Starch Volume Research Articles

Effect of Green Admixtures on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete Composite

The study was carried out to evaluate the suitability of organic admixture in concrete production. Six sets of concrete were made by partially replacing the fine aggregates (sand) and coarse aggregates (gravel) with 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% of sawdust and periwinkle shells respectively, in the presence of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5% cassava starch. The compressive strength and density of the six concrete groups were tested, in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International approved guidelines. Findings from the laboratory investigations indicated that the sawdust and periwinkle admixtures generally reduced the concrete compressive strength, as their proportion in the concrete increased from 0 to 25%; while the cassava tends to increase the concrete’s compressive strength. The compressive strength of the concrete declined from 25.2 to 10.3 MPa, 27.1 to 11.7 MPa, 30.7 to 13.6 MPa, 31.4 to 14.5 MPa, 30.9 to 14.2 MPa, and 28.4 to 13.8 MPa, after the incorporation of 25% sawdust and 25% periwinkle shells, as partial replacement for sand and gravels respectively, in the presence of 2.5% cassava starch. Furthermore, the results revealed that the compressive strength of the concrete increased non-linearly, as the cassava starch volume increased from 0 to 2.5%. However, the concrete set produced from 20% sawdust and 20% periwinkle shells was light-weight and its compressive strength was within the limit of 17 MPa recommended by Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) for light-weight concrete required for residential buildings construction. The findings of this study revealed that agricultural waste materials are suitable admixture materials in the concrete industry.

Effects of postponing nitrogen topdressing on starch structural properties of superior and inferior grains in hybrid indica rice cultivars with different taste values.

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management, especially postponing N topdressing can affect rice eating quality by regulating starch quality of superior and inferior grains, but the details are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of N topdressing on starch structure and properties of superior and inferior grains in hybrid indica rice with different tastes and to clarify the relationship between starch structure, properties, and taste quality. Two hybrid indica rice varieties, namely the low-taste Fyou 498 and high-taste Shuangyou 573, were used as experimental materials. Based on 150 kg·N hm-2, three N fertilizer treatments were established: zero N (N0), local farmer practice (basal fertilizer: tillering fertilizer: panicle fertilizer=7:3:0) (N1), postponing N topdressing (basal fertilizer: tillering fertilizer: panicle fertilizer=3:1:6) (N2). The starch granules of superior grains were more complete, and the decrease in small granules content and the stability of starch crystals were a certain extent less than those of inferior grains. Compared with N1, under N2, low-taste and high-taste varieties large starch granules content were significantly reduced by 6.89%, 0.74% in superior grains and 4.26%, 2.71% in inferior grains, the (B2 + B3) chains was significantly reduced by 1.61%, 0.98% in superior grains, and 1.18%, 0.97% in inferior grains, both reduced the relative crystallinity and 1045/1022 cm-1, thereby decreasing the stability of the starch crystalline region and the orderliness of starch granules. N2 treatment reduced the ΔHgel of two varieties. These changes ultimately contributed to the enhancement of the taste values in superior and inferior grains in both varieties, especially the inferior grains. Correlation analysis showed that the average starch volume diameter (D[4,3]) and relative crystallinity were significantly positively correlated with the taste value of superior and inferior sgrains, suggesting their potential use as an evaluation index for the simultaneous enhancement of the taste value of rice with superior and inferior grains. Based on 150 kg·N hm-2, postponing N topdressing (basal fertilizer: tillering fertilizer: panicle fertilizer=3:1:6) promotes the enhancement of the overall taste value and provides theoretical information for the production of rice with high quality.

