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A dysphagia diet is a special dietary programme. The development and design of foods for dysphagia should consider both swallowing safety and food nutritional quality. In this study, we investigated the rheological properties (viscosity, thixotropy, and viscoelasticity), textural properties, and swallowing behaviour of commercially available natural, pregelatinised, acetylated, and phosphorylated maize starch and tapioca starch. The results showed that all the samples belonged to food grade 3 in the framework of the International Dysphagia Dietary Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) and exhibited shear-thinning behaviour in favour of dysphagia patients, except for the sample containing pregelatinised starch, which was grade 2. Rheological tests showed that the samples had good structural recovery properties. At the same starch concentration, the elastic modulus of phosphorylated cassava starch FSMP was significantly greater than that of the starch solution, whereas that of acetylated starch was significantly less than that of the starch solution, and the combination of acetylated starch and protein led to a significant viscosity reduction phenomenon, resulting in FSMPs with good stability and fluidity; this may provide an opportunity for the incorporation of more high-energy substructures. The textural results showed that all the samples possessed textural properties of low hardness, low adhesion, and high cohesion, all of which could be used as food for dysphagia patients. This study may provide a theoretical basis for the creation and design of novel nutritional foods for dysphagia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of curdlan concentrations (0, 3, 5, and 7%) on the physical, textural, and sensorial properties of canned dodol (Candol) were investigated. The incorporation of curdlan in canned dodol significantly influenced several attributes of the product, including pH, total soluble solids (TSS), water activity (aw), moisture content, colour, texture, and microstructure. Curdlan decreased the pH level and increased the TSS level, while decreasing the moisture content and aw in certain samples. It also impacted the texture of dodol, with one sample (Candol-5) showing a texture similar to commercially available dodol. Additionally, microstructural differences were observed, with Candol-5 exhibiting the smallest pores and a more compact gel structure. Sensory panellists preferred the texture of Candol-5 over Candol-0, and its sensory rating was more similar to that of the commercial dodol, with no significant differences observed. In summary, curdlan could be a beneficial ingredient for improving the quality and acceptability of canned dodol, offering valuable insights for the development of innovative dodol products in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dysphagia diet is a special dietary programme. The development and design of foods for dysphagia should consider both swallowing safety and food nutritional quality. In this study, we investigated the rheological properties (viscosity, thixotropy, and viscoelasticity), textural properties, and swallowing behaviour of commercially available natural, pregelatinised, acetylated, and phosphorylated maize starch and tapioca starch. The results showed that all the samples belonged to food grade 3 in the framework of the International Dysphagia Dietary Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) and exhibited shear-thinning behaviour in favour of dysphagia patients, except for the sample containing pregelatinised starch, which was grade 2. Rheological tests showed that the samples had good structural recovery properties. At the same starch concentration, the elastic modulus of phosphorylated cassava starch FSMP was significantly greater than that of the starch solution, whereas that of acetylated starch was significantly less than that of the starch solution, and the combination of acetylated starch and protein led to a significant viscosity reduction phenomenon, resulting in FSMPs with good stability and fluidity; this may provide an opportunity for the incorporation of more high-energy substructures. The textural results showed that all the samples possessed textural properties of low hardness, low adhesion, and high cohesion, all of which could be used as food for dysphagia patients. This study may provide a theoretical basis for the creation and design of novel nutritional foods for dysphagia.

Summary: The fermented vegetable is a long‐history food, and the addition of probiotics in recent years has pushed it in a novel direction. This study explored the impact of a direct‐vat set (DVS) starter, comprising Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MC14 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, on pickled radish (PR). The addition of DVS triggered a rapid reduction in pH and titratable acidity, leading to lowered nitrite levels and increased viable count. Textural analysis showed that DVS increased the springiness and chewiness of PR by about 55.07% and 25.73%, respectively. Organic acid analysis unveiled eight compounds. The addition of probiotics did not significantly affect the antioxidant properties but was able to significantly enhance the XO inhibitory activity of PR. DVS decreased undesirable flavour compounds such as isothiocyanates and sulphides, while elevating esters, aldehydes and acids. Our results suggested that DVS is a promising starter culture that can enhance the texture and flavour of fermented vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digestibility is the most important nutritional functionality of starchy foods. Unfortunately, in Indonesia, this functionality has not been extensively studied due to the relatively challenging methods involving enzymes. This research aims to determine the optimal pH and enzyme ratio of α-amylase (AA) and glucoamylase (GA) for starch hydrolysis tests and apply them to characterize steamed, baked, and fried wheat doughs. For optimization, hydrolysis was carried out at 37 °C with an enzyme-to-substrate ratio (E/S) of 100 mL/g for 120 min. Samples of wheat dough obtained from three major dough producers in Banyumanik, Semarang, Indonesia was then tested for starch hydrolysis, texture, chemical analyses, sensory, and hedonic test. The collected data were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). Under the determined conditions, the optimal pH and AA/GA ratio were found to be 6.6 and 0.5. Regarding quality of processed doughs, the steamed dough exhibited a cohesive texture, a soft sensory profile with a pleasant aroma, sweet taste, and was most preferred by the panellists. The baked dough was hard in texture, high in ash content, and brown in colour. The fried dough poses high starch hydrolysis, chewy texture, adhesion, solid particles, protein content, and relatively high lipid. The sensory evaluation indicated that the fried dough poses an oily, rancid, foreign aroma, and bitter and salty taste. It can be concluded that at a temperature of 37 °C, an enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 100 mL/g, and a reaction time of 120 min, the optimal starch hydrolysis of processed wheat dough can be achieved at a pH of 6.6 and an AA/GA ratio of 0.5. Furthermore, steaming resulted in a unique property of dough compared to the baked and fried, while the latter two yielded products with similar properties.

