Presoaking Treatment Research Articles

Mutagenic Effect of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate on Some Fiber Species

Jute, kenaf and mesta are prominent fibrous plants with significant industrial and nutritional value for optimization of their cultivation process can have substantial agricultural and economic implications. The study was conducted on exploring the impact of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) presoaking treatments on the germination and the sensitivity of fiber crops to mutagens. This research aimed to evaluate the germination potential of jute, kenaf and mesta variety using various concentrations of EMS presoaking treatments, and analyze the sensitivity and induced variability in the M1 generation. Seeds were presoaked in four different concentrations of EMS. The subsequent parameters, including germination, root length, and shoot length, were measured at three crucial growth stages: 12, 24, and 36 days after sowing (DAS). A probit analysis was conducted to determine the LD50 value, which signifies the concentration at which 50% of the population exhibits an adverse effect. Moreover, significant variances were detected in germination rates, root elongation, and shoot growth across the different presoaking treatments. The findings emphasize the sensitivity of these fibrous plants to EMS concentrations, with increasing concentrations having a detrimental effect on growth parameters. This information can be instrumental for breeders and agriculturists looking to optimize germination in these crops. Bangladesh J. Nuclear Agric, 37(2): 19-27, 2023

Properties evaluation of concrete made with recycled coarse aggregate modified by graphene oxide

Previous application of graphene oxide (GO) in recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is the direct replacement of cement or binder to achieve performance improvement. To develop a more efficient recycled aggregate (RA) modification technique and improve the properties of the corresponding RAC, this paper performed GO solution pre-spraying and pre-soaking treatment on RA. The modification efficiency of GO was evaluated by compressive strength, interfacial transition zone (ITZ) properties, and chloride ion permeability of RAC. The results show that the pre-spraying and pre-soaking methods improved the compressive strength of RAC at different ages by 20%–28.6 % and 8.3%–30.8 %, respectively. The GO-modified RAC also exhibited lower electric flux in the chloride ion permeability tests. However, no significant effect was observed on the elastic modulus of RAC. The modified RAC showed lower total porosity and harmful pore content. Meanwhile, the GO-modified ITZ between old and new mortar had denser hydration products. As a result, the elastic modulus and hardness of the ITZ increased by 27.8%–65.8 % and 9.8%–107 %, respectively, while the width of the ITZ decreased by 15.4%–30.8 %. The good filling and nucleation effect of GO were credited with the enhancement mechanism of RA by pre-spraying and pre-soaking methods.

Effect of differently treated recycled concrete aggregates on Marshall properties and cost-benefit of asphalt mixtures

Marshall properties are one of the major requirements for designing hot asphalt mixtures. These properties need to be evaluated to make sure that asphalt pavement performs well over its service life. The evaluation of the Marshall properties of asphalt mixtures containing coarse recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) was the study's main target. RCA properties differ from virgin aggregate in the presence of cement mortar. To improve RCA properties, two methods were adopted. The first, termed pre-soak treatment, consisted of soaking RCA in acetic acid for 24 hours at a concentration of 0.1 M. The second one, termed mechanical treatment, involved placing RCA inside the Los Angeles machine with balls and running it for 500 cycles. RCA was incorporated into asphalt mixtures at percentages 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of coarse virgin aggregate. The results of the study showed that replacing virgin aggregate with RCA led to economic feasibility. Despite the amount of asphalt binder increasing as coarse RCA content increased, the characteristics of HMA were not significantly altered except for Marshall stability. The maximum increase in Marshall stability happened in the mixture containing 60% untreated RCA; it was 14.78% greater than the control mixture.

