Domestic Pressure Cooker Research Articles

Remodelling operational parameters on the performance of a modified domestic pressure cooker

Remodelling operational parameters on the performance of a modified domestic pressure cooker

A domestic pressure cooker mediated, facile autoclaving method for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles

As an alternative to an expensive hydrothermal reactor, in the current method a domestic pressure was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) using tree gum, kondagogu as dual functional reductant and stabilizer by autoclaving. The formation of Ag NP was evaluated with colour transformation, UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and transmission electron microscopy. The formation of Ag NP by gum confirmed from the developed yellow coloration of the solution and the appearance of surface plasmon resonance peak at 408 nm in the UV–Vis. The produced NP were spherical, polydisperse, particle size ranged from 2.9–17.6 nm and the average particle size was 4.5 ± 3.1 nm. The developed method is useful for demonstration, gaining hands on experience and production of metal and metal oxide NP in resource limited small laboratories, rural colleges, startups etc.•Pressure cooker serves as an easily accessible, durable, inexpensive, electricity independent hydrothermal nanoparticle production vessel.•Autoclaving serves as a facile, ecofriendly, less energy consuming, one pot, green method with dual functional role of in situ nanoparticle synthesis and sterilization.•Production of intrinsically safe and sterile nanoparticles amenable for in vivo and in vitro biomedical applications.

Hydrothermal treatment of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) stalks for enhanced microfibrillated cellulose production

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) derived from natural fibers has gained significant interest as an environmentally friendly material for economic and ecological reasons. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), a widely cultivated crop that generates waste during bioethanol production, holds the potential for producing MFC and can be used for enhancing polymer’s performance, particularly in terms of crystallinity. The hydrothermal treatments aimed to unbundle lignocellulose networks into MFC with reduced amorphous content and enhanced crystallinity The hydrothermal treatments, necessitating specialized apparatuses and exhibiting limited scalability, can be effectively replaced by the domestic pressure cooker, an alternative intriguing vessel for the simple, cheap, and economical hydrothermal reactor. Hydrothermal treatments using pressurized steaming methods were performed at different durations (5, 25, and 60 min), in which the fibers were positioned above the water level to enable targeted interaction with the steam. Characterization of the treated fibers namely chemical composition, morphology, crystallinity index, and thermal stability were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy, FE-SEM, XRD, and TGA. The results demonstrate the removal of binding materials, such as amorphous hemicellulose and lignin, from the sorghum fibers, leading to fiber defibrillation and producing MFC size range from 12.2 to 19.4 μm. Hydrothermal treated fiber started to decompose at Tinitial around 275 °C–282 °C higher than fiber untreated Tinitial = 229 °C. The 5 min treatment has generated the highest crystallinity index (52%) and the highest maximum peak temperature (365.26 °C). Additionally, the treatments have increased the fibers’ crystallinity index and thermal stability, highlighting the potential use of sorghum fiber as a reinforcement candidate in natural fiber polymer composites.

Standardization of Manual Method of Immunohistochemical Staining for Breast Cancer Biomarkers at Tertiary Cancer Care Center: An Audit

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a necessary ancillary technique in surgical pathology laboratories, particularly for oncology tissue specimens. Automation in the IHC technique has an advantage over manual methods in terms of quality, except for the cost of the equipment. Thus, the manual method of IHC staining is the preferred method of choice in countries with limited resources. However, standardization of all steps in the preanalytic phase is critical to obtain reliable immunohistochemistry test results. The current audit was conducted to describe the preanalytic factors affecting manual IHC methods. The most important preanalytic factors were fixative, the composition of dehydrate, pH, drying of sections, and heat-mediated antigen retrieval method (HMAR). The domestic pressure cooker method was found to be the best for HMAR.

Pressure cooker–induced autoevisceration: From kitchen to emergency

Domestic pressure cooker trauma leading to severe ocular injuries is generally underreported. It can have varying manifestations ranging from penetrating ocular injury to thermal burns. We report a case of pressure cooker explosion presenting as autoevisceration in one eye and thermal burn in the other eye. This case highlights the importance of the need to increase awareness and promote safety measures to help prevent such accidents.

