Air Frying technology is an innovative technique which could produce healthy fried food materials using hot air. The current work aimed to model the kinetic changes in mass transfer, texture and colour attributes and determining the temperature dependency of the rate constants of the mass transfer, texture and colour traits of the air-fried falafel during the air frying process. To achieve these objectives, five mathematical equations were applied to forecast the mass transfer through frying process. The findings of this study indicated that the air-fried falafel moisture content declined as the frying time increases at varied frying temperatures. The outputs of nonlinear regression analysis showed that the moisture loss of air-fried falafel could be satisfactorily fitted to the modified Page model. The outcomes discovered that the alterations in the texture and the total colour difference (ΔE) of air-fried falafel throughout frying process have linearly increased at varied temperatures and were properly fitted to the zero-order kinetic equation. Meanwhile, temperature dependence of the rate constant of moisture loss, texture and colour change was sufficiently described by the Arrhenius-type model. The increase in rate constants was detected because of the growth of frying temperature. The activation energy values of mass transfer, hardness and ΔE were 70, 21.8 and 0.167 kJ/mol, respectively. The information on kinetic modelling the quality changes during air frying of falafel could be beneficial for helping air fried falafel manufactures with the optimum conditions and quality as well.
Bioinformatics as a newly emerging discipline is considered nowadays a reference to characterize the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of the actual biocompounds contained in plants, which has helped the pharmaceutical industry a lot in the drug development process. In this study, a bioinformatics approach known as in silico was performed to predict, for the first time, the physicochemical properties, ADMET profile, pharmacological capacities, cytotoxicity, and nervous system macromolecular targets, as well as the gene expression profiles, of four compounds recently identified from Centaurea tougourensis via the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) approach. Thus, four compounds were tested from the n-butanol (n-BuOH) extract of this plant, named, respectively, Acridin-9-amine, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5,7-dimethyl- (compound 1), 3-[2,3-Dihydro-2,2-dimethylbenzofuran-7-yl]-5-methoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one (compound 2), 9,9-Dimethoxybicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,4-dione (compound 3), and 3-[3-Bromophenyl]-7-chloro-3,4-dihydro-10-hydroxy-1,9(2H,10H)-acridinedione (compound 4). The insilico investigation revealed that the four tested compounds could be a good candidate to regulate the expression of key genes and may also exert significant cytotoxic effects against several tumor celllines. In addition, these compounds could also be effective in the treatment of some diseases related to diabetes, skin pathologies, cardiovascular, and central nervous system disorders. The bioactive compounds of plant remain the best alternative in the context of the drug discovery and development process.
Abstract Purpose The study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the sedentary behavior questionnaire (SBQ). Methods A total of 624 university students (273 males; 351 females, mean age = 20.8 years) were recruited from Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. For criterion and constructive validity ( n = 352), the Arabic SBQ was compared with total sitting time from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long form (IPAQ-LF). For concurrent validity, the English and Arabic SBQ versions were given concurrently to bilingual university students ( n = 122) once. For test–retest reliability, the Arabic SBQ was given twice to participants ( n = 150) at a one-week interval. Results Sitting time of IPAQ-SF (7 th question: sitting time on weekdays) and IPAQ-LF (21 st question: sitting time on weekdays and 22 nd question: sitting time on weekends) correlated significantly with total sitting time/week of the Arabic SBQ ( r = 0.29, p = 0.003; r = 0.14, p = 0.02, respectively). Motorized transportation measured with the IPAQ-LF correlated significantly with time spent driving in a car, bus, or train from the Arabic SBQ on weekdays and weekends ( r = 0.53, p < 0.001; r = 0.44 p < 0.001, respectively). The total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ was inversely correlated with BMI ( r = -0.18, p = 0.001). The correlations between the Arabic and the English SBQ versions ranged from 0.25–0.96; p < 0.001 on weekdays and 0.50–0.90; p < 0.001 on weekends. Moderate to good reliability was also found between test and retest for all SBQ items and total score during weekdays (0.72 to 0.8), and weekends (0.64 to 0.87), with exception of the 7 th item "play musical instrument", ICC = 0.46). Mean difference of test–retest of the Arabic SBQ was not significantly different from zero for the total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ (t = -0.715, P = 0.476). Conclusion The Arabic SBQ had satisfactory levels of reliability, with total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ correlating significantly with sitting times derived from IPAQ-SF, IPAQ-LF, and the English SBQ versions. Hence, the Arabic SBQ can be used as a tool to measure sedentary behavior among adult Arabs aged between 18 to 30 years old in future epidemiologic and clinical practice.
