فخری شهیدی

Cucumber is an economically important crop, containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and flavonoids. However, due to loss of weight and firmness, microbial contamination, mechanical damage, and yellowing, the storage duration of cucumber is limited to 3–5 days at room temperature. Therefore, pretreatments are crucial for prolonging its shelf life. Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide and can interact electrostatically with anionic, partially demethylated pectin. Besides, chitosan has inhibitory effects on fungal rot and prevents weight loss in fruits. Pectin can form excellent films. Because of increasing demand to reduce synthetic chemicals as antimicrobial agents, substances derived from plants, such as essential oils, can play a significant role in the future.  Several essential oils and essential oil components have shown antimicrobial activity against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms during fruit and vegetable storage. Essential oils of thyme and cinnamon contained phenolic groups have been found to be most consistently effective against microorganisms, however, essential oils are volatile and irritant. Therefore, forming an inclusion complex using b-cyclodextrin can improve solubility, control volatile, and induce off-flavors and unpleasant odor of the essential oils. The objectives of this study were to develop the microencapsulated thymol (thyme) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon) essential oils to produce antimicrobial agents and subsequently evaluate the effectiveness of edible coating made of chitosan and pectin containing microencapsulated trans-cinnamaldehyde or thymol essential oils to improve qualitative and quantitative characteristics and shelf life of cucumber.

The inclusion complexes of trans-cinnamaldehyde and thymol in beta-cyclodextrin (CD) were prepared separately by freeze-drying. Each essential oil was dispersed in 1000 ml of beta-cyclodextrin aqueous solution (16 mmol/L, 18.15 g) in molecular ratio 1:1 (2.4 gr thymol, 2.11 gr trans-cinnamaldehyde) and mixed in a laboratory stirrer for 24 hour at room temperature , then frozen (-70 ºc) and freeze-dried (<20Pa, 48 h). Lyophilized samples were stored inside a freezer (-20 ºc) until further use. Cucumbers cv. Nagene with uniform size, appearance, ripeness and without mechanical damage or fungal contamination were selected. Then They were then sanitized by immersion in chlorine solution (150 mg/kg) for 1 min and air dried. Edible coatings were prepared as three immersion solutions of chitosan, pectin, and calcium chloride (CaCl2). The fruits were coated with pectin (1%) and chitosan (0-0.5%-1%) containing beta-cyclodextrin microencapsulated trans-Cinnamaldehyde or thymol each (0-0.25%-0.5%). After coating by chitosan, the fruits were immersed in 1% Calcium chloride solution to induce crosslinking reaction. After dipping step, fruits dried for 8 minutes at room temperature to remove the excess solution attached to the surface .Uncoated fruits served as control. Then fruits were preserved in cold storage (temperature: 10ºc; relative humidity: 90-95%) for 15 days. chemical (total soluble solids, titratable acidity) and physical (total color difference, Hardness, and weight loss) Characterization of fruits were measured immediately after harvest and after 5, 10 and15 days. Microbial tests (total count, mold, and yeast) were done at the end of preservation time. Analytical data were subjected to analysis of variance and factorial adopted completely randomized design and a Duncan comparison test was used. 

The results showed that weight loss, total soluble solids, and the total color difference increased and hardness and titratable acidity decreased gradually in all samples during cold storage (<0.05). Chitosan and essential oils slowed down this rising or decreasing trends. Interactive effects of chitosan, essential oil type, essential oil concentration, and storage time had positive effects on these quality attributes. The fruits coated with the highest concentration of chitosan (1%) and thymol (0.5%) essential oils showed the least weight loss, loss of hardness, and color change throughout 15 days of storage. Besides thymol in comparison with trans-Cinnamaldehyde was more efficient to prevent yeasts and molds on the surface of cucumber. By increasing chitosan and essential oil amounts, the ability of inhibiting microbial growth by coating is enhanced. 

The results of chemical, physical and microbial tests, showed that multi-layer coating solution containing chitosan 1% with thymol 0.5% was effective in extending the shelf life of cucumber. The combined usage of microencapsulated thymol essential oil and chitosan-based coating on cucumber could be considered a healthy and effective treatment that reduces microbial spoilage and preserves quality and color characteristics in cucumber and represents an innovative method for commercial application. Therefore, this coating can be used as an alternative to chemical fungicides to prevent fungal rot of cucumber and other fruits, however, it is suggested that more studies should be done in this field.

In this study, the effect of edible coating based on Lallemantia iberica seed mucilage (LISM) with different contents (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% vol/vol) of Citrus paradise essential oil nanoemulsion (CPN) was investigated on the microbial, chemical, and sensory qualities of lamb slices during cold storage. The antimicrobial results showed that at the end of the storage period, the lowest number of total viable bacteria (6.26 log CFU/g), psychrotrophic count (3.28 log CFU/g), Escherichia coli (0.95 log CFU/g), Staphylococcus aureus (0.87 log CFU/g) and fungi (1.12 log CFU/g) were observed in LISM+2% CPN sample. The highest and lowest pH at the end of the storage period were related to uncoated samples (6.42) and LISM+2%CPN (5.65). The amount of peroxide number and thiobarbituric acid in the control and LISM+2%CPN samples were 11.60 meq O2/kg and 1.20 mg MDA/kg and 5.40 meq O2/kg and 0.59 mg MDA/kg, respectively, after 9 days of cold storage. The meat color (L*, a*, b*) was also preserved by edible coating containing C. paradise essential oil nanoemulsion (LISM+CPN). The addition of nanoemulsion in edible coating increased sensory scores such as aroma, color, texture, and overall acceptance of lamb slices, especially on the last day of cold storage. The obtained results suggest the LISM+CPN edible coating as a solution for retarding the chemical and microbial spoilage of lamb slices.

