Wheat is a very important agricultural product, and is among the grains that has the highest sustenance value in the world. Every year large amounts of wheat hull is produced which has a low economic value. The present study aimed to characterize the structure of wheat hull and wheat hull ash obtained after burning wheat hull at 400 to 1000 °C for 5 h. This study also investigated the potential of wheat hull as a source for the production of silica xerogel. X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscope micrographs, the chemical properties, the particle morphology, particle size, surface chemistry of wheat hull, wheat hull ash, and its silica xerogels were determined by the use of various instruments and analysis techniques. A temperature of 700 °C was found to be the optimum ashing temperature with maximum amorphous silica content. The BET surface area of ashes ranged from 7.21 to 0.11 m 2 /g. The study demonstrated that silica xerogel powder with 93.9% silica content was obtained by the use of wheat hull after heat treating at 700 °C for 5 h.

In the present study, magnesium silicate was produced by using wheat husk ash. Wheat husk was burned at 600 °C to obtain an amorphous ash structure, and the ash was processed with sodium hydroxide solution with heat to extract silica. Sodium silicate solution and magnesium salts were used to synthesize magnesium silicate. The present study investigates effects of the feeding rate on magnesium silicate production (0.6 mL/min, 35 mL/min, 70 mL/min), the type of magnesium salt (MgSO 4 • 7H 2 O or MgCl 2 • 6H 2 O), temperature (25 °C or 50 °C), and the washing agent (water and acetone) on the chemical composition and surface characteristics of magnesium silicate. The results demonstrated that all of the variables affected the surface characteristics of magnesium silicate, such as surface area, particle size, and pore volume. However, it was also observed that the studied parameters did not affect the chemical composition of magnesium silicate. The wheat husk ash-based magnesium silicates obtained in the experimental study had a BET surface area ranging from 79 to 91 m 2 /g and a particle size varying from 42 to 63 µm.

Opuntia ficus-indica cladode growing in Settat region of Morocco was freshly consumed and traditionally used in folk medicine for health benefits by the local people. The antioxidant activity and the chemical compounds of it were studied using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and spectrophotometric techniques. The antioxidant activity screened using three complimentary tests; namely, ABTS, DPPH and FRAP activities. In addition, total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins contents of the extracts were also determined as gallic acid, rutin and tannic acid equivalents, respectively. In the extracts, total phenolic content ranged between 73.1±2.1 and 111.2±5.8 mg/g gallic acid equivalents while flavonoid content between 22±2.0 and 27.0±4.0 mg/g rutin equivalents and tannin content between 5.93±0.07 and 6.17±0.06 mg/g tannic acid equivalents. As a conclusion, the results highlighted that cactus cladode is a source of antioxidant phenolic compounds. Thus, the extracts of cladodes will be probably used for the development of safe food products and/or additives.

The utilization of biochar in polymer composites can be considered as a sustainable approach that provide valorization of a waste to a value-added material and at the same time diminish biowaste in a smart way. This study is focused on the evaluation of biochar as a filler in polyvinyl alcohol /corn starch composites. The composites were prepared via solution mixing and casting method using citric acid as a plasticizer and glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. Distribution of biochar in the PVA/starch matrix was evaluated by optical microscopy. The structural features of composites were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy. Effects of biochar loading ratio (0-12 wt%) on the thermal stability of the PVA/starch blends were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses. The decomposition temperatures of the PVA/starch/biochar composites decreased in comparison to PVA/starch composites.

Active food packaging films has gain more significance over conventional packaging. In this study, novel active composite films were prepared by incorporating lemon peel to a polyvinyl alcohol-starch matrix. The morphological, thermal and antioxidant activity evaluation of polyvinyl alcohol-starch-lemon peel composite films were discussed to determine whether the presence and content of lemon peel influenced the film’s characteristics. The results indicated that tested properties of composite films depended on the content of lemon peel. It was found that the thermal stability and antioxidant activity of films considerably improved upon the incorporation of peel. The prepared films with enhanced antioxidant activity may be used for preservation of oxidation-sensitive food products. The results showed that lemon by-product has great potential to be evaluated into added-value products for functional packaging applications. The developed packaging films will be new alternatives for food...

The chitosan/gelatin/biochar biocomposite beads were prepared via the use of the emulsion crosslinking method in the presence of poly(ethylene) glycol as a crosslinker. The effects of different ratios of biochar (1 and 5%) on the characteristics of the beads were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and swelling studies. The FT-IR results showed the interactions of biochar and polymer matrix. The prepared beads showed good swelling properties and different morphologies. The average diameter of neat chitosan/gelatin beads was almost 725 µm, while the average diameter of 1% and 5% biochar incorporated beads were 726 µm and 597 µm, respectively. The swelling capacity of the beads was decreased from 4671% to 2092% when the biochar incorporation ratio increased from 1% to 5%. This indicated that the preparation of beads with varying properties can be achieved by controlling the biochar amount. The beads may be evaluated in various applications as polymeric carrier systems and adsorbents.

