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This report described a cytochrome b (cytb)-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of canine tissues in commercial frankfurters. Discriminating detection of canine derivatives in processed food products has important application in halal authentication as well as in health, religions, and fare trades. The assay based on a pair of canine-specific primers that targeted a 100 bp region of canine mithochondrial-cytb gene which is present in multiple copies and highly conserved within the same species. The specificity of the assay was tested against dog and eight most common animal meat species as well as five plant species commonly found in frankfurter formulation. The stability and specificity of the assay were verified under different thermal processing conditions under pure and complex matrices. Three commercial brands of chicken and beef frankfurters were tested in triplicate, and specific PCR products were obtained only from deliberately contaminated formulations. The detection limit of the assay was 0.1 % (0.02 ng DNA) of canine meat spiked with other meats in a typical frankfurter formulation. Shorter amplicon length, superior stability, and higher sensitivity of the assay suggested its potential application in the screening of canine-origin biomaterials in processed food products.

Being the third-largest primate population has not made macaque (Macaca fascicularis sp.) monkeys less exposed to threats and dangers. Despite wildlife protection, they have been widely hunted and consumed in several countries because of their purported nutritional values. In addition to trading as pure bush meats in several places, monkey meat has been sold in meatball and soup products in Indonesia. Thus the possibility of macaque meat trafficking under the label of common meats is quite high. This paper reports the development of a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay with the shortest amplicon length for the confirmed detection of monkey meat under compromised states which are known to degrade DNA. We amplified a 120-bp region of d-loop gene using a pair of macaque-specific primers and confirmed their specificity for the target species through cross-challenging against 17 different species using a 141-bp site of an 18 S rRNA gene as an endogenous control for eukaryotes. This eliminated the possibilities of any false-negative detection with complex matrices or degraded specimens. The detection limit was 0.00001 ng DNA in a pure state and 0.1% of meat in mixed matrices and commercial meatball products. RFLP analysis further authenticated the originality of the PCR product and distinctive restriction patterns were found upon AluI and CViKI-1 digestion. A micro-fluidic lab-on-a-chip automated electrophoretic system separated the fragments with high resolution. The assay was validated for screening commercial meatball products with sufficient internal control.

This study focuses on the extraction of cellulose nano-whiskers (CNWs) from the leaves of Adansonia kilima (AK), usually known as African baobab, using a combination of a microwave-assisted alkali (KOH) pre-treatment with subsequent bleaching process prior to ultra-sonication. Ultra-sonication was carried out using the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (Bmim-HSO4). Process parameters for ultra-sonication were optimized using a two-level factorial Box–Behnken design (BBD). Process variables such as ultra-sonication power (x1), hydrolysing time (x2) and temperature (x3) were varied. Responses selected were percentage crystallinity index, CrI% (y1) and yield% (y1) for the finally procured CNWs sample. Regression analysis was carried out to develop quadratic model to analyze the effect of process variables on IL-assisted ultra-sonication process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that ultra-sonication power was the most influential aspect for hydrolyzing the amorphous segments of crude cellulose extracted from baobab leaves. A relative study of the physio-chemical properties of the starting lignocellulosic substrate (AK), KOH pre-treated, bleached and IL-assisted ultra-sonicated CNWs was conducted. The synthesized samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermo-gravimetric and zeta potential analysis. Under optimum condition, the extracted CNWs showed an average width of 15–20 nm; with high crystallinity index of 86.46%. This research provides an insight about the delignification of Adansonia kilima (AK) leaves and its effective conversion to CNWs having high crystallinity.

For the first time, we report here a novel top down catalytic approach for the synthesis of aragonite nanoparticles with spherical morphology from cockleshells. Cockle shell is a natural reservoir of aragonite which is a biogenic polymorph of calcium carbonate. Aragonite polymorph is widely used in the repair of fractured bone, development of advanced drug delivery systems, and tissue scaffolds. The method involves an easily performable and lowcost mechanical stirring of the micron-sized cockle shell powders in presence of a nontoxic biomineralization catalyst, dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS-12). It produces spherical shaped aragonite nanoparticles of 35 ± 5 nm in diameter with a good reproducibility and without any additional impurities at room temperature. The findings were verified with a variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA).The reproducibility, low-cost and simplicity of the method suggested its potential applications in large scale synthesis of aragonite nanoparticles with spherical morphology in an industrial set up.