Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Patients Presenting With Acute Abdomen to the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

BACKGROUND:  Acute abdomen is a common and urgent clinical condition requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. This study determines the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients presenting with acute abdomen at a tertiary care hospital. OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic characteristics, provisional diagnoses, treatment modalities, and pain management effectiveness in patients with acute abdomen. METHODS:  This prospective observational study was conducted in the Emergency Medicine department at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Center, Pimpri, Pune, over a specified period. The study included patients presenting with acute abdomen, aged above 14 years, excluding those with traumatic acute abdomen and pregnant patients. A sample size of 146 was calculated based on the proportion of ureteric colic cases, with a 95% confidence interval and a 6% margin of error; however, a total of 176 patients were included in the study. Data collection involved recording demographic details, clinical features, provisional diagnoses, and pain scores, as well as performing required blood investigations and ultrasonography. Pain scores were assessed before and after treatment. Patients will be given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opioid analgesia, depending on the clinical severity. Emergency medicine residents, in consultation with the on-call consultant, determined the disposition of patients, deciding if they required surgical or conservative management. RESULTS: The study found that the majority of patients, n = 130 (73.86%), were aged 26-50 years, with cases n = 103 (58.52%) being males and cases n = 73 (41.48%) females. Acute appendicitis was the most common diagnosis, n = 41 (24.43%), followed by urolithiasis n = 33 (18.75%). Surgical interventions were required for n = 78 (45.08%) of patients, highlighting the urgent nature of these conditions. Pain management was effective, with significant reductions in pain scores post-treatment (mean visual analog score (VAS) decreased from 6.22 to 2.33, and mean numerical rating score (NRS) from 6.05 to 2.10; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION:  The study underscores the high prevalence of gastrointestinal and renal conditions in patients with acute abdomen, particularly in middle-aged adults. The high rate of surgical interventions reflects the urgent nature of these conditions. Significant reductions in pain scores demonstrated effective pain management. Comprehensive care strategies are essential for optimizing patient outcomes. Future research with larger sample sizes and multi-center participation is recommended to validate these findings and enhance management protocols for acute abdomen.

Comparative Study of Laboratory Versus Bedside High-Sensitivity Troponin I in the Emergency Medicine Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in India.

BACKGROUND:  Evaluating high-sensitivity troponin I levels in emergency medicine is critical for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aims to evaluate the central laboratory versus bedside troponin I test in the emergency department of a tertiary care center. MATERIAL AND METHODS:  This prospective observational study was conducted at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, Maharashtra, India, from October to December 2023. Patient samples were analyzed in the central laboratory using the Dimension EXL 200 (Siemens® Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Erlangen, Germany) as the gold standard test and through point-of-care testing using the TriageTrue® (Quidel Corporation, San Diego, CA) high-sensitivity troponin I kit, which was run on the Triage® MeterPro® device (Quidel Corporation, San Diego, CA). This device quantitatively determines troponin I in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-anticoagulated whole blood and plasma specimens. The results were compared. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). An unpaired t-test was performed to compare the difference in time taken using the two testing methods. RESULT:  The mean time for obtaining troponin I results was substantially shorter with bedside testing (14.91 minutes, standard deviation (SD) = 0.5) than with laboratory testing (119.1 minutes, SD = 5.03). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference (t = -172.36, p < 0.001). A chi-square test was conducted to assess the disparity between the two testing methods, yielding a chi-square value of 32.64 and a p value of 0.00001, indicating a significant difference between bedside testing and laboratory testing. CONCLUSION: The bedside high-sensitivity troponin I test offers a considerable advantage over laboratory testing regarding turnaround time within the emergency medicine department in India. This rapid diagnostic capability is crucial for timely management, which is beneficial for patients inconclusive of acute coronary syndrome-like non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). It is also cost-effective. It also reduces the emergency boarding time and may reduce the number of unnecessary admissions in healthcare facilities.

