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Critical Reviews in Food Science and... 2024Dairy powder, with abundant chemical components such as protein, fat, and lactose possessing diverse physical and chemical structures, can exhibit a surface composition...
Dairy powder, with abundant chemical components such as protein, fat, and lactose possessing diverse physical and chemical structures, can exhibit a surface composition distinct from its bulk content during the conversion of liquid milk into dry powder. Surface chemical composition is a significant parameter in the dairy industry, as it is directly associated with the techno-functional properties of dairy powder products. The current work provides an overview of the factors influencing the surface composition of dairy powders such as the bulk composition of raw milk (animal source and formulation), liquid dairy processing (homogenization, thermal treatment, and evaporation), the drying process (drying methods as well as operating conditions during the most commonly used spray drying), and storage conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and duration). The underlying mechanisms involved in the variations of particle surface composition include the mechanical properties of emulsion, milk fat globules redistribution caused by mechanical forces, adsorption competition and interactions of ingredients at the water/air interface, dehydration-induced alterations in particle structure, corresponding solid/solutes segregation differentiation during spray drying, and lactose crystallization-induced increase in surface fat during storage. Additionally, future research is suggested to explore the effects of emerging processing technologies on the surface composition modification of dairy powders.
Topics: Animals; Powders; Lactose; Milk; Desiccation; Crystallization; Particle Size
PubMed: 35916834
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2105803 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2022Seed moisture sorption isotherms show the equilibrium relationship between water content and equilibrium relative humidity (eRH) when seeds are either losing water from...
Seed moisture sorption isotherms show the equilibrium relationship between water content and equilibrium relative humidity (eRH) when seeds are either losing water from a hydrated state (desorption isotherm) or gaining water from a dry state (adsorption isotherm). They have been used in food science to predict the stability of different products and to optimize drying and/or processing. Isotherms have also been applied to understand the physiological processes occurring in viable seeds and how sorption properties differ in relation to, for example, developmental maturity, degree of desiccation tolerance, or dormancy status. In this review, we describe how sorption isotherms can help us understand how the longevity of viable seeds depends upon how they are dried and the conditions under which they are stored. We describe different ways in which isotherms can be determined, how the data are modeled using various theoretical and non-theoretical equations, and how they can be interpreted in relation to storage stability.
PubMed: 35720538
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.891913 -
Journal of the Air & Waste Management... Sep 2022Air pollution and health consequences associated with exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter, are of serious concerns in societies. Over the recent... (Review)
Review
Air pollution and health consequences associated with exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter, are of serious concerns in societies. Over the recent years, numerous studies have investigated the relation of many diseases with air pollutants. This review used a search strategy to provide the comprehensive information on the relationship between particle matters and osteoporosis. To this end, three search databases were used to find the articles focused on particle matters and osteoporosis. After the screening process, 13 articles related to the purpose of the study were selected and the relevant data were extracted. The results indicated that osteoporosis is significantly associated with PM. However, this association with PM remains unclear. In addition, particle materials indirectly lead to the osteoporosis and bone fractures as a consequence of reduced UV-B, reduced adsorption of vitamin D. Furthermore, they can lead to other diseases by use of drugs with adverse effects on bone health, and creating conditions that may increase the risk of falling in the elderly. This review shows that although more accurate research is needed to determine the mechanism and risk of exposure to particulate matter in the air on bone health, the negative effects of this pollutant on bone mineral density (BMD) are evident.: PM is usually classified by its size or aerodynamic diameter; PM10 denotes particles < 10 µm in diameter; PM2.5 particles are <2.5 µm in diameter. Many epidemiological studies have shown that short-term exposure to PM might reduce lung function. However, short-term effects might be reversible, and the main concern is attributed to long-term exposure. A major public health concern that may be affected by numerous metabolic and even environmental risk factors is osteoporosis. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the role of PM in the occurrence or exacerbation of osteoporosis in citizens.