Effect of melting combined with ice recrystallization on porous starch preparation: Pore-forming properties, granular morphology, functionality, and multi-scale structures

In this work, critical melting (CM) combined with freeze-thawing treatment (FT, freezing at −20 ℃ and −80 ℃, respectively) was used to prepare porous starch. The results showed that CM combined with the slow freezing rate (−20 ℃) can prepare porous starch with characteristics of grooves and cavities, while combined with the rapid freezing rate (−80 ℃) can prepare with holes and channels, especially after repeating FT cycles. Compared with the native counterpart, the specific surface area, pore volume, and average diameter of CMFT-prepared porous starch were significantly increased to 4.07 m2/g, 7.29 cm3/g × 10−3, and 3.57 nm, respectively. CMFT significantly increased the thermal stability of starch, in which the To, Tp, and Tc significantly increased from 63.32, 69.62, and 72.90 (native) to ∼69, 72, and 76 °C, respectively. CMFT significantly increased water and oil absorption of porous starch from 91.20 % and 72.00 % (native) up to ∼163 % and 94 %, respectively. Moreover, CMFT-prepared porous starch had a more ordered double-helical structure, which showed in the significantly increased relative crystallinity, semi-crystalline lamellae structure, and the proportion of the double helix structure of starch. The synergistic effect of melting combined with ice recrystallization can be used as an effective way to prepare structure-stabilized porous starch.

The Starch Physicochemical Properties between Superior and Inferior Grains of Japonica Rice under Panicle Nitrogen Fertilizer Determine the Difference in Eating Quality.

Nitrogen fertilizer is essential for rice growth and development, and topdressing nitrogen fertilizer at panicle stage has a huge impact on rice grain quality. However, the effect of panicle nitrogen fertilizer (PNF) on starch physicochemical properties and fine structure remain unclear. In this study, four PNF levels (0, 60, 120, 180 kg N ha−1) were grown with the same basal and tiller fertilizer (150 kg N ha−1). The starch physicochemical properties, fine structure, texture properties and eating quality of two japonica rice were determined. We found that the content of total protein, crude fat and amylose between superior and inferior grains were significantly different. Compared with inferior grains, superior grains had low relative crystallinity, good pasting characteristics and outstanding eating quality. With the increase of nitrogen application rates, the starch volume mean diameter was lower; the average chain length of amylopectin was longer; and the relative crystallinity of starch was higher. The changes above in starch structure resulted in an increase in starch solubility, swelling power and gelatinization enthalpy, and led to a decrease in retrogradation enthalpy, retrogradation percentage and pasting viscosity, consequently contributing to the increase in hardness and stickiness of rice and the deterioration of taste value. These results indicated that topdressing PNF lengthened the amylopectin chain, decreased starch granule size, enhanced crystallization stability and increased gelatinization enthalpy, which were the direct reasons for the deterioration of cooking and eating quality.

Effects of different gelatinization degrees of starch in potato flour on the quality of steamed bread

The effect of four kinds of potato flour with different gelatinization degrees on the quality of steam bread was investigated in the present study. Results showed that medium-well flour (MWF) and potato flakes (PF) steamed bread, particularly MWF steamed bread, possessed the desired product properties liked by consumers. The MWF steamed bread had the highest appearance score (42.78) and total sensory evaluation score (81.60), and the PF steamed bread exhibited the highest specific volume (1.84 mL/g) and taste score (43.05). An increase in the degree of potato flour gelatinization led to an increase in dough gas retention coefficient from 80.20 mL/100 mL to 85.17 mL/100 mL and a more uniform and dense dough microstructure. During dough preparation, the increased gelatinization degree of potato flours enhanced the hydroscopicity competition between potato starch and gluten, resulting in a flocculent gluten network and increased potato starch volume during steaming. During steaming, steamed bread with higher gelatinization degree of potato flour formed a homogenous and dense starch gel-gluten double network, making them softer with more uniform gas cells and larger specific volume. Thus, this study provides a perspective of the effect of starch gelatinization on steamed bread quality.

Elastic reinforcement and yielding of starch-filled lipid gels

Many foods involve complex suspensions of assorted particles in a Newtonian liquid or viscoelastic medium. In this work, we study the case of suspensions of non-Brownian non-interacting rigid particles: starch, embedded in a soft solid: a colloidal lipid gel. We relate the macroscopic properties of the suspensions to the mechanics of the colloidal gel and the particle volume fraction. As particle volume fraction increases, the suspension gradually stiffens and becomes brittle as the system approaches its maximum packing fraction. The latter is independently determined from a geometric theory of random close packing for polydisperse hard spheres based on the log normal distribution of starch particles dispersed in oil. The elastic modulus, yield stress and yield strain are interrelated through simple scaling laws from a micromechanical homogenization analysis of hard spheres isotropically-distributed in yield stress fluids. • The rheology of non-Brownian non-interacting starch particles filling a viscoelastic colloidal lipid gel was investigated. • As starch volume fraction increases the suspension stiffens, turns brittle as it approaches its maximum packing fraction. • The maximum packing fraction is determined from a geometric theory of random close packing for polydisperse hard spheres. • Linear and nonlinear rheology are interrelated through simple scaling laws from a homogenization micromechanical analysis.

