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Exploration and synthesis of degradable plastics can alleviate and avoid environmental pollution induced by petroleum-based plastics. In this study, a konjac glucomannan (KGM)/zein/PVA ternary blend plastic was successfully prepared by casting. The results showed that, despite the presence of particle aggregation from incompatible components in blend plastic, the addition of KGM and zein improved its compatibility which is consistent with the formation of continuous dark regions and the reduction of roughness average (Ra) results in the AFM characterization. Also, XRD and FT-IR results indicated that the addition of KGM and zein disrupted the molecular and crystalline structure of PVA, induced stretching vibration of alcohol and hydroxyl groups, and crystallinity reduction. In addition, KGM deacetylation (d-KGM) reduced the intramolecular hydroxyl groups, reduced the water absorption and water vapor transmission rate of the blend plastics, and increased the crystallization temperature (Tc) and melting temperature (Tm). Furthermore, the blended plastics exhibited the best tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), and elastic modulus (EM) when the proportion of KGM to zein was 9:1. Notably, the blended plastic with KGM and zein added displayed more pores and cracks after soil burial, implying that the lack of degradability of pure PVA plastic was improved.

Reconstituted rice produced by extrusion has been attracted attention due to nutritional fortification and convenient production. Nevertheless, how to achieve desirable qualities and physicochemical properties of reconstituted rice nearly to natural rice by regulating extrusion process parameters is difficult. Herein, rice starch/glutelin mixture as raw material of reconstituted rice was extruded at varying extrusion conditions. Specific mechanical energy (SME) and sectional expansion index (SEI) dropped with rise in density (R

Oxidized gellan gum (OGG) hydrogel beads as delivery systems for resveratrol were fabricated by ionic cross-linking with calcium chloride (CaCl

In this study, Novozym 435-catalyzed interesterification of ethyl ferulate (EF) with phosphatidylcholine (PC) in a two-phase system consisting of an ionic liquid (IL) and toluene was optimized to prepare feruloylated lysophospholipids (FLPs). Optimum conditions for the interesterification process were found to be [Bmim][Tf2N]/toluene ratio of 1:1 (v/v), solvent volume of 4 mL, molecular sieves (4 A) concentration of 80 mg/mL, reaction temperature of 55°C, substrate molar ratio of 5:1 (PC/EF), Novozym 435 concentration of 50 mg/mL. Under these conditions, two FLPs products (1-FLP and 2-FLP) with total conversion rate of 50.79% were obtained. Because the formation of 1-FLP was significantly higher than 2-FLP, 1-FLP was purified and characterized by LC-MS and NMR. In addition, 1-FLP showed DPPH scavenging activity comparable with those of EF and BHT. Therefore, this study provides a good method for transformation of ferulic acid to improve its solubility and promote its application as functional ingredient in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Naked barley grains were germinated at 25 °C for 12, 24, and 36 h, followed by hot air and infrared drying. Changes in structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of naked barley flour and starch after germination and drying were evaluated. Germinated and dried flour showed loose structure in starch granules surface. Germination and drying enhanced bulk density and water solubility of flour, while oil absorption capacity decreased. Treated barley starch showed greater water holding capacity, viscosity, and gelatinization temperature than those of native ones, and the maximum increase in water holding capacity of germinated barley was 20.25% of the native ones. Moreover, molecular weight, amylopectin long chains, and crystallinity of treated starch decreased, and the maximum decrease in the crystallinity of germinated barley was 78.36% of the native ones. Generally, germination for 24 and 36 h by infrared drying induced significant changes of flour and starch compared with hot air drying ones. Therefore, the combination of germination and infrared drying can be suggested as a promising method for modifying the properties of naked barley flour and starch to promote their application in the food industry.

