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Given the complexity in composition and the various environmental conditions to which foods and pharmaceuticals are exposed during processing and storage, stability, functionality, and quality are key attributes that deserve careful attention. Quality and stability of foods and pharmaceuticals are mainly affected by environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and time, and for processing conditions (e.g., shear, pressure) under which they may undergo physical and chemical transformations. Glass transition is a key phenomenon which is useful to understand how external conditions affect physical changes on materials. Consequently, theories that predict and describe the glass transition phenomenon are of a great interest not only for the food industry but also it extends to the pharmaceutical and polymer industries. It is important to emphasize that the materials of relevance in these industries are interchangeably sharing similar issues on functionality and their association with the glass transition phenomenon. Development of new materials and understanding the physicochemical behavior of existing ones require a scientific foundation that translates into safe and high-quality foods, improved quality of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals with lower risk to patients, and functional efficacy of polymers used in food and medicinal products. This review addresses the glass transition phenomenon from a kinetics and thermodynamics standpoint by presenting existing models that are able to estimate the glass transition temperature. It also explores traditional and novel methods used for the characterization of the glass transition phenomenon.

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor with multiple purported metabolic effects. This study aimed to measure BPA among Lebanese population, to identify its predictors, and to explore any link to metabolic disorders. A representative sample of 501 adults from Lebanon was recruited in a cross-sectional study. Urinary BPA was measured, and data were collected for anthropometric measurements, medical history, food intake, and laboratory markers of metabolic conditions. BPA data was divided into tertiles. A total of 89% of the subjects had detectable urinary BPA levels, with an overall mean of 3.67 ± 4.75 μg/L and a mean creatinine-adjusted BPA of 2.90 ± 4.79 μg/g. There was a significant positive association with female gender and older age for being in the highest BPA tertile. BPA level was linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS), obesity, type-2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, and dyslipidemia. After adjustment, the trend remained for BPA in association with MetS and T2D. Though urinary BPA in the Lebanese population was higher in older women, the levels were similar to world-reported figures. Our results suggest a link with metabolic disorders but not at a significant level. These findings call for longitudinal and broader sample measurements.

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