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With the aim of reducing phytic acid content of wheat bran, particle size reduction (from 1,200 to 90 μm), hydrothermal (wet steeping in acetate buffer at pH 4.8 at 55 °C for 60 min) and fermentation (using bakery yeast for 8 h at 30 °C) and combination of these treatments with particle size reduction were applied and their effects on some properties of the bran were studied. Phytic acid content decreased from 50.1 to 21.6, 32.8 and 43.9 mg/g after particle size reduction, hydrothermal and fermentation, respectively. Particle size reduction along with these treatments further reduced phytic acid content up to 76.4 % and 57.3 %, respectively. Hydrothermal and fermentation decreased, while particle size reduction alone or in combination increased bran lightness. With reducing particle size, total, soluble and insoluble fiber content decreased from 69.7 to 32.1 %, 12.2 to 7.9 % and 57.4 to 24.3 %, respectively. The highest total (74.4 %) and soluble (21.4 %) and the lowest insoluble fiber (52.1 %) content were determined for the hydrothermaled bran. Particle size reduction decreased swelling power, water solubility and water holding capacity. Swelling power and water holding capacity of the hydrothermaled and fermented brans were lower, while water solubility was higher than the control. The amount of Fe(+2), Zn(+2) and Ca(+2) decreased with reducing particle size. Fermentation had no effect on Fe(+2)and Zn(+2) but slightly reduced Ca(+2). The hydrothermal treatment slightly decreased these elements. Amongst all, hydrothermal treatment along with particle size reduction resulted in the lowest phytic acid and highest fiber content.

Chymosin is an aspartic proteinase found in the stomach of neonatal mammals and is used as milk coagulant in the cheese industry. In this study, preprochymosin cDNA from the abomasums of Iranian natives' kid goats was cloned and characterized. This cDNA has an open reading frame of 1143 bp and is predicted to code for a preproenzyme of 381 amino acids with an N-terminal 16 amino acid signal peptide that is followed by a 42 amino acid proenzyme. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed 98.7% and 94% identity with corresponding lamb and cattle sequences, respectively. The cDNA encoding for prochymosin was then subcloned into pET-28a and expressed with and without N-terminal His-tag in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Inclusion bodies were isolated and solubilized in 8 M urea at pH 10.7. Solubilized prochymosion molecules were successfully refolded and active recombinant goat chymosin was recovered after subsequent activation. Milk clotting activity (416 U/mg and 192 U/mg) was observed in (His + )-prochymosin and (His - ...

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the chemical and microbial properties of traditional Iranian fish sauce, mahyaveh. Fish sauce samples used in this study originated from five different locations in the Southern part of Iran. The pH of mahyaveh samples from different locations was in the range of 4.89–7.55 and NaCl concentration was in the range of 7.48–17.1%. The overall mean of TVB-N in all the samples tested was 3098 mg/kg. Histamine, with the overall mean of 2662 mg/kg, was found to be the main biogenic amine in the Iranian fish sauce. The high histamine content can be related to the high levels of bacterial count especially enterobacteriaceae (overall mean of 3.41 log cfu/g) and lactic acid bacteria (overall mean of 4.13 log cfu/g) in this product. Spermidine was the second dominant biogenic amine, while putrescine and tyramine were present at low concentrations in samples from different locations. Consequently, the major problem associated with this product is the very high histamine content. Mahyaveh, therefore, might not be completely safe for human consumption and excessive intake of this product on a regular basis is not recommended.

In this study, the influence of the application of 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.075% of Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil (EO) on oxidative stability of sunflower oil was examined and the EO was compared to butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) during storage at 37°C and 47°C. The main components of EO were identified as carvacrol (45.6%), p-cymene (18.1%) and thymol (16.3%). Peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value measurement in sunflower oil showed that all concentrations of EO had a lower antioxidant effect in comparison to BHA and BHT. Samples supplemented with EO concentration of 0.075% were the most stable during storage at both temperatures (p

In this study, the application of various concentrations (0.02%, 0.04%, 0.06% and 0.08%) of Satureja khuzestanica essential oil (EO) was examined on the oxidative stability of sunflower oil and compared to butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) during storage at 60°C. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry analyses of the oils revealed that carvacrol (87.7%) was the major component of EO. Peroxide value and anisidine value measurements in sunflower oil showed that all concentrations of EO had antioxidant effects in comparison to BHA. Oil samples supplemented with EO concentration of 0.08% were the most stable during storage (p

