First insights into the binding mechanism and colour effect of the interaction of grape seed 11S globulin with malvidin 3-O-glucoside by fluorescence spectroscopy, differential colorimetry and molecular modelling

Recently, the search for alternative proteins endogenous to grapes to be used as wine colour protecting agents became an important research trend. In this study, the molecular interaction between the grape seed 11S globulin from winemaking by-product and malvidin-3-O-glucoside was investigated by fluorescence, differential colorimetry and molecular modelling. Fluorescence studies revealed the formation of grape seed protein- pigment complex whose KS was 8.5 × 104 M-1 and binding sites, n = 1.3. Malvidin-3-O-glucoside showed darker and more vivid bluish colour of in the presence of 11S globulin, suggesting the flavylium cation protection in a hydrophobic region of the protein. Docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulation indicated that malvidin-3-O-glucoside interacts mainly with the acidic subunit (40 kDa) of the 11S globulin monomer (60 kDa). An average of two hydrogen bonds and Van der Wall forces were the main interaction forces found for the protein-pigment complex, whose stability was confirmed by root-means-square deviation.

Non-destructive prediction of colour and water-related properties of frozen/thawed beef meat by Raman spectroscopy coupled multivariate calibration

Freeze-thaw accelerated the colour deterioration of beef with the increase of colour b* and the decrease of colour a* values (P < 0.05). The maximum exudate loss reached 22 % after the seventh freeze-thaw. A strong correlation between the transversal relaxation time T₂₁ and thawing loss may mean that T₂₁ water contributed to the exudate loss during freeze-thaw. Afterwards, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling-partial least square (CARS-PLS) has the best prediction in thawing loss of frozen/thawed beef with correlation coefficients of prediction (R_p) of 0.971, and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.436. Besides, Uninformative variable elimination-partial least squares (UVE-PLS) showed good prediction effects on colour values (R_p = 0.932 - 0.994) and water content (R_p = 0.928, RMSEP = 0.582) of frozen/thawed beef. Therefore, this work demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy coupled with multivariate calibration has a good ability for non-destructive prediction in colour and water-related properties of frozen/thawed beef.

Assessing efficiency and economic viability in treating leachates emanating from the municipal landfill site at Gazipur, India

The leachates emanating from the landfills are high in organic loads and thus become potential sources of contamination for both surface and groundwater. As the landfill ages, the nature of leachate changes from acidic to alkaline. The change in pH level affects the chemical oxygen demand (COD)/biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) ratio and when it is less than 0.63, chemical treatments are more effective over the biological treatment methods such as upflow anaerobic sludge blankets (UASB). The existing literature suggests coagulation-flocculation and advanced oxidation process (Fenton) as effective methods for treating wastewater but no comparison of the two are available. Thus, the present study attempts to identify the most efficient coagulants out of ferric chloride (FeCl₃), ferrous sulphate (FeSO₄) and alum [Al₂(SO₄)₃]. Ferric chloride leading to 99% colour removal, 98% COD removal, 99% decrease in total organic carbon, 94.3% removal in NH₃-N and 91.4% removal in total Kjeldahl nitrogen is observed to be the most efficient coagulant and surprisingly, proves to be even better than Fenton. To understand the field applicability of the two treatment procedures, coagulation with FeCl₃ and Fenton are compared with the UASB method which is currently employed at Gazipur landfill site, Delhi. With lesser operational cost than UASB, both FeCl₃ and Fenton perform better on cost-efficiency scale. Switching from in-suit UASB method to the FeCl₃ method of treatment may result in decreasing the operational cost by 71.9% and to conventional Fenton may result in decreasing the operational cost by 76.8%.

Deciphering the response of thirteen apple cultivars for growth, fruit morphology and fruit physico-chemical attributes during different years

