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Aim: Cereals and cereal-based products are prone to be infected by mycotoxin-producing fungi. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of contamination caused by 11 major mycotoxins in wheat samples collected from wheat silos in Tehran and Alborz provinces using UHPLC-MS/MS device.
Materials & Methods: Samples preparation was performed based on the extraction and purification procedures using acetonitrile/water/acetic acid solvents and Myco6in1 immunoaffinity columns, respectively. Selected mycotoxins were detected simultaneously using reversed phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionization technique in positive-ion mode in a 15-minute run in the MRM program. Spiked samples calibration curve was used to overcome the matrix effects and to determine the residual mycotoxins.
Findings: Quantification and detection limits for AFB1 and OTA mycotoxins were 2 and 0.7 ppb; for DON, FB1, and FB2 were 100 and 33.3 ppb; for ZER were 50 and 16.6 ppb: for AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and T-2 were 5 and 1.6 ppb; and for HT-2 were 20 and 6.6 ppb, respectively. Good precision and linearity was observed for mycotoxins. The average recovery rate of mycotoxins was in the range of 72-123 %, and the relative standard deviation (RSDr), indicating the method accuracy, was between 0.6-24.2 %. The validated method for analyzing the 30 wheat samples was used to evaluate the residual mycotoxins. OTA, T-2, and HT-2 mycotoxins were found in wheat samples. Only in one sample, the level of residual OTA exceeded the allowable limit set by the Iranian National Standards Organization.
Conclusion: The present study results highlighted the need for monitoring wheat and wheat-based products and the implementation of control and preventive measures in wheat fields, storage warehouses, and flour factories.

 

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Background: The outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which began in Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread in many countries and is currently considered a pandemic. The virus (SARS-CoV-2) causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and is related to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.
Methods: In this review, an introduction to SARS-CoV-2 was provided comprising the following items: general features; pathogenesis; the existing knowledge on immunological properties; transmission routs; diagnostic features, especially discussion about new approaches for treatment and prevention; and different diagnostic methods including nucleic acid based assays, serological testing, and MALDI TOF-MS and LC-MS technologies.
Findings and Conclusion: Introducing the different methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection may be useful to provide new insights into the development and improvement of detection primers, probes, methods/techniques, potential targets for drug designation, and therapeutic candidates against the virus.

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Abstracts This paper presents how the genetic algorithm (GA) can be applied to design of cascade stilling basins. Genetic Algorithm is adaptive method, which can be used to solve search and optimization problems over a period of generations, based upon the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest ones. The objective of this research is to minimize total cost of construction effectively which is a function of height of falls and length of stilling basins, while fulfilling the hydraulic and topographical criteria. The efficiency of GA discussed here has been tested for a benchmark example and the result for this algorithm is compared with the other method introduced by Vittal and Porey. The results clearly reveal superiority of the GA algorithm

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Fried foods due to suitable taste, flavor and mouth feel are very popular but they contain high level of oil. Frying time and temperature and coating before frying process are the main factors, affetcting oil content in fried products. In this study the effect of different concentrations of Balangu seed gum (0, 10 and 20 %W/V), frying temperature (150, 170 and 190 0C) and frying time (2, 4 and 6 minutes) on the quality and sensory attributes of fried zucchini slices were investigated and optimized by response surface method. Results showed that the amounts of water loss and oil uptake during frying process were reduced with increase of gum concentration in the coating agent, but the moisture content of sample was decreased by increasing of frying time and temperature while oil uptake increased. The L* index of the final products were decreased with increase of frying time and temperature and Balangu seed gum concentration. The most affecting factors on the a* and b* index are frying temprature, frying time and Balangu seed gum concentration respectively. The sensory evaluation results, showed that, total acceptance of fried zucchini slices increased with frying time and temperature incensement while decreased with Balangu seed gum incensement. Optimization results showed that the optimum processing conditions of fried zucchini slices were frying time of 2 minute, Balangu seed gum concentration 14.31% and frying temperature 177 0C and in these conditions the quality attributes of final products were in optimum level. Application of Balangu seed gum lead to produce low fat fried zucchini slices without adverse effect on sensory attributes of final product.

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This study was conducted to determine the effects of flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant on the shelf life and quality attributes of strawberry fruits. Different treatments were applied in this research including: flower and leaf ethanolic extract of Humulus lupulus plant at concentration of 25, 50 and 100 percent, diazinon fungicide at concentration of 100 and 200 ppm and blank samples (0 ppm). Different quality attributes including: total soluble solids, fruit juice pH, titratable acidity, flavor index of fruit, sensory attributes and total microbial counts of fruits were measured during storage periods. The results showed that application of the flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant and diazinon fungicide had no significant effect on the pH value of strawberry fruits but maintained the titratable acidity during storage periods compared to the blank samples (p>0.05). Total soluble solid content of strawberry fruits was decreased with increase of the storage time but increased with increase of the flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant concentration and compared to applied concentration of diazinon fungicide (tow concentration) lead to better brix content maintenances. Treated strawberry samples with the flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant compared to other samples obtained the higher score in case of appearance, color and texture during sensory evaluation. Microbial evaluation results, showed the ability of the flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant in microbial spoilage inhibition compared to the diazinon fungicide. According to the obtained results from different chemical, microbial and sensory evaluations, the flower and leaf extract of Humulus lupulus plant can be introduced as replacer of the common fungicide applied in strawberry preservation.