The world's high-value crop is tea, its aspect plays a powerful role in its marketability. Tea is the utmost extensively absorbed aromatic beverage with the legion of health benefit and respond as a remedy for various disease like neurological disorder and cardiovascular. The identification of tea fermentation is onerous due to the heavy production of products. The manual investigation is expensive, laborious, and inconsistent. Thus, an automated machine learning-based algorithm is proposed for the grading of tea fermentation (fermented, over-fermented, under-fermented). Firstly, images are pre-processed by Gaussian filtering to enhance the quality of the image and removing of noise. Then various features namely, statistical, textural, color, geometrical, laws texture energy, the histogram of gradients, and discrete wavelet transform are extracted (150) and selected from feature vector by PCA. Lastly, k-NN, SRC, and SVM are used to make decisions for the detection of tea fermentation levels. The performance of the system has been validated by the k (10) fold cross-validation technique. The proposed algorithm achieves 87.39% (k-NN), 89.72% (SRC), and 98.75% (SVM) for tea fermentation level detection. The proper feature selection shows the enhanced performance of the system. Among three different classifiers, SVM shows more efficient results that are promising and comparable with the literature. This paper also includes the analytical comparison of distinct approaches proposed by the different researchers for tea fermentation level detection. This potential fermentation level detection may guide the detection of tea products which further promotes the development of the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High aluminum loading incorporation in the SBA-15 silica structure was investigated. Different Si/Al molar ratios (15, 10, and 2) were evaluated. The SBA-15 and the aluminum-containing materials (Al-SBA-15) were prepared by the "pH adjusting" method with modifications. The mesoporous structure of the materials was demonstrated by the type IV isotherms. The SBA-15 pore changed from a cylindrical to a slit-like structure in the presence of higher aluminum content. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) pointed out that the structural order is compromised in the presence of a higher aluminum load in the Al-SBA-15 materials, although the mesoporous structure was preserved. Higher Al loading increases the total quantity of Lewis acid sites as well as generates Brönsted acid sites. CO adsorption FTIR spectroscopy suggests aluminum incorporation into the SBA-15 and generation of acid sites. The Si–O–Al linkage in the aluminum-containing materials was corroborated by UV–Vis DRS due to the presence of a peak centered at 241 nm related to the Al-O bond, which is ascribed to four-coordinated framework aluminum in the SBA-15 structure. XPS spectra of Al 2p suggested that the Al species are less oxidized than the Al2O3 phase giving some indication of Al incorporation into the SBA-15 framework. 27Al MAS NMR results revealed that the aluminum species are in a tetrahedral oxygen coordination environment for Al-SBA-15 with Si/Al molar ratios of 15 and 10. Aluminum species in both tetrahedral and octahedral environments were evidenced for Al-SBA-15 with a Si/Al molar ratio of 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate and model the effect of extrusion conditions on the functional and textural properties of brown rice-watermelon seeds extruded snacks. Taguchi was used in designing the experiment and Response Surface Methodology was used to evaluate and model the effect of exit barrel temperature (120 - 140°C), barrel screw speed (300 - 420 rpm), and feed moisture content (16-18%) on water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and springiness of the extruded snacks. The Pareto plot was used to evaluate the significant extrusion parameters on the functional and textural properties. The WAI and WSI of the extruded snacks ranged between 2.09 and 2.87 (g/g), and 2.12 and 2.59% respectively. The hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and springiness of the extruded snacks ranged between 118.92 and 4054.40 N, 0.06 and 326.00 N, 2.41 and 1509.17 N, and 0.02 and 0.21, respectively. The Pareto plot showed that exit barrel temperature had the most significant influence on WAI and WSI whereas, the quadratic interaction effect of feed moisture content had the most significant influence on the hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and springiness of the extruded snacks. Polynomial regression models were developed for the functional and textural properties with an adequate coefficient of determination (R2) that ranged from 0.74 to 0.99, thus indicating their ability to predict the properties. Conclusively, a hybrid of Taguchi and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) technique was used to establish and predict the influence of extrusion conditions on the functional and textural properties of brown rice-watermelon seeds extruded snacks.