In this study, the effects of proteolytic activity of yogurt starter bacteria on physicochemical and technological properties of yogurt were investigated. Moreover, impact of proteolytic activity and production of exopolysaccharide (EPS) on the performance of each strain were screened. In order to compare the textural properties of yogurt samples, four parameters were evaluated: syneresis, water‐holding capacity, cohesiveness, and hardness. Results showed that strains with high proteolytic activity had lower acidifying activity during fermentation and storage. Samples containing EPS‐producing starter cultures had low proteolytic activity except samples K, L, and M. These differences related to nature and characteristics of each strain. Counts of starter cultures in samples produced using strains with high proteolytic activity were higher than other samples. Textural analysis data showed significant differences (p

Background: Malnutrition, inflammation and poor quality of life are prevalent among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Health-related quality of life is an important determinant of hospitalization and mortality in HD patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between quality of life and malnutrition-inflammation status according to subjective global assessment (SGA) and malnutrition-inflammation scores (MIS) in HD patients. Patients and Methods: We randomly selected 87 of 180 stable HD patients from two HD centers. Those on hemodialysis for at least three months and with malnutrition according to the SGA scores were included in this study. They were divided into two groups of mild to moderate malnutrition (n = 39) and severe malnutrition (n = 49) based on the SGA scores. Serum levels of transferrin, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, kt/v, body mass index and malnutrition-inflammation scores were measured in all patients. Health-related quality of life was assessed by validated short form-12 (SF-12) questionnaire for each patient. These values were compared between the two groups of patients by independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. The correlations of nutritional variables with SGA and MIS scores were determined by Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. Results: There were no differences in measured parameters between the two groups except for MIS scores. Those with severe malnutrition showed higher MIS scores. All quality of life aspects and total scores (PCS, MCS) (rather than social functioning (SF) aspect) were significantly different between the two groups, which showed lower physical and mental scores in severely-malnourished patients. Physical functioning (PF), role limitations due to physical heath (RP), general health (GH), mental health (MH), SF, role limitation due to emotional health (RE), vitality (VT) aspects and total scores (PCS and MCS) had negative significant correlations with MIS and SGA scores (All P values < 0.05). No correlation was found between MIS and SGA scores and other measured variables. Conclusions: This study focused on important effects of malnutrition and inflammation on health-related quality of life aspects, both physically and mentally in HD patients. SGA and MIS are highly correlated with quality of life in HD patients.

Background Malnutrition is a common finding in hemodialysis patients and can increase oxidative stress and inflammation levels. Study Design A randomized, controlled, nonblinded, parallel trial. Setting & Participants 92 hemodialysis patients from a single center with malnutrition according to subjective global assessment (SGA) score (SGA score > 7). Intervention 3 treatment groups (23 patients each) received 220mL of fermented vitamin E−fortified whey beverage (15g of whey protein concentrate + 600IU of vitamin E) or 220mL of fermented whey beverage (15g of whey protein concentrate) or vitamin E (600IU) 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The control group (23 patients) received no intervention. Outcome & Measurements Primary outcomes were change in SGA score and malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS) from baseline to the end of the trial. Results At the end of the study, 83 patients were analyzed (2, 3, 1, and 3 patients left the study in the vitamin E–fortified whey beverage, whey beverage, vitamin E, and control groups, respectively). Changes in SGA scores were −3.48 (95% CI, −4.90 to −2.00), −3.22 (95% CI, −4.13 to −2.30), −1.70 (95% CI, −3.20 to −0.24), and 1.56 (95% CI, 0.60 to 2.50) for the vitamin E–fortified whey beverage, whey beverage, vitamin E, and control groups, respectively (overall P P ≤0.001 for each treatment group vs control). Changes in MISs were −3.17 (95% CI, −4.40 to −1.90), −1.83 (95% CI, −2.50 to −1.10), −2.30 (95% CI, −3.50 to −1.10), and 1.48 (95% CI, 0.65 to 2.30) for the vitamin E–fortified whey beverage, whey beverage, vitamin E, and control groups, respectively (overall P P Limitations Lack of blinding, small sample size, and short duration. Conclusions Whey protein in the form of a new fermented whey beverage and vitamin E supplementation may improve SGA score and MIS in the short term.