Topics: Aged; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Osteoporosis; Particulate Matter
PubMed: 35653555
DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2022.2085820 -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2022As emerging contaminants, microplastics (MPs) have attracted global attention. They are a potential risk to organisms, ecosystems and human health. MPs are characterized... (Review)
Review
As emerging contaminants, microplastics (MPs) have attracted global attention. They are a potential risk to organisms, ecosystems and human health. MPs are characterized by small particle sizes, weak photodegradability, and are good environmental carriers. They can physically adsorb or chemically react with organic, inorganic and bio-pollutants to generate complex binary pollutants or change the environmental behaviors of these pollutants. We systematically reviewed the following aspects of MPs: (i) Adsorption of heavy metals and organic pollutants by MPs and the key environmental factors affecting adsorption behaviors; (ii) Enrichment and release of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) on MPs and the effects of MPs on ARG migration in the environment; (iii) Formation of "plastisphere" and interactions between MPs and microorganisms; (iv) Ecotoxicological effects of MPs and their co-exposures with other pollutants. Finally, scientific knowledge gaps and future research areas on MPs are summarized, including standardization of study methodologies, ecological effects and human health risks of MPs and their combination with other pollutants.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Ecosystem; Environmental Pollutants; Humans; Microplastics; Plastics; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 35598660
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156068 -
RSC Advances Mar 2022The novel human coronavirus pandemic is one of the most significant occurrences in human civilization. The rapid proliferation and mutation of Severe Acute Respiratory... (Review)
Review
The novel human coronavirus pandemic is one of the most significant occurrences in human civilization. The rapid proliferation and mutation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have created an exceedingly challenging situation throughout the world's healthcare systems ranging from underdeveloped countries to super-developed countries. The disease is generally recognized as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and it is caused by a new human CoV, which has put mankind in jeopardy. COVID-19 is death-dealing and affects people of all ages, including the elderly and middle-aged people, children, infants, persons with co-morbidities, and immunocompromised patients. Moreover, multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have evolved as a result of genetic alteration. Some variants cause severe symptoms in patients, while others cause an unusually high infection rate, and yet others cause extremely severe symptoms as well as a high infection rate. Contrasting with a previous epidemic, COVID-19 is more contagious since the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates profuse affection to angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) that is copiously expressed on the surface of human lung cells. Since the estimation and tracking of viral loads are essential for determining the infection stage and recovery duration, a quick, accurate, easy, cheap, and versatile diagnostic tool is critical for managing COVID-19, as well as for outbreak control. Currently, Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing is the most often utilized approach for COVID-19 diagnosis, while Computed Tomography (CT) scans of the chest are used to assess the disease's stages. However, the RT-PCR method is non-portable, tedious, and laborious, and the latter is not capable of detecting the preliminary stage of infection. In these circumstances, nano-biosensors can play an important role to deliver point-of-care diagnosis for a variety of disorders including a wide variety of viral infections rapidly, economically, precisely, and accurately. New technologies are being developed to overcome the drawbacks of the current methods. Nano-biosensors comprise bioreceptors with electrochemical, optical, or FET-based transduction for the specific detection of biomarkers. Different types of organic-inorganic nanomaterials have been incorporated for designing, fabricating, and improving the performance and analytical ability of sensors by increasing sensitivity, adsorption, and biocompatibility. The particular focus of this review is to carry out a systematic study of the status and perspectives of synthetic routes for nano-biosensors, including their background, composition, fabrication processes, and prospective applications in the diagnosis of COVID-19.
PubMed: 35424900
DOI: 10.1039/d2ra01293f -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2022Kapok fiber () belongs to a group of natural fibers that are mainly composed of cellulose, lignin, pectin, and small traces of inorganic compounds. These fibers are... (Review)
Review
Kapok fiber () belongs to a group of natural fibers that are mainly composed of cellulose, lignin, pectin, and small traces of inorganic compounds. These fibers are lightweight with hollow tubular structure that is easy to process and abundant in nature. Currently, kapok fibers are used in industry as filling material for beddings, upholstery, soft toys, and nonwoven materials. However, kapok fiber has also a potential application in the adsorptive removal of heavy metal ions and dyes from aqueous systems. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review about the recent developments on kapok fiber composites including its chemical properties, wettability, and surface morphology. Effective and innovative kapok fiber composites are analyzed with the help of characterization tools such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. Different pre-treatment methods such as alkali and acid pre-treatment, oxidation pre-treatment, and Fenton reaction are discussed. These techniques are applied to enhance the hydrophilicity and to generate rougher fiber surfaces. Moreover, surface modification and synthesis of kapok fiber-based composites and its environmental applications are examined. There are various methods in the fabrication of kapok fiber composites that include chemical modification and polymerization. These procedures allow the kapok fiber composites to have higher adsorption capacities for selective heavy metal and dye removal.
Topics: Adsorption; Ceiba; Coloring Agents; Ions; Metals, Heavy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 35270400
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052703 -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Jun 2022Organic phosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), as a new type of emerging contaminant, have drawn great attention over the last few years, due to their wide distribution in... (Review)
Review
Organic phosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), as a new type of emerging contaminant, have drawn great attention over the last few years, due to their wide distribution in aquatic environments and potential toxicities to humans and living beings. Various treatment methods have been reported to remove OPFRs from water or wastewater. In this review, the performances and mechanisms for OPFRs removal with different methods including adsorption, oxidation, reduction and biological techniques are overviewed and discussed. Each technique possesses its advantage and limitation, which is compared in the paper. The degradation pathways of typical OPFRs pollutants, such as Cl-OPFRs, alkyl OPFRs and aryl OPFRs, are also reviewed and compared. The degradation of those OPFRs depends heavily upon their structures and properties. Furthermore, the implications and future perspectives in such area are discussed. The review may help identify the research priorities for OPFRs remediation and understand the fate of OPFRs during the treatment processes.