To study the use of partial or total potassium bicarbonate (PBC) to replace sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) on reduced-phosphate silver carp batters, all the batters were composed of silver carp surimi, pork back fat, ice water, spices, sugar, and sodium chloride. Therein, the sample of T1 contained 4 g/kg STPP; T2 contained 1 g/kg PBC, 3 g/kg STPP; T3 contained 2 g/kg PBC, 2 g/kg STPP; T4 contained 3 g/kg PBC, 1 g/kg STPP; T5 contained 4 g/kg PBC, and they were all produced using a bowl chopper. The changes in pH, whiteness, water- and oil-holding capacity, gel and rheological properties, as well as protein conformation were investigated. The pH, cooking yield, water- and oil-holding capacity, texture properties, and the G′ values at 90 °C of the reduced-phosphate silver carp batters with PBC significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to the sample without PBC. Due to the increasing pH and enhanced ion strength, more β-sheet and β-turns structures were formed. Furthermore, by increasing PBC, the pH significantly increased (p < 0.05) and the cooked silver carp batters became darkened. Meanwhile, more CO2 was generated, which destroyed the gel structure, leading the water- and oil-holding capacity, texture properties, and G′ values at 90 °C to be increased and then decreased. Overall, using PBC partial as a substitute of STPP enables reduced-phosphate silver carp batter to have better gel characteristics and water-holding capacity by increasing its pH and changing its rheology characteristic and protein conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass detection in mammograms has a limited approach to the presence of a mass in overlapping denser fibroglandular breast regions. In addition, various breast density levels could decrease the learning system's ability to extract sufficient feature descriptors and may result in lower accuracy performance. Therefore, this study is proposing a textural-based image enhancement technique named Spatial-based Breast Density Enhancement for Mass Detection (SbBDEM) to boost textural features of the overlapped mass region based on the breast density level. This approach determines the optimal exposure threshold of the images' lower contrast limit and optimizes the parameters by selecting the best intensity factor guided by the best Blind/Reference-less Image Spatial Quality Evaluator (BRISQUE) scores separately for both dense and non-dense breast classes prior to training. Meanwhile, a modified You Only Look Once v3 (YOLOv3) architecture is employed for mass detection by specifically assigning an extra number of higher-valued anchor boxes to the shallower detection head using the enhanced image. The experimental results show that the use of SbBDEM prior to training mass detection promotes superior performance with an increase in mean Average Precision (mAP) of 17.24% improvement over the non-enhanced trained image for mass detection, mass segmentation of 94.41% accuracy, and 96% accuracy for benign and malignant mass classification. Enhancing the mammogram images based on breast density is proven to increase the overall system's performance and can aid in an improved clinical diagnosis process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The aim of this study was to analyze the physicochemical, cooking, textural and milling properties of different basmati and non-basmati rice cultivars. Materials and methods. The de-husking and milling of the paddy were performed using a laboratory mill, and the head rice recovery was determined using Adair's methods. The milled rice was analyzed for moisture, ash, protein, and amylose content. The textural attributes of cooked grains were analyzed using Texture Profile Analysis. Results and discussion. The study presented the milling and chemical properties of different rice cultivars, which affect the quality and market value of rice. The recovery of milled rice was found to vary among cultivars, with Pusa Basmati (PB)-6 exhibiting the highest recovery and PB-1121 having the highest husk percentage. Head rice recovery was highest in P-44 and lowest in PB-6, while the moisture content of the milled rice grain ranged from 10.75 to 11.84%. PB-1121 had the highest ash content, while P-2819 had the lowest ash and protein content. Basmati varieties had significantly lower starch content and higher amylose content than the non-basmati cultivar. In terms of physical properties, the bulk density measurements showed that PB-6 had the lowest bulk density, while P-44 had the highest bulk density. When it came to true density, P-2819 stood out with the highest value. Additionally, the study found that basmati varieties tended to have longer grains compared to non-basmati varieties. Furthermore, when examining the length-to-breadth ratio, PB-1121 stood out with the highest ratio, suggesting a relatively slender and elongated grain shape. The cooking properties of the rice cultivars investigated in the study revealed interesting variations. P-2819 demonstrated the shortest cooking time, whereas PB-1121 showed the longest cooking time. The elongation ratio was found to be higher in basmati varieties compared to non-basmati varieties. When considering water uptake, PB-1121 exhibited the highest ratio, implying that it absorbed more water during cooking. Additionally, the solid loss was highest in P-2819 and lowest in PB-1121. In reference to textural properties, P-2819 exhibited the highest hardness, whereas PB-1121 had the lowest. The adhesiveness of the non-basmati variety was higher than that of the basmati variety, indicating a stickier texture. PB-1121 had the lowest gumminess, indicating a lesser tendency for the grains to become gummy. The correlation study revealed significant relationships between rice properties. Cooking time correlated positively with true density, length to breadth ratio, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness. Elongation ratio correlated positively with amylose content, porosity, length, length to breadth ratio, and 1000 kernel weight. Water uptake ratio showed multiple positive correlations. Conclusion. By leveraging these insights, stakeholders can enhance the quality, market value, and overall satisfaction of rice products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: According to the Chinese Health Commission guidelines, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity is classified as mild, moderate, severe, or critical. The mortality rate of COVID-19 is higher among patients with severe and critical diseases; therefore, early identification of COVID-19 prevents disease progression and improves patient survival. Computed tomography (CT) radiomics, as a machine learning method, provides an objective and mathematical evaluation of COVID-19 pneumonia. As CT-based radiomics research has recently focused on COVID-19 diagnosis and severity analysis, this meta-analysis aimed to investigate the predictive power of a CT-based radiomics model in determining COVID-19 severity. Materials and methods: This study followed the diagnostic version of PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase databases and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched to identify relevant articles in the meta-analysis from inception until July 16, 2021. The sensitivity and specificity were analyzed using forest plots. The overall predictive power was calculated using the summary receiver operating characteristic curve. The bias was evaluated using a funnel plot. The quality of the included literature was assessed using the radiomics quality score and quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies tool. Results: The radiomics quality scores ranged from 7 to 16 (achievable score: 2212 8 to 36). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.800 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.662–0.891) and 0.874 (95% CI 0.773–0.934), respectively. The pooled area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.908. The quality assessment tool showed favorable results. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated that CT-based radiomics models might be helpful for predicting the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The pandemic was announced by the world health organization coronavirus (COVID-19) universal health dilemma. Any scientific appliance which contributes expeditious detection of coronavirus with a huge recognition rate may be excessively fruitful to doctors. In this environment, innovative automation like deep learning, machine learning, image processing and medical image like chest radiography (CXR), computed tomography (CT) has been refined promising solution contrary to COVID-19. Currently, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test has been used to detect the coronavirus. Due to the moratorium period is high on results tested and huge false negative estimates, substitute solutions are desired. Thus, an automated machine learning-based algorithm is proposed for the detection of COVID-19 and the grading of nine different datasets. This research impacts the grant of image processing and machine learning to expeditious and definite coronavirus detection using CXR and CT medical imaging. This results in early detection, diagnosis, and cure for the accomplishment of COVID-19 as early as possible. Firstly, images are preprocessed by normalization to enhance the quality of the image and removing of noise. Secondly, segmentation of images is done by fuzzy c-means clustering. Then various features namely, statistical, textural, histogram of gradients, and discrete wavelet transform are extracted (92) and selected from the feature vector by principle component analysis. Lastly, k-NN, SRC, ANN, and SVM are used to make decisions for normal, pneumonia, COVID-19 positive patients. The performance of the system has been validated by the k (5) fold cross-validation technique. The proposed algorithm achieves 91.70% (k-Nearest Neighbor), 94.40% (Sparse Representation Classifier), 96.16% (Artificial Neural Network), and 99.14% (Support Vector Machine) for COVID detection. The proposed results show feature combination and selection improves the performance in 14.34 s with machine learning and image processing techniques. Among k-NN, SRC, ANN, and SVM classifiers, SVM shows more efficient results that are promising and comparable with the literature. The proposed approach results in an improved recognition rate as compared to the literature review. Therefore, the algorithm proposed shows immense potential to benefit the radiologist for their findings. Also, fruitful in prior virus diagnosis and discriminate pneumonia between COVID-19 and other pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face Expression is the visible feature mask to concede person's behaviour, intension or reaction. The paper has dealt out a qualified data mining model for expression recognition called MPMFFT (Multiple Pattern Multiple Feature based Feature Transformation) integrated model. This proposed model transformed the facial information in 22 aggregative features. These features include textural, geometrical, mathematical and structural characteristics. The characteristics are captured in the entire facial region and expression sensitive selected facial segment. To acquire the features, three local region extraction models are used on both broad and responsive facial areas. This complete featured composition formed a set of 132 features. This transformed data form is treated under the danger theory. At First, DCA (Dendric Cell algorithm) is ready to generate feature patterns to identify safe and danger qualified features. After this, each cell group is processed under DBT (Dempster Belief Theory) for integrated feature weight assignment based on mapping to the expression class. This weighted and cell formed data set is finally processed under probabilistic implementation using Bayesian nets. The experiment is applied on JAFFE, CMU and CK datasets. The experimental observations are compiled for individual expressions against decision tree, SVM and KNN methods. The comparative results signify that the model improved the accuracy of each of distinctive facial expression.

In this work, a novel Bacterial NanoCellulose (BNC) producing strain, from Kombucha tea, was isolated and characterized. Based on 16S rRNA analysis the strain was identified as Komagataeibacter rhaeticus. Under static culture, K. rhaeticus K3 produces membranes with a relaxed structure, as observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The addition of 2% (v/v) ethanol to the culture media enhanced by more than 3-fold of the BNC yield.Response surface methodology (RSM) was performed with K. rhaeticus K3, using a new low cost Eucalyptus Biomass Hydrolysate (EBH). The maximum experimental BNC yield was of 5.46 g/L, obtained with the following composition: 31.4 g/L of EBH; 2.89% (v/v) of ethanol and 10.8 g/L of Yeast extract/peptone.Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) of BNC membranes obtained using Hestrin-Schramm culture (HS) medium and optimized medium from EBH showed that membranes from EBH had higher resistance to compression, higher cohesiveness and resilience.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.), cultivated since the Neolithic period, is a vegetable with therapeutic and culinary properties that presents great economic importance in the world. Characterization of a Spanish traditional garlic variety known as "Fino de Chinchón" was achieved by evaluating physicochemical, colour, and textural attributes. This traditional garlic has its own peculiarities regarding textural parameters related to cohesiveness, resilience and springiness, antioxidant behavior, and pyruvic content. Nevertheless, it presents common physicochemical features than those observed for other garlic varieties in our neighboring. The results of the present work are a good start point to initiate research into the composition and properties of "Fino de Chinchón" garlic. The findings are interesting since they would enable greater awareness of the importance of traditional varieties. However, future research will be necessary to perform a more complete characterization of this variety. Furthermore, this information could be of particular interest and benefit of farmers, regarding the protection of biodiversity and genetic conservation, furthermore contributing to environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrological features of carbonate rocks that exert control on their mechanical and physical properties are examined in the study presented here. Ninety-four representative rock block samples were collected at outcrops and were tested for uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), point load index (PLI), indirect tensile strength (ITS), sonic velocity (SV; Vp and Vs), Schmidt hardness value (SHV), slake durability index (SDI), porosity (n), water absorption (WA), unit weight (UW), and specific gravity (SG), according to the standards. The carbonate rock samples were classified into four groups, according to their compositional and textural characteristics, using XRD, XRF, polarized-light microscope, and SEM. Different types of regression analyses were performed to find the most applicable relationship between measured mechanical/physical properties and mineralogical/textural features of these carbonate rocks. The results suggest that rocks with pure calcite (no dolomite component) and abundant iron oxide cement are more sensitive to mechanical failure than the other carbonate rocks tested here. High silica content appears to reduce the UCS and Id2 values probably due to the presence