Acid Value Research Articles

Spiky tubular nanoparticles with low protein corona can realize efficient and non-destructive penetration through endothelial barrier

Upon intravascular applications, i.e., cancer treatment, nanoparticles (NPs) are required to deliver through blood circulation, sustain serum protein interactions, before they penetrate the blood vessels and reach targeted sites for payload drug release. For a delivery process as such, it is elusive and difficult to comprehend the morphological change of NP surface and evaluate associated effects on its targeted delivery. Herein, we used silica NPs with different surface modifications to demonstrate the morphological impact of NPs during the application of the NP-blood protein interaction, vascular endothelial cell penetration, subsequent targeted delivery and photodynamic therapy efficacy, and pursue high drug-load NPs with surface designs. Compared to solid and mesoporous NPs, we found the spiky tubular NPs reserved the NPs' antifouling properties (or shedding of “protein corona”), promoted better endothelial penetration and less destruction in vitro and in vivo. Such effects could be attributed to their spiky surface structures, which can limit the NP-protein interaction area and promote the NP-protein steric hindrance. Further in molecular simulations, we determined that the spiky tubular morphological modification on NPs enhanced the interaction free energy and lowered the amino acids number and the subsequent frequency in contacting with VE-cadherin of vascular endothelia. As a result, the spiky tubular NPs demonstrated its advantages in mitigating damages to VE-cadherin stability and endothelial cell integrity. Exploiting such spiky tubular surface modification, we can improve the NP delivery efficiency and prohibit the leakiness of vascular endothelia, helping address challenges faced by tumor migration in nanomedicine applications for cancer therapy.

Therapeutic Value of Low-Dose Acetylsalicylic Acid for the Prevention of Preeclampsia in High-Risk Bulgarian Women.

Introduction Preeclampsia (PE) is a syndrome that affects pregnant women after 20 weeks of gestation and involves numerous organ systems. Screening for PE is essential to prevent complications and guide management. Some existing guidelines for screening have limitations in terms of detection rates and false positives. The aim of this study is to assess the therapeutic value of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for the prevention of PE in high-risk Bulgarian women. Methodology A prospective cohort research was carried out, encompassing women who were recruited from several routine consultations, such as booking, scanning, and regular prenatal visits. We utilized the purposive sampling technique to carefully choose potential participants. The study was conducted by a maternal-fetal medicine center located in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The data-gathering period spanned from January 2018 to November 2020. At the appointment, the following procedures were conducted: 1) recording history; 2) assessing height, weight, and blood pressure; 3) collecting blood specimens for biochemical markers; and 4) ultrasound examination. Results A total sample size of 1,383 individuals was categorized into two distinct groups: high-risk patients (n = 506) and low-risk patients (n = 877). The mean uterine arterypulsatility index (UtA-PI) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) ratios were all greater in high-risk group women (p < 0.05). The data revealed that a significant number of high-risk women failed to adhere to the prescribed dosage or regular use of ASA as recommended by their doctor. There were only 384 (75.9%) high-risk women who took low-dose ASA regularly. Conclusion The findings emphasize the importance of personalized prenatal care and early risk assessment to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to educate pregnant women, considering the benefits and risks of low-dose ASA when appropriately indicated.

Preparation, Quality control and Standardization of a Destructive Distillate &lt;i&gt;Swasakasa Nei&lt;/i&gt; (SKN), A Traditional Siddha Herbal Pharmaceutic for &lt;i&gt;Swasakasam&lt;/i&gt; (Bronchial Asthma)