Today, the extraction and use of biologically active compounds from agricultural and food wastes has received much attention. In the present research, the effect of enzyme treatment, ultrasound and the combined effect of enzyme treatment and ultrasound on the extraction of phenolic compounds of sour grape wastes was done so that 2 pectinase enzymes (Pectinex Ultracolor and Pectinex Yildamesh) at levels of 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg and ultrasound (times 10, 25 and 40 minutes) and (sound intensity 30, 60 and 90%) were used. The effect of enzyme treatment, ultrasound and the combined effect of enzyme treatment and ultrasound were investigated. According to the obtained results, the highest extraction efficiency belonged to Yaldemesh enzyme and with increasing sound intensity, the extraction efficiency increased significantly. On the other hand, increasing the extraction time led to an increase in extraction efficiency (p≤0.01). So that the highest extraction efficiency was observed in the sample extracted by Yaldemesh enzyme and under ultrasound at 90% sound intensity for 40 minutes (p≤0.01). According to the obtained results, the highest flavonoid, total phenol and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS) belonged to Yaldemesh enzyme, and with increasing sound intensity, antioxidant activity increased significantly (p≤0.01). On the other hand, increasing the extraction time led to a significant increase in antioxidant activity (p≤0.01). The highest antioxidant activity belonged to the sample extracted by Yaldemesh enzyme and subjected to ultrasound at a ultrasound intensity of 90% for 40 minutes and was introduced as the best treatment.

Oxidation reactions and microorganisms’ activity are considered as the most important factors affecting the quality of food products. Recently, in the light of the inefficiency of some chemical preservatives against microorganisms and the presence of toxic residues in food products, the use of natural antimicrobials and antioxidants has been increased. Natural antimicrobial compounds have the potential to control microbial contamination and reduce the use of antibiotics. Plant essential oils are natural compounds with the potential to be used as active ingredients in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Various studies have shown that essential oils have antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant activity. The essential oils are considered as superb preservatives with various biological functions. Essential oils are generally recognized as safe product (GRAS) which can be used as an alternative to synthetic additives.Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) peel and fruit contain active ingredients such as acids, flavonoids, vitamin C, and potassium, and its essential oil is composed of terpenic hydrocarbons, such as citral, limonene, citronelal, and geraniol. Although plant essential oils have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, one of the main problems of these natural compounds is their high volatility and instability. In this context, nanoemulsion formulations are frequently used to increase the stability and efficiency of these biologically active compounds. This study is therefore aimed to nanoemulsifying the grapefruit essential oil and evaluate its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

β-carotene, linoleic acid, ABTS (2,2’-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt), and DPPH (2,2-diphenly-1-picrylhydrazyl) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Co. (USA). Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) and Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) were supplied from Merck Co. (Darmstadt, Germany). Grapefruit peel was dried at ambient temperature and then powdered. The obtained powder was then transferred to a Clevenger device containing 750 ml of distilled water to perform the distillation extraction (3 h). The resulting grapefruit essential oil was stored at 4 °C until use. Grapefruit essential oil was prepared using the hydrodistillation method, and then nanoemulsified. The antioxidant activity of the nanoemulsified essential oil was investigated by DPPH and ABTS  radical scavenging activity and beta-carotene/linoleic bleaching test. The nanoemulsified essential oil or methanolic (control) was mixed with DPPH solution and the mixture was then stored at ambient temperature for 30 min, in a dark place. The control sample was prepared by methanol. The absorbance of the samples was measured at 517 nm. To determine the ABTS-RS activity, the nanoemulsified essential oil was briefly charged with methanolic ABTS radical cation solution and the resulting mixture was left at room temperature for 30 min. Afterward, the absorbance was read at 734 nm. A spectrophotometric method was applied to monitor β-carotene/linoleate solution bleaching in the presence of the nanoemulsified essential oil. To do this, the absorbance of the solution was recorded at 490 nm after 120 min against the control sample at time zero and after 120 min. Antibacterial effect of the grapefruit essential oil nanoemulsion was also evaluated against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella typhi ATCC 6539, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Listeria innocua ATCC 33090, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 23857, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615, and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, based on disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration.

The results showed that the nanoemulsion of grapefruit essential oil had a remarkable antioxidant effect of 42.27 mg/ml, 33.27 mg/ml and 54.54%, respectively, based on DPPH, ABTS, and beta-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching tests. According to disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar results, the lowest inhibition zone was related to E. coli and the highest inhibition zone was observed in L. innocua. The minimum inhibitory concentration for L. innocua and S. aureus (the most sensitive bacteria) was 25 mg/ml, and E. coli, S. typhi, and P. aeruginosa had the highest inhibitory concentration. Also, the lowest bactericidal concentration was related to L. innocua and S. aureus bacteria and the highest concentration was observed for E. coli, S. typhi and P. aeruginosa. The nanoemulsified essential oil generally exhibited greater antibacterial activity against Gram-positive species. This could be mainly due to the difference in the cell wall composition of Gram-positive bacteria in comparison to Gram-negative; Gram-positive bacteria have a thicker mucopeptide layer in their cell wall, while Gram-negative bacteria have only a thin layer of mucopeptide and the wall structure is mainly composed of lipoprotein and lipopolysaccharide, thereby leading to a higher resistant to antibacterial agents According to the results, grapefruit essential oil nanoemulsion can be used as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent to control oxidation reactions and the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.

Sorghum is a valuable source of starch for human use, being a drought-tolerant cereal grain that contains a large amount of starch (approximately 70%). However, native sorghum starch has limited application in the food industry due to its poor functional properties. Modification of sorghum starch would overcome its shortcomings and tailor it to the targeted application. Among physical methods, non-thermal plasma is a novel method for starch modifications. Plasma is an ionized gas including electrons, atoms, ions, radicals, and quanta of electromagnetic radiation that affects the functional properties of starch. The effect of plasma on starch is influenced by apparatus type, treatment conditions (feed gas, time, and power), and the source of starch. Two main mechanisms of starch modification are known as  cross-linking and oxidation together with depolymerization. Although the effect of plasma on many types of starch has been investigated, no research has yet been found on sorghum starch modification by non-thermal plasma. So, this investigation determines the effects of non-thermal plasma on sorghum starch to overcome the deficiency of the native form and to explore wider applications for sorghum starch.
 