of silica as separate chert nodules and detrital quartz grains. The results also suggest impact of the arid environmental conditions in the study area. The correlation data indicated wide range of variability and cover ranges reported in published literature on carbonate rocks from other regions. The derived correlation equations of the rock strength parameters may be specific within the arid environment of the investigated rocks, but the results may still provide comparative guidelines for rock testing in the region and regions of other carbonate rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face Expression is the visible feature mask to concede person's behaviour, intension or reaction. The paper has dealt out a qualified data mining model for expression recognition called MPMFFT (Multiple Pattern Multiple Feature based Feature Transformation) integrated model. This proposed model transformed the facial information in 22 aggregative features. These features include textural, geometrical, mathematical and structural characteristics. The characteristics are captured in the entire facial region and expression sensitive selected facial segment. To acquire the features, three local region extraction models are used on both broad and responsive facial areas. This complete featured composition formed a set of 132 features. This transformed data form is treated under the danger theory. At First, DCA (Dendric Cell algorithm) is ready to generate feature patterns to identify safe and danger qualified features. After this, each cell group is processed under DBT (Dempster Belief Theory) for integrated feature weight assignment based on mapping to the expression class. This weighted and cell formed data set is finally processed under probabilistic implementation using Bayesian nets. The experiment is applied on JAFFE, CMU and CK datasets. The experimental observations are compiled for individual expressions against decision tree, SVM and KNN methods. The comparative results signify that the model improved the accuracy of each of distinctive facial expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to evaluate the rheological, textural, and antioxidant activity of fermented milks with the addition of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) extracts at concentrations of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% (CFM, RFM1, RFM2, and RFM3). The chemical composition of the fermented milks, including crude protein, fat, ash, total solids and non‐fat solids, were also determined. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS) detected 42, 46, 47, and 49 kinds of volatile flavour compounds in CFM, RFM1, RFM2, and RFM3, respectively. The antioxidant activity of fermented milks was measured using ferric reducing antioxidant power and scavenging capacities for 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals during 28 days of refrigerated storage. The results of this study are of great significance to improve the understanding and application of roselle extracts in the food industry. Both roselle and fermented milk are beneficial to human health, with many biological activities, such as antioxidant, hypoglycaemic, liver‐protecting, and antihypertensive properties; however, no attention has been paid to the combined effects of roselle and fermented milks. The study created a novel fermented milk and the results indicate that 0.3% roselle extracts can play the most important role in affecting the rheological, textural properties, and antioxidant activity of fermented milks, so this modification of fermented milk shows promise for potential application in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, ZrO2-CeO2 hollow spheres have been synthesized using carbon spheres as a template. The physico-chemical, textural and morphological properties of the synthesized ZrO2-CeO2 hollow spheres were explored by powder X-ray diffraction, N2-physisorption, Fourier emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The catalytic activity of the synthesized ZrO2-CeO2 catalyst was evaluated in the degradation of acid yellow 17 dye using advanced oxidation technique. The results demonstrated that the ZrO2-CeO2 hollow spheres showed the highest percentage degradation of 88% in reaction time of 180 min for the selected dye. The improved degradation activity of the synthesized catalyst could be attributed to the fact that the oxidizing agent H2O2 react with ZrO2-CeO2 to produce highly reactive hydroxyl radical (·OH) which further attack on the selected dye molecule and degraded to less environmental toxic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rice is one of the major cereal crops that act as an attractive material for the manufacture of ready-to-cook (RTC) products like pasta, noodles, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, modified starch, weaning foods, snack foods, pet foods, and dried soup, because of its colour, bland taste, flavour as well as good processing characteristics. Extrusion is the most versatile processing technology used in the food industry to develop the product having better nutritional, functional and sensory characteristics. This technique enables the control of the different processes like mixing, heating, cooking, shearing, and shaping of products. This review highlights the research work on the use of extrusion process technology to produce rice and rice-based products. The extrusion process parameters namely feed moisture, barrel temperature, screw speed, and feed rate markedly affect the product quality and their acceptability among consumers. Emphasis has been given on the effects of feed mixture composition or ingredients and the extrusion process parameters on physicochemical, textural, pasting, thermal and nutritional properties of the rice extrudates. Highlights • The review includes the effect of extrusion on the quality of the rice-based products. • The effect of incorporation of co-ingredients along with rice has been explained. • The extrusion process parameters and selection of the ingredients can be obtained for development of the rice-based product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have fabricated undoped CuO, Co0.1Ni0.07Zn0.04Cu0.79O and Co0.08Ni0.07Zn0.04Mg0.03Cu0.78O nanoparticles through thermal decomposition of their respective inorganic copper creatinate hydrazinate and mixed metal doped copper creatinate hydrazinate precursors which were prepared by the co-precipitation method and characterized through EDS, ICP-AES, IR, and TG-DTA analysis. Techniques such as EDS, ICP-AES, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, TEM, SEM, BET, and VSM analysis were employed to characterize the composition, structural phase, chemical state, morphological, textural, and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, effects of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on the mixed‐mode fracture toughness of Al‐6063 were investigated. The ECAP process continued up to 5 passes without failure. Grain refinement was obvious after 5 passes of the ECAP process. The average grain size reduced from 45μm to less than 1μm, and textural studies shows aligning the grains in known directions. After 4 passes, yield and ultimate strengths increase respectively from 100 and 209 MPa to 300 and 375 MPa and reduction in elongation was also observed. The microhardness improved after the process. The fracture toughness for different orientations was measured. For pure mode I (opening mode), its value decreased after the first pass from 18.4 to 15.71  MPa m; however, it increased to about 18.8  MPa m after the fifth pass. For mixed‐mode loading condition, different orientations were investigated. The results revealed different fracture toughness reductions after the first passes of the process for specimens with different orientations. The fracture surfaces were studied by using scanning electron microscope, and refined equiaxed dimples were observed after the ECAP process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the correlation and mechanism of inherent calcium species in coal on the preparation and performance of activated carbon (AC) when using flue gas activation. In this study, XCaCO 3 /AC (X means calcite contents in coal, 0–8 wt.