The multiscale structural, physicochemical, and digestible properties of potato starch before and after heat-moisture treatment were investigated, and further compared between repeated heat-moisture treatment (RHMT) and continuous heat-moisture treatment (CHMT). After heat-moisture treatment, there appeared partial disruption and pits on the starch granules, and the birefringence edges of HMT starch particles became blurred. Besides, the molecular weight of samples conspicuously decreased after two kinds of treatments. The crystal type of HMT starches transformed from B-type to C-type according to X-ray analysis. A decrease in the solubility and swelling power in high temperatures were identified. The pasting temperature, the gelatinization transition temperature (To , Tp , Tc ), and the slowly digestible starch (SDS) content of HMT starches were significantly higher than native potato starch, while the peak viscosity, the trough viscosity, the final viscosity, the breakdown, and the gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH) of RHMT and CHMT potato starches decreased compared to the native. RHMT potato starches displayed significantly higher relative crystallinity degree and gelatinization transition temperatures. The cooling process of RHMT in which the linkage between the recombinant amylose/amylopectin was enhanced compared with CHMT, which contributed to that RHMT potato starches exhibited greater advantages in practical applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The described RHMT and CHMT starches provide new ideas for the study of modified starch. Furthermore, this study revealed the mechanism of heat-moisture processing provided some instructions to the application of RHMT potato starch.

In this study, proso millet starch was isolated and subjected to treatment with ultra-high pressure (UHP), cold plasma (CP), or their combination to modify its functional properties. The changes in structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of proso millet starch after these treatments were investigated. The proso millet native starch granules showed irregular and polygonal shapes with a smooth surface. Treatments with CP or UHP at low pressures did not change the morphological properties or crystalline structure type of proso millet starch granules, while the treatment with UHP at 600 MPa and CP resulted in a complete gelatinization of starch. Also, UHP treatment at high pressure, followed by CP treatment, destroyed the partial crystalline region and reduced the short-range order of proso millet starch. Besides, a combination of UHP and CP treatment promoted the depolymerization of long chains in proso millet starch. Moreover, the combined treatments could enhance the resistance to high temperature and shearing and improve the pasting stability of starch. Furthermore, the combined treatment could increase the slowly digestible starch content. Therefore, the combination of UHP and CP treatment can be suggested for modifying the functional properties of proso millet starch and promoting its industrial applications.

Rice bran protein (RBP) aggregates were prepared by heating of RBP solution at 90 °C for 4 h at pH 2, 7, or 11 and used for preparing of packaging films. The structure and properties of RBP aggregates and RBP-based films were characterized with sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and circular dichroism. The results showed formation of fibrillar, globular, and large molecular protein aggregates during the heating at pH 2, 7 and 11. The heat-aggregated RBP-based films exhibited lower opacity, moisture content, water solubility, and water vapor permeability than those of untreated RBP-based films. Also, improved mechanical and thermal properties were found for the heat-aggregated RBP-based films. In addition, the heat-aggregated RBP-based film at pH 11 showed homogenous and smooth surface as well as compact appearance compared with the untreated RBP-based films or heat-aggregated RBP-based film at pH 2 or 7. Furthermore, the secondary structure of heat-aggregated RBP film exhibited an increase in β-sheet content and molecular interactions through non-covalent bonds. The obtained results indicated that formation of protein aggregates could improve physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of RBP-based film, especially at pH 11.

Urodynamic studies in rats and mice are broadly used to examine pathomechnisms of disease and identify and test therapeutic targets. This review aims to highlight the effects of the anesthetics on the lower urinary tract function and seeks to identify protocols that allow recovery from anesthesia and repeated measurements while preserving the function which is being studied. All studies published in English language, which compared the data obtained under various types of anesthesia and the urodynamics performed in awake animals were included. It appears that urethane, an anesthetic recommended extensively for the investigation of lower urinary tract function, is appropriate for acute urodynamic studies only. Major advantages of urethane are its stability and ability to preserve the micturition reflex. Due to its toxicity and carcinogenicity, urethane anesthesia should not be used for recovery procedures. This review evaluated available alternatives including propofol, isoflurane and combinations of urethane, ketamine/xylazine, ketamine/medetomidine, and/or fentanyl/fluanisone/midazolam. Different effects have been demonstrated among these drugs on the urinary bladder, the urethral sphincter, as well as on their neuroregulation. The lowest incidence of adverse effects was observed with the use of a combination of ketamine and xylazine. Although the variations in the reviewed study protocols represent a limitation, we believe that this summary will help in standardizing and optimizing future experiments.

