 66 V, UT of 14.90 min and TP of 60 ℃, achieving reductions of 4.40 and 3.97 log CFU/g, respectively, with a desirability of 0.998. Among the variables, temperature presented higher significance for inactivating bacteria and the production of volatile basic nitrogen and lipid peroxidation under the optimized conditions were within the limits of freshness for grass carp. Additionally, the effects of PFB and the optimized thermoultrasound-assisted PFB decontamination were mild on the microstructure of grass carp with slight ruptures and loose myofibril structures, indicating the potential of thermoultrasound-assisted PFB for seafood products decontamination with reduced processing time

Effect of plasma-activated water and buffer solution combined with ultrasound on fungicide degradation and quality of cherry tomato during storage

The purpose of this study was to examine plasma-activated buffer solution (PABS) and plasma-activated water (PAW) combined with ultrasonication (U) treatment on the reduction of chlorothalonil fungicide and the quality of tomato fruits during storage. To obtain PAW and PABS, an atmospheric air plasma jet was used to treat buffer solution and deionized water at different treatment times (5 and 10 min). For combined treatments, fruits were submerged in PAW and PABS, then sonicated for 15 min, and individual treatment without sonication. As per the results, the maximum chlorothalonil reduction of 89.29% was detected in PAW-U10, followed by 85.43% in PABS. At the end of the storage period, the maximum reduction of 97.25% was recorded in PAW-U10, followed by 93.14% in PABS-U10. PAW, PABS, and both combined with ultrasound did not significantly affect the overall tomato fruit quality in the storage period. Our results revealed that PAW combined with sonication had a significant impact on post-harvest agrochemical degradation and retention of tomato quality than PABS. Conclusively, the integrated hurdle technologies effectively reduce agrochemical residues, which helps to lower health hazards and foodborne illnesses