Standardization is essential to ensure the quality and reliability of traditional medicines. This study aimed to collect, authenticate and purification of raw materials, preparation of &lt;i&gt;Swasakasa Nei&lt;/i&gt; (SKN) according to SOP, and Quality evaluation and Standardization procedures following Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine (PLIM) guidelines. SKN, prepared as &lt;i&gt;Kuzhithylam&lt;/i&gt;, is used to treat &lt;i&gt;Swasakasam&lt;/i&gt; (Bronchial Asthma) in the Siddha system of medicine. The organoleptic characters of &lt;i&gt;Swasakasa Nei&lt;/i&gt; reveal that SKN was a black, thick semisolid with a smoky odour, greasy consistency, and free-flowing nature drug. Physicochemical analysis showed values for Saponification Value (202.19), Iodine Value (30), Acid Value (7.25%), Peroxide Value (0.58%), Refractive Index (1.462), Specific Gravity (0.9131 g/ml), Loss on Drying (34.17%), Total Fatty Matter (60.18%), Free Fatty Acids (1.06%), and Unsaponifiable Matter (0.98%). The congealing point was 19°C, with no mineral oil and definite oxidation on rancidity. HPTLC fingerprint analysis revealed multiple prominent peaks at various wavelengths. Microbial contamination tests showed no specific microbes, and aflatoxin assays confirmed SKN was free from Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2. Pesticide residue analysis detected no organochlorine, organophosphorus, or pyrethroids, and heavy metal analysis showed no trace elements or heavy metals. These standards affirm the authenticity, genuineness, and safety of SKN, contributing to its scientific validation.

The fecal microbiota of patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) causes PBC-like liver lesions in mice and exacerbates liver damage in a mouse model of PBC

ABSTRACT The role of the gut microbiota in the occurrence and progression of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is not fully understood. First, the fecal microbiota of patients with PBC (n = 4) (PBC-FMT) or healthy individuals (n = 3) (HC-FMT) was transplanted into pseudo germ-free mice or 2OA-BSA–induced PBC models. The functions, histology and transcriptome of the liver, and microbiota and metabolome of the feces were analyzed. Second, the liver transcriptomes of PBC patients (n = 7) and normal individuals (n = 7) were analyzed. Third, the liver transcriptomes of patients with other liver diseases were collected from online databases and compared with our human and mouse data. Our results showed that PBC-FMT increased the serum ALP concentration, total bile acid content, liver injury and number of disease-related pathways enriched with upregulated liver genes in pseudo germ-free mice and increased the serum glycylproline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase level and liver damage in a 2OA-BSA–induced PBC model. The gut microbiota and metabolome differed between PBC-FMT and HC-FMT mice and reflected those of their donors. PBC-FMT tended to upregulate hepatic immune and signal transduction pathways but downregulate metabolic pathways, as in some PBC patients. The hematopoietic cell lineage, Toll-like receptor, and PPAR signaling pathway were not affected in patients with alcoholic hepatitis, HBV, HCV, HCV cirrhosis, or NASH, indicating their potential roles in the gut microbiota affecting PBC. In conclusion, the altered gut microbiota of PBC patients plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of PBC. The improvement of the gut microbiota is worthy of in-depth research and promotion as a critical aspect of PBC prevention and treatment.

Effect of fertilizers and meliorants on the value of soil acidity of sod-podzolic light loamy soil, yield and chemical composition of the green mass of spring rapeseed (according to laboratory and vegetation experience)

Under controlled conditions of laboratory vegetation experience based on very strongly acidic sod-podzolic sandy loam soil, a comparative study of the fertilizing value and reclamation properties of complex mineral fertilizers (azofoska andAPAVIVA) and meliorants of a carbonate nature was carried out: conversion chalk (CC), gravel screening (GS), dolomite (DM) and dolomitized (DIM) limestone flour, as well as silicate nature–blast furnace slag (BFS) and hydroxide nature–Mg(OH)2.Culture–spring rape of theLexus variety.It was shown that the reclamation effect obtained as a result of the use ofBFSand meliorants of a carbonate nature differed little from each other and after 45 days of plant cultivation were insignificant.Magnesium hydroxide did not have a reclamation effect.The yield data of the vegetative mass of rapeseed after harvesting are given.It is shown that the chemical composition of meliorants had a significant effect on the formation of the elemental composition of plants.

