Comparative Study of Astaxanthin, Cholesterol, Fatty Acid Profiles, and Quality Indices Between Shrimp Oil Extracted From Hepatopancreas and Cephalothorax

Shrimp oil from two different portions of Pacific white shrimp including cephalothorax and hepatopancreas was extracted using the mixture of hexane/isopropanol (1:1). The extracted oils from the cephalothorax (CPO) and hepatopancreas (HPO) were characterized for astaxanthin content, cholesterol levels, and fatty acid profiles. Nutrition indices of CPO and HPO were also compared. CPO had lower extraction yield (3.2 ± 0.1%, wet weight basis) than HPO (11.1 ± 0.5%, wet weight basis). High-performance liquid chromatography results indicated that the astaxanthin content in HPO was higher, compared to that of CPO. Nevertheless, the cholesterol level in HPO was 70% lower than that of CPO. Fatty acid profiles of HPO and CPO demonstrated that the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in HPO was higher than that of CPO. The amount of docosahexaenoic acid in the former was ~2 times higher than that of the latter. HPO contained 42.76 ± 0.36% PUFA, whereas PUFA content of CPO was 35.27 ± 0.19%. On the other hand, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were more pronounced in CPO (38.44 ± 0.26%) than HPO (30.82 ± 0.55%). Based on nutrition indices, namely, atherogenicity index, thrombogenicity index, hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic (h/H) ratio, and PUFA/SFA ratio, HPO possessed higher health benefit than CPO. The oxidation status of CPO and HPO measured in terms of peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, anisidine value, and conjugated dienes indicated that higher primary oxidation products were present in CPO, whereas HPO exhibited more secondary oxidation compounds. Fourier transform infrared spectra further substantiated the presence of oxidation products in CPO and HPO. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identification showed the enhanced levels of phospholipids and glycolipids in the ethanolic fraction of CPO. Overall, HPO with a higher yield was more beneficial in terms of health benefits than CPO.

Comparison of the Sub-Critical Fluid Extraction of the Essential Oil of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) with That of Hydrodistillation

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a spice plant grown in the tropics that contains both an essential oil and an oleoresin. The essential oil is important as a flavouring and has pharmaceutical properties, while the oleoresin is bright yellow in colour and has medicinal properties. The essential oil has traditionally been extracted by hydrodistillation/steam distillation with the total extract being extracted by solvent extraction and more recently by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The objective of the work described in this paper was to investigate the possibility of extracting the essential oil using sub-critical fluid extraction and to compare it with hydrodistillation. The experiments using hydrodistillation showed that unpeeled fresh turmeric was the preferred raw material, giving an oil yield of ≈6% dry weight basis, which is similar to that reported in the literature. The experimental programme on the extraction of the oil from dried unpeeled turmeric was carried out over a temperature range from 25 to 30 °C and pressures from 65 to 71 bar. Yields were generally higher than hydrodistillation (up to ≈9% dry weight basis) as were the compositions of the extracted oils. The preferred operating conditions were determined to be 25 °C temperature and 65 bar pressure. Curcumin, the major component of the oleoresin, was not found in the oil, thereby demonstrating that the sub-critical extract is a pure essential oil. It is suggested that consideration be given to evaluating an SFE process whereby the essential oil is initially fully extracted under sub-critical fluid extraction conditions, after which the oleoresin is extracted separately by raising the pressure to ≈250 bar.

Comparative analysis of nutrient composition and glycaemic indices of nine sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) varieties

Sweet potatoes are one of the major tuberous roots consumed around the world. The objective of the present study was to determine the nutritional composition, glycaemic indices and glycaemic loads of selected Sri Lankan sweet potato varieties, in order to address the inadequacy of information and the controversial findings on glycaemic indices. Nutrient composition (moisture, ash, digestible carbohydrates, dietary fiber, crude protein and fat) of boiled sweet potatoes, GI and glycaemic loads (GL) of nine varieties were determined using standard methods. Digestible carbohydrate content ranged between 29-88% on dry weight. Ash, crude protein and crude fat contents of the varieties ranged between 3.1-5.0%, 3.0-5.9% and 2.6-5.3% on dry weight basis (DW) respectively. The total dietary fiber content was above 9.5% DW in the studied varieties. Moisture content of boiled sweet potato tubers were 72-81% on fresh weight basis and both the GIs (86-119) and GLs (>20) were high. However, the GL reduced to medium or low when considering an actual edible portion for all the varieties except for two varieties. Sweet potatoes are a good source of highly available carbohydrates which elicit high GIs.

