Massive continuous irrigation (MCI) and endoscopic debridement as an alternative treatment strategy for refractory abscess-fistula complexes

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of massive continuous irrigation (MCI) and endoscopic debridement for the treatment of refractory abscess-fistula complexes.

METHODS

This was a retrospective single-center observational study involving 12 patients with refractory abscess-fistula complexes. All patients had experienced long-term treatment failure or had failed multiple treatment modalities. We used over two catheters and inserted them via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or percutaneously to form a circulation pathway to achieve MCI of normal saline, endoscopic debridement was then performed. The treatment success rate, irrigation volume and treatment duration, time to abscess-fistula complex closure, intra-treatment complications, and recurrence rate were recorded.

RESULTS

The treatment success rates were 100%. The median time of previous treatment was 32 days (range 7-912 days). The mean time from the use of the novel treatment strategy to abscess-fistula complex healing was 18.8 ± 11.0 days. The mean volume of irrigation was 10 804 ± 1669 mL/24 h. The mean irrigation time was 16.5 ± 9.2 days, and a median of two irrigation tubes (range 2-5) were used. No complications occurred either during or after the procedure. During the follow-up of 23.1 ± 18.1 months, no recurrence or adverse events were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

MCI and endoscopic debridement may be a feasible, safe, and effective alternative treatment for refractory abscess-fistula complexes. Large prospective studies are needed to validate our results.

Environmental Management of Equine Asthma

Environmental practices related to the inhalation of airborne dust have been identified as the main cause of equine asthma (EA) and reasonably, they are truly relevant in its treatment and control, especially for horses with its severe form. Vast research regarding environmental recommendations has been conducted in recent years. However, no recent exhaustive reviews exist that gather all this new evidence. The aim of this review is to report and compare the most pertinent information concerning the environmental management of EA. The main findings highlight the importance of the type of forage used for feeding but also its method of production and possible contamination during manufacture and/or storage. Procedures to reduce this, such as soaking and steaming hay, improve its hygienic quality, although they also decrease forage's nutritional value, making dietetic supplementation necessary. Regarding stabling, despite some conflicting results, avoiding straw as bedding and improving barn ventilation continue to be the common recommendations if turning to pasture is not feasible. Finally, owners' compliance has been identified as the most critical point in correct environmental control. Educating owners about the genuine benefits of these measures should be a cornerstone of EA management.

LifeSoaks: a tool for analyzing solvent channels in protein crystals and obstacles for soaking experiments

Due to the structural complexity of proteins, their corresponding crystal arrangements generally contain a significant amount of solvent-occupied space. These areas allow a certain degree of intracrystalline protein flexibility and mobility of solutes. Therefore, knowledge of the geometry of solvent-filled channels and cavities is essential whenever the dynamics inside a crystal are of interest. Especially in soaking experiments for structure-based drug design, ligands must be able to traverse the crystal solvent channels and reach the corresponding binding pockets. Unsuccessful screenings are sometimes attributed to the geometry of the crystal packing, but the underlying causes are often difficult to understand. This work presents LifeSoaks, a novel tool for analyzing and visualizing solvent channels in protein crystals. LifeSoaks uses a Voronoi diagram-based periodic channel representation which can be efficiently computed. The size and location of channel bottlenecks, which might hinder molecular diffusion, can be directly derived from this representation. This work presents the calculated bottleneck radii for all crystal structures in the PDB and the analysis of a new, hand-curated data set of structures obtained by soaking experiments. The results indicate that the consideration of bottleneck radii and the visual inspection of channels are beneficial for planning soaking experiments.

Experimental and computational analyses for advanced wastewater treatment by volcanic rocks

Treating and reusing wastewater is a promising alternative for the water shortage problem. The advanced treatment of such water can provide a good source for plant irrigation and other applications and reduce the demand for the available freshwater resources. This alternate is highly recommended for arid and semi-arid counties. In this research, volcanic rock (VR) is introduced as an advanced and low-cost treatment option for wastewater. The volcanic rock was adopted as an adsorption tool for removing impurities from the secondary treated wastewater effluents. The study relies on experimental work on a lab scale. Many parameters were investigated such as loose and compacted layered samples, and pretreated methods for the rocks including soaking in clean water or heating for different temperatures. Simulation work also was adopted to validate the experimental results. The study results showed a decline in most physiochemical properties of wastewater after adding VR compared with the control sample. A notable removable for the measurements of the biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from wastewater in the presence of VR was observed, which may introduce it as a tool for the advanced treatment of wastewater. The numerical results depicted the experimental data and reflected the effectiveness of the VR-based geomaterial filter for the treatment of wastewater. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Prewashing process for volcanic rock (VR) exhibited an improvement in its removal efficiency ranged between 18% to 98% as for TDS and removal of NO3 - , respectively. Heating samples does not improve the removable properties of VR. A notable removable for biological oxygen demand and COD by 96% and 99%, respectively, for some cases from wastewater, may introduce the VR as a tool for advanced treatment of wastewater. The numerical test results are in consistent with the experimental behavior of the VR and reflect the effectiveness of the VR-based geomaterial filter for the treatment of wastewater.

Effect of variety and malting conditions on proteolytic activity, free amino nitrogen, and soluble protein contents of two maize varieties (Atp-Y and Coca-sr): amylolytic activity and physico-chemical and functional properties of optimal sample

Introduction

The utilization of sprouted meals in beer production and enhancing the physicochemical properties of supplementary foods is widespread in Africa. This work aimed to determine the influence of soaking, germination, maturation and variety conditions on the physicochemical properties, proteolytic activity, free amino nitrogen (FAN) and soluble protein contents of Coca-sr and Atp-Y maize varieties.

Methods

To achieve this, the central composite design (CCD) was used for the optimization of five parameters, namely soaking time (18-42 h), plant salt concentration (0.5-1.2%), soaking temperature (25-41°C), sprouting time (80-195 h) and ripening time (17.50-42 h), and following dependent variables were investigated: proteolytic activity, FAN content and soluble protein. Optimal samples flours obtained were then subsequently subjected to physicochemical and functional analysis.

Results

The analysis of results showed that the linear, interactive and quadratic effects of the factors significantly (p<0.05) affected the proteolytic activity, FAN and soluble protein contents of both varieties. The direction of each factor's variation and its effects were not similar in the two varieties. The optimal malting conditions were 7.31 h soaking with 1.678% vegetable salt at a temperature of 34.65°C followed by sprouting for 245.59 h and maturation for 0.765 h for the Atp-Y variety. For the Coca-sr variety, it requires 1.608 h of soaking with 1.678% vegetable salt at a temperature of 51.93°C followed by 273.94 h and 58.73 h for sprouting and ripening time respectively. The meals of Coca-sr produces using these optimal conditions showed a significantly (p<0.05) higher proteolytic activity, FAN and soluble protein content. The amylolytic activity was more pronounced in the Atp-Y variety, as was the content of essential amino acids. The above optimal conditions reduced the content of anti-nutrients (phytates, saponins, oxalates, condensed and hydrolysable tannins), improved the availability of minerals (Ca and Mg), reduced the pH, mass density, water retention capacity and swelling rate.

Conclusion

As a result, the optimal flours of these two maize varieties could be applied in the formulation of supplementary foods, bakery products and beer by industrialists.