Apple cultivation is one of the most significant means of subsistence in the Kashmir region of the northwestern Himalayas. It is considered as the backbone of the region's economy. Apple cultivation in the region is dominated by a late maturing cultivar "Red Delicious" which usually on maturity causes glut in the market. In order to bring new cultivars in the cultivation, and to expand the maturity season, it is necessary to evaluate the new cultivars on fruit physico-chemical attributes which ultimately decide the market rates before recommending to farmers for cultivars adoption. Therefore, the current study was carried out to evaluate thirteen apple cultivars on physico-chemical attributes over two years, 2017 and 2018 under agro-climatic conditions of Kashmir region The results revealed that cultivars differed significantly in terms of physico-chemical properties. Cultivars with the highest and lowest values for initial fruit set, fruit drop, final fruit retention, and fruit firmness in 2017 did not follow the same trend in 2018. During 2017 and 2018, cultivar Mollie's Delicious possessed the highest fruit length (72.39 mm and 81.45 mm), fruit diameter (81.18 mm and 84.14 mm), and fruit weight (205.85 g and 247.16 g), whereas cultivar Baleman's Cider had the lowest values (50.76 mm and 52.83 mm, 60.10 mm and 62.08 mm, and 71.46 g and 86.94 g), respectively. The harvesting dates were quite spread out during both years of study. Cultivar Mollie's Delicious was harvested the earliest in both years, on August 5th, 2017 and August 8th, 2018. Cultivar Fuji Zehn Aztec was the last cultivar harvested in 2017 on October 2 and in 2018 on October 5. The maximum number of seeds per fruit was noticed in the cultivar Mollie's Delicious (8.34 and 8.71) during both 2017 and 2018, respectively. Cultivar Starkrimson had the fewest seeds per fruit in 2017 (7.11) and 2018 (7.42). Cultivar Baleman's Cider had the highest acidity in 2017 (0.63%) and 2018 (0.52%). In both 2017 (0.25%) and 2018 (0.23%), the Adam's Pearmain cultivar was the least acidic. Cultivar Allington Pippin (16.13 °Brix) and Red Gold (16.73 °Brix) had the highest TSS in 2017 and 2018, respectively, whereas Vance Delicious (12.30 °Brix) and Top Red (10.78 °Brix) had the lowest TSS in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The cultivars Mollie's Delicious and Red Gold had the highest total sugars (11.33 and 11.40%) in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Cultivar Baleman's Cider had the lowest total sugars (9.82%) in 2017 while Top Red (9.78%) in 2018. The cultivar Vance Delicious had the highest ratio of leaves to fruits in 2017 (55.44) and for Shalimar Apple-2 in 2018 (49.65). In 2017, cultivars Fuji Zehn Aztec (29.26) and Silver Spur (24.51), had the fewest leaves per fruit. The highest leaf chlorophyll content was recorded in cultivar Shireen (3.50 and 3.57 mg g^-1 fresh weight) during the years 2017 and 2018, respectively. Cultivar Baleman's Cider had the lowest leaf chlorophyll content (2.15 mg g^-1 fresh weight) during 2017, while cultivar Allington Pippin (2.09 mg g^-1 fresh weight) had the lowest leaf chlorophyll content in 2018. The cultivars Fuji Zehn Aztec, with a yield efficiency of 0.78 kg/cm² and Silver Spur with a yield efficiency of 1.14 kg/cm² were the most yield efficient during the years 2017 and 2018, respectively. Cultivar Shalimar Apple-2 was least performing with yield efficiencies of 0.05 and 0.07 kg/cm² during 2017 and 2018, respectively.The findings suggest that cultivar Mollie's Delicious commercially matures first and has the highest fruit length, diameter, and weight; hence, it can be a good option for cultivation so as to fetch the maximum price in the market when other cultivars are still maturing. Shalimar Apple-2 is precluded for cultivation due to least yield efficiency, whereas cultivars Fuji Zehn Aztec and Silver Spur are recommended to farmers for their higher yield efficiency.

Presence of free gallic acid and gallate moieties reduces auto-oxidative browning of epicatechin (EC) and epicatechin gallate (ECg)

Auto-oxidation of flavan-3-ols leads to browning and consequently loss of product quality during storage of ready-to-drink (RTD) green tea. The mechanisms and products of auto-oxidation of galloylated catechins, the major flavan-3-ols in green tea, are still largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated auto-oxidation of epicatechin gallate (ECg) in aqueous model systems. Oxidation products tentatively identified based on MS included δ- or γ-type dehydrodicatechins (DhC₂s) as the main contributors to browning. Additionally, various colourless products were detected, including epicatechin (EC) and gallic acid (GA) from degalloylation, ether-linked ε-type DhC₂s, and 6 new coupling products of ECg and GA possessing a lactone interflavanic linkage. Supported by density function theory (DFT) calculations, we provide a mechanistic explanation on how presence of gallate moieties (D-ring) and GA affect the reaction pathway. Overall, presence of gallate moieties and GA resulted in a different product profile and less intense auto-oxidative browning of ECg compared to EC.

