Sharif Digital Repository

Thin-layer drying characteristics of pistachio nuts were determined experimentally as a function of temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Six mathematical models (Page model, modified Page model, exponential model, diffusion model, two term exponential model and Thompson model) for describing the thin-layer drying behavior of pistachio nuts were investigated. Tests were conducted using four air temperatures (25, 40, 55 and 70 °C), three air velocities (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s) and two levels of relative humidity (5% and 20%) and three replications for each treatment. Out of the six models considered, Page model was found to be the most suitable for describing the drying behavior of... 

Some physical and aerodynamic properties of pistachio nut and its kernel were determined in order to design processing equipment and facilities. In this study, several physical properties of pistachio nut and its kernel were evaluated as a function of moisture content in the range of 4.10-38.10% (w.b.). The length, width, height, shell splitting and unit mass of pistachio nut ranged from 16.07 to 17.25 mm, 12.41 to 12.75 mm, 10.98 to 12.24 mm, 3.59 to 4.47 mm and 0.90 to 1.30 g respectively as the moisture content increased. The respected value for pistachio kernel varied from 15.21 to 16.22 mm, 9.11 to 10.53 mm, 8.73 to 9.66 mm and 0.51 to 0.80 g, respectively. In pistachio nut, the... 

A significant portion of Iranian flat breads are produced in semi-industrial, indirect-heating ovens. Therefore, an efficient oven design and a proper selection of operating conditions are crucial to improve the product quality and reduce energy consumption. In the present study, a mathematical model is developed to simulate a semi-industrial, indirect-heating, continuous oven performance during contact baking of an Iranian flat bread, referred to as Taftoon. Individual modes of heat transfer are considered among various components of the baking system to estimate the system performance and the bread quality in terms of design and operating conditions. The predictions of this model are in... 

During drying processes, moisture control of food products, such as dried tea, is of great importance. Improving dryer control, results in consistent production and reduction of energy consumption. However, the dryer is a complex system associated with model uncertainties. In this paper, a realistic uncertain model of a fluidized tea bed dryer is considered. Moisture content and temperature of tea leaves (or other products) are controlled at desired values by manipulating tea leaves heating rate. Developing a code by Robust Control Toolbox of MATLAB and modeling uncertainties, a robust controller is designed based on ′-synthesis with DK-iteration algorithm. Results show that in the presence... 

Nowadays, one of the biggest concerns in the world is increasing the CO2 emissions and global warming due to the over-consumption of fossil fuels. In addition, under the intense market competition, the demand for more efficient systems with higher performance and lower energy consumption has escalated. Since the drag force contributes to a considerable percentage of the energy loss and reducing the performance, a large number of studies have been conducted to improve the surface characteristics and, subsequently, declining the drag force. Making the surface superhydrophobic is one of the most effective ways for this purpose. In this work, two different superhydrophobic surfaces using SiO2... 

Silk fibroin (SF) as a natural biopolymer holds great potential in biomedical research because of its biocompatibility, easy processability and high strength properties. However, slow gelation time has narrowed its applications, specifically in cell-laden microparticle production due to insufficient crosslinkable moieties. This study aimed to develop cell-laden silk fibroin-phenol (SF-Ph) microparticle through co-flow microfluidic system using SF conjugated Ph moieties whereas covalent crosslinking is mediated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). For this, the SF-Ph was synthesized through carbodiimide condensation crosslinking reaction. Aqueous... 

The therapeutic effects of carotenoids as dietary supplements to control or even treat some specific diseases including diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular diseases, bacterial infections, as well as breast, prostate, and skin cancer are discussed in this review and also thoughts on future research for their widespread use are emphasized. From the stability standpoint, carotenoids have low bioavailability and bioaccessibility owing to their poor water solubility, deterioration in the presence of environmental stresses such as oxygen, light, and high heat as well as rapid degradation during digestion. Nanoencapsulation technologies as wall or encapsulation materials have been increasingly... 

A highly sensitive and simple indirect spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of inorganic mercury (Hg2 +) in aqueous media. The method is based on the inhibitory effect of Hg2 + on the activity of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the oxidation of ascorbic acid by hydrogen peroxide followed by the reduction of Au3 + to Au-NPs by unreacted ascorbic acid and the measurement of the absorbance of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of gold nanoparticles (at 530 nm) which is directly proportional to the concentration of Hg2 +. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the concentration range of 1-220 ng mL- 1. Limits... 

Among High Level Natural Radiation Areas (HLNRAs) all over the world, the northern coastal city of Ramsar has been considered enormously important. Many studies have measured environmental radioactivity in Ramsar, however, no survey has been undertaken to measure concentrations in the diets of residents. This study determined the 226Ra activity concentration in the daily diet of people of Ramsar. The samples were chosen from both normal and high level natural radiation areas and based on the daily consumption patterns of residents. About 150 different samples, which all are local and have the highest consumption, were collected during the four seasons. In these samples, after washing and... 

A cryogel–based semi–interpenetrating polymer network (Cryo–SIPN) was prepared in which conductive polymers such as polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy) were formed within the super porous network of acrylic acid cryogel. For completion of cryo-polymerization, all the constituent solutions were severely mixed and placed into the plastic straws and kept at -20°C and then the synthesized cyrogels were cut into the 1-cm length and freeze dried after washing with water. The Cryo–SIPN polymeric composite was applied in micro solid phase extraction (µSPE) of some selected antibiotic residues from various samples. The µSPE method combined with a high performance liquid...