Observation on the ice crystal formation process of large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) and the effect of multiple cryoprotectants pre-soaking treatments on frozen quality

By observing the formation behavior of ice crystals, the quality of food products under different freezing conditions can be intuitively judged. In this paper, large yellow croaker was taken as the research object, and a novel cryomicroscopic system was developed to directly observe the structure of ice crystals during the freezing process. The cryoprotective effects of 4% sucrose +4% sorbitol (SU + SO), 4% xylo-oligosaccharide (XO), 4% xylo-oligosaccharide + 0.3% tetrasodium pyrophosphate (XO + TSPP) and 0.2% antifreeze protein (AFP) at different freezing temperatures were investigated. And the evaluation indicators, such as cell deformation degree, equivalent diameters, roundness, elongation and fractal dimension were introduced to quantify the damage of ice crystals to muscle tissues and fibers. The results indicate that reducing the freezing temperature and adding cryoprotectants can improve the quality of large yellow croaker. AFP has the best cryoprotective effect, with a reduction in cell deformation degree of 54.78% and 67.83% compared to the Control group at −5 °C and −20 °C, respectively. SU + SO and XO have the equivalent antifreeze effect, which is slightly inferior to XO + TSPP. In addition, physical parameters of large yellow croaker samples were measured to verify the influence of ice crystal structure on product quality. Therefore, direct observation of the ice crystal formation process and evaluation of ice crystal structure can accurately reflect the quality of frozen products, which is of great significance for the development of refrigeration and preservation technology.

Effect of seawater irrigation on germination and growth of Bauhinia variegate seedlings and seed treatment with gibberellins

The sea height level along Libyan coasts is considered one of the environmental pressures that lives in soil vegetation characteristics. Therefore, two experiments were conducted (laboratory - pots) to find out the effect of irrigation with seawater at the concentration (10%, 20%, 40%, 60%) on germination of seeds and seedlings of Bauhinia variegate trees with an age of 6 months, and treated using pre-soaking in gibberellin acid ( GA3) 500ppm for 24 hours. The results showed that the exposure of seeds and seedlings of B.variegate trees to salinity led in two experiments to a significant decrease in percentage germination, an increase in means germination time, moreover, a decreased seedlings lengths, number of leaves/plant, shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weight of seedlings compared with a control. The results also showed that the seeds and seedlings of B.variegate trees were able to germinate in different concentrations of seawater, except for 60% concentration which caused in death of seeds and seedlings, while pre-soaking treatment of seeds with gibberellin acid was not successful to overcome the salt stress, although slightly improved some studied traits. The results concluded that the possible seeds and seedlings agriculture of B.variegate trees in coastal locations in which seawater concentration did not exceed 40%, existed to be used in reforestation of degraded lands. Key words: Bauhinia variegata, seawater, GA3, Libyan coasts.

Effect of Pre-Soaking Treatment Method of Plant-Based Aggregate on the Properties of Lightweight Concrete—Preliminary Study

This research investigates the effect of pre-soaking treatment on plant-based aggregate using a wet grout binder to formulate a high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Surface modification utilising a novel grout soaking technique with various water-to-cement (w/c) ratios has indicated a new method of approach for the recent development of lightweight plant-based aggregate (LWPA). In this experiment, the fresh and hardened properties of modified LWPA lightweight concrete were assessed by verifying their workability, densities, compressive and split tensile strengths towards the modulus of elasticity. The results showed that pre-soaking plant-based lightweight aggregate (w/c: 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2) slightly increased the density of the samples compared to untreated LWPA. The oven-dry density of treated and untreated LWPA is controlled in the range of HSLWC. The outcomes indicated that the workability of the surface-modified LWPA is significantly improved: up to 40% in 6 min for the (TDS)/0.6 sample compared to the original LWPA. The mechanical properties of the LWPA concrete with the surface modification method exhibit a substantial increment of compressive strength, split tensile strength and the modulus of elasticity; recorded at 22%, 26% and 34%, respectively. Significantly, the findings from this experiment reveal that the pre-soaking treatment method on LWPA is shown to be a highly recommended technique in improving interfacial bonding while maintaining its performance as one of the most promising solutions to improve the properties of lightweight concrete.

