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Total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and other physicochemical parameters of the Birim River, which serves for drinking and domestic purposes for rural mining communities, were analysed to assess the suitability of water quality for human consumption.

In total, 40 samples were collected from 20 sampling sites during the rainy season from July to September and the dry season from December to February in addition to two repeat samples and two blank samples. Samples were analysed for physiochemical parameters and the results were compared with World Health Organisation standards (WHO).

Data obtained for both rainy and dry seasons indicated TOC ranged from 1.1 to 7.3 mg/L and DOC 1–7.2 mg/L; pH, 5.6–8.63; temperature, 23.3–29.3°C; turbidity, <1.00–869NTU; apparent colour, <2.5–600 mg/L Pt-Co; true colour <2.5–150 mg/L Pt-Co; alkalinity, 27.8–80.4 mg/L; total suspended solids, <1.00–998 mg/L; electrical conductivity, 82–184 µS/cm; and bicarbonate, 33.9–98.1 mg/L. Particulate organic carbon (POC) was constituted between 1 and 10% of the TOC. Values for pH, turbidity, total suspended solids, and true colour indicated contamination of the river. p -value of <0.05 between seasons for the physicochemical parameters also suggests that the water is polluted.

Water from the Birim River is unsuitable for human consumption and may constitute a serious health risk to the consumers.

The paper yields immense value to inhabitant of communities using surface water affected by mining activities, policy makers in sustainability. It warns of the unsuitability of water from the Birim River for human consumption due to the potential health risk to consumers.

Presents the outcome of intensive research into highly dispersed sodium‐aluminium silicate. Optimal conditions of the precipitation process of sodium‐aluminium silicates of high dispersion degrees from the solution of sodium metasilicate were given. In the precipitation process water soluble aluminium salts were used. A physicochemical analysis and microscopic structure of the obtained silicates were performed. The products obtained are characterized by parameters comparable to those of the sodium‐aluminium silicate P‐820 (Degussa).

The purpose of this paper is to characterize monofloral and heterofloral honey samples (chestnut, lavandula, acacia and sunflower) from different regions of Turkey according to their physicochemical (moisture content, acidity, ash, sucrose, reducing sugar and hydroxymethylfurfural content) and biochemical properties to compare regional and species differences that are thought to contain different types of plant sources.

Physicochemical investigations were performed according to AOAC methods. Mineral analysis and volatile analysis were performed by using atomic absorption spectrometry and GC–MS, respectively. Antimicrobial activities of honey samples were evaluated based on disc diffusion method and minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values. The assays followed to determine total phenolic content and antioxidative and activities are spectrophotometric methods.

The obtained values of physicochemical parameters are among the values that can be accepted according to legal regulations. The most abundant mineral was potassium, which made up 81 per cent of the total mineral content, ranging between 165.7 and 301.6 mg/kg. A total of 87 different volatile components, some of which are highlighted in the literature to have antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, were detected. The maximum phenolic content, antioxidant activity against DPPH radical and ferric reducing ability were detected in the chestnut honeys. All tested honeys showed antimicrobial activity with MIC values between 6.25 and 50 µg/mL.

The present study has the feature of being a large study in terms of the region from where honey samples were selected and choice of analysis. The values obtained from physicochemical parameters reveal that the honeys from related region can be consumed with confidence. The biological properties found in honeys make them products of high added value and excellent quality.

The study was aimed to compare the effect of three drying techniques viz., spray, freeze and hot air oven (HAO) drying on yield, nutritional parameters, minerals and physicochemical and morphological characterization of wild banana pulp (Musa balbisiana Colla).

Contents of carbohydrate was estimated by Anthrone reagent, protein by Kjeldahl, fat by Soxhlet, dietary fiber and ash by Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), minerals by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, gross calorific value by Bomb calorimeter, moisture by moisture analyzer, water activity by water activity meter, morphological characterization by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), statistical level of significance at p < 0.05 by ANOVA, predictive modeling by simple and multiple linear regression.

Freeze and HAO drying were standardized with matured (stage 2) and spray drying with ripe bananas (stage 6). Freeze drying showed highest yield (76.69 ± 0.15%), minerals viz., K (1175.67 ± 1.41), Fe (2.27 ± 0.09), Mg (120.33 ± 0.47), Mn (4.40 ± 0.28) mg/100 g, protein (7.53 ± 0.14%), lesser moisture (7.95 ± 0.01%), water activity (0.17 ± 0.02a_w), hygroscopicity (6.37 ± 1.09%), well dispersed particles by SEM. HAO drying exhibited highest dietary fiber (18.95 ± 0.24%), gross calorific value 357.17 kcal/100 gm, higher solubility (47.22 ± 0.86%). Spray drying showed highest carbohydrate (85.29 ± 0.01%), lowest yield (28.26 ± 0.32%), required 30.5% adjuncts.

Effect of three drying techniques and use of adjuncts were not uniform for ripe and matured bananas.

Commercial utilization of seeded wild banana.

