Food Mixtures Research Articles

Chemical characterization and anaerobic treatment of bitumen fume condensate using a membrane bioreactor

Bitumen fume condensate (BFC) is a hazardous wastewater generated at asphalt reclamation and production sites. BFC contains a wide variety of potentially toxic organic pollutants that negatively affect anaerobic processes. In this study, we chemically characterized BFC produced at an industrial site and evaluated its degradation under anaerobic conditions. Analyses identified about 900 compounds including acetate, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, and metal ions. We estimated the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of methanogenesis of 120, 224, and 990 mgCOD·L−1 for three types of anaerobic biomass, which indicated the enrichment and adaptation potentials of methanogenic biomass to the wastewater constituents. We operated an AnMBR (7.0 L, 35 °C) for 188 days with a mixture of BFC, phenol, acetate, and nutrients. The reactor showed a maximum average COD removal efficiency of 87.7 ± 7.0 %, that corresponded to an organic conversion rate of 286 ± 71 mgCOD−1·L−1d−1. The microbial characterization of the reactor’s biomass showed the acetoclastic methanogen Methanosaeta as the most abundant microorganism (43 %), whereas the aromatic and phenol degrader Syntrophorhabdus was continuously present with abundances up to 11.5 %. The obtained results offer the possibility for the application of AnMBRs for the treatment of BFC or other petrochemical wastewater.

The Land-based Diet of the Sangam People and the Development of the Culinary Hierarchy

The ancient Tamils lived with nature. They ate naturally available food and satiated their hunger. Naturally occurring foods were terrestrial foods. They ate such land-based food without any change. They were then subjected to various ripening procedures and eaten. This food culture tradition can be seen in the Sangam Songs. The food culture of the Tamils has undergone many changes and can also be regarded as a gradual development. Sangam People made a living by eating land-based food according to the situation. The study reveals the culture and the cultural attitude of consumption for the development of social civilization when one observes the movement from a naturally eaten state of uncooked food to the stage of cooking and eating food in the cooked state, by making it a mixture of food, processing and eating it.

Roles of mixed nutrient intakes on metabolic syndrome among korean adults 19-80 years old: molecular mechanisms involved.

We aim to identify the association between nutrient intake mixtures (22 micro-macro nutrients) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) or its components, including molecular mechanisms involved, among 16,807 Korean adults aged 19-80. The associations of mixed nutrient intakes on MetS or its components were identified using linear regression models, WQS regression, qgcomp, and BKMR regression. Genes, transcription factors, miRNA, biological processes, and pathways were assessed using GeneMania, CHEA3, MIENTURNET, and ToppFun functions. We found that the overall effect of mixed nutrient intakes was also related to MetS and its components. In silico analysis, we found that a mixture of nutrients interacted with the IL6 gene and was linked with MetS. Physical interactions were the key interactions (77%) involved in the mutual genes and MetS targeted by a mixture of nutrients. IL6 related pathways, "positive regulation of type B pancreatic cell apoptotic process", "regulation of glucagon secretion", "LDL pathway during atherogenesis", and "IL-10 anti-inflammatory signaling pathway" were identified as key molecular mechanisms that may be targeted by mixed nutrients implicated in MetS. The key miRNAs and transcription factors involved in the process of MetS targeted by a mixture of nutrients were also described. The cutoff levels for nutrient intake levels associated with MetS and its components were also described. Our findings will pave the way for further research to evaluate the interactions between a mixture of nutrients and non-communicable diseases. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-022-01158-1.

Deterioration of Fisheries and Improvement Procedure of Fisheries: the Improvement Procedure of Inland and Marine Fisheries throughout the World

Deterioration of Fisheries and Improvement Procedure of Fisheries: the Improvement Procedure of Inland and Marine Fisheries throughout the World

Detection of Highly Poisonous Nerium oleander Using Quantitative Real-Time PCR with Specific Primers.

Nerium oleander is one of the most poisonous plants, and its accidental ingestion has frequently occurred in humans and livestock. It is vital to develop a rapid and accurate identification method for the timely rescue of oleander-poisoned patients and the investigation of poisoning cases. In this study, a specific and highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)-based method was developed to identify oleander in mixture systems and simulated forensic specimens (SFS). First, a new pair of oleander-specific primers, JZT-BF/BR, was designed and validated. Then, a qPCR method was developed using the primers, and its detective sensitivity was examined. The results showed that JZT-BF/BR could specifically identify oleander in forage and food mixtures, and qPCR was capable of accurate authentication even at a low DNA concentration of 0.001 ng/μL. This method was further applied to the analysis of SFS containing different ratios of N. oleander. The method was confirmed to be applicable to digested samples, and the detection limit reached 0.1% (w/w) oleander in mixture systems. Thus, this study undoubtedly provides strong support for the detection of highly toxic oleander and the diagnosis of food poisoning in humans and animals.