The Impact of Drying Methods on the Quality of Blanched Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) Larvae

The growing world population necessitates the implementation of appropriate processing technologies for edible insects. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of distinct drying techniques, including convective drying at 70 °C (70CD) and 90 °C (90CD) and freeze-drying (FD), on the drying kinetics, physical characteristics (water activity, color), chemical characteristics (chemical composition, amino acid profile, oil properties, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, mineral composition, FTIR), and presence of hazards (allergens, microorganisms) of blanched yellow mealworm larvae. The freeze-drying process results in greater lightness and reduced moisture content and water activity. The study demonstrated that the freeze-dried insects exhibited lower contents of protein and essential amino acids as compared to the convective-dried insects. The lowest content of total polyphenols was found in the freeze-dried yellow mealworm larvae; however, the highest antioxidant activity was determined for those insects. Although the oil isolated from the freeze-dried insects exhibited the lowest acid and peroxide values, it proved to have the lowest PUFA content and oxidative stability. All the samples met the microbiological criteria for dried insects. The results of the study demonstrate that a high temperature during the CD method does not result in the anticipated undesirable changes. It appears that freeze-drying is not the optimal method for preserving the nutritional value of insects, particularly with regard to the quality of protein and oil.

A comparison of the quality of UHT milk and its plant-based analogs

The aim of this study was to compare selected physical (density) and physicochemical (color, pH, titratable acidity) properties and the fatty acid profile of dairy UHT milk and its plant-based analogs, i.e., almond, soy, rice, oat, and coconut beverages. Ten products of each type were analyzed in each group. UHT milk was characterized by higher values of color lightness (L*) and titratable acidity than all plant-based milk alternatives, higher yellowness (b*) than rice drink, higher density than almond drink, and higher pH than rice and coconut drinks. In comparison with UHT milk, all plant-based beverages were characterized by higher redness (a*), soy drink was characterized by higher values of b* and chroma (C*), and almond and soy drinks had higher pH values. In the group of non-dairy beverages, the values of b* and C* were highest in soy drink, and the value of a* was highest in almond drink. Almond drink had the highest pH value, and soy and coconut drinks had the highest titratable acidity. Rice drink had higher density than oat, soy and almond drinks. The indicators characterizing the nutritional value of fat were considerably lower in coconut drink and dairy milk than in the remaining products. The values of UFA/SFA, MUFA/SFA, and DFA/OFA ratios and the indicator of nutritional value were highest in rice drink. The PUFA/SFA ratio and the total content of EFAs were highest in soy drink, and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was highest in almond drink.

Effects of natural and mechanical drying processes on unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, estradiol, and physicochemical properties of Rana chensinensis ovum

Although Rana chensinensis Ovum (RCO) is enriched with high nutritional value, its quality varies due to the different drying methods used by farmers. This study aims to explore the impact of natural and mechanical drying methods on the nutritional compositions and physicochemical properties of RCO. Five different drying methods were studied, including blast drying (BD), mild breeze light drying (MBLD), natural air drying (NAD), vacuum heat drying (VHD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD). The quality assessment was based on unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content, iodine value, estradiol, vitamin E, saponification value, thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), acid value, and antioxidant properties. The results showed that VFD had higher UFA content and lower acid value (139.950 ± 0.397 mg · g−1) and TBA value (0.097 ± 0.003) than others. VFD and NAD had higher iodine values (147.166 ± 1.475 and 146.803 ± 1.209, respectively) than others. There were no significant differences in estradiol, vitamin E, peroxide value and the clearance rates of ABTS+ free radicals and DPPH• free radicals with different drying methods. The findings will provide valuable insights into the industrialization of RCO.Graphical

Modeling the effects of ripening at refrigeration and ambient temperatures on physic-chemical and microbiological parameters of artisanal Minas cheese

This study aimed to assess the effects of ripening at refrigeration and ambient temperatures on physic-chemical and microbiological parameters of artisanal Minas cheeses (made from raw milk) and to model the kinetics of lactic acid bacteria – , Escherichia coli – , and coagulase-positive staphylococci – along the ripening. Cheese pH, acidity, and moisture, fat, and protein contents were quantified, as well as , , and concentrations. Richards and simplified Lotka-Volterra models were used to describe the microbial kinetic data. The fits were assessed by statistical indices, and the Monte-Carlo method was applied to identifiability analysis. Cheese moisture was reduced along the ripening, increasing protein concentration and acidity values. Cheese pH showed a reduction followed by an increase. concentration increased to the stationary phase after a few days; and concentrations increased and then decreased due to interactions with and low moisture content. Mathematical models successfully described the kinetics of , , and in cheese throughout ripening. Most parameters were not correlated to each other and were estimated with narrow confidence intervals.