 Sorghum starch was extracted by alkaline steeping and purified using toluene-salt-water treatment. Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma was performed to modify sorghum starch. The applied DBD plasma setup consisted of two flat rectangular aluminum electrodes with the dimension of 6.5×45 cm and 7×18 cm and an electrode distance of 3 and 6 mm for air and argon plasma, respectively. Each of the electrodes was covered with a mica sheet as a dielectric barrier. DBD reactor was supplied with alternating current (AC). The frequency was adjusted to 375 Hz. Starch samples were treated for 1, 10, and 20 min at 23 kV at atmospheric pressure. The amylose content of sorghum starch was determined by iodine binding colorimetry. Evaluation of other chemical parameters including protein, lipid, ash, and moisture was carried out according to AAC methods. The clarity was determined using a spectrophotometer at 650 nm. The swelling and solubility of 1.5% sorghum starch suspension (at 55, 65, 75, and 85 °C) were measured using the centrifuge method. The centrifuge-filtration method was performed to evaluate freeze-thaw stability of sorghum starches up to 4 cycles.
 

 Chemical parameters showed that the extracted sorghum starch was purified. The amount of protein, lipid, ash, and amylose was 0.39, 0.15, 0.59, and 29.23%, respectively. Plasma caused significant altering in sorghum starch properties. Compared to the argon plasma, the air plasma was more effective at increasing the clarity, solubility, and freeze-thaw stability. Increasing the time of treatment also improved the above-mentioned functional properties. The clarity of native starch (14.02%) was increased to 56.10% for the sample treated with air plasma for 20 min, probably due to intense oxidation and depolymerization of starch molecules. While the lowest clarity (13.07%) belonged to the 1-min argon plasma treated sample, this value was improved with increasing time of treatment. Probably cross-linked bonds were predominantly formed during the first minute of argon plasma treatment, resulting in a reduction of paste clarity, while a competitive depolymerization and oxidation reaction could be a reason for the increase of paste clarity. Solubility was increased for all treatments (except for argon-1 min). The highest solubility in each of the temperatures was found for 20 min air plasma treated sample. Depolymerization of starch molecules under plasma treatment produces low molecular weight fragments which leach out easily and increase solubility. The swelling power of 20 min air plasma treated starch was lower than that of native starch, probably due to the structural disintegration. Other samples had higher swelling power. The lower freeze-thaw stability of 1 and 10 min argon plasma treated samples may be due to cross-linking which increase retrogradation. The 20 min air-plasma treated sample had higher stability than other samples in 3 and 4th cycles of freeze-thawing. The freeze-thawing stability of other samples was similar to that of the native starch.
 

 Non-thermal plasma treatment improved the functional properties of sorghum starch. The best results were detected for the sample treated with air plasma for 20 min. Cross-linking may be the main reaction in the first minute of argon-plasma treatment. However, this mechanism was suppressed in a longer treatment time. It may also be stated that the effect of oxidation along with depolymerization was predominant in air-plasma treatment.

Consuming ready-to-eat breakfast cereals has become very popular. Considering that children and teenagers are their main consumers, it is necessary to improve their nutritional value. In the food industry, during food production, preparation and consumption, especially in the process of fruits and vegetables, a large scale of byproduct is obtained, which contains a large amount of protein, essential fatty acids, dietary fibers and minerals that are beneficial for health. In this research, a central composite design was used to investigate the effect of formulation variables including cantaloupe seed flour (20-10%), moisture content (20-12%) and screw speed (120-180 rpm) on the responses of expansion ratio, bulk density, hardness. Texture, water absorption index, water solubility index, color, porosity and sensory acceptance were used. The results showed that increasing the level of cantaloupe flour in the corn grits-wheat flour mixture increases the bulk density, hardness and redness index of the product and decreases the expansion ratio, porosity, and water absorption index in the product. The optimal conditions of the extrusion process were determined at 10% cantaloupe seeds, 19.68% feed moisture and screw speed 180 rpm.

Bread has a major role in the diet of people in Iran. One of the important factors affecting the quality of bread is the quality of wheat flour protein called gluten. Gluten is the principal structure forming elements of most baked products, contributing to the elasticity, cohesiveness and viscosity characteristics of the dough. Thus, gluten substantially control the quality of wheat flour based products. Due to the importance of the role of gluten and the requirement for improving the flour quality, providing a simple, economical, and efficient method to improve the technical quality of wheat and bread is also an important and controversial challenge. Oxidizing agents are generally added to the wheat flour to accelerate the natural maturing and the flour becomes paler and yields dough with improved baking properties. However, increasing concern about their adverse effects has highlighted the need for the development of alternative oxidants. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging advanced oxidation process which has recently drawn considerable interest from food scientists. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of non-thermal plasma treatments on the properties of wheat flour.

For this purpose, medium wheat flour was prepared from local silages and treated with ACP at 25V for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min. Chemical composition of flour samples (moisture content, protein and ash) were determined using standard methods (AACC, 2002). Color properties, damaged starch water soluble index, wet gluten, gluten index, zeleny and falling number values, water and oil absorption capacities, swelling power and solubility of wheat flour samples were also measured.

