Consumer perception of extruded snacks containing brown rice and dried mushroom

Effects of mushroom type, seasoning and health benefit information (HBI) on consumers’ saltiness expectation, sensory liking, elicited emotions and purchase intent (PI) of extruded snacks were investigated. Five snacks were evaluated: straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) extrudates without (SME) or with seasoning (SMES), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) extrudates without (PME) or with seasoning (PMES), and the control without mushroom and seasoning. Hedonic scores and positive emotions were generally higher for seasoned mushroom-containing snacks (SMES and PMES) with 65% and 75.83% of consumers reporting willingness to purchase, respectively, after receiving HBI. Bored, interested and satisfied were identified as significant emotional predictors for PI odds. Flavour, saltiness, overall liking, bored, good and interested were critical attributes, differentiating snacks. This study demonstrated that sensory liking and PI of extruded brown rice-based snacks containing mushroom could be improved through savoury seasoning addition, which also allowed saltiness expectations to be met.     

Transient and steady-state deformations and breakup of dispersed-phase droplets of immiscible polymer blends in steady shear flow

Transient and steady-state deformations and breakup of viscoelastic polystyrene droplets dispersed in viscoelastic high-density polyethylene matrices were observed in a simple steady shear flow between two transparent parallel disks. By separately varying the elasticities of the individual blend components, the matrix shear viscosity, and the viscosity ratio, their effects on the transient deformation, steady-state droplet size, and the breakup sequence were determined. After the startup of a steady shear flow, the viscoelastic droplet initially exhibits oscillations of its length in the flow direction, but eventually stretches preferentially in the vorticity direction. We find that at fixed capillary number, the oscillation amplitude decreases with increasing droplet elasticity, while the oscillation period depends primarily on, and increases with, the viscosity ratio. At steady-state, the droplet length along the vorticity direction increases with increasing capillary number, viscosity ratio, and droplet elasticity. Remarkably, at a viscosity ratio of unity, the droplets remain in a nearly undeformed state as the capillary number is varied between 2 and 8, apparently because under these conditions a tendency for the droplets to widen in the vorticity direction counteracts their tendency to stretch in the flow direction. When a critical capillary number, Ca_c, is exceeded, the droplet finally stretches in the vorticity direction and forms a string which becomes thinner and finally breaks up, provided that the droplet elasticity is sufficiently high. For a fixed matrix shear stress and droplet elasticity, the steady-state deformation along the vorticity direction and the critical capillary number for breakup both increase with increasing viscosity ratio.     

Physicochemical property changes in germinated brown rice flour from different storage periods of paddy rice

This study revealed that the storage duration (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months) of paddy rice and pH (3 and 6.8) of steeping water during germination were significantly influenced the physicochemical properties of germinated brown rice flour (GBRF). GBRF obtained at pH 3 vs. 6.8 provided the highest both reducing sugar content and free gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) content (99.8 vs. 54.2 mg per 100 g flour respectively) as the paddy rice was stored for 8 months. The peak viscosity of GBRF obtained at pH 3 and 6.8 exhibited the lower values than that of non‐GBRF throughout the storage. From the principal component analysis, reducing sugar had a positive correlation with α‐amylase activity whereas a negative correlation was found with peak viscosity. GBRF from paddy rice stored for 8 months and germinated at pH 3 possessed the highest free GABA content, 50 times of the non‐GBRF, which can be further utilised in functional and healthy foods.     

Fabrication and properties of solution‐cast polyaniline/carboxymethylchitin blend films

Blend films consisting of polyaniline in emeraldine base form (PANI EB) dispersed in partially cross‐linked carboxymethylchitin (CM‐chitin) were prepared by solution casting, and characterized for their physical, thermal, and electrical properties. Homogeneous and mechanically robust blend films were obtained having PANI EB contents up to 50 wt % in the CM‐chitin matrix. FTIR spectra confirm intimate mixing of the two blend components. The thermal stability of the blend films increased with increase of PANI EB content, suggesting the formation of an intermolecular interaction, such as hydrogen bonding, between PANI EB and CM‐chitin chains. The addition of PANI EB into the pure CM‐chitin film resulted in a decrease in electrical conductivity of the films owing to disruption of ionic conduction of the CM‐chitin structure. After doping the blend films by immersion in HCl solution, the electrical conductivity of the HCl‐doped films increased with increase of the PANI EB content to a maximum value of the order of 10^?3 S/cm at 50 wt % PANI EB content. The electrical conductivity of the blend films was also dependent on the HCl concentration as well as on the type of acid dopant. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Wheat-Germinated Brown Rice Bread during Storage Time