Use of Winemaking By-Products for the Functionalization of Polylactic Acid for Biomedical Applications

The addition of naturally active compounds to implantable polymers is an efficient strategy against inflammation issues that might lead to rejection, while promoting controlled re-endothelialization of the tissues. This work proposes the use of winemaking by-products with high active properties of biomedical interest to obtain bioactive PLA by using supercritical technologies. First, two red grape pomace extracts, obtained by high-pressure extraction with supercritical CO₂ and cosolvents (either ethanol or water-ethanol), have been studied. Second, two impregnation methods have been studied with both extracts, traditional supercritical CO₂-assisted impregnation (SSI) and a novel pressurized soaking method (PSI). The amount of extract impregnated as well as the bioactivity levels achieved-i.e., antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties- have been determined for each extract and impregnation method at different pressure and temperature conditions. Both extracts obtained had good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial capacities, especially the hydroethanolic one (0.50 ± 0.03 mg TE/g versus 0.24 ± 0.03 mg TE/g, respectively). Regarding impregnated filaments, impregnation loadings depended especially on the extract and P/T conditions, providing up to 8% (extract mass/polymer mass) of impregnation. The antioxidant capacity increased noteworthily by using the ethanolic extract by PSI, with values near 100 µg TE/g PLA.

Wrap It! Preventive Antimicrobial Treatment Shows No Negative Effects on Tenocytes and Tendons-A Comprehensive Approach

Although the rate of infection after the reconstruction of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is low, prophylactic incubation of the graft with vancomycin (Vanco-wrap or vancomycin soaking) is routinely performed. A cytotoxic effect of vancomycin is reported for several cell types, and the prophylactic treatment might prevent infection but harm the tissue and cells.

AIM

A comprehensive study was performed to investigate the effect of vancomycin on tendon tissue and isolated tenocytes using cell viability, molecular and mechanical analysis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Rat tendons or isolated tenocytes were incubated in increasing concentrations of vancomycin (0-10 mg/mL) for different times, and cell viability, gene expression, histology and Young's modulus were analyzed.

RESULTS

The clinically used concentration of vancomycin (5 mg/mL for 20 min) had no negative effect on cell viability in the tendons or the isolated tenocytes, while incubation with the toxic control significantly reduced cell viability. Increasing the concentration and prolonging the incubation time had no negative effect on the cells. The expression of Col1a1, Col3a1 and the tenocyte markers mohawk, scleraxis and tenomodulin was not affected by the various vancomycin concentrations. The structural integrity as measured through histological and mechanical testing was not compromised.

CONCLUSION

The results proved the safe application of the Vanco-wrap on tendon tissue.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Application of Central Composite Design and Superimposition Approach for Optimization of Drying Parameters of Pretreated Cassava Flour

The primary goals of this study were to identify the influence of temperature and drying time on pretreated cassava flour, as well as the optimal settings for the factors and to analyze the microstructure of cassava flour. The experiment was designed using the response surface methodology with central composite design and the superimposition approach in order to assess the effect of drying temperature (45.85-74.14 °C) and drying time (3.96-11.03 h) and the optimal drying conditions of the cassava flour investigated. Soaking and blanching were applied as pretreatments to freshly sliced cassava tubers. The value moisture content of cassava flour was between 6.22% and 11.07%, whereas the observed whiteness index in cassava flour ranged from 72.62 to 92.67 in all pretreated cassava flour samples. Through analysis of variance, each drying factor, their interaction, and all squared terms had a substantial impact on moisture content and whiteness index. The optimized values for drying temperature and drying time for each pretreated cassava flour were 70 °C and 10 h, respectively. The microstructure showed a non-gelatinized, relatively homogeneous in size and shape sample with pretreatment soaked in distilled water at room temperature. These study results are relevant to the development of more sustainable cassava flour production.

Improvement of Robusta coffee aroma with l-leucine powder

BACKGROUND

l-Leucine powder (LP) was added to green Robusta coffee beans in order to reduce the difference in flavour between Robusta and Arabica coffee. l-Leucine was selected as an additive based on the Maillard reaction. The pre-treatment method conducted in this study was a short soaking (M1) or spraying procedure (M2), then LP was added at varying levels up to 3% (w/w, 30 g kg^-1 ). All samples were roasted (240 °C for 15 min) and extracted using an espresso machine. Volatile compounds were analysed by solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass selective detection.

RESULTS

Thirty volatile compounds (six pyrroles, eight pyrazines, three phenols, nine furans, two ketones, two aldehydes) were analysed. In 15 coffee samples, the levels of total volatile compounds (based on peak area ratios) ranged from 8.9 (M1-1) to 15. Non-treated Robusta had higher levels of bitter aroma compounds than Arabica coffee, and Robusta coffee had lower levels of bitter aroma compounds when pre-treated with LP. The sum of bitter volatiles (phenols, pyrroles, pyrazines) was lowest in M1-5 (3% LP), M2-1 (1% LP; both dried at 50 °C for 15 min) and M2-7 (3% LP, dried at 70 °C for 15 min) compared with non-treated Robusta (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

From the results of this study it can be shown that pre-treatment with LP can improve the flavour of Robusta. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of soaking and air-resting on the phytochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of Piper guineense (Schum and Thonn) seeds

BACKGROUND

Soaking and air-resting are processing steps in malting. This has been reported to increase metabolic and enzyme activities in rice paddy as a result of exposure of the grain to atmospheric oxygen. The present study evaluated the effect of soaking and air-resting on the phytochemical composition of Piper guineense seeds. The seed extracts were prepared by: soaking the seeds in water for 4 h; air-resting for 30, 60, 90, and 120 min; and re-soaking for another 4 h. The out-of-steep seeds were milled and an extract was formed by tissue homogenization and maceration using ethanol. The phytochemical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of the seed extract were determined using standard methods.

RESULTS

The alkaloid, flavonoid, saponin, tannin, and total phenol contents were 0.126-0.268, 0.091-0.172, 0.080-0.123, 0.00-0.107, and 0.447-0.908 g kg^-1 respectively. The antioxidant properties (reducing power) of the seed extracts were concentration-dependent and were in the range 1.08-3.24 g kg^-1 at 8 mg mL^-1 , 1.14-3.47 g kg^-1 at 16 mg mL^-1 , 1.30-3.35 g kg^-1 at 24 mg mL^-1 , 1.26-3.11 g kg^-1 at 32 mg mL^-1 , and 1.13-3.04 g kg^-1 at 40 mg mL^-1 , respectively. The antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed that, at 100 mg mL^-1 , the inhibition zone diameters of the seed extracts were in the range 10-23 mm.

CONCLUSION

Soaking and air-resting of P. guineense seeds increased the phytochemical components of the seeds. The extracts from the seeds air-rested for 30 min showed the highest phytochemical contents and had the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Reduction in the Residues of Penthiopyrad in Processed Edible Vegetables by Various Soaking Treatments and Health Hazard Evaluation in China

Tomato and cucumber are two vital edible vegetables that usually appear in people's daily diet. Penthiopyrad is a new type of amide chiral fungicide, which is often used for disease control of vegetables (including tomato and cucumber) due to its wide bactericidal spectrum, low toxicity, good penetration, and strong internal absorption. Extensive application of penthiopyrad may have caused potential pollution in the ecosystem. Different processing methods can remove pesticide residues from vegetables and protect human health. In this study, the penthiopyrad removal efficiency of soaking and peeling from tomatoes and cucumbers was evaluated under different conditions. Among different soaking methods, heated water soaking and water soaking with additives (NaCl, acetic acid, and surfactant) presented a more effective reduction ability than other treatments. Due to the specific physicochemical properties of tomatoes and cucumbers, the ultrasound enhances the removal rate of soaking for tomato samples and inhibits it for cucumber samples. Peeling can remove approximately 90% of penthiopyrad from contaminated tomato and cucumber samples. Enantioselectivity was found only during tomato sauce storage, which may be related to the complex microbial community. Health risk assessment data suggests that tomatoes and cucumbers are safer for consumers after soaking and peeling. The results may provide consumers with some useful information to choose better household processing methods to remove penthiopyrad residues from tomatoes, cucumbers, and other edible vegetables.