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Fruits and vegetables are perishable products due to their high water content and high enzymatic activity, and large amounts of them are deteriorated each year before consumption. Different methods such as the use of heat or chemical preservatives are common to reduce food waste, but increasing consumer demand for fresh or minimal processed foods has led to increased research for finding alternative preservation methods. In this study, the ability of clove, cumin and fennel essential oils (concentrations of 50, 75, 100 and 200 ppm) in reducing peroxidase enzyme activity (as one of the main factors of biochemical deterioration) in apple fruit was investigated. Clove essential oil in pure state and in concentrations of 100 and 75 ppm reduced 66.67% of the peroxidase enzyme activity while concentrations of 200 and 50 ppm of clove essential oil reduced 62.97 and 48.15% of the peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit respectively. Cumin essential oil in all applied concentrations led to a 66.67% reduction in peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit samples. Also, the use of concentrations of 100, 75 and 50 ppm of fennel essential oil has reduced 62.97% of peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit samples, while increasing the fennel essential oil concentration reduces its inhibitory effect on peroxidase enzyme activity so that the application of pure state and concentration of 200 ppm of fennel essential oil reduced 18.52 and 55.56% of peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit, respectively. The results of response surface optimization method showed that the lowest peroxidase enzyme activity for clove, cumin and fennel essential oils were obtained in essential oil concentration and enzyme activity time of 200 ppm and 40 seconds for clove essential oil, 146 ppm and 112 seconds for cumin and 130 ppm and 183 seconds for fennel essential oil respectively.

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Increasing consumer awareness of the dangers of chemicals and the effect of heat treatment on the foods nutritional value, lead to increase of the demand for the production and use of fresh or minimaly processed foods. In this study, the ability of cumin, fennel and clove essential oils (concentrations of 50, 75, 100, 200 ppm and pure form) in non-thermal inactivation of courgette peroxidase enzyme were investigated. The results showed that only pure form and concentration of 200 ppm of cumin essential oil and also pure form and high concentrations (100 and 200 ppm) of fennel essential oil were able to reduce the peroxidase enzyme activity in courgette but using concentrations of 50 and 75 ppm of fennel essential oil leads to increase peroxidase enzyme activity. Clove essential oil in all studied concentrations reduced the peroxidase enzyme activity, which indicates the ability of clove essential oil to react with oxygen and inhibit the reaction of enzyme peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase (enzymatic browning reaction). The best conditions for inactivation of peroxidase enzyme under the influence of cumin essential oil included a concentration of 194.5 ppm essential oil and an enzymatic activity time of 0.02 seconds, while the optimal conditions for achieving the lowest peroxidase activity included using 200 ppm fennel essential oil and enzyme activity time of 0 second, and 200 ppm of clove essential oil and enzymatic activity time of 1.7 second.

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Drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, which usually have adverse effect on the physicochemical properties and nutritional value of the final product too. Today, the demand for application of rapid drying methods such as using microwave and infrared beams has increased to prevent or reduce undesirable changes in foods. In this study, the effect of infrared drying process condition (drying temperature and time) on weight loss, vitamin C and color properties of Shahsavar Yazdi pomegranate arils were investigated and optimized by response surface method. The results showed that the amount of weight loss and L* value of pomegranate samples, increased with increasing drying time and temperature, while the amount of vitamin C decreased. Drying temperature had a greater effect on weight loss and vitamin C changes compared to drying time; however, variation of L* value under the influence of infrared drying time are more severe than the drying temperature. The amount of a* and b* value increased with increasing drying temperature while decreased with increasing infrared drying time. The best conditions for infrared drying of pomegranate arils are using drying temprature of 55 °C for 600 minutes and by applying the optimal conditions, the amount of weight loss, vitamin C and the total color difference (DE) of the produced pomegranate arils are equal to 69.5, 12.89 and 5.79 respectively. The results of the optimal conditions validation test showed that by applying the obtained conditions from the optimization process, the quality attributes of pomegranate such as weight loss, amount of vitamin C and the total color difference (DE) of the produced samples were 70, 12.45 and 7.75 respectively, which are very similar to the obtained results from the optimal conditions predicted by the response surface method.