Effects of repeated annealing treatments (8 cycles, 12 h each) or continuous annealing treatments (12–96 h) at 50 °C on structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of normal and waxy wheat starches were investigated. Wheat starches retained the original crystalline structure of A-type after annealing. Annealing treatments increased crystallinity, short chain of amylopectin, viscosity, and gelatinization temperatures of starch. However, molecular weight, long chain of amylopectin, solubility, and swelling power of starch decreased after annealing. Additionally, annealing reduced the in vitro digestibility of wheat starches. The changes in properties of starch varied depending on starch type, normal or waxy, and annealing methods, repeated or continuous. The repeated annealing was found to be more effective in modification of normal wheat starch properties. However, continuous annealing efficiently modified properties of the waxy wheat starch. The obtained results may help in choosing appropriate applications of annealed wheat starches in the food industry.

The effects of microwave (MW) treatments for 30 and 90 s or cold plasma (CP) treatments for 2, 6, and 10 min on structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of rice starch were investigated and compared with the effects of combined MW and CP treatments. Dual modification of starch using combined MW and CP treatments significantly changed starch granules' morphology, and starch showed lower crystallinity, swelling power, and peak viscosity than rice starch with a single modification. However, no significant changes were found in rice starch's crystalline structure and FT-IR spectra pattern after single or combined treatments. Effects of these treatments on the amylopectin branch chain length distribution and molecular weight of rice starch varied considerably depending on treatment type and treatment duration. Moreover, the dually modified rice starch contained more great content of resistant starch. Thus, the synergistic effects between MW and CP had more profound modification than the single treatment. Also, the dual treatment can be used to produce modified starch for industrial applications.

Native potato starch was suspended in distilled water at starch: water ratio of 1:3 (w/v). The starch-water suspensions were then subjected to repeated annealing treatments (RANN) at 55 °C for 12 h, repeated for 8 cycles or continuous annealing treatments (CANN) at 55 °C for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The structural, physiochemical and digestive properties of the annealed starch samples were studied and compared with those of the native starch. The scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy analysis showed that the repeated and continuous annealing treatments could keep the integrity and surface perfection of the starch granules. The growth rings of the annealed starch granules were more distinct than those of the native starch granules as revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The crystallinity degree increased and the crystalline retained the B-type pattern after the annealing treatments. There were no chemical bonds and functional groups produced or disappeared during the applied annealing treatments. Infrared absorption peak intensity of starch decreased and short-range ordered structures increased after treatments. The swelling power and solubility decreased at low temperature (50 to 60 °C) and increased at relatively high temperature (70 to 90 °C). The rapid visco-analyzer and differential scanning calorimeter analysis revealed an increase in the setback, final viscosity, pasting temperature and gelatinization transition temperature, and a decrease in breakdown value of the starch after the annealing treatments. On the other hand, the repeated and continuous annealing treatments resulted in starch with low in vitro digestibility degree, indicating formation of resistant starch. Generally, the repeated annealing treatment resulted in starch with high improved properties compared with the starch resulted from the continuous annealing treatments. Therefore, the repeated annealing treatments can be suggested as an effective method for producing of modified starch for food industrial applications.

Oleogels were prepared from extra virgin olive oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and flaxseed oil with a mixture of β-sitosterol and stearic acid (Sit1:SA4, w/w) at concentrations of 15 and 20 g/100 g oil. The prepared oleogels were characterized by different methods to study the influence of oil type on the oleogel properties. The oil type influenced the colour and appearance of the oleogel. The flaxseed oil based oleogel showed lower oil loss and higher firmness than those of other oils based oleogels. The increase of gelator mixture from 15 to 20 g/100 g oil reduced the oil loss and improved the firmness of oleogel samples. The microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering analyses showed different microstructures and crystallographic reflections for oleogels prepared from different oil types. Also, the oil type and concentration of gelator mixture influenced the melting and crystallization enthalpies of oleogel. Furthermore, different oils based oleogels showed varying values of viscosity, storage modulus (G’), and loss modulus (G”). Therefore, it can be concluded that the oil type and concentration of gelator influence the functional properties of oleogel and the flaxseed oil resulted in oleogel with good properties compared with other oils used in the study.

