The microstructure of buccal cavity and alimentary canal of Siganus rivulatus: Scanning electron microscope study

The microstructure of the oral cavity and alimentary canal of herbivorous fish Siganus rivulatus collected from the Red Sea were investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that S. rivulatus has three types of teeth, tri‐cusped, bi‐cusped, and papilliform. A taste bud (Type I) was recorded in the oropharyngeal cavity. Characteristic styles of microridges on the cell's surface inside the buccal cavity were recorded. Also, the distribution of the mucous cells in the lining of the mouth cavity, alimentary canal was observed. Mucosal folds along the distinct parts of alimentary canal, showed characteristic pattern which was complex in the intestinal mucosa. The results concluded that there are characteristic microstructures according to feeding habitat compared with other bony fishes.     

Spice use in food: Properties and benefits

Spices are parts of plants that due to their properties are used as colorants, preservatives, or medicine. The uses of spices have been known since long time, and the interest in the potential of spices is remarkable due to the chemical compounds contained in spices, such as phenylpropanoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Spices, such as cumin (cuminaldehyde), clove (eugenol), and cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde) among others, are known and studied for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties due to their main chemical compounds. These spices have the potential to be used as preservatives in many foods namely in processed meat to replace chemical preservatives. Main chemical compounds in spices also confer other properties providing a variety of applications to spices, such as insecticidal, medicines, colorants, and natural flavoring. Spices provide beneficial effects, such as antioxidant activity levels that are comparable to regular chemical antioxidants used so they can be used as a natural alternative to synthetic preservatives. In this review, the main characteristics of spices will be described as well as their chemical properties, different applications of these spices, and the advantages and disadvantages of their use.     

Effects of almond gum as texture and sensory quality improver in wheat bread

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of almond gum as dietary fibre source in enhancing the wheat bread quality. Different amounts of almond gum (2%, 5% and 10% (w/w)) were used in bread formulation. The volume, texture, crust and crumb colour, as well as the sensorial properties, were evaluated and compared to control (without almond gum). The obtained results showed that almond gum addition enhanced significantly the volume of bread. The highest volume was obtained using 2% almond gum concentration with 23.6% increase, compared to control. Using almond gum in bread formulation improved considerably its texture with a notable decrease in hardness by 61.7% and 42.5% when using 2% and 5% almond gum, respectively. The sensory analysis scores showed that the better overall acceptability was found for breads supplemented with 2% almond gum, as compared to control and breads supplemented with 5% or 10% almond gum.     

Investigating the effect of production process of ball mill refiner on some physical quality parameters of compound chocolate: response surface methodology approach

Chocolate compound was produced using ball mill refiner, and the effect of agitator shaft speed and refining time on the physical quality parameters (particle size, colour and steady‐state rheology) of compound chocolate was determined using response surface methodology. The shaft speed and refining time range were selected between 40–60 r.p.m. and 10–30 min, respectively. Determination coefficient of the models established for particle size, Newtonian viscosity and colour parameters (brightness, chroma and hue angle) were found to be very close to unity. Increasing shaft speed and time induced a reduction in particle size and an increase in viscosity of the samples. Temperature sweep test was also performed, and the obtained data were successfully fitted to Arrhenius equation to calculate the corresponding parameters representing temperature dependency of the compounds. The results highlighted that the establishment of such models can provide essential information in terms of optimisation of production processes regarding usage purpose of the compound chocolate.     

Some picture fuzzy Bonferroni mean operators with their application to multicriteria decision making

In this paper, we extend the Bonferroni mean (BM) operator with the picture fuzzy numbers (PFNs) to propose novel picture fuzzy aggregation operators and demonstrate their application to multicriteria decision making (MCDM). On the basis of the algebraic operational rules of PFNs and BM, we introduce some aggregation operators: the picture fuzzy Bonferroni mean, the picture fuzzy normalized weighted Bonferroni mean, and the picture fuzzy ordered weighted Bonferroni mean. Then, a new picture fuzzy MCDM method is proposed with the help of the proposed operators. Lastly, a practical application of proposed model is given to verify the developed model and related results of the proposed model is compared with the results of the existing models to indicate its applicability.     

The regularized trace of Sturm–Liouville problem with discontinuities at two points

In this paper, we obtain a regularized trace formula for a Sturm–Liouville problem which has two points of discontinuity and also contains an eigenparameter in a boundary condition.     

Experimental investigation on flow improvement in compressor cascades

There is no general rule in the literature to help choose a correct flow control device for any given case of turbomachinery applications. This suggests individual optimization of flow control devices for each specific case. The objective of this study is to prove experimentally the benefits of passive control methods in improving the compressor performance. This allows to reduce the fuel consumption, leading to energy saving and reduction of atmospheric pollution. Two features have been controlled in this study: flow separation over the blade surfaces and the secondary flow over the cascade endwalls. Vortex generator ribs are tested on the blade suction side for flow reattachment on the blade surfaces, and low‐profile vortex generators are tested on the side walls of the compressor cascade against secondary flow losses. Different vortex generator designs are compared for total pressure recovery, flow turning, boundary layer characteristics, and pressure distributions over the endwalls. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pomegranate peel phenolics: Microencapsulation,storage stability and potential ingredient for functional food development

In this study, we investigated the effects of microencapsulation conditions on product quality of pomegranate peel phenolics. Our results indicate an optimum air inlet temperature of 160 °C and 1/1 (w/w) or 1/3 (w/w) for phenolics/maltodextrin ratio. No differences were observed amongst the maltodextrins used for coatings. There were also no statistically significant differences in phenolic content of microcapsules for the storage periods of 90 days at 4 °C (p > 0.05). We also evaluated the resultant microencapsulated phenolics for enrichment of the functional properties of regular ice cream used as model food in our studies. Addition of pomegranate peel phenolics at 0.5 and 1.0% (w/w) showed significant improvement of the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the enriched ice creams compared with control sample. Antioxidant activity as EC₅₀ and α-glucosidase inhibitory as IC₅₀ of 1.0% phenolic enriched ice creams were 133.3 and 22.9 μg/mL, respectively. More than 75% of the panellists accepted the phenolic enriched ice creams in sensory evaluation, which lends supports to such products for commercial introduction to the general public with the potential as functional foods.     

On a multivariable extension of Jacobi matrix polynomials

The classical Jacobi matrix polynomials only for commutative matrices were first studied by Defez et al. [E. Defez, L. Jódar, A. Law. Jacobi matrix differential equation, polynomial solutions and their properties, Comput. Math. Appl. 48 (2004) 789–803]. The main aim of this paper is to construct a multivariable extension with the help of the classical Jacobi matrix polynomials (JMPs). Generating matrix functions and recurrence relations satisfied by these multivariable matrix polynomials are derived. Furthermore, general families of multilinear and multilateral generating matrix functions are obtained and their applications are presented.