Vancomycin presoak reduces infection in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PurposeTo compare the effect of vancomycin presoak treatment of grafts during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on the incidence of postoperative infection or septic arthritis.MethodsStudies published before May 3, 2022 investigating vancomycin presoak of grafts during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were searched in the PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Studies were screened, and data on the incidence of postoperative infection or septic arthritis were extracted and included in the analysis.ResultsThirteen studies were included for analysis after search screening, yielding a total of 31,150 participants for analysis, of whom 11,437 received graft vancomycin presoak treatment, and 19,713 did not receive treatment. Participants who received vancomycin treatment had significantly lower infection rates (0.09% versus 0.74%; OR 0.17; 95% CI 0.10, 0.30; P < 0.00001).ConclusionPre-soaking of the graft with vancomycin during ACL reconstruction reduced the incidence of postoperative infection and septic arthritis.

Reduction in Five Harmful Substances in Fried Potato Chips by Pre-Soaking Treatment with Different Tea Extracts.

Thermally processed food always contains various types of harmful substances. Control of their levels in food is important for human health. This work used the extracts from green tea dust, old green tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, and black tea to simultaneously mitigate diverse harmful substances in fried potato chips. The six tea extracts (30 g/L) all showed considerable inhibitory effects on the formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (reduced by 19.8%-53.2%), glyoxal (26.9%-36.6%), and methylglyoxal (16.1%-75.1%). Green tea and black tea extracts exhibited better inhibitory abilities than the other three teas and were further investigated for other harmful compounds by various concentration treatments. Finally, pre-soaking of fresh potato slices in 50 g/L extracts of green tea dust displayed, overall, the most promising inhibitory capacity of HMF (decreased by 73.3%), glyoxal (20.3%), methylglyoxal (69.7%), acrylamide (21.8%), and fluorescent AGEs (42.9%) in fried potato chips, while it exhibited the least impact on the color and texture. The high level of catechins in green tea dust may contribute most to its outstanding inhibitory effect, whereas the distinguished inhibitory effect of black tea extract was speculated to be attributable to the high levels of theaflavins and amino acids in the fully fermented tea. This study indicated that green tea dust, a predominant waste of the tea industry, had great potential to be exploited to improve food quality and safety.

Recycled concrete aggregate properties improvement

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a sustainable alternative to natural aggregates in construction. RCA is obtained by crushing and reusing old concrete, which contains both the original aggregate and a cement mortar layer. However, the quality of RCA can vary depending on the characteristics and quantity of the leftover mortar. In this study, we aim to investigate different methods for improving the chemical, physical, and mechanical features of RCA, with a focus on untreated RCA, RCA exposed to a pre-soaking treatment in HCl, and RCA exposed to rapid carbonation. The overall results show that if RCA is obtained by crushing compact, high-quality concrete, the procedures for improving aggregate quality are not necessary.

Inducing Drought Tolerance in Rice Plants by Presoaking with Salicylic Acid

Rice needs more water, and therefore any water stress results in a reduction in overall yield and productivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of salicylic acid (SA) 0.5 mM on the morphological and physiological traits of rice plants during the tillering stage under drought stress. Rice seeds presoaked with SA showed better growth in 7 days old rice seedlings in terms of germination percentage, root length, shoot length and fresh weight compared to the control. Drought conditions were applied to rice plants after 35 days of transplantation in two groups, SA treated and SA untreated, for 7 and 14 days of drought stress conditions, respectively. All experiments were conducted in a totally randomised manner with three replicates per treatment. Leaf area and relative water content (RWC) reduction were significantly prevented in salicylic acid-treated plants under drought conditions. Our data suggest that, using exogenous SA as a presoaking treatment on rice seeds improved drought tolerance in the later stages of rice plants in coping with drought stress by preserving water content in rice leaves. This method is low-cost and accessible to farmers for protecting plants during the seedling and tillering stages, which also affect rice yield at the end.

