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Mozzarella is one of the most important cheeses in the Pasta filata group which contains 18 to 30% fat. Due to the increasing use of Mozzarella cheese, it is necessary to improve its qualitative characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of inulin and gelatin and its effect on the qualitative properties of Mozzarella cheese. In this study, the effect of four independent variables of inulin, gelatin in different ratios (0.25, 0.62, 1, 1.75%), fat 15 - 30%, and the duration of storage for 1 to 30 days at a temperature of -18 °C. The results showed that the combination of inulin and gelatin could improve the quality of Mozzarella cheese. Based on the results, an increase in the ratio of inulin to gelatin in increasing the moisture content and reducing pH, the effect of storage time on moisture reduction and pH were significant (p<0.05). However, the effect of the ratio of inulin to gelatin, fat percentage and shelf life on the amount of salt It was unnecessary (p>0.05). The results of this study indicate that the combined effect of inulin and gelatin in the ratio of 1.75%, due to the development of an expandable tissue, is the relatively smooth appearance of the fatty, proper taste and oral sensation to improve the qualitative characteristics of Mozzarella cheese.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the fermentation process in the production of bacteriosin by two commercial probiotic bacteria in dairy factories effluents as a culture medium. Therefore, the effect of independent variables, including incubation temperature (30, 34 and 38 °C), initial pH (5, 6 and 7), duration of incubation (12, 30 and 48 hours), yeast extract concentration (0, 2 and 4 %), probiotic bacterial species (L. acidophilus LA5 and B. animalis subsp. lactis BB12) and culture medium (cheese whey and milk permeate) was studied using a completely randomized design with two-level factorial arrangement. The results showed that the temperature and time of incubation as well as the culture medium had a significant effect on bacteriosin production (p<0.05). Also, temperature, yeast extract concentration, culture medium type and culture of bacteria had a significant effect on biomass (p<0.05). Initial pH and culture medium had a significant effect on total protein content (p<0.05). Based on the results of incubation temperature, duration of incubation, yeast extract concentration, type of culture medium and type of probiotic bacteria had a significant effect on the titratable acidity (p<0.05). The levels of bacteriosin activity, biomass, total protein, and titratable acidity were in the range of 1000 to 5000 AU/mL, 0.80 to 8.67 g/L, 107.75 to 351.92 mg/L and 0.25 to 1.41 g/L, respectively. In general, the results showed that cheese whey and L. acidophilus LA5 is the suitable culture medium and bacterium for producing bacteriosin, respectively.
 

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Free radicals are a major cause of many diseases, such as cancer, by damage to the cells. The use of probiotic strains in fermented dairy foods has expanded due to the health-promoting effects of the consumer. Regarding antioxidant potentials of probiotic bacteria, the aims of this study compared the antioxidant activity of probiotic species L. acidophilus LA5 and B. animalis subsp. lactis BB12 used in foods and investigate effects of incubation temperature, Initial pH, fermentation time, yeast extract concentration and linoleic acid concentration on their antioxidant activity in enriched cheese whey and milk permeate. The results showed that fermentation time, incubation temperature and concentration of yeast extract were the most important factors that had a significant effect on both DPPH free radical inhibitory activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (p <0.05). DPPH free radical inhibitory activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity increased with increasing incubation temperature and yeast extract concentration, respectively. Antioxidant activity was observed in the first 24 hours of the fermentation process, which was proportional to bacterial growth. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and DPPH free radical scavenging activity, as a result of the probiotic culture activity and their effect on the substrate, increased and decreased, respectively, in the first 24 hours of fermentation time, by the destruction the polymers. This study showed that the fermentation bioprocess by L. acidophilus LA5 and B. animalis subsp. lactis BB12 in the cheese whey as a medium had high antioxidant activity.

