Panic Purchasing: Food Hoarding in a City under Lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research aimed to investigate the determinants of panic purchasing to hoard food in Ho Chi Minh City during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pragmatism and the deduction approach were used for the research. During the lockdown period in Ho Chi Minh City, the purposive sampling technique was the first method used to reach the population that needed to be measured. Then, simple sampling was the second technique to collect data in the city in July and August 2021. Data were collected from 584 participants—higher than the required minimum sample size—who fulfilled the essential criteria to be included in the sample’s population. Multi-quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, reliability tests for items, exploratory factor analysis, and linear regression analysis, were used to analyze the data obtained. The main findings are that perceived scarcity, susceptibility, severity, cues to action, and self-efficacy impacted panic purchasing to hoard foods. The results of this study are compared to the literature review in order to discuss panic buying behaviour, and recommendations are offered to policymakers and researchers in the future

Kinetic modeling of essential oil hydro-distillation from peels of pomelo (Citrus grandis L.) fruit grown in Southern Vietnam

Thorough understanding of kinetics plays a key role in improving existing industrial processes. In this study, we attempted to model the kinetics of the hydro-distillation process that produces essential oil from peels of pomelo (Citrus grandis L.) fruit, which is a product with high economic value and a wide range of applications. We first determined the optimal water-to-material ratio for attaining maximal oil yield. Then, further experimental attempts were carried out at different distillation rates to generate experimental data to fit three kinetic models, namely first-order kinetics model, instantaneous washing, followed by diffusion model and simultaneous washing and diffusion model. Overall, the three models have well described the experimental kinetic data on hydro-distillation (R2> 90%). Of which, the simultaneous washing and diffusion model attaining the R2 of 99.97% was chosen as the most suitable to describe the kinetics of the extraction process. Estimated parameters also shown that the washing stage occurs more rapidly than the later, diffusion stage. GC-MS results showed that the obtained oil sample was characterized by the dominance of the D-Limonene compound (97.873%)

Cider Production from King Mandarin (Citrus nobilis Lour.) and Its Antioxidant Activity

With the necessity of diversifying alcoholic beverages, cider has become a kind of drink that can fulfill this demand. This is because the cider will be diversified depending on the kinds of fruit that are chosen to be used for the cider fermentation. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of dilution ratio, Brix, pH, and yeast concentration on the production of cider from king mandarin (Citrus nobilis Lour.), and to evaluate the analytical characteristics and antioxidant activity of the product. After the investigation, it can be claimed that the dilution of the juice causes the ethanol content to decrease, whereas the increase of Brix, pH, and yeast concentration makes the ethanol content increase. However, the proportional increase in the ethanol content with Brix, pH, and yeast concentration has its limitations. Specifically, when the Brix and the yeast concentrations were, respectively, higher than 16°Brix and 0.04%, the ethanol content tended to maintain the same. This is also the same when the pH was lower than 4.5. In addition, by using the DPPH and ABTS●+ methods, the antioxidant activity of cider is estimated to be lower than the one of the juice before fermentation, which is smaller than 3.78 times for the DPPH method and 3.76 times for the ABTS●+ method

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Effects of ultrasound support and carboxymethyl cellulose on the physicochemical properties, sensory evaluation and total microbiology of cloudy juice from soursop (

This study investigated the influence of the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) addition on several quality indicators of soursop juice, including pH, dissolved solids, Lab* criteria, vitamin C, total plate count (TPC) content, microbiology, and sensory qualities. The content of CMC was allowed to vary from 0.01-0.05 to 0.2% under sonication. The addition of CMC seemed to induce color changes, with total difference color (TDC) being proportionally related to CMC content. Oxidant resistance in fresh samples was 0.62 ± 0.04 mg GAE / mL and then increased at 0.05% CMC. A similar trend was also observed with the vitamin C values of the product. Visual qualities of the product were evaluated with a focus on appearance, color, and flavor with descriptive terms in a typical white liquid and odorless. Comparison with ISO quality standard indicates that the final product met with microbiological requirements

Improvement in extraction and sensory properties of soapnut extract by fermentation

Sapindus saponins are potential biosurfactants that can widely be used to replace many chemical cleaning products. This study aimed to investigate the water extraction of saponins from the pericarps of Sapindus mukorossi and enhance the sensory properties of the extract by yeast fermentation. Extraction conditions including temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, extraction time, and number of extraction times were studied. A yield of 21.4% was obtained by 2 h of extraction at 80 °C with a solid-to-liquid of 1/6 (w/v) and two times. Fermentation was used to purify the Sapindus extract, inoculum amount and fermentation time were optimized. The fermentation by S. cerevisiae (2%) within 4 days significantly improved the color and smell of aqueous extract, turbidity decreased by 75.6%, total sugar content decreased by nearly 50% and saponins content slightly decreased. These results could contribute to the development of industrial–scale production of Sapindus saponins