Melatonin alleviates copper stress to promote rice seed germination and seedling growth via crosstalk among various defensive response pathways

Copper (Cu) contamination dramatically affects crop growth and thus threatens crop production; while applications of melatonin (MT) serve as an effective way to tolerate Cu stress for plant development, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown in rice. Here, we found that Cu toxicity remarkably decreased germination rates and seedling growth compared to the untreated control (CK), while seed priming with a solution of 100 μM MT significantly alleviated the adverse effects on Cu-stressed seeds. In addition, the MT treatment decreased the accumulation of Cu in seedlings at 7 days after imbibition (DAI), possibly through enhanced Cu sequestration, and improved reserve mobilization through the promoted activity of α-amylase and protease in seeds under Cu stress. Interestingly, gibberellin (GA) synthesis was restored to or even exceeded the CK levels in the MT presoaking treatment, while the abscisic acid (ABA) content decreased compared to those of the Cu-stressed seeds, suggesting crosstalk between MT and other phytohormones, e.g., GA and ABA. More importantly, MT pretreatment also significantly promoted the growth of postgermination seedlings. This was largely ascribed to the MT-ameliorated antioxidant system, which consequently reduced the accumulation of Cu stress-induced oxidative products, e.g., hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide (O2·_). Collectively, these results demonstrate that seed priming with MT could greatly mitigate the adverse effects of Cu stress on seed germination and subsequent postgermination growth through crosstalk among various defensive response pathways. This study provides vital guidance for applications of MT in agronomic production.

Effect of Different Seed Treatments and Media on Growth and Biomass of Indian Cheese Maker - Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal.

The present investigation was conducted to assess the effect of different seed soaking treatments and media on growth and alkaloid content of Indian cheese maker–Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal. to develop effective nursery production technology. The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design with factorial concept, including twenty treatment combinations comprising of four levels of seed treatments with GA3 (0, 50, 100, 150 ppm) and five levels of different growing media. Among various concentrations of GA3 as pre-soaking treatment, 100 ppm GA3 (S3) showed significantly better results for germination, growth, biomass and alkaloid content in W. coagulans. Similarly, among growing media, red soil (M1) recorded maximum germination percentage, collar diameter, number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, total leaf area, length of the main root, thickness of main root, root dry biomass, shoot dry biomass, fresh weight of plant, dry weight of plant, survival percentage of the plant and total alkaloid content of plant. Overall, the result indicated that that pre-sowing W. coagulans seeds with GA3 -150 ppm for 24 hrs and subsequently sowing treated seeds in M1 media comprising of red soil (control) can enhance growth and alkaloid content.

Pre-soaking treatment can improve cooking quality of high-amylose rice while maintaining its low digestibility.

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world's population and it is regarded as a high glycemic index (GI) food. Breeders developed high amylose rice having low digestibility, but it also has inferior palatability. This study used high-amylose rice (HAR) produced by gamma irradiation and compared the digestion and physicochemical properties related to palatability with those of low-amylose rice (LAR). Pre-soaking and different-pH treatments were adopted to find a way to enhance the palatability of HAR while maintaining its low digestibility. After pre-soaking, HAR had a higher water uptake ratio (4.68 vs. 4.11 g g-1), proportion of leached starch (16.6 vs. 12.6%) and adhesiveness (77 vs. 39), but lower setback (0.092 vs. 0.107 Pa s), hardness (10.1 vs. 12.6 kg) and resilience (0.20 vs. 0.25). The results showed that pre-soaking was able to enhance the quality of the cooked rice mainly by modifying the starch amorphous region while maintaining the low digestibility of HAR. Pre-soaking can be adopted as a practical and effective household cooking method to prepare rice with relatively low digestibility and good palatability.

Novel two-way multiple shape memory effects of olefin block copolymer (OBC)/polycaprolactone (PCL) blends

The shape memory properties of olefin block copolymer (OBC)/polycaprolactone (PCL) crosslinked blends at different blend compositions were investigated. This is the first OBC-based two-way shape memory blends processes without external load under thermal and vapor stimuli. The deformation temperature of 80 °C was selected far away between the respective melting temperatures of PCL (56.5 °C) and OBC (110.3 °C) for the thermo-triggered two-way multiple shape memory behavior. The internal stress developed between the unmelted OBC crystalline region and crystallized PCL during cooling under pre-strain conditions played an important role in further melting-induced contraction and cooling-induced elongation without external load, even though the deformation temperature caused the complete melting of the crystalline region of PCL and the crystallinity of unmelted OBC was very small. As for the solvent vapor-triggered cases, the THF and n-hexane solvents were used. The bent sample shrank in response to the vapor stimulation, followed by expanding in the air. The blends remarkably showed rare solvent vapor-triggered reversible shape memory behavior without any external stress and pre-soaking treatment. This interesting finding was not reported earlier until now, to the best of our knowledge. This current finding unveils numerous possibilities to prepare multi-triggered blending systems with reversible shape memory behavior.