Effect of Selenium Application on Quality, Phytochemical Composition and Mineral Content Properties of Red Currant (Ribes rubrum L.) and Jostaberry (Ribes ×nidigrolaria Bauer)

Selenium is an essential mineral for both humans and animals. Around 0.5–1 billion individuals globally suffer from selenium deficiency, which can result in a range of illnesses. Hence, the cultivation of selenium-enriched agricultural items can serve as a potent strategy to mitigate selenium deficiency. This study aimed to examine the effect of selenium on the quality, and phytochemical and mineral content of red currant (Red Lake) and jostaberry. The study was conducted in 2022 and 2023. Different doses of selenium (0, 4, and 8 mg⋅kg−1) were sprayed on the fruits three times with 10-days intervals starting from the first formation of the fruits after flowering. Upon completion of the study, various factors were assessed including cluster and berry properties, water-soluble dry matter content, pH levels, titratable acid content, ascorbic acid levels, antioxidant activity, and total phenolics content. The mineral composition of the fruit peel, pulp, and seed was also measured. In jostaberry, the highest values of cluster weight, cluster height, and 100-berry weight were obtained with 8 mg⋅kg−1 selenium application. As the selenium dosage increased, the levels of ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content increased, with the highest values determined to be 0.063 mg⋅mL−1, 63.23% DPPH, and 3752.22 mg⋅g−1, respectively, at 8 mg⋅kg−1. In the Red Lake variety, it has been determined that the 4 mg⋅kg−1 dose is effective in terms of cluster weight, cluster width, and cluster height attributes. The highest values for ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content were determined to be 0.029 mg⋅mL−1, 53.42% DPPH, and 3117.17 mg⋅g−1, respectively, at the 4 mg⋅kg−1 dose. The selenium content was found to be highest in the peel and pulp of jostaberry at 8 mg⋅kg−1, and in Red Lake, it was obtained at the 4 mg⋅kg−1 application. As a result, an 8 mg⋅kg−1 dose of selenium could be recommended for jostaberry, and a 4 mg⋅kg−1 dose could be recommended for Red Lake.

Effects of Dioscorea opposita mucilage addition on the physicochemical properties, texture, and stability of set-type yogurt

Dioscorea opposita mucilage (DOM), a polysaccharide-protein polymer with antioxidant activity, can be served as a natural ingredient in nutritional yogurts. The effects of DOM addition at different concentrations (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12% w/w) on the total number of lactic acid bacteria, pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, viscosity, texture, color and sensory evaluations of full-fat yogurts and skimmed yogurts during 21 days storage at 4 °C were investigated. The results suggested that DOM could improve the growth of LAB, strengthen the network and gelation of yogurt, and thicken the dispersion, which led to the significant decrease in pH and cohesiveness, and drastic increase in the syneresis, firmness and adhesiveness. Additionally, sensory evaluation revealed that the overall liking scores of full-fat yogurts (8.1–8.7) were higher than those of skimmed yogurts (7.9–8.3), which exhibited strong correlations with firmness and viscosity of set-type yogurts. Although DOM addition affected the sensory undesirably, such as creaminess, the thickness and overall liking were improved, especially for the skimmed yogurts. In summary, 8% w/w DOM could effectively improve the texture, quality and stability of set-type yogurts. This study provides new applications in functional dairy products and promotes the value of the by-products of D. opposita.

Natural variability in yield and properties of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile kernel oil from different locations in Nigeria