Understanding the structural characteristics of starch can help in determining its functional properties and choosing appropriate applications. This work aimed to comprehensively characterize and understand the morphological, crystalline, and molecular structure of the normal and waxy wheat A- and B- starch granules. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that both normal and waxy wheat A- and B- starch granules have a typical A-type crystalline structure. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses showed differences in shape, the thickness of semi-crystalline growth rings, and short-range molecular order of the normal and waxy A- and B- starch granules. The wheat A-starch granules contained lower proportions of A-chains (DP 6–12) and B1- chains (DP 13–24) than those of the wheat B- starch granules. Also, the results revealed that B1-chains (DP 13–24) play an important role in the formation of surface/mass fractal characteristics of starch granules. Furthermore, the atomic force microscopy analysis showed that the normal and waxy wheat A-starch granules are mass fractal, while the normal and waxy wheat B- starch granules are surface fractal.

β-Sitosterol (Sit) and stearic acid (SA) were combined at varying ratios (w/w) and added to sunflower oil (SFO) at the concentration of 20 g/100 g oil for preparing edible fat-like oleogel. The oleogel was characterized using an optical microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter, and texture analyzer. The oil-binding capacity, melting temperature, and firmness of the oleogel increased with the increase in the amount of SA in the gelator combination (Sit:SA, w/w). The microscopic analysis showed that the gel network formed based on the crystallization and self-organization of gelator molecules, and both gelators showed an independent crystalline behavior in the oleogel. In addition, the FTIR spectra showed that the gel network formed via physical entanglements and was stabilized by non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, XRD diffraction patterns indicated high lateral packing of molecular layers in oleogel prepared with the Sit and SA combination compared with oleogel prepared with a single gelator. On the other hand, for studying the effect of varying concentrations of gelator combinations, the Sit3:SA2 (w/w) combination was added to SFO at concentrations of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 g/100 g oil. Specific characteristics such as the oil-binding capacity and firmness of the oleogel improved as the concentration of the gelator combination (Sit3:SA2) increased from 10 up to 30 g/100 g oil. Therefore, it can be concluded that the saturated fat alternative oleogel can be prepared from SFO with a specific Sit and SA combination ratio and concentration.

Cinnamic acid (CA) was added to rice bran oil (RBO) at concentrations range from 2 to 12% (w/w) to prepare functional fat-like organogel. The oil binding capacity and gel formation time of the obtained organogels were determined. The results showed that the oil binding capacity was increased and the gel formation time was significantly (p

The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of chicken carcass and determine the nutritional composition of some edible chicken by-products, including liver, gizzard, wings, and skin. The total yield of liver, gizzard, wings and skin of chicken was found to be about 23.43%of carcass weight. The results showed that these chicken by-products are good sources of protein, fat, and minerals (ash). The greatest protein content was found to be 26.33% (wb) for wings; while, skin showed the greatest fat content of 34.48% (wb) compared with other by-products. On the other hand, liver showed the greatest ash content of 1.42% (wb) and skin showed the lowest ash content of 0.46% (wb). Moreover, the greatest caloric value of 362.36 Kcal/100 g was found for skin, followed by wings, liver, and gizzard. In addition, the results showed good contents of potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, and zinc in chicken by-products. These by-products were found to be a good source of essential amino acids such as leucine and lysine. Furthermore, liver, gizzard, wings, and skin of chicken showed greater unsaturated fatty acids content than that of saturated fatty acids. Oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids are the most predominant unsaturated fatty acids found in these chicken by-products. However, palmitic and stearic acids are the predominant saturated fatty acids found in the studied chicken by-products. The obtained results revealed that the liver, gizzard, wings, and skin of chicken are rich of healthy nutrients; therefore, the utilization of these by-products as food should be promoted by development of new food products through the advances in meat processing techniques.

Mung bean seeds were germinated at 25 °C for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h. Changes in structural and physicochemical properties of mung bean starch during germination were investigated. Microscopy analysis showed germination did not change the shape of starch granules, but granules isolated from germinated mung bean starch exhibited dents surface structure compared with smooth surface of native starch. The molecular weight of starch isolated from germinated mung bean was found to be smaller than that of native ones. Although germinated mung bean showed greater crystallinity than that of native sample, the germination did not change the crystalline structure type of starch (C-type). Moreover, solubility and swelling power of starch varied depending on germination duration and testing temperature. Peak viscosity and trough viscosity slightly decreased as germination prolonged to 72 h. Furthermore, starch isolated from mung bean germinated for 12 h showed greater enthalpy (ΔH) than that of starch isolated from native sample; while, ΔH decrease as germination time prolonged from 36 to 72 h. The obtained results may help in understanding the influence of germination on functional properties of mung bean starch and choosing appropriate applications to promote utilization of mung bean starch in food industry.