THE EFFECT OF MECHANOACTIVATION AND MICROWAVE EFFECTS ON THE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF WATER AND AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

Most food mixtures, where the liquid acts as a dispersion medium, are formed with the participation of water and aqueous solutions,. The formation of stable surface interactions in disperse systems with the participation of water is based on overcoming the forces of surface tension at the interface between the phases. The aim of the research is to analyze the effect of mechanical activation during stirring and microwave exposure on the surface properties of water and aqueous solutions. The object of the research is distilled water, bottled “Berdovskaya taiga” drinking water, an aqueous solution of NaCl (3.33%), an aqueous solution of NaCl (3.33%) with the addition of 1% flour with stirring. The main research method is the method of capillary rise of liquid in a tube of small cross section, partially immersed in liquid. It has been established that both mechanical and electromagnetic effects change the surface energy of water and aqueous solutions. But their influence is ambiguous. Surface tension during mechanical activation by stirring decreases to a certain minimum for different time intervals for different solutions, and then increases to a certain level. The retention time of the reduced surface energy of distilled water after stirring at a frequency of 100 rpm is 60–80 s. There is a tendency for a noticeable effect of impurities on the surface tension. The more complex the solution and the higher the concentration of impurities, the lower its surface energy. According to the results of the research, for technological purposes, for example, dough kneading, it is recommended to mechanically process (mix) solutions for dough kneading for 60–70 s or microwave treatment for no more than 20 s.

A Simple Colorimeter for Measuring the Concentration of Multicomponent Food Coloring

Built-in instruments are commonly employed in physics experiments. In this case, students are usually unaware of the instrument’s fundamental physics. Here we constructed a simple and compact colorimeter. A light-emitting diode (LED) was used as a light source. The light detector circuit consists of a photoresistor, a resistor, and a 9-V battery. During the experiment, we illuminated the solution of food coloring. The transmitted light was measured via the voltage in the resistor of the light detector to obtain the absorbance. The value was then used to determine the concentration of the solution. This instrument has been used to measure a mixture of food coloring’s concentration e.g. 1 ml/l Carmoisine and 1 ml/l Ponceau. For this sample, the measurement gave a concentration of 0.97 ml/l Carmoisine and 0.81 ml/l Ponceau. This instrument is simple and appropriate for teaching.

Co-pyrolysis of plastics and food waste mixture under flue gas condition for bio-oil production

Growing global population increased the energy demand and generation of municipal solid wastes (MSW). MSW can be utilized to produce green renewable fuels via pyrolysis technology. This study investigated the co-pyrolysis of MSW represented by mixtures of food and plastic wastes, in a downdraft pyrolyzer using synthetic flue gas composition. The food wastes in this study included fish and chicken bones, and leftover rice, and plastics included polypropylene and polyethylene (high density and low density) plastics respectively. The effect of pyrolysis temperature and types of feedstocks on the bio-oil yield and quality were determined. Although the highest bio-oil yield was obtained at 400 °C for all feedstocks, GC–MS results indicated major compounds such as fatty acids, esters, amides, nitriles, sugars were more notable at 300 °C. The bio-oil exhibited high water contents due to combustion from the flue gas. Fish bone and plastic mixture has the lowest O/C ratio and the best calorific value of 33.9 MJ/kg compared to the other two feedstocks, however extensive treatments were required to be used as fuel. Overall, bio-oil from this study has the potential to be used as an alternative fuel from co-pyrolysis of food and plastic wastes with further treatments and processing.

Exogenous Application of Aloe vera Leaf Extract Improves Silybin Content in Silybum marianum L. by Up-Regulating Chalcone Synthase Gene

Biotic elicitors such as Aloe vera extract (ALE) have been shown to stimulate growth and modify the bioactive composition of various plant species. ALE has a unique mixture of nutrients that support plant production and growth. In this study, the bio-stimulative effects of ALE foliar spray on plant production and growth, silybin levels, and chalcone synthase gene expression in Silybum marianum were examined. The findings indicated that foliar spray of all the ALE concentrations under study increased plant growth and yield. Additionally, by raising the silybin level of the plant extract, ALE increased the therapeutic value of S. marianum. Further, the activation of the chalcone synthase gene by ALE was analyzed by gene expression research. S. marianum’s growth and production were improved by the application of 60 mL/L ALE, while the silybin level and the chalcone synthase gene expression levels were improved by the application of 40 mL/L ALE. In addition, methanolic fruit extract that contained a higher silybin content also demonstrated a higher anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Breast milk oligosaccharides: what do we know today?