Effects of Soaking on the Volatile Compounds, Textural Property, Phytochemical Contents, and Antioxidant Capacity of Brown Rice

Brown rice is a staple whole grain worldwide. Hence, the effects of cooking on the nutritional properties of brown rice are important considerations in the field of public health. Soaking is a key stage during rice cooking; however, different rice cookers use different soaking conditions and the effects of this on the physiochemical properties and nutritional composition of cooked brown rice remain unknown. In this study, the setting of varied soaking conditions was realized by a power-adjustable rice cooker, and the effects of soaking temperature (40, 50, 60 and 70 °C) and time (30 and 60 min) on cooked brown rice were thoroughly analyzed. Textural results revealed that cooked brown rice was softer and stickier after soaking. Grain hardness decreased by increasing the soaking temperature and time. Furthermore, stickiness after soaking for 60 min was higher than that after 30 min, and this decreased with the soaking temperature. There was no significant unpleasant flavor after soaking, and the volatile compound profile between soaked and unsoaked brown rice was similar. Neither soaking temperature nor time had any significant effect on the phytochemical contents (phenolic compounds, α-tocopherol and γ-oryzanol) or antioxidant capacity of cooked brown rice, whereas γ-aminobutyric acid content was effectively preserved within a certain soaking temperature range. Textural properties can be effectively controlled by soaking temperature and time, and nutritional properties remain stable when soaking at 40-70 °C for 30-60 min.

Star Polycation Mediated dsRNA Improves the Efficiency of RNA Interference in Phytoseiulus persimilis

RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the most widely used techniques to study gene functions. There is still a lack of RNAi techniques that can be applied in Phytoseiidae conveniently and efficiently. Star Polycation is a new nanomaterial commonly used as a carrier of dsRNA in RNAi. Five genes of P. persimilis (PpATPb, PpATPd, PpRpL11, PpRpS2, and Pptra-2) were selected to verify whether SPc promotes the delivery of dsRNA into P. persimilis through soaking. When each of the five genes were interfered using SPc-mediated dsRNA, the total number of success offspring produced per female in six days decreased by ca. 92%, 92%, 91%, 96%, and 64%. When PpATPb, PpATPd, PpRpL11, or PpRpS2 was interfered, both the fecundity and egg hatching rate decreased. In contrast, when Pptra-2 was interfered, reduction in the reproductive capability was mainly the result of the decreased egg hatching rate. Correspondingly, when the target gene was interfered, P. persimilis expression of PpRpL11 reduced by 63.95%, while that of the other four genes reduced by at least 80%. Our studies showed that nanomaterials, such as SPc, have the potential to be used in RNA interference of phytoseiid mites.

Physical Treatment Reduces Trypsin Inhibitor Activity and Modifies Chemical Composition of Marama Bean (Tylosema esculentum)

The utility of the marama bean (MB) as an alternative protein source to soybean (SB) can be limited by the high concentration of trypsin inhibitors (TI). The physical treatment of MB has the potential to ameliorate the antinutritional activities of TI and modify other chemical components. Thus, this study investigated the effects of physical treatments on the chemical components and trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) of raw MB and SB. The bean substrates were subjected to each of the following treatment methods: (1) room temperature (20−22 °C) soaking for 24 h; (2) electric stove cooking at 100 °C for 10, 20, and 30 min; (3) steam autoclaving at a temperature of 110 °C and pressure of 7 pounds per square inch (psi), as well as a temperature of 121 °C and 7 psi for 5, 15, and 30 min; (4) pre-soaked autoclaving at 110 °C (7 psi) and 121 °C (17 psi) for 5, 15, and 30 min. Treated MB and SB had greater (p < 0.05) crude protein content than untreated samples. All the treatments (except 24 h soaking of MB) reduced (p < 0.05) the TIA and ash content. Marama and SB are similar in protein content, but their amino acids profile and TIA are quite different. Soaking for 24 h was less effective in reducing TIA in MB and SB, compared to the thermal methods, and it was detrimental to the ash and amino acids profile of the two beans. Soaking prior to autoclaving yielded beans with the lowest TI concentrations. In conclusion, thermal methods reduced the TI contents and modified the level of proximate components and amino acids profile of the beans.

Elucidation of chickpea hydration, effect of soaking temperature, and extent of germination on characteristics of malted flour

Germination is a biochemical process that has been widely used to improve the nutritional quality, functional properties, and bioavailability of the protein. Soaking is the preliminary step for germination. Effect of soaking temperature on germination parameters was studied to select the suitable soaking temperature for germination. The effect of germination time on nutritional, functional, and microstructural properties of chickpea flour was evaluated. The soaking temperature was selected as 30°C depending on the germination percentage, vigor value, and mean germination time. Physico-chemical composition, antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, total phenolic, and total flavonoid were investigated over 4 days of germination. It was found that protein content increased on dry matter basis, whereas carbohydrate and fat content decreased during germination. Ascorbic acid content was found to increase to about 3.52 times. Antioxidant activity increased from 24.14% to 58.50% after 4 days of germination. Water absorption capacity was found to decrease, whereas oil absorption capacity increased. XRD pattern depicted a decrease in crystallinity due to the degradation of amylopectin and increased amylose content. SEM was used to study the microstructural changes with increase in germination time. DSC studies were also carried out to study the effect of germination on thermal properties of chickpea flour. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research work gives an outline of the available literature on the mechanism of hydration and germination process with the associated chemical and biochemical changes in the bioactive components along with the special emphasis on the health benefits. The present work is an effort toward the development of chickpea-based meal-replacement beverages.

RNAi-Mediated Screening of Selected Target Genes Against Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Culex quinquefasciatus, a member of the Culex pipiens complex, is widespread in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world. It is a vector for lymphatic filariasis, Rift Valley fever, and West Nile virus. Studies have shown the deleterious effect of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of various lethal genes in model and agricultural pest insects. RNAi was proposed as a tool for mosquito control with a focus on Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. In this study, we examined the effect of RNAi of selected target genes on both larval mortality and adult emergence of Cx. quinquefasciatus through two delivery methods: soaking and nanoparticles. Ten candidate genes were selected for RNAi based on their known lethal effect in other insects. Disruption of three genes, chitin synthase-1, inhibitor of apoptosis 1, and vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase, resulted in the highest mortality among the selected genes using the two treatment methods. Silencing the other seven genes resulted in a medium to low mortality in both assays. These three genes are also active against a wide range of insects and could be used for RNAi-based mosquito control in the future.

Capacitance and transepidermal water loss after soaking in water for different durations: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

There is a scarcity of data on the effects of duration of bathing and cutaneous properties.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the changes of capacitance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) after soaking in water for the different durations.

METHOD

This experimental biophysical study included healthy volunteers whose forearms were randomized to receive 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 min of soaking of the volar aspect of the forearm. Skin hydration and integrity were assessed capacitance and TEWL measurement before and after soaking.