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The most important post harvesting factors that limiting grape berries after post harvesting are water losing and fungal decay. In this study, effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and soy protein isolate edible coating against postharvest decay and increasing the storage life of table grape cultivar was investigated. Uniform clusters with no disease and physical damage were packed with coated and uncoated (control) TiO₂ nanoparticles. Then clusters were maintained for 31 days in cold storage at 0 ± 1 °C and RH 90 ± 5%. Grape berries abscission rate, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content, color and clarity of grape berries, pH, antioxidant activity and total sugar characteristics were measured at intervals 6 days. The statistical analysis of results showed that the TiO₂ nanoparticles treatment had significant effects in cluster and grape berries weight losing, fungal infection, TA, total phenol content and coefficient of ripening. This treatment had best flavor, quality, appearance and marketability compared with the samples without TiO₂ nanoparticles treatment. In addition, the samples that treated with TiO₂ nanoparticles showed higher TSS, TA, antioxidant activity, total sugar and total phenolic content. In the present study, two varieties of grapes treated with TiO₂ nanoparticles in the comparison of control samples had higher quality at the end of the storage period.

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Today, consumption of milk and its products is one of the signs of development of human societies. Milk is a healthy, nutritious, delicious and thirsty drink that is consumed by a large group of people, especially children. Therefore, the aim of this study was using grape syrup as a flavoring in probiotic milk containing Bacillus coagulants and investigating effects of grape syrup on physicochemical and microbial properties of probiotic milk. For this purpose, two quantitative factors including grape syrup concentrations (0.17, 1, 3, 5 and 5.83 %) and storage time (0.96, 2, 4.5, 7 and 8.04 days) in five levels were evaluated by using a central composite design. The results showed that different concentrations of grape syrup and storage time on pH, acidity, dry matter, fat and viability of B. coagulation of probiotic flavored milk were significant (P<0.05). The optimum condition was obtained based on maximum pH and viability of B. coagulation and minimum acidity. The optimum condition was 1% grape syrup and 2 days’ storage time, which its total desirability was 95%.

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The use of functional foods has grown rapidly in recent years. In the present study, the effect of honey (40, 45 and 50 g), apple vinegar (6, 9 and 12 ml), basil seeds (1.5, 2.25 and 3 g) and storage time (1, 16 and 31 days) on the physicochemical characteristics of the Sekanjabin were studied using response surface methodology. Total sugar content, pH, acidity, turbidity, antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds content and total acceptance of the Sekanjabin were evaluated. The results showed that at constant concentration of basil seeds, the amount of pH decreased significantly with increasing honey content (p <0.05). In constant concentrations of honey, with increasing basil seeds, the pH increased significantly (p <0.05). with passing of storage time, acidity decreased and then increased. The turbidity first decreased and then increased by increasing the storage time, the vinegar and the basil seeds. The antioxidant activity increased and then decreased by increasing the storage time. The phenolic content decreased and increased with increasing honey content during storage time. According the results of numerical optimization, optimal conditions were obtained: 50 g of honey, 10.6 ml of apple vinegar, 2.06 g of basil egg and 8 days of storage time. In these conditions, the physicochemical properties were 1.37 g/ml acidity, 10.81% antioxidant activity, 22.18% phenolic content, 30.63 g/ml total sugar. The results of this study showed the possibility of producing Sekanjabin containing basil seeds as a functional drink.

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Bioactive peptides are special protein components that have a significant effect on human body function. In this study, the effect of proteins and peptides resulting from the hydrolysis of amaranth proteins (total protein, albumin, and globulin) at levels 1 to 5% and different hydrolysis times (0.5, 1.5, 3, and 5 hours) on The properties of sourdough and the quality of bread were investigated. The results showed that the peptides obtained by hydrolysis of total amaranth protein in 3 hours had the greatest effect on the growth of Lactobacillus Plantarum (PTCC 1896) (11.40 Log CFU / mL) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PTCC 5052)  (8.32 Log CFU / mL) in vitro. These microbes are the main flora of sourdough and different amounts of peptides on their growth were statistically significant compared to the control sample. The titratable acidity and pH ‌ after 16 hours of fermentation at 30 ° C in the wet dough containing 5% peptide were 13.33 mL NaOH and 4.6, respectively, which was higher than other treatments. The highest amount of water activity, specific volume, titratable acidity, and the lowest enthalpy in bread was prepared from sourdough containing 3% peptide. Therefore, bread made from sourdough containing 3% peptides was selected as the best treatment to increase the quality of bread.