Understanding the effect of correlated colour temperatures on spatio-chromatic properties of natural images

Despite the natural occurrence of global and local daylight changes in natural scenes, the human visual system typically adapts well to these changes and develops stable colour perception. In a previous study, the influence of daylight characterized by its Correlated Colour Temperatures (CCT) on different chromatic descriptors was analysed (Ojeda et al., 2017). The results showed that chromatic information is almost constant for CCT values above 14,000 K, with local extremes occurring in the range of low CCTs. The aim of this work is to extend the analysis of the CCT dependence of the illuminant to those that consider the spatio-chromatic structure, including second order descriptors (gradients, spectral slope, spectral signature, and PCA) and higher order descriptors (kurtosis, skewness, and number of relevant colours). Our results show that most of the descriptors exhibit horizontal asymptotic behaviour for CCTs above 15,000 K and local extremes in the range of 3,900 K-9,600 K. For those descriptors that could be analysed in CIELAB space, sufficient statistical evidence was obtained to consider skewness, kurtosis, and the independent spectral slopes of the L* channel as equal in the range of CCTs used. However, the slight variations in spectral signatures and the directions of the principal components when applying PCA to image patches are not statistically significant and cannot be considered equal under different illuminants. The number of relevant colours (NRC) exhibits sensitivity to temperature variations and behaves similarly to the other descriptors, due to its small number.

Pomegranate peel as a source of antioxidants for the control of lipid and protein oxidation during the ripening of Iberian dry uncured sausages

This study aimed to evaluate a pomegranate peel extract (PPE), selected for its level of phytochemical compounds and antioxidant activities, as a nitrite substitute in dry sausages, as well as its effect on lipid and protein oxidative changes and instrumental colour during the drying period (28 days). Of the extraction solvents screened, water: acetone 3:7 (v/v) was the most effective extraction solvent, yielding extracts with the highest content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and condensed tannins and antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP). Four batches of dry sausages were produced with different incoming amounts of sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) and PPE: 1) 150 ppm NaNO₂; 2) 0 ppm NaNO₂; 3) 0 ppm NaNO₂ + 1% PPE (v/w) and 4) 0 ppm NaNO₂ + 2% PPE (v/w). Nitrite removal increased lipid oxidation in uncured dry sausages, while nitrite and PPE caused lower TBA-RS values in cured and PPE treated sausages. During drying, both nitrite and PPE addition significantly decreased carbonyl and thiol contents compared to the uncured dry sausages. A dose-response was found for PPE, with lower carbonyl and thiol concentrations, the higher the level of PPE added. PPE significantly modified instrumental colour coordinates L*a*b* producing significant total colour changes compared to cured dry sausages.

Genetic architecture of a pollinator shift and its fate in secondary hybrid zones of two Petunia species

BACKGROUND

Theory suggests that the genetic architecture of traits under divergent natural selection influences how easily reproductive barriers evolve and are maintained between species. Divergently selected traits with a simple genetic architecture (few loci with major phenotypic effects) should facilitate the establishment and maintenance of reproductive isolation between species that are still connected by some gene flow. While empirical support for this idea appears to be mixed, most studies test the influence of trait architectures on reproductive isolation only indirectly. Petunia plant species are, in part, reproductively isolated by their different pollinators. To investigate the genetic causes and consequences of this ecological isolation, we deciphered the genetic architecture of three floral pollination syndrome traits in naturally occurring hybrids between the widespread Petunia axillaris and the highly endemic and endangered P. exserta.

RESULTS

Using population genetics, Bayesian linear mixed modelling and genome-wide association studies, we found that the three pollination syndrome traits vary in genetic architecture. Few genome regions explain a majority of the variation in flavonol content (defining UV floral colour) and strongly predict the trait value in hybrids irrespective of interspecific admixture in the rest of their genomes. In contrast, variation in pistil exsertion and anthocyanin content (defining visible floral colour) is controlled by many genome-wide loci. Opposite to flavonol content, the genome-wide proportion of admixture between the two species predicts trait values in their hybrids. Finally, the genome regions strongly associated with the traits do not show extreme divergence between individuals representing the two species, suggesting that divergent selection on these genome regions is relatively weak within their contact zones.