Standardisation of cooking and conditioning methods for preparation of quick cooking germinated brown rice

Quick cooking germinated brown rice (QCGBR) is a novel convenient food product with valuable health benefits. Different cooking and conditioning methods were studied for standardisation of its preparation process. Freshly harvested paddy of Prativa variety was milled in rubber roll sheller to get brown rice which was soaked in demineralised water at 30 ​± ​2 ​°C for 12 ​h followed by 24 ​h of germination in an incubator maintained at 27 ​± ​1 ​°C temperature and 85–90% relative humidity to obtain germinated brown rice. The germinated brown rice was immediately cooked using three different cooking methods such as atmospheric cooking at normal ambient pressure, pressure cooking with water in a domestic pressure cooker at 1 ​bar gauge pressure and pressure steaming (without water) with steam at 1 ​bar gauge pressure to predetermined cooking time. The cooked samples after washing were then conditioned by keeping them at 4 ​°C for 24 ​h (refrigerated storage) or −10 ​°C for 24 ​h (frozen storage) in a house hold refrigerator. The stored samples were taken out after 24 ​h and tempered for 1 ​h followed by drying in a tray dryer at 90 ​°C to obtain the quick cooking germinated brown rice. The samples obtained from different cooking and conditioning methods were analysed for cooking quality, physico-chemical parameters, damaged grain percentage, GABA content and sensory attributes to standardise the cooking and conditioning methods. Cooking time, water uptake ratio, solid loss and volume expansion ratio of quick cooking germinated brown rice varied significantly with cooking and conditioning methods of its preparation (p ​< ​0.05). Though frozen conditioning resulted in lowest cooking time, it was not accepted by the sensory panel due to high damaged grain percentage, distorted shape and softness after cooking. The QCGBR obtained by pressure cooking method followed by refrigerated conditioning resulted in highest sensory score.

John Spalding: neurologist who helped to develop mechanical ventilation

John Spalding was one of the pioneers of artificial respiration. An old Etonian, he was one of the Oxford team in the early 1950s that developed the East Radcliffe ventilator—it...

Penetrating Orbitofrontal Foreign Body: Case Report

AbstractOrbitofrontal foreign-body injuries comprise a major cause of all facial injuries referred to a neurosurgeon. The authors hereby present an unusual case of a pressure regulator of a domestic pressure cooker impacted into the orbit and extending through the orbital roof into the basifrontal cortex. The globe was intact externally with no obvious sign of such a large object impacted behind the globe. On imaging, the foreign body was found to have fractured the orbital roof with one end protruding into the basifrontal cortex. A transcranial approach was taken to remove the object with removal of the orbital rim and roof to reach the object. After successful retrieval of the metallic body, all displaced bone fragments were removed and the dural closure was done in a watertight manner. The vision could not be salvaged, most likely due to damage to the optic nerve. However, the globe was left intact and the ocular movements were normal. An important factor to consider in removal of such foreign bodies is that the bone fragments that get impacted should be meticulously removed and the dural tears should be sealed to prevent any intracranial infections and cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Removal of the orbital rim helps in adequate exposure of the retro-orbital space and the basifrontal dura.

Root Cause Failure Analysis of a Domestic Pressure Cooker Through Metallurgical Characterization and Computational Simulation

Pressure cooker is a closed domestic pressure cooking vessel for use with external heat source and capable of maintaining nominal cooking pressure up to 1.0 kgf/cm2 (100 kN/m2 approximately) gauge nominal. In pressure cookers, despite the development of electronic controllers, the basic edition of such vessels are still equipped with fewer advanced safety functions due to economic constraints. Although the provision of pressure relief valves (PRV) is considered as one of the major protective features, however, pressure cooker failure accidents have been reported frequently. This paper describes the analysis of pressure cooker failure that failed prematurely after 1 year of service considering the design life of > 5 years. It was hypothesized that the root cause of pipe failure was either material degradation from exposure to an aggressive environment or an inherent defect in the pressure cooker. To test this hypothesis, a thorough visual examination of the exhumed failed section and the fracture surface was undertaken, followed by liquid penetrant testing, material identification, hardness testing, and metallographic analysis. Computational models of static and transient loading were also used to determine the stress distribution along the actual geometry of the failed cooker and to understand the main causes of recurrent failures. Visual and macroscale examination revealed significant body deformation at the lower dish-ended shell showing distorted locking grooves. It was also noticed that dirt and food particle, from the earlier cooking, were stuck in the pressure valves orifice. In addition, no evidence of metallurgical defect was observed. The inspection indicated that the cause of failure is primarily due to the choking of pressure relief value (PRV) and overpressure safety valves. Consequently, the pressure release occurred from the sealing side of the top lid, which resulted in its ejection.

