Effects of acidified blanching water and pectinase enzyme pretreatments on physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of Carica papaya juice.

The high pectin content in papaya (Carica papaya) causes the juice extraction to be difficult and results in a low yield. This study aims to determine the effect of acidified blanching water and pectinase enzyme pretreatments on the yield, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant activities of the papaya juice. For acidified blanching treatment, papaya cubes (3 cm3 ) were blanched in water containing 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, and 2.5% w/v citric acid at 95℃ for 2 min. For enzyme treatment, a pectinase enzyme (10, 20, and 30 ppm) was added to the homogenous papaya puree and incubated at 45℃ (200 rpm) for 60 min. The enzyme reaction was stopped by pasteurization at 74℃ for 2 min. The puree was filtered, and the juice was pasteurized at 74℃ for 7 min. All pretreated papaya juice were analyzed for physicochemical properties (color, clarity, viscosity, pH, total soluble solids [TSSs], total carotenoid content, total phenolic content [TPC], and total flavonoid content [TFC]), and antioxidant activities (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] and ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP] assay). Both pretreatments improved the clarity of papaya juice, and was significantly greater after pretreatment with pectinase enzyme. The TPC and antioxidant activities of papaya juice were conserved and maintained by acidified blanching at 1.5% (w/v) citric acid. Increased concentrations of pectinase enzyme significantly reduced the TPC and total carotenoid content. Pretreatment with pectinase enzyme up to 20 ppm does not significantly reduce the TFC and antioxidant activities. Acidified blanching and pectinase enzyme pretreatments have an impact on extraction of papaya fruit juice while retaining the nutritional composition of the juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Papaya (Carica papaya) is a fruit with great nutritional values but is highly perishable and prone to postharvest loss. Juice has become a more cost-effective and convenient option for preserving the fruit. However, since papaya is a pectin-rich fruit, the extraction of juice using mechanical pressing is difficult due to the bonding of juice to the pulp in the form of a jellied mass, which results in juice with low yield. Using acidified blanching and pectinase enzyme to clarify the juice not only increases the yield but also retains the nutrient composition of the juice.

Early chest X-ray in persons with presumptive tuberculosis increases Xpert® MTB/RIF diagnostic yield and efficiency.

Adult presumptive tuberculosis (TB) patients (n = 1690) were screened for TB using a questionnaire, chest X-ray (CXR) and sputum microscopy for acid-fast bacilli (AFB); Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture was performed for 74% of the patients and Xpert® MTB/RIF was done for 17.2%. Among patients recruited, 943 (55.8%) were diagnosed with TB, of whom 870 (92.3%) were bacteriologically confirmed and 73 (7.7%) were clinically diagnosed on the basis of CXR. Using CXR prior to culture or Xpert testing reduces the number needed to screen from 7.6 to 5.0. Using CXR to triage for culture or Xpert testing reduces the number of missed cases and increases the efficiency of culture and Xpert testing.

Des patients adultes présumés atteints de TB (n = 1690) ont été dépistés à l'aide d'un questionnaire, d'une radiographie pulmonaire (CXR) et d'une microscopie de crachats à la recherche des bacilles acido-alcoolo-résistants; une culture de Mycobacterium tuberculosis a été réalisée chez 74% des patients et un test Xpert® MTB/RIF, chez 17,2%. Parmi les patients recrutés, 943 (55,8%) ont eu un diagnostic de TB, dont 870 (92,3%) ont été confirmés par bactériologie et 73 (7,7%) ont été diagnostiqués sur la CXR. Recourir à la CXR avant la culture ou le test Xpert réduit le nombre requis pour dépister un cas de 7,6 à 5,0. L'utilisation de la CXR pour le triage avant la culture ou le test Xpert réduit les cas manqués et augmente l'efficacité de l'utilisation de la culture et de l'Xpert.

Se investigó de la tuberculosis (TB) en pacientes adultos con presunción clínica de la enfermedad (n = 1690) mediante un cuestionario, la radiografía de tórax (CXR) y la baciloscopia del esputo; se practicó el cultivo para Mycobacterium tuberculosis en 74% de los pacientes y la prueba Xpert® MTB/RIF en 17,2%. De los pacientes que participaron se diagnosticó la TB en 943 (55,8%), de los cuales 870 (92,3%) con confirmación bacteriológica y 73 (7,7%) con diagnóstico clínico a partir de la CXR. El hecho de realizar la CXR o la prueba Xpert antes del cultivo disminuye de 7,6 a 5,0 el número de pacientes que deben someterse a detección. El uso de la CXR para seleccionar los casos en que se debe practicar el cultivo o la prueba Xpert disminuye los casos pasados por alto y aumenta la eficiencia del uso del cultivo y la prueba Xpert.

Role of blood bag temperature indicators in maintaining patent temperature of the returned unused blood bags in blood bank.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the temperature chain of red blood cells (RBC) returned unused blood bags using blood temperature indicator and ascertain the factors like transportation time, type, size of coolant box and number of bags per box. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 250 blood bags with the indicator were observed for the temperature changes with other factors like transportation time, type and size of coolant box and number of bags per box. The recordings were performed at several checkpoints located between the blood bank and the wards. RESULTS: Out of the 250 bags, 74 (29.6%) showed colour changes in which 64 (86.3%) were returned unused (RU) blood bags. The transportation time for these 74 bags was 818.3 ± 941.643 min, significantly higher than bags without colour changes, (p=0.02). Interestingly, 71.4% of the colour changes occurred within the ward. The 7 litre coolant box with an average of 1-5 blood bags per box had a statistically significant higher percentage of colour change with 59.2% compared to the 5 litre coolant box (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the temperature chain of blood bags was often not well maintained. These results could be mainly due to the non-adherence to the standard operating procedure (SOP) of blood transfusion and the usage of non-standardized coolant boxes.