Swelling Characteristics of Compacted Claystone-Bentonite Mixtures

High-density claystone mixtures have been suggested as liners in radioactive waste repositories. However, this material can also be used as a liner in landfills. This study focuses on swelling characteristics of compacted claystone-bentonite at a low density for landfill applications. Claystone was taken from the Banjarbakula landfill project in Banjarbaru. The bentonite used is a commercially available bentonite from Indonesia. Claystone was mixed with 5, 10, 15, and 20% of bentonite on a dry weight basis. The mixture was statically compacted with moisture contents of 10, 15, and 20% to achieve a dry density of 16 kN/m3. A swell-load test was carried out using conventional oedometer equipment to obtain the swelling potential and swelling pressure of the samples. The results show that the swelling potential and swelling pressure increased with an increase in bentonite contents. At a bentonite content of more than 10%, both increased significantly. This research also revealed a linear relationship between swelling potential and swelling pressure.

Nutrient Content of Micro/Baby-Green and Field-Grown Mature Foliage of Tropical Spinach (Amaranthus sp.) and Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)

Micro/baby-greens are gaining popularity in human diets as functional foods that deliver superior nutritional values and health benefits to consumers. This study conducted multiple times between 2017 and 2019 under greenhouse conditions and in the field at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, showed that micro/baby-greens from tropical spinach (Amaranthus sp.) and roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) are rich in digestible carbohydrates, digestible protein, and dietary fiber. On dry weight basis, both vegetables have high relative percentages of P, K, and Mg; and relatively high ppm Fe, Mn, and Zn. Foliage tissues of both species are relatively low in total fat, Ca, and Cu. Between 10 and 20 days after sowing (DAS), percent digestible carbohydrates in fresh foliar tissue increased 100% in tropical spinach and 50% in roselle, while digestible protein dropped 21% in tropical spinach and 50% in roselle. Compared to field grown mature foliage, greenhouse-grown micro/baby-greens were lower in digestible carbohydrates and Ca but higher in digestible protein, P, K, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn.

Phytosterol Profiling of Apiaceae Family Seeds Spices Using GC-MS

Phytosterols are nutritionally vital phytoconstituent owing to their cholesterol (low-density plasma lipoprotein-cholesterol, LDL-C)-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Among the widely used spices and herbs, the seeds spices of the Apiaceae family represented the healthiest fatty acid profile. Thus, to explore the other health-beneficial lipids, the present study was aimed to analyze the phytosterol profile of eight seed spices of the Apiaceae family, utilizing gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS). The sterols contents calculated on an oil (mg/100 g of oil) and spice weight (mg/100 g spices; dry weight) basis varied significantly among the seed spices (p < 0.05; Turkey HSD). The β-sitosterol and stigmasterol were the most dominating sterols among the studied spices, together accounted for 40.3 (Ajwain) to 69.8% (celery) of total sterols in the seed oil. Among the studied spices, the oil extracted from caraway seeds showed the highest total sterols (602.2 mg/100 g of oil). Interestingly, based on spice weight, fennel seeds also showed the similar highest number of total sterols (134.2 mg/100 g in fennel and 133.3 mg/100 g in caraway), owing to the high contents of oil (25.9%) in fennel seeds. Overall, celery, caraway, fennel, and anise seeds oil are rich sources of health-beneficial phytosterols.

Electrospun Nanofibre Filtration Media to Protect against Biological or Nonbiological Airborne Particles

Electrospun nanofibres can outperform their melt-blown counterparts in many applications, especially air filtration. The different filtration mechanisms of nanofibres are particularly important when it comes to the air filtration of viruses (such as COVID-19) and bacteria. In this work, we present an electrospun nanofibre filter media, FilterLayrTM by NanoLayr Ltd., containing poly(methyl methacrylate)/ethylene vinyl alcohol nanofibres. The outstanding uniformity of the nanofibres was indicated by the good correlation between pressure drop (ΔP) and areal weight with R2 values in the range of 0.82 to 0.98 across various test air velocities. By adjusting the nanofibre areal weight (basis weight), the nanofibre filter media was shown to meet the particle filtration efficiency and breathability requirements of the following internationally accepted facemask and respirator standards: N95 respirator facemask performance in accordance with NIOSH 42CFR84 (filtration efficiency of up to 98.10% at a pressure drop of 226 Pa and 290 Pa at 85 L·min−1 and 120 L·min−1, respectively), Level 2 surgical facemask performance in accordance with ASTM F2299 (filtration efficiency of up to 99.97% at 100 nm particle size and a pressure drop of 44 Pa at 8 L·min−1), and Level 2 filtration efficiency and Level 1 breathability for barrier face coverings in accordance with ASTM F3502 (filtration efficiency of up to 99.68% and a pressure drop of 133 Pa at 60 L·min−1), with Level 2 breathability being achievable at lower nanofibre areal weights.

