Optimization of parameters affecting dealcoholization of anthocyanin extract by liquid emulsion membrane using response surface methodology

Colour is one of most important properties of foods and beverages and is a basis for their identification and acceptability. Anthocyanin from red cabbage was extracted using 50 % ethanol. The extract was dealcoholized by Liquid Emlusion Membrane technology (LEM). Parafin oil was used as a solvent, lecithin was used as a surfactant and water as stripping medium. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to design the experiments. A total of 30 experiments were conducted in accordance with central composite rotatable design. Design expert 8 was used to design the experiments. % extraction of alcohol in each case was determined. A suitable model was fitted to experimental data by regression analysis (R-square=0.93). Response surface plot were analysed and optimum parameters for dealcoholization were found to be speed=365.44 rpm, time=18.62 min, concentration of lecithin=2.84 %, feed to emulsion ratio=3.05. A maximum dealcoholisation of 18.63 % was observed under these conditions

Effect of shelling speed, moisture content and number of beaters on the cleaning and recovery efficiency of a mechanized centrifugal Melon shelling machine

A response surface methodology (RSM) has been utilized for investigating the effects of the speed of shelling, melon seed moisture content and the number of beaters of a developed mechanized centrifugal melon shelling and cleaning machine. The machine shells the melon and then cleans the shelled seed from the shells and other impurities. The experiment was based on a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The results of the experiments revealed that the highest shelling efficiency of 88.5% was obtained from a combination of a speed of 2300 rpm, moisture content of 15% (w.b) and 20 beaters, while the least efficiency of 25.11% was obtained from an interaction between a speed of 959 rpm, moisture content of 20% (w.b) and 18 beaters. Numerical optimization carried out with the goal of maximizing the shelling efficiency revealed optimum values of speed of 2200 rpm, moisture content of 12% (w.b) and 19 beaters for shelling efficiency of 88.80%. The result of this study provided standard input parameters capable of yielding high cleaning and recovery efficiency.

Cashew Gum Polysaccharide Nanoparticles Grafted with Polypropylene Glycol as Carriers for Diclofenac Sodium

This investigation focuses on the development and optimization of cashew gum polysaccharide (CGP) nanoparticles grafted with polypropylene glycol (PPG) as carriers for diclofenac sodium. The optimization of parameters affecting nanoparticles formulation was performed using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). It was demonstrated that the best formulation was achieved when 10 mg of CGP was mixed with 10 μL of PPG and homogenized at 22,000 rpm for 15 min. The physicochemical characterization evidenced that diclofenac was efficiently entrapped, as increases in the thermal stability of the drug were observed. The CGP-PPG@diclofenac nanoparticles showed a globular shape, with smooth surfaces, a hydrodynamic diameter around 275 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.342, and a zeta potential of −5.98 mV. The kinetic studies evidenced that diclofenac release followed an anomalous transport mechanism, with a sustained release up to 68 h. These results indicated that CGP-PPG nanoparticles are an effective material for the loading/release of drugs with similar structures to diclofenac sodium.

Optimisation of modification parameters for amaranth starch for the development of pudding and study of the quality traits of developed pudding

Amaranth is considered to be a part of “superfood”, however, due to multiple restricting properties, its functionality in the food industry is still not explored to its fullest. The present study investigated the effect of almond gum concentration (3–10 g), temperature (50–90 °C), and quantity of water (30–70 mL) on the functional properties of amaranth starch. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) showed that the 6.9 g of almond gum, 64.43 mL of water, and temperature maintained at 90 °C, were the optimised conditions to attain 16.77 g g−1 of swelling power, 12.97% of solubility index, and 20.13% freeze-thaw stability. Moreover, the modified amaranth starch was further employed to develop pudding as a value-added product. The findings concluded that the developed pudding using modified amaranth starch exhibited enhanced sensorial attributes due to an increase in cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience of starch gel.