Abstract: Selected physicochemical properties and consumer acceptance of bread prepared from composite flour (wheat:germinated brown rice:germinated glutinous brown rice flours at 60:30:10 ratio) were evaluated during storage for 0, 3, and 5 d, and compared with wheat bread (0 d, control). During storage, color profiles and water activity (from 0.947 to 0.932) of crumbs of composite flour breads slightly changed, but moisture content drastically decreased along with increasing crumb hardness (from 4.16 N to 10.37 N). Higher retrogradation in bread crumb was observed particularly for 5-d stored bread (ΔH = 2.24 J/g) compared to that of the fresh composite bread and the control (ΔH = 0.70 and 0.51 J/g, respectively). Mean (n = 116) overall liking score of the fresh composite flour bread (0 d) was slightly lower than that of the control (7.1 compared with 7.6 based on a 9-point hedonic scale). At least 76% of consumers would purchase the fresh composite flour bread if commercially available. Breads were differentiated by textural (moistness, smoothness, and softness) acceptability with canonical correlation of 0.84 to 0.87. The signal-to-noise ratio values of the 5-d stored breads were lower than the control, due mainly to the non-JAR (not-enough) intensity responses for moistness, smoothness, and softness; the mean drop of liking scores for these attributes ranged from 2.42 to 2.98. Flavor acceptability and overall liking were factors influencing consumers’ purchase intent of composite flour breads based on logistic regression analysis. This study demonstrated feasibility of incorporating up to 40% germinated brown rice flour in a wheat bread formulation. Practical Application: Our previous study revealed that flours from germinated brown rice have better nutritional properties, particularly gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), than the nongerminated one. This study demonstrated feasibility of incorporating up to 40% germinated brown rice flour in a wheat bread formulation. In the current U.S. market, this type of bread may be sold as frozen bread that would have a longer shelf life, or may be supplied as a food-service product that would be made-to-order or made fresh daily as currently practiced in some major grocery stores.     

An Innovative Synthesis of Calcium Zeolite Type A Catalysts from Eggshells via the Sol–Gel Process

Calcium zeolite type A (CaNaAlSi₂O₇), called soda melilite, with a molar ratio of CaO:Al₂O₃:Na₂O:SiO₂ of 1:1:2:8 and calcined at 300 °C for 1 h was successfully synthesized by a sol–gel process using eggshell as the starting material. The CaNaAlSi₂O₇ catalysts had N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms and good electrical properties. The specific surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter were 55.15 m²/g, 0.51, and 37.19 nm, respectively. The dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, and loss tangent are 46.5785, 5.2360 × 10⁻³ (Ω m)⁻¹, and 2.75, respectively as measured at room temperature and at 1000 kHz (1 MHz). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed a moderately good dispersion of uniform particles with an average diameter of about 0.5 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra, and simultaneous thermal analysis data (STA) were obtained to confirm the synthesis products.     

Effects of solvents on electrospun polymeric fibers: preliminary study on polystyrene

Six solvents [acetic acid, acetonitrile, m‐cresol, toluene, tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dimethylformamide (DMF)] with different properties (eg density, boiling point, solubility parameter, dipole moment and dielectric constant) were used to prepare electrospun polystyrene (PS) fibers. Fiber diameters were found to decrease with increasing density and boiling point of the solvents. A large difference between the solubility parameters of PS and the solvent was responsible for the bead‐on‐string morphology observed. Productivity of the fibers (the numbers of fiber webs per unit area per unit time) increased with increasing dielectric constant and dipole moment of the solvents. Among the solvents studied, DMF was the best solvent that provided PS fibers with highest productivity and optimal morphological characteristics. The beadless, well‐aligned PS fibers with a diameter of ca 0.7 µm were produced from the solution of 10 % (w/v) of PS in DMF at an applied electrostatic field of 15 kV/10 cm, a nitrogen flow rate of 101 ml min^?1 and a rotational speed of the collector of 1500 rev min^?1. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Germination Conditions Affect Selected Quality of Composite Wheat-Germinated Brown Rice Flour and Bread Formulations