A Neuropathy Mimic: Statin-Induced Myopathy Presenting as Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Statins are widely used to manage dyslipidemia and prevent cardiovascular diseases due to their effectiveness and general safety profile. However, they can sometimes cause severe muscle-related adverse effects, presenting diagnostic challenges when symptoms overlap with other conditions. This case report describes a middle-aged woman who presented to the emergency department with bilateral lower limb weakness, initially suggesting Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Despite her history of low-grade fever and diarrhea, primary and secondary surveys, including electrocardiogram, blood gas analysis, and nerve conduction studies, showed no definitive signs of GBS. The patient had a recent history of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and was on dual antiplatelet therapy and rosuvastatin. Elevated creatine kinase levels and exclusion of other differential diagnoses led to the diagnosis of statin-induced myopathy, a rare but severe adverse effect of statins. The patient was treated with intravenous fluids, cessation of statins, and sessions of hemodialysis and plasmapheresis, resulting in significant improvement and eventual recovery of muscle power and neurological function. This case highlights the importance of recognizing statin-induced myopathy in patients with muscle weakness and emphasizes the need for thorough clinical evaluation to differentiate it from other conditions such as GBS. Further research is warranted to understand the pathophysiology of statin myopathy and identify at-risk populations.

Triple Threat: A Case Presentation of Pulmonary Embolism With Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.

This case report details the diagnostic challenges and management of a middle-aged man who presented with complaints of fever and breathlessness. He was initially suspected of lower respiratory tract infection and diabetic ketoacidosis on clinical examination and treated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and insulin infusion. The point of care ultrasound (POCUS), as part of the primary survey, showed right atrium (RA)-right ventricle (RV) dilation and a D-shaped left ventricle, which was highly suspicious of pulmonary embolism and was later confirmed with computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA). The patient was successfully managed for pulmonary embolism, diabetic ketoacidosis, and lower respiratory tract infection.

Beyond the Splanchnic Area: Extra-splanchnic Thrombosis in Acute Pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory condition with varied clinical presentations. Local complications include peripancreatic fluid collection, acute necrotic collection, walled-off necrosis, and pancreatic pseudocyst, but vascular complications like pseudoaneurysm and venous thrombosis are also reported. Patients often experience splanchnic venous thrombosis, which can affect the splenic vein, portal vein, and superior mesenteric vein individually or in combination. Rarely, extra-splanchnic venous thrombosis, including renal vein, superior vena cava, and inferior vena cava thrombosis, has been reported in cases of chronic pancreatitis. The formation of a venous thrombus in acute pancreatitis is multifaceted, with pancreatic inflammation and the immune response mounted by the patient playing a significant role. There is a dearth of medical literature regarding extra-splanchnic venous thrombosis and the use of therapeutic anticoagulation in the successful treatment of the above-mentioned complication. This case report highlights the rare complications that can be seen in cases of acute pancreatitis.

Application of Nerve Blocks in Upper and Lower Extremity Trauma Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background Pain related to trauma is often severe and undergoes undertreated in many patients. Peripheral nerve blocks provide analgesia, which is site-specific and devoid of any systemic adverse effects. Regional anesthesia may also confer several other advantages including decreased length of stay in the emergency department and improved comfort and safety for emergency procedures compared to conventional analgesia. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the application of nerve blocks in upper and lower extremity trauma patients presenting to the Emergency Department of a tertiary care hospital. Methodology We conducted a prospective observational study in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) at Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune between 2023 and 2024. As a part of this research proposal, we intended to study the application of nerve blocks in upper and lower extremity trauma among patients presenting with upper and lower extremity trauma to the ED during the study period. After institutional Ethics Committee approval and informed written consent, 95 patients aged above 18 years presenting with upper and lower extremity trauma within 12 hours were selected. Patients under 18 years old, those with a history of coagulopathies, patients with open fractures, and pregnant patients were excluded from the study. Results The study comprised 95 participants, with diverse age groups represented. Among them, 26% were under 25 years old, 54% fell between the ages of 26 and 30, and 20% were over 30 years old. Gender distribution showed 64.2% male and 35.8% female participants. In terms of injury nature, the majority experienced injuries from motor vehicle crashes (31.5%) and domestic incidents (22.1%), followed by workplace injuries (15.8%), sports injuries (14.7%), falls from heights (7.4%), and assault (7.4%). The time required for interventions varied, with 41.1% of cases completed in five minutes or less, while in 58.9% of instances, more than five minutes were necessary. Similarly, the time taken for pain relief post-intervention was reported, with 66.3% experiencing relief within five minutes and 33.7% requiring more than five minutes. On initial presentation, the mean VAS score was 8.8 with an SD of 1.1, indicating high levels of pain. Following the block, there was a significant reduction in pain, with the mean VAS score dropping to 1.9 and an SD of 1.2. This change was statistically significant with a p-value of less than 0.001, indicating a substantial improvement in pain levels post-block administration. Regarding the duration of pain relief, a similar pattern emerged, with 77.8% reporting relief lasting three hours or less, and 22.2% experiencing relief for more than three hours. Conclusion In emergency situations, our research showed that peripheral nerve blocks are a very useful tool for treating pain from trauma to the upper and lower extremities. These blocks significantly reduce pain and have a long-lasting effect. Further research with larger, multi-center trials is needed to validate these findings and explore long-term outcomes.