RESULTS

Sixty-five subjects (130 forearms) were enrolled with an average age of 33 ± 10.8 years. The change in capacitance after soaking for durations of 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min was 41.54 ± 14.57, 47.13 ± 11.80, 40.25 ± 14.95, 40.48 ± 14.19, and 39.97 ± 9.47 AU, respectively. The highest capacitance was observed after soaking for 5 min; however, there was no significant correlation between bathing duration and capacitance (p = 0.256). The capacitance measured immediately after soaking was at the uppermost level, but it rapidly decreased within 5 min. The change in TEWL after soaking for durations of 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min was 30.27 ± 9.74, 30.57 ± 7.45, 33.78 ± 9.25, 33.44 ± 7.24, and 35.13 ± 9.37 g/m² /h, respectively. There was also no significant correlation between duration of soaking and TEWL (p = 0.191); however, TEWL tended to increase with longer soaking duration.

LIMITATIONS

This study had a small sample size and measured only capacitance and TEWL. Future studies with more subjects, and that measure other physiologic parameters may further improve our understanding of the effect of bathing on skin.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no significant correlation between bathing duration and cutaneous properties including capacitance and TEWL. However, a 5-min soaking provided the highest skin hydration for healthy skin.

Dietary Implications of Detoxified Jatrophacurcas Kernel for Clariasgariepinus Fingerlings

Antinutritional components must be substantially reduced to ensure better utilization of unconventional feeds in animal nutrition. Among the different methods of processing, soaking represents a simple and inexpensive alternative. This study attempted to determine the nutritional properties of socked Jatropha curcas kernel (JCK) and the effect of its dietary inclusions on Clarias gariepinus (n = 50; mean initial weight = 6.19 ± 0.52 g). Three treatments of JCK (i.e., soaking 24, 48, and 72 h) were tested alongside a control group. The result showed that soaking substantially improved proximate composition and reduced anti-nutrient compared to the control JCK. A similar trend of improved performance was observed when the treated JCK was included in diets composed of 35% crude protein; a total of 315 kcal g⁻¹ energy and fed to C. gariepinus for 56 days. Alongside the improvement observed in growth, it was also noted that carcass protein and haematological variables were improved with the dietary administration of soaked JCK. Histological examination of the intestine and liver tissues also revealed fewer signs of histopathological degeneration in the fish, consequent upon dietary inclusion of soaked JCK (i.e., 72 h) compared to those raised on the raw JCK-included diets. It was, therefore, concluded that soaking could be a much easier method of nutritionally improving JCK for the administration to C. gariepinus.

Aspirin-Loaded Polymeric Films for Drug Delivery Systems: Comparison between Soaking and Supercritical CO2 Impregnation

Polymeric implants loaded with drugs can overcome the disadvantages of oral or injection drug administration and deliver the drug locally. Several methods can load drugs into polymers. Herein, soaking and supercritical CO2 (scCO2) impregnation methods were employed to load aspirin into poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). Higher drug loadings (DL) were achieved with scCO2 impregnation compared to soaking and in a shorter time (3.4 ± 0.8 vs. 1.3 ± 0.4% for PLLA; and 0.4 ± 0.5 vs. 0.6 ± 0.5% for LLDPE), due to the higher swelling capacity of CO2. The higher affinity of aspirin explained the higher DL in PLLA than in LLDPE. Residual solvent was detected in LLDPE prepared by soaking, but within the FDA concentration limits. The solvents used in both methods acted as plasticizers and increased PLLA crystallinity. PLLA impregnated with aspirin exhibited faster hydrolysis in vitro due to the catalytic effect of aspirin. Finally, PLLA impregnated by soaking showed a burst release because of aspirin crystals on the PLLA surface, and released 100% of aspirin within 60 days, whereas the PLLA prepared with scCO2 released 60% after 74 days by diffusion and PLLA erosion. Hence, the scCO2 impregnation method is adequate for higher aspirin loadings and prolonged drug release.

Aerosol-based ligand soaking of reservoir-free protein crystals

Soaking of macromolecular crystals allows the formation of complexes via diffusion of molecules into a preformed crystal for structural analysis. Soaking offers various advantages over co-crystallization, e.g. small samples and high-throughput experimentation. However, this method has disadvantages, such as inducing mechanical stress on crystals and reduced success rate caused by low affinity/solubility of the ligand. To bypass these issues, the Picodropper was previously developed in the authors' laboratory. This technique aimed to deliver small volumes of compound solution in response to crystal dehydration supported by the Free Mounting System humidity control or by IR-laser-induced protein crystal transformation. Herein, a new related soaking development, the Aerosol-Generator, is introduced. This device delivers compounds onto the solution-free surface of protein crystals using an ultrasonic technique. The produced aerosol stream enables an easier and more accurate control of solution volumes, reduced crystal handling, and crystal-size-independent soaking. The Aerosol-Generator has been used to produce complexes of DPP8 crystals, where otherwise regular soaking did not achieve complex formation. These results demonstrate the potential of this device in challenging ligand-binding scenarios and contribute to further understanding of DPP8 inhibitor binding.

Premilling treatments effects on nutritional composition, antinutritional factors, and in vitro mineral bioavailability of the improved Assosa I sorghum variety (Sorghum bicolor L.)

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is among the staple cereal crops in different parts of Ethiopia. However, the presence of antinutritional factors restricts the digestion of proteins and bioavailability different minerals. Therefore, this study investigates the premilling treatments effects on nutritional composition, antinutritional factors, and in vitro mineral bioavailability of the improved Assosa I sorghum variety grown in Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with single factor of premilling treatments (control, washing, soaking, and malting). Among evaluated premilling treatments, malting showed significant (p < .05) increase in terms of crude fiber, utilizable carbohydrate, gross energy, and sodium contents. As compared to the raw sorghum, premilling treatments reduced antinutritional contents from 55.81 to 27.4 mg/100 g for tannin, 156.15 to 70.50 mg/100 g for phytates, and 29.9 to 3.22 mg/100 g for oxalate. The premilling techniques also significantly (p < .05) improved in vitro mineral bioavailability as compared to unprocessed sorghum grains. Among the premilling treatments, malting showed significant difference (p < .05) in terms of reduction of tannins, phytates, and oxalate contents with relatively higher mineral bioavailability. In order to enhance the food and nutritional value of sorghum particularly for children and lactating mothers, it is recommended to germinated the grains. Flour from germinated grain also can be used in combination with other nutrient-dense foods to formulate healthy diets for children and maternal nutrition.

Two Methods, One Goal: Structural Differences between Cocrystallization and Crystal Soaking to Discover Ligand Binding Poses

In lead optimization, protein crystallography is an indispensable tool to analyze drug binding. Binding modes and non-covalent interaction inventories are essential to design follow-up synthesis candidates. Two protocols are commonly applied to produce protein-ligand complexes: cocrystallization and soaking. Because of its time and cost effectiveness, soaking is the more popular method. Taking eight ligand hinge binders of protein kinase A, we demonstrate that cocrystallization is superior. Particularly for flexible proteins, such as kinases, and larger ligands cocrystallization captures more reliable the correct binding pose and induced protein adaptations. The geometrical discrepancies between soaking and cocrystallization appear smaller for fragment-sized ligands. For larger flexible ligands that trigger conformational changes of the protein, soaking can be misleading and underestimates the number of possible polar interactions due to inadequate, highly impaired positions of protein amino-acid side and main chain atoms. Thus, if applicable cocrystallization should be the gold standard to study protein-ligand complexes.

