Alginate/whey protein isolate-based emulgel as an alternative margarine replacer in processed cheese: Impact on rheological, mechanical, nutritional, and sensory characteristics.

The effects of partial or full replacement of margarine by alginate/whey protein isolate-based olive oil emulgel on nutritional, physicochemical, mechanical, and rheological properties of processed cheese (PC) were investigated in this work. All formulated samples had the same amount of total fat, DM, and pH. According to the results of the fatty acids profile, the PC sample in which the margarine was fully replaced by the emulgel (EPC100) had the highest (49.84%) oleic acid content and showed a reduction of 23.7% in SFA compared with the control sample (EPC0; formulated just with margarine). In addition, EPC0 had the highest hardness among various cheese samples, which was also confirmed by its compact microstructure. Dynamic oscillatory measurements revealed that EPC100 had the highest crossover strain (or resistance to deformation). The high rigidity of this sample was related to the 3-dimensional structure of emulgel. According to the creep test results, EPC100 showed the lowest relative recovery (flowability). A high temperature dependency of viscoelastic moduli was observed in EPC0 at 42°C. No significant differences were observed between the color attributes and sensory properties of the various cheese samples. Alginate/whey protein isolate-based olive oil emulgel can be considered as a healthy margarine replacer in PC.

An Updated Comprehensive Overview of Different Food Applications of W1/O/W2 and O1/W/O2 Double Emulsions.

Double emulsions (DEs) present promising applications as alternatives to conventional emulsions in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. However, most review articles have focused on the formulation, preparation approaches, physical stability, and release profile of encapsulants based on DEs, particularly water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2), with less attention paid to specific food applications. Therefore, this review offers updated detailed research advances in potential food applications of both W1/O/W2 and oil-in-water-in-oil (O1/W/O2) DEs over the past decade. To this end, various food-relevant applications of DEs in the fortification; preservation (antioxidant and antimicrobial targets); encapsulation of enzymes; delivery and protection of probiotics; color stability; the masking of unpleasant tastes and odors; the development of healthy foods with low levels of fat, sugar, and salt; and design of novel edible packaging are discussed and their functional properties and release characteristics during storage and digestion are highlighted.

Savory and Peppermint Essential Oils-Loaded Emulsions and Nanoemulsions Effects on Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Vacuum-Packed Cured Sausage.

In this work, Enterococcus faecium, the specific spoilage organism responsible for bloating spoilage of sliced vacuum-packed cured emulsion-type sausage, was isolated and identified through molecular and biochemical techniques, and then the antibacterial activities of savory-loaded nanoemulsion (SNE), savory-loaded emulsion (SE), peppermint-loaded nanoemulsion (PNE), and peppermint-loaded emulsion (PE) were investigated against spoilage microorganisms. Nanoemulsions with average particle sizes in the range of 109.27 to 118.55 nm were developed by sonication and remained more stable than emulsion samples for 2 weeks. Regardless of emulsion type, the highest antimicrobial activity was detected for savory-loaded samples. Moreover, the significant enhancements in the antimicrobial activity of SNE compared to SE were confirmed by increasing the inhibition zone diameter (17.6%) and decreasing MIC (50%) and MBC (50%) due to the higher specific surface area of smaller droplets. The TEM and SEM micrographs confirmed the inhibitory effects of SNE due to the significant changes in the cell wall integrity of Enterococcus faecium.

Effective mitigation in the amount of acrylamide through enzymatic approaches.

Acrylamide (AA), as a food-borne toxicant, is created at some stages of thermal processing in the starchy food through Maillard reaction, fatty food via acrolein route, and proteinous food using free amino acids pathway. Maillard reaction obviously takes place in thermal-based products, being responsible for specific sensory attributes; AA formation, thereby, is unavoidable during the thermal processing. Additionally, AA can naturally occur in soil and water supply. In order to reduce the levels of acrylamide in cooked foods, mitigation techniques can be separated into three different types. Firstly, starting materials low in acrylamide precursors can be used to reduce the acrylamide in the final product. Secondly, process conditions may be modified in order to decrease the amount of acrylamide formation. Thirdly, post-process intervention could be used to reduce acrylamide. Conventional or emerging mitigation techniques might negatively influence the pleasant features of heated foods. The current study summarizes the effect of enzymatic reaction induced by asparaginase, glucose oxidase, acrylamidase, phytase, amylase, and protease to possibly inhibit AA formation or progressively hydrolyze formed AA. Not only enzyme-assisted AA reduction could dramatically maintain bio-active compounds, but also no damaging impact has been reported on the sensorial and rheological properties of the final heated products. The enzyme engineering can be applied to ameliorate enzyme functionality through altering the amino acid sequence like site-specific mutagenesis and directed evolution, chemical modifications by covalent conjugation of L-asparaginase onto soluble/insoluble biocompatible polymers and immobilization. Moreover, it would be possible to improve the enzyme's physical, chemical, and thermal stability, recyclability and prevent enzyme overuse by applying engineered ones. In spite of enzymes' cost-effective and eco-friendly, promoting their large-scale usages for AA reduction in food application and AA bioremediation in wastewater and soil resources.