Steric Perturbation of the Grob-like Final Step of Ethylene-Forming Enzyme Enables 3-Hydroxypropionate and Propylene Production.

Ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE) is an iron(II)-dependent dioxygenase that fragments 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) to ethylene (from C3 and C4) and 3 equivs of carbon dioxide (from C1, C2, and C5). This major ethylene-forming pathway requires l-arginine as the effector and competes with a minor pathway that merely decarboxylates 2OG to succinate as it oxidatively fragments l-arginine. We previously proposed that ethylene forms in a polar-concerted (Grob-like) fragmentation of a (2-carboxyethyl)carbonatoiron(II) intermediate, formed by the coupling of a C3-C5-derived propion-3-yl radical to a C1-derived carbonate coordinated to the Fe(III) cofactor. Replacement of one or both C4 hydrogens of 2OG by fluorine, methyl, or hydroxyl favored the elimination products 2-(F1-2/Me/OH)-3-hydroxypropionate and CO2 over the expected olefin or carbonyl products, implying strict stereoelectronic requirements in the final step, as is known for Grob fragmentations. Here, we substituted active-site residues expected to interact sterically with the proposed Grob intermediate, aiming to disrupt or enable the antiperiplanar disposition of the carboxylate electrofuge and carbonate nucleofuge required for concerted fragmentation. The bulk-increasing A198L substitution barely affects the first partition between the major and minor pathways but then, as intended, markedly diminishes ethylene production in favor of 3-hydroxypropionate. Conversely, the bulk-diminishing L206V substitution enables propylene formation from (4R)-methyl-2OG, presumably by allowing the otherwise sterically disfavored antiperiplanar conformation of the Grob intermediate bearing the extra methyl group. The results provide additional evidence for a polar-concerted ethylene-yielding step and thus for the proposed radical-polar crossover via substrate-radical coupling to the Fe(III)-coordinated carbonate.

Support vector regression for prediction of stable isotopes and trace elements using hyperspectral imaging on coffee for origin verification.

The potential of using rapid and non-destructive near-infrared - hyperspectral imaging (HSI-NIR) for the prediction of an integrated stable isotope and multi-element dataset was explored for the first time with the help of support vector regression. Speciality green coffee beans sourced from three continents, eight countries, and 22 regions were analysed using a push-broom HSI-NIR (700-1700 nm), together with five isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ2H, and δ34S) and 41 trace elements. Support vector regression with the radial basis function kernel was conducted using X as the HSI-NIR data and Y as the geochemistry markers. Model performance was evaluated using root mean squared error, coefficient of determination, and mean absolute error. Three isotope ratios (δ18O, δ2H, and δ34S) and eight elements (Zn, Mn, Ni, Mo, Cs, Co, Cd, and La) had an R2predicted 0.70 - 0.99 across all origin scales (continent, country, region). All five isotope ratios were well predicted at the country and regional levels. The wavelength regions contributing the most towards each prediction model were highlighted, including a discussion of the correlations across all geochemical parameters. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using HSI-NIR as a rapid and non-destructive method to estimate traditional geochemistry parameters, some of which are origin-discriminating variables related to altitude, temperature, and rainfall differences across origins.

Carbon intensity of global crude oil trading and market policy implications.

The energy mix transition has accelerated the need for more accurate emissions reporting throughout the petroleum supply chain. Despite increasing environmental regulations and pressure for emissions disclosure, the low resolution of existing carbon footprint assessment does not account for the complexity of crude oil trading. The lack of source crude traceability has led to poor visibility into the "well-to-refinery-entrance" carbon intensities at the level of granular pathways between producers and destination markets. Using high-fidelity datasets, optimization algorithms to facilitate supply chain traceability and bottom-up, physics-based emission estimators, we show that the variability in global "well-to-refinery-entrance" carbon intensities at the level of crude trade pathways is significant: 4.2-214.1 kg-CO2-equivalent/barrel with a volume-weighted average of 50.5 kg-CO2-equivalent/barrel. Coupled with oil supply forecasts under 1.5 °C scenarios up to 2050, this variability translates to additional CO2-equivalent savings of 1.5-6.1 Gigatons that could be realized solely by prioritizing low-carbon supply chain pathways without other capital-intensive mitigation measures.