Mass transfer dynamics of simultaneous water gain and solid loss during soaking of pigeon pea grains

Pigeon pea is the most prominently used protein source for human consumption. This is one of the leading pulse utilized in various applications in food processing. Soaking is one of the mandatory unit operation required to convert it from raw to a consumable form. Insights into its mass transfer dynamics enable the design and optimization of processing conditions with due consideration of retention of its quality and nutrition. In the present investigation, the mass transfer dynamics of simultaneous water gain and solid loss taking place during soaking was studied . The experimental samples were soaked at 35, 50, 75, 85, and 100 °C to represent the lower and upper gelatinization temperatures. The water diffusivities varied from 5.492 × 10^-10 to 13.84 × 10^-10 m²/s when soaking temperature was increased from 35 to 100 °C. Similarly, solid diffusivities vary between 6.27 × 10^-10 at 35 °C and 9.48 × 10^-10 m²/s at 100 °C. The activation energies of both the phenomenon were estimated using the Arrhenius equation. The mass transfer process has been identified with three distinct stages. The first stage was characterized by void filling, expansion, and solid hydration. The second stage was marked at 5% of solid loss and characterized by solid loss, while the third stage contributed to the starch gelatinization process. Simultaneous water gain and solid loss in the grain was observed throughout the process at varying rates. The insights into mass transfers from this study can help in further modeling of pigeon pea soaking behavior. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Soaking is one of the mandatory step for further utilization of legume grains. Various desirable and undesirable changes take place during the soaking process. Pigeon pea being a leading legume, understanding of the dynamics of various chemical, physical, and compositional changes during soaking is very much required for a process design. Also the representation of these behaviors in mathematical models is essential to further understand and optimize the operations for maximum retention of quality attributes, minimum wastage, and low-energy consumption.

Empirical characterization of hydration behavior of Indian paddy varieties by physicochemical characterization and kinetic studies

Temperature is an important factor in the determination of hydration kinetics in paddy, and it varies with variety. To understand this hydration behavior, the current study analyses the hydration kinetics of 12 different paddy varieties of India that were exposed to different soaking temperatures. The protein content of the paddy samples was found to be in the range of 6.13 to 9.19%; whereas, starch content was between 67.79 and 84.88%. The physicochemical composition of paddy varieties as well as variation in time-temperature of hydration was found to be decisive in ascertaining the hydration behavior. An increased hydration rate was observed with increasing hydration temperature as well as with higher amylose content of paddy. Among the varieties studied, the ratio of amylose to amylopectin was between 0.37 and 0.77. For all samples, the gelatinization temperature was in the range of 65.60 to 83.10 °C, which in turn was negatively correlated with amylose content, and influenced the hydration behavior of paddy. The optimum time-temperature condition range for hydration for each paddy variety was between 50 and 60°C for 2 to 3.5 hr, depending upon the variety. The activation energy for the paddy samples in this investigation was found to be in the range of 8.70 to 23.10 kJ/mol. The kinetic modeling of hydration was conducted using Peleg's model, with a good fit. The data indicated that with increment in hydration temperature, the rate of hydration was enhanced in all varieties with a decrease in the Peleg's rate constant (K₁ ) and capacity constant (K₂ ). These constants indicate a direct temperature-dependence of water absorption in paddy. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The hydration of paddy is an important procedure in paddy processing, and across the world, many industries are working on it. Irrespective of the variety, paddy processing globally has remained tricky. Knowledge about the hydration behavior of paddy would enable food processors to better understand the effect of process parameters and to model their experimental setup to obtain the desired physicochemical attributes, as well as process yield. Customers would benefit from adequately processed paddy with better digestibility for which industry would have to invest less in terms of time and resources, thereby making the hydrated paddy more affordable.

Elution of Radioactive Cesium from Tofu by Water Soaking

Elution of cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) from tofu into water was investigated to know the behavior of ¹³⁷Cs during preservation and cooking. The food processing retention factor (Fr) reached 0.55 when tofu was soaked in water at a ratio of 1:2 w/w for 24 h at 4°C. Doubling the amount of water did not further significantly decrease Fr. When tofu was held in water at a ration of 1:2 w/w at a temperature of 80℃ for 50 min, Fr was 0.72. Increasing the amount of water to 10 times the tofu weight did not further reduce Fr significantly. Cesium-137 is mostly bound to tofu and does not freely diffuse into water. Tofu was then soaked in water at a ratio of 1:2 w/w at 4℃ for 24 h, placed in new water at a ratio of 1:2 w/w, and held at 80℃ for 50 min, resulting in an Fr 0.33. This value is close to an estimated Fr calculated by multiplying the Fr of 0.55 from soaking at 4°C by the Fr of 0.72 from the hot water treatment. The calculated Fr from soybeans sequentially processing into tofu, soaking tofu at 4°C for 24 h and in hot water at 80°C for 50 min was about 0.1, indicating 90% removal of ¹³⁷Cs. Degree of decrease in ¹³⁷Cs during preservation and cooking of tofu demonstrated in this study will be useful for exposure assessment of ¹³⁷Cs through oral intake of contaminated soybeans after processing and cooking.

Effects of Soaking and Fermentation Time on Biogenic Amines Content of Maesil (Prunus Mume) Extract

Maesil extract, a fruit-juice concentrate derived from Prunus mume prepared by fermenting with sugar, is widely used with increasing popularity in Korea. Biogenic amines in maesil extract were extracted with 0.4 M perchloric acid, derivatized with dansyl chloride, and detected using high-performance liquid chromatography. Among 18 home-made maesil extracts collected from different regions, total biogenic amine content varied from 2.53 to 241.73 mg/L. To elucidate the effects of soaking and fermentation time on biogenic amine content in maesil extract, maesil was soaked in brown sugar for 90 days and the liquid obtained was further fermented for 180 days at 15 and 25 °C, respectively. The main biogenic amines extracted were putrescine and spermidine and the total biogenic amine content was higher at 25 °C than at 15 °C. Soaking at 15 and 25 °C increased the total biogenic amines content from 14.14 to 34.98 mg/L and 37.33 to 69.05 mg/L, respectively, whereas a 180 day fermentation decreased the content from 31.66 to 13.59 mg/L and 116.82 to 57.05 mg/L, respectively. Biogenic amine content was correlated with total amino acid content (particularly, arginine content). Based on these results, we have considered that biogenic amine synthesis can be reduced during maesil extract production by controlling temperature and fermentation time.

Citric acid-enhanced dissolution of polyphenols during soaking of different teas

This study examined the dissolution kinetics and antioxidant activity of tea polyphenols during the soaking of white, yellow, green, oolong, black, and dark teas. All these teas were, respectively, soaked with either freshly boiled distilled water (DW) or 10 mmol/L citric acid-water solution. The residue obtained from one extraction was used for the next extraction and this process was performed consecutively 10 times, soaking for 30 s each time. UHPLC-QqQ-MS measurement identified epigallocatechin gallate as the major polyphenol in white, yellow, green, oolong, and black tea infusions. As soaking times increased, the polyphenol concentrations rose initially and then dropped. Antioxidant activity was noted to decrease as soaking times increased in all tea infusions except for the DW-soaked oolong and dark teas. These findings suggested that citric acid could increase the polyphenol content in tea infusions. Specifically, the cumulative contents of epigallocatechin gallate was noted to increase 2.1-5.1 times. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: After water, tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Drinking tea has been linked to the reduced risk of various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular system disease, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases, largely due to its rich polyphenol content. Moreover, the addition of citrus to a tea infusion provides an interesting and feasible method for increasing the dissolution of tea polyphenols, a finding that offers extensive potential for applications in the development of compound tea drinks.