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Hamburgers are one of the most widely consumed meat products in the world. The shelf life of this product is rather short, therefore the freezing process is commonly used to reduce water activity and prevent the growth of microorganisms. Accurate temperature prediction during freezing is important in designing optimum cooling procedures and to avoid quality deterioration. Models for predicting freezing times range from relatively simple analytical equations to the more complicated numerical methods which require a lot of computing time and a sophisticated computer. In this research, thermal properties of hamburger, including ice fraction, thermal conductivity and specific heat were determined mathematically and then the freezing process of hamburger patty was investigated by two different numerical models (finite difference& finite element). The results were compared with experimental data and it was found that although both two models could reasonably forecast the temperature of hamburger patties during freezing, the finite element model demonstrated better goodness of fit than finite difference model. This study shows that the use of CFD packages such as COMSOL software can be considered as a suitable option for the estimation of freezing time of meat products.

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The Oxidation of oils and fats causes the reduction of their nutritional value and sensory properties. Today, a new approach to the use of natural antioxidants such as essential oils and plant extracts has been developed and used as a desired alternative antioxidants than chemical antioxidants in foods. In this study, ethanolic extracts of walnut green peel (0, 50 and 100% concentrations), different microwave powers (90, 450 and 900 watts) and different extraction time (1, 8 and 15 minutes) were extracted. In order to determine the optimum extract for adding to the oil, the total amount of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of the extracts were measured by Reducing Power assay, scavenging of DPPH radical and total antioxidant capacity. Data analysis showed that optimized extracts were ethanol 53% (extraction time 6 minutes, microwave power 700 watts). Then, different concentrations of optimized extracts (200, 600 and 1000 ppm) were added to soybean oil and were kept in 65°C for the 16 days. The oxidative stability of all treatments was done by evaluation of peroxide value, TBA value, p-anisidin index, totox index and total amount of polar compounds in 0^th, 8^th and 16^th Days of storage and compared with a treatment containing 200 ppm of BHT. The results indicated that different concentrations of optimized ethanolic extracts were effective in oxidation reduction in all treatments (p<0.05). 1000 ppm concentration of ethanolic extract was more effective than BHT and had no adverse effect on color, smell and taste of oil. Thus, the extracts of green walnut peel can be used as natural and effective antioxidant to reduce the oxidation rate of soybean oil.

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In this study, three mathematical models (Plank, Pham and numerical model (finite element)) were used to predict the freezing time of potato samples. In order to develop the numerical model, thermophysical properties (density, thermal conductivity and specific heat) were predicted as a function of sample composition and temperature. Convective heat transfer coefficient was also estimated using the inverse problem method and dimensionless numbers. The results showed that the time calculated by the numerical model was the most accurate among three models and in the next step the best model was Pham model. In addition, an excellent agreement was obtained between observed temperature and temperature predicted by the numerical method in different freezing methods. In conclusion, the developed numerical model predicts the freezing temperature of potato samples correctly and can be used to simulate the freezing of suspended food in the air. In addition, the inverse problem method developed to predict convective heat transfer coefficient can be used in different freezing systems in order to choose the best system or optimize the process of food freezing.

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Fried potato products are very popular due to their desired quality properties, taste and texture, but their high fat content has caused concern in society. The use of edible coatings before frying is effective in reducing oil absorption. In this research, the effect of different concentration (0, 0.5 and 1%) of pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gums as a coating agent on oil absorption and quality properties of French Fries was investigated and optimized by the response surface methodology. Result showed that the moisture content of the samples increased as the concentration of pectin and CMC gums increased, but the amount of oil absorption, water loss during frying and the amount of required maximum shearing force for cuting the produced French fries decreased. Colorimetric results showed that, with increasing CMC gum concentration (Up to 1.2%), the brightness (L) and color difference (DE) of the produced French fries increased, but, the use of CMC gum concentrations higher than 1.2% reduced the color parameters of L and DE of the final product. Results showed that using pectin and CMC gums increased the color parameters a and b of the produced French fries. coating potato stripes with 0.69% pectin gum and 1.49% CMC gum are the optimum conditions for coating process of potato strips and at this condition, the quality parameters of the produced French fries are maintained optimally. Application of pectin and CMC gums lead to produce low fat French fries without adverse effect on quality attributes of final product.

