In the present study, casein-based edible films containing 1, 1.5 or 2 times of minimum inhibitory concentration of pomegranate peel extract (as antimicrobial agent) were prepared, and their physical, mechanical and antimicrobial impacts against two Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains were investigated. To evaluate the microstructure changes resulting from the addition of the antimicrobial extracts, scanning electron microscopy images were taken from both surface and cross section of the films. Different physical and mechanical properties of films were affected by the addition of pomegranate extract. For example, the water vapour permeability of films increased. Antimicrobial effectiveness of prepared films was more pronounced against Gram-positive strain compared with Gram-negative strain. Antimicrobial impact of edible films was also studied on ground meat. It was observed that antimicrobial activity of the films was mostly dependent on the types of microorganisms present in meat. Although they were not a suitable replacement for common films, they could substantially extend the shelf life of ground meat.

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In the present work, a silver nanoparticle/delphinidin modified glassy carbon electrode (AgNP/Delph/GCE) was fabricated as a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for gallic acid (GA) determination. Cyclic voltammetry experiments indicated a higher sensitivity and better selectivity for gallic acid when using the AgNP/Delph/GCE as compared with the bare GCE surface, which were attributed to AgNPs and delphinidin, respectively. Moreover, the calculated surface electron transfer rate constant (k s ), and the electron transfer coefficient (a) between the GCE and the electrodeposited delphinidin demonstrated that delphinidin is an excellent electron transfer mediator for the electrocatalytic process. The average catalytic rate constant (k 0 ) of the overall process was also estimated to be 7.40 Â 10 À4 cm s À1 for the AgNP/Delph/GCE in the presence of 1.50 mmol L À1 of GA. Amperometry experiments were used to determine the limit of detection of the AgNP/Delph/GCE electrochemical sensor, which was 0.28 mmol GA. The activity of the modified electrode was eventually investigated to assess the potential quantification of GA in real foods.

Background The use of functional food, such as probiotic products, is important due to their health benefits against various diseases. Phenolic and aromatic compounds originating from medical plants can contribute to the growth of probiotic bacteria. Methods The ethanolic extract (0.2% and 0.4%) and essential oil (0.01% and 0.03%) of Ferulago angulata (FAEE and FAEO, respectively) were added to probiotic yogurt (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum bacteria) to investigate their effects on the survival of probiotic bacteria during storage time (21 days) and assess its physicochemical, protein, and organoleptic properties. Results Upon increasing the concentration of FAEE and FAEO, the value of total phenol content, acidity, viscosity, and water absorption of yogurt treatments increased, and the pH, syneresis, and solubility of treatments showed a decreasing trend (p < .05). Also, adding 0.01% FAEO and 0.2% FAEE improved the organoleptic properties of yogurt (p < .05) compared to the control treatment. The survivability of the investigated probiotic bacteria demonstrated a decreased trend during storage in all treatments, but at the end of the study, the number of both probiotic bacteria in all treatments was significantly higher than that of the control samples. Conclusion Based on the results of protein, physicochemical, microbial, and sensory tests of herbal probiotic yogurts, the addition of 0.03% essential oil is the best way to realize the goals of the research.

Celiac disease (CD) with the global prevalence ratio of 1% is an autoimmune response in genetically susceptible persons exposed to certain oligopeptides sequence found in prolamine proteins like gliadin in gluten protein (Nejad et al., 2011;Wang et al., 2017). People who suffer from CD should follow a severe lifelong gluten-free diet (Wang et al., 2017). Considering the unique characteristics of gluten protein, the desired characteristics of gluten-free bakery products

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were covalently immobilized onto the NiFe2O4‐halloysite nanotubes (NiFe2O4‐HNTs) surface to fabricate a nanocomposite material utilized as an active adsorbent to eliminate Cd(II) ions from water. NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized and simultaneously deposited on HNTs. Then, the material surface was coated by APTES (aminopropyltriethoxysilane) to cause GQDs be connected to the external layer via an amide bond. The prepared nanomaterial structure was identified by TEM, XRD, FT‐IR, BET isotherm, EDS analysis and VSM (vibrating sample magnetometry). Box–Behnken design incorporated with response surface method (RSM) was utilized to find out the impact of pH, time, initial concentration of Cd(II) and adsorbent dose on cadmium removal. Study discovered that adsorption operation is the quasi‐second‐order kinetic model and adapted more precisely with Langmuir adsorption model. The Langmuir highest uptake capacity of 34.72 mg/g at 298 K was acquired. The Elovich model recommended that the process is a kind of chemisorption. The calculated thermodynamic variables verified that the uptake process is endothermic and spontaneous. Additionally, the adsorbent can be simply separated with the aid of a magnet. In this study, we have suggested a practical method for the synthesis of the NiFe2O4/halloysite nanotubes/graphene quantum dots magnetic nanoparticles for cadmium removal from water.

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The main aim of this study was to evaluate the adsorption of aflatoxin B1 by nanocellulose conjugated with retinoic acid (NCRA). First, aflatoxin B1 and NCRA were modeled in the Hyperchem software, and then the adsorption of aflatoxin B1 was simulated by the molecular dynamics technique. Second, nanocellulose was synthesized and conjugated with retinoic acid by cross-linker. Third, the adsorption of aflatoxin B1 and NCRA and its release were evaluated at different conditions. Fourth, its adsorption was evaluated in different foodstuffs. Sixth, its toxicity was evaluated on mouse esophageal cells (MECs). Computer-based simulation showed the adsorption of aflatoxin B1 by NCRA. This study showed that the adsorption and release were less affected by temperature and incubation time but highly affected by pH and concentration. Moreover, it was found that NCRA could adsorb aflatoxin B1 in different foodstuffs. Importantly, NCRA had no remarkable toxicity on the MECs.