Characterization of Soaking Process' Impact in Common Beans Phenolic Composition: Contribute from the Unexplored Portuguese Germplasm

Despite the common beans' nutritional and phytochemical value, in Portugal its consumption decreased more than 50% in the last decade. The present study aimed to characterize phenolic composition of the Portuguese traditional varieties and corresponding soaked seed fractions (including soaking water). With such purpose, the phenolic composition (total content of soluble phenolics, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins) and in vitro antioxidant activity were evaluated in the raw whole flour of 31 Portuguese common bean varieties. The phenolic composition of the soaked fractions was respectively compared to the raw flour. Phenolic compounds' identification and relative quantification were achieved by UPLC-TripleTOF-MS for one representative variety and their fractions. The highest phenolic content was found in colored varieties and the brown market class highlighted as the richest one. The loss of phenolic compounds to the soaking water was highly dependent on variety. The predominant phenolic compounds' classes were flavan-3-ols (soaking water and coats), flavonols (coats), and phenolic acids (cotyledons). This characterization study showed the diversity on the phenolic composition of Portuguese varieties and the need to adjust the soaking and peeling processes to the variety (considering the possible loss of potential health promoter compounds, e.g., phenolic compounds).

Modification of barley dietary fiber through thermal treatments

The current research was carried out to observe the effect of different thermal treatments on soluble and insoluble dietary fiber ratio to improve functional properties of barley. Two varieties of barley labeled as Haider-93 and Jau-87 were milled and then wet and dry heat-treated. Soaking and then cooking of soaked and nonsoaked barley was performed. Untreated barley contained more insoluble dietary fiber (12.00-12.40 g/100g dm) than soluble dietary fiber (4.73-5.70 g/100g dm). Additionally, the modification of soluble (13.32%) and insoluble dietary fiber (8.79%) ratio through pressure cooking was nonsignificant while roasting showed significant results, that is, 53.91% increase in soluble dietary fiber and 8.79% decrease in insoluble dietary fiber. In phase II, cooking without soaking gave highest results, that is, 68.08% increase in soluble dietary fiber and 15.48% decrease in insoluble dietary fiber. Conclusively, among all treatments of phase I and II, the better results were shown by cooking without soaking.

Modification of nutritional properties of whole rice flours (Oryza sativa L.) by soaking, germination, and extrusion

Modifications of nutritional properties (amino acids, available lysine, protein digestibility, fatty acids, fiber, inositol phosphate (IPs), free and bound phenolics, and antioxidant properties) of whole rice ingredients processed by soaking, germination, and/or extrusion cooking were evaluated. Soaking and germination reduced proteins by lixiviation and hydrolysis, respectively. Lysine was the limiting amino acid. Polyunsaturated fatty acids increased after germination. Protein digestibility was 100% for germinated rice, decreased to 75% after the extrusion process. Fiber content decreased around 73% after the extrusion of soaked and germinated flours. Soaking-extrusion combined processes produces >50% IPs reduction. Germination-extrusion produced flours with the highest antioxidant capacity (54 µmol trolox g^-1 ), which was in accordance with the highest content of free and bound phenolics (66 and 69 mg GA 100 g^-1 , respectively). Grain treatments changed nutritional properties of flours resulting in low antinutrient whole grain ingredients, which could be used to develop whole grain-based foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Phytic acid (PA) is an antinutrient having negative effects on mineral bioavailability and protein digestibility. There are processes such as soaking, germination, and extrusion, which alone or combined can decrease PA. However, nutritional composition and functionality of flours can change. We observed PA was highly reduced by soaking or germination combined with extrusion and antioxidant capacity and phenolic content increased in germinated and germinated-extruded flours compared to the other treatments. These modified whole grain rice flours low in anti-nutrients could be used in the production of expanded products or pre-cooked ingredients to develop whole grain based foods nutritionally improved.

Effects of Soaking on the Functional Properties of Yellow-Eyed Bean Flour and the Acceptability of Chocolate Brownies

Dried beans are an excellent source of protein, soluble fiber, and resistant starch. In spite of their beneficial properties, the presence of off-flavors limits their use as alternate flour sources in food applications. Soaking and then masking with flavor compounds are effective methods to remove off-flavors in pulses; however, these strategies are not often combined in a single-food application. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of these combined strategies on the acceptability of brownies made with bean flour and whether soaking affected the functional properties of the flour samples. Yellow-eyed (YE) beans were soaked for 24 hr, dried in an oven (treated), and then ground to form flour using a kitchen mill. The check-all-that-apply scores revealed that brownies made with 100% YE flour had nutty and beany flavors. However, consumer liking of brownies made with 50:50 and 25:75 all-purpose (AP):YE-treated flour blends, respectively, were not significantly different from the control brownies made with AP flour. Starch content varied significantly among the treated (42.9 ± 3.2%, P < 0.05) and untreated YE bean flour samples (35.3 ± 1.9%). The treated YE flour showed the highest water absorption index, 3.69 ± 0.12. Overall, combining soaking and the use of chocolate were successful strategies to reduce off-flavors in cake-style brownies, which suggest that up to 50% treated YE flours may be used as a suitable partial replacer of AP flour in chocolate brownies. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Soaking yellow-eyed (YE) beans prior to milling, combined with the use of chocolate were successful strategies to mask off-flavors in cake-style brownies. The significance of the findings of this study lies in the fact that treated YE flours may be used as a suitable partial replacer of AP flour in chocolate brownies. The use of these strategies has the potential to increase the consumption of pulse flours in Canada.

Heating and Soaking Influence in Vitro Hindgut Fermentation of Tropical Legume Grains in Pigs

The effects of different thermal (raw versus autoclaving or boiling for 5 and 20 min) and soaking (with or without) treatments on the in vitro hindgut fermentation in pigs of undigested residue collected after in vitro foregut digestion of tropical legumes' grains (Canavalia brasiliensis; Lablab purpureus; pink, red and white Vigna unguiculata) were investigated. The undigested residue was fermented with a pig fecal inoculum to determine fermentability, gas, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) productions. Soaked raw legumes increased the production of SCFAs (e.g., butyric acid) and fermentability, while autoclaving reduced them. The productions of butyric acid and energy derived from SCFAs differed between legumes, with canavalia and lablab having the lowest and highest values, respectively. SCFAs and energy productions were highly related to the predicted nutrients entering the hindgut. In conclusion, different heating and soaking treatments can be applied to legumes to modulate the production of target SCFAs.

Influences of Soaking Temperature and Storage Conditions on Hardening of Soybeans (Glycine max) and Red Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The influences of soaking treatment and storage conditions on the softening of cooked beans, namely, soybeans and red kidney beans, were investigated. It was revealed that the softening of fresh soybeans and fresh red kidney beans was suppressed during subsequent boiling after soaking treatment at 50 and 60 °C. Furthermore, in treated aged soybeans and red kidney beans that were subjected to storage at 30 °C/75% relative humidity for 6 mo and soaking treatment at 50 to 60 °C, the hardness during cooking was further amplified. This suggested that the mechanism of softening suppression differs depending on the influences of soaking and storage. Analysis of the pectin fraction in alcohol insoluble solid showed insolubilization of metal ions upon storage at high temperature and high humidity in both soybeans and red kidney beans, which suggests interaction between Ca ions and hemicellulose or cellulose as cell wall polysaccharides. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that aged soybeans exhibited a shift in the thermal transition temperature of glycinin-based protein to a higher temperature compared with fresh soybeans. From the results of DSC and scanning electron microscopy for aged red kidney beans, damaged starch is not conspicuous in the raw state after storage but is abundant upon soaking treatment. As for the influence of soaking at 60 °C, it can be suggested that its influence on cell wall crosslinking was large in soybeans and red kidney beans in both a fresh state and an aged state.

