Characterization Of Spatial Variability Of Soil Engineering Properties At USM Engineering Campus

Studies on the spatial variability of soil engineering properties are limited in the south-east Asia. Understanding the variability of soil properties is significant to land management practices including planning and adopting conservation works for soil erosion, slope stability, landslide control and soil hydrological response modeling. This study examines the spatial variability of soil engineering properties (moisture content, bulk density, particle size distribution, organic content and specific gravity) in a flat region under tropical climate using geostatistical and statistical methods. Soil samples were taken from a 137 ha area of the Universiti Sains Malaysia. The study area was divided into a number of geo-grid reference points and soil samples were collected at grid intersection points. The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used for locating the sample position. Large spatial variability of soil fines content and moisture content were found to exist in the study area and the degree of variability was heterogeneous among different soil properties. About 74–84% of the observed total variability in soil properties was due to spatial structure. All the soil properties tested, exhibited strong spatial dependency and were spatial dependent up to distances of 181–256m. The study indicated geostatistical analysis in conjunction with conventional statistical analysis could reveal spatial variability nature of soil properties and the causes behind the variability. The variability of the soil properties observed is largely due to topographic conditions and land disturbances

Effect of Garlic and Turmeric Powders on In Vitro Digestibility of the Cooked Rice

Consumers nowadays are interested in foods with low glycemic index (GI) and high indigestible carbohydrate content. In Asia, white rice is the staple food and is generally considered as a readily digestible and high GI food. Occasionally, white rice is cooked by mixing with other ingredients such as herbs and spices. This study is carried out to determine the total phenolic content and the effect of in vitro digestibility on cooked white rice with added garlic and turmeric powders. Rice cooked with addition of turmeric powder (3 % w/w) showed the highest total phenolic content (92.02 mg GAE/100 g) among all the cooked rice samples. The effect of incorporating garlic powder (3 % w/w) and turmeric powder (3 % w/w) into the rice preparation was determined using an in vitro digestion protocol. Results show that by incorporating either garlic or turmeric powder into the rice, starch digestibility was significantly reduced. Rice with added turmeric powder showed a greater reduction in digestibility with significantly lower fraction of rapidly digestible starch (41.5 %; white rice 57.6 %) beside higher fraction of slowly digestible starch (36.1 %; white rice 28.4 %) and resistant starch fraction (22.6 %; white rice 14%). Overall, both spices were able to inhibit starch digestion which can be considered as a potential ingredient in lowering starch digestibility in the cooked rice

Effect of encapsulation with gelatin and alginate, and coating with βeta-glucan, chitosan and gellan gum on the viability of lactobacillus acidophilus during freeze-drying and exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions

One major challenge in the delivery of probiotic products is the reduced viability of the probiotic caused by the high or low temperature during processing and storage, and the extreme acidic pH conditions in the gut before reaching the target site colon. This study aimed to investigate the effect of encapsulation and coating with hydrocolloids on the viability of L. acidophilus (La05) during freeze-drying and in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. La05 was encapsulated in two different hydrocolloid matrices namely (1) alginate and (2) gelatin. The beads obtained were subsequently subjected to three different coating materials namely (1) β-glucan, (2) chitosan, and (3) gellan gum. All encapsulated La05, with and without coating, were exposed to freeze-drying and subsequently 4-hr sequential simulated gastrointestinal environment. Free cells of La05 were used as the control sample. Free cells of La05 recorded 3.58 log CFU g-1 reduction in cell viability during freeze-drying. Cell viability during freeze-drying of the encapsulated La05 was improved (p<0.05) with a reduction of 1.86-1.92 log CFU g-1. The cell viability during freeze-drying was further enhanced by coating with a lower reduction of 1.22-1.52 log CFU g-1. The protection on the La05 by the encapsulation was again demonstrated during the simulated gastrointestinal exposure with a lower reduction in cell viability (4.22-4.23 log CFU g-1) for the encapsulated La05. Further protection on the La05 by coating was evident as a much lower reduction in cell viability (2.64-3.43 log CFU g-1) was observed during the simulated gastrointestinal exposure. Encapsulation and subsequent coating provided protection to La05 during both the freeze-drying and the simulated gastrointestinal exposure. Encapsulation and coating with hydrocolloids can address the issue of reduced viability of probiotic in probiotic products