Roasted Wheat Germ: A Natural Plant Product in Development of Nutritious Milk Pudding; Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties.

Wheat germ has been recognized as an economical source of high-quality plant proteins and bioactive compounds for food fortification. Thus, it can be used for valorization of food products as a feasible strategy to enhance the nutritional quality and reduce wheat milling waste. In this research roasted wheat germ (RG) was added in formulation of egg-free milk pudding to enhance its nutritional value and the effects of RG particle size (125, 210 and 354 µm) and quantity (0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10%) on the quality, nutritional and sensory properties of the resulting pudding were investigated. Reducing the particle size of RG significantly altered its chemical composition but had no significant effect on its antioxidant activity. Increasing the level of RG in the pudding, reduced pH and syneresis while increased dry matter content, hardness, cohesiveness and gumminess of the product. The quantity of RG had more effects on physicochemical properties of the puddings than changing the particle size. Based on the sensory evaluation results, the most acceptable sample was obtained by addition of 7.5% RG with a particle size of 125 µm.

Synthesis of aqueous media stable MIL101-OH/chitosan for diphenhydramine and metronidazole adsorption.

In this study, pristine MIL101(Cr) was modified to synthesize hydroxyl-functionalized (MIL101(Cr)-OH) and chitosan (CS)-coated (MIL101(Cr)-OH/CS) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to enhance adsorption capacity and reusability, respectively. The synthesized adsorbents were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and BET analyses. The kinetics behavior and the equilibrium adsorption of diphenhydramine (DPH) and metronidazole (MNZ) from aqueous solution on the synthesized adsorbents and a commercial activated carbon were compared at 25°C. The pH-dependent of the adsorption capacity and reusability of MIL101-OH/CS were investigated. The results showed that upon adding OH functional group and chitosan polymer, the adsorption capacity increased; the DPH adsorption capacity on MIL101-OH and MIL101-OH/CS was 634 and 573 mg/g, respectively. Also, the maximum adsorption capacity of MNZ on MIL101-OH/CS was 600 mg/g, which was twice the adsorption capacity of MIL101 and four times the adsorption capacity of the commercial activated carbon. The equilibrium and kinetics behavior results were in good agreement with Langmuir and the pseudo-second-order models, respectively. The DPH and MNZ adsorption mechanisms on MIL101-OH/CS were hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, respectively.

Effect of sol-gel transition of oil phase (O) and inner aqueous phase (W1) on the physical and chemical stability of a model PUFA rich-W1/O/W2 double emulsion.

In this study, the effect of sol-gel transition of oil phase (O) and inner aqueous phase (W1) on the physical and chemical stability of a model PUFA rich-W1/O/W2 double emulsion (DE) was investigated. Thermal-driven gelation of O and W1 was performed using monoglyceride and κ-carrageenan, respectively. To accelerate lipid oxidation, ferrous sulfate was encapsulated in W1. Using this approach, O gelation reduced the volume-weighted size (d4,3) of DEs droplets and provided good physical stability. However, non-gelled DEs and those containing gelled W1 exhibited extensive flocculation and coalescence. Moreover, oleogelation resulted in a predominant elastic behavior with weak frequency dependence of viscoelastic properties. Oxidation was significantly reduced by W1 gelation; however, the O gelation led to a higheroxidation rate. Oxidation kinetic parameters induced by a hydrophilic (gallic acid) and a lipophilic (α-tocopherol) antioxidant showed that DEs containing gelled O droplets presented high physical and oxidative stability when α-tocopherol was present.

A novel promising delivery system for cuminaldehyde using gelled lipid nanoparticles: Characterization and anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities.