Enhancement of the physicochemical and in vitro release properties of lutein by gelatin/octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)‐modified starch composite as vehicles

SummaryIn this study, the lutein was microencapsulated by complex coacervation with gelatin and OSA starch as vehicles, and the physicochemical and in vitro release properties of the microcapsules were evaluated followed by the spray drying or freeze‐drying method. Preliminary assays of coacervation indicated that a higher encapsulation efficiency was obtained at the gelatin/OSA starch volume ratio of 5:4 and the core/wall material volume ratio of 1:8 (v/v) followed by the spray‐drying method. The lutein‐gelatin‐OSA microcapsules had a higher solubility, antioxidant activity, thermostability, relative humidity stability and sustained in vitro release compared to the free lutein. Fourier transform infrared data indicated that the encapsulated lutein interacted with gelatin and OSA starch was mainly through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The freeze‐dried microcapsule was observed with a more regular shape, smaller particle size in morphology and confirmed with better thermal stability from the differential scanning calorimetry results while the spray‐dried microcapsules obtained a higher cumulative release rate of lutein and higher antioxidant activity. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the design and commercial application of gelatin‐OSA starch complex‐based delivery systems for hydrophobic nutraceuticals with desired physicochemical properties and digestive performance.

Micromeritic, thermal, dielectric, and microstructural properties of legume ingredients: A review

AbstractThe legume‐based food market has grown consistently in recent years because of the high global demands for plant‐based proteins. Since isolation of proteins produces the same volume of starch and large quantities of fiber‐rich fractions, these ingredients require property measurements for their industrial applications. Size‐reduction operations separate the ingredients from the legume grains by creating a large surface area with a definite size. Knowledge of micromeritic properties of legume‐based flour ingredients is indispensable in the design of process equipment and logistic operations. This review covers the particle‐size distributions of legume flours with a desired particle size that fits the food industry and fulfills the nutritional requirements of consumers. It focuses on the strict particle‐size requirement in the legume industry to obtain consistent ingredients for diverse food applications. Furthermore, engineering properties of legume ingredients, including micromeritic, dielectric, structural (e.g., Fourier transform infrared [FTIR], X‐ray diffraction [XRD], and scanning electron microscopy [SEM]), and thermal (e.g., thermal conductivity, diffusivity, heat capacity, glass transition, and melting temperature) properties and their interrelationships, have been discussed.

Three-dimensional quantitative imaging of Tobacco mosaic virus and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus induced ultrastructural changes.

Two-dimensional ultrastructural changes of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) in tobacco and pumpkin plants, respectively, are well studied. To provide 3D data, representative control and infected cells were reconstructed using serial sectioning and transmission electron microscopy. Quantitative data of 3D ultrastructural changes were then extracted from the cytosol and organelles by image analysis. While TMV induced the accumulation of an average of 40 virus inclusion bodies in the cytosol, which covered about 13% of the cell volume, ZYMV caused the accumulation of an average of 1752 cylindrical inclusions in the cytosol, which covered about 2.7% of the total volume of the cell. TMV infection significantly decreased the number and size of mitochondria (- 49 and - 20%) and peroxisomes (- 62 and - 28%) of the reconstructed cell. The reconstructed ZYMV-infected cell contained more (105%) and larger (109%) mitochondria when compared to the control cell. While the reconstructed TMV-infected cell contained larger (20%) and the ZYMV-infected smaller (19%) chloroplasts, both contained less chloroplasts (- 40% for TMV and - 23% for ZYMV). In chloroplasts, the volume of starch and plastoglobules increased (664% and 150% for TMV and 1324% and 1300% for ZYMV) when compared to the control. The latter was correlated with a decrease in the volume of thylakoids in the reconstructed ZYMV-infected cell (- 31%) indicating that degradation products from thylakoids are transported and stored in plastoglobules. Summing up, the data collected in this study give a comprehensive overview of 3D changes induced by TMV and ZYMV in plants.