The results obtained from the measurement of properties for the treated and untreated flour showed that the water and oil absorptions, swelling power, and solubility, wet gluten, gluten index, Zeleny number and whiteness increased significantly with increasing time, while the pH, moisture content, b * and a * indices, were decreased by plasma treatment. In addition, the results showed that ACP conditions have a significant effect on functional properties that can be created floursand products with various characteristics. The results showed that plasma treatment affected the gluten index and wet gluten and techno functional properties of wheat flour. Overall, this study demonstrated that non-thermal plasma is a quick, efficient way to improve the technological properties of wheat flour, as an alternative to chemical oxidants

With regard to the importance of breakfast cereal in today's eating habit, these products can serve as vehicles for the main nutrients. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of extrusion variables containing replacement level of whole oat flour with whole oleaster flour (10, 25 and 40%), feed moisture (14, 18 and 22%) and screw speed (120, 150 and 180 rpm) on some physical and functional properties of breakfast cereal. These properties included moisture content, bulk density (BD), hardness (HD), water solubility index (WSI) and color parameters assessed by central composite rotatable design. Based on the obtained results, an increase of the whole oleaster flour and feed moisture increased the moisture content and hardness and decreased the yellowness of the samples. While the water solubility index was increased by increasing the whole oleaster flour and was decreased by increasing the feed moisture. The evaluation results of the screw speed indicated that increasing the speed resulted in less bulk density, hardness and water solubility index. Additionally, the lightness of samples decreased due to a higher amount of all the variables studied. On the one hand, the difference between ingredients content and structure of the whole oleaster flour and the whole oat flour was one of the most effective factors on the obtained results. On the other hand, the influence of the feed moisture and screw speed, as very important factors of the extrusion process, on the physical and functional properties of the product was completely recognized. Optimum condition was found to the blends of whole oleaster flour/whole oat flour (10:90), screw rate of 180 rpm, and feed moisture content of 22% with desirable properties including humidity(10.26%), bulk density (0.11 g/cm3), hardness (11.01 N), water solubility index (12.66 %), lightness (56.09).

In recent years, the individuals' demand for consumption of healthy and useful products has increased. With regard to the specific role of breakfast cereal in today's dietary habit, the incorporation of nutrients into their formulation is considered as a way to produce functional food products. So in this research, the effect of extrusion variables containing feed formulation (whole oleaster flour to whole oat flour (10 to 90, 25 to 75 and 40 to 60%), feed moisture (14, 18 and 22%) and screw speed (120, 150 and 180 rpm) on some properties of snack was investigated. Thus, the central composite design was used to assess the water absorption index (WAI), water activity (aw), expansion ratio. Based on the obtained results, in a constant condition of other variables (feed moisture; 18% and screw speed; 150 rpm), an increase of the whole oleaster flour ratio from 10 to 40% decreased the WAI (from 5.64 to 5.16) and expansion ratio (from 1.72 to 1.48). While, an increase of the feed moisture from 14 to 18% led to an increase in the WAI (from 5.01 to 5.16) and water activity (from 0.33 to 0.63), when replacement level and screw speed were 25% and 150 rpm, respectively. The evaluation results of the screw speed in the moisture of 14 and 22% indicated that increasing the speed resulted in a decrease and increase in WAI, respectively. In addition, the relationship between the expansion ratio and microstructure was proved by scanning electron microscopy method. The optimum condition was found to the blends of whole oleaster flour/whole oat flour (10:90), screw rate of 180 rpm, and feed moisture content of 22% with desirable properties including (0.64%), expansion ratio(1.85), water absorption index(6.26).

 It is essential to introduce new antimicrobials or to evaluate the synergistic effect of existing compounds as a therapeutic strategy against microbial strains resistant to one or more antibiotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and synergistic effect of lactoferrin chimera (cLF) in interaction with some common therapeutic antibiotics.

 The antimicrobial activity of cLF and the antibiotics including gentamicin, cefazolin, and ceftazidime were determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method and subsequently, the synergistic effect of this peptide with each of the mentioned antibiotics was checked against E coli, P. aeruginosa and S. typhi were investigated and the minimum fraction inhibitory concentration (FIC) was reported. Release of cytoplasmic materials, plotting of survival curves, and activity of peptides alone and in combination with antibiotics were evaluated, and bacterial cell morphology investigating was performed using scanning electron microscopy at MIC and FIC concentrations.

 The synergistic effect was observed in the combination of cLF with all antibiotics. The results showed that at FIC concentrations, material release from the cytoplasm and the number of surviving cells were significantly higher and lower than when peptides or antibiotics were used alone, respectively. The activity of peptides and antibiotics at FIC concentration was increasing and SEM images at this concentration showed severe membrane damage of bacterial cells.

 The use of cLF and antibiotics at FIC concentrations reduces the dose of both substances.

Wheat bran is a rich source of dietary fiber and for this reason, its application in the food industry has increased. How-ever, the amount of phytic acid and its insoluble dietary fiber is high and can significantly reduce the nutritional and technological quality of food products. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fermentation process and microwave radiation on physicochemical properties of bran. The results showed that the amount of phytic acid de-creased from 4805.67mg/100g to 2756.67mg/100g and 3023.33 mg/100g, respectively, but while combining these two processes, there was a significant decrease in the amount of phytic acid (2205.94 mg/100g). Amount of soluble in the control sample (3.63%) decreased during the microwave process (1.06%), while increased during the fermentation pro-cess (9.30%) as well as the combined fermentation and microwave process (6.46%). The results of measurement of L*, a* and b* factors showed that the amount of L* decreased from 56.71 to 50.41, 48.74 and 46.69 during microwave, fermentation and combined process, respectively. Factor a* increased from 4.69 during the microwave process to 5.90 and to 5.46 during the combined process, but there was no significant change during the fermentation process. Factor b* increased from 26.73 to 31.92 during fermentation and 32.63 during the combined process, but decreased to 25.16 during the microwave process. The images obtained from scanning microscopy showed the creation of surfaces with smooth edges in the fermentation process and also revealed the porosity on the surface of bran particles during the microwave process. Based on the results, microwave process has a potential to reduce the amount of phytic acid and furthermore, it causes the drying of fermented bran and increases its storage time accordingly. Therefore, simultaneous use of fermentation and microwave processes is recommended for bran processing and improving its physicochemical properties.