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Due to the fact that the use of biodegradable films helps to protect the environment, in this study, the physical, mechanical, antioxidant and thermal properties of polylactic acid films containing polypyrrole, ‌ polyaniline and copper oxide were investigated. The results showed that due to the addition of oxidant nanoparticles, the thickness of the films increased and their water vapor permeability decreased significantly. The solubility of the films also decreased significantly with increasing the amount of copper oxide nanoparticles. The resulting films showed less flexibility due to the addition of polyaniline and polypyrrole, while their resistance to failure showed a relative increase. Antioxidant activity of polylactic acid films containing polypyrrole / CuO and polyaniline / CuO showed a significant increase compared to pure polylactic acid (p<0.05). Pure polylactic acid film did not show any electrical conductivity, If the addition of polypyrrole and polyaniline increased the electrical conductivity of the films, the copper oxide nanoparticles also had no significant effect on the electrical conductivity. These films can be used as biosensors in food packaging due to their conductivity and suitable thermal, mechanical and water vapor permeability properties.

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 Bacteriocins are a group of unique molecules that are produced by some microorganisms and are considered as part of the host's innate immunity. Nowadays, the use of biological preservatives in the food industry is increasing widely. In the present study, Bacillus laciniformis ATCC 9789 was used to produce bacteriocin. The antimicrobial activity of produced bacteriocin was investigated against foodborne pathogens. Further, after purification, the characteristics of produced bacteriocin, including stability against heat, pH, enzyme and ultraviolet (UV) rays, as well as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. Also, molecular weight, functional groups and temperature characteristics of bacteriocin were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-Page), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests. This bacteriocin had very good stability in different temperatures, pHs and against trypsin and pepsin enzymes and under UV rays. The SDS-Page test showed that the produced bacteriocin consists of two parts with a molecular weight of 17 and 20 kDa. The results of FTIR analysis showed peptide characteristics and DSC results had two exothermic peaks at 190 and 325 ⸰C, respectively. In general, in this research, after extracting and ensuring the existence of bacteriocin, its antimicrobial effect was evaluated by determining MIC and MBC on foodborne pathogens. The results showed that the bacteriocin produced by B. licheniformis had a significant antimicrobial effect on foodborne pathogens.

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Encapsulation is an effective method to increase the viability of probiotic bacteria. The aim of this research is to determine the optimal formulation for microencapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus PTCC 1643 with soy protein isolate, xanthan gum and fructooligosaccharide as wall materials by freeze drying method. For this purpose, 19 treatments with Combine design were prepared by Design expert software. Encapsulation efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, and probiotic viability, FTIR and SEM tests were performed on the samples. The optimal sample was selected based on the lowest zeta potential and particle size, and the characteristics of microcapsules were determined by the aforementioned tests. The results showed that probiotic viability increased and decreased with increasing concentration of soy protein isolate and xanthan gum, respectively. The particle size of the samples also increased with increasing the concentration of soy protein isolate. In general, according to the protective effect of xanthan gum, soy protein isolate and fructooligosaccharide on probiotics, it can be concluded that these compounds can be used as a wall for coating to enrich food products.

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Kombucha is a functional drink which is obtained from the symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and osmophilic yeasts in sweet tea and has a sour taste. During fermentation of this product, in addition to the many metabolites that are produced, a cellulose layer is formed by Acetobacter xyleneum in the fermented liquid. This drink has many benefits like probiotic and antioxidant properties, prevention and treatment of cancer and diabetes, increment the body’s metabolism, and etc. Also, the cellulose layer produced is used to remove metal contaminants from the effluent, treat wounds and burns, and as poultry dietary supplement. In this study, optimization of kombucha bacterial cellulose using sugarcane molasses as a source of carbon and energy, and in different environmental conditions (temperature (25, 27.5, 30 °C), incubation time (7, 11, 15 days), initial pH (5.5, 6, 6.5)) analyzed using central composite statistical plan. The results showed that concentration of sugarcane molasses, incubation time, and initial pH have significant effect on production of kombucha bacterial cellulose (p<0.05).