Current Trends of Food Analysis, Safety, and Packaging.

Food is a basic necessity for life, growth, survival, and maintaining a proper body function. Rising food demand leads both producers and consumers to search for alternative food sources with high nutritional value. However, food products may never be completely safe. The oxidation reaction may alter both the physicochemical and immunological properties of food products. Maillard and caramelization nonenzymatic browning reactions can play a pivotal role in food acceptance through the ways they influence quality factors such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, protein functionality, and digestibility. There is a multitude of adulterated foods that portray adverse risks to the human condition. To maintain food safety, the packaging material is used to preserve the quality and freshness of food products. Food safety is jeopardized by plenty of pathogens by the consumption of adulterated food resulting in multiple foodborne illnesses. Though different analytical tools are used in the analysis of food products, yet, adulterated food has repercussions for the community and is a growing issue that adversely impairs human health and well-being. Thus, pathogenic agents' rapid and effective identification is vital for food safety and security to avoid foodborne illness. This review highlights the various analytical techniques used in the analysis of food products, food structure, and quality of food along with chemical reactions in food processing. Moreover, we have also discussed the effect on health due to the consumption of adulterated food and focused on the importance of food safety, including the biodegradable packaging material.

A Pair of CoII Supramolecular Isomers Based on Flexible Bis-Pyridyl-Bis-Amide and Angular Dicarboxylate Ligands.

Thermal reactions of cobalt(II) salts with flexible N,N'-bis(pyrid-3-ylmethyl)adipoamide (L) and angular 4,4'-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) in H2O and CH3OH afforded a pair of supramolecular isomers: [Co2(L)(SDA)2], 1, and [Co2(L)(SDA)2]⋅CH3OH⋅H2O, 2. The structure of complex 1 can be simplified as a one-dimensional (1D) looped chain with L ligands penetrating into the middles of squares, forming a new type of self-catenated net with the (42⋅54)(4)2(5)2 topology, whereas complex 2 displays a 2-fold interpenetrated 2D net with the rare (42⋅68⋅8⋅104)(4)2-2,6L1 topology. While both complexes 1 and 2 display antiferromagnetism with strong spin-orbital coupling, the antiferromagnetism of 2 is accompanied by a cross-over behavior and probably a spin canting phenomenon.

Metal and Ligand Effects on the Construction of Divalent Coordination Polymers Based on bis-Pyridyl-bis-amide and Polycarboxylate Ligands.

Ten coordination polymers constructed from divalent metal salts, polycarboxylic acids, and bis-pyridyl-bis-amide ligands with different donor atom positions and flexibility are reported. They were structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The ten coordination polymers are as follows: (1) {[Ni(L¹)(3,5-PDA)(H2O)3]·2H2O}n (L¹ = N,N'-di(3-pyridyl)suberoamide, 3,5-H2PDA = 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid); (2) {[Ni2(L¹)2(1,3,5-HBTC)2(H2O)4]·H2O}n (1,3,5-H3BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid); (3) {[Ni(L²)(5-tert-IPA)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n (L² = N,N'-di(3-pyridyl)adipoamide, 5-tert-H2IPA = 5-tert-butylisophthalic acid); (4) [Ni(L³)1.5(5-tert-IPA)]n (L³ = N,N'-di(4-pyridyl)adipoamide); (5) [Co(L¹)(1,3,5-HBTC)(H2O)]n; (6) {[Co3(L¹)3(1,3,5-BTC)2(H2O)2]·6H2O}n; (7) [Cu(L4)(AIPA)]n (L4 = N,N'-bis(3-pyridinyl)terephthalamide, H2AIPA = 5-acetamido isophthalic acid); (8) {[Cu(L²)0.5(AIPA)]·MeOH}n; (9) {[Zn(L4)(AIPA)]·2H2O}n; and (10) {[Zn(L²)(AIPA)]·2H2O}n. Complex 1 forms a 1D chain and 2 is a two-fold interpenetrated 2D layer with the sql topology, while 3 is a 2D layer with the hcp topology and 4 shows a self-catenated 3D framework with the rare (4²·67·8)-hxg-d-5-C2/c topology. Different Co/1,3,5-H3BTC ratios were used to prepare 5 and 6, affording a 2D layer with the sql topology and a 2D layer with the (4·85)2(4)2(8³)2(8) topology that can be further simplified to an hcp topology. While complex 7 is a 2D layer with the (4²·67·8)(4²·6)-3,5L2 topology and 8 is a 2-fold interpenetrated 3D framework with the pcu topology, complexes 9 and 10 are self-catenated 3D frameworks with the (424·64)-8T2 and the (44·610·8)-mab topologies, respectively. The effects of the identity of the metal center, the ligand isomerism, and the flexibility of the spacer ligands on the structural diversity of these divalent coordination polymers are discussed. The luminescent properties of 9 and 10 and their photocatalytic effects on the degradation of dyes are also investigated.

Hg(II) Coordination Polymers Based on N,N'-bis(pyridine-4-yl)formamidine.

Reactions of N,N'-bis(pyridine-4-yl)formamidine (4-Hpyf) with HgX2 (X = Cl, Br, and I) afforded the formamidinate complex {[Hg(4-pyf)2]·(THF)}n, 1, and the formamidine complexes {[HgX2(4-Hpyf)]·(MeCN)}n (X = Br, 2; I, 3), which have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 is a 2D layer with the {44·6²}-sql topology and complexes 2 and 3 are helical chains. While the helical chains of 2 are linked through N⁻H···Br hydrogen bonds, those of 3 are linked through self-complementary double N⁻H···N hydrogen bonds, resulting in 2D supramolecular structures. The 4-pyf- ligands of 1 coordinate to the Hg(II) ions through one pyridyl and one adjacent amine nitrogen atoms and the 4-Hpyf ligands of 2 and 3 coordinate to the Hg(II) ions through two pyridyl nitrogen atoms, resulting in new bidentate binding modes. Complexes 1⁻3 provide a unique opportunity to envisage the effect of the halide anions of the starting Hg(II) salts on folding and unfolding the Hg(II) coordination polymers. Density function theory (DFT) calculation indicates that the emission of 1 is due to intraligand π→π * charge transfer between two different 4-pyf- ligands, whereas those of 2 and 3 can be ascribed to the charge transfer from non-bonding p-type orbitals of the halide anions to π * orbitals of the 4-pyf- ligands (n→π *). The gas sorption properties of the desolvated product of 1 are compared with the Cu analogues to show that the nature of the counteranion and the solvent-accessible volume are important in determining their adsorption capability.