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For years, sun and hot air drying have been considered as traditional drying methods. Today, using microwave is one the newest methods of drying. Iran is one of the main producers of pomegranate fruit in the world. To manufacture better product, drying needs to be handled in controlled and optimized process, therefore investigation of process condition kinetic is an obligation. In this study, thin layer drying behavior of pomegranate arils using microwave drier at 4 power levels (180, 360, 540 and 720W), oven drier at 4 temperature levels (45, 55, 65 and 75°C) and sun drying was studied. Page, Henderson and Pabis, Midilli et al., Newton, Logarithmic and Two-Term models were compared according to their Root Mean Square error (RMSE), Chi-square (χ²), Mean Bias Error (MBE) and correlation coefficient (R²). The results of the studied models indicated that Midilli et al., model exhibited the best fit to the data obtained for oven, microwave and sun drying. Increasing the oven drier temperature and the microwave drier power lead to an increase in the drying rate. Dried samples at 75˚C exhibited the highest R²= 0.9998, and the least RMSE and χ², 0.2059 and 0.5576 respectively in comparison with other samples. While dried samples by microwave, 720W, showed the highest R²= 0.9998 and the least RMSE and χ² were 0.1894 and 0.4203, respectively in comparison with other samples. Sun dried samples had the highest R² in Midilli Model, the least RMSE and X² were 0.0338 and 0.7059 respectively.

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The aim of this study was the production of double emulsions stabilized by hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and comparison of physicochemical properties of these emulsions with double emulsions stabilized by Tween 80 emulsifier. Double emulsions were produced using the two-step method. Firstly, an initial water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion was prepared by adding 20% ​​of the internal aqueous phase containing sodium chloride to the oil phase containing 95% sunflower oil and 5% Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and mixing with a magnetic stirrer. In the second stage of emulsification, 40% of the initial water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion produced in the first stage was added to 60% of the external aqueous phase containing hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose emulsifier in three levels of 2, 3 and 4%, 1% hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and 1% tween 80 and 2% tween 80 as control sample and dispersed by magnetic stirrer. Both the produced emulsions were homogenized using a high speed homogenizer for 15 minutes at 15000 rpm. The produced double emulsions were optimized in terms of particle size and distribution, stability, viscosity, color and morphology. The results showed that the lowest particle size was related to the double emulsions produced by Tween 80 which their particles size and distribution were 385.33 nm and 0.31, respectively. These parameters were 453.97 nm and 0.33, respectively for emulsions stabilized with 4% hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

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Grape is one of the most important fruits in the world and despite being non-climacteric, its quality decreased rapidly. The main goal of post-harvest technology is to reduce losses during the post-harvest period. Different methods have been proposed to increase the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables, mainly including the use of chemical preservatives that have problems and limitations. Nowadays, demand for using natural compounds including active edible coatings for keeping fruits quality has increased. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of maltodextrin edible coating containing different concentrations of chitosan and olive leaf extract on shelf-life and quality attributes (including total soluble solids, fruit juice pH and acidity, flavor index, total phenolic compounds, vitamin C and organoleptic properties) of black grape fruit (Rasheh variety) during 90 days of storage period. Results showed that using maltodextrin coating containing chitosan and olive leaf extract reduced weight loss and prevented the degradation of phenolic compounds and vitamin C of samples during storage period. Increasing storage time resulted in a decrease in the amount of acidity and increased pH of samples, while increasing chitosan concentration and olive leaf extract increased the maintains of organic acids and decreased the pH of grape samples. The amount of total soluble solids in grape samples increased with increasing storage time. Results showed that the use of maltodextrin coating containing chitosan and olive leaf extract maintained the quality and reduced the degradation of the sensory properties of grape fruit during storage period. The best conditions for storing grape fruit include maltodextrin coating containing 2% chitosan and 0.75% olive leaf extract. At these conditions, storage time is about two months (57.30 days) and in this period, grape fruit has the minimum weight loss, but vitamin C and total acceptability are maximum, the desirability of these optimum conditions is 0.703.
 

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Cystic echinocossosis (hydatidosis) caused by the larval stage of cestodes of the genus Echinococcus is an important and prevalent zoonotic disease. In human patients, surgical removal of the cysts is the treatment of choice in many cases however, leakage of the larva (protoscoleces) during the surgery and formation of new cysts is a concern. Presently, different solutions such as hypertonic saline and silver nitrate are used to inactivate the cyst-dwelling protoscoleces but each have some side-effects hence searching for novel protoscolicide formulations with high efficacy and low side-effects has been always in the focus. The aim of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions of Echinophora platyloba, to evaluate antioxidant properties of the extracts and to assess their protoscolicical effects in vitro. For this purpose, hydroalcoholic extracts of Echinophora platyloba were extracted in ethanol concentrations of 0, 50 and 100% and during 24, 48 and 72 hours. Response surface methodology (RSM) was perform to estimate optimal extract conditions. Finally, 200, 400 and 600 ppm concentrations of optimized extracts were tested on live protscoleces from sheep and goat livers collected from Hamedan abbatoir. Results showed that Echinophora platyloba extract prepared with absolute ethanol in 24 hours could inactivate 100% of protoscolicess after 5, 15 and 30 minutes of exposure. This in vitro study suggest that ethanolic extract of Echinophora platyloba can potentially be applied in vivo.