Interrelationships among different grain characteristics of wheat grown under optimum and late sowning date conditions in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of India

Wheat growth has been severely affected by increases in global temperature. The Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India face similar constraints due to the traditional wheat–rice cropping system where wheat planting is often delayed leading to high temperature induced terminal heat stress. Grain characters like grain length, width, area along with starch synthesis are affected severely during heat stress. Considering the importance of grain traits, we screened the response of 55 wheat genotypes under terminal heat stress conditions to ten grain characteristics. We found that the means of all the grain traits were reduced in heat stress conditions. The effect of heat stress shows a significantly reduced grain width and perimeter, but the extent of damage is less on different grain starch characteristics e.g., grain starch area (GSA), grain starch length (GSL) and grain starch volume (GSV). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that grain starch area and grain volume are the best predictors of yield under optimum sowing date conditions whereas, grain width is the best predictor under late sowing date conditions. Interrelationship studies among ten grain characters showed that the genotypes with higher levels of grain starch characteristics (GSA, GSL and GSV) in combination with the five grain size characters (grain length, grain width, grain perimeter, grain area, A/B-type starch granules) under late sowing date conditions should be promoted for the cultivation of wheat in heat stress prone areas. The present study identified and recommends some heat tolerant wheat genotypes in terms of higher yield and grain starch characteristics namely, CRPW-33, CRPW-17, CRPW-12, CRPW-126 and CRPW-21.

A Simple, Safe and Effective Approach for Personalized Precision Ex Vivo Gene Therapy Based on Autoinfusion of Gene-Modified Leucoconcentrate (GML) Prepared from Routine Unit of Patient's Peripheral Blood

Nowadays gene and cell therapy become the basic methods in regenerative medicine. However only few gene and cell products are currently approved for clinical usage. Biosafety problems, complexity of cell and gene technologies and high cost of manufacturing are the main reasons for the slow introduction of such approaches in practical medicine. Treatment of hereditary diseases of the immune system based on the correction of the mutant gene by delivering functional recombinant gene into WBC is the first successfully employed in the clinical practice approach of cell-mediated or ex vivo gene therapy. Earlier we have reported the strategy of the cell-mediated gene therapy based on umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells transduced with adenoviral vectors carrying recombinant genes encoding neurotrophic factors for treatment neurodegenerative diseases, neurotrauma and stroke. Significant disadvantage of this method is the usage of the umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells as a cell carrier for the therapeutic genes. Considering immunodeficiency treatment and our own data we developed a new approach of recombinant gene delivery for personalized ex vivo gene therapy. The method is based on autoinfusion of patient's WBC transduced with recombinant therapeutic genes for correction of certain pathological conditions. In the present study for the first time the human gene-modified leucoconcentrate (GML) producing recombinant reporter gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) was obtained without culturing WBC in vitro. The routine unit of peripheral blood (450 ml) was collected into the plastic blood bag and the leucocyte- and platelet-rich concentrates (50 ml) were obtained by standard method using Macopress Smart (Macopharma, France). Afterwards the equal volume of hydroxyethyl starch 6% was added into the plastic blood bag which was centrifuged (DP-2065 R PLUS, Centrifugal Presvac RV; Presvac, Buenos Aires, Argentina) at 350 rpm for 10 min at 10°C. The obtained supernatant was transferred into the new plastic blood bag using manual plasma extractor FK-01 (Leadcore, Russia) and 200 ml of saline was added into the bag which was centrifuged at 1300 rpm for 10 min at 10°C and the supernatant was expressed out of the bag so that the remaining solution in the bag (30 ml) contained leucoconcentrate (WBC - 45.56 ± 23.93 × 106/ml and RBC - 1.76 ± 3.33 × 109/ml). Transduction of WBC with chimeric adenoviral vector (Ad5/35) carrying GFP gene was performed in the plastic bag with MOI 5 according to the count of WBC in the leucoconcentrate. After transduction for 12 hours, 200 ml of saline was added to the bag with leucoconcentrate, the mixture was centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 10 min at 10°C and the supernatant was squeezed out of the bag. The remained in the bag solution (30 ml) was considered as gene-modified leucoconcentrate carrying GFP gen (WBC - 22.63 ± 8.90 × 106/ml and RBC - 1.77 ± 1.21 × 109/ml). For in vitro study of GFP gene expression the samples of GML-GFP were cultivated for 60 hours after GML-GFP preparation. Fluorescent microscopy in the cytoplasm of the transduced WBC showed specific intensive green fluorescence. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that 2.5% of WBC from the GML-GFP efficiently expressed GFP. Thus leucoconcentrate after 72 h of transduction with Ad5/35-GFP with MOI 5 resulted in 2.5% of the GFP-positive cells. Thus the results of this study represent a simple, safe and effective approach for preparation of GML for personalized ex vivo gene therapy aimed at temporary production of the specific recombinant biologically active molecules for pathogenetic therapy of the varied nosological form, such as trauma, ischemic, degenerative, autoimmune, infection and other diseases. This study was supported by the grant of Russian Science Foundation 19-75-10030. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Impact of 6% balanced hydroxyethyl starch following cardiopulmonary bypass on renal function: a retrospective study