Value addition of wild banana in Assam, India

Freeze drying of mature wild banana pulp (M. balbisiana) was found as best technique utilizing lesser energy.

Urban beekeeping is spreading as an answer to promote bee conservation and to develop local economies. This study aims to highlight nutritional properties of polyfloral honeys produced in urban landscape and to compare them to the countryside counterparts.

This research has examined polyfloral urban honeys from a restricted area in Central Italy, for antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and 15 polyphenols profile. Physicochemical parameters have been also determined to assess the overall quality of the samples. Results were compared with polyfloral honeys produced in surrounding countryside and monitored in two harvest years, 2018 and 2019. Principal component analysis was applied to the data to disclose significant differences among honeys and harvest years.

Urban honeys revealed up to threefold higher total amount of polyphenols with respect to rural honeys, and in the 2019 harvest, despite water scarcity that affected the national production, demonstrated 50% higher antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. The majority of the 15 polyphenols studied resulted in more abundant urban honeys, in particular in the 2019 harvest. The multivariate analysis evidenced how honeys could be successfully separated according to their production area and harvest year by their different polyphenols profile.

Limited data are available on nutritional properties of urban honeys and on their content in antioxidants. The present results suggest that the cultivated urban environment, with its large floral biodiversity, can provide extra nutrition for bees, resulting in the production of a honey rich in nutraceutical compounds.

Currently, there is a great demand for those food products that are easy to prepare or ready for direct consumption. Making pear fruit/juice available round the year is desirous owing to pears' high-nutritional value and specific pleasant taste. Pear is, however, a seasonal fruit and under ambient conditions has a limited shelf life rendering it available as fresh fruit for a specific period.

The study aimed to optimize the spray drying process parameters using response surface methodology for the development of pear juice powder. The process variables included the inlet air temperature of 140–210°C, maltodextrin levels of 4–25%, atomization speed of 11,400–28,000 rpm, feed flow rate of 180–630 mL/hr, and feed total soluble solids (TSS) of 13–30°Brix. The dependent responses were powder yield, solubility, antioxidant activity {% 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity}, dispersibility, hygroscopicity and particle density.

Among independent variables, inlet air temperature showed a predominant effect. The optimum processing conditions for the development of pear juice powder with optimum quality were 163.02°C inlet air temperature, 13.50% maltodextrin, 28,000 rpm atomization speed, 390.94 mL/h feed flow rate, and 25.5°Brix feed TSS. Under these optimum conditions, pear powder with desirable properties could be produced. The experimental and predicted values were found to be in agreement, indicating the suitability of the model in predicting optimizing responses of pear powder. Glass transition temperature of pear powder was found to be 36.60 ± 0.40°C, which is much higher than that of ambient temperature, suggesting better shelf stability.

The processing of pear fruit has resulted in the increased demand for pear juice powder in both domestic and international markets as a primer of new food products. The optimum conditions obtained in the current study could provide a new insight to the food industry in developing spray-dried pear powder of optimum quality. This can open up a new horizon in the field of food industry for the common masses of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

To find out the molecular level changes in lac‐MF blends, occurring due to the effect of thermal stress on the blends at elevated temperature and at different intervals of baking time.

Films of lac‐MF blends, applied on tin panels were baked at 200°C for different time intervals. The baked films were examined by specular reflectance spectroscopy, as they were otherwise difficult to examine through conventional IR techniques, using KBr pellet method, due to their amorphous and tacky nature. The results obtained were compared and reported.

On baking the blends of lac‐MF resin at 200°C for different time intervals, cross‐polymerisation sets in via esterification and condensation. In addition to this, etherification may take place among different molecules of lac and MF resin. In terms of different physico‐chemical parameters, blends of 7:3 (w/w) lac:MF and of 1:1 (w/w) lac:MF were found to be better than blends of 3:7 (w/w) lac:MF, baked at 200°C for different time intervals.

Chemical researches on lac‐synthetic resin blends have been typically limited due to the complex nature of resins and also due to the lack of suitable modern tools and techniques. This has been solved using state‐of‐the‐art instrumentation and computational techniques, which may prove to be useful to industry and for research.

Lac and its blends retain their significance in diverse fields of applications, ranging from surface coatings and food applications, to the formulation of lacquers, varnishes and in the finishing industry. Findings made in this study could have significant application for such industries from an application point of view.

To date, there is no record of specular – reflectance and derivative spectrometric studies on lac‐synthetic resin blends. This paper represents the first attempt to obtain and correlate reflectance data on such blends. It also highlights the convenience of the method and the scope of sophisticated data analysis, including derivative spectrometry.

The purpose of this paper is to show impacts of household wastes handling on some physicochemical parameters of surface water, soil, sediments and borehole water samples in Port Harcourt. Waste generated from the households are indiscriminately dumped on roads, stream channels, bush lands and open spaces thus defacing the landscape of the city, flooding and spreading vector-borne diseases. As a result there is unsustainable and wasteful utilisation of resources which gives rise to pollution of the environment. The research determines the pollution profile of some dumpsites, surface water bodies that act as recipients of household waste from result of analysis of physicochemical parameters.