The present work aimed to decrease the environmental contamination, which is caused by solid non-degradable plastics waste. To overcome this serious global concern, the development, and characterization of a bio-degradable film by blending different proportions of the natural polymers poly lactic acid (PLA) to the conventional petroleum polymer has been done. In this process, PLA was synthesized in the lab by condensation method and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/PLA blends film was developed by solution casting method with and without adding compatibilizer as poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA). The large domain size and two separate glass transition temperatures in the results indicated an immiscible blend form without a compatibilizer. The film developed with 30% PLA blended with PVC showed the highest biodegradability and it was observed that approximately 50% of the film was degraded in 8 months. The shelf lives of tomatoes stored under PVC-PLA blended film were found to be 21 days at ambient temperature (25 °C) with preserved quality attributes.
This study investigated the microbiological and toxic heavy metals contamination in smoked-dried fish, and evaluates their health risk implications. Fifteen widely consumed fish species were sampled randomly, and their aflatoxins, mercury “Hg,” cadmium “Cd” and lead “Pb” concentrations were evaluated though standard guidelines. The results revealed that fish flesh Hg level ranged from 0.085–0.258 mg/kg, Cd concentration ranged from 0.092–0.204 mg/kg, and Pb level varied from 0.173–0.329 mg/kg; the mean toxic metals level in the freshwater fish tissue was lower, when compared to the levels in the saltwater fish (seafood). Regarding toxic metal toxicity, the average Hg, Cd and Pb estimated daily intake values for children and adult were 0.1200 and 1.63 × 10 −5 mg/kg bw/day, 2.13 × 10 −4 and 7.57 × 10 −5 mg/kg bw/day, and 2.48 × 10 −4 and 1.24 × 10 −4 mg/kg bw/day respectively. Likewise, children targeted hazard quotients (THQ) values were Hg (0.585), Cd (0.151) and Pb (0.071), while adult THQ values were Hg (0.293), Cd (0.076) and Pb (0.035). Children and adult hazard index (HI) values were 0.949 and 0.404 respectively; while Carcinogenic Risk (CR) values indicated that Cd had higher chances of cancer risks when compared to Pb. Additionally, the aflatoxins level in the fish species ranged from 0.564–9.422 ppb, with the seafood having lower aflatoxins level when compared to the freshwater fish species. Aflatoxins estimated daily intakes (EDI) exposure was 4.81 × 10 −3 and 2.41 × 10 −3 μ g/kg bw/day for the children and adults respectively; while the aflatoxins HI value for children was 7.300 × 10 −4 , and for adults was 7.293 × 10 −4 . Health risks assessment of heavy metal accumulation in the fish, for both children and adults portrayed insignificant adverse health effects (THQ < 1), through the oral consumption of the fishes. Aflatoxins level detected in the all fishes was within acceptable limits (10 ppb) as approved by the World Health Organization; however, some of the values for freshwater fishes were above the allowable limit (2 ppb) approved by the European Union. Though, the results depicted a very low risk of toxic metals and aflatoxins poisoning, there is the need for proper evaluation of current fish processing and storage methods to prevent human exposure to toxic metals and aflatoxins introduced through smoked-dried fish consumption.
This study was to investigate the effects of combination of calcium carbonate with irradiation technique on quality characteristics, nutritional values, bioactive components, microbiological loading, and sensory evaluation of pumpkin jam during storage period for 12 months. Pumpkin jam samples were treated with calcium carbonate 1% (CCS), irradiation (2 kGy) and the combination of CCS + 2 kGy. The results indicated that the CCS + 2 kGy treatment significantly helped in retaining ascorbic acid content, which established a little decrease. CCS and CCS + 2 kGy treatments reported similar values for carotenoid contents. Whereas, CCS + 2 kGy treatment showed the highest total flavonoid content. The application of CCS + 2 kGy treatment also reduced the microbial growth for total aerobic plate, yeast and mold counts. The degree of color was higher recorded for CCS treatment, while CCS + 2 kGy treatment gained the highest scores for texture, flavor, taste, and overall acceptability at the end of the storage period. Overall the results pertained that the use of Gamma irradiation combined with calcium carbonate prolonged the shelf life of the pumpkin jam by reduced the microbial load, maintained the quality characterizes, nutritional values, bioactive components, and consumer acceptability of pumpkin jam during storage.