Enhanced Oil Removal by a Non-Toxic Biosurfactant Formulation

In this study, a new formulation of low-cost, biodegradable, and non-toxic biosurfactant by Candida sphaerica UCP 0995 was investigated. The study was conducted in a bioreactor on an industrial waste-based medium, and a central composite rotatable design was used for optimization. The best results, namely a 25.22 mN/m reduction in surface tension, a biosurfactant yield of 10.0 g/L, and a critical micelle concentration of 0.2 g/L, were achieved in 132 h at an agitation speed of 175 rpm and an aeration rate of 1.5 vvm. Compositional and spectroscopic analyses of the purified biosurfactant by chemical methods, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance suggested that it is a glycolipid-type biosurfactant, and it showed no cytotoxicity in the MTT assay. The biosurfactant, submitted to different formulation methods as a commercial additive, remained stable for 120 days at room temperature. Tensioactive properties and stability were evaluated at different pH values, temperatures, and salt concentrations. The biosurfactant obtained with all formulation methods demonstrated good stability, with tolerance to wide ranges of pH, temperature and salinity, enabling application under extreme environmental conditions. Bioremediation tests were performed to check the efficacy of the isolated biosurfactant and the selected microbial species in removing oil from soil. The results demonstrated that the biosurfactant produced has promising properties as an agent for the bioremediation of contaminated soil.

Effect of Flaxseed Oil Inclusion and Extrusion Cooking Parameters on Extruded Snack-food Physical and Functional Properties

Aims: Attempts were made to study flaxseed oil incorporated extruded snack by adopting response surface methodology (RSM) approach. Study Design: Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD). Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Processing Technology, A.D. Patel Institute of Technology, Po Box 52, New Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Anand. Methodology: Feed moisture (12 -16%, wb), flaxseed oil (3-7%), extruder barrel temperature (115-145⁰C and screw speed (345 – 375 rpm) were selected as independent variable at three levels. The Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) was employed to study linear, interactive and quadratic effect of selected independent variables on measured responses (expansion ratio ER, breaking strength BS, overall acceptability score OAA, starch-lipid complexing index CI). Results: The physical properties of extrudate (ER at 0.05 and BS at 0.10 level) and functional properties (OAA at 0.05 and CI at 0.01 level) were significantly influenced by flaxseed oil inclusion level. The quadratic effect of feed moisture and barrel temperature were found to be significant on each response (p<0.01). After numerical optimization, flaxseed oil of 6%, feed moisture content of 14.5% (wb), barrel temperature of 1300C and screw speed of 355 rpm were optimized.

Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Direct Conversion of Cellulose Using Heteropolyacid/Nb2O5 as Catalyst

This study aimed to select the best reaction conditions to produce 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from cellulose using heterogeneous catalyst based on a heteropolyacid (H3PW12O40—HPW) and Nb2O5. Initially, the influence of the temperature (160 or 200 °C), acetone:water ratio (50:50 or 75:25 v/v), cellulose load (5% or 10% w/v) and catalyst concentration (1% or 5% w/v) on HMF production from cellulose was evaluated through a Taguchi’s L16 screening experimental design. Afterwards, the main variables affecting this process, namely the temperature (160–240 °C) and acetone:water ratio (60:40–90:10 v/v), were optimized using a central composite rotatable design. Next, a kinetic study on HMF production from cellulose was carried out. Finally, HMF production from cellulose obtained from different biomass sources was evaluated. It was found that the reaction conditions able to result in maximum HMF yield, i.e., around 20%, were 200 °C, acetone:water ratio of 75:25 (v/v), 10% w/v of cellulose, and 5% w/v of catalyst concentration. The kinetic study revealed that the Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson approach fit to the experimental data. Under the optimized conditions, the catalyst HPW/Nb2O5 was also effective in converting different sources of cellulose into HMF.

Fabrication, Optimization and Characterization of Paclitaxel and Spirulina Loaded Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability

Background: Paclitaxel and spirulina when administered as nanoparticles, are potentially useful. Methods: Nanoformualtions of Paclitaxel and Spirulina for gastric cancer were formulated and optimized with Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) using Response surface methodology (RSM). Results: The significant findings were the optimal formulation of polymer concentration 48 mg, surfactant concentration 45% and stirring time of 60 min gave rise to the EE of (98.12 ± 1.3)%, DL of (15.61 ± 1.9)%, mean diameter of (198 ± 4.7) nm. The release of paclitaxel and spirulina from the nanoparticle matrix at pH 6.2 was almost 45% and 80% in 5 h and 120 h, respectively. The oral bioavailability for the paclitaxel spirulina nanoparticles developed is 24.0% at 10 mg/kg paclitaxel dose, which is 10 times of that for oral pure paclitaxel. The results suggest that RSM-CCRD could efficiently be applied for the modeling of nanoparticles. The paclitaxel and spirulina release rate in the tumor cells may be higher than in normal cells. Paclitaxel spirulina nanoparticle formulation may have higher bioavailability and longer sustainable therapeutic time as compared with pure paclitaxel. Conclusion: Paclitaxel-Spirulina co-loaded nanoparticles could be effectively useful in gastric cancer as chemotherapeutic formulation.