Major dumpsites in the city were selected for sampling. Three sampling stations at upstream, discharge point and downstream were selected for water and sediments. Water samples were collected in one-litre plastic containers, and then labelled and transported to laboratory for analysis. Sediment samples were collected at a depth of 5-10 m under water and preservation, handling and analysis were based on standard principles and procedures. Soil samples were dug with auger at both top (0-15 cm) and bottom (15-30 cm) in radial coordinates. The soil and sediment samples were first digested using the wet oxidation method before analysis with atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

The physicochemical analysis of surface water samples showed that conductivity, salinity, turbidity, sulphate, phosphate, magnesium, total hardness and lead exceeded the World Health Organization and Nigerian Industrial Standard limits for drinking water qualities at the sampled areas. The same parameters in addition to pH and manganese also exceeded the limits for sediment samples. The soil pH showed acidity at the sampling stations for both top and bottom depths. Conductivity, sulphate, iron, manganese, phosphate and lead also exceeded the FMEnv Guidelines and standards for soil quality. The continuous discharge of household wastes on water and soil resulted in elevated levels of some measured parameters.

The research was limited by funds. The cost of sampling and analysis was enormous and limited the study to parameters that available funds could carry. This factor also stretched the period of study. The non-availability of sponsorship made it difficult to extend the research to soil particle size distribution and the underground water movement of the study areas. Another limitation was logistics as the study covered vast areas of the metropolis demanding steady means of mobility that was not available. Epileptic supply of power delayed the timely delivery of result of analysis.

The results of the analysed physicochemical parameters of water, sediments, soil and borehole water samples indicated spatial variations in their values at the study area, with higher values at the discharge points and downstream than the upstream, while for the borehole water analysis, the effect was more pronounced at stations with appreciable quantity of degradable household wastes. The levels of some physicochemical variables exceeded standard limits as a result of continuous discharge of household wastes .The implication is that household waste handling influenced the physicochemical variables negatively and constant monitoring serves as a useful tool of abatement.

This work is original and has not been published before in any book or journal article locally or internationally. The research related waste handling lifestyles with concentrations of measurable parameters, which is an additional work to what other authors have done. The value is that data generated will be a reference material to other researchers, city planners, government agencies and institutions that are involved with environmental management. Furthermore it has added a new dimension to the discipline of waste management in terms of scope and contribution to knowledge.

Rice is the main cereal in Senegal. Despite efforts to improve the sector, consumers still prefer imported rice. Only one previous study conducted by the authors analyzed these preferences using a sensory analysis approach (Mané et al., 2021). This initial study showed that local rice can compete with imported rice if processing is improved. Based on these results, this study aims to identify the physicochemical parameters responsible for the sensory quality identified in Senegalese consumers.

In this context, the physicochemical and cooking properties of 12 rice samples were analyzed and the correlations between these physicochemical and sensory properties were studied.

The results showed that imported rice had a higher 1000-kernel weight, grain length and transparency values, whereas local rice had higher water uptake, swelling ratios, gelatinization temperature and iron and magnesium contents. Correlations have shown that positive descriptors such as “beautiful,” “white color,” “good taste,” “fragrant,” “fine grains,” “typical rice odor,” well-cooked” and “scattered” were correlated with varietal and technological criteria such as high 1000-grain weight, grain length, whiteness, transparency and absence of impurities in rice. In contrast, negative sensory descriptors such as “pasty” and “sticky texture” were associated with water uptake ratio, gelatinization temperature, rice breakage and cooking time.

These results show how to improve the quality of new rice varieties in the country based on the physicochemical parameters associated with the positive sensory properties cited above by consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse physicochemical and sensory profiles of apple juices using multivariate methods and to predict the essential sensory properties by means of instrumental measurements.

The studied set included apple juices reconstituted from concentrate (clear and cloudy) and direct (pasteurised and freshly squeezed, not pasteurised). The physicochemical (colour, turbidity, total soluble solids, sucrose, D-glucose, D-fructose content, pH, total acidity, total phenolic, total flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity) and sensory profiles of juices were analysed by principal component analysis and partial least squares (PLS) regression.

An exploratory study of physicochemical and sensory profiles revealed dimensions differentiating apple juices. The first dimension was related to their physical properties (clarity, sediment and colour coordinates L*, C*, h°), whereas the second dimension referred to their flavour, being positively correlated with sourness and astringency, and negatively with sweetness. The PLS regression analysis revealed the quantitative relationship between sweet and sour flavours and the instrumental measurements. The physicochemical parameters of apple juices contributing positively or negatively to the key sensory attributes were determined based on the regression coefficients.

This study presents a possibility to predict the key sensory attributes of apple juice on the basis of selected physicochemical parameters. This approach could be a supporting tool for sensory analysis that could allow the quality characterisation on a large sample set and hence shorten the time necessary for routine quality control, product design and development.