This work aimed to develop a novel nanoencapsulation system for food colloidal formulations using gelled lipid nanoparticles (GLNs) to improve the functionality, stability, and bioactivity of cuminaldehyde as a highly volatile and poor hydrophilic food additive. Cuminaldehyde-loaded GLNs with diameters of 117-138 nm were fabricated through a hot emulsification process with monoglyceride (10 and 15 g/100 g lipid phase) as a lipid gelator at two concentrations of cuminaldehyde (500 and 1000 mg/L). All samples remained stable towards macroscopic phase separation and creaming during 28 days of storage at 4 °C, which could be related to the rigid structure of dispersed particles in the gelled state and retarding droplet movement. Moreover, all samples were stable to creaming after subjecting to the environmental changes including temperature (30, 60, and 90 °C for 30 min), ionic strength (100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl), and pH (3, 5, and 7). Measurement of apparent viscosity showed non-Newtonian shear thinning nature in all samples, which was more pronounced at higher concentrations of the gelator. Interestingly, higher cytotoxic effects of cuminaldehyde against human lung and colorectal cancer cells were observed after encapsulation within GLNs. However, weak toxicity was also found against normal peripheral blood mononuclearcells.On the other hand, the antioxidant activity and lipid oxidation stability were improved by increasing cuminaldehyde concentration, while it was reduced at higher monoglyceride concentration. All samples exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus than Eschershia coli. These findings suggest the significant potential benefits of GLNs as novel nanocarriers to enrich various food and beverage formulations with essential oils, flavors, and aromas.

Electrospinning of glutelin-hordein incorporated with Oliveria decumbens essential oil: Characterization of nanofibers.

In this study, electrospinning of hordein and glutelin extracted from barley was carried out. Different ratios of the glutelin-hordein blends (25:75, 30:70, 35:65) were tested and the operation parameters including voltage, ejection flow rate and needle-to-collector distance were optimized. According to the scanning electron microscope images, the glutelin-hordein 25:75 blend generated at the voltage of 15 kV, the needle-to-collector distance of 150 mm and the ejection rate of 1 mL/h was selected for the fabrication of uniform nanofibers. The apparent viscosity at the ejection point was decreased with increasing the glutelin concentration from 25 to 35 %. Moreover, the Oliveria decumbens essential oil (ODEO) with different loading concentrations (2-4 % (v/v)) was incorporated into the protein blend. Fourier-transform infrared spectra demonstrated the occurrence of the interactions of proteins the ODEO. The encapsulation efficiency of ODEO in the nanofibers was 79.30 %. The presence of ODEO led to inhibition the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus in a synthetic medium. The optimal nanofibers showed high antioxidnat activity. The results herein showed the possibility of the production of electrospun nanofibers using barley proteins with promising (bio)functionalities for the active food packaging applications.

Association between Fear of COVID-19 with Self-care Behaviors in Elderly: A Cross- Sectional Study.

This study aims to determine the association between fear of COVID-19 with self-care in the elderly. This is a cross-sectional study, in which data were collected using the online survey method with three questionnaires: social demographic characteristics, fear of COVID-19, and elderly self-care. The 350 elderly people were selected by multi-stage sampling from the list of households registered in the integrated health system. According to the result, the mean (SD) age of participants was 69.91 (5.19) and two-thirds of them were married, also the majority of the participants (55%) had an education level less than a diploma. A direct and statistically significant correlation was observed between fear of COVID-19 and self-care. Linear regression analysis showed that the self-care rate decreases with increasing of the COVID-19 fear (B = -0.395, SE = 0.001, R2 = 0.154). The lowest scores were related to self-care which can be due to the restrictions applied and limited family relations during the COVID-19 epidemic. Therefore, it is recommended that purposeful training programs and appropriate psychological support interventions are developed to help overcome COVID-19 fear and help elderly people use preventative behaviors.

The role of prosthetic, orthodontic and implant-supported rehabilitation in the management of secondary malocclusion to maxillofacial trauma- A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Different approaches have been proposed to treat malocclusion secondary to the treatment of maxillofacial trauma. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of prosthodontic treatment, orthodontic treatment, and implant-supported rehabilitation for the management of secondary malocclusion after maxillofacial trauma. STUDY SELECTION: We searched five electronic databases and hand searched eight journals. The types of studies included were randomized controlled trials, cohorts, case-controls, and case series with at least eight patients with maxillofacial trauma and postoperative malocclusion. These studies used prosthetic treatment and implant-supported rehabilitation for secondary malocclusion after maxillofacial trauma. Risk of bias of eligible studies to be included in the final analysis was assessed independently by two authors using a tool for methodological quality assessment and synthesis of case series and case reports. RESULTS: After initial screening and identification of titles and abstracts, full text of 44 articles were found and evaluated against inclusion criteria. Of these 42 articles were excluded and remaining two were included in the review. Both the studies were case series with moderate to high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: Both prosthetic treatment and implant-supported rehabilitation have the potential to restore secondary malocclusion after maxillofacial trauma. However, because less number of well-designed studies with high risk of bias were included in this systematic review, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Well-designed high-quality studies are required to draw definitive conclusions.