A correlation study of pre-sowing treatments, sowing positions and age of stones after extraction from fruit on germination of mango

The present study was undertaken to assess the correlation relationship between various pre-soaking treatments, sowing positions and age of stone on germination and vigour of mango seedlings. Mango stones of different age groups viz., freshly extracted stones, 10 and 20 days after extraction of pulp were soaked in aqueous solutions of GA3 (100 and 200 ppm), KNO3 (1 and 2 ppm), cow dung slurry, water and control (without treatments) for 24 hours and were sown in flat and stalk end up method. The correlation coefficients indicate the presence of inherent association between various characters under study. The study revealed that the seedling vigour index –I had very high positive and very dependable relationship with germination percentage (r=0.988**) and seedling length (r=0.974**) whereas seedling vigour index-II had very high positive, significant correlation and very dependable relationship with seedling length (0.931**) in case of stalk end up method over the flat method of sowing.

Seedling Emergence of the Tree Legume Clathrotropis brunnea Amshoff, Endemic from a Colombian Tropical Rainforest

Abstract Seedling emergence is the main propagation method of forest species. Thus, we aimed to evaluate emergence aspects of the tree legume Clathrotropis brunnea Amshoff (sapán or blackheart sapán), a Fabaceae of high economic value endemic to the Colombian rainforest. We characterized the biometry of legumes and seeds and assessed seedling emergence in three experiments: (1) effect of fruit color and substrate, (2) seed conservation in storage, and (3) presoaking and seed position. Our results showed that seeds of green-yellow fruits have greater length and weight and a water content of up to 53%. Seedling emergence did not differ between green-yellow and dark-brown fruits but did differ with substrate type; nearly 80% of seedlings emerged in the sand substrate (S1), but only 62% emerged in the mixed substrate (S3). Fresh sapán seeds are nondormant, showing a recalcitrant behavior in which seedling emergence decreased after storage in all tested conditions. Both seed-sowing positions allowed an emergence of &amp;gt;80% with a small benefit of the hilum downward, regardless of presoaking treatments. However, these differences did not affect seedling height or biomass after emergence. Our results provide basic knowledge on production of tropical seedlings, seeking species conservation, and use in restoration projects.

Modeling the Effects of Product Temperature, Product Moisture, and Process Humidity on Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella in Pistachios during Hot-Air Heating

Prior efforts to model bacterial thermal inactivation in and on low-moisture foods generally have been based on isothermal and iso-moisture experiments and have rarely included dynamic product and process variables. Therefore, the objective of this study was to test appropriate secondary models to quantify the effect of product temperature, product moisture, and process humidity on thermal inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis PT30 on pistachios subjected to dynamic dry- or moist-air heating. In-shell pistachios were inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis PT30, equilibrated in controlled-humidity chambers (to target water activities [aw] of 0.45 or 0.65), and in some cases, subjected to a presoak treatment prior to heating in a laboratory-scale, moist-air convection oven at multiple combinations (in duplicate) of dry bulb (104.4 or 118.3°C) and dew point (∼23.8, 54.4, or 69.4°C) temperatures, with air speed of ∼1.3 m/s. Salmonella survivors, pistachio moisture content, and aw were quantified at six time points for each condition, targeting cumulative lethality of ∼3 to 5 log. The resulting data were used to estimate parameters for five candidate secondary models that included combinations of product temperature, product moisture, aw, and/or process dew point (coupled with a log-linear primary model). A model describing the D-value as a function of temperature and dew point fit the data well (root mean squared error [RMSE] = 0.86 log CFU/g); however, adding a term to account for dynamic product moisture improved the fit (RMSE = 0.83 log CFU/g). In addition, product moisture content yielded better model outcomes, as compared with aw, particularly in the case of the presoaked pistachios. When validated at the pilot scale, the model was conservative, always underpredicting the experimental log reductions. Both dynamic product moisture and process humidity were critical factors in modeling thermal inactivation of Salmonella in a low-moisture product heated in an air-convection system.