The main purpose of this study is to develop a Geospatial Information System (GIS) model with the ability to assess the seismic damage to pipelines for two well-known hazards, including ground shaking and ground failure simultaneously. The model that is developed and used in this study includes four main parts of database implementation, seismic hazard analysis, vulnerability assessment and seismic damage assessment to determine the pipeline’s damage probability. This model was implemented for main water distribution pipelines of Iran and tested for two different earthquake scenarios. The final damage probability of pipelines was estimated to be about 74% for water distribution pipelines of Mashhad including 40% and 34% for leak and break, respectively. In the next step, the impact of each earthquake input parameter on this model was extracted, and each of the three parameters had a huge impact on changing the results of pipelines’ damage probability. Finally, the dependency of the model in liquefaction susceptibility, landslide susceptibility, vulnerability functions and segment length was checked out and specified that the model is sensitive just to liquefaction susceptibility and vulnerability functions.

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) were utilized for extraction of lemon verbena essential oil (EO) in comparison with the conventional hydrodistillation (HD). Chemical composition, extraction yield, physical properties, operation cost, antioxidant activity, and antifungal activities of extracted EOs were measured. Final yields of extraction and physical properties of extracted EOs did not show any significant difference among the three methods, but the required extraction time for extraction by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE; i.e., MAHD and SFME) methods improved to a shorter time span. Even though the compounds in all three extraction techniques were exactly similar, extraction by MAE methods, especially the SFME, increased the quantity of oxygenated compounds such as citral isomers (geranial and neral) in comparison with HD. The obtained results showed that MAE methods, especially SFME, can selectively extract oxygenated compounds such as citral isomers and improve antioxidant and antifungal activities of the extracted EOs. Practical applications Oxygenated compounds like citral isomers are mostly effective in treating many health disorders. According to the results of this study, microwave extraction like MAHD and SFME result in the enrichment of citral isomers of EOs. This selective extraction can affect antioxidant and antifungal activities of EOs extracted by the microwave method in comparison with conventional methods like HD.

The occurrence of aflatoxin (aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2)) and heavy metal (Pb, Cd, As and Hg) contamination was determined in 40 industrially produced animal feed samples which were collected from the southwest of Iran. The results indicated that 75% of samples were contaminated by four aflatoxins and the level of AFB1 and sum of aflatoxins were higher than the permissible maximum levels in Iran (5 and 20 µg kg(-1), respectively) in all feed samples. A positive correlation was found between four types of aflatoxins in all the tested samples (p < 0.01) and the positive correlation between AFG1 and AFG2 was significant (r(2) = 0.708). All feed samples had lead concentrations lower than the maximum EU limit, while 5%, 17% and 42.5% of feed samples had As, Cd and Hg concentrations higher than the maximum limits, respectively.

Apple leather is made by dehydration of cooked fruit into leathery sheets. Mould growth and patulin production can occur in damaged apples or when fallen fruit is collected for apple leather processing. A survey was conducted to determine levels and dietary intake of patulin from apple leather marketed in Iran. Patulin was detected in all samples at concentrations ranging from

Background: Meat contamination has been linked to consumer health problems, as proved by outbreaks and recalls from market places . Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. are considered among the most important pathogens which can be spread through meat and meat products consumption. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. in different kinds of meat marketed in Ahvaz, South-west part of Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 210 samples of beef, buffalo and lamb meats were collected from retail outlets and popular supermarkets. After each single pathogen and DNA extraction, multiplex PCR as a rapid and cost-effective method was carried out to determine the prevalence of the pathogens in the samples. Results: L. monocytogenes was detected in 2.8% of beef and buffalo samples and 4.3% of lamb samples. E. coli O157:H7 was detected in 2.8% of beef and 1.4% of buffalo samples. However, no contamination with this pathogen was found in lamb samples. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in beef, buffalo and lamb samples was 4.3, 2.8 and 7.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Due to the presence and potential hazard of E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. in meat samples, the detection of these pathogens in different kinds of meat is crucial to safeguard public health.

Nitrite-free and low-nitrite meat-curing systems were developed to eliminate or reduce nitrite in frankfurter-type sausages. Different composite meat-curing mixtures were formulated using cochineal and paprika as natural colorants, sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as antimicrobial agent, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as antioxidant and sodium nitrite. The treatment, which contained 0.015% cochineal, most closely resembled the 120 ppm NaNO2 in its ability to create cured-meat color. BHA was found to be a strong antioxidant at the 30 ppm level in cooked sausages during refrigerated storage for 5 weeks. All treatments containing 40 ppm sodium nitrite were successful in replicating sensory attributes of frankfurter samples. Our findings support the use of SHP as possible antibotulinal agent in nitrite-free meat-curing systems.