Effect of thermal processing on total polyphenol content in the grain of cowpea cultivars

Cowpea grain is noteworthy due to its functional properties, which are probably a result of the synergistic action of its nutrients and bioactive compounds. Since these compounds undergo the effects of thermal processing, the aim of the present study was to verify the influence of cooking on the total polyphenol content of the grain of cowpea cultivars. Samples were obtained from the experimental area of Embrapa Meio-Norte, located at 5°5’ S and 42°48’ W, at an altitude of 72 metres. Meal (0.5 mesh) resulting from the raw grain being ground in a cyclone rotor mill (Tecnal model TE-651/2-T), and cooked beans (with no maceration, at a bean to water ratio of 1:5 (w/v), cooked in a domestic pressure cooker (2 L) for 780 seconds) were stored in airtight containers under refrigeration (8 °C) for analysis, which was carried out in triplicate. Total phenolic content was determined by spectrophotometry (λ = 765 nm), using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent. The total phenolic content, mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/100g, in the raw grain of the BRS Marataoa, BR 17-Gurgueia, BRS Itaim, BRS Cauame and BRS Guariba cultivars was 295.23, 255.67, 132.32, 98.14 and 89.43 respectively. After cooking, the content was 405.87, 255.4, 161.71, 127.79 and 111.92 respectively, considering both grain and broth. This rise may have been the result of increased solubilisation and extraction of the compounds, due to the softening or rupture of the plant cells. It was concluded that, considering both grain and broth, the total phenolic content increased after cooking; the BRS Marataoa and BR 17-Gurgueia cultivars showed the highest levels.

Traumatic brain injury due to pressure cooker explosion in a child: case report

Abstract Traumatic brain injury is a common condition in the emergency services, affecting the pediatric and adult population significantly. Patterns of head injury as well as management principles in children are important differences compared to adults. Traumatic brain injury by Domestic pressure cooker is rare and has not been described in children, which to our knowledge is the first report in the literature of this nature.

Domestic pressure cooker as inexpensive hydrothermal vessel: Demonstrated utility for eco-friendly synthesis of non-toxic carbon dots

We report on a simple and eco-friendly approach that employs a domestic pressure cooker as an inexpensive hydrothermal reactor for the batch synthesis of water-soluble, photoluminescent nanoscale carbon dots derived from benign and cheap commercial starting materials. The resulting carbon nanodots, which consist primarily of hydrophile-decorated amorphous carbon and boast bright, stable, excitation wavelength-dependent fluorescence, were shown to be viable cellular imaging agents for mice embryonic fibroblast cells, displaying little or no cytotoxicity for carbon dot concentrations up to 0.667 mg/mL. In addition, the carbon dots proved useful as nanoprobes for the fluorescence-based detection of environmentally-relevant heavy metal ions such as Cu2+, displaying detection limits below 6μM, sufficient to determine potable water safety (20μM is the limit for safe drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). More generally, these results highlight the utility of a household pressure cooker as a cost-effective hydrothermal vessel relevant to nanocarbon synthesis, opening up other possibilities for nanosynthesis, particularly in resource-limited settings, educational venues, and the classroom itself.

Starch consolidation of red clay-based ceramic slurry inside a pressure-cooking system

The consolidation of red clay-based slurry by gelatinization of starch in a domestic pressure cooker was presented. Aqueous ceramic slurries were prepared consisting of a ternary powder mixture of red clay, quartz, feldspar, and different starch types. The starch slurries with and without the presence of ceramic particles demonstrated the same gelling mechanism and heating time inside the pressure cooker. The gel strengths of pressure-cooked samples were higher than samples heated conventionally. Subsequently, the shaping of large ceramic prototypes is possible using a calculated heating time based on best pressure cooking conditions. The physical characterizations disclosed that the pressure-cooked ceramic samples in dried and fired states exhibited better physical properties depending upon the type of starch added in the ceramic slurry. Specifically, the compressive strengths of fired ceramic bodies shaped in the pressure cooker ranged from 82 ± 2 to 255 ± 9 MPa with bulk porosities of 29.0 ± 0.8-18.7 ± 0.2%, whereas the conventionally shaped bodies possessed compressive strengths ranging from 138 ± 8 to 164 ± 11 MPa with bulk porosities of 25.6 ± 0.1-28.5 ± 0.2%.