Effect of Soaking and Roasting on the Physicochemical and Pasting Properties of Soybean Flour

The effects of soaking and roasting on the physicochemical and pasting properties of soybean flour were evaluated. Soybean seeds were soaked overnight in tap water for 0–72 h, hand dehulled, dried, and part of the sample was roasted. Roasted and unroasted soy beans were milled into flour and analyzed. The results showed that the total carbohydrates (22.8–27.9 g/100 g), the ash content (3.5–3.6 g/100 g), and the total polyphenols (0.29–0.51 g/100 g) did not significantly change during both the soaking and roasting processes. However, the total proteins (35.8–46.0 g/100 g) and lipid contents (21.4–29.5 g/100 g) were significantly (p < 0.05) affected only by soaking, with a decrease in total protein and an increase in lipid contents. Phytate content (0.22–0.26 g/100 g) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) only with roasting. The tannins (0.01–0.30 g/100 g) and soluble proteins (4.0–29.0 g/100 g) significantly (p < 0.05) diminished with both treatments. There was a significant increase in the least gelation concentration (20–30 g/100 mL), a decrease in the swelling power (1.3–2.0 mL/mL), and consequently, reduction in the viscosity (range peak viscosity 18–210 cP) of the flour slurry after soaking and roasting. All these qualities—needed for producing nutritious flour for infants—highlighted the efficiency of these endogenous technologies.

Guidelines for the successful generation of protein-ligand complex crystals

With continuous technical improvements at synchrotron facilities, data-collection rates have increased dramatically. This makes it possible to collect diffraction data for hundreds of protein-ligand complexes within a day, provided that a suitable crystal system is at hand. However, developing a suitable crystal system can prove challenging, exceeding the timescale of data collection by several orders of magnitude. Firstly, a useful crystallization construct of the protein of interest needs to be chosen and its expression and purification optimized, before screening for suitable crystallization and soaking conditions can start. This article reviews recent publications analysing large data sets of crystallization trials, with the aim of identifying factors that do or do not make a good crystallization construct, and gives guidance in the design of an expression construct. It provides an overview of common protein-expression systems, addresses how ligand binding can be both help and hindrance for protein purification, and describes ligand co-crystallization and soaking, with an emphasis on troubleshooting.

Effects of soaking and acidification on physicochemical properties of calcium-fortified rice

BACKGROUND

Calcium-fortified rice was prepared by soaking milled rice in calcium lactate solution, steaming and drying, and physicochemical properties were determined to evaluate effects of calcium concentration (0, 30, 50 g L(-1) ), soaking temperature (ambient temperature, 40 °C, 60 °C) and acidification.

RESULTS

Calcium-fortified rice had less lightness. More total solid loss was observed, especially at high soaking temperature. Harder texture was detected with increased calcium concentration. Calcium fortification lowered pasting viscosity of milled rice. Panelists accepted all fortified rice; however, only rice soaked at 50 g L(-1) concentration could be claimed as a good source of calcium. Increasing of soaking temperature induced more penetration of calcium to rice kernels but calcium was lost more easily after washing. With addition of acetic acid to the soaking solution, enriched calcium content was comparable to that of high soaking temperature but with better retention after washing and calcium solubility was improved. Acid induced reduction of lightness and cooked rice hardness but increased total solid loss and pasting viscosity. Although the taste of acetic acid remained, panelists still accepted the fortified rice.

CONCLUSION

Calcium-fortified rice (190.47-194.3 mg 100 g(-1) ) could be successfully produced by soaking milled rice in 50 g L(-1) calcium lactate solution at 40 °C or at ambient temperature with acidification. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Soaking and extrusion effects on physicochemical parameters, phytic acid, nutrient content and mineral bio-accessibility of whole rice grain

A combination of soaking and extrusion processes of whole rice grain was studied. The effects of temperature (35-55 °C) and time (24-48 h) of soaking treatment on phytic acid (PA), protein and ashes losses using a factorial design were evaluated. Taking into account ash, protein and PA losses, whole rice was soaked 24 h at 45 °C and extruded using a Brabender single screw extruder. Effects of extrusion temperature (160-190 °C) and moisture content (14-19 g/100 g) on product characteristics were evaluated using surface response methodology. Values corresponding to the different responses were: Expansion (1.64-3.28), Specific Volume (5.68-11.06 cm(3)/g), Water absorption (3.41-4.43 mL/g) and Solubility (45.44-66.20 g/100 g). The content of PA was reduced from 740.09 to 163.47 mg/100 g (77%) after both processes, resulting in a higher mineral bio-accessibility, and a 7.3% decrease of protein digestibility. Total soluble phenolics and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were affected according to the treatment. Both treatments were important to obtain a nutritionally improved whole grain product.

Microbial phytase addition resulted in a greater increase in phosphorus digestibility in dry-fed compared with liquid-fed non-heat-treated wheat-barley-maize diets for pigs

The objective was to evaluate the effect of microbial phytase (1250 FTU/kg diet with 88% dry matter (DM)) on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of phosphorus (P) in pigs fed a dry or soaked diet. Twenty-four pigs (65±3 kg) from six litters were used. Pigs were housed in metabolism crates and fed one of four diets for 12 days; 5 days for adaptation and 7 days for total, but separate collection of feces and urine. The basal diet was composed of wheat, barley, maize, soybean meal and no mineral phosphate. Dietary treatments were: basal dry-fed diet (BDD), BDD with microbial phytase (BDD+phy), BDD soaked for 24 h at 20°C before feeding (BDS) and BDS with microbial phytase (BDS+phy). Supplementation of microbial phytase increased ATTD of DM and crude protein (N×6.25) by 2 and 3 percentage units (P<0.0001; P<0.001), respectively. The ATTD of P was affected by the interaction between microbial phytase and soaking (P=0.02). This was due to a greater increase in ATTD of P by soaking of the diet containing solely plant phytase compared with the diet supplemented with microbial phytase: 35%, 65%, 44% and 68% for BDD, BDD+phy, BSD and BSD+phy, respectively. As such, supplementation of microbial phytase increased ATTD of P in the dry-fed diet, but not in the soaked diet. The higher ATTD of P for BDS compared with BDD resulted from the degradation of 54% of the phytate in BDS by wheat and barley phytases during soaking. On the other hand, soaking of BDS+phy did not increase ATTD of P significantly compared with BDD+phy despite that 76% of the phytate in BDS+phy was degraded before feeding. In conclusion, soaking of BDS containing solely plant phytase provided a great potential for increasing ATTD of P. However, this potential was not present when microbial phytase (1250 FTU/kg diet) was supplemented, most likely because soaking of BDS+phy for 24 h at 20°C did not result in a complete degradation of phytate before feeding.

RNA Interference in Caenorhabditis elegans

RNAi has become an essential tool in C. elegans research. This unit describes procedures for RNAi in C. elegans by microinjecting with dsRNA, feeding with bacteria expressing dsRNA, and soaking in dsRNA solution, as well as high-throughput methods for RNAi-based screens.

