Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing Bacillus cereus spore inactivation in spices and herbs: Thermal and non-thermal sterilization approaches.

The presence of Bacillus cereus in spices and herbs has posed a detrimental effect on food safety. The absence of thorough testing, comprehensive reporting, and vigilant surveillance of the illness has resulted in a significant underestimation of the true prevalence of foodborne illness caused by B. cereus.

Effect of cyclic vacuum-steam blanching on the quality characteristics and functional properties of Malabar spinach (Basella alba) dried by non-water infrared refractance window drying.

In the present work, an effluent-free novel method including cyclic vacuum steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) pretreatment and non-water infrared refractance window drying (non-water IR-RWD) was employed to explore its effect on enzyme inactivation, drying behavior, quality and functional properties of dried Malabar spinach. The highest inactivation of peroxidase (90.23 %) and polyphenol oxidase (94.

Pathway-dependent Metallosupramolecular Polymerization Regulated by Ligand Geometry.

Understanding structure/property correlations in self-assembly is a key but challenging requirement for developing functional materials. Herein, we explore the importance of ligand geometry to fine-tune photophysical properties (MMLCT vs. MLCT excited states) and self-assembly pathways in metallosupramolecular polymerization.

Pulsed vacuum drying of fruits, vegetables, and herbs: Principles, applications and future trends.

Pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) is a novel vacuum drying method that has demonstrated significant potential in improving energy efficiency and product quality in the drying of foods and agricultural products. The current work provides a comprehensive analysis of the latest advancements in PVD technology, including its historical development, fundamental principles, and mechanistic aspects. The impact of periodic pulsed pressure changes between vacuum and atmospheric pressure on heat and moisture transfer, as well as structural changes in foods at micro- and macro-scales, is thoroughly discussed.

Revealing the mechanism of post-harvest processing on rose quality based on dynamic changes in water content, enzyme activity, volatile and non-volatile metabolites.

Existing studies on post-harvest processing of edible roses have mainly focused on processing techniques and physicochemical properties of the final dried products, with limited studies on how changes in metabolites during processing affect the quality of these products. This study investigated changes in water content and status, enzyme activity, phenolic compounds, and volatile and non-volatile compounds during processing and revealed the mechanisms by which post-harvest processing (drying without blanching (WBD) and drying with blanching (BD)) affects the quality of dried roses by establishing their correlations. Results showed that the blanching reduced the relative content of free water and water activity, thus reducing the subsequent drying time and enzyme activity.

Comparative evaluation of drying methods for struvite produced from electrocoagulated source-separated urine: Implications for quality, energy and cost-effectiveness.

Struvite precipitation from source-separated urine is crucial for waste utilization and sustainability. However, after precipitation, the high moisture content of struvite necessitates an additional drying process that can be costly and inefficient. In the present study, the performance of different drying methods-open sun drying, air drying, conventional drying (20-100 °C), and microwave drying (180-720 W) on the quality of struvite obtained from source-separated urine through electrocoagulation using Mg-Mg electrodes were evaluated.

Crystallization of polarons through charge and spin ordering transitions in 1T-TaS.

The interaction of electrons with the lattice in metals can lead to reduction of their kinetic energy to the point where they may form heavy, dressed quasiparticles-polarons. Unfortunately, polaronic lattice distortions are difficult to distinguish from more conventional charge- and spin-ordering phenomena at low temperatures. Here we present a study of local symmetry breaking of the lattice structure on the picosecond timescale in the prototype layered dichalcogenide Mott insulator 1T-TaS using X-ray pair-distribution function measurements.

Spectral selective infrared heating of food components based on optical characteristics and penetration depth: a critical review.

Infrared (IR) radiation has been used in food processing applications for its unique high heating efficiency. There is a great need to address the radiation absorption and heating effect during the application of IR in the processing of foods. The radiation wavelength determines the nature of the processing, and it is mainly affected by the type of emitter, operating temperature, and the power supplied.

Shelf life prediction of dried garlic powder under accelerated storage conditions.

The shelf life of dried garlic powder packaged in high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and aluminum laminated pouch (ALP) under accelerated storage temperature (5° to 40 °C) and humidity (70-90% RH) conditions, was predicted using GAB mathematical model. The water activity value reduced significantly from 0.83 to 0.

Development of effluent-free dry-peeling method for shallots (Allium cepa L. aggregatum): Spectral characterization of mid and long infrared peak wavelengths for maximizing the peeling performance.

Different wavelength emitting infrared (IR) lamps (transparent quartz tungsten (TQT), ruby-coated quartz tungsten (RCQT), and ceramic) were used for dry peeling and evaluating the spectral characteristics of emitted radiations. The maximum temperatures for ceramic, RCQT, and TQT were 560, 662, and 861°C, respectively. The peak wavelength determined by Wien's law was between 3.

Characterization and identification of inulin from and evaluation of its antioxidant and in-vitro prebiotic efficacy.

Unlabelled: Inulin is the polysaccharide obtained from different plant sources i.e. Wheat, Chicory, Jerusalem artichoke and Dahlia.

