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Background and Aim:
Oxidative stress factors are known to causes some metabolic disorders diseases. Therefore, preventing, or at least decreasing the amount of these factors may have a positive impact on prevention or improvement of the metabolic diseases. Recently, the herbal medicines are more considered due to more effectiveness. The present study was designed to evaluate anti-oxidant effect of sumac powder (Rhus coriaria L.).
Materials and Methods:
 In the present study, special parts of the sumac plant, dried at room temperature and powdered using laboratory mill. All samples were solubilized in methanol, and four concentrations (12.5, 25, 40 ،50 µ/ml) were prepared and the antioxidant activity of sumac powder measured by DPPH at a wavelength of 517 nm. Finally, the IC50 of all samples and the standard were calculated and compared with standard.
Results:
The methanol extracts of all sumac doses showed dose-dependent potent antioxidant activity. The results indicated that brown sumac powder (IC50 = 14/912) has the higher antioxidant activity compared to red sumac powder (IC50 = 27/385), which was lower than vitamin C (IC50 = 6/708).
Conclusion:
Brown sumac powder has a stronger antioxidant effect than red sumac powder, which can be effective in improving the antioxidant defense of the body, so we advise to consume brown sumac.
 

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Ultrafiltration is a technique used for concentration of milk in order to produce the cheese with more desirable physicochemical and nutritional properties. On the other hand, use of combined starter cultures for cheese production can led to improve the sensory characteristics and overall acceptability of final product. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of using different combinations of Lactobacillus helveticus (L. helveticus) and mesophilic starter culture (Lactobacillus lactis ssp. lactis and Lactobacillus lactis ssp. cremoris) on the volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of ultrafiltered white cheese during ripening. Five ultrafiltered white cheeses were produced using mesophilic starter culture and L. helveticus at different ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) and kept in refrigerator (9 ± 0.1°C) for 90 days. The related analysis was performed on 1, 30, 60 and 90 days of ripening. The results revealed that an increase in L. helveticus ratio caused a significant increase in the Co₂, ethanol, ethylene oxide and a significant decrease in the acetone (p<0.05). Regarding sensory properties, lower scores of body and texture, and higher scores of odor and flavor were assigned to the cheeses produced using higher ratios of L. helveticus (p<0.05).  In conclusion, the use of combinations of mesophilic starter culture and L. helveticus at specific ratios (75:25 and 25:75) led to improve the volatile compounds in the final product and production an ultrafiltered cheese with desirable sensory characteristics.
 

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 The escalating demand for hydrocolloids exhibiting exceptional performance has encouraged the interest of researchers in identifying novel sources of these hydrocolloids. Encapsulation has emerged as a strategy to boost the survivability of probiotics in harsh environmental conditions, enabling these beneficial bacteria to be transported to the body in sufficient quantities to leverage their health-promoting effects. This study aimed to explore the viability of microencapsulating probiotic L. acidophilus using ammoniacum gum (AMG), enhancing it with nanoselenium, and ascertaining its survival rate in stressful conditions. AMG, extracted from the mucilage of the Dorema Ammonacum plant using solvent and alcohol precipitation, was employed in the study. Solutions comprising 1%, 5%, and 10% weight-volume of AMG were prepared, followed by the synthesis of selenium nanoparticles at a concentration of 1.5%. Bacterial cells with an average count of 6.85×10¹¹ log CFU were then introduced into the suspension. Observations revealed a substantial increase in encapsulation efficiency, rising from 66% to 81% with the escalation of gum concentration. The survival rates under refrigerated conditions for 1%, 5%, and 10% concentrations of AMG were recorded at 62.43%, 72.37%, and 81.83%, respectively. In simulated stomach conditions, at the pH levels applied in this study, concentrations of 5% and 10% of AMG exhibited sustained live cell counts exceeding 7 log cfu g^-1 after 3 hours of incubation. Additionally, after a 6-hour incubation in a 10 g L^-1 bile solution, free cells exhibited a reduction of 5.93 log cfu g^-1, whereas micro-encapsulated cells at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% demonstrated reductions of only 3.93 log cfu g^-1, 3.15 log cfu g^-1, and 1.9 log cfu g^-1, respectively. These findings underscore the excellent encapsulation properties of AMG, locating it as a promising candidate for integration into numerous food formulations with similar objectives.