Electrospinning of glutelin-hordein incorporated with oliveria decumbens essential oil: characterization of nanofibers

peer-reviewedIn this study, electrospinning of hordein and glutelin extracted from barley was carried out. Different ratios of the glutelin-hordein blends (25:75, 30:70, 35:65) were tested and the operation parameters including voltage, ejection flow rate and needle-to-collector distance were optimized. According to the scanning electron micro-scope images, the glutelin-hordein 25:75 blend generated at the voltage of 15 kV, the needle-to-collector distance of 150 mm and the ejection rate of 1 mL/h was selected for the fabrication of uniform nanofibers. The apparent viscosity at the ejection point was decreased with increasing the glutelin concentration from 25 to 35 %. Moreover, the Oliveria decumbens essential oil (ODEO) with different loading concentrations (2–4 % (v/v)) was incorporated into the protein blend. Fourier-transform infrared spectra demonstrated the occurrence of the interactions of proteins the ODEO. The encapsulation efficiency of ODEO in the nanofibers was 79.30 %. The presence of ODEO led to inhibition the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus in a synthetic medium. The optimal nanofibers showed high antioxidnat activity. The results herein showed the possibility of the production of electrospun nanofibers using barley proteins with promising (bio)functionalities for the active food packaging applications

Yeast-Lactobacillus Co-Cultures as in situ Ethanol Producers for Flavor Ester Synthesis using Lipase in Fermented Milks

Background and objective: Nowadays, novel biotechnological methods are preferred for flavoring productions since traditional methods include disadvantages. The aim of this study was to assess in situ biosynthesis of natural fruity flavors in fermented milks using microbial co-cultures and lipase enzyme. Materials and methods: Trans esterification of milk fats with ethanol was carried out to develop fruity flavors in ultra-high-temperature whole milks using lipase of Palatase coupled with ethanol fermentation. Kluyveromyces marxianus NCYC 1425 was used to produce in situ ethanol in co-cultures with Lactobacillus fermentum PCC or Lactobacillus paracasei L26. Effects of co-culturing on cell viability and fermentation progress were assessed using enumeration of viable cells and measurement of pH in samples at 0, 24 (Palatase addition) and 48 h (end of fermentation). Headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography (SPME)-MS/FID was used for ester, ethanol and free fatty acid analyses at the beginning and end of the fermentation. Standard curve of ethanol was used to assess the products in terms of being Halal. Results and conclusion: Kluyveromyces marxianus included synergistic effects on Lactobacillus paracasei growth as well as antagonistic effects on Lactobacillus fermentum growth. Antimicrobial effects were seen in Kluyveromyces marxianus-Lactobacillus paracasei co-cultures when Palatase was added. Palatase significantly increased ester levels of the fermented samples. The co-cultures did not include significant differences in shorter chain ester levels (esters of 4-7 carbon chain fatty acids); in contrast, Kluyveromyces marxianus- Lactobacillus fermentum resulted in higher levels of longer chain esters. Although the Kluyveromyces marxianus cultures resulted in higher ester levels compared to that its co-cultures did, the cultures can be used as appropriate adjunct cultures with Lactobacillus cultures to boost flavor ester synthesis. This flavor synthesis can be an appropriate alternative for artificial flavoring agents

Wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica mutica) oil improve metabolic syndrome features in rats with high fructose ingestion

Objective(s): Metabolic syndrome is a multiplex risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Since some dietary fats such as mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) modify metabolic syndrome components the aim of the present study was to evaluate  the preventive effects of mixture, kernel and hull oils of wild pistachio (WP) (Pistacia atlantica mutica) as good sources of MUFA on different features of this abnormality in rats under induction. Materials and Methods: In this study rats were randomly assigned to six groups with 12 animals per group. Metabolic syndrome was induced by fructose solution in groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Group 3 received sunflower oil and groups 4, 5, and 6 received mixture, hull and kernel oils of WP (2 ml/kg/day), respectively, for 10 weeks. Then, lipid profiles, glycemic indices, oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters were measured using standard laboratory tests.Results: Different forms of WP oil induced hypotriglyceridemia, but the hypocholesterolemia effect was seen only in the mixed and kernel oil groups. Kernel oil also significantly reduced LDL and HDL cholesterol (

Influence of UV and X-ray radiations on oxidative stability of soybean oil formulated with neroli oil as a natural antioxidant

Effects of UV and X-ray treatments on oxidative stability of soybean oil were evaluated during accelerated storage. Furthermore, antioxidant activity of neroli oil incorporated into soybean oil was compared with those of BHT and β-carotene. UV and X-ray treated samples had significantly higher peroxide (105.00 and 191.99 meq O2/kg, respectively), anisidine (62.30 and 153.80 mg/kg, respectively), and Totox values (272.3 and 453.43, respectively) than non-irradiated samples (75.74 meq O2/kg, 26.50 mg/kg, and 177.98, respectively). The X-ray radiation accelerated the oxidation of soybean oil more significantly than UV radiation did. This could be due to the fact that X-ray radiation has a higher energy content. In addition, neroli oil proved its antioxidant activity in soybean oil. Nonetheless, neroli oil had a lower antioxidant activity than BHT – a chemical agent – while β-carotene was neither antioxidant nor pro-oxidant. In conclusion, neroli oil can improve the oxidative stability of irradiated and non-irradiated soybean oil