Breastfeeding remains the "gold standard" for feeding babies in the first year of life. Breast milk contains a mixture of nutrients; their amount varies throughout the lactation period and even throughout the day. The composition of breast milk (BM) is complex and dynamic. Currently, BM oligosaccharides (BMOs) are of most interest to researchers. Due to advances in science and biotechnology, more than 200 BMOs have been identified. Human BM is the richest source of oligosaccharides among all mammals (for instance, their content in cow's milk is almost 1,000 times lower). Numerous favorable effects of BMOs on child health are related to the immune response, gut barrier function, and protection against pathogens. BMOs as prebiotics contribute to the formation of the infant's intestinal microbiome. The BM contains a complex bacterial community whose composition depends on the maternal microbiome (skin, gut, genital, urethral tracts) that forms the infant gut microbial community. In the absence of breastfeeding, modern formulas can be used; BMOs in their composition make them more like BM.

Interfacial solar evaporation toward efficient recovery of clean water and concentration of nutrients from urine with polypyrrole-based photothermal conversion films

Urine consists of a mixture of water (90∼95%) and nutrients, which makes it a potential source of clean water and nutrients. Interfacial solar evaporation technology is a highly competitive method for wastewater purification and resource recovery. Herein, a series of polypyrrole-based photothermal conversion films were prepared using ferric chloride, where pyrrole was the raw materials, cotton cloth (CC) and paulownia wood (PW) as the substrates. Indoor solar water and urine evaporation experiments demonstrated that CCF-MH (CC photothermal conversion film-monolithic hydrophobic) was the best solution for the outdoor solar urine evaporation experiment under an imitation tree structure (without PVC) evaporation system. The outdoor solar urine evaporation experiment found that CCF-MHLS (CCFMH-large-scale) could recover 1.1 kg·m−2 of condensed freshwater (meeting WHO standards for drinkable water) at 7.5 h under a low light intensity. This paper provides a new platform for low-cost, high-efficient, and large-scale water recovery and nutrients concentration from urine.

Terahertz spectroscopy detection of zinc citrate in flour and milk powder mixtures.

Zinc citrate (ZC) has been widely used in food as an important nutritional supplement. Accurate detection of ZC in food is important for health and safety. In this study, THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is used to quantitatively detect ZC in flour and milk powder mixtures. In our research, 15 different contents of ZC in flour and milk powder mixtures were prepared and measured by THz-TDS. A partial least squares (PLS) model was established based on the quantitative analysis of the absorption coefficient data of these two mixtures at 0.5-3.0 THz. The R2 and rms error (RMSE) given by the PLS model prediction were, respectively, 0.999 and 0.14% ZC in flour and 0.999 and 0.20% ZC in milk mixtures, indicating the predictions of the PLS model are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. The results show that combining THz-TDS with the PLS model can be used for accurate, quantitative analyses of ZC in food mixtures.

Improvement of Glycemic Control by a Functional Food Mixture Containing Maltodextrin, White Kidney Bean Extract, Mulberry Leaf Extract, and Niacin-Bound Chromium Complex in Obese Diabetic db/db Mice.

Steady-fiber granule (SFG) is a mixture containing maltodextrin, white kidney bean extract, mulberry leaf extract, and niacin-bound chromium complex. These active ingredients have been shown to be associated with improving either hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of SFG in the regulation of blood glucose homeostasis under obese diabetic conditions. Accordingly, db/db mice (8 weeks old) were administered with SFG at doses of 1.025, 2.05, or 5.125 g/kg BW daily via oral gavage for 4 weeks. No body weight loss was observed after SFG supplementation at all three doses during the experimental period. Supplementation of SFG at 2.05 g/kg BW decreased fasting blood glucose, blood fructosamine, and HbA1c levels in db/db mice. Insulin sensitivity was also improved, as indicated by HOMA-IR assessment and oral glucose tolerance test, although the fasting insulin levels were no different in db/db mice with or without SFG supplementation. Meanwhile, the plasma levels of triglyceride were reduced by SFG at all three doses. These findings suggest that SFG improves glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in db/db mice and can be available as an option for functional foods to aid in management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in daily life.

EVALUATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF NASOGASTRAL NUTRITION IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Relevance. Early onset of enteral nutrition (up to 48 hours after hospitalization) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis is associated with a 24% reduction in infectious complications and a 32% reduction in mortality. Data on the possibility of nasogastric tube feeding remain contradictory.
 Objective: comparison of the effectiveness and safety of nasogastric administration of food mixtures in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.
 Methods. The study included 103 patients with severe acute pancreatitis, which were divided depending on the characteristics of the chosen treatment tactics into three groups: based group (nasogastric nutrition was performed) - 34 patients, comparison group #1 (standard enteral nutrition) - 33 patients and comparison group #2 (parenteral nutrition) - 36 patients. To analyze the effectiveness of nutritional support in the study groups after 7 and 14 days from the beginning of treatment, the level of laboratory parameters was assessed, the incidence of local complications, mortality, duration of multiorgan failure and hospital stay were analyzed.
 Results. After 7 and 14 days of nutritional support, a significant difference was found between total protein, albumin, creatinine, urea, cholesterol, glucose and serum Na + (p<0.05) between patients in the main group and comparison group #2, with the level of cholesterol, K + and Na + corresponded to the norm in both groups. There was also a significant difference in the incidence of infected local complications of severe acute pancreatitis in the main group and comparison group #2 - 35.3% and 61.1%, respectively (χ2=4.59, 95% CI 2.43-45.53, p=0.03), duration of multiorgan failure - 12.2±1.7 [8-16] days and 15.3±1.1 [13-18] days, respectively (p<0.001), duration of hospital stay - 55.5±30.5 [27-124] days and 71.5±35.9 [35-148] days, respectively (p=0.04) and fatalities - 14.7% and 36.1%, respectively (χ2=4.13, 95 % CI 0.81-39.68, p=0.04). When comparing these indicators between the main group and the comparison group #1 no significant difference was obtained (p>0.05).
 Conclusions. Nasogastric nutrition is an effective and safe method of administration of mixtures in patients with severe acute pancreatitis and can be considered as an alternative to enteral nutrition.

Parameter Visualization of Benchtop Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra toward Food Process Monitoring

Low-cost and user-friendly benchtop low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers are typically used to monitor food processes in the food industry. Because of excessive spectral overlap, it is difficult to characterize food mixtures using low-field NMR spectroscopy. In addition, for standard compounds, low-field benchtop NMR data are typically unavailable compared to high-field NMR data, which have been accumulated and are reusable in public databases. This work focused on NMR parameter visualization of the chemical structure and mobility of mixtures and the use of high-field NMR data to analyze benchtop NMR data to characterize food process samples. We developed a tool to easily process benchtop NMR data and obtain chemical shifts and T2 relaxation times of peaks, as well as transform high-field NMR data into low-field NMR data. Line broadening and time–frequency analysis methods were adopted for data processing. This tool can visualize NMR parameters to characterize changes in the components and mobilities of food process samples using benchtop NMR data. In addition, assignment errors were smaller when the spectra of standard compounds were identified by transferring the high-field NMR data to low-field NMR data rather than directly using experimentally obtained low-field NMR spectra.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE BIOMASS PRODUCTION FROM SPROUTS OF NEO-TROPICAL VEGETABLE SPECIES

Seed germination improves the nutritional quality of plant foods; since they increase the contentsand availability of essential nutrients and reduce the levels of antinutrients. A considerablenumber of species have been studied, but to date, there are few studies on vegetable species ofthe neo-tropics. The aim of this study was the evaluation and optimization of mineral nutrientsolutions [Adelusi-Oseni (AO), Ruakura (Ru), Maeda (M)] and their combinations with compostextracts (EC1, EC2, and EC3) obtained from three different solvents, on the development ofbiomass of four neo-tropical vegetable plants in Mexico: pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.), papalo[Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass.], pipitza (Porophyllum linaria Cav.), and purslane (Portulacaoleracea L.). The hypothesis was that biomass production achieved with the nutrient solutionswould lead to the highest yield for each seed compared to the control. Germination was carriedout in Petri dishes with cotton pads as substrate, adding 5 mL of nutrient solution, along witha control grown with water, in a photoperiod of 12 h; continuing germination until completing96 h. San Cristóbal experimental design was applied to the nutrient mixtures with the greatestpositive impact on the production of biomass. An ANOVA was carried out with Tukey andDunnet means comparison tests. For pumpkin sprouts, solution EC3E2 managed to increaseseedling growth by 395.2 % in comparison to the control; EC2A displayed a greater elongationin comparison with the control of 84.7 % for papal sprouts; EC2A produced an increase of 15.8 %in pipitza. In purslane, EC2A produced an increase of 53.7 %. Nutrition with compost extractscan favour the production of biomass from sprouts.