BackgroundWe aimed to evaluate the effect of limited volume of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) administration on postoperative renal function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).MethodsOne thousand six hundred fifty-seven patients undergoing cardiac surgery under CPB over two years were included. The patients were divided according to the amount of HES administrated during the first 2 days post-surgery; moderate dose HES (≥20 ml/kg) versus low dose HES (< 20 ml/kg). Outcomes were compared by using inverse probability weighting.ResultsIncidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) was higher in the moderate HES group (p = .02). However, new renal replacement therapy (RRT) (P = .30) and early mortality (p = .97) was similar between the groups. When adjusted, the moderate HES use was associated with AKI (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.12–2.44; p = .01), but did not increase the risk of new RRT (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.71–2.18; p = .40) or early mortality (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.29–1.81; p = .50).ConclusionsThe moderate dose administration of HES (≥20 ml/kg) in the postoperative period following cardiac surgery might be associated with the risk of AKI. However, it was not associated with serious adverse outcomes such as new RRT or mortality. Further randomized controlled studies are needed to validate study results.

The Effect of Time and Volume Stater of Bioethanol Content from Coconut Fiber Waste and Mengkudu

Mengkudu and coconut fiber are a plant which frequently find in Indonesia. Mengkudu is a plant that has many advantages and carbohydrate content as 51,67%. Coconut fiber has high enough cellulose content as 43,44%, with high carbohydrate content and high cellulose content they can be utilized as basic ingredient in the making of bioethanol. The purpose of this research is to determine the best condition in the process of making bioethanol from them. Bioethanol was made by fermentation which was helped by bactery, that was Saccaromyches cerevisae or often known as bread yeast. The results of this research were obtained fermentation time and volume of the stater used in making bioethanol from mengkudui fruit in order to get the best content bioetanol is in 60 hours using a stater volume of 10% which produces 6.26% bioethanol, while for the manufacture of bioethanol from waste Coconut coir is at 72 hours using a 6 gr volume of starch which produces bioethanol 13.80%.

Production of Dental Separating Medium using Tapioca extracted from Manihot esculenta in Enugu, Nigeria

Tapioca is a starch extracted from the root of the cassava plant (Manihot exculenta). Cooks and bakers rely on it for baking and for soup thickener but in dentistry the appropriate mixture in weight and volume of starch, water, glycerin and ethyl alcohol forms separating medium. A separating medium prevents direct contact between the denture based resin and the model surface. This study aimed at production of dental separating medium using tapioca extracted from Manihot exculenta in Enugu, Nigeria. The research was carried out between August and September, 2018 in Enugu, Nigeria. The study adopted a three phased experimental approach using the same procedures but different weight and volume compositions. Structured, pretested Product Evaluation Data Sheet was used to evaluate the product by selected Practicing Dental Technologists in Enugu State, Nigeria. The resultant separating medium from experiment III with the following composition: starch flour 1200g, glycerin 500ml, ethyl alcohol 500ml, colorant 500ml and 4000ml of distilled (hot and cold) water. There was significant agreement among the respondents in the flow ability of the product 8(40%); excellent product effectiveness 8 (40%); smoothness 8 (40%), and color stability of the product 10 (50%). These findings suggests that dental separating medium can be produced locally in Enugu, Nigeria. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid in the production process, which will facilitate easy practice of Dental Technology, and also conserve huge foreign exchange being spent in the importation of separating medium in Nigeria.