Honey, with its diverse chemical, physical, and antibacterial properties, exhibits significant variability depending on the floral origin of the nectar source. Likewise, its therapeutic potential in the context of healing cutaneous burn injuries shows remarkable variation. In this comprehensive two-week study, four distinct honey varieties (Nigella Sativa Honey - NSH, Moringa Honey - MOH, Sidr Honey - SIH, and Pumpkin Honey - PUH), along with Vaseline, were administered as therapeutic interventions in a rat model. The study covered a range of parameters, including wound contraction, neovascularization rates, malondialdehyde (MDA) content determined via colorimetry, and assessments of breaking strength and dry tissue weight. Agar diffusion tests were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of treatments against Streptococcus pyogenes and Klebsiella pneumonia strains. On the 15th day, the MOH-treated group exhibited the most rapid wound contraction at 84.58%, while the Vaseline-treated group showed the slowest at 68.40%. Notably, neovascularization was most pronounced in MOH-treated animals (45.01%), followed by SIH (42.73%), PUH (36.15%), and NSH (31.17%). In contrast, the Vaseline group had the lowest rate at 15.53%. Histological examinations revealed that animals treated with Vaseline had fewer oval-shaped cells compared to honey-treated counterparts. The highest weight loss occurred in the Vaseline group at 42.25% on the 15th day. MDA content was highest in SIH-treated animals (29.18 nmol/mg), followed by MOH (24.01 nmol/mg), PUH (22.88 nmol/mg), and NSH (22.51 nmol/mg), with the Vaseline-treated group having the lowest level at 7.37 nmol/mg. Furthermore, breaking strength was highest in rats treated with NSH ointment (755.29 g), followed by PUH (739.55 g), SIH (613.11 g), and MOH (600.32 g), while the Vaseline group had the lowest strength at 359.3 g. Similarly, the greatest dry tissue weight was observed in rats treated with PUH ointment (188.79 mg), followed by NSH (182.34 mg), SIH (179.15 mg), MOH (176.15 mg), while the Vaseline group had the lowest dry tissue weight at 101.17 mg. Notably, NSH-treated animals exhibited a reduction in Streptococcus pyogenes growth (5.76 mm) compared to the Vaseline group (19.68 mm), while MOH-treated animals displayed decreased Klebsiellapneumoniae growth (5.33 mm) compared to the Vaseline group (17.42 mm). These results collectively emphasize the comparable efficacy of honey in facilitating burn wound healing.
Abstract Background A considerable body of research has demonstrated that reducing sitting time benefits health. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the prevalence of sedentary behavior (SB) and its patterns. Methods A total of 6975 university students (49.1% female) were chosen randomly to participate in a face-to-face interview. The original English version of the sedentary behavior questionnaire (SBQ) was previously translated into Arabic. Then, the validated Arabic version of the SBQ was used to assess SB. The Arabic SBQ included 9 types of SB (watching television, playing computer/video games, sitting while listening to music, sitting and talking on the phone, doing paperwork or office work, sitting and reading, playing a musical instrument, doing arts and crafts, and sitting and driving/riding in a car, bus or train) on weekdays and weekends. Results SBQ indicated that the total time of SB was considerably high (478.75 ± 256.60 and 535.86 ± 316.53 (min/day) during weekdays and weekends, respectively). On average, participants spent the most time during the day doing office/paperwork (item number 4) during weekdays (112.47 ± 111.11 min/day) and weekends (122.05 ± 113.49 min/day), followed by sitting time in transportation (item number 9) during weekdays (78.95 ± 83.25 min/day) and weekends (92.84 ± 100.19 min/day). The average total sitting time of the SBQ was 495.09 ± 247.38 (min/day) and 58.4% of the participants reported a high amount of sitting time (≥ 7 hours/day). Independent t-test showed significant differences ( P ≤ 0.05) between males and females in all types of SB except with doing office/paperwork (item number 4). The results also showed that male students have a longer daily sitting time (521.73 ± 236.53 min/day) than females (467.38 ± 255.28 min/day). Finally, 64.1% of the males reported a high amount of sitting time (≥ 7 hours/day) compared to females (52.3%). Conclusion In conclusion, the total mean length of SB in minutes per day for male and female university students was considerably high. About 58% of the population appeared to spend ≥7 h/day sedentary. Male university students are likelier to sit longer than female students. Our findings also indicated that SB and physical activity interventions are needed to raise awareness of the importance of adopting an active lifestyle and reducing sitting time.