In this study, different concentrations of aqueous extract of Chubak root (at levels of zero, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2%) with different concentrations of rosemary essential oil nanoemulsion (zero, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2%) was used to optimize the production of biodegradable gelatin-based film. Test responses were statistically significant for all fitted regression models at 99% confidence level. To optimize film production, maximum transparency, contact angle, tensile strength, Elongation at Brake to the point of rupture and minimum solubility, swelling and vapor permeability were evaluating. After fitting the models, the results showed that the effect of aqueous extract of Chubak root and rosemary essential oil nanoemulsion on all responses was significant (P <0.05). Increasing the aqueous extract of Chubak root and nanoemulsion of rosemary essential oil increased the thickness, contact angle and Elongation at Brake to the point of rupture and decreased moisture content, vapor permeability, transparency, solubility, tensile strength and swelling. Based on the results of model prediction and comparison with experimental values, aqueous extract of Chubak root at a concentration of 2% and nanoemulsion of rosemary essential oil with a concentration of 0.77% were obtained as optimal values.

In this study, the changes in the color and some properties of carrot slices were investigated during hot air drying. The carrot slices first underwent an optimized osmotic pretreatment. The sucrose concentration of 60% and the dehydration time of 60 min were found to be as the optimum conditions of the osmotic dehydration. In hot air drying, temperature (60, 70 and 80°C) was taken into account as the independent variable and moisture content, shrinkage, rehydration ratio, total phenolic content, texture and sensory evaluation were considered as the dependent variables. The results revealed that the lowest reduction in total phenolic content was associated with 70°C and the effect of temperature on all of the responses was significant. With increasing temperature, shrinkage, rehydration ratio and texture increased but the moisture content decreased to (11 gr / gr). At the end, the optimum conditions were selected based on the maximum rehydration rate, phenolic compounds, total acceptance and minimum moisture content, shrinkage and stiffness of the texture were determined and the optimum temperature was 70 ° C.

Usage of natural products like herbals, provide unlimited opportunities for novel and suitable additives. Mocheh can be used in fresh form or as an ingredient in soup and salad. This study was aimed to determine the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Mocheh (Lepidium draba) extract. The antimicrobial activity of Mocheh extract was tested against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger. The extract showed a strong antimicrobial activity with a concentration dependence and a broad antimicrobial spectrum for all tested microorganism species. The results showed that MIC of leaf extract of Lepidium draba on Aspergillus niger, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus was 128, 128, 128 and 128 mg/mL respectively. The results showed that MBC/MFC of leaf extract of Mocheh on the examined microorganisms was 256, 256, 256 and 256 mg/mL respectively. The values obtained for total flavonoid content and total phenolic contents were 22.13 µg/mL and 18.88 mg/mL, respectively. Measured value in the radical scavenging activity was IC50= 168/21 µL/mL. The results showed that Mocheh leaf aqueous extract is a novel source of natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

In this research, the chlorophyll content, total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of aqueous extract of Dandelion was determined. In addition, the effect of aqueous extract of Dandelion, obtained by maceration, was tested on various food borne and food spoilage microorganisms. Antimicrobial activity of leaf extract of Dandelion was investigated using disk agar diffusion, well agar diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration methods. The values obtained for TFC, TPC, chlorophyll a and b were 22.82 (µg/mL), 116.89 (mg/mL), 0.081 (mg/l) and, 0.063 (mg/l), respectively. The result of the radical scavenging activity was IC50= 68.81µl/mL. The results showed that MIC of leaf extract of Dandelion on Aspergillus niger, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis was 512, 256, 256 and 64 mg/ml respectively. MBC for Aspergillus niger was more than 512, for Salmonella typhimurium, and Bacillus subtilis was 512, and for Staphylococcus epidermidis was 128mg/ml. In addition, the diameter of inhibitory growth zone in well diffusion method was more than disk diffusion. Generally, it can be stated that the aqueous leaf extract of Dandelion on Gram-positive bacteria showed more antimicrobial activity than Gram-negative bacteria, while there is no significant inhibition on mold. Based on the results of this study, Dandelion aqueous extract might be used as a natural agent to prevent the growth of food borne microorganisms, particularly, that cause food poisoning that leading to the reduction of gastroenteritis risk.

 Solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructure lipid carriers were used to entrap curcumin and broaden confined knowledge of application of nanocarriers as the functional ingredients in food sectors. The effect of lipids ratio (GDS /GMS), kind of nanocarrier (SLN and NLC) and curcumin concentration (0, 0.25 and 0. 5 % (w / w) of emulsion) on the qualitative characteristics of nanocarrier were evaluated. Based on the results the massive physical structure of Curcumin and also increases the viscosity of the material dispersed phase in the presence of active, loading Curcumin in the developed nanocarrier led to significant (p<0.05) increase in nanoparticles size. DSC analyses showed that the crystalline states of produced nanocarriers were less ordered than pure materials and indicated that the curcumin was well incorporated in lipid matrices. However, our pretest showed that concentration of 5% Glycerol distearate and 0.25% Curcumin was the optimum for the production of Solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructure lipid carriers.

Use of wastes such as seeds of summer crops leads to re-enter these valuable sources into the food cycle. Therefore, it causes enhancement of the nutritional values and production of functional foods in food industries. The aim of this study was assessment of the effects of feed composition variables and screw speed on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of breakfast cereals based on cornmeal and wheat flour enriched with melon seeds to achieve optimal results.

In this study, response surface methodology was used to estimate effects of formulation variables, including melon seed flour (10–20%), moisture content (12–20%) and screw speed (120–180 rpm) on expansion ratio, bulk density, hardness, water absorption index, water solubility index and sensory acceptance.

Results showed that increases in melon seed in mixtures of cornmeal and wheat flour increased density and hardness of the extruded snacks while the expansion ratio and water absorption decreased. The optimum conditions for the production of snacks included 10.1% melon seeds, 18% moisture content and 172.39 RPM screw speed.