CONCLUSIONS

Among the traits analysed, those with a more complex genetic architecture are best maintained in association with the species upon their secondary contact. We propose that this maintained genotype-phenotype association is a coincidental consequence of the complex genetic architectures of these traits: some of their many underlying small-effect loci are likely to be coincidentally linked with the actual barrier loci keeping these species partially isolated upon secondary contact. Hence, the genetic architecture of a trait seems to matter for the outcome of hybridization not only then when the trait itself is under selection.

Influence of salivary acquired pellicle on colour changes and minerals content of dentine after application of silver diamine fluoride followed by potassium iodide

PURPOSE

This study evaluated whether the presence of the salivary acquired pellicle (AP) had any effect on the dentin's darkening and on the caries arresting effect after the use of SDF + KI, in a cariogenic challenge.

METHODS

Human dentin specimens were standardised, submitted to artificial caries lesion formation, and divided into five groups (n = 20): C: control group-no treatment, SDF: 38% SDF, APSDF: SDF 38% and AP, KISDF: 38% SDF and KI, and APKISDF: 38% SDF, KI and AP, that were submitted to pH cycling. Colour evaluation (CIE L*a*b* system) and surface hardness were performed before and after the treatments/pH cycling.

RESULTS

SDF and APSDF groups showed no difference in colour. KISDF and APKISDF groups showed significantly different colours than the groups without KI. SDF, APSDF, and APKISDF groups had less mineral loss than C and KISDF. SDF, APSDF, and APKISDF revealed significantly greater mineral recovery, compared to KISDF and C.

CONCLUSION

The AP did not influence the dentin´s colour after SDF + KI, but had a protective role in modulating the dentin´s mineral gain/loss. KI used after SDF decreased the dentin´s darkening, and did not interfere with the dentin de/remineralization process.

A quick method for fraud detection in egg labels based on egg centrifugation plasma

The aim of this work was to develop a quick and cheap method for fraud detection in egg labels according to the four legal farming method of the EU. The plasma obtained from egg centrifugation was investigated for this purpose. Initial protein content in egg, plasma protein content, plasma colour parameters (L*, a* and b*) and plasma UV-VIS-NIR (Ultraviolet-Visible-Near-infrared) spectra were evaluated. The classification algorithms applied were SVM (Support-Vector-Machine), LDA (Linear-Discriminant-Analysis) and QDA (Quadratic-Discriminant-Analysis). The analysis of the protein content did not detect differences. Colour parameters and spectral measurements showed significant differences between eggs. Spectra analysis with QDA gave sensitivity of 100% in the calibration set. The validation set scored 87.5% sensitivity and 94.07% specificity using the visible spectra. This work established plasma spectral measurements combined with classification algorithms as a powerful tool to discriminate the four farming systems. This work presents a fast tool for the egg label control.

Post-treatment of matured landfill leachate: Synthesis and evaluation of chitosan biomaterial based derivatives as adsorbents

Matured landfill leachate is complex in nature, hence, a single conventional treatment unit is insufficient to remove the contaminants of the leachate to achieve the discharge standards. Furthermore, high levels of organic matter, colour compounds, and iron-based materials form a dark black/brown colour in leachate which is not removed by the biological treatment units. Hence, an Anoxic-Oxic Membrane Bioreactor coupled with a tertiary adsorption unit composed of crosslinked-protonated chitosan was tested for effective removal of the colour of the permeate. Several operational parameters such a pH, contact time, and adsorbent dosage on the adsorptive removal of colour were quantified using sorption-desorption experiments. Furthermore, the biosorbent was characterized using FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET-specific surface area, and pH_ZPC. Response Surface analysis confirmed the optimization of operational parameters conducted through traditional batch experiments. Langmuir isotherm model fitted with equilibrium data (R² = 0.979) indicating a monolayer homogeneous adsorption. Kinetic data followed the Pseudo-Second-Order model (R² = 0.9861), showing that the adsorbent material has abundant active sites. The percentage removal values show that the colour removal increases with time of contact and dosage of adsorbent, but removal is mainly influenced by the solution pH levels. The experimental results manifested a colour removal efficiency of 96 ± 3.8% obtained at optimum conditions (pH = 2, adsorbent dosage = 20 g/L, contact time = 48 h) along with an adsorption capacity of 123.8 Pt-Co/g suggesting that the studied adsorbent can be used as an environmentally friendly biosorbent in a tertiary unit for colour removal in a treatment system which is used to treat matured landfill leachate.