Microwave treatment regulates the free volume of rice starch

The aim of this work was to investigate the role of microwave parameters and moisture content on the free volume (FV) changes of rice starch by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy analysis (PALS) and to explore the potential relationship between the changes of FV and physicochemical properties of rice starch. Microwave heating and water molecules lead to the increasing of FV of starch. However, this result is largely influenced by the plasticization of water molecule. The anti-plasticization caused by water evaporation resulting in a decrease in the size and concentration of FV during microwave heating. Significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the thickness of amorphous region of microwave-heated rice starch was found by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the glass transition temperature (Tg) and gelatinization temperature significantly increase (p < 0.05) after microwave heating. According to correlation analysis, the power intensity and heating time were correlated negatively with the lifetime of o-Ps. In addition, the changes of amorphous region and Tg of rice starch were strongly related to FV changes. These results provided a theoretical basis for further research on the directional regulation of FV and improvement the quality of starch-based food by using microwave treatment.

The effects of perioperative intravenous fluid administration strategy on renal outcomes in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery: An observational study.

We assessed whether perioperative fluid management with balanced solutions and a limited volume of hydroxyethyl starch (renal-protective fluid management [RPF] strategy) could improve renal outcomes after cardiovascular surgery.For this retrospective observational study, we evaluated 2613 patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013. The control group were given intravenous fluids with saline-based solutions and unlimited volumes of hydroxyethyl starch solutions and the RPF group were given intravenous fluids with RPF. The primary outcome was the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic dialysis within 12 months after cardiovascular surgery. Multivariable regression and propensity analyses were performed to evaluate the association between perioperative fluid management strategy and postoperative renal outcomes.Postoperative AKI and chronic dialysis occurred in 213 (21.2%) and 5 (0.5%) patients in the RPF group compared with 696 (43.2%) and 38 (2.4%) patients in the control group, respectively. After adjustment, the RPF group was linked to a decreased risk of postoperative AKI, severe AKI, persistent AKI, use of renal replacement therapy, chronic kidney disease, chronic dialysis, and a shorter postoperative extubation time and intensive care unit, and hospital stay duration.The perioperative fluid management strategy with balanced solutions and a limited volume of hydroxyethyl starch was related to improved acute and 1-year renal and clinical outcomes after cardiovascular surgery. These findings indicate the need for further definitive clinical trials on perioperative fluid management strategy.

Effect of Environment and Genotype on the Protein Quality Attributes and Baking Characteristic of Newly Developed Wheat Inbred Lines

The present work examined the effect of genotype and environment on protein content and fractions, gluten and starch fraction, SSL (sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate) and DMG (distilled mono glyceride) binding ability of starch and specific loaf volume (SLV) of six wheat genotypes grown in three different environment. Genotype and environment significantly affected all quality attributes under investigation. However, protein content and fractions showed differences in relative effects of genotype and environment. Most of the protein quality characteristics were influenced more by genotype than environment. Size distribution of gluten subunits was significantly affected by genotype and environment. It was observed that as the flour protein content increased, the magnitudes of monomeric proteins appeared to rise, but glutenin decreased. Flour protein content was expressively associated with gliadin and dough making characteristics. Environment influenced b eedings.