Build-Up of a 3D Organogel Network within the Bilayer Shell of Nanoliposomes. A Novel Delivery System for Vitamin D3: Preparation, Characterization, and Physicochemical Stability.

The inherent thermodynamic instability of liposomes during production and storage has limited their widespread applications. Therefore, a novel structure of food-grade nanoliposomes stabilized by a 3D organogel network within the bilayer shell was developed through the extrusion process and successfully applied to encapsulate vitamin D3. A huge flocculation and a significant reduction of zeta potential (-17 mV) were observed in control nanoliposomes (without the organogel shell) after 2 months of storage at 4 °C, while the sample with a gelled bilayer showed excellent stability with a particle diameter of 105 nm and a high negative zeta potential (-63.4 mV), even after 3 months. The development of spherical vesicles was confirmed by TEM. Interestingly, the gelled bilayer shell led to improved stability against osmotically active divalent salt ions. Electron paramagnetic resonance confirmed the higher rigidity of the shell bilayer upon gelation. The novel liposome offered a dramatic increase in encapsulation efficiency and loading of vitamin D3 compared to those of control.

The effects of fatty acids chain length on the techno-functional properties of basil seed gum-based edible films.

In this study, the effects of various fatty (including caprylic, lauric, and palmitic) acids on physicochemical, mechanical, and barrier properties of basil seed gum (BSG)-based edible films were investigated. The introduction of fatty acids (FAs) into the BSG-based matrix was confirmed by FT-IR. Increasing the FA chain length resulted in an increase in the thickness and opacity of FA-modified BSG films, while water solubility decreased. The water vapor permeability (WVP) of FA-modified films was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of control film. The mechanical properties and color attributes of edible films were improved after incorporating caprylic and lauric acids. SEM micrographs revealed a more homogenous microstructure with a higher surface density in the films incorporated with caprylic acid, while a higher roughness and insoluble particles were observed in those incorporated with lauric, and palmitic acids. Our findings showed that lauric acid is a good candidate for improving the barrier and textural characteristics of BSG-based edible films.

Long-term Outcome of Synthetic Mesh Use in Iranian Women with Genital Prolapse.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term outcome of synthetic mesh use in the treatment of women with Pelvic organ prolapse (POP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the outcome of synthetic mesh implantation by vaginal surgery method in 153 women (mean age of 53.66±9.31 years) with POP grade >2 in the anterior compartment. Demographic findings, baseline symptoms as well as subjective and objective outcome were recorded during the follow-up period of 36.89±11.33 months.   Results: POP relapse occurred in 3.3% indicative of 96.7% anatomical success rate. Patients' common baseline findings were frequency (72.5%), stress and urge incontinence (59.5% and 47.7%). Subjective outcome were vaginal pain (13.7%), dyspareunia (9.2%) and tension feeling (8.5%), while objective outcomes were mesh exposure (3.9%), urge incontinence (11.1%) and vaginal infection (1.3%). Stress incontinence was completely treated following surgery. There was significant improvement in dyspareunia, vaginal pain, urge and stress incontinence (all p < 0.001) and fecal incontinence (p = 0.02). After surgery, 88.42% were satisfied of the surgery outcome. CONCLUSION: POP surgery with synthetic mesh has acceptable results, considerable improvement in symptoms and high rate of satisfaction during follow-up; however, side effects are not uncommon but tolerable.

Self-medication for oral health problems among adults attending the University Dental Hospital, Sharjah.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the self-medication practices for oral health problems among adults attending the University Dental Hospital Sharjah (UDHS). The reasons for visits and types, durations, and sources of self-medication were recorded. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients attending UDHS. A total of 566 participants were recruited using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data collection was performed using a self-administered closed-ended questionnaire, and information was analysed using SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: Four hundred of 566 (70.7%) respondents indicated that they practice self-medication. Among those who practiced self-medication for oral health problems, the mean age was 26 ± 9.4 years (52% men and 48% women), and the majority (46%) had obtained higher education, although their profession was not related to the medical field (69.97%). The most common factor that triggered self-medication practices was toothache (56.5%), while the main reasons for self-medication were both lack of time to visit a dental clinic (37.6%) and the perception that dental ailments were not serious health issues (36.8%). Analgesics were the main medicines used for self-medication. CONCLUSION: Self-medication for oral health problems is a common practice in UAE. Lack of time to visit dental clinics and the perceived low importance of oral health problems were the main reasons for self-medication. Analgesics for toothache were the most frequent medications purchased from the local pharmacy.