In vitro comparison of natural tooth-whitening remedies and professional tooth-whitening systems

Background

An increasing number of patients are using natural homemade remedies such as strawberries, banana peels, coconut oil rinse, basil, lemon, activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and turmeric to obtain whiter teeth. However, studies on these natural whitening products are limited.

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of different homemade tooth-whitening agents in vitro.

Materials and methods

Ninety caries-free extracted anterior and premolar teeth were collected, cleaned, and sectioned at the roots. The teeth were mounted in epoxy resin (buccal surface) and stored in 0.2 % thymol solution, and were treated with one of the following six whitening agents: baking soda, activated charcoal, lemon juice, strawberries, Colgate Optic Whitening toothpaste, and Opalescence 20 % home-bleaching system. The enamel shade in each sample was measured four times using a spectrophotometer. Baseline measurements for ΔE and (L*, a*, b*) were obtained, and the second measurement was obtained after 5 days. The third reading was obtained on the 10th day, and the fourth reading was obtained at the 4th week to measure colour stability. One-way analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results

ΔE measurements showed a significant difference on the 10th day in all groups except the lemon group (P = 0.164), while all groups showed a statistically significant difference at the 4th week. The mean colour change differed remarkably between the first and fourth readings. The highest change was observed in the lemon group (44.0 ± 2.9), closely followed by the Opalescence 20 % and Colgate Optic Whitening toothpaste groups. The lowest change was observed with strawberries (38.2 ± 4.8). ΔE showed a significant difference in all groups except the turmeric group.

Conclusion

Statistically significant differences were obtained with baking soda, activated charcoal, strawberries, lemon juice, Colgate Optic Whitening toothpaste, and Opalescence 20%. Further studies are required to evaluate the effects of these agents on surface roughness and colour stability.

Does colour variety accurately quantify nutritional value in children's lunchboxes? A pilot study

Objectives

In advocating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, public health authorities emphasise dietary colour variety to ensure adequate nutrient consumption. The relationship between food colour variety and nutritional value in children's lunches attending one school was evaluated.

Study design

Observational cross-sectional study.

Methods

Eighty-two children had their lunchboxes photographed over one day. Foods were scored using the Nutri-score labelling system, assigning foods a letter based on nutritional content. Composite Nutri-scores were calculated as average total Nutri-score per food per lunchbox. Eleven observers used a colour chart to assign colours to foods from a sample of lunchboxes; intra-class correlation was calculated. Associations between nutrient scores and colour variety were estimated.

Results

Lunchboxes contained an average of 4 ± 1 colours. Number of colours did not vary by age or sex. Two thirds of lunches had composite Nutri-scores of C or better, with better scores in older children. There was no association between colour variety and composite Nutri-score. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fats were associated with greater colour variety. Vegetables and meat, fish and eggs were associated with better scores; refined grains, dairy, snacks, fats and condiments were associated with worse.

Conclusions

Although this study did not demonstrate a relationship between colour variety and nutritional score, findings suggest that lunches containing fruit and vegetables tended towards greater colour variety than those without. This indicates that adjusting guidelines to incorporate food colour variety may be of use in future iterations of dietary guidelines for children.

Mirror symmetry and aging: The role of stimulus figurality and attention to colour

Symmetry perception studies have generally used two stimulus types: figural and dot patterns. Here, we designed a novel figural stimulus-a wedge pattern-made of centrally aligned pseudorandomly positioned wedges. To study the effect of pattern figurality and colour on symmetry perception, we compared symmetry detection in multicoloured wedge patterns with nonfigural dot patterns in younger and older adults. Symmetry signal was either segregated or nonsegregated by colour, and the symmetry detection task was performed under two conditions: with or without colour-based attention. In the first experiment, we compared performance for colour-symmetric patterns that varied in the number of wedges (24 vs. 36) and number of colours (2 vs. 3) and found that symmetry detection was facilitated by attention to colour when symmetry and noise signals were segregated by colour. In the second experiment, we compared performance for wedge and dot patterns on a sample of younger and older participants. Effects of attention to colour in segregated stimuli were magnified for wedge compared with dot patterns, with older and younger adults showing different effects of attention to colour on performance. Older adults significantly underperformed on uncued wedge patterns compared with dot patterns, but their performance improved greatly through colour cueing, reaching performance levels similar to young participants. Thus, while confirming the age-related decline in symmetry detection, we found that this deficit could be alleviated in figural multicoloured patterns by attending to the colour that carries the symmetry signal.