The current study aimed to evaluate ochratoxin A oral mycotoxin and the dietary intake effects of four honey varieties ( Nigella sativa , moringa, sidr, and pumpkin–coded as NS, MO, SI, and PU respectively), on the TNF- α immunology response, lactic acid bacteria microbial louds ( Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria ), β -glucuronidase enzyme activity, some hematological and biochemical parameters of mice. MO Honey Group + OTA Infection had the highest value of TNF- α immunology response at 445.17 pg/mL. It was followed by PU Honey Group + OTA Infection at 360.88 pg/mL, while NS Honey Group + OTA Infection reported the lowest at 210.03 pg/mL. Honey dietary intake efficiently increased the colonic probiotic bacteria counts Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria , in the animal’s cecum from 0.93 in SI Honey Group + OTA Infection to 2.59 in MO Honey Group + OTA Infection and from 1.78 in PU Honey Group + OTA Infection to 3.22 in NS Honey Group + OTA Infection Log 10 CFU/g, respectively. The β -glucuronidases enzyme activity in the caecum contents of mice groups ranged from 0.31 μ mol/g in PU Honey Group + OTA Infection to 0.36 μ mol/g in SI Honey Group + OTA Infection. Positive and negative control mice groups reported 7.22 and 6.98 × 10 9 L −1 ; 8.09 and 8.44 × 10 12 L −1 for white blood cell and red blood cell counts, respectively. The mean glutathione concentrations were from 3.17 ng/g in MO Honey Group + OTA Infection, to 4.32 ng/g in SI Honey Group + OTA Infection. Catalase activities ranged from 0.99 u/gin MO Honey Group + OTA Infection to 1.08 u/g in the PU Honey Group + OTA Infection. Honey dietary intake decreased malondialdehyde concentrations in infected mice groups and ranged from 3.84 nmol/g in NS Honey Group + OTA Infection to 5.47 nmol/g in MO Honey Group + OTA Infection. NS Honey Group + OTA Infection reported the lowest values for alkaline phosphatase as 70.15 U L −1 , glucose as 6.12 mmol L −1 , and urea as 4.89 mmol L −1 . SI Honey Group + OTA Infection reported the highest values for AP as 75.52 U L −1 and urea as 5.78 mmol L −1 . PU Honey Group + OTA Infection reported the lowest value for ALT as 55.47 U L −1 and the highest value for glucose as 7.88 mmol L −1 .
This study evaluated the impact of anthropogenic factors on the accumulation of toxic materials in wetland. The wetland was micro-zoned into five sub-regions, namely; NDE, ISN, ISS, UGS and BUR. Sediment, water and fishes (catfish and tilapia) were sampled from each locality. Heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Fe, Pb and Zn) and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) of the samples were determined. The pollution indices (Bioaccumulation quotient “BQ”, contamination factor “CF”, geoaccumulation index “Igeo”, enrichment factor “EF” and Pollution load index “PLI”) and potential health risks (Metal Pollution Index “MPL”, Estimated Daily Intake “EDI”, Total Health hazard quotient “THQ” and Hazard index “HI”) of the water, sediment and fish flesh were calculated appropriately. The results revealed that the wetland fishes contained viable bacteria which ranged between 1362.0 cfu/g and 2634.3 cfu/g. Heavy metal level ranking in the sediment and water was Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cd. Spatially, the heavy metals concentration in the water, sediment and fish followed the order: BUR > UGS > ISN > ISS > NDE. The TPH concentration in water, sediment and fishes differed significantly across the five sub-regions ( p ≤ 0.05), and its value ranged from 3.44 mg/kg to 99.38 mg/kg for the catfish, 2.08 mg/kg to 83.73 mg/kg for the tilapia, 25.34 mg/kg to 718.87 mg/kg for the sediment and 0.016 mg/kg to 1.099 mg/kg for the water. Spatial ranking of the TPH levels in the fish flesh was BUR > UGS > ISN > NDE > ISS; sediment TPH level ranked BUR > UGS > NDE > ISN > ISS; and the water TPH level ranked BUR > UGS > ISN > ISS > NDE. Human health risks associated with the consumption of the wetland fish ranked thus BUR > UGS > ISN > NDE > ISS. It was evident from the results that anthropogenic actions from resulting poor regional planning had significant effect on environmental health. The results called for environmental protection for public interest in order to prevent disease epidemics.