%) was successfully produced by mixing different contents of calcite and demineralized Taixi coal and then using flue gas activation. The textual evolution and methylene blue (MB) removal of AC were conducted by a series of characterizations and tests, and revealed its mechanism. Coal with a high content of calcium could result in a low yield of AC. Calcite could transform into calcium oxide. During AC preparation by flue gas activation, calcium oxide also could react with CO 2 and transform into calcium carbonate. Calcite in coal reduced the degree of AC's graphitization. The calcite in coal promotes the increment of C O, COO, and π-π* of AC linearly as the calcite content increases. Due to the excessive catalytic effect of calcite, high-content calcium could result in inferior porosity through promoting the collapse of pore topology. Calcite in coal strengthens the methylene blue (MB) removal capacity of AC. The 5CaCO 3 /AC possesses the utmost MB adsorption capacity, up to 118.8 mg/g, which is higher by 122.9% than AC of 53.3 mg/g. The various kinetics models were also verified and data was well matched to Pseudo second-order kinetics (R2=0.9165 for AC and R2=9729 for 3CaCO 3 /AC). Calcite in coal increases the content of C O and π–π* of AC, which strengthens chemical adsorption by functional groups complexation and π–π* stacking. Meanwhile, the existence of calcium species, OH− and CO 3 2 − is beneficial for ion exchange and complexation, respectively. Thus, the removal ability of MB by AC is enhanced. The results of this investigation could cast novel light on the high-performance AC design by utilization of high-calcium coal, and further multiple pollutants treatment. [Display omitted] • Proposed a strategy of utilizing calcite in coal for high-performance AC. • CaCO 3 , CaO, and CaSiO 3 were formed during AC preparation by flue gas activation. • Calcite in coal favors the increase of C O and π–π*. • Excessive calcite in coal could result in inferior porosity topology. • The enhanced mechanism of MB adsorption by calcite was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, considering the increasing tendency for consuming low fat or non-fat products, it is preferred to use non-fat milk for yoghurt production. Cress seed has various pharmaceutical applications and for as much as it is known that this plant’s seeds have high mucilage compounds, in this study different concentration levels (0.05, 0.07, 0.1, 0.15% w/w) of the gum used. pH, acidity, water loss, viscosity and the texture (hardness, adhesiveness) of produced yogurt during the storage time (1, 7, 14 and 21 days) was evaluated. pH decreased in comparing to control samples by adding hydrocolloid level to low fat yogurt samples. A significant increase in acidity was observed during storage. With increasing gum level water loss of samples decreased. Hardness of the samples increased during storage. The result of this study shows that the cress seed gum has a good potential for being used as a stabilizer in yogurt formulation.

The domain of investigation of radiomics consists of large-scale radiological image analysis and association with biological or clinical endpoints. The purpose of the present study is to provide a recent update on the status of this rapidly emerging field by performing a systematic review of the literature on radiomics, with a primary focus on oncologic applications. The systematic literature search, performed in Pubmed using the keywords: “radiomics OR radiomic” provided 97 research papers. Based on the results of this search, we describe the methods used for building a model of prognostic value from quantitative analysis of patient images. Then, we provide an up-to-date overview of the results achieved in this field, and discuss the current challenges and future developments of radiomics for oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of sulfated zirconia catalysts were synthesized from various precursors using mono- or multi-step sequence preparations under laboratory con­ditions. Their activities/selectivities in the isomerization reaction of n-hexane were correlated to their textural, structural and morphological properties. The slightly higher activity of a commercially sulfated Zr(OH)4-based catalyst is in agreement with the differences in the content of SO42-- ions and their thermal stability, textural and structural properties, i.e., crystallite size and possible imperfection of the incor­poration of sulfate groups in the multi-step synthesis of the catalyst having a nitrate origin. The employment of H2 as the carrier gas resulted in no catalytic activity, regardless of the catalyst precursor, preparation method and calcination tempera­ture. When the isomerization reaction was performed under He, the relatively short life-times of all catalyst samples were caused by fast deactivation due to coking in the absence of H2.

Two series of sulfated zirconia catalysts were synthesized from various precursors using mono- or multi-step sequence preparations under laboratory conditions. Their activities/selectivities in the isomerization reaction of n-hexane were correlated to their textural, structural and morphological properties. The slightly higher activity of a commercially sulfated Zr(OH)4-based catalyst is in agreement with the differences in the content of SO24 - ions and their thermal stability, textural and structural properties, i.e., crystallite size and possible imperfection of the incorporation of sulfate groups in the multi-step synthesis of the catalyst having a nitrate origin. The employment of H2 as the carrier gas resulted in no catalytic activity, regardless of the catalyst precursor, preparation method and calcination temperature. When the isomerization reaction was performed under He, the relatively short life-times of all catalyst samples were caused by fast deactivation due to coking in the absence of H2. .

The preparation history of Al2O3 strongly determines its properties for the application as a catalyst support. The interaction of calcination heating rate and temperature and its influence on the structural, textural, and acidic properties of alumina were studied. Commercial γ-alumina was calcined at 800°C, 900°C, 1000°C, 1050°C, 1100°C, and 1150°C by 2.5°C/min, 5°C/min, and 10°C/min. By increasing temperature up to 1050°C, transition aluminas (γ, δ, and θ) were reported, but the heating rate accelerated phase transformation and changed the amount of each phase in the samples. At 1100°C and 1150°C, a-alumina appeared. Mesopore alumina with different surface areas (265-126 m2/g) was synthesized at calcination temperature from 800°C to 1050°C; when temperature reached 1100°C, the surface area decreased drastically and was around 14 m2/g. Interaction of heating rate on the temperature had minimal effect on the surface area of samples, but considerable effect on the acidic properties. The intensity of acidic properties was affected by heating rate with nonlinear profiles. By increasing the heating rate, the ratio of A1 cations occupied tetrahedral per octahedral sites and defect of crystal structures increased, so the surface acidity of aluminas was increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rheological, textural, and enzymatic hydrolysis properties of starch isolated from the seed of a Chinese chickpea cultivar were compared with corn. The chickpea starch peak, final, breakdown, and setback viscosities (2631 ± 5, 1532 ± 3, 