Wheat is the world's second most produced grain because of its high consumption rate, easy growth, multipurpose use and important role in the human diet. Every year, abundant amounts of wheat hull are obtained after shell process of the wheat as a waste material. Wheat hull, a by-product of the food industry, has low economic value. The utilization of wheat hull ash in various areas of industry can contribute to both financial and waste management strategies. In the present study, wheat hull ash that contains a high proportion of silica (43.22%), was utilized for barium and calcium silicate production. The wheat hull ash based barium and calcium silicate had a BET surface area of 30 and 54 m/g, respectively. There has been no research on barium and calcium silicate production from wheat hull. So, this study will present originality on this area.

Chitosan is an attractive polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of an abundant natural biopolymer called chitin. Chitin and chitosan are excellent materials. To improve the potential of chitin and chitosan modification is needed. In the present study, grafting of maleic acid on to chitosan by cerium ammonium nitrate in acetic acid solution was investigated with use of a microwave and reflux system. The grafted chitosan was characterized by using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry. The solubility and swelling behavior of grafted chitosans were determined in acetate buffer (pH 3.6), citrophosphate buffer (pH 5.6 and pH 7.0), and boric buffer (pH 9.2) solutions. The sample obtained by microwave system with use of a chitosan/maleic anhydride/ceric ammonium nitrate 0.2/3.922/0.99 gram of raw material within 30 minute showed the maximum swelling ratio (13.6) in boric buffer solution.

Biyobozunur ambalaj endüstrisi, petrol esaslı plastiklerin yol açtığı atık bertaraf sorunlarının önlenmesi ihtiyacı nedeniyle sürekli büyümektedir. Son yıllarda, biyobozunur ve aktif ambalajların geliştirilmesine yönelik çalışmalar artmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, polifenollerce zengin biberiye (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) ekstresi ve kaolinin polivinil alkol/mısır nişastası esaslı filmlerin özelliklerine olan etkisi incelendi. Filmlerin yapısal özellikleri FT-IR analizi, mekanik özellikleri çekme testi, morfolojik özellikleri optik mikroskop ile belirlendi. Filmlerin şişme davranışları incelendi. Ayrıca, ABTS ve DPPH radikali giderme aktivitesi ile antioksidan aktivitesi belirlendi. Ekstre ve kilin birlikte ilavesi filmin mekanik özelliklerini iyileştirirken su absorpsiyonunu da arttırdı. Ekstre ilavesi ile filmler antioksidan aktivite sergiledi. Sonuçlar bu filmlerin aktif ambalajlama uygulamalarında potansiyel adaylar olarak değerlendirilebileceğini gösterdi.

Fibrous materials from polylactic acid (PLA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) containing mandarin peel essential oil (MPEO) and/or nano-calcium carbonate were prepared by electrospinning process. The electrospun webs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microbiological tests. IR spectra results indicated the existence of interaction among additives and polymer matrix. Obtained SEM results showed that incorporation of essential oil to the polymer matrix have a remarkable effect on the fiber morphology. Essential oil incorporation increased the fiber diameters. The electrospun composite webs were ineffective against Acinetobacter baumannii, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus fecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

In this work, dissociation constants values of seven beta lactam antibiotics in water and acetonitrile-water mixtures using spectrophotometric and reversed phase liquid chromatography methods were determined. The dissociation constant values of these compounds were calculated by NLREG and STAR programs. Aqueous pK(a) values of beta lactam antibiotics were calculated with extrapolation by means of the Yasuda-Shedlovsky and mole fraction equations. Finally, application of the different techniques was compared to the determination of aqueous pK(a) values of investigated compounds.

Mushrooms are widely used in many cultures for nutritional and health benefits. The Lactarius species is found in the Aegean region of Turkey. Lactarius chrysorrheus Fr. is a wild mushroom that contains a milky juice. In this study, we investigated the in vitro cytotoxic potential and apoptotic effect of the polysaccharide extract prepared from L. chrysorrheus by water extraction and alcohol precipitation using the tetrazolium MTT dye assay, annexin V staining, wound healing and colony formation, and qRT-PCR. The molecular weights of three peaks observed in HPLC chromatograms were calculated as 1869.9, 3043.92 and 16821.47 Da. The extract exhibited cytotoxic activity at 72 h, with an IC50 value of 296.42 ?g/mL in HepG2 and 444.43 ?g/mL in PANC-1 cells; the extract that was tested on the normal HEK293 cell line exhibited no cytotoxicity. Further, L. chrysorrheus upregulated the expression of CASPASE 3 and CASPASE 9 while downregulating B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and B-cell lymphoma-ex...

Environmental pollutants are considered a serious health problem for humans and animals mainly in ruminants for several regions of the world. Previously, many studies have investigated the mechanisms of toxicity of these pollutants on laboratory animals. Afterward, other studies have demonstrated that exposure to environmental pollutants may cause several adverse effects on the ruminant organs, influencing their performance and leading to socioeconomic problems for breeders. Fluoride, lead, arsenic, and cadmium are the most common poisonings in ruminants, they can cause several irreversible toxic effects in many organs depending on the mode of action. The adverse effects of fluoride, lead, arsenic, and cadmium toxicities in laboratory animals and ruminants have been clearly summarized in this review. In addition, several results on protective or ameliorative effects by means of natural products against these toxicities have been illustrated.