Effect of thermal treatments on the storage stability of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14 tamarind juice with or without beta-glucans

Aims@#This study aimed to evaluate the effect of thermal treatment on the storage stability of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14 tamarind juice with or without beta-glucans.@*Methodology and results@#Lactobacillus acidophilus incorporated with 6% (w/v) beta-glucans displayed the highest viability (17.28 log10 CFU/mL) as compared to other beta-glucans concentrations (0-8% w/v). The L. acidophilus with or without beta-glucans survived more than 80% after 5 h of sequential digestion. Tamarind juice was subjected to different thermal treatments (76 °C for 30 sec or 90 °C for 60 sec) and incorporated with L. acidophilus with or without betaglucans. Lactobacillus acidophilus in tamarind juice without thermal treatment showed the highest viability (8.69 log10 CFU/mL), followed by thermal treatment at 76 °C for 30 sec (>7 log10 CFU/mL), and thermal treatment at 90 °C for 60 sec showed the lowest viability (>4 log10 CFU/mL), after 21 days at 4 °C. The pH, titratable acidity and viscosity of all L. acidophilus-tamarind juices demonstrated no changes throughout 21 days at 4 °C. Furthermore, thermal-treated tamarind juice (90 °C for 60 sec) incorporated with L. acidophilus displayed the least change in total soluble solids (1.99 °Brix), while thermal-treated tamarind juice (90 °C for 60 sec) with L. acidophilus and beta-glucans had the lowest color change (∆E = 4.46), after 21 days of storage at 4 °C.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Thermal treatments (90 °C for 60 sec) had contributed to the stability of L. acidophilus-tamarind juice with beta-glucans over 21 days of cold storage. This study shows thermal treated tamarind juice with L. acidophilus and beta-glucans is a potential functional non-dairy beverage catered for lactose intolerance individuals.

Health Risk Assessment of Electronic Cigarette Use among Adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract@#Introduction: The electronic cigarette (EC) usage has raised public health concerns; whether its advantages to smokers as a potential smoking cessation aid have outweighed its negative health impacts among EC users. This study aims to estimate health risks associated with chemical exposures to nicotine, propylene glycol (PG) and selected Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines (TSNAs) namely 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N’-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) in e-liquids locally-manufactured in Malaysia. Methods: The health risk assessment (HRA) was performed using established guideline by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The average daily dose (ADD) and lifetime average daily dose (LADD) were calculated using previously published data on chemical concentration of selected compounds and local EC usage topography data. Next, the non-carcinogenic risk (nicotine and PG) and carcinogenic risk (NNK and NNN) were calculated and denoted as total hazard quotient (HQT) and total lifetime cancer risk (LCRT) value, respectively. Results: For non-carcinogenic risk, the mean of HQT was 78.9 which falls under “unacceptable” risk as demonstrated by HQT value of more than 1. While for carcinogenic risk, the mean of total LCRT value was 1.54E-04 which may place EC users at risk of developing cancer resulted from exposure to selected TSNAs. Conclusion: Comprehensive HRA using currently available data of local EC usage topography and chemical evaluation of Malaysian-made e-liquids have revealed that the exposure to nicotine, PG and selected TSNAs are expected to be a significant health concern for local EC users. This finding supports the local health authority to issue a stringent health policy in considering EC as a tool for smoking cessation among heavy smokers.