Effect of Storage Time and Temperature on Digestibility, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Retrograded Rice

Retrogradation is defined as the recrystallization or realignment of amylose and amylopectin chains upon cooling of gelatinization starch gels. The storage conditions such as the storage time and temperature are crucial factors that influence and govern the degree of retrogradation and in turn, affect the formation of resistant starch and alteration of thermal and rheological properties. This article investigates the effect of storage time and temperature on the properties of retrograded rice starch. Rice kernels of five different indigenous varieties, namely Diasang lahi, Khaju lahi, Dhusuri bao, Omkar, and Bili rajamudi were cooked by boiling in water and stored at 4 °C and −20 °C for 6 and 12 h, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies revealed in raw form that Bili rajamudi exhibited the highest peak gelatinization temperature (Tp, °C) at 79.05 °C whereas Diasang lahi showed the least Tp at 56.12 °C. Further, it was indicated that the Tp and degree of retrogradation (DR%) also increase with increasing time and decreasing temperature of storage. All samples stored at −20 °C for 12 h exhibited the highest degree of retrogradation DR%. Amongst all five varieties stored at −20 °C for 12 h, Omkar exhibited the highest %DR, followed by Bili rajamudi, Khaju lahi, Dhusuri bao, and Diasang lahi. A negative correlation was also established between Tp and resistant starch content (RS%). It was also observed that the resistant starch (RS%) content increased with the increasing time and decreasing temperature of storage. A strong negative correlation was observed between RS% and non-resistant starch (NRS%). Further, rheological studies indicated that retrogradation also affects the viscosity and dynamic rheological properties of starch. In this study, it was evident that extending storage duration from 6 to 12 h and lowering temperature from 4 to −20 °C impact retrogradation of rice starch, which in turn affects the starch’s gelatinization, digestibility, and rheology. Rice starch retrograded at lower temperatures for a longer period could prove to be extremely beneficial for development of food products with better textural properties and high RS content or low glycemic index

Dietary Acrylamide: A Detailed Review on Formation, Detection, Mitigation, and Its Health Impacts

In today’s fast-paced world, people increasingly rely on a variety of processed foods due to their busy lifestyles. The enhanced flavors, vibrant colors, and ease of accessibility at reasonable prices have made ready-to-eat foods the easiest and simplest choice to satiate hunger, especially those that undergo thermal processing. However, these foods often contain an unsaturated amide called ‘Acrylamide’, known by its chemical name 2-propenamide, which is a contaminant formed when a carbohydrate- or protein-rich food product is thermally processed at more than 120 °C through methods like frying, baking, or roasting. Consuming foods with elevated levels of acrylamide can induce harmful toxicity such as neurotoxicity, hepatoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and prenatal and postnatal toxicity. This review delves into the major pathways and factors influencing acrylamide formation in food, discusses its adverse effects on human health, and explores recent techniques for the detection and mitigation of acrylamide in food. This review could be of interest to a wide audience in the food industry that manufactures processed foods. A multi-faceted strategy is necessary to identify and resolve the factors responsible for the browning of food, ensure safety standards, and preserve essential food quality traits

Indian Parents’ Perceptions of Children’s Psychological Wellbeing and Academic Learning during COVID-19

Indian children experienced large-scale disruption in educational, psychological, and social welfare access when schools abruptly closed due to COVID-19. In addition to education, the Indian public school system provides services such as meals and benefits related to improving gender parity and indirectly preventing child labor, child marriages, and abuse. Therefore, sustained school closures led to an unfolding disaster in terms of learning loss and multiple unknown effects on children’s social and psychological wellbeing. This descriptive study attempts to understand these consequences by asking Indian parents about the emotional, psychological, and academic impacts on their children. Results suggest an adverse impact on children’s education and wellbeing. Families reported higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and aggression among children. However, the manifestations and ramifications seem to be different—while families from low-income segments struggled to get access to digital devices, others in upper-income segments had to confront excessive device time use. The results suggest that there is a need for a concerted, sustained, multipronged, differential response from the government and civil society to ensure that families can handle these challenges accordingly

Nanodiamonds facilitate killing of intracellular uropathogenic E. coli in an in vitro model of urinary tract infection pathogenesis.