1346 ± 2, and 247 ± 0 cP, respectively) suggest a higher stability and consistency than corn. During gelatinization, the starch granules irreversibly lost their integrity and formed a continuous amorphous structure. The gel strength increased during storage for 24 h then slowly increased until 168 h. The chickpea starch gel became firmer owing to its high amylose content. During heating, storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of starch suspension increased rapidly above 60 °C but reduced on further heating. During cooling, G′ decreased rapidly from 95 to 75 °C then increased slowly until 25 °C, with no change in G″. The hydrolysis rate of chickpea starch was lower than that of corn starch, indicating its higher resistance to α-amylase digestibility during retrogradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergism between thermoresponsive and bioadhesive polymers can lead to the optimization of materials with enhanced mechanical and bioadhesive properties. Quality by Design can assure the understanding and control of formulation variables. In this approach, Design of Experiment has been widely utilized as an important strategy. Poly(methyl vinyl ether- alt -maleic anhydride) (PVMMA) is a bioadhesive polymer and Pluronic F127 (PF127) shows thermoresponsiveness. The association of these two polymers has been poorly investigated. The aim of this work was to study the mechanical, bioadhesive and rheological properties of polymer mixtures composed of PVMMA and PF127, in order to select the best conditions and formulations for biomedical applications. Textural properties (hardness, compressibility, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and elasticity), softness index, bioadhesion and rheological characteristics (flow and viscoelasticity) showed that 17.5–20% (w/w) PF127-polymer mixtures displayed improved values of the parameters. However, the rheological interaction parameter showed low synergism, due to the polymers' characteristics and system organization. The formulations displayed gelation temperatures suitable for administration, with improved bioadhesive properties mainly at 34 °C and suggests the formulations can be used for biomedical applications. DoE constituted an important tool to investigate these systems showing the main effects that significantly influence the binary mixtures. [Display omitted] • Mechanical and bioadhesive study of PVMMA-PF127 mixtures improves their use. • Increasing PF127 content and temperature increased mechanical and rheological properties. • Systems with a higher PF127 amount showed T sol-gel to ensure easy administration and good retention. • DoE showed that 17.5 and 20% PF127-systems are potentially useful for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of species within an ecosystem plays a key role in formulating an inventory for use in the development of conservation management plans. The classification of mangrove species typically involves intensive field surveys, whereas remote sensing techniques represent a cost-efficient means of mapping and monitoring mangrove forests at large scales. However, the coarse spectral resolution of remote sensing technology has up until recently restricted the ability to identify individual species. The more recent development of very high-resolution spatial optical remote sensing sensors and techniques has thus provided new opportunities for the accurate mapping of species within mangrove forests over large areas. When dealing with the complex problems associated with discriminating among species, classifier performance could be enhanced through the adoption of more intrinsic features; such as textural and differential spectral features. This study explored the effectiveness of textural and differential spectral features in mapping mangrove inter-species obtained from WorldView-3 high-spatial-resolution imagery for mangrove species in Hong Kong. Due to the different arrangement of leaves, the branch density, and the average height and size of plants, we found that the differential spectral features could aid in reducing inner-species variability and increasing intra-species separation. Using a combination of textural and differential spectral features thus represents a promising tool for discriminating among mangrove species. Experimental results suggest that combining these features can greatly improve mapping accuracy, thereby providing more reliable mapping results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image inpainting is a technique to restore the damage image and fill gape or texts are written in the image. Image inpainting have different application like removal of scratches, restoring damage/missing portions of Image. In recent year image inpainting is high popular in image processing. In this paper we propose the exemplar based inpainting algorithm with solution of proposed application of Sourceforge.net application that is built in Java and using exemplar based image inpainting algorithm we remove the unwanted object and scratches to be contain in image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice cream contains high sugar content and therefore it is in contradiction with the concept of healthy diet. The objective of this study is to determine the suitability of using stevia as an alternative natural sweetener in making ice cream. In- house ice cream formulation (as the control) and three different concentrations of stevia ice cream formulations of (A, B and C) were used. Physical properties of the ice cream such as the overrun, total soluble solid, meltdown rate, rheology, and textural properties were evaluated. All ice cream samples exhibited a non-Newtonian flow with pseudoplastic behavior. Stevia ice cream has a lower melting rate and has a higher sustainability. The power law also showed that apparent viscosities of stevia ice cream were higher. Therefore, stevia can be used as a natural sugar substitute in ice cream production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nixtamalization is an important process because it results in an increased calcium intake in consumers eating products that have been thus prepared. Nixtamalization generates a high amount of organic waste called nejayote. The objective of this research was to evaluate the chemical, textural, and viscoelastic properties of nixtamalized dough with the addition of nejayote and nejayote solids. A 4 × 4 two-factor (percentage of nejayote solids and nejayote concentration) factorial design was applied. Results demonstrated that ashes and CaCO 3 increase significantly in nixtamalized dough with nejayote. Textural parameters, hardness, and cohesiveness of dough with nejayote solids added did not show significant differences. Nixtamalized dough with whole nejayote appears to increase hardness and decrease cohesiveness. Control dough and nixtamalized dough with diluted nejayote 1:1 (100 g nejayote:100 g water) and 30 g/100 g of nejayote solids added did not show significant differences in cohesiveness, resilience, total elasticity, storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), and loss tangent (tan δ). Total elasticity of nixtamalized dough with diluted nejayote is higher than that of the control dough. Consequently, using diluted nejayote and adding nejayote solids during the nixtamalization process may be an appropriate method by which to reduce organic waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of contrast-based textural measurements and morphological characteristics that derive from high-resolution satellite imagery (three-band SPOT-5) when diverse image enhancements techniques are piloted. The general framework of the application is the built-up/nonbuilt-up detection. In the existence of a low-resolution reference layer, we apply supervised learning that indirectly reduces the uncertainty and improves