In Conclusion, breakfast cereals with whole melon seed flour can be suggested as functional foods with nutritional and health benefits. The final product includes desired sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability.

One of the problems with the processed meat products shelf life is the formation of yellow spots in sausages. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the microbial agents causing yellow stain from sausage by molecular- and culture-based methods. For this purpose, 15 samples from yellow spot and separation areas of chicken sausages were sampled. A total of 44 colonies grown on the MRS, M17, YGC, and PDB culture medium were inoculated into pre-packaged cutting sausages to induce the yellow spot. Yellow spots appearance9 samples and they were characterized by both culture-based methods and sequencing of a 350 bp fragment from 16S rRNA V3 region and a 800bp fragment from 18S rRNA ITS4 region. The results of the culture-based and molecular assay showed that the main causes of the yellow spots in the chicken sausage packaged under vacuum were Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus faecium and Candida saitoana. In addition, one species of Enterococcus and one species of Candida were also identified at the genus level. Examination of yellow spotted samples also showed that the microorganisms that cause yellow spotting cause changes in pH, color indices L*, a* and b*, and syneresis compared to the control sample but the rate of change is only in the syneresis quantity and a* was significant.

Nowadays, malnutritioncaused by fiber and protein is one of the most essential nutritional problems in the world. Fortification of expanded products by fiber supplements leads to preparation of low fat, low calorie and low cholesterol products. Jujube has a variety of therapeutic effects, such as lower blood sugar, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammation and hepatotoxic effects. In this project, central composite design was used to study the effect of feed moisture (12, 16,18%), jujube flour addition (5,10,15%) and screw speed (120, 150, 180 rpm) on physicochemical properties (expansion, porosity, water and fat absorption) and the total acceptance of extrudates based on corn-wheat flour (50-50%). Results showed that the addition of jujube flour reduced the porosity and expansion of the extrudates although increase screw speed and jujube flour simultaneously due to reduction in viscosity leaded to higher expansion, porosity, therefor caused an improvement in characteristics of snacks. The highest total acceptance score (4.33) was for the sample with lowest amount of jujube flour and moisture and the highest level of screw speed. Addition of jujube flour had a negative effect on the overall acceptance of samples, due to the high amount of sugar, the caramelization is carried out during the heat extrusion resulting darker color, sticky texture and burned taste of product. Optimum condition for puffed snack production was foundto be 13.19% feed moisture content, 6.30 % jujube flour, 122.2% screw speed.Nowadays, malnutrition caused by fiber and protein is one of the most essential nutritional problems in the world. Fortification of expanded products by fiber supplements leads to preparation of low fat, low calorie and low cholesterol products. Jujube has a variety of therapeutic effects, such as lower blood sugar, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammation and hepatotoxic effects. In this project, central composite design was used to study the effect of feed moisture (12, 16,18%), jujube flour addition (5,10,15%) and screw speed (120, 150, 180 rpm) on physicochemical properties (expansion, porosity, water and fat absorption) and the total acceptance of extrudates based on corn-wheat flour (50-50%). Results showed that the addition of jujube flour reduced the porosity and expansion of the extrudates although increase screw speed and jujube flour simultaneously due to reduction in viscosity leaded to higher expansion, porosity, therefor caused an improvement in characteristics of snacks. The highest total acceptance score (4.33) was for the sample with lowest amount of jujube flour and moisture and the highest level of screw speed. Addition of jujube flour had a negative effect on the overall acceptance of samples, due to the high amount of sugar, the caramelization is carried out during the heat extrusion resulting darker color, sticky texture and burned taste of product. Optimum condition for puffed snack production was found to be 13.19% feed moisture content, 6.30 % jujube flour, 122.2% screw speed.Nowadays, malnutrition caused by fiber and protein is one of the most essential nutritional problems in the world. Fortification of expanded products by fiber supplements leads to preparation of low fat, low calorie and low cholesterol products. Jujube has a variety of therapeutic effects, such as lower blood sugar, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammation and hepatotoxic effects. In this project, central composite design was used to study the effect of feed moisture (12, 16,18%), jujube flour addition (5,10,15%) and screw speed (120, 150, 180 rpm) on physicochemical properties (expansion, porosity, water and fat absorption) and the total acceptance of extrudates based on corn-wheat flour (50-50%). Results showed that the addition of jujube flour reduced the porosity and expansion of the extrudates although increase screw speed and jujube flour simultaneously due to reduction in viscosity leaded to higher expansion, porosity, therefor caused an improvement in characteristics of snacks. The highest total acceptance score (4.33) was for the sample with lowest amount of jujube flour and moisture and the highest level of screw speed. Addition of jujube flour had a negative effect on the overall acceptance of samples, due to the high amount of sugar, the caramelization is carried out during the heat extrusion resulting darker color, sticky texture and burned taste of product. Optimum condition for puffed snack production was found to be 13.19% feed moisture content, 6.30 % jujube flour, 122.2% screw speed.Nowadays, malnutrition caused by fiber and protein is one of the most essential nutritional problems in the world. Fortification of expanded products by fiber supplements leads to preparation of low fat, low calorie and low cholesterol products. Jujube has a variety of therapeutic effects, such as lower blood sugar, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammation and hepatotoxic effects. In this project, central composite design was used to study the effect of feed moisture (12, 16,18%), jujube flour addition (5,10,15%) and screw speed (120, 150, 180 rpm) on physicochemical properties (expansion, porosity, water and fat absorption) and the total acceptance of extrudates based on corn-wheat flour (50-50%). Results showed that the addition of jujube flour reduced the porosity and expansion of the extrudates although increase screw speed and jujube flour simultaneously due to reduction in viscosity leaded to higher expansion, porosity, therefor caused an improvement in characteristics of snacks. The highest total acceptance score (4.33) was for the sample with lowest amount of jujube flour and moisture and the highest level of screw speed. Addition of jujube flour had a negative effect on the overall acceptance of samples, due to the high amount of sugar, the caramelization is carried out during the heat extrusion resulting darker color, sticky texture and burned taste of product. Optimum condition for puffed snack production was found to be 13.19% feed moisture content, 6.30 % jujube flour, 122.2% screw speed.