Hyperspectral imaging through vacuum packaging for monitoring cheese biochemical transformation caused by Clostridium metabolism.

This study developed a novel method for monitoring cheese contamination with Clostridium spores non-invasively using hyperspectral imaging (HSI). The ability of HSI to quantify Clostridium metabolites was investigated with control cheese and cheese manufactured with milk contaminated with Clostridium tyrobutyricum, Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium sporogenes. Microbial count, HSI and SPME-GC-MS data were obtained over 10 weeks of storage. The developed method using HSI successfully quantified butyric acid (R2 = 0.91, RPD = 3.38) a major compound of Clostridium metabolism in cheese. This study creates a new venue to monitor the spatial and temporal development of late blowing defect (LBD) in cheese using fast and non-invasive measurement.

A critical review of social media research in sensory-consumer science.

The collection and analysis of digital data from social media is a rapidly growing methodology in sensory-consumer science, with a wide range of applications for research studying consumer attitudes, preferences, and sensory responses to food. The aim of this review article was to critically evaluate the potential of social media research in sensory-consumer science with a focus on advantages and disadvantages. This review began with an exploration into different sources of social media data and the process by which data from social media is collected, cleaned, and analyzed through natural language processing for sensory-consumer research. It then investigated in detail the differences between social media-based and conventional methodologies, in terms of context, sources of bias, the size of data sets, measurement differences, and ethics. Findings showed participant biases are more difficult to control using social media approaches, and precision is inferior to conventional methods. However, findings also showed social media methodologies may have other advantages including an increased ability to investigate trends over time and easier access to cross-cultural or global insights. Greater research in this space will identify when social media can best function as an alternative to conventional methods, and/or provide valuable complementary information.

Molecular insights into quality and authentication of sheep meat from proteomics and metabolomics.

Sheep meat (encompassing lamb, hogget and mutton) is an important source of animal protein in many countries, with a unique flavour and sensory profile compared to other red meats. Flavour, colour and texture are the key quality attributes contributing to consumer liking of sheep meat. Over the last decades, various factors from 'farm to fork', including production system (e.g., age, breed, feeding regimes, sex, pre-slaughter stress, and carcass suspension), post-mortem manipulation and processing (e.g., electrical stimulation, ageing, packaging types, and chilled and frozen storage) have been identified as influencing different aspects of sheep meat quality. However conventional meat-quality assessment tools are not able to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and pathways for quality variations. Advances in broad-based analytical techniques have offered opportunities to obtain deeper insights into the molecular changes of sheep meat which may become biomarkers for specific variations in quality traits and meat authenticity. This review provides an overview on how omics techniques, especially proteomics (including peptidomics) and metabolomics (including lipidomics and volatilomics) are applied to elucidate the variations in sheep meat quality, mainly in loin muscles, focusing on colour, texture and flavour, and as tools for authentication. SIGNIFICANCE: From this review, we observed that attempts have been made to utilise proteomics and metabolomics techniques on sheep meat products for elucidating pathways of quality variations due to various factors. For instance, the improvement of colour stability and tenderness could be associated with the changes to glycolysis, energy metabolism and endogenous antioxidant capacity. Several studies identify proteolysis as being important, but potentially conflicting for quality as the enhanced proteolysis improves tenderness and flavour, while reducing colour stability. The use of multiple analytical methods e.g., lipidomics, metabolomics, and volatilomics, detects a wider range of flavour precursors (including both water and lipid soluble compounds) that underlie the possible pathways for sheep meat flavour evolution. The technological advancement in omics (e.g., direct analysis-mass spectrometry) could make analysis of the proteins, lipids and metabolites in sheep meat routine, as well as enhance the confidence in quality determination and molecular-based assurance of meat authenticity.

Towards the non-invasive assessment of staling in bovine hides with hyperspectral imaging.