Mass spectrometry-based glycoprofiling of biopharmaceuticals by using an automated data processing tool: SimGlycan.

The therapeutic and immunological properties of biopharmaceuticals are governed by the glycoforms contained in them. Thus, bioinformatics tools capable of performing comprehensive characterization of glycans are significantly important to the biopharma industry. The primary structural elucidation of glycans using mass spectrometry is tricky and tedious in terms of spectral interpretation.

Evaluation of effect of vacuum frying on textural properties of food products.

Vacuum frying (VF) is known as the most popular food processing method for the production of ready-to-eat snacks. It includes simultaneous mass and heat transfer in very low temperature and frying period to provide higher qualitative products. The quantity of oil used for frying is less in the vacuum frying method as compared to other frying methods.

Biomimetic Approach toward Visible Light-Driven Hydrogen Generation Based on a Porphyrin-Based Coordination Polymer Gel.

There has been a widespread interest in developing self-assembled porphyrin nanostructures to mimic nature's light-harvesting processes. Herein, porphyrin-based coordination polymer gel (CPG) has been developed as a "soft" photocatalyst material for hydrogen (H) production from water under visible light. The CPG offers a hierarchical nanofibrous network structure obtained through self-assembly of a terpyridine alkyl-amide appended porphyrin (TPY-POR)-based low molecular weight gelator with ruthenium ions (Ru) and produces H with a rate of 5.

Inulin-A polysaccharide: Review on its functional and prebiotic efficacy.

The intake of dietary fibers in the regular diet results in boosting the gut microbiome and health of the host in several ways. The misapprehension about such dietary fibers of being only an indigestible product has changed into indispensable ingredient that has to be included in every healthy diet. Inulin is considered to be an important naturally occurring fructan classified under such dietary fibers.

Current Novel Drug Deliveries for Oral Cancer: A Chronotherapeutic Approach.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant disease that is causing considerable mortality worldwide. Conventional treatment approaches, like surgery, cause destructive alterations in facial appearance and oral function impairments associated with psychological and social functioning. Chemotherapy exhibits low bioaccessibility of the anticancer drugs, multiple drug resistance, higher dose necessities, which elevate toxicities to the normal cells, low therapeutic index, and non-specific targeting.

Enhancing the Efficacy of Microwave Blanching-cum-black Mould Inactivation of Whole Garlic (.) Bulbs Using Ultrasound: Higher Inactivation of Peroxidase, Polyphenol Oxidase, and at Lower Processing Temperatures.

The freshly harvested whole garlic bulbs require the inactivation of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and . However, the conventional hot water blanching and modern pretreatment like ultrasound (US) and microwave (MW) cannot individually inactivate both the enzymes and to the desired levels without compromising the quality of the garlic due to either of the higher process temperatures (> 85 °C) or prolonged treatment times. Therefore, a two-stage sequential US followed by MW pretreatment for garlic bulbs was developed for simultaneous inactivation of POD, PPO, and to the desired levels and overcome the individual pretreatment drawbacks.

Thermal Decontamination Technologies for Microorganisms and Mycotoxins in Low-Moisture Foods.

The contamination risks of microorganisms and mycotoxins in low-moisture foods have heightened public concern. Developing novel decontamination technologies to improve the safety of low-moisture foods is of great interest in both economics and public health. This review summarizes the working principles and applications of novel thermal decontamination technologies such as superheated steam, infrared, microwave, and radio-frequency heating as well as extrusion cooking.

Nanocomposite Hydrogel of Pd@ZIF-8 and Laponite : Size-Selective Hydrogenation Catalyst under Mild Conditions.

The composite hydrogel of a nanoscale metal-organic framework (NMOF) and nanoclay has emerged as a new soft-material with advanced properties and applications. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of a hydrogel nanocomposite by charge-assisted self-assembly of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles with Laponite nanoclay which coat the surface of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles. Such surface coating significantly enhanced the thermal stability of the ZIF-8 compared to the pristine framework.

Effects of vacuum-steam pulsed blanching on drying kinetics, colour, phytochemical contents, antioxidant capacity of carrot and the mechanism of carrot quality changes revealed by texture, microstructure and ultrastructure.

An emerging blanching technology, namely vacuum-steam pulsed blanching (VSPB) was employed to blanch the carrots and its effects on blanching efficiency, microstructure and ultrastructure, drying kinetics, colour, texture, phytochemicals (phenolics and β-carotene) and antioxidant capacity of carrot slices were explored and compared with the traditional hot water blanching. Results showed that both blanching treatments enhanced the drying velocity and shortened the drying time by 25.9% compared with untreated samples.

Tuning Aqueous Supramolecular Polymerization by an Acid-Responsive Conformational Switch.

Besides their widespread use in coordination chemistry, 2,2'-bipyridines are known for their ability to undergo cis-trans conformational changes in response to metal ions and acids, which has been primarily investigated at the molecular level. However, the exploitation of such conformational switching in self-assembly has remained unexplored. In this work, the use of 2,2'-bipyridines as acid-responsive conformational switches to tune supramolecular polymerization processes has been demonstrated.