Carum copticum Essential oil (CCEO) after drying in the shade, to hydro-distillation by a Clevenger apparatus was extracted. The antimicrobial activity of CCEO were evaluated dilution preparation by disc diffusion method and well diffusion agar. In order to standardize the method of standard microorganism (ATCC) were used. The results showed that the inhibition zone diameter increased in the two methods of diffusion disk agar and well diffusion agar by increasing the essential oil concentration. The smallest inhibition zone diameter against different CCEO concentrations belonged to Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The results of WAD and DDA demonstrated that Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to TPEO than the Gram-negative ones. The most inhibition zone diameter against different CCEO concentrations belonged to Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CCEO for Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans was 0.5, 1, 2, 2, 4, 8 and 1 mg/ml respectively. The minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) for microorganisms was 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 8 and 1 mg/ml respectively.

Extruded snacks were among the most commercially successful extruded foods. Extrusion cooking is the process extensively used for the production of snacks which are mainly produced from cereal flour or starches.  Extruded snacks are normally high in calories and fat with low content of protein, fiber, and perceived as unhealthy food to many consumers. Several attempts to improve the nutritional profile of extruded starch by using food by-products have been reported (Onwulata et al., 2001; Stojceska et al., 2008). Zizyphus jujube (Rhamnaceae) is widely distributed in Iran and the fruit of this plant has gained wide attention in native herbal medicine for the treatment of a broad range of disorders. Chemical analysis of the fruit has shown the presence of antioxidants. The high consumption of low-value meals and malnutrition among the population, especially children and adolescents, is one of the problems that exists today in society, Therefore, in this research, production of high-nutritional snack with jujube flour was studied.

Extrusion: In this study, a parallel twin-screw extruder (SAIXIN, model DS56, China) was applied, screw diameter of 15 mm, die diameter of 3 mm, and extrusion temperature of 180°C. Central composite statistical design was used to study the effect of feed moisture (12, 16, 18%), jujube flour addition (5, 10, 15%) and screw speed (120, 150, 180 rpm) on physicochemical properties, texture and color of expanded extrudates based on corn-wheat flour (50-50%). Bulk density was calculated using AACC (2000). The WSI of the dry solids regained through the evaporation of the supernatant obtained from the water absorption test was calculated. Textural measurement: The hardness of the extruded snacks was measured using Texture Analyzer (TAXT plus, England). The cylinder steel probe (2 mm diameter) was set to move at a speed of 1 mm/s. The samples were punctured by the probe to a distance of 8 mm. the color of samples was measured using an image processing technique (Lotfi Shirazi et al., 2020). The color parameters L* (lightness), a*(redness), b*(yellowness) values of the samples were obtained. Response surface methodology was applied for experimental data using a commercial statistical package, Design Expert (version 8.0) for the generation of response surface plot and statistical analysis of the experimental data. The second-order polynomial model was selected to predict the optimal point of the responses.

Results showed that the addition of jujube flour independently increased the density 0.33, hardness 35.73 N, solubility 42% and redness (a*) 3.41, and reduced the color brightness parameter (L*) 89.1 of the samples. Similar fiber effects for pineapple pulp (Salani et al., 2014), a mixture of barley flour and grape pulp (Altan et al., 2009) and beet fiber (Lue et al., 1994) has been observed. The reduction of bulk density in samples with increasing screw speed is probably due to the starch gelatinization. When gelatinization of the starch material increased, the volume of extruded product also increased giving low density to the samples (Hagenimana et al., 2006). The WSI is a parameter which indicates the degradation of starch granules (Sharma et al., 2015). WSI decreased with increasing feed moisture and increased with increasing jujube flour or screw speed. Increase in solubility of extruded products under mild extrusion condition could result from dispersion of amylose and amylopectin molecules during gelatinization; while, the formation of low molecular weight compounds under severe conditions (low moisture and high temperature) is the main reason for an increase in flour solubility (Colonna et al., 1984). Color changing during extrusion process can provide important information regarding the degree of browning and Maillard reaction, and also pigment degradation. Increasing the feed moisture increased flour L* while it decreased the a* and ∆E of the final product. This is probably due to the decrease in mass residence time inside the extruder which causes shorter residence time necessary for non-enzymatic darkening (Lazou and Krokida, 2011). Texture is one of the most important sensory properties of extruded products in the development of snack products. Increasing the feed moisture and jujube flour increased hardness of samples. This can be explained by the effect of fiber on cell wall thickness.  However, the simultaneous effect of two parameters of screw speed and jujube flour improved the properties of the snacks, by which the increase of the screw speed may cause a decrease of the starch viscosity and then lead to extrudates with reduced hardness 1.79 N. Optimum conditions for puffed snack production was found to be 13.19% feed moisture content, 6.30 % jujube flour, 122.2% screw speed.

Immunoglobin Y (IgY) or egg yolk antibodies have captured attention as substitutes for antibiotics against the presence of disease-causing organisms (Thomsen et al., 2016; Li et al., 2015; Pereira et al., 2019). Compared to mammalian IgG, IgY has several advantages including high yield, cost-effectiveness, and convenience (Li et al., 2015). It has been reported that the use of IgY against Helicobacter pylori can be particularly useful for prevention and treatment of diseases (Najdi et al., 2016). The growth inhibitory effect of IgY antibody is one of its crucial features (Alfarouk et al., 2019), meaning that IgY antibody could be consumed daily with no health risks. Therefore, daily consumption of IgY requires a suitable host. The ice cream is the best choice for this proposed, because this product is maintained at -18 C and ice cream composition has positive effect on the function of IgY. Therefore, we develop a new product for the prevention and treatment of Helicobacter pylori.