Topics: Environmental Pollutants; Flame Retardants; Humans; Organophosphates; Phosphorus; Water
PubMed: 35217347
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128517 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2022Dissolved uranium in groundwater at high concentrations is an emerging global threat to human and ecological health due to its radioactivity and chemical toxicity.... (Review)
Review
Dissolved uranium in groundwater at high concentrations is an emerging global threat to human and ecological health due to its radioactivity and chemical toxicity. Uranium can enter groundwater by geochemical reactions, natural deposition from minerals, mining, uranium ore processing, and spent fuel disposal. Although much progress has been made in uranium remediation in recent years, most published reviews on uranium treatment have focused on specific methods, particularly adsorption. This article systematically reviews the major treatment technologies, explains their mechanism and progress of uranium removal, and compares their performance under various environmental conditions. Of all treatment methods, adsorption has received much attention due to its ease of use and adaptability under various conditions. However, salinity and competition from other ions limit its application in actual field conditions. Biosorption and bioremediation are also promising methods due to their low-cost and chemical-free operation. Strong base anion exchange resins are more effective at typical groundwater pH conditions. Advanced oxidation processes like photocatalysis produce less sludge and are effective even at low uranium concentrations. Electrocoagulation shows significantly improved performance when organic ligands are added prior to treatment. The significant advantages of membrane filtration are high removal efficiency and the ability to recover uranium. While each technology has its merits and demerits, no single technology is entirely suitable under all conditions. One major area of concern with all technologies is the need to dispose of liquid and solid waste generated after treatment safely. Future research must focus on developing hybrid and state-of-the-art technologies for effective and sustainable uranium removal from groundwater. Developing holistic management strategies for uranium removal will hinge on understanding its speciation, mechanisms of fate and transport, and socio-economic conditions of the affected areas.
Topics: Groundwater; Humans; Mining; Sewage; Uranium; Water Pollutants, Radioactive
PubMed: 35189244
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153947 -
Journal of Environmental Quality Mar 2022Although conventional on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) provide only primary treatment of domestic wastewater, removal of a limited level of nutrients (N, P),...
Although conventional on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) provide only primary treatment of domestic wastewater, removal of a limited level of nutrients (N, P), pathogens, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) could be achieved by such a treatment process. Biochar has the capacity to remove various contaminants and has been widely used as an ideal soil amendment in agriculture due to its persistence, superior nutrient-retention properties, low cost, and ready availability. However, few applications on the use of biochar in onsite wastewater treatment have been explored. In this review, we systematically reviewed the applications of biochar in filtration-based OWTSs for nutrient (N, P) removal and recovery as well as pathogen and PPCP removal. Although adsorption was the main mechanism for P, pathogen, and PPCP removal, biochar can also serve as the growth media for enhanced biological degradation, improves available alkalinity, and increases water holding capacity in the OWTSs. The biochar source, surface modification methods, and preparation procedures (e.g., pyrolysis temperature change) have significant effects on contaminant removal performance in biochar-amended OWTSs. Specifically, contradictory results have been reported on the effect of pyrolysis temperature change on biochar removal performance (i.e., increased, decreased, or no change) of N, P, and PPCPs. Wastewater composition and environmental pH also play important roles in the removal of nutrients, pathogens, and PPCPs. Overall, biochar holds great potential to serve as an alternative filtration material or to be amended to the current OWTS to improve system performance in removing a variety of contaminants at low cost.
Topics: Charcoal; Cosmetics; Nutrients; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Wastewater; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 35135036
DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20331 -
Environmental Research May 2022Graphene-based nanomaterials with remarkable properties, such as good biocompatibility, strong mechanical strength, and outstanding electrical conductivity, have...
Graphene-based nanomaterials with remarkable properties, such as good biocompatibility, strong mechanical strength, and outstanding electrical conductivity, have dramatically shown excellent potential in various applications. Increasing surface area and porosity percentage, improvement of adsorption capacities, reduction of adsorption energy barrier, and also prevention of agglomeration of graphene layers are the main advantages of functionalized graphene nanocomposites. On the other hand, Cerium nanostructures with remarkable properties have received a great deal of attention in a wide range of fields; however, in some cases low conductivity limits their application in different applications. Therefore, the combination of cerium structures and graphene networks has been widely invesitaged to improve properties of the composite. In order to have a comprehensive information of these nanonetworks, this research reviews the recent developments in cerium functionalized graphene derivatives (graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and graphene quantum dot (GQD) and their industrial applications. The applications of functionalized graphene derivatives have also been successfully summarized. This systematic review study of graphene networks decorated with different structure of Cerium have potential to pave the way for scientific research not only in field of material science but also in fluorescent sensing, electrochemical sensing, supercapacitors, and catalyst as a new candidate.
Topics: Cerium; Electric Conductivity; Graphite; Nanocomposites; Nanostructures; Quantum Dots
PubMed: 34999024
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112685