High amylose wheat starch increases the resistance to deformation of wheat flour dough

High amylose wheat (HAW) starch has been the focus of a number of nutritional studies, but there is limited information around its effect on the mechanical properties of wheat flour dough. This study investigated the size, shape and packing volume of HAW starch and their effect on the microstructure and rheology of dough. Four flour blends were formulated by adding vital wheat gluten and either HAW or commercial wheat starch to HAW flour to achieve a constant 14% protein content, but varied amounts of HAW starch. A large number of small and irregularly shaped HAW starch granules resulted in a high packing volume per gram of starch. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of optimally mixed doughs correlated the degree of starch granule aggregation with the level of HAW starch in the bi-continuous dough network. Small deformation rheology demonstrated that increased quantities of HAW starch in the dough increased the elastic modulus G′ values. Uniaxial extension measurements highlighted a synergy between HAW starch and sources of gluten proteins resulting in increased strain hardening. The impact of HAW starch on dough rheology was attributed to its irregular shape and large number of small granules leading to greater granule-granule interactions.

The application of acute normovolemic hemodilution in spinal tumor operation

Objective To evaluate the applied value of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in massive spinal tumor surgery bleeding. Methods 100 patients undergoing operation of spinal tumor removal under general anesthesia were selected-52 males and 48 females, with age ranging from 39 to 60 years old. Participants with American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) Ⅰ-Ⅱ randomly divided into two groups: ANH group (group A) and control group (group C), with 50 patients in each. Group A received ANH under general anesthesia, targeting 32% hematocrit (Hct). During exsanguination, blood was diluted with identical volume of hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 and sodium chloride injection. Group C was not given ANH. The dynamic changes of fast thrombelastogram (r-TEG) indicators [coagulation factor activity (ACT), K, Angle, maximum aggregation (MA), MA 30 min thrombosis and fibrinolysis percentage (EPL/LY30)] were recorded at four time points: before ANH (T1), 10 min after ANH (T2), after tumors were removed and bleeding stopped (T3) and when ANH autologous blood transfusion was completed (T4), respectively. Results At T1 and T2, r-TEG indicators in groups A and C had no significant change, and the difference between group A and group C showed no statistically significant difference. In group A, the ACT values at T1, T3 and T4 were (101.0±8.0), (131.0±10.0) and (122.0±11.0) respectively, with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the K values were (1.5±0.3), (2.4±0.1) and (1.9±0.2), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the Angle values were (68.4±2.2), (63.0±2.1) and (70.0±5.0), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the MA values were (56.1±2.0), (48.5±2.1) and (49.6±1.2), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001). In group C at T1, T3 and T4, the ATC values were (102.0±7.6), (130.0±11.1) and (135.0±10.5), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the K values were (1.50±0.20), (2.30±0.15) and (2.53±0.16), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the Angle values were (68.5±2.1), (63.5±2.6) and (60.1±2.5), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001); the MA values were (58.2±3.1), (48.6±2.0) and (43.4±2.5), with the difference being statistically significant (P=0.001). Introperative blood loss, transfusion volume, operative time, and postoperative drainage volume in group C were significantly increased as compared with those in group A. Conclusion ANH can effectively improve patients’ blood coagulation function, save blood resources, reduce allogeneic erythrocytes transfusions, shorten operative time, and decrease chances of infections. As such, it is reasonable to promote the application of ANH in spinal tumor removal surgery. Key words: Acute normovolemic hemodilution; Spinal tumor; Thrombelastography

Replacement of eggs with soybean protein isolates and polysaccharides to prepare yellow cakes suitable for vegetarians.

To evaluate the feasibility of substituting eggs in yellow cake by a mixture of soybean proteins, plant polysaccharides, and emulsifiers, the batter properties, including specific gravity and viscosity; cake properties, including specific volume, texture, colour, moisture, microstructures, and structural properties of starch and glutens of the replaced cake and traditional cake containing egg, were evaluated. Replacing eggs with a soy protein isolate and 1% mono-, di-glycerides yielded a similar specific volume, specific gravity, firmness and moisture content (1.92 vs. 2.08cm3/g, 0.95 vs. 1.03, 319.8 vs. 376.1g, and 28.03% vs. 29.01%, respectively) compared with the traditional cakes baked with eggs. Structurally, this formulation comprised dominant gliadin aggregates in the size range of 100-200nm and glutenin networking structures containing fewer but larger porosities. The results suggest that a mixture of soybean proteins and emulsifier is a promising substitute for eggs in cakes.