The Mueller-Hinton media was used for H. pylori growth. Then, 109 colonies of bacterium were inactivated by formaldehyde methods. The 3 white leghorn chickens (Animal Science Department of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad) of 16 weeks old were immunized by H. pylori and Freund’s complete adjuvant with an equal volume. The reminder immunization was done two weeks later and using of Freund’s incomplete adjuvant for stage 2. One week after the chickens received their last injection, their eggs were collected on a daily basis for eight weeks, labeled and kept at 4 °C (Pauly et al., 2011). Extraction and purification of IgY antibody from egg yolk was done using polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) powder (Merck, Germany) according to Polson’s method (Pauly et al., 2011). The IgY production wasverified by the SDS-PAGE and Bradford methods. The specific activity of IgY antibody against H. pylori was examined by ELISA. The absorbance of each well was measured at 492 nm (Nasiri et al., 2016). The egg yolk ice cream preparation contains IgY was prepared according to the method of Herald et al (2008). For estimation of IgY shelf life in ice cream, the residual activity of IgY after freezing was measured by ELISA. The Sensory evaluation of the egg yolk ice creams was conducted by 5-point hedonic scale through surveys to assess consumers’ level of acceptance.

The purification of IgY using the SDS-PAGE method was verified correctly and the size of heavy and light chains of IgY was estimated about 65 and 27 kDa. The IgY yield in samples was 11.46 mg/ml, therefore, the high purity and yield of IgY, it could be effectively used as an ideal antibody in the food industry. The purification of IgY from egg yolk by PEG method is remarkably cost effective. The ELISA assay indicated binding of IgY to H. pylori antigen that was fixed on plates. Also, the results revealed significant differences between the control and treatment groups (P-value <0.001). The shelf life of IgY in ice cream showed that this product could be most certainly used as bio-food. ELISA analysis confirmed that IgY could remain effective in ice cream for 3 months. The activity of IgY during this period decreased about 6%, which is insignificant. The sensory features of ice cream using hedonic scale revealed that this product could be suitable for marketing, as no significant difference was found between egg yolk and vanilla ice creams. Ice cream is considered as the best candidate for production of IgY bio-foods, as it possesses the features needed to protect IgY and to increase efficiency of IgY activity. The optimum temperature for protection of ice cream was -18 °C that is utterly suitable for IgY protection. Furthermore, ice cream is consumed while cold and studies showed that IgY can remain active at temperatures of up to 80 °C and pasteurization process had no effect on IgY activity (Horie et al., 2004). Jaradat et al (2000) reported that, IgY activity was inhibited in presence of carbohydrates (sucrose, lactose and trehalose). Therefore, here, we used freeze dried egg yolk to protect IgY. Consequently, ice-cream is an ideal candidate for transferring antibodies into human body, as the particular composition of ice cream can properly protect IgY antibodies.

Monascus purpureus can produce a wide range of natural pigments so attract the attention of food producers as substitute of synthetic colors. Monascus pigments usually accompanied with citrinin contamination which limits their wide application in foods. The usage of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known as a useful biological way for citrinin elimination. In this study, the effect of  Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in twomodes of treatment (heat treatment at 121  °C and acid treatment in 2M HCL) and live at three different concentrations (103, 104, 105 CFU/mL) were investigated on the amount of citrinin and yellow, orange and red pigments produced by Monascus purpureus. The results showed that live yeast cell and yeast cells treated by heat and acid significantly decreased the citrinin in culture, so that citrinin content decreased from 4.43 mg/L in control sample to 0.9, 0.10 and 0.07 mg/L (at 105 CFU/mL yeast suspension) respectively. The maximum amount of yellow, orange and red extracellular and intracellular measured pigments belong to the samples with live yeast, while the amount of this pigments in the samples containing yeast treated with heat and acid reduced respectively. Among the treatments, the use of live yeast at concentration of 104 CFU/mL per milliliter provided the best conditions to achieve the desired goal.

Snack foods contain main parts of food habit among people in the world. Recently the high rate of consumption and variety of extruded snacks is proven to increase the attention to nutritional quality besides keeping desired acceptability of products. In this study, based on central composite design the effect of independent variables consist of the whole Oleaster powder (5- 15%), moisture content (12- 20%), screw speed (120-180 RPM), were investigated on the physicochemical, textural and color of extrudates based on corn- wheat grit. results showed that, Increasing Oleaster content caused an increase in the density, hardness and solubility. Whereas, Increase screw rate and oleaster content simultaneously leaded to a lower density. In low amount of moisture content, improvement of oleaster content didn’t significant effect on hardness. However by boosting recent factors gradually, the hardness of products increased dramatically. Moisture content and screw speed had absolute effect on lightness of extrudates. Meanwhile improvement of oleaster content caused a decrease in lightness. Optimum condition was determined to be the feed moisture content (13.87%), oleaster content (5%) and screw speed rate (166.7 rpm).

The highconsumption of low nutritional value snacksand malnutrition of children and teenagers are one of the major problems in society. Usually, the small seeds that are in watermelon, although they are rich in nutrients including fatty acids, essential proteins, and many minerals are not used and have been thrown away.

This study was performed on the basis of a rotating central composite design. The effects of extrusion variables including screw speed (120-180 rpm), watermelon powder (10-20%) and feed moisture content (12-20%) on the physicochemical properties (expansion ratio, oil and water absorption index, porosity, and total acceptance) of expanded snack on the basis of corn-wheat flour grits were evaluated.

The results showedthat watermelon flour decreased the expansion coefficient and porosity, however, the interaction effect of screw speed and watermelon flour improved the physicochemical properties of the samples. The increasing screw speed led to a decrease in the viscosity and therefore the expansion coefficient and porosity increased.

The optimization of snack formulation was performed to find the optimum conditions of production. The watermelon flour of 11.31%, feed moisture content of 15.56% and a screw speed of 171.15 rpm were found to be to optimum conditions.