The Association between the Preservative Agents in Foods and the Risk of Breast Cancer.

In the etiology of breast malignancy, dietary habits and lifestyle-related risk factors in the coherence of cancer prevention guidelines, e.g., WCRF/AICR is well documented. In addition, the consumption of staple food products rich in carbohydrate as major calorie resources such as potato, bread, and ready-to-eat cereals are partly object to having roles in breast tumorigenesis. In this review, the possible associations of preservatives and nutritive risk factors of staple foods in dietary patterns with breast cancer development based on the experimental and observational cohort-based studies were discussed. In this regard, the influence kinetics of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and insulin-activated AMPK/Akt pathway on sorts of starch and protein is a concerning biologic concept in promoting the risk of tumorigenesis. Hence, Akt-dependent controlled proliferation, induced apoptosis, and controlled oxidative stress in specific condition could be concentrated as the preventive strategies. Although preservatives such as sorbate, benzoate, and nitrate are considered Generally Recognized as Safe, there are some issues concerning the safety of their applications, including the possibility of allergies and immunosuppressive effects from benzoate, the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines from nitrites, and interaction sorbate with nitrite in the stomach which consequently can be resulted in the production of a series of genotoxic compounds.

Development of highly stable colloidal dispersions of gelled-oil nanoparticles loaded with cuminaldehyde.

The main objective of this work was to develop an aqueous dispersion of gelled-oil nanoparticles as a novel carrier for cuminaldehyde. A hot emulsification process followed by cooling to room temperature was used to prepare gelled-oil nanoparticles in the presence of monoglyceride as organogelator. The effects of monoglyceride (10% and 15% w/w of the total lipid phase) and cuminaldehyde (0, 500 and 1000 mg/L) concentrations on different characteristics (e.g. droplet size, zeta potential, physical stability, rheology, encapsulation efficiency, release behavior and morphology) of the colloidal dispersions were studied during 28-d storage. The average droplet size of freshly prepared samples was within the range of 117-138 nm with a relatively narrow distribution. Large negative ζ-potential values (-38 to -55 mV) were a proof for the kinetic stability of the colloidal dispersions. Samples which were prepared with 10% monoglyceride showed a higher physical stability over a period of 90 d. Non-Newtonian (shear-thinning) and solid-like viscoelastic properties were observed due to particle-particle interactions. The results of the temperature ramp test confirmed that the droplets were in the gelled state. An increase in the organogelator concentration decreased the interfacial tension and contact angle. Transmission electron microscopy micrographs confirmed the formation of spherical nanoparticles. The encapsulation efficiency of cuminaldehyde in gelled-oil nanoparticles was 73-87%. In-vitro release profiles exhibited that the release of cuminaldehyde from gelled-oil nanoparticles in the simulated gastric fluid was lower than its release in the simulated intestinal fluid. Moreover, the release was increased by decreasing the concentration of organogelator. The obtained colloidal dispersions have the potential to be utilized as effective encapsulation systems for poorly water-soluble nutraceuticals.

Effects of vacuum-compression therapy on healing of diabetic foot ulcers: randomized controlled trial.

A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate vacuum-compression therapy (VCT) for the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Eighteen diabetic patients with foot ulcers were recruited through simple nonprobability sampling. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Before and after intervention, the foot ulcer surface area was estimated stereologically, based on Cavalieri's principle. The experimental group was treated with VCT in addition to conventional therapy for 10 sessions. The control group received only conventional therapy, including debridement, blood glucose control agents, systemic antibiotics, wound cleaning with normal saline, offloading (pressure relief), and daily wound dressings. The mean foot ulcer surface area decreased from 46.88 +/- 9.28 mm(2) to 35.09 +/- 4.09 mm(2) in the experimental group (p = 0.006) and from 46.62 +/- 10.03 mm(2) to 42.89 +/- 8.1 mm(2) in the control group (p = 0.01). After treatment, the experimental group significantly improved in measures of foot ulcer surface area compared with the control group (p = 0.024). VCT enhances diabetic foot ulcer healing when combined with appropriate wound care.