Abstract: Brown rice has been reported to be more nutritious after germination. Germinated brown rice flours (GBRFs) from different steeping conditions (in distilled water [DI, pH 6.8] or in a buffer solution [pH 3] for either 24 or 48 h at 35 °C) were evaluated in this study. GBRF obtained from brown rice steeped at pH 3 for 48 h contained the highest amount of free gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA; 67 mg/100 g flour). The composite flour (wheat-GBRF) at a ratio of 70 : 30 exhibited significantly lower peak viscosity (PV) (56.99 – 132.45 RVU) with higher alpha-amylase activity (SN = 696 – 1826) compared with those of wheat flour (control) (PV = 136.46 RVU and SN = 1976). Bread formulations, containing 30% GBRF, had lower loaf volume and greater hardness (P < 0.05) than the wheat bread. However, the hardness of bread containing 30% GBRF (except at pH 6.8 and 24 h) was significantly lower than that of bread containing 30% nongerminated brown rice flour (BRF). Acceptability scores for aroma, taste, and flavor of breads prepared with or without GBRFs (30% substitution) were not significantly different, with the mean score ranging from 6.1 (like slightly) to 7 (like moderately). Among the bread formulations containing GBRF, the one with GBRF prepared after 24 h steeping at pH 3 had a slightly higher (though not significant) overall liking score (6.8). This study demonstrated that it is feasible to substitute wheat flour with up to 30% GBRF in bread formulation without negatively affecting sensory acceptance. Practical Application: Our previous study revealed that flours from germinated brown rice have better nutritional properties, particularly gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), than the nongerminated one. This study demonstrated feasibility of incorporating up to 30% germinated brown rice flour in a wheat bread formulation without negatively affecting sensory acceptance. In the current United States market, this type of bread may be sold as frozen bread which would have a longer shelf life. Further study is thus needed.     

Electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of polyaniline/natural rubber composite fibers

Electrically conducting elastomer fibers based on natural rubber (NR) and up to 10% w/w polyaniline (PANI) in its emeraldine base (EB) form were fabricated by a wet spinning process. The resulting fibers at various PANI contents were doped by immersion in aqueous HCl solution, which converted the PANI to the electrically conductive emeraldine salt (ES) form. The morphology of the composite fibers was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PANI particles were inhomogeneously distributed in the NR matrix. The electrical conductivity of the fibers increased with the increasing PANI‐ES content and leveled off at a value of around 10^?3 S/cm at PANI‐ES concentration of 5% w/w. The fibers retained most of their elasticity upon doping, while the tenacity was somewhat reduced. Gratifyingly, the electrical conductivity of the new elastomer fibers was preserved upon elongational deformation, even if strains as large as 600% were applied. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Flexible and stretchable electrode based on multiwalled carbon nanotube/deproteinized natural rubber composites

One of stretchable electronic devices is known as the compliant electrode which can retain good electrical conductivity under deformation. Compliant electrodes from MWCNTs and DPNR were prepared by using a UV‐curing process and Triton X‐100 as a dispersing agent. The effect of Triton X‐100/MWCNTs volume ratio was investigated by transmission electron microscopy indicating the highest dispersion was obtained at the volume ratio of 15.6. The mechanical and electrical properties were investigated by a melt rheometer in a tension mode. The 3%v/v MWCNTs composite possessed an excellent mechanical behavior (Young's modulus = 1.27 × 10⁶ Pa) and a high electrical conductivity (1.03 S/cm) relative to previous works. Under the same experimental conditions, a commercial compliant electrode named Danfoss exhibited the Young's modulus and electrical conducivity values of 7.56 × 10⁶ Pa and 2.54 × 10^?2 S/cm, respectively, which were inferior to the 3%v/v MWCNTs/DPNR. Moreover, the composite film still retained good electrical behaviors under 100% strain, high extentional strain rate of 1 s^?1, high flexed angle, and repeated stretching cycles (40% strain, 50 times) due to the intimate compatibility between the MWCNTs and the elastomer matrix. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:1356–1366, 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers