Effect of different hydrocolloids on barbari bread texture and microstructure

Applying several hydrocolloids in ascending concentrations (0.1, 0.5 and 1% w/w flour basis) to bread making procedure was considered. Effect of hydrocolloids [guar, xanthan gum, carboxylmethylcellulose (CMC), and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC)] as bread improver on Barbari (Iranian bread) was analysed in terms of microstructure. Image analysis parameters, hardness, and microstructure of fresh bread were analysed. The results confirmed the ability of hydrocolloids for improving fresh bread quality. Among all used hydrocolloids, HPMC and CMC produced the softest texture, smoothest and continuous structure, and improved overall the bread quality

Application of coated wheat bran to producing barbari bread with increased nutritional value and improved bread texture and shelf life

The enrichment of bread with wheat bran as a source of dietary fibre seems to be necessary for human health, because bread is the most consumed commodity in many countries. However, wheat bran has some adverse effects on the bread quality during storage. The aim of this study was to produce barbari bread with increased nutritional value and improved texture by the addition of coated wheat bran (0.67 and 1.34% based on flour stearic acid or St1, 2 and beeswax or Bw1, 2). Bread made from uncoated wheat bran was used as control. The least crust to crumb ratio was seen for control and Bw1. Water activity and moisture content results showed that the crumb of Bw1 and control had the better moisture retention during storage. Textural properties of samples showed that there were no significant differences in the hardness of the samples (P>0.05). However, the least increase in hardness during storage was observed for stearic acid coated samples. Other texture profile analysis parameters, such as cohesiveness and springiness, showed that Bw1 and Bw2 samples had no significant changes during storage. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed the least enthalpy for Bw1 after baking (385.21 J g–1) and during storage (567.62 J g–1). Accordingly, results showed that beeswax, especially at 0.67% (based on flour), is the best shell material for bran coating in order to improve bread texture and shelf life

Synthesis of polyacid nanogels: pH-responsive sub-100 nm particles for functionalisation and fluorescent hydrogel assembly

Nanogels are crosslinked polymer particles with a swollen size between 1 and 100 nm. They are of major interest for advanced surface coatings, drug delivery, diagnostics and biomaterials. Synthesising polyacid nanogels that show triggered swelling using a scalable approach is a key objective of polymer colloid chemistry. Inspired by the ability of polar surfaces to enhance nanoparticle stabilisation, we report the first examples of pH-responsive polyacid nanogels containing high -COOH contents prepared by a simple, scalable, aqueous method. To demonstrate their functionalisation potential, glycidyl methacrylate was reacted with the -COOH chemical handles and the nanogels were converted to macro-crosslinkers. The concentrated (functionalised) nanogel dispersions retained their pH-responsiveness, were shear-thinning and formed physical gels at pH 7.4. The nanogels were covalently interlinked via free-radical coupling at 37 °C to form transparent, ductile, hydrogels. Mixing of the functionalised nanogels with polymer dots enabled covalent assembly of fluorescent hydrogels

Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System

Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde

An embedded cohesive crack model for finite element analysis of brickwork masonry fracture

This paper presents a numerical procedure for fracture of brickwork masonry based on the strong discontinuity approach. The model is an extension of the cohesive model prepared by the authors for concrete, and takes into account the anisotropy of the material. A simple central-force model is used for the stress versus crack opening curve. The additional degrees of freedom defining the crack opening are determined at the crack level, thus avoiding the need of performing a static condensation at the element level. The need for a tracking algorithm is avoided by using a consistent procedure for the selection of the separated nodes. Such a model is then implemented into a commercial code by means of a user subroutine, consequently being contrasted with experimental results. Fracture properties of masonry are independently measured for two directions on the composed masonry, and then input in the numerical model. This numerical procedure accurately predicts the experimental mixed-mode fracture records for different orientations of the brick layers on masonry panels

Procyanidins are potent inhibitors of LOX-1: a new player in the French Paradox

Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) is an endothelial receptor for oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and plays multiple roles in the development of cardiovascular diseases. We screened more than 400 foodstuff extracts for identifying materials that inhibit oxLDL binding to LOX-1. Results showed that 52 extracts inhibited LOX-1 by more than 70% in cell-free assays. Subsequent cell-based assays revealed that a variety of foodstuffs known to be rich in procyanidins such as grape seed extracts and apple polyphenols, potently inhibited oxLDL uptake in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing LOX-1. Indeed, purified procyanidins significantly inhibited oxLDL binding to LOX-1 while other ingredients of apple polyphenols did not. Moreover, chronic administration of oligomeric procyanidins suppressed lipid accumulation in vascular wall in hypertensive rats fed with high fat diet. These results suggest that procyanidins are LOX-1 inhibitors and LOX-1 inhibition might be a possible underlying mechanism of the well-known vascular protective effects of red wine, the French Paradox