Naked barley grains were germinated at 25 °C for 12, 24, and 36 h, followed by infrared or hot air drying. Effects of germination and drying treatments on the composition and content of phenolic compounds in naked barley were investigated using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The results revealed that germination of naked barley induced significant changes in the profile of phenolic compounds depending on germination period. Also, the content of phenolic compounds significantly increased (P

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) can lead to starch gelatinization at room temperature, while the retrogradation mechanism of HHP gelatinized starch is not well known. HHP gelatinized normal and waxy corn starches were stored at room temperature for 192 h in order to investigate the retrogradation characteristics. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarised light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis showed that the pressurization of normal and waxy corn starch suspensions with concentration of 30% (w/v) at 600 MPa for 15 min resulted in a complete gelatinization. In addition, the pressure-gelatinized normal and waxy corn starch gels were stored and subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, resistant starch content determination, swelling power and pasting behavior. The retrograded normal maize and waxy maize starch showed a substantial loss of A-type crystallinity. Both pressure-gelatinized normal and waxy corn starches showed an increase in resistant starch content and relative crystallinity degree with the increase of storage time. In addition, restricted starch swelling power and lower pasting viscosities were observed for these two retrograded starches. The amylose molecule within starch granules has been regarded as the main factor to affect the structural and physicochemical properties during the retrogradation process of HHP-gelatinized starch granules.

Obesity and chronic diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and celiac are increasing worldwide. The increasing prevalence of these diseases has led nutritionists and food scientists to pay more attention to the relationship between diet and different disease risks. Among different foods, rice has received increasing attention because it is a major component of billions of peoples' diets throughout the world. Rice is commonly consumed after polishing or whitening and the polished grain is known a high glycemic food because of its high starch content. In addition, the removal of the outer bran layer during rice milling results in a loss of nutrients, dietary fiber, and bioactive components. Therefore, many studies were performed to investigate the potential health benefits for the consumption of whole brown rice (BR) grain in comparison to the milled or white rice (WR). The objective of this work was to review the recent advances in research performed for purposes of evaluation of nutritional value and potential health benefits of the whole BR grain. Studies carried out for purposes of developing BR-based food products are reviewed. BR safety and preservation treatments are also explored. In addition, economic and environmental benefits for the consumption of whole BR instead of the polished or WR are presented. Furthermore, challenges facing the commercialization of BR and future perspectives to promote its utilization as food are discussed.

The influence of repeated and continuous dry heat treatments on structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of sweet potato starch was investigated. The results showed that the original A-type crystallinity of sweet potato starch remained unchanged after dry heat treatments. The light transmittance, gelatinization temperature, and pasting temperature of sweet potato starch increased; while the pasting viscosities, swelling power, and solubility decreased after dry heat treatments. Relative crystallinity, solubility, swelling power, light transmittance, and thermal parameter values (To, Tp, Tc, ΔT) were found to be significantly higher for the continuous dry heat (CDH) treated starch than those of the repeated dry heat (RDH) treated starch after treatment for the same duration. However, CDH treated starch samples showed lower paste viscosity and digestibility than those of RDH treated samples after treatment for the same duration. In addition, the CDH treatment highly influenced the structure of starch granule surface compared with the RDH treatment. Generally, it can be concluded that RDH treatment highly influenced structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of sweet potato starch compared with CDH treatment.

Changes in the composition of soybean oil during deep-fat frying with wheat dough (WD) and chicken breast meat (CBM) were comparatively investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The amounts of saturated fatty acids (FAs) and short-chain FAs were increased. The amount of unsaturated FAs was decreased as the processing time increased. An increase in the amount of tetradecanoic acid and 9-cis-hexadecanoic acid was observed during the CBM frying only. The FTIR spectrum of frying oil was analyzed by extracting the entire information as the area ratios based on vibration absorptions of the specific functional groups. Changes in content of functional groups, namely cis C=C, trans C=C, C=O, C–O, O–H, and C–H, were studied by the FTIR-based method. Based on the changes in the content of FAs and functional groups, soybean oil fried with CBM degraded more quickly than that fried with WD. Moreover, good linear correlations between the change in contents of functional groups and the mass percentages of FAs were also observed. The FTIR-based method could be used in real time to monitor the quality of frying oil during the deep-fat frying.