Enhancing the accuracy, speed, and efficiency of kafirin-PEO electrospun bio-nanocomposite pH indicators with red beetroot extract using image processing

Intelligent electrospun pH indicators were produced from bio-nanocomposite kafirin-polyethylene oxide (PEO) containing red beetroot extract. The aim was to evaluate the performance and stability of the electrospun pH indicators via image processing. Red beetroot extract was added to a mixture of kafirin and PEO at various concentrations. The mixtures were electrospun, and infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy confirmed the presence of kafirin, PEO, and red beetroot extract in the resulting pH indicator. The results showed that the pH indicators had high stability and reversibility at different temperatures, pHs, and environmental conditions. The results showed that the color of the indicators was significantly reversible after pH changes, with highly desirable reversibility observed at pH values of 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10. The findings proved that the red beetroot extract loaded bio-nanocomposite pH indicator accompanied by evaluation of color characteristics through image processing technique, can serve as a time-efficient, accurate tool for detecting and tracking pH changes caused by food spoilage

Evaluating the effect of essential oil extraction method from Satureja macrosiphonia on its biological activities: ohmic- and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two newly introduced extraction methods, ohmic-assisted hydrodistillation (OAHD) and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD), on the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the Satureja macrosiphonia essential oil. The results were compared with conventional hydrodistillation (HD). The investigated essential oils were rich in monoterpenes, notably oxygenated monoterpenes, which were represented mainly by cis-sabinene hydrate, linalool, borneol and terpinen-4-ol. The antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical-scavenging assay, and the IC50 values of 13.78, 11.08 and 14.17mg/mL was obtained for HD, OAHD and MAHD essential oils, respectively. The essential oils were also investigated against gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Listeria innocua, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Enterobacter aerogenes) bacteria. The antibacterial activity was generally weak. In contrast to other Satureja species, Sat.macrosiphonia that was examined in this study did not exert strong biological activities.Practical ApplicationsApplication of emerging thermal technologies such as ohmic and microwave heating has been introduced to essential oil extraction and presented some desirable advantages over the conventional methods, such as effective heating, fast energy transfer, time saving and low operating costs, and no adverse alterations in chemical compositions have been observed. In this study, ohmic- and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation were used to extract the essential oils of Satureja macrosiphonia. The results of this study showed that using the emerging technologies that are considered as green technologies gives rise to a selective extraction of some components compared with hydrodistillation. Not only no adverse effect on the biological activity of the essential oils was observed, but also more extraction of particular components may result to a higher activity

Intergenerational Comparison of Value of Children among Urban Women Population in Mashhad, Iran, 2014

Introduction: The theory of value of children refers to the needs which children provide for their parents. Considering the close relationship between the value orientation of people with the decisions in organizing life and forming a family, including having children, and according to decreased fertility rate in Iran, the present study was performed with aim of intergenerational comparison of the value of children and its dimensions among women in Mashhad. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed as multi-stage sampling on 712 women referred to health centers in Mashhad and using a demographic questionnaire and the questionnaire of value of children, including three emotional, economic and social dimensions, which its validity was determined using content validity and its reliability by internal consistency. Data was analyzed using SPSS software (version 16). P Results: The studied women more perceived emotional value of children with a mean score of 68.89 ± 18.02, and then the economic value of children with a mean score of 46.13 ± 19.36, and the social value of children with a mean score of 43.89 ± 15.15 had the lowest priority among women. Also, the mean score of emotional value of children was higher among younger women and economic and social value was higher among older women. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate more importance of emotional value of children among women and changing the value of children from economic and social point of view to emotional one among younger generation that suggests a new vision to design comprehensive and regular training plans in order to promote women's reproductive behavior

Microwave and ohmic heating impact on the in situ hydrodistillation and selective extraction of Satureja macrosiphonia essential oil

The aerial parts of Satureja macrosiphonia were extracted through microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and ohmic-assisted hydrodistillation (OAHD) methods and compared to conventional hydrodistillation (HD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the essential oil extraction kinetics, chemical constituents, physical properties and leaves' structural changes for the three above processes. Relative energy consumption and CO2 emissions during various extraction methods were also compared. Significant differences were observed in rate and time for the extraction methods; however, the values of extraction yield were insignificant, with no adverse changes in the essential oil composition. The more selective extraction of cis-sabinene hydrate (29.65%) and linalool (22.38%), however, was obtained through MAHD and OAHD, respectively. The relative electrical energy consumption for the OAHD and MAHD were almost one half and one quarter of that recorded for HD, respectively. Based on equivalent CO2 emission, OAHD and MAHD may be considered as green technologies.Practical ApplicationsIn order to reduce the drawbacks of the conventional extraction techniques, emerging thermal technologies such as ohmic and microwave heating has been introduced to essential oil extraction. In this study, ohmic- and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation were used to extract the essential oils from Satureja macrosiphonia. There are some desirable advantages of the newly introduced extraction methods over the conventional methods, which were observed in the present study, such as effective heating and fast energy transfer, which in turn results in a faster extraction process along with time saving and low operating costs. Moreover, no adverse alterations in chemical compositions have been observed. According to the results of the present study, selective extraction of oxygenated and hydrated components were achieved by MAHD, compared to OAHD and HD, although OAHD presented a slightly better extraction of components in contrast to HD