Destalking of dry red chillies (Capsicum annum L.) and its characterization

Abstract

The prevalent manual destalking of dried red chillies is a labour-intensive, tedious, and unhealthy practice that can cause severe health ailments to the labourers. This study focuses on the design and fabrication of a mechanized system for removing stalks from dried chillies to reduce the drudgery involved in manual operation. The machine's primary components including hopper, rotating cylinder, triangular bridges, cutting blades, destalked chilli outlet, and stalk outlet were fabricated based on the design considerations and ease of operation. The machine was evaluated considering the independent parameters viz. feed rate, cylinder speed, and cylinder inclination for optimization of its performance using one-factor-at-a-time statistical design. Physical properties of chillies, destalking efficiency of the machine, and the effect of destalking on powder characteristics were determined. Optimal performance of the machine was achieved with the chillies having 8-10% (moisture), 6.5 kg/h (feed rate), 20 rpm (cylinder's speed), and 3° (cylinder's inclination) with destalking efficiency of 85-87%. The evaluation of powder characteristics also revealed the prominence of destalking with enhanced colour attributes. The developed machine is compact, efficient, economical, requires less labour and thereby it may encourage its adoption at the farmer's level and strengthening of the value chain of dried chillies.

Graphical abstract

Understanding the effect of meat electrical conductivity on Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) process parameters and the ability of PEF to enhance the quality and shorten sous vide processing for beef short ribs

The aim of this research was to investigate how the electrical conductivity of short ribs affected Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) process parameters and the ability of PEF to enhance their quality and reduce sous vide (SV) processing time. Short ribs with different range of electrical conductivity (3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 mS/cm) values were treated using input voltage of 10 kV, pulse width of 20 µs, pulse frequency of 50 Hz and pulse number, of either 1600 (low intensity PEF/LPEF) or 5200 (high intensity PEF/HPEF), followed by SV processing at 60 °C for either 24 or 36 h. The quality parameters assessed were cooking loss (%), Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) parameters, and Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* colour parameters. There was a variation in electrical conductivity of short ribs according to the position of the bone in the short rib, which demonstrated good congruence with the distribution of fat and connective tissue. SV processing with or without PEF pre-treatment did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on cooking loss or CIE L*a*b* colour parameters. Short ribs with a medium conductivity (6-9 mS/cm) had a significantly lower hardness after high intensity PEF followed by SV for 24 h, whilst short ribs with an average conductivity of 3-6 and 9-12 mS/cm required longer SV time (up to 36 h) and had a significantly lower hardness compared to non PEF pre-treated samples. TPA values of short ribs treated with the same PEF intensity and SV processing parameters were comparable regardless of the short ribs initial electrical conductivity, which indicates that PEF treatment could ameliorate the biological electrochemical variability inherent to short ribs and PEF could be the potential tool to decrease their SV processing time and enhance their tenderness.

Is Purple Lost in Translation? The Affective Meaning of Purple, Violet, and Lilac Cognates in 16 Languages and 30 Populations

Colour-emotion association data show a universal consistency in colour-emotion associations, apart from emotion associations with PURPLE. Possibly, its heterogeneity was due to different cognates used as basic colour terms between languages. We analysed emotion associations with PURPLE across 30 populations, 28 countries, and 16 languages (4,008 participants in total). Crucially, these languages used the cognates of purple, lilac, or violet to denote the basic PURPLE category. We found small but systematic affective differences between these cognates. They were ordered as purple > lilac > violet on valence, arousal, and power biases. Statistically, the cognate purple was the most strongly biased towards associations with positive emotions, and lilac was biased more strongly than violet. Purple was more biased towards high power emotions than violet, but cognates did not differ on arousal biases. Additionally, affective biases differed by population, suggesting high variability within each cognate. Thus, cognates partly account for inconsistencies in the meaning of PURPLE, without explaining their origins.