Balanites aegyptiaca known as the desert date is an underutilized and neglected wild fruit tree/shrub of the arid and semi-arid zones with high economic potential. This study, therefore, was conducted to investigate the yield, physico-chemical and phytochemical properties, proximate and mineral composition of desert date kernel oil from different locations. Oil was extracted using the soxhlet apparatus, while hexane served as solvent. Standard procedures were used to determine the yield and properties of desert date kernel oil. The data obtained were subjected to the analysis of variance (p&lt; 0.05). Oil yield (%) was found to range from 21.09±1.04-43.95±1.85 and varied significantly among the locations. Acid and saponification values (mg KOH/g) increased significantly from 2.11±0.07 to 1.36±0.07 and 76.35±0.22 to 179.85±0.90, respectively. The refractive index ranged from 1.36±0.15 to 1.48±0.06, while the iodine value (mg KOH/g) varied significantly from 67.07±1.53 to 85.33±2.52. Saponins, tannins, and phenol were discovered to vary significantly among the locations, and range from 3.82±0.30 -5.83±0.45 (mg/100 g), 1.31±0.10 - 1.68±0.03 (mg/100 g) and 1.51±0.05 - 2.09±0.06 (mg/100 g), respectively. The broad variability observed in the properties of desert date kernel oil among locations indicates the feasibility of improving kernel oil yield and properties through selection

Sulfonamide-Sulfonimide Copolymers as Novel, Fluorine-Lean Type of Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cell Application.

In this work, a novel type of fluorine-lean proton exchange membranes is presented, using sulfonamide-sulfonimide functional groups for ion conduction. These groups are constructed on a polystyrene backbone for simple and cost-efficient usage as well as rapid scalability. The polymer is further tailored by adjusting the sulfonamide functionality with various end-groups, namely pentafluorophenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, butyl and octyl groups. These groups affect the pKa, leading to pKa values of 5.7 for the pentafluorophenyl substitution and pKa 10.5 for the alkyl chain. The glass transition temperature of the sulfonamide homopolymers can be reduced from Tg = 151°C (Pentafluorophenyl) to 49°C (Octyl), making the ionomer more flexible at room temperature. The combination of the non-swelling sulfonamide further mitigates the high water uptake of the sulfonimide while maintaining the nominal ion exchange capacity. This combination leads to extremely high proton conductivities with up to σ = 283 mS cm-1 at room temperature, which is clearly outperforming Nafion and approaches values for acid doped systems. This approach can pave the way to a novel type of ion conducting class in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Re-evaluation of shellac (E 904) as a food additive and a new application on the extension of use of shellac (E 904) in dietary foods for special medical purposes.

The present opinion deals with the re-evaluation of shellac (E 904) when used as a food additive and with the new application on the extension of use of shellac (E 904) in dietary foods for special medical purposes. The Panel derived an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 4 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day for wax-free shellac (E 904) produced by physical decolouring, based on a NOAEL of 400 mg/kg bw per day and applying an uncertainty factor of 100. The Panel concluded that the ADI of 4 mg/kg bw per day should be considered temporary for wax-free shellac (E 904) produced by chemical bleaching, while new data are generated on the identity and levels of the organochlorine impurities in E 904. This ADI is not applicable for wax-containing shellac as a food additive. For several age groups, the ADI was exceeded at the 95th percentile in the non-brand-loyal exposure assessment scenario and maximum level exposure assessment scenario. Considering the low exceedance and the fact that both the exposure estimation and the toxicological evaluation of shellac were conservative, the panel concluded that the calculated exceedance of the ADI does not indicate a safety concern. The Panel recommended to the European Commission separating specifications for E 904 depending on the manufacturing process, chemical bleaching and physical decolouring, because they result in different impurities; revising the definition of the food additive to include a description of each manufacturing process; deleting information on wax-containing shellac from the EU specifications; revising the acid value for wax-free shellac produced by chemical bleaching; lowering the maximum limit for lead; to consider introducing limits for other toxic elements potentially present in shellac; including a maximum limit for chloroform and total inorganic chloride in the EU specification for shellac produced by chemical bleaching.

Preparation and Characterization of Five Amino-Modified Hyper-Crosslinked Polymers and Performance Evaluation for Aged Transformer Oil Reclamation

Adsorption is intensively considered to be the most feasible and economical option for aged transformer oil treatment. In this work, five aminated hyper-crosslinked polymers were prepared from chloromethylated polystyrene–co-divinylbenzene (Cl-PS-DVB) through a two-stage modification of crosslinking and five different reagents aminating. After modification, the specific surface area (SBET) and nitrogen content (CN) of prepared resins were greatly improved. To evaluate the reclamation performance of resins for removing oxides and contaminants from aged transformer oils, the total acid number (TAN) and color of oils were mainly examined. The results shown that the prepared resins have superior oil reclamation capacity compared to commercial resin XAD-4 due to their higher microporous specific surface area (Smic) and surface polarity. Among them, the NHC-R3, which used dimethyltriamine (DETA) as an aminating agent, had the best deacidification and decolorization performance. A series of experiments were designed to investigate the optimal regeneration program conditions for NHC-R3, and the additional electrical characteristics of the reclaimed oil, including breakdown voltage, dielectric dissipation factor (DDF), and interfacial tension, were measured as evidence that aged oil was successfully reclaimed.