A case series of domestic pressure cooker burns

Ceylon Medical Journal (CMJ) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal published quarterly by the Sri Lanka Medical Association in the last week of March, June, September and December each year. The mission of the CMJ is to promote the science and art of medicine and betterment of public health. The Journal publishes original papers and commentaries which have relevance to medicine and allied sciences. The CMJ is committed to maintaining and conforming to the editorial and ethical standards recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Effect of Industrial Processing on the Distribution of Fumonisin B1 in Dry Milling Corn Fractions

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of fumonisin B1 in various corn milling fractions processed by an industrial plant. Corn kernels and six derived milling fractions (germ, bran, large and small grits, animal feed flour, and flour) were sampled. In addition, in order to evaluate the effect of cooking, samples of polenta were prepared starting from naturally contaminated flour obtained from the industrial processing cycle. The industrial plant worked continuously at a rate of 60 tons per day. Two sublots of 5 tons each were investigated with samples of derived products taken at regular time intervals. Due to a similar heterogeneous distribution of fumonisin B1 with other mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins, the sampling scheme was derived from the European Directive 98/53 for aflatoxins. Both lots of kernels showed fumonisin contamination at 4.54 and 5.09 mg/kg, respectively. Germ, bran, and animal feed flour showed contamination levels, namely 8.92 mg/kg (lot 1) and 9.56 mg/kg (lot 2), 7.08 mg/kg (lot 1) and 8.08 mg/kg (lot 2), and 9.36 mg/kg (lot 1) and 6.86 mg/kg (lot 2) higher than large and small grits and flour (0.39 mg/kg [lot 1] and 0.42 mg/kg [lot 2], 0.60 mg/kg [lot 1] and 1.01 mg/kg [lot 2], and 0.40 mg/kg [lot 1] and 0.45 mg/kg [lot 2], respectively). These results seem to account both for the industrial yields of the derived products and the distribution of fumonisin contamination in a kernel. The cooking of polenta in a domestic pressure cooker did not affect fumonisin contamination because the mycotoxin concentrations were similar to those of the starting flour (0.40 and 0.45 mg/kg).

Identification of porcine macrophages with monoclonal antibodies in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues

Here we report the successful use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) BL1H7, BA1C11 (anti-SWC3) and 4E9 for immunohistochemical identification of macrophages in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded porcine tissues. Retrieval of antigen reactivity was achieved by heating the slides in a domestic pressure cooker, which makes the technique suitable for the routine laboratory. This method allows to perform retrospective studies in routinely processed tissues and may be useful to investigate the role of macrophages in different pathological processes.

Brief, high-temperature heat denaturation (pressure cooking): a simple and effective method of antigen retrieval for routinely processed tissues.

The merits of microwave-based antigen retrieval methods for diagnostic immunohistochemistry have recently been emphasized. As such technology has drawbacks for busy routine laboratories, we have investigated an alternative method of heat-mediated antigen retrieval (HMAR), using a domestic pressure cooker as a source of superheating. A simple protocol, with superheating in 0.01 M citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for 2 min, gave results comparable to those obtainable in a microwave oven. The range of antigens retrieved and the antigens for which heating was ineffective matched the published microwave experience. The advantages included the speed of treatment, the reproducibility of results with large batches of slides, the ability to use metal slide racks, and economy of time and equipment costs.

Teflon bomb decomposition of silicate materials in a microwave oven

A method is described for the decomposition of silicate materials in 20-tal Tefion- TFE bombs by using a domestic microwave oven. A domestic pressure cooker was used as a precautionary device to contain acid fumes. Total decomposition of the reference materials, marine sediment MESS-1 and granite G-2, was achieved in 60 s with a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and aqua regia. By using flame or graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, recoveries greater than 97% were obtained for aluminium, chromium and zinc and greater than 93% for silicon in the samples and for silicon in a pure quartz rod.

A simple method for the extraction of reducing and non‐reducing sugars from carrot and other storage root vegetables

AbstractA procedure is described for the extraction of sucrose, glucose and fructose from storage root vegetables. An automatic domestic pressure cooker containing a circular test tube rack holding 36 tubes was used for the extraction. All water soluble sugars were extracted in 30 min at 110°C. The method is at least as efficient as those using hot ethanol and methanol: chloroform:water and is significantly more efficient in its use of time and energy.

Studies on the Hydration Resistance of Sintered Dolomite

A comparative study of hydration resistance of different sintered dolomites is reported. A laboratory test method for studying the hydration resistance of calcined dolomites employing a domestic pressure cooker as a reaction vessel is described. Correlation between sintering temperature, grain size, density, porosity and hydration resistance of the sintered dolomite is discussed.