Impact of different casein to fat ratios on the physicochemical composition, functionality and sensory quality of mozzarella cheese

Cheese is widely used as an ingredient in prepared foods to add taste, texture and nutritional quality. Mozzarella cheese is pasta filata product, manufactured in various shapes and used as pizza ingredient. Milk composition especially casein to fat ratio (C/F) is prime factor that dictate the functionality and sensory properties of Mozzarella cheese. Large restaurants do not purchase cheese from local manufacturer due to their non standardized manufacturing parameter which imparts variability in product quality. The study was aimed to standardize the mozzarella cheese manufacturing conditions with special reference to C/F and investigate its impact on the mozzarella cheese quality. Results showed significant (p<0.01) increase in cheese protein and stretchability with increase in C/F of cheese milk. However, moisture, fat and meltability are inversely related with C/F. High C/F results in fat reduction in cheese which adversely affect the mozzarella cheese sensory attributes. Casein to fat ratio (C/F) 0.8 was found to produce mozzarella cheese with good stretchability (35.61cm), optimum melt time (118.33 sec.) and excellent sensory properties

Phenotypic Analysis, Molecular Characterization, and Antibiogram of Caries-Causing Bacteria Isolated From Dental Patients

Dental caries is a biofilm-mediated, sugar-driven, multifactorial, dynamic disease that results in the phasic demineralization and remineralization of dental hard tissues. Despite scientific advances in cariology, dental caries remains a severe global concern. The aim of this study was to determine the optimization of microbial and molecular techniques for the detection of cariogenic pathogens in dental caries patients, the prevalence of cariogenic bacteria on the basis of socioeconomic, climatological, and hygienic factors, and in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of selected synthetic antibiotics and herbal extracts. In this study, oral samples were collected from 900 patients for bacterial strain screening on a biochemical and molecular basis. Plant extracts, such as ginger, garlic, neem, tulsi, amla, and aloe vera, were used to check the antimicrobial activity against the isolated strains. Synthetic antimicrobial agents, such as penicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, metronidazole, doxycycline, ceftazidime, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, were also used to access the antimicrobial activity. Among 900 patients, 63% were males and 37% were females, patients aged between 36 and 58 (45.7%) years were prone to disease, and the most common symptom was toothache (61%). For oral diseases, 21% used herbs, 36% used antibiotics, and 48% were self-medicated, owing to sweets consumption (60.66%) and fizzy drinks and fast food (51.56%). Staphylococcus mutans (29.11%) and Streptococcus sobrinus (28.11%) were found as the most abundant strains. Seven bacterial strains were successfully screened and predicted to be closely related to genera S. sobrinus, S. mutans, Actinomyces naeslundii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Eubacterium nodatum, Propionibacterium acidifaciens, and Treponema Pallidum. Among plant extracts, the maximum zone of inhibition was recorded by ginger (22.36 mm) and amla (20.01 mm), while among synthetic antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were most effective against all microbes. This study concluded that phyto extracts of ginger and amla were considered suitable alternatives to synthetic antibiotics to treat dental diseases

Behavioral Changes of Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Against Some Natural Products

Abstract.-Study regarding the response of five different plants extracts viz. garlic (Allium sativum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), black tea (Camellia sinensis), green chilies (Capsicum annum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) on termite species Heterotermes indicola was conducted at Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar. Garlic, ginger and green chilies were used with the ratio of 1:2 and tea and turmeric in 1:4 (W/V). After one day of application garlic caused significantly high mortality (100%) compared to chilies, turmeric, ginger and tea, while 100% mortality occurred in chilies, turmeric, ginger and tea after 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th day, respectively. Termiticidal effect of all treatments showed that the most toxic treatment was garlic followed by green chilies, turmeric, ginger and black tea. Behavioral response were studied using Abid's track move software with respect to control. Total distance covered in all treatments was reduced as time passed while in turmeric the total distance covered was increased. Average speed covered by termite worker was also different in all treatments. The speed of termite worker was increased in turmeric compared to that of ginger, black tea, garlic and green chilies. Pause time and non pause time effect was found different in turmeric compared to black tea, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Resting periods in all treatments were increased or their movement slowed down except in turmeric in which termite worker became excited as the time passed

Synthesis of metal organic framework (MOF-5) embedded cryogel composite and its application for the extraction and determination of cholesterol from milk samples

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)/coordination polymers (CPs) are a new class of hybrid inorganic/organic porous material. Recently MOFs have attracted much attention due to their large surface area, tunable pore structure, and high thermal stability. MOF-5 is composed of zinc salt and 1,4 benzene dicarboxylic linker. In the current study, MOF-5/cryogel composite was applied to extract cholesterol selectively from milk samples. This extraction process was used to clean-up milk samples with MOF-5/cryogel composite followed by determination of cholesterol in milk using UV-Vis spectrophotometric technique. The parameters such as concentration of cholesterol, volume of cholesterol solution, adsorbent amount, adsorption and desorption time were studied to obtain good extraction of cholesterol. The amount of cholesterol adsorbed and desorbed was 84 and 80%, respectively, from milk samples using MOF-5 composite cryogel. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, and quantification. The response was linear in the range of 5-200 µg/mL with a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.990. Detection limit (0.15 µg/mL) and quantification (0.45 µg/mL) were obtained

Human papillomavirus infection in females with normal cervical cytology: Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis among women in Punjab, Pakistan

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and the seventh most common cancer overall, accounting for an estimated 300 000 annual deaths. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the second most common cause of cervical cancer worldwide. HPV screening is not a common practice in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV and HPV types in women with a normal cytology of the cervix living in the upper and lower regions of Punjab, Pakistan, and to analyze the risk factors for HPV in this region. Methods: PCR analysis was performed for 1011 female patients with a normal cytology of the cervix from various districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Risk factors for the acquisition of HPV were studied. High-risk HPV types (HPV16 and HPV18) were detected using the Abbott Real Time HR HPV test. To determine the genotype, partial L1 region sequences of HPV-positive samples were subjected to sequencing using MY/09/MY11 primers, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using CLC software. Results: The study found a 4.74% prevalence of HPV, with the most frequent HPV type found being the low-risk HPV6 (in 25% of infected individuals), followed by HPV55 (22.9%), HPV11 (20.8%), and high-risk types HPV45 (12.5%), HPV33 (8.33%), HPV18 (6.25%), and HPV16 (4.16%). Phylogenetic analysis of all HPV types in this study showed 80–99% nucleotide identity with types related to the same species. The sequences were clustered with China, India, Mexico, Iran, Slovenia, and Germany, showing the diversity in origin of the various genotypes prevalent in Pakistan. Conclusions: In this population with a normal cervical cytology, the prevalence of high-risk HPV types was very low. The major prevalent HPV genotype in Punjab Province of Pakistan was the low-risk HPV type 6, followed by HPV type 55. Sequencing of the partial L1 region suggested that the region was highly conserved in all reported sequences. This study highlights the need to conduct robust epidemiological studies in the region and to develop regular HPV screening so that the situation does not reach an alarming stage resulting in cervical cancer

Cardiovascular Diseases in the Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis.

There are limited data regarding the burden and trend of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample database from January 2005 to December 2018 to examine the hospitalization trends amongst adults with PsA primarily for heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and stroke. The primary outcomes of interest included in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and inflation-adjusted cost. The age-adjusted percentage of HF hospitalizations among PsA patients decreased from 2.5% (2005/06) to 1.4% (2011/12; P-trend 0.013) and subsequently increased to 2.0% (2017/18; P-trend 0.044). The age-adjusted percentage of AMI hospitalizations among PsA patients showed a non-statistically significant decreasing trend from 2.1% (2005/06) to 1.7% (2011/12; P-trend 0.248) and showed a non-statistically significant increase to 2.3% (2017/18; P-trend 0.056). The age-adjusted stroke hospitalizations increased from 1.1% (2005/06) to 1.3% (2017/18; P-trend 0.036). Apart from a decrease in adjusted inflation-adjusted cost among heart failure hospitalizations, there was no significant change in inpatient mortality, length of stay or hospital cost, during the study period. We found an increasing trend of cardiovascular hospitalizations in patients with PsA. These findings will raise awareness and inform further research and clinical practice for PSA patients with CVD