Research on the drying Mechanism of Astragali Radix during Processing

Backgroundstragali Radix (Huangqi) is an important Chinese herbal medicine that is always processed into pieces for clinical use. There are many operations required after harvesting, among which drying of AR pieces is a key step. Unfortunately, research on the drying mechanism is still limited.MethodsLow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques were applied to study the water status and water distribution during the drying process. The contents of bioactive ingredients and texture changes were measured by HPLC and texture analyzer, respectively.ResultsDuring the drying process, the moisture content first decreased rapidly. After a particular time, the moisture content decreased slowly, and the equilibrium value was reached. The trends for changes in flavonoid glycoside and flavonoid aglycone contents in AR pieces were entirely opposite. The relaxation times T22 and T23 and the peak areas A22 and ATotal decreased significantly during drying. In addition, the intensity of the water signal decreased from the surface to the interior. The textural parameters hardness, adhesion and fracturability increased without an apparent change in springiness. The parameters of LF-NMR and the texture analyzer were correlated with water content.ConclusionsThis study indicated that HPLC, LF-NMR, MRI and texture analyzers provide a scientific basis for elucidating the principles for drying of AR pieces. The method is useful and shows potential for popularization and application; accordingly, it can easily be extended to other radix and/or rhizoma Traditional Chinese Medicinal materials.

Starch Solutions Prepared under Different Conditions as Modifiers of Chitosan/Poly(aspartic acid)-Based Hydrogels

Recently, there has been great interest in the application of polysaccharides in the preparation of diverse biomaterials which result from their biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity. In this work, the investigations on chitosan/poly(aspartic acid)-based hydrogels modified with starch were described. Firstly, a series of hydrogel matrices was prepared and investigated to characterize their swelling properties, structure via FT-IR spectroscopy, elasticity and tensile strength using the Brookfield texture analyzer as well as their impact on simulated physiological liquids. Hydrogels consisting of chitosan and poly(aspartic acid) in a 2:1 volume ratio were elastic (9% elongation), did not degrade after 30-day incubation in simulated physiological liquids, exhibited a relative biocompatibility towards these liquids and similar swelling in each absorbed medium. This hydrogel matrix was modified with starch wherein two of its form were applied—a solution obtained at an elevated temperature and a suspension obtained at room temperature. Hydrogels modified with hot starch solution showed higher sorption that unmodified materials. This was probably due to the higher starch inclusion (i.e., a larger number of hydrophilic groups able to interact with the adsorbed liquid) when this polysaccharide was given in the form of a hot solution. Hydrogels modified with a cold starch suspension had visible heterogeneous inequalities on their surfaces and this modification led to the obtainment materials with unrepeatable structures which made the analysis of their properties difficult and may have led to misleading conclusions.

The Effect of Different Organic Foliar Fertilization on Physiological and Chemical Characters in Hop (Humulus lupulus L., cv Cascade) Leaves and Cones

Background: Hop cultivation requires an abundant quantity of nutrients to reach higher cone yield and quality. The aim of this work was the evaluation of different fertilization plans to obtain an improvement in product quality. Methods: Foliar analysis, anatomical analysis through the use of light microscope and SEM; physiological measurements through atLEAF, Handy PEA and spectrophotometry, were carried out to determine chlorophyll content, carotenoids and photosynthetic efficiency in two periods (t1, t2) for four experimental treatments and a Control (Treat 1, Treat 2, Treat 3, Treat 4, Untreat). Leaf texture (texture analyzer), color (colorimeter), DPPH activity (spectrophotometer), bitter acid content (HPLC-UV) and essential oil yields (steam distillation) and cone yields were measured. Results: Treat 2 showed the best performance: (i) in leaves, in terms of texture, chlorophyll content and color; (ii) in cones, with 6.98% of alpha acids, 1.78% of oil yield and 3.55 kg of fresh cones per plants. Conclusion: The fertilization plans caused alteration in micro and macro elements content in hop leaves and in the composition of hop cones. In our conditions, the best fertilization plan, in terms of cone productivity and quality, was Treat 2, highlighting the value of a customized organic foliar fertilization plan for hop cultivation.

Texture characterization of some large hailstones with an automated technique

Hailstone structures have been studied for over a century, but so far mainly by manual optical means. This paper presents new texture and microstructure data (i.e. crystal lattice orientations, grain sizes and shapes) measured with an Automatic Ice Texture Analyzer, which gives access to high spatial and angular resolutions. The hailstones show two main characteristics: (1) they are structured with several concentric layers composed of alternating fine equiaxed grains and coarse elongated and radially oriented grains, and (2) they show two texture types with c-axes oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the radial direction. Such textures are compared with the ones observed in lake S1 and S2 ices, respectively. The S1 texture type (with c-axes parallel to the columnar crystals that grew in the radial direction) may result from epitaxial growth from a polycrystalline embryo, while the S2 texture (c-axes in the plane perpendicular to the column direction) may result from the growth from an embryo made of a few crystals with mainly one crystallographic orientation. Our novel high-resolution maps and measurements of both microstructure and texture may help to shed new light on the long-term discussion on the growth mechanisms of large hailstones.