Microbial spoilage or staling of bovine hides during storage leads to poor leather quality and increased chemical consumption during processing. Conventional microbiological examinations of hide samples which require time-consuming microbe culture cannot be employed as a practical staling detection approach for leather production. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI), featuring fast data acquisition and implementation flexibility has been considered ideal for in-line detection of microbial contamination in Agri- food products. In this study, a linescan hyperspectral imaging system working in a spectral range of 550 nm to 1700 nm was utilized as a rapid and non-destructive technique for predicting the aerobic plate counts (APC) on raw hide samples during storage. Fresh bovine hide samples were stored at 4 °C and 20 °C for 3 days. Every day, hyperspectral images were acquired on both sides for each sample. The APCs were determined simultaneously by conventional microbiological plating method. Leather quality was evaluated by microscopic inspection of grain surfaces, which indicate the acceptable threshold of microbe load on hide samples for leather processing. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied to fit the spectral information extracted from the samples to the logarithmic values of APC to develop microbe load prediction models. All models showed good prediction accuracy, yielding a Rcv2 in the range of 0.74-0.92 and standard error of cross validation (SECV) in the range of 0.61-0.76 %. The prediction capability of the HSI was explored using the model developed with SNV + smoothened pre-processing to spatially predict plate count in the samples. Models established in this study successfully predicted the staling states characterised by bacterial loads on hide samples with low prediction errors. Models, visually, showed the differences in microbial load across the storage time and temperatures. Results illustrate that HSI can be potentially implemented as a non-invasive tool to predict microbe loads in bovine hides before leather processing, so that real-time grading of hides based on staling states can be achieved. This will reduce the cost of leather production and waste management and pave the way for allocating material supply for different production purposes.

Understanding variability in petroleum jet fuel life cycle greenhouse gas emissions to inform aviation decarbonization.

A pressing challenge facing the aviation industry is to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the face of increasing demand for aviation fuels. Climate goals such as carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards require continuous improvements in technology, operations, infrastructure, and most importantly, reductions in aviation fuel life cycle emissions. The Carbon Offsetting Scheme for International Aviation of the International Civil Aviation Organization provides a global market-based measure to group all possible emissions reduction measures into a joint program. Using a bottom-up, engineering-based modeling approach, this study provides the first estimates of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum jet fuel on regional and global scales. Here we show that not all petroleum jet fuels are the same as the country-level life cycle emissions of petroleum jet fuels range from 81.1 to 94.8 gCO2e MJ-1, with a global volume-weighted average of 88.7 gCO2e MJ-1. These findings provide a high-resolution baseline against which sustainable aviation fuel and other emissions reduction opportunities can be prioritized to achieve greater emissions reductions faster.

Hyperspectral imaging and machine learning in food microbiology: Developments and challenges in detection of bacterial, fungal, and viral contaminants.

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a robust and nondestructive method that can detect foreign particles such as microbial, chemical, and physical contamination in food. This review summarizes the work done in the last two decades in this field with a highlight on challenges, risks, and research gaps. Considering the challenges of using HSI on complex matrices like food (e.g., the confounding and masking effects of background signals), application of machine learning and modeling approaches that have been successful in achieving better accuracy as well as increasing the detection limit have also been discussed here. Foodborne microbial contaminants such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, yeast, and protozoa are of interest and concern to food manufacturers due to the potential risk of either food poisoning or food spoilage. Detection of these contaminants using fast and efficient methods would not only prevent outbreaks and recalls but will also increase consumer acceptance and demand for shelf-stable food products. The conventional culture-based methods for microbial detection are time and labor-intensive, whereas hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is robust, nondestructive with minimum sample preparation, and has gained significant attention due to its rapid approach to detection of microbial contaminants. This review is a comprehensive summary of the detection of bacterial, viral, and fungal contaminants in food with detailed emphasis on the specific modeling and datamining approaches used to overcome the specific challenges associated with background and data complexity.

Air pollution impacts of COVID-19-related containment measures.

Responses to the COVID-19 outbreak resulted in one of the largest short-term decreases in anthropogenic emissions in modern history. To date, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the impact of lockdowns on air quality and human health. Using global satellite observations and ground measurements from 36 countries in Europe, North America, and East Asia, we find that lockdowns led to reductions in NO2 concentrations globally, resulting in ~32,000 avoided premature mortalities, including ~21,000 in China. However, we do not find corresponding reductions in PM2.5 and ozone globally. Using satellite measurements, we show that the disconnect between NO2 and ozone changes stems from local chemical regimes. The COVID-related lockdowns demonstrate the need for targeted air quality policies to reduce the global burden of air pollution, especially related to secondary pollutants.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for rapid analysis of ash, potassium and magnesium in gluten free flours.