The effects of green tea (GTE), stinging nettle (SNE) and olive leaves (OLE) extracts on physicochemical, microbiological, texture and sensory properties of Frankfurter type sausage were investigated during 45 days of storage at 4C. Results indicated that pH, aw value, phenolic compounds and color values (L* and a* values) decreased during storage. Samples incorporated with 500 ppm GTE showed the lowest TBARS value compared to SNE, OLE and control sausage. Plant extracts reduced the count of total viable bacteria, mold and yeast by at least 2 log cfu/g. The addition of OLE increased significantly the maximum compression force compared with other samples. Sausage incorporated with SNE had the highest sensory score regarding flavor, freshness odor and overall acceptability. Based on the results, sausage incorporated with plant extracts could have a significant impact to improve quality benefits, color stability and shelf life of Frankfurter type sausage. Practical Application Food decay by spoilage microorganisms and chemical activities causes considerable economic losses and constitutes a health risk for consumers. Although chemical preservatives can effectively be used in meat products to control spoilage, foodborne pathogenic microorganisms and lipid oxidation, whereas there are significant concerns related to their toxicological aspects. Plant extracts are rich in potentially bioactive compounds, antimicrobial and antioxidant ingredients. The addition of natural ingredients such as green tea, stinging nettle and olive leaves extracts to Frankfurter type sausage could provide functional components to improve the healthier properties, sensory attributes and shelf life extension of novel meat products.

Background: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important human pathogen which can cause gastroenteritis when consumed in raw or partially-cooked seafood. The pathogenesis of V. parahaemolyticus is based on the presence of virulence factors: the thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH-related hemolysin (TRH), encoded by the tdh and trh genes, respectively. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the survival of normal and chlorine-stressed cells of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus under adverse conditions. Materials and Methods: Normal and chlorine-stressed cells of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus were subjected to environmental stresses such as low storage temperature (4°C and -18°C), high incubation temperature (50°C) and high NaCl content (20%). Viable counts were then made at various time intervals by surface plating on TSA-2.0% NaCl, and the survival rates of the cells were determined and compared. Results: Findings of the current study revealed that the normal cells of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus, as well as the chlorine-stressed cells of both strains behave similarly under adverse conditions. In addition, chlorine stress increased the susceptibility of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus to incubation at 4°C, and the presence of high NaCl content in the medium. However, chlorine stress did not significantly affect the thermal tolerance of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus, and the susceptibility to incubation at -18°C. Conclusions: Chlorine-stressed cells of V. parahaemolyticus were more susceptible to adverse conditions than the non-stressed ones. Pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains showed the same survival characteristics under the adverse conditions. These results should be considered in the development of food preservation measures.

Neospora caninum, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle. Surface antigen 1 of N. caninum (NcSAG1) is an important immunodominant candidate for the development of a diagnostic reagent for neosporosis. The present study describes the development and evaluation of a latex agglutination test (LAT) with recombinant NcSAG1 (rNcSAG1) for the detection of antibodies to N. caninum in cattle. The rNcSAG1 gene was cloned in pET-28a and protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Carboxylated latex particles were coated with rNcSAG1 and the degree of agreement between LAT and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iscomELISA) was evaluated by using of 164 serum samples. Twenty-two (13.4%) and 23 (14.0%) of samples were positive for antibodies to N. caninum by LAT and ELISA respectively. Eighteen of 23 ELISA-positive samples were positive according to the LAT and a substantial agreement (κ = 0.77) was found between the results of LAT and ELISA. The results indicated that the LAT with rNcSAG1 would be a rapid, simple, relatively inexpensive and suitable diagnostic test for detection of specific antibodies in N. caninum infection under field conditions. Improvement in purification of rNcSAG1 can reduce probable false positive reactions and so increase the degree of agreement between the LAT and ELISA.

In this study, application of various concentrations (0.025%, 0.05% and 0.075%) of Carum copticum essential oil (EO) were examined on oxidative stability of sunflower oil and there were compared to Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) during storage at 37 and 47 °C. The main compounds of EO were identified as thymol (50.07%), γ- terpinene (23.92%) and p-cymene (22.9%). Peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value measurement in sunflower oil showed that all concentrations of EO had antioxidant effect in comparison to BHA and BHT. Samples added with EO at 0.075% were the most stable during storage at both temperatures (P