Monitoring of changes in nutrients composition of vegetables during different stages of maturity help to determine optimal harvesting date; therefore, collecting vegetables with higher nutritional value and eating quality. Changes in chemical composition as well as total phenolic and flavonoids content of three Zucchini cultivars; namely, Eskandrany (ES), Amjad F1 (AMF1), and New Eskandrany F1 (NESF1) grown in Egypt, with development of maturity stage were investigated. The results showed that dry matter, protein, oil, ash, and crude fiber contents of Zucchini vegetables were decreased with the advancement of maturity stage. However, gradual increase in total carbohydrate content was observed with the development of maturity. In addition, total phenolics and flavonoids contents were decreased in the more developed fruits. Based on the obtained results, it could be concluded that although there is an increase in yield of vegetables at later maturity stage, but vegetables at early stage of maturity contain high content of nutrients and health promoting compounds, such as protein, ash, crude fiber, and phenolics and flavonoids.

The changes in physicochemical and structural properties of Ultra high pressure (UHP) gelatinized mung bean starch were investigated during 0 to 196h retrogradation process by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). XRD analysis showed that the UHP-gelatinizated granules regenerated its original C-type crystallinity structures after retrogradation. The swelling power and solubility of native starch were increased with the increase in the assay temperatures from 50 to 90°C, while the changing trend of the retrogradated granules was more gradual over entire assay temperatures. In addition, retrogradated granules showed a progressive decrease in the light transmittance and an increase in the amount of resistant starch as the ageing time increased from 0 to 192h. DSC analysis suggested a slight increase in the transition temperatures (To, Tp and Tc) and the retrogradation enthalpy as the storage time increased. In contrast no endothermic transition peak could be observed using DSC after storage of heat-gelatinized mung bean starch gel.

Frying is one of the most popular food processing methods. However, many physicochemical reactions occur during frying, forming complex products in both the frying oil and the fried food. Chromatographic techniques have been successfully applied to characterize the products formed during food-frying or during a simulated frying process. In this review, the specific products analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are elucidated in detail. The most studied components are polar compounds (such as volatile compounds, hydrolysis products, oxidized triacylglycerol [TAG] decomposition products, oxidized TAG monomers, sterol oxides, oxygenated TAG polymers, and acrylamide) and nonpolar compounds (such as cyclic fatty acid monomers and trans isomers), which are classified based on their polarity. However, the definite structures of TAG polymers and sterol oxides, and polymers analyzed by GC or HPLC-based methods are only investigated in modeled reactions. Furthermore, some of the sample pretreatments and chromatographic methods are only used to analyze the known products. A number of earlier trace amounts of undetected products need to be investigated by more effective detection techniques. The development of multidimensional chromatographic techniques and elaborate mass spectrometry detectors makes composition analysis possible for the food-frying process, which may effectively promote the development of quality monitoring and nutrition evaluation for the fried foods.

The thermal degradation and corresponding decomposition products of fresh and heat-treated soybean oil were investigated by synchronous thermal analyzer combined with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectrometry (STA–FTIR–QMS). Two longtime heat-treated soybean oil samples were aforehand prepared by consistently heating the fresh soybean oil for 50 and 100 h, respectively. N2 and simulative air (N2/O2 = 4:1, volume) were used as the thermal reaction gas atmosphere. The results showed that one stage of mass loss appeared in analysis of the all oil samples under N2 atmosphere condition and longtime heat pre-treatment had no effect on the thermal behavior of the soybean oil under N2 atmosphere condition. However, four stages occurred in analysis of both untreated and heat-treated oil samples under the simulative air atmosphere condition. Longtime heat pre-treatment influenced the thermal behavior of the soybean oil in certain extent, which was reflected in the different mass loss values of the four stages. According to the infrared absorption profiles and MS spectra of the released compounds in vapor phase, H2O, CO, CO2, hydrocarbons (such as CH4), and hydroxyl, carbonyl, and carboxyl-contained compounds have been confirmed. Therefore, STA–FTIR–QMS can be suggested as a promising technique for investigating of thermal degradation and monitoring the decomposition products of the evolving substances in edible oils.