A novel multi-triggered natural rubber (NR)/beeswax (BW)/carbon nanotube (CNT) shape memory bio-nanocomposite

The shape memory properties of sulfur crosslinked natural rubber/beeswax (NR/BW) bio-blends and nanocomposites at three blending compositions (8:2, 6:4, and 4:6) were investigated. The melting temperature of beeswax was used as the switching temperature in the one-way shape memory process. The addition of multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) into the NR/BW matrix was helpful in not only improving the beeswax dispersion but also serving the near-infrared absorber to remotely trigger the shape memory process. Most surprisingly, the crystal orientation of beeswax in the natural rubber matrix was parallel to the stretching direction. In addition, the NR/BW blends and nanocomposites demonstrated the THF and acetone solvent vapor-triggered reversible shape memory behavior, which was hardly achieved without applying external stress and pre-soaking treatment as seen in the literature. This simple blending approach offers tremendous possibilities to prepare bio-based blends and nanocomposites with reversible shape memory properties.

Label-free based proteomics analysis of protein changes in frozen whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) pre-soaked with sodium trimetaphosphate

Muscle proteins in peeled shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) are known to be unstable and prone to denaturation affected by freezing and frozen storage. In this study, label-free proteomics were performed to explore the stabilization of frozen (30 days at −18 °C) shrimp muscle proteins when a pre-soaking treatment with distilled water (DW)- or sodium trimetaphosphate (ST) was applied; comparison to fresh samples (FS) was carried out. In total, 163 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were down-regulated in DW batch when compared to FS, these including ribosomal proteins, actins, myosin, paramyosin, myosin heavy chains, and tropomyosin; interestingly, most of these DAPs (181 proteins) were up-regulated in ST batch when compared to DW shrimp, mainly due to the incorporation of ST into muscle tissues. The results revealed the decreased protein degradation resulting from the reduced damage from ice-crystal growth. Gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested that these DAPs were mainly involved in catalytic activity, binding, and metabolic processes. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) results indicated that many pathways, including phototransduction, metabolic, and ribosomal pathways that interacted with phosphoglycerate mutase, actins, and ribosomal proteins were altered. Additionally, Eukaryotic clusters of orthologous group (KOG) results confirmed that incorporated ST maintained the stability of these DAPs in shrimp muscle, especially for cytoskeleton proteins, and retarded the degradation of muscle proteins during frozen storage.

Exposing Seeds of Galtonia candicans to Ethyl Methanesulfonate Reduced Inflorescence Height, Lodging, and Fertility

Cape hyacinth (Galtonia candicans) is a geophytic herbaceous perennial from South Africa. It produces large inflorescences of pendulous white flowers during mid to late summer, followed by capsules filled with copious amounts of seed. The species has potential as a low-water-use landscape plant, but lodging and excessive seed production, which pose a risk of escape or invasion, are issues that should be addressed before marketing. Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a chemical mutagen known to induce usable mutations including dwarfing and sterility. We exposed seeds of cape hyacinth to increasing concentrations of EMS (0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1%). Increased concentrations of EMS resulted in a linear decrease in seed germination when not exposed to a presoak treatment in water before exposure to EMS. No seedlings survived or were viable to field plant at 0.6%, 0.8%, or 1%. Resulting plants were field planted in 2013 and evaluated during 2014 and 2015. In both years, the inflorescence height at first flower, average seed number per capsule, and percent lodging were reduced in EMS-treated plants compared with controls. In 2015, pollen staining was evaluated and was reduced from 83% in control to less than 3% in the 0.4% treatment. Our study demonstrated that EMS is a viable option to reduce height and decrease seed set in cape hyacinth.