the quality of the reference layer. Based on the new class label assignments, the image histogram is adjusted suitably for the computation of contrast-based textural/morphological features. A case study is presented where we test a mixture of image enhancement operations like linear and decorrelation stretching and assess the performance through ROC analysis against available building footprints. Experimental results demonstrate that spectral band combination is the key factor that conditions the contrast of grayscale images. Contrast adjustment (before or after the band combination and merging) supports considerably the extraction of informative features from a low-contrast image; in case of a well-contrasted image, the improvement is marginal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Notwithstanding the existence of several studies on various aspects of cow and goat cheeses, there is little information on their textural properties. The study of the rheological properties in cheeses is important because it determines the typical body and texture. This research was conducted in order to compare the texture profile of pasteurized fresh cheeses made from goat's milk and cow and fat contents of 30, 50 and 70%; which were stored refrigerated at 4°C and analyzed on days 1, 6, 12, and 18 respectively. The textural parameters of hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, elasticity, gumminess and chewiness were determined using a texture analyzer EZ-TEST SERIES S. It is concluded that the values of hardness and adhesiveness increased during storage time, contrary to the elasticity and cohesiveness. Furthermore, increased fat influences the increase of these parameters except hardness. Moreover, gumminess and chewiness vary as to the hardness, cohesiveness and springiness. Fresh goat cheese had higher adhesiveness, cohesiveness and elasticity, compared to fresh cheese of cow, in which the hardness values were higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Different levels of phytosterols were incorporated into cheese spread. [•] Different textural and melting properties were studied. [•] Firmness increased, but work of adhesion decreased as phytosterols increased. [•] RVA™ cheese melt viscosity index of treated samples were lower compared to control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aims to investigate the nutritional value of sufu and reduce environmental problems caused by okara, which results from the traditional processing method of sufu. The feasibility of the whole-soya bean cotyledon sufu ( WSCS) processing method, which does not produce okara, was investigated. WSCS was prepared by ripening okara-containing tofu through various hydrolytic enzymes secreted by Actinomucor elegans for 70 days. After fermentation, total nitrogen, amino nitrogen and lipid contents were found to be lower in WSCS than in traditional sufu ( TS), whereas contents of reducing sugar, dietary fibre, isoflavone aglycone and soya bean polysaccharide were higher in WSCS than in TS. The hardness, springiness and adhesiveness of WSCS were 249.703 ± 0.500 g, 0.606 ± 0.008 and 8.393 ± 0.032 J, respectively. The corresponding values for TS were 264.863 ± 0.572 g, 0.615 ± 0.007 and 7.516 ± 0.031 J, respectively. In addition, microstructural changes in WSCS and TS during fermentation were observed through scanning electron microscopy. The results from this study may provide a basis for industrial production of WSCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Preparation of supported nanoparticles by palladium deposition onto silica (SBA-15) from a solution of tris(dibenzylideneacetone) dipalladium(0) (Pd2(dba)3) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was successfully achieved. Pd2(dba)3 avoided agglomeration of nanoparticles, which is typically associated with secondary processes including reduction of metal salts. scCO2 impregnation was superior at depositing palladium nanoparticles within the porous channels of SBA-15, as compared to organic solvents. The resulting material demonstrated significant potential for use in catalytic applications including hydrogenations and showed specific selectivity towards alkene hydrogenation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Yogurts are important dairy products that have known a rapid market growth over the past few decades. Industrial yogurt manufacture involves different processing steps. Among them, protein fortification of the milk base is elemental. It greatly enhances yogurt nutritional and functional properties and prevents syneresis, an undesirable yogurt textural defect. Protein enrichment can be achieved by either concentration process (evaporation under vacuum and membrane processing: reverse osmosis and/or ultrafiltration) or by addition of dairy ingredients. Traditionally, skim milk powder (SMP) is used to enrich the milk base before fermentation. However, increased quality and availability of other dairy ingredients such as milk protein isolates (MPI), milk protein concentrates (MPC) whey protein isolates (WPI) and concentrates (WPC), micellar casein (MC) and caseinates have promoted their use as alternatives to SMP. Substituting different dry ingredients for skim milk powder in yogurt making affects the yogurt mix protein composition and subsequent textural and sensorial properties. This review focuses on various type of milk protein used for fortification purposes and their influence on these properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of meat from adult sheep to replace (at 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100% final concentrations) the pork meat in a ham-type pâté formulation was studied and several technological and sensory quality properties were determined. The test results demonstrated no significant (P >0.05) differences in the chemical composition (water, proteins, lipids and ash contents), pH, water activity, oxidation index according to the TBARS value and the consistency of the different treatments. The content of total and nitrous heme pigments in the pâtés containing sheep-meat were higher (P <0.05) than in the ham pâté, but the percentage of conversion of the heme pigments to the nitrous form was not affected (P >0.05). According to the CIELAB color values, the samples became (P <0.05) darker (less L*) and redder (high a*, C* and h* values) as the sheep-meat content was increased. However, these color alterations did not affect (P >0.05) the overall sensory impression of consumers and the pâtés containing sheep meat achieved a preference value similar to that of the ham pâté. The use of meat from discarded sheep in the preparation of pâtés conferred higher added value to this product and generated a new product with quality characteristics and sensory acceptance similar to that of ham pâté. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of salting method, dry salting (DS), brine salting (BS), brine salting with sucrose addition (BSS) or dry salting with sucrose addition (DSS) on the quality of Atlantic salmon treated with a liquid smoke flavouring was investigated over a 45-day storage period. Sugar-added samples were the ones with the significantly lowest values for TBARS (β0, DS = 0.09b; BS = 0.18a; DSS = 0.07c; BSS = 0.07c). BSS and DSS fillets showed faster production rates of trimethylamine (TMA), 0.57 and 1.46, than the DS and BS fillets, 0.81 and 1.19, respectively. The DS and DSS fillets showed long delay periods before the TMA concentration started to increase (16.18; 20.60), and 90% of the panellists preferred these to BS or BSS fillets. In fact, only the BSS fillets were rejected during the storage, after 34 days; and the fillets with the most overall desirable characteristics at the end of the storage period were those of the DSS group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]