CsPbBr3 NCs Confined and In Situ Grown in ZIF-8: A Stable, Sensitive, Reliable Fluorescent Sensor for Evaluating the Acid Value of Edible Oils.

Rapidly and sensitively evaluating the acid value (AV) of edible oils is significant to ensuring food quality and safety. Cesium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals (CsPbBr3 NCs) are an effective candidate for AV detection; however, their instability restricts wide applications. Herein, CsPbBr3@ZIF-8 was prepared by confining and growing CsPbBr3 NCs in situ into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to improve the stability, and a fluorescence sensor was established to evaluate the AV of edible oils. The results present that CsPbBr3 NCs (below 5 nm) with excellent optical properties were confined and grown in situ in micropores and mesopores of ZIF-8. Meanwhile, CsPbBr3@ZIF-8 had better long-term storage, ultraviolet-irradiation, and water-exposure stabilities, compared with CsPbBr3 NCs. Given the fact that free fatty acids (the major contributor of AV) decrease the fluorescence of CsPbBr3 NCs, the fluorescence intensities of CsPbBr3@ZIF-8 were negative-linearly related to oil AV (R2 = 0.9902) in 0.04-6.00 mg of KOH/g with a 0.06 mg of KOH/g limit of detection. Besides, the practical AV recovery was 92-101% with an average relative standard deviation of 2%. Furthermore, the detection time was 20 min. The response mechanism revealed that free fatty acids could remove surface ligands and increase surface defects to prompt the aggregation of CsPbBr3 NCs and the formation of lattice fringe dislocations, inducing a decrease in the fluorescence. Thus, a stable, sensitive, reliable sensor was established to evaluate the AV of edible oils.

Quality assessment of commercially refined sunflower oil found in the market of Pokhara, Nepal

Sunflower oil is widely used for home cooking and the food industry. Food safety concerns are always there while consuming oil daily, so people want their purchased and consumed oil to be safe. The main aim of the research is to demonstrate and compare the data of different parameters obtained from laboratory experiments following the standard methods suggested by FSSAI-2016 (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India), A.O.A.C. (Association of Analytical Chemists) and the standard values given by D.F.T.Q.C. (Department of Food Technology and Quality Control), Nepal in 2075 B.S for edibleness of sunflower oil. Here, we show the standard methods to test the different parameters, i.e., moisture content, acid value, density, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, and unsaponifiable matter of edible sunflower oil. The dataset of preliminary and physiochemical analysis were within the limits of D.F.T.Q.C. standards for edible and refined sunflower oil, where moisture content was 0.05±0.01, refractive index was 1.4676±5.7735E-05, peroxide value was 2.65±0.098, acid value was 0.071±0.0026, iodine value was 128.02±0.007, saponification value was 189.92±1.094 and unsaponifiable matter was 2.53±0.7. This study concludes that all the selected samples of sunflower oils are in the permissible range according to the D.F.T.Q.C. directory (2075). It indicated that selected sunflower oil types have regulatory standards for public consumption concerning health risks under study from the Pokhara market.