In the 21st century, climate changes, water scarcity, increasing world population, rising food prices, and other socioeconomic impacts are expected to generate a great threat to agriculture and food security worldwide, especially for the poorest people who live in arid and subarid regions. These impacts present a challenge to scientists and nutritionists to investigate the possibilities of producing, processing, and utilizing other potential food sources to end hunger and poverty. Cereal grains are the most important source of the world's food and have a significant role in the human diet throughout the world. As one of the most important drought-resistant crops, millet is widely grown in the semiarid tropics of Africa and Asia and constitutes a major source of carbohydrates and proteins for people living in these areas. In addition, because of their important contribution to national food security and potential health benefits, millet grain is now receiving increasing interest from food scientists, technologists, and nutritionists. The aim of this work was to review the recent advances in research carried out to date for purposes of evaluation of nutritional quality and potential health benefits of millet grains. Processing technologies used for improving the edible and nutritional characteristics of millet as well as challenges, limitations, and future perspectives to promote millet utilization as food for a large and growing population are also discussed.

Background Rapid, point-of-care tests that accurately identify syphilis are gaining popularity and offer several advantages over classic tests. Methods The SD Bioline Syphilis 3.0 and the Chembio DPP Syphilis Screen and Confirm Assay (CB) were assessed using 1283 samples that had been characterized by reference tests. The challenge samples included 5 commercial panels (seroconversion, mixed-titer), archived samples, fresh samples, and a dilution series. Both tests detect specific anti-treponemal antibodies, and the CB additionally detects antibodies to a non-treponemal (NT) component. The evaluation was used to determine performance indices and compare with those cited by the manufacturers. Results When assessing reactivity to treponemal, the sensitivities for the 2 tests were 98.3% and 93.2%, with specificities of 100% and 99.4%, respectively. For both tests, precision, whole blood testing, and high-temperature testing produced perfect results, and there were no invalid results. Comparisons of 2 different lots of each test indicated excellent concordance (100% and 99.5%), and reproducibility was 100% and 98.0%, respectively. For the CB, the sensitivity for the NT component was between 65.3% and 80.9%, but increased to 98.5% with samples having a rapid plasma regain (RPR) titer of ≥8. The specificity for NT was found to be 100%, and the reading of results visually and when using a battery-operated reader indicated a concordance for all challenges of 95%–100%. Conclusions Both rapid tests produced impressive results for the detection of antibodies to treponemal for all challenges and exceeded, met, or closely approached the performance characteristics as cited by the manufacturers.

Deep-fat frying at 180 °C or above is one of the most common food processing methods used for preparing of human kind foods worldwide. However, a serial of complex reactions such as oxidation, hydrolysis, isomerization, and polymerization take place during the deep-fat frying course and influence quality attributes of the final product such as flavor, texture, shelf life and nutrient composition. The influence of these reactions results from a number of their products including volatile compounds, hydrolysis products, oxidized triacylglycerol monomers, cyclic compounds, trans configuration compounds, polymers, sterol derivatives, nitrogen- and sulphur-containing heterocyclic compounds, acrylamide, etc. which are present in both frying oil and the fried food. In addition, these reactions are interacted and influenced by various impact factors such as frying oil type, frying conditions (time, temperature, fryer, etc.) and fried material type. Based on the published literatures, three main organic chemical reaction mechanisms namely hemolytic, heterolytic and concerted reaction were identified and supposed to elucidate the complex chemical alterations during deep-fat frying. However, well understanding the mechanisms of these reactions and their products under different conditions helps to control the deep-fat frying processing; therefore, producing healthy fried foods. By means of comprehensively consulting the papers which previously studied on the chemical changes occurred during deep-fat frying process, the major reaction products and corresponding chemical alterations were reviewed in this work.