Experimental phasing for structure determination using membrane-protein crystals grown by the lipid cubic phase method

Very little information is available in the literature concerning the experimental heavy-atom phasing of membrane-protein structures where the crystals have been grown using the lipid cubic phase (in meso) method. In this paper, pre-labelling, co-crystallization, soaking, site-specific mercury binding to genetically engineered single-cysteine mutants and selenomethionine labelling as applied to an integral membrane kinase crystallized in meso are described. An assay to assess cysteine accessibility for mercury labelling of membrane proteins is introduced.

Despite the marked increase in the number of membrane-protein structures solved using crystals grown by the lipid cubic phase or in meso method, only ten have been determined by SAD/MAD. This is likely to be a consequence of the technical difficulties associated with handling proteins and crystals in the sticky and viscous hosting mesophase that is usually incubated in glass sandwich plates for the purposes of crystallization. Here, a four-year campaign aimed at phasing the in meso structure of the integral membrane diacylglycerol kinase (DgkA) from Escherichia coli is reported. Heavy-atom labelling of this small hydrophobic enzyme was attempted by pre-labelling, co-crystallization, soaking, site-specific mercury binding to genetically engineered single-cysteine mutants and selenomethionine incorporation. Strategies and techniques for special handling are reported, as well as the typical results and the lessons learned for each of these approaches. In addition, an assay to assess the accessibility of cysteine residues in membrane proteins for mercury labelling is introduced. The various techniques and strategies described will provide a valuable reference for future experimental phasing of membrane proteins where crystals are grown by the lipid cubic phase method.

Changes in nutritional composition, functional, and sensory properties of yam flour as a result of presoaking

This study investigated the effect of soaking pretreatments on some of the properties of flour obtained from two varieties of yam namely;Dioscorea alata andDioscorea rotundata with a view of providing information that will enhance their end use. The yam varieties were washed, chipped, parboiled at 50°C, soaked for different periods (0, 6, 12, and 18 h), dried at 60°C, and milled into flour. The flour samples were analyzed for their nutritional composition, pH, color, and functional properties. The flour samples were also made into pastes and were sensorially analyzed and 0 h soaked samples were used as control. The protein content of 18 h-soakedD. rotundata andD. alata flour samples was significantly different from the control and soaking had no effect (P > 0.05) on the fat and ash content but the carbohydrate content of the flour samples ranged from 83.08% to 86.13%. The 18 h-soakedD. rotundata flour sample had the lowest peak viscosity, breakdown value, and final viscosity among theD. rotundata variety samples. Pasting temperature ranged from 79.80 to 83.60°C and 6-h soakedD. alata flour sample had the lowest water absorption capacity and the highest bulk density. On the basis of sensory analysis, the panelist preferred the taste, texture, color, and appearance of paste made from the 18-h soakedD. rotundata flour to the paste of other flour samples. The results of this study show that D.rotundata should be soaked for 18 h prior to drying and milling in order to obtain a good-quality flour and paste.

Effects of water soaking and/or sodium polystyrene sulfonate addition on potassium content of foods

In this study, we determined, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the potassium amount leached by soaking or boiling foods identified by children suffering from chronic renal failure as "pleasure food" and that they cannot eat because of their low-potassium diet, and evaluated whether addition of sodium polystyrene sulfonate resin (i.e. Kayexalate®) during soaking or boiling modulated potassium loss. A significant amount of potassium content was removed by soaking (16% for chocolate and potato, 26% for apple, 37% for tomato and 41% for banana) or boiling in a large amount of water (73% for potato). Although Kayexalate® efficiently dose-dependently removed potassium from drinks (by 48% to 73%), resin addition during soaking or boiling did not eliminate more potassium from solid foods. Our results therefore provide useful information for dietitians who elaborate menus for people on potassium-restricted diets and would give an interesting alternative to the systematic elimination of all potassium-rich foods from their diet.

Physical modification of palm kernel meal improved available carbohydrate, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility in economic freshwater fish

BACKGROUND

Unavailable carbohydrates are an important limiting factor for utilization of palm kernel meal (PKM) as aquafeed ingredients. The aim of this study was to improve available carbohydrate from PKM. Different physical modifications including water soaking, microwave irradiation, gamma irradiation and electron beam, were investigated in relation to chemical composition, physicochemical properties and in vitro carbohydrate digestibility using digestive enzymes from economic freshwater fish.

RESULTS

Modified methods had significant (P < 0.05) effects on chemical composition by decreasing crude fiber and increasing available carbohydrates. Improvements in physicochemical properties of PKM, such as water solubility, microstructure, relative crystallinity and lignocellulosic spectra, were mainly achieved by soaking and microwave irradiation. Carbohydrate digestibility varied among the physical modifications tested (P < 0.05) and three fish species had different abilities to digest PKM. Soaking was the appropriate modification for increasing carbohydrate digestion specifically in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), whereas either soaking or microwave irradiation was effective for striped snakehead (Channa striata). For walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), carbohydrate digestibility was similar among raw, soaked and microwave-irradiated PKM.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that soaking and microwave irradiation could be practical methods for altering appropriate physicochemical properties of PKM as well as increasing carbohydrate digestibility in select economic freshwater fish.

Structure of glutaminyl cyclase from Drosophila melanogaster in space group I4

The structure of ligand-free glutaminyl cyclase (QC) from Drosophila melanogaster (DmQC) has been determined in a novel crystal form. The protein crystallized in space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 122.3, c = 72.7 Å. The crystal diffracted to a resolution of 2 Å at the home source. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and was refined to an R factor of 0.169. DmQC exhibits a typical α/β-hydrolase fold. The electron density of three monosaccharides could be localized. The accessibility of the active site will facilitate structural studies of novel inhibitor-binding modes.

Delivery of dsRNA for RNAi in insects: an overview and future directions

RNA interference (RNAi) refers to the process of exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) silencing the complementary endogenous messenger RNA. RNAi has been widely used in entomological research for functional genomics in a variety of insects and its potential for RNAi-based pest control has been increasingly emphasized mainly because of its high specificity. This review focuses on the approaches of introducing dsRNA into insect cells or insect bodies to induce effective RNAi. The three most common delivery methods, namely, microinjection, ingestion, and soaking, are illustrated in details and their advantages and limitations are summarized for purpose of feasible RNAi research. In this review, we also briefly introduce the two possible dsRNA uptake machineries, other dsRNA delivery methods and the history of RNAi in entomology. Factors that influence the specificity and efficiency of RNAi such as transfection reagents, selection of dsRNA region, length, and stability of dsRNA in RNAi research are discussed for further studies.

Effect of Light on Carbohydrates and Hydrosoluble Vitamins of Lentils during Soaking

Lentils have been soaked with and without light to investigate the effect of the light on carbohydrates and soluble vitamins during the soaking process. Soaking significantly decreased the α-galactoside content of lentils (3.2% to 1.2% or 1.0%). Glucose (not present in raw seeds) and fructose increased with soaking with light. Raffinose was completely eliminated in presence of light but was still present after soaking in the dark (0.15%). The overall results confirm previous findings, but the soaking process cannot be explained simply as a result of sugars leaching into the soaking media. On the contrary, some metabolic processes must be inferred, and light plays a certain role in the process. The NDF, ADF, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents were not significantly modified by soaking with or without light. Total and digestible starch significantly increased after soaking (52% to 58% and 45% to 52%, respectively), but an influence of light was not detected. The ratio of digestible starch to total starch improved during soaking, an indication that digestibility could be enhanced after this process. No effect of light during the soaking process has been observed on the vitamin content of processed lentils. Thiamin and niacin decreased significantly with soaking as a result of leaching into the water, but riboflavin increased significantly. Again, this result may imply the onset of metabolic processes during soaking, although no light effect has been observed.