Potensi Foodbar Bligo Sebagai Produk Pangan Darurat

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkarakterisasi foodbar berbahan baku buah bligo yang ditinjau dari analisis fisikokimianya sebagai alternatif pangan darurat. Analisis yang dipakai antara lain uji proksimat yang terdiri dari uji kadar air, kadar abu, kadar lemak, kadar karbohidrat dan kadar protein. Uji fisik yang dilakukan menggunakan texture analyzer yang mengukur nilai kohesivitas dan nilai kekerasan. Foodbar bligo F2 dengan proporsi tepung bligo dan tepung kedelai sebesar 70:30% merupakan perlakuan yang paling mendekati syarat ideal sebagai pangan darurat dengan kandungan nilai gizi sebesar kadar karbohidrat 43,21%, kadar lemak 16,64%, kadar protein 13.65%, kadar air 5.50%, kadar abu 20,99%, nilai kekerasan dan kohesivitas sebesar 22294,3 gf dan 0.334%.

Surface Energy of Food Contact Materials and Its Relation to Wheat Dough Adhesion

This study investigates the influence of the surface free energy (SFE) on the adhesion behaviour between wheat dough and bakery-relevant food processing surfaces. In doing so, the contact time and production-related changes of the adhesive and the adherend were taken into account. The adhesion measurements were conducted by means of previously developed methods (modified Chen/Hoseney, contact time measuring cell), whereby the force required for separating the dough from the surface after processing-relevant contact times was determined applying a texture analyzer. The SFE was determined by contact angle measurements. The SFE values for the examined materials are ranged between 5.5 ± 0.81 and 42.7 ± 0.88 mN/m. A strong linear correlation between the SFE of the bakery surfaces and their adhesion to dough could be determined after a certain contact time (≥ 1 min) (r = + 0.96 for surfaces with Sa > 20 μm; r = + 0.94 for surfaces with Sa < 20 μm). Bakery surfaces with energy values σsolid surface, total > 30 mN/m including a polar content indicated a strong interaction with wheat dough, which was confirmed by high adhesion values. Production-related changes to the processing surfaces showed a great impact on the adhesion behaviour: e.g. the abrasion of proofing cloths caused a higher amount of protruding fibres, which operate as a separating layer, resulting in a decrease of dough adhesion even after long contact times. The results in this study emphasize the importance of the SFE in the development of processing surfaces for the baking industry.

The Effect of Myristica fragrans on Texture Properties and Shelf-Life of Innovative Chewable Gel Tablets

Chewable gel tablets are an underdeveloped subject, even though there are many simple chewable tablets and gummy candies in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Chewable gel tablets are not as sweet, they can have an active substance, pharmacological effect, and a value of nutrition. The aim of this study was to prepare gelatin-based chewable tablets with Myristica fragrans as a preservative and to determine the shelf-life variability depending on storage conditions, and to evaluate texture changes. Firmness and springiness of gel tablets were measured by a texture analyzer and compared between different storage conditions and the shelf-life of tablets was established by mold growing time. Chewable gel tablets were prepared by using silicone form. Mold was most likely to grow on tablets that have been packaged in squeezable bags (after 14 days 60% of all formulations had a mold, p < 0.05). The most stable tablets (over 180 days) were in sealed boxes and contained nutmeg essential oil or its solution, or ethanolic nutmeg extract. The gel tablets’ firmness increased about 4 times when they were stored in opened plastic boxes and their springiness decreased about 1.65 times after 28 days in the mentioned conditions, p < 0.05. Nutmeg hydrolat had the highest influence on texture variation (p < 0.05).

Direct measurement of stool consistency by texture analyzer and calculation of reference value in Belgian general population

Stool consistency is evaluated mainly in reference to indirect indicators such as water content or the appearance of stool forms using Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS). Methods of measurement are limited. We thus aimed to develop a simple protocol for direct measurement of stool consistency using the TA.XTExpress Texture Analyser (Stable Micro Systems Ltd.). We developed a protocol which enables mechanical quantification of the gram-force against a cylindrical probe (ø 6 mm) pushed into the stool surface at 2.0 mm/s to 5 mm depth. The consistency of 252 stools collected from 40 healthy Belgians was evaluated by the direct method and by the indirect indicators (water content and BSFS) for comparison. The log-transformed stool consistency values measured by the texture analyzer had a negative linear correlation with the stool water contents (rrm = − 0.781) with homoscedastic variance, suggesting the appropriateness of the new protocol. They showed a similar correlation with the BSFS, but with a large variance in the consistency values of normal stool forms. This correlation was much smaller for BSFS scored by subjects (rrm = − 0.587) than by experts (rrm = − 0.789), collectively indicating BSFS as a rough indicator of stool consistency susceptible to subjective bias despite its effectiveness in clinical use. The optimized direct method using the texture analyzer enables the accurate quantification of stool consistency, which facilitates understanding of the intestinal environment and function and thus may enhance the value of the stool as a predictor of human health.