Human ferritin nanocarriers for drug-delivery: A molecular view of the disassembly process

Ferritins are natural proteins which spontaneously self-assemble forming hollow nanocages physiologically deputed to iron storage and homeostasis. Thanks to their high stability and easy production in vitro, ferritins represent an intriguing system for nanobiotechnology. Here we investigated the mechanism of disassembly and reassembly of a human recombinant ferritin constituted by the heavy chain (hHFt) exploiting a new procedure which involves the use of minimal amounts of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and assessed its effectiveness in comparison with two commonly used protocols based on pH shift at highly acidic and alkaline values. The interest in this ferritin as drug nanocarrier is related to the strong affinity of the human H-chain for the transferrin receptor TfR-1, overexpressed in several tumoral cell lines. Using different techniques, like NMR, TEM and DLS, we demonstrated that the small concentrations of SDS can eliminate the nanocage architecture without detaching the monomers from each other, which instead remain strongly associated. Following this procedure, we encapsulated into the nanocage a small ruthenium complex with a remarkable improvement with respect to previous protocols in terms of yield, structural integrity of the recovered protein and encapsulation efficiency. In our opinion, the extensive network of interchain interactions preserved during the SDS-based disassembly procedure represents the key for a complete and correct hHFt reassembly.

Evaluation of the qualitative properties of the oil extracted from the mixture of Helianthus annuus and Nigella sativa seeds during heating

The oil obtained from black cumin (Nigella sativa) seeds has many health-effective properties, which is used in food applications and in traditional medicine. One practical method to extract its oil is mixing with other seeds such as sunflower (Helianthus anuus) seeds before oil extraction by press. The effectiveness of the cold-press oil obtained from the mixture of black cumin seeds (BS) and sunflower seeds (SF) in different proportions 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15 and 0:100 (w/w) was studied to evaluate their qualitative properties including peroxide value (PV), acid value, p-anisidine value (AnV), pigments (carotenoid and chlorophyll) content, polyphenols, and profile of fatty acids during heating process (30–150 min at 180 °C). The results revealed that the acid and p-anisidine value of the all samples enhanced with the extension of the heating time, and the peroxide value increased at the beginning of the heating and then decreased with the prolongation of the heating time (p < .05). With the increase of temperature and heating time, the peroxide of sunflower oil increased with a higher slope and speed than that of black seed and blends oil. Changes in the PV and AnV were the fastest in sunflower oil. Blending and heating caused considerable changes in the fatty acid composition of oils, especially myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Moreover, the levels of certain unsaturated fatty acids, namely linoleic, oleic, and linolenic acids declined after heating. The carotenoids, chlorophyll and total phenol content decreased gradually during heating treatments. Among extracted oils, SF:BS (15%) had the good potential for stability, with total phenol content of 95.92 (Caffeic acid equivalents/100 g), PV of 2.16 (meq O2/kg), AV of 2.59 (mg KOH/g oil), and AnV of 8.08 after the heating. In conclusion, oil extracted from the mixture of SF and BS can be used as salad and cooking oils with a high content of bioactive components and positive nutritional properties.

Production of biodiesel from palm kernel oil through base-catalyzed trans-esterification process

Growing concerns about environmental problems associated with fuels have engineered so much research into biofuels, such as biodiesel. However, continuous and large-scale production of biodiesel from edible oil could result in serious food security problems if cheap and viable alternatives are not made available. To solve this problem, oil was obtained from non-food/ underutilized seeds of palm kernel using Soxhlet apparatus. Physicochemical properties and fatty acids composition of these oils were determined using standard analytical and instrumental methods. Biodiesel was processed from these oils via sequential base (KOH) homogeneous catalysis. Fuel properties of biodiesel from the oil were determined using standard methods and the results obtained were compared with standards. Oil yields were found to be 37.6% for palm kernel seed respectively. Physicochemical properties of palm kernel oil respectively are: saponification value:(115.00)mg KOH/g, acid value(4.488)mgKOH/g, free fatty acid value (2.244)mg/KOH/viscosity:(29)mm2/s, moisture content: (0.46)%, peroxide value:(3.12)meqkg-1,refractive index:(1.455), specific gravity (0.899)g/cm. Fuel properties of biodiesel from palm kernel seed oil respectively are: Kinematic viscosity at 40oc: (nil) mm2/s, smoke point (100oc), flash point(90oc),fire point:(150oc),pour point(nil) and cloud point:(nil).The physicochemical properties of the biodiesel produced showed that the flash point, viscosity, density, ash content, percentage carbon content, specific gravity and the acid value fell within American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications for biodiesel. Therefore, the biodiesel produced from the oil significantly met standard quality requirements.