Identification of potential odorant markers to monitor the aroma formation in kilned specialty malts

Specialty malts are strategic ingredients regarding their contribution to colour and flavour of beer. Malts with the same colour may present distinct flavour characteristics and intensities. Contradictorily, colour is the benchmark in practical quality control. To investigate the correlation between colour and flavour of kilned barley specialty malts, odorants of commercial products of pale ale (5-9 EBC), Vienna (6-10 EBC), Munich (11-35 EBC) and melanoidin malts (80-90 EBC) were screened via solvent-assisted flavour evaporation (SAFE) and compared via comparative aroma extract dilution analysis (cAEDA). Subsequently, selected odorants were quantified using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). A total of 34 odorants were detected, of which 12 exhibited a concentration increase as the coloration increased, whereas 4 suggested the influence of temperature and modification degree on aroma formation. Such odorants are thus elected as potential markers for monitoring the influence of process variations on the formation of aroma in commercial kilned specialty malts.

Effect of Mouthwashes for COVID-19 Prevention on Surface Changes of Resin Composites

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of various mouthwashes for COVID-19 prevention on surface hardness, roughness, and colour changes of bulk-fill and conventional resin composites and determine the pH and titratable acidity of mouthwashes.

METHODS

Four hundred eighty specimens were fabricated in cylindrical moulds (10 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness). Before immersion, baseline data of surface hardness, roughness, and colour values were recorded. Each product of specimens (Filtek Z350XT, Premise, Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative, SonicFil 2) were divided into 4 groups for 0.2% povidone iodine, 1% hydrogen peroxide, 0.12% chlorhexidine, and deionised water (serving as a control). The specimens were immersed in mouthwashes for 1 minute and then stored in artificial saliva until 24 hours. This process was repeated for 14 days. After immersion, surface hardness, roughness, and colour values of specimens were measured at 7 and 14 days. The data were statistically analysed by 2-way repeated analysis of variance, Tukey honestly significant difference, and t test (P < .05).

RESULTS

After immersion, all mouthwashes caused significantly lower surface hardness and greater roughness and colour values (P < .05) on all resin composites tested.

CONCLUSIONS

Mouthwashes had an effect on all resin composites evaluated leading to a significant decreased surface hardness and an increased roughness and colour values (P < .05).

Effect of bioactive glass paste on efficacy and post-operative sensitivity associated with at-home bleaching using 20% carbamide peroxide: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of bioactive glass (BAG) 45S5 paste on colour change and tooth sensitivity (TS) when used in combination with 20% carbamide peroxide (CP) during at-home vital tooth bleaching.

Methods

Twenty-four patients were selected and assigned into two experimental groups (n = 12) in a double-blind study design. Each patient received 20% CP followed by the application of either BAG paste or non-active placebo paste. The shade evaluation was performed using a digital spectrophotometer based on the CIE L*a*b* colour space system at different time points and the overall colour changes ΔE were calculated. TS was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS). The values of ΔE and TS were statistically analysed using paired t-test. The level of statistical significance was established at p = 0.05.

Results

The overall colour changes (ΔE) between baseline and each time point showed no significant differences between BAG and placebo groups (p > 0.05). The use of BAG paste significantly decreased TS reported by the participants.

Conclusions

The association of BAG paste with at-home bleaching treatment presents a promising method as it decreased TS and did not deteriorate bleaching efficacy.

Trial registration This study was approved and registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) under Registration number: ACTRN12621001334897.

Valorisation of residual iron dust as Fenton catalyst for pulp and paper wastewater treatment

In this work, the performance of residual iron dust (RID) from metallurgic industry was assessed as Fenton catalyst for the treatment of real pulp bleaching wastewater. The focus was on the removal of recalcitrant pollutants AOX (adsorbable organic halides), by a novel, cleaner, and cost-effective circular solution based on a waste-derived catalyst. The behaviour of RID as iron source was firstly assessed by performing leaching tests at different RID:wastewater w/v ratios and contact time. Afterwards, RID-catalysed homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton processes were conducted to maximise AOX removal from the pulp bleaching wastewater. Reusability of RID was assessed by a simple collect-and-reuse methodology, without any modification. Similar AOX removal under less consumption of chemicals was achieved with the novel heterogeneous Fenton process. Reaction in the bulk solution was the main pathway of AOX removal, given that the low surface area and porosity of the material did not allow for a high contribution of surface reaction to the overall performance. Moreover, AOX removal was similar over two consecutive treatment cycles, with Fenton process being responsible for 56.7-62.1% removal of AOX from the wastewater, and the leaching step adding 11.4-13.2%. At the end of treatment, COD either decreased (1^st cycle) or remained unchanged (2^nd and 3^rd cycle). The operating cost of the optimised heterogeneous Fenton was 3-11% lower than under conventional Fenton process. This work presented a novel, circular solution based on a low-cost waste-derived catalyst, advancing the knowledge needed to foster industrial application of such technologies to increase industrial environmental performance and efficiency.