Pleasant flavor and nutritional benefits of vegetable oils lead to an increase in their consumption amount. In addition, due to being apparently similar to commercially qualified vegetable oils (QVOs), used frying oil (UFO) is added into it to seek high profit by the unscrupulous traders. Thus, the authenticity assurance of commercial oil and fat products remains a challenge to scientists both in terms of its health and commercial perspectives. This work focused on using low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) to discriminate the adulteration of commercial corn, peanut, rapeseed, and soybean oils with two kinds of UFOs. The differences between the transverse relaxation distributions (T2 distributions) of qualified oil and UFO were in the appearance of the third peak (A), which could be assigned to polymer products that were produced during the deep-fat frying process and the shift of T2 value of the peaks. In addition, the A peak area accounted for the whole area of peaks linearly increasing along with the increase in adulteration proportion. Based on the changes of peak area, a simple linear equation was built and the determination coefficients (R2) were all higher than 0.93. Therefore, as a rapid, convenient, and nondestructive method, LF-NMR application could be used to detect adulteration of vegetable oils with UFO.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of unilateral ureteral ligation on blood constituents, renal histopathology and ultrasonography in dogs. A total number of 25 apparently healthy adult mongrel dogs found Assiut City, Egypt, were subjected to study. Animals were divided into five equal groups: the left ureter was ligated for 2, 7, 14 and 21 days in groups, I, II, III and IV, respectively, while group V represented the control group. The animals in groups I, II, III and IV were euthanized on days 2, 7, 14 and 21, respectively. Right and left uretronephrectomies were performed and specimens were taken for the histopathological examination. Results revealed significant increases in total leucocytes and neutrophils counts from day 2 to day 17. There were significant decreases (p

Red adzuki bean starch‐water suspensions (1:3, w/v) are subjected to repeated and continuous annealing treatments at 55 °C for 96 h. The changes in structural, physicochemical, and digestive properties of starch after both treatments are studied and compared. The results show that the repeated and continuous annealing increases the relative crystallinity of starch without influencing the morphological structure and crystalline patterns. Gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy increase; however starch solubility, swelling power, and viscosity decrease after both annealing treatments. FT‐IR analysis shows that annealing treatments result in a reorganization of starch molecules and improve the crystalline perfection. Furthermore, the applied annealing treatments decrease the enzymatic susceptibility of starch and increase the percentage of slowly digestible and resistant starch present. Generally, the repeated annealing results in modified starch with good functionalities compared with continuous annealing. Therefore, repeated annealing can be recommended for producing of modified starch for industrial applications.

1,2-Bisthienylperfluorocyclopentenes covalently linked to two aggregative side-arms derived from 11-aminoundecanoic acid have been designed to self-assemble leading to the formation of supramolecular gels which could be reversibly and independently revealed or suppressed upon acidity, temperature changes and also light irradiation.

Volatile aldehydes (VAs) formed during soybean oil (SBO) heating, wheat dough (WD) frying, and chicken breast meat (CBM) frying processes were comparatively investigated by solid-phase micro-extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). The results showed that relative amounts (RAs) of the most detected VAs were firstly increased to maximum values in oil samples collected at the second hour of the seventh day and the values were then decreased with the increase in the time of oil heating process (control). However, for food frying processes, the time needed for reaching maximum RAs of VAs was shorter and the values were decreased with the increase in frying time. Significant change in contents of the VAs was observed for oil samples fried with CBM due to the high contents of water, protein, and lipid content compared to oil samples fried with WD. Based on the obtained results, free radical reaction, particularly positional isomerization and cis-trans isomerization, was deduced to occur when WD or CBM was fried in SBO. The relatively high RAs of VAs formed during the deep-fat frying process presented certain invaluable measures for evaluating of frying oil and fried food quality and safety.

Year to year obesity prevalence, reduced physical activities, bad habits/or stressful lifestyle, and other environmental and physiological impacts lead to increase in diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension worldwide. Hypertension is considered as one of the most common serious chronic diseases; however, discovery of medications with high efficacy and without side effects for treatment of patients remains a challenge for scientists. Recent trends in functional foods have evidenced that food bioactive proteins play a major role in the concepts of illness and curing; therefore, nutritionists, biomedical scientists, and food scientists are working together to develop improved systems for the discovery of peptides with increased potency and therapeutic benefits. This review presents a recent research carried out to date for the purpose of isolation and identification of bioactive hydrolyzates and peptides with angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activity and antihypertensive effect from animal, marine, microbial, and plant food proteins. Effects of food processing and hydrolyzation conditions as well as some other impacts on formation, activity, and stability of these hydrolyzates and peptides are also presented.