Integrated extrusion‐enzymatic treatment of corn bran for production of functional cake

Corn bran, as one of the high‐fructose corn syrup industries’ by‐products, is a rich source of functional fibers. The major fraction of corn bran is insoluble arabinoxylan having lower functional properties than the minor soluble function. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to increase the soluble fiber content of corn bran and use it for functional cake production. In this regard, milled corn bran with three different sizes was exposed to one factor enzymatic treatment to select the best sieving size (the criterion for selecting the best product in each stage of assay was production of the highest amount of soluble fiber). Then, milled corn bran with the best particle size was exposed to nine different enzymatic treatments to select the best enzymatic treatment condition. Additionally, the extruder feed (corn bran) moisture was adjusted to three levels to select the best level of feed moisture content and use it for performing nine different extruding experiments. Concerning integrated extrusion‐enzymatic treatment, nine different extruding pretreatments were conducted on corn bran through selecting the optimum moisture level of extruding. Afterward, the product was milled and sieved to the optimum size for enzymatic treatment, and the nine pretreatments were combined with nine different enzymatic treatments. The product containing the highest soluble fiber was selected and used at various levels for functional cake production. Finally, some organoleptic and physicochemical properties (springiness, gumminess, hardness, cohesiveness, Bostwick number, density) of the produced product were analyze

The inhibitory potential of Zataria multiflora and Syzygium aromaticum essential oil on growth and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus in culture media and Iranian white cheese

Antifungal activity of essential oils (EOs) of Zataria multiflora (thyme) and Syzygium aromaticum (clove) against Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin B1 production was studied in potato dextrose agar (PDA) and potato dextrose broth (PDB), as well as in Iranian white cheese as a food model. The results showed that the inhibitory potential of EOs in the PDB medium is more than PDA medium. Clove EO on PDB medium prevented fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 production at 300 and 100 ppm, respectively. However, the thyme EO was not able to inhibit fungal growth completely and showed the strongest inhibition effect at 400 ppm. EOs also had more inhibitory activity in laboratory culture media than the food environments. EOs in all concentrations reduced aflatoxin B1 production and fungal growth in cheese, but only the clove EO at 150 ppm was able to prevent the fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 production completely. Thyme EO reduced aflatoxin B1 value to below detection threshold (2 ppb) at 10 μl. Our findings propose EOs as a natural inhibitor to control fungal contamination of foodstuffs such as Iranian white cheese

Impact of Consumption of Chicory Leaf Extract in Adjunct with Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy on Serum Antioxidant and Lipid Status in Patients with Periodontal Disease: Preliminary Study

Background and Objectives: Periodontal disease is a chronic disorder with a high prevalence. There are few studies about the role of diet in prevention and treatment of periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of consumption of Chicory leaf extract in adjunct with non-surgical periodontal therapies on serum antioxidant and lipid status. Materials and Methods: This study was a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted on 40 patients in Sina Hospital of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Iran) in 2014.&nbsp;The intervention (n=20) and control groups (n=20) were allocated using blocked randomization. The intervention group received 2 capsules (2 g) of Chicory leaf extract daily for 8 weeks. All subjects underwent non-surgical periodontal therapy during the intervention period. Anthropometric indices, 24-hour diet records, total antioxidant capacity, malate di-aldehyde (MDA), uric acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and HDL-c was measured before and after intervention. Results: The mean level of total antioxidant capacity (1.89 &plusmn; 0.49; 1.20 &plusmn; 0.25, respectively; P<0.001) and uric acid (7.15&plusmn;1.98; 4.48&plusmn;1.34, respectively; P<0.001) increased in the intervention group compared with the control group post intervention. The mean level of MDA decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group post-intervention (3.01&plusmn;1.15; 3.97&plusmn;1.19, respectively; P.d<0.001). Cholesterol difference was not significant pre- and post-intervention between the two groups (P=0.35). The mean level of serum triglyceride (TG) was significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group post intervention (149.50&plusmn;97.88; 109.35&plusmn;58.00, respectively; P.d<0.001). The mean level of HDL-c was also significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group post treatment (42.25&plusmn;8.47; 39.80&plusmn;8.94, respectively; P.d<0.001). Conclusions: It seems that consumption of Chicory leaf in adjunct with non-surgical periodontal treatment has beneficial effect against periodontal disease. Keywords: Periodontal disease, Chicory, Total antioxidant capacity, Inflammation, Lipi