Smartphone-based colorimetric study of adulterated tuna samples

In this work, a colorimetric analysis of adulterated tuna samples is carried out using both a spectroradiometer and a smartphone as capture devices. Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) slices were treated with nitrate and nitrite salts, as well as with two different vegetable extracts (beetroot and radish), and the resulting NO₂^- and NO₃^- concentration was analysed using HPLC-DAD. The results indicate that both nitrite and beetroot treatments work properly as colouring agents in tuna, being nitrate also effective. When assessing the effect of radish, the final flesh had a more whitish colour. Overall, this approach allows to obtain colorimetric data which can distinguish among the different adulterating agents.

Manufacturing and characterization of whey and stevia-based popsicles enriched with concentrated beetroot juice

The beet-root (Beta vulgaris) and whey powder together, can potentially use as a multifunctional ingredient in the manufacturing of the "Popsicles", due to their biochemical composition that can enhance the concentration of bioactive compounds. In the present study, beet-root juice concentrates were prepared at different time/temperature treatments viz 45 °C, 55 °C, and 65 °C for 120, 80 and 45 min. The effect of different time/temperature treatments on physicochemical composition, colour, antioxidant activity (%), bioactive compounds, spectral data and sensory acceptance were evaluated. The physicochemical parameters of popsicles (PTI, PT2, PT3) including protein, total phenols, betalain, radical scavenging activity %, colour and melting values were significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) by the different time/temperature treatments. The concentration of betalain and protein in all the popsicles ranged from 1134 to 1299 mg/L and 1.92 to 1.54 g/100 g respectively. The reduction of bioactive components viz betacyanins, betaxanthins, betanin, oxalic and syringic acid was also observed in popsicle (PTI) as compared to control. Furthermore, popsicle (PT1) was prepared with beet-root juice concentrated at 45 °C showed maximum sensory acceptance. The physicochemical and organoleptic attributes of processed popsicles encourage the commercial usage of whey powder and concentrated beetroot juice.

Influence of processing conditions on quality of Indian small grey donkey milk powder by spray drying

The study was carried out to know the quality of small grey donkey milk powder by spray dryer. Donkey milk powder moisture, fat, protein, carbohydrate and ash were 4.12 (d.b), 5.97, 22.84, 4.64 and 62.43 (%). Donkey milk powder was produced at milk total solids of 20, 25 and 30% concentration at 160, 170 and 180 °C inlet air temperature using two fluid flow nozzle type atomizer of 0.84 mm diameter, pressure of 1.75 kg.cm^-2, flow rate of 0.5 L.h^-1, blower speed of 2100 rpm. L ^* , a ^* , b ^* and a_w values decreased with increasing concentrated milk feed as well as inlet air temperature. Density decreased as increase of inlet air temperature and increased as increase milk concentration. Flowability was fair according to Hausner ratio (1.25) and Carr's index (20%) values. The heat utilization efficiency increased as increase of concentration and decreased as increase of inlet air temperature. Solubility decreased as increase of concentration and inlet air temperature. Dispersibility decreased as increase of inlet air temperature and increased as increase of concentration. Wetting time increased as increase of concentration and inlet air temperature. Structure of the donkey milk powder was spherical and minerals were abundant.

Physical meat quality characteristics of Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) as affected by sex and muscle

Giraffe numbers grow exponentially when farmed, necessitating periodic culling. This study quantified the effect of sex and muscle on the physical quality characteristics of eight giraffe muscles. The Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was the only parameter to be affected by an interaction between sex and muscle (P < 0.001), although the interaction for the CIE L* values tended towards significance (P = 0.054). Cooking loss (male = 41.6 ± 0.35%; female = 40.7 ± 0.33%; P = 0.024) and CIE L* values (male = 38.8 ± 0.23; female = 37.3 ± 0.27; P = 0.039) were both affected by sex. Muscle had an effect on all physical parameters. The ultimate pH of all muscles was 5.5-5.9; the average WBSF of <43 N for all muscles indicates giraffe meat in this study is tender. This study shows that yield and physical characteristics of giraffe meat are favourable, and the results may be useful for the marketing of giraffe meat.