Soursop fruit supply chains: Critical stages impacting fruit quality

Soursop (SSF) is a popular fruit in the southern region of Vietnam. It is a fruit that contains many essential nutrients and antioxidant components, which are good for human health. However, the process of transportation and storage at the stages before reaching the consumer has been greatly affected by natural conditions. In this study, we looked at the impact of each stage in the supply chain on physicochemical and biological quality. 11 indicators were evaluated throughout (Bonded rating, mass loss rate, moisture content, hardness, vitamin C content, total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content, DPPH• and ABTS+ scavenging activity). The supply process is distributed in 2 popular distributors, markets and supermarkets with supply chain times of 105 h and 197 h respectively. The results have shown that the supply process by supermarket distributors is capable of maintaining better product quality and less variation in physicochemical/bioactive composition. The increase in DPPH• and ABTS+ scavenging activity is proportional to the increase in TPC. Vitamin C is significantly depleted in both supply chains. The research results are a premise for the development of soursop protection solutions at each stage through knowledge of the variations of biologically active substances and physicochemical properties of SSF in the supply chain corresponding to the ripening of SSF. A database that assists suppliers in making the right decisions to prevent quality, and economic losses

Study of Seasoning Powder Processing from Gray Abalone Mushroom

The gray abalone mushroom is a rich source of amino acids and carbohydrate compounds, with some biological activities and antioxidants. Nowadays, the variety of food additives on the market such as sodium glutamate (E621), sodium guanylate (E627), or sodium insonate (E631), could probably cause negative effects for people’s health. This study used gray abalone mushrooms to create naturally derived seasoning products without using flavor enhancers and synthetic compounds. The gray abalone mushroom was pretreated and dried at 60°C until attaining the moisture content of <5%, while the biological activity and antioxidant values were kept optimal. The mixture ingredients, including 5% abalone mushroom powder, 2% baby cornstarch, and other seasoning ingredients, were uniformly ground. The based-gray abalone mushroom powder that was packed in PE with the moisture content below 3% displayed stability in terms of quality throughout 90 days. Gray abalone mushroom seasoning powder contributed to creating safe, natural products as well as improving consumers’ health

Response surface methodology for optimization studies of hydro-distillation of essential oil from pixie mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) peels

Essential oil extraction technique from mandarin pixie peels by hydro-distillation is optimized by respon-se surface methodology (RSM). Mathematical techniques were used in experimental design to evaluate the impacts of factors that affect the extraction process and improve the yield of the extraction process. A central mixed design based on infl uencing variables such as water ratio (3–5 mL/g), temperature (110–130° C) and extraction time (90–150 min) was adopted with essential oil yield as the target func-tion. Correlation analysis of the mathematical regression model showed that the quadratic polynomial model can be used to optimize hydro-distillation of pixie mandarin oil. The results showed that under the optimum extraction conditions, the highest quantity of essential oils was achieved (7.28 mL/100 g materials). In terms of statistical analysis, the signifi cance levels (p-value 0.9). The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, revealing the dominance of limonene content (97.667%), which implies that the essential oil of pixie mandarin could be an alternative source of limonene

Central Composite Design, Kinetic Model, Thermodynamics, and Chemical Composition of Pomelo (Citrus Maxima (Burm.) Merr.) Essential Oil Extraction by Steam Distillation

Pomelo peel-derived essential oils have been gaining popularity due to greater demand for stress relief therapy or hair care therapy. In this study, we first performed optimization of parameters in the pomelo essential oil extraction process on a pilot scale to gain better insights for application in larger scale production. Then extraction kinetics, activation energy, thermodynamics, and essential oil quality during the extraction process were investigated during the steam distillation process. Three experimental conditions including material mass, steam flow rate, and extraction time were taken into consideration in response surface methodology (RSM) optimization. The optimal conditions were found as follows: sample weight of 422 g for one distillation batch, steam flow rate of 2.16 mL/min and extraction time of 106 min with the coefficient of determination R2 of 0.9812. The nonlinear kinetics demonstrated the compatibility of the kinetic model with simultaneous washing and unhindered diffusion with a washing rate constant of 0.1515 min&minus;1 and a diffusion rate constant of 0.0236 min&minus;1. The activation energy of the washing and diffusion process was 167.43 kJ.mol&minus;1 and 96.25 kJ.mol&minus;1, respectively. The thermodynamic value obtained at the &Delta;G&deg; value was &minus;35.02 kJ.mol&minus;1. The quality of pomelo peel essential oil obtained by steam distillation was characterized by its high limonene content (96.996%), determined by GC-MS