Defining Whole Grain Sorghum Flour and Water Levels to Improve Sensory and Nutritional Quality of Gluten-Free Bread—A Factorial Design Approach

This study aims to investigate the potential of white and bronze whole-grain sorghum flour to develop gluten-free bread (GFB) with acceptable sensory properties. Two 22 factorial designs, with two central point repetitions each, were used to study the effects of white (WS) or bronze sorghum (BS) flours and water (W) levels on the physical properties, acceptability scores, and proximate composition of GFB. The WS or BS levels ranged from 50 to 100% when blended with potato starch, and the W levels ranged from 100 to 140% (flour weight basis). Independent of the amount applied, GFB formulations containing BS were well accepted (acceptability scores for appearance, color, odor, texture, flavor and overall liking ≥ 6.29 on a 10 cm hybrid hedonic scale). No significant differences were observed between the acceptability scores of single and composite formulations for all of the evaluated sensory attributes. Moreover, the W levels had no effect on the acceptability of GFB made with BS. Composite formulations prepared with 50 and 75% WS were also well accepted (acceptability scores for appearance, color, odor, texture, flavor, and overall liking ≥ 7.43 on a 10 cm hybrid hedonic scale). However, increased W levels are required in single formulations to increase the scores for texture and overall acceptability. GFB made with 50% and 75% WS/BS can be classified as a source of fiber since the fiber content is higher than 3 g per 100 g, while GFB made with 100% WS/BS can be classified as high in fiber, as the content of this component is higher than 6 g per 100 g. This research highlights the great potential of whole-grain sorghum flours for producing nutrient-dense and acceptable GFB, which is important for consumers who choose or must adhere to a GF diet.

Proximate Analysis and Mineral Composition of Commercially Important Spiny Lobsters from Visakhapatnam Coast, Andhra Pradesh, India

The research work was carried out to assess the dietary qualities of spiny lobsters collected from Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, situated on the northeast coast of Andhra Pradesh. The species selected were Panulirus homarus (Linnaeus, 1758), P. ornatus (Fabricius, 1798), P. versicolor (Latreille, 1804), and P. polyphagus (Herbst, 1793). The species were morphometrically measured, and their tissue was analyzed for the comparative proximate composition (Moisture, Protein, Lipid, and Ash) on a dry weight basis. Protein content was found to be high in all the lobster species. Highest protein content was observed in P. homarus (mg/g), followed by P. ornatus and P. versicolor (mg/g). Moisture percentage was 72.7, 75.7, 76.2, and 74.8% respectively. In addition, four minerals were analysed (Ca, Na, K, and Mg) in the present study. Calcium was observed maximum in all the species, and Magnesium was recorded minimum in all the lobsters.

Phytochemical Analysis of Different Parts of Acalypha Indica L.

Acalypha indica L. is an herbaceous medicinal plant, which is grown abundantly in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi people typically use various parts of this plant for various primary healthcare treatments. The current research was conducted to check and quantify various phytochemicals and mineral components of the assorted parts of Acalypha indica L. The screening analysis shows that studied all phytochemicals were present in the leaf part but not in stem and shoot parts and some were missing or trace amount in root. Total phenol, flavonoid, and tannins content on a dry weight basis ranged from 0.53-0.82 mg GAE/g, 0.02-1.47 mg QE/g and 0.21-0.32 mg TAE/g respectively. Among the phytochemicals the leaf contains the highest amount of flavonoid (1.47 mg QE/g), and lowest in stem (0.02 mg QE/g). Similarly, the amount of minerals like Fe, Zn, K and Pb was 0.23-0.40 mg/kg, 0.01- 0.021 mg/kg, 1.55-2.85 mg/kg and 0.149-0.204 mg/kg respectively. K was the largest volume of mineral for both leaf and stem. Lowest quantity of Zn was observed in most cases. This finding indicates that the studied plant might be good source of phytochemicals. J. Bio-Sci. 29(1): 69-77, 2021 (June)