Identification and poisoning diagnosis of Aconitum materials using a genus-specific nucleotide signature

Aconitum genus generally contains hypertoxic alkaloids. Poisoning incidents due to the improper ingestion of Aconitum materials frequently occur around the world. DNA barcoding is considered as a powerful tool for species identification, but complete sequences of conventional DNA barcodes are sometimes unattainable from food and highly processed products due to severe DNA degradation. Therefore, a shorter molecular marker will be more profitable for the authentication and poisoning diagnosis of Aconitum materials. In this study, 1246 psbA-trnH sequences and chloroplast genomes representing 183 taxa of Aconitum were collected, and a 23-bp nucleotide signature unique to Aconitum genus (5′-TATATGAGTCATTGAAGTTGCAG-3′) was developed. The nucleotide signature was conserved and universal within Aconitum while divergent among other genera. The specific molecular signature was then successfully applied to the detection of processed Aconitum ingredients. To further evaluate the application potential of nucleotide signature in completely unknown mixture samples, boiled food mixtures, containing different ratios of Aconitum materials, were sequenced by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the nucleotide signature sequence could be directly extracted from raw sequencing data, even at a low DNA concentration of 0.2 ng/µl. Consequently, the 23-bp genus-specific nucleotide signature represents a significant step forward in the use of DNA barcoding to identify processed samples and food mixtures with degraded DNA. This study undoubtedly provides a new perspective and strong support for the identification and detection of Aconitum-containing products, which can be further introduced to the diagnosis of food poisoning.

VALUASI EKONOMI AREN (Arenga pinnata MERR) DI DESA KIYAP JAYA KECAMATAN BANDAR SEIKIJANG KABUPATEN PELALAWAN PROVINSI RIAU

Aren (Arenga pinnata Merr) was one of the non-wood forest products that could be used start from sap, fruit, palm fiber, stems, leaves, and roots. Almost all products have economic value. This research was to study the benefits and have the economic values in Kiyap Jaya Village, Bandar Sei Kijang District, Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province. This recearch used a qualitative descriptive method by using economic analysis by asking for market prices and obtaining productivity. The sugar palm parts that are truly utilized by the community are roomie, fruit, and roots. As for the fibers, the stems and leaves has not been maximally utilized. The sap was used as an alternative medicine for diabetes mellitus and kidney failure. The Fruit was useful as a mixture of food and roots that are used as a tonic and urinary stones. The total economic value in the Kiyap Jaya Village was Rp. 31,450,000 per stem in one year, which was the highest economic value in the room of Rp. 25,550,000 per-month.

OPTIMAL FORMULATIONS OF LOCAL FOODS TO ACHIEVE NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY FOR 6-23-MONTH-OLD YEMENI CHILDREN

Nearly 4.5 million children under the age of five in Yemen suffer from acute malnutrition due to the high prices of imported baby food. Therefore, there is an urgent need to prepare and manufacture local foods of nutritious quality, cheap and available locally, to allow Yemeni families to feed their children and achieve public health. Six food mixtures (F1-F6) were prepared and manufactured from local field crops based on teff flour, rice, sorghum, wheat, sweet potatoes and lentils.The formations (Mixers) were roasted to improve the nutritive nutritional value and sensory attribute of formulated recipes. The protein level was calculated, fat, carbohydrates and mineral in all mixers using of Percentages. All the formulations were evaluated for their acceptability by trained panelists using a five point hedonic scale. Although, many formulations were found to be organoleptically acceptable recording moderately to extremely like scores, generally formulations F3 (Teff (15%), lentils (6.5%), sweet potatoes (18.5%), white corn (10%), wheat (30%) and rice (20%).) and F4 (Teff (30%), lentils (10%), sweet potatoes (10%), white corn (25%), wheat (13%) and rice (12%) were highly acceptable by panelists and scored significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the other formulated complementary foods. Their mean score ranged between 4.2 to 4.35 in terms of taste and general acceptability.

TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF 3D FOOD PRINTING

This article reviews the currently existing schemes of 3D printers assigned for printing with edible components. The main types of extruders used for printing with food mixtures are considered in the article. Promising components are described, which serve as a base for creating the mixtures for 3D food printing. Examples of the successful application of 3D printing to create food products are given. The concept of 4D printing is considered.