Gluten free (GF) diets are prone to mineral deficiency, thus effective monitoring of the elemental composition of GF products is important to ensure a balanced micronutrient diet. The objective of this study was to test the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis combined with chemometrics for at-line monitoring of ash, potassium and magnesium content of GF flours: tapioca, potato, maize, buckwheat, brown rice and a GF flour mixture. Concentrations of ash, potassium and magnesium were determined with reference methods and LIBS. PCA analysis was performed and presented the potential for discrimination of the six GF flours. For the quantification analysis PLSR models were developed; R2cal were 0.99 for magnesium and potassium and 0.97 for ash. The study revealed that LIBS combined with chemometrics is a convenient method to quantify concentrations of ash, potassium and magnesium and present the potential to classify different types of flours.

Quantification of copper content with laser induced breakdown spectroscopy as a potential indicator of offal adulteration in beef.

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging technique in the field of food analysis which provides various advantages such as minimal sample preparation, chemical free, rapid detection, provision of spatial information and portability. In this study, LIBS was employed for quantitative analysis of copper content in minced beef samples spiked with beef liver over three independent batches. Copper content was determined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) in order to obtain reference values for modelling. Partial least square regression (PLSR) was performed to build a calibration and validation model. A calibration model with a high Rcv2 of 0.85 and a RMSECV of 43.5ppm was obtained, confirming a good fit for the model. The validation model showed a good prediction accuracy with a high Rp2 of 0.85 and RMSEP of 36.8ppm. Moreover, on a further study to evaluate the spatial capabilities, LIBS was able to successfully map copper content within a pellet, indicating the suitability of LIBS to provide spatial information and therefore potential use on heterogeneous samples. Overall, it can be concluded that LIBS combined with chemometrics demonstrates potential as a quality monitoring tool for the meat processing industry.

Multipoint NIR spectroscopy for gross composition analysis of powdered infant formula under various motion conditions.

Powdered infant formula (PIF) is a worldwide, industrially produced, human milk substitute. Manufacture of PIF faces strict quality controls in order to ensure that the product meets all compositional requirements. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a rapid, non-destructive and well-qualified technique for food quality assessments. The use of fibre-optic NIR sensors allows measuring in-line and at real-time, and can record spectra from different stages of the process. The non-contact character of fibre-optic sensors can be enhanced by fitting collimators, which allow operation at various distances. The system, based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer, records four spectra concurrently, rather than consecutively as in the "quasi-simultaneous" multipoint NIR systems. In the present study, a novel multipoint NIR spectroscopy system equipped with four fibre-optic probes with collimators was assessed to determine carbohydrate and protein contents of PIF samples under static and motion conditions (0.02, 0.15 and 0.30m/s) to simulate possible industrial scenarios. Best results were obtained under static conditions providing a R(2) of calibration of 0.95 and RMSEP values of 1.89%. Yet, considerably low values of RMSEP, for instance 2.70% at 0.15m/s, were provided with the in-motion predictions, demonstrating the system's potential for in/on-line applications at various levels of speed. The current work also evaluated the viability of using general off-line calibrations developed under static conditions for on/in-line applications subject to motion. To this end, calibrations in both modes were developed and compared. Best results were obtained with specific calibrations; however, reasonably accurate models were obtained with the general calibration. Furthermore, this work illustrated independency of the collimator-probe setup by characterizing PIF samples simultaneously recorded according to their carbohydrate content, even when measured under different conditions. Therefore, the improved multipoint NIR approach constitutes a potential in/on-line tool for quality evaluation of PIF over the manufacturing process.

Rheological and sensory behaviour of rice flour dough: effect of selected additives in relation to dough flattening.

The handling of rice flour doughs in terms of sheeting, flattening and rolling is difficult due to the absence of gluten forming proteins; scope exists to improve these characteristics by incorporating appropriate additives during the preparation of rice doughs. Different levels of additives such as whey protein concentrate (WPC) (0-10 %), xanthan gum (0-5 %), sucrose (0-20 %) and salt (0-2 %) have been incorporated, and the rheological (small-deformation oscillation) as well as sensory characteristics have been determined, in addition to microstructural observations and finding inter-relationships. The second order polynomial can adequately explain the rheological parameters like storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity (R = 0.863-0.889, p ≤ 0.01) while it is poor for phase angle (R = 0.659, p ≤ 0.01). Among these additives, xanthan gum imparts the strongest effect (significant at p ≤ 0.01) followed by whey protein concentrate. The effects of these additives are predominantly linear though quadratic effects are also significant in several cases. A cohesive microstructure with improved binding occurs with a high level (7.5 %) of WPC. It is concluded that a judicious selection of additives in appropriate levels can develop rice doughs that possess the desirable handling properties leading to preparation of products.