Effects of annealing on the properties of gamma-irradiated sago starch

The increase in health and safety concerns regarding chemical modification in recent years has caused a growing research interest in the modification of starch by physical techniques. There has been a growing trend toward using a combination of treatments in starch modification in producing desirable functional properties to widen the application of a specific starch. In this study, a novel combination of gamma irradiation and annealing (ANN) was used to modify sago starch (Metroxylon sagu). The starch was subjected to gamma irradiation (5, 10, 25, 50 kGy) prior to ANN at 5 °C (To-5) and 10 °C (To-10) below the gelatinization temperature. Determination of amylose content, pH, carboxyl content, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) intensity ratio (R1047/1022), swelling power and solubility, thermal behavior, pasting properties, and morphology were carried out. Annealing irradiated starch at To-5 promoted more crystalline perfection as compared to To-10, particularly when combined with 25 and 50 kGy, whereby a synergistic effect was observed. Dual-modified sago starch exhibited lower swelling power, improved gel firmness, and thermal stability with an intact granular structure. Results suggested the potential of gamma irradiation and annealing to induce some novel characteristics in sago starch for extended applications

Quality improvement of green saba banana flour Steamed cake

Gluten avoidance is becoming a popular diet trend around the world. In this study, green Saba banana flour (GSBF) was used to produce a gluten-free (GF) steamed cake. The effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) (0%, 10%, 15%) and Ovalette (0%, 3.5%, 7%) on the quality of the cake were investigated. Physicochemical properties of the flours were measured. The viscosity and specific gravity of the batters; as well as the specific volume, weight loss and texture profile of the resulting cakes were determined. Sensory evaluation was performed to compare the acceptance of the cake formulations. The macronutrient and resistant starch content of the cakes were determined. The use of an appropriate level of SPI and Ovalette was found to effectively enhance the aeration of the cake batter and improved the specific volume and weight loss of the cake. The presence of Ovalette was essential to soften the texture of the cake. GF cake supplemented with 10% SPI and 3.5% Ovalette obtained the highest sensorial acceptance. The nutritional quality of this sample was significantly improved, whereby it contained higher protein than the gluten-containing counterpart. GSBF also contributed to the high dietary fiber and resistant starch content of the cake.

Development of gluten-free steamed cake using green saba banana flour

Along with the increase of diagnosed Celiac patient, gluten-free (GF) foods have shown a significant increase in worldwide consumption. The removal of gluten and replacement with other ingredients to improve the palatability have caused unsatisfactory nutritional profile in GF foods. Green banana flour is known to content high resistant starch (RS) that is beneficial for human health. Saba banana is a locally grown banana, though widely available, but it has limited industrial applications. To add-value to Saba banana and addressing the issue of low nutritional quality of GF food, a steamed cake was developed using green Saba banana flour (GSBF), soy protein isolate (SPI) (0%, 10% and 15%) and a commercial cake stabilizer, Ovelette (0%, 3.5% and 7%). Characterisation of the flour (colour, oil holding capacity, water holding capacity, proximate content and resistant starch content) and cake batters (viscosity and specific gravity) were carried out. The specific volume, weight loss, colour, texture and sensory acceptance of the cake were investigated. GSBF was found to contain high RS and dietary fibre but darker in colour. Depending on the concentration, SPI and stabilizer increased the batter viscosity and affected the specific volume and colour of the cakes. The texture properties were generally improved with the additives used. The most acceptable formulation was identified from sensory evaluation; it contained higher protein, dietary fibre and RS than its gluten-containing counterpart. Results obtained show that appropriate amount of SPI and Ovelette could effectively improve the physical, textural and nutritional properties of the cake

Ocular Adverse Events After COVID-19 Vaccination

10.1080/09273948.2021.1976221Ocular Immunology and Inflammation2961216-122