About 25-44% of women will experience at least one episode of recurrent UTI and the causative agent in over 70% of UTI cases is uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC cause recurrent UTI by evading the bladder's innate immune system through internalization into the bladder epithelium where antibiotics cannot reach or be effective. Thus, it is important to develop novel therapeutics to eliminate these intracellular pathogens. Nanodiamonds (NDs) are biocompatible nanomaterials that serve as promising candidates for targeted therapeutic applications. The objective of the current study was to investigate if 6 or 25 nm NDs can kill extracellular and intracellular UPEC in infected bladder cells. We utilized the human bladder epithelial cell line, T24, and an invasive strain of UPEC that causes recurrent UTI. We found that acid-purified 6 nm NDs displayed greater antibacterial properties towards UPEC than 25 nm NDs (11.5% vs 94.2% CFU/mL at 100 μg/mL of 6 and 25 nm, respectively; P<0.001). Furthermore, 6 nm NDs were better than 25 nm NDs in reducing the number of UPEC internalized in T24 bladder cells (46.1% vs 81.1% CFU/mL at 100 μg/mL of 6 and 25 nm, respectively; P<0.01). Our studies demonstrate that 6 nm NDs interacted with T24 bladder cells in a dose-dependent manner and were internalized in 2 hours through an actin-dependent mechanism. Finally, internalization of NDs was required for reducing the number of intracellular UPEC in T24 bladder cells. These findings suggest that 6 nm NDs are promising candidates to treat recurrent UTIs

Cytotoxicity of 6 nm and 25 nm NDs in T24 cells.

<p>T24 cells were treated with 6 nm (A) or 25 nm (B) commercial (white bars) or acid-treated (black bars) NDs for 24 hours. Cytotoxic effects of NDs were evaluated by the MTT assay. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments and depicted as mean ± SEM. There were statistically significant (<i>P</i> < 0.05) decreases in the percentages of cell survival following treatment with NDs as compared to the corresponding 0 μg/mL sample as determined by 2-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison’s test.</p

Acid-treated 6 nm NDs are internalized in T24 cell by 2 hours.

<p>T24 cells were treated different concentrations of 6 nm acid-treated FITC labeled of unlabeled NDs for 1 hour. The cells were washed and analyzed by flow cytometry. The gated cells were evaluated for FITC fluorescence and the overlayed histograms (A) are depicted. The experiment was performed at least three independent times in duplicates. The result of one representative experiment is depicted. (B) The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) for samples treated with FITC-labeled NDs was evaluated. The MFI of the untreated sample (μg/mL) was considered 1 and the MFI for all other samples were normalized to the untreated sample and plotted as mean ± SEM. Data are representative of at least three independent experiments. *<i>P<0</i>.<i>01</i>, **<i>P<0</i>.<i>0001</i> was determined by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. (C) Scatter plots of Side scatter (SSC) vs FITC fluorescence of gated cells are depicted. The experiment was performed at least three independent times in duplicates. The result of one representative experiment is depicted. (D-G) T24 bladder cells were treated with different concentrations of FITC labeled 6 nm NDs for 1 hour (D-E) or with 100 μg/mL for different periods of time (F). The cells were fixed and permeabilized. The nuclei of the cells were stained with DAPI and actin filaments were stained with phalloidin conjugated to Alexa fluor 660. The cells were then observed by confocal microscopy. The experiment was performed at least three independent times and the result of one representative experiment is depicted. To determine the internalization of NDs in T24 bladder cells (E), z-stack analysis was performed and a few representative stacks of one image are shown. For the kinetic analysis (F), T24 bladder cells were treated with 100 μg/mLof FITC-labeled 6nm NDs for different periods of time. Z-stack analysis was performed and one representative image from the middle of the stack is depicted below. NDs associated with the cell membrane (*) or internalized in the cells (◆) are shown. Scale bar = 25 μm. The % of cells with NDs internalized was plotted (G) as mean ± SEM.</p

Comparison of cytotoxicity of acid treated 6 nm and 25 nm NDs.

<p>Comparison of cytotoxicity of acid treated 6 nm and 25 nm NDs.</p