Effect of osmotic dehydration on qualitative and nutritional characteristics and kinetics of microwave drying of Iranian Quince slices Narges Layeghinia, Safoora Karimi, Habib Abbasi, Khadije Silavi Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 2025 Iranian quince is a nutritious fruit with antioxidants that protect against diseases. Due to its tough texture, it’s fresh form is rarely consumed. This study investigates the impact of osmotic dehydration (OD) on the quality of microwave-dried quince slices. The OD pretreatment was performed in a sucrose solution (30, 50, and 70◦Bx) and immersed at times of 10, 20, and 30min. Microwave power is also regarded as an independent variable at three levels of 150, 300, and 400 W. The OD pretreatment not only decreased the drying time by up to 32 % but also resulted in dried slices exhibiting greater antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and vitamin C compared to fresh samples. For instance vitamin C increasing by 66 % in the control sample dried at 180 W, while OD achieved an impressive 87 % increase. The OD pretreatment decreased the drying time by up to 32 %. The dried slices pretreated with OD had greater antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and vitamin C than fresh samples. Vitamin C increased by 66 % in the control sample dried at 180 W, while OD achieved an 87 % increase. The OD conditions had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, but a significant effect on vitamin C (P ≤ 0.05). Additionally, Microwave power significantly influenced all color parameters of the samples. The least color change (ΔE) occurred in samples dried at 450 W microwave power, 50°Bx osmotic concentration, and 20 min immersion. Midilli et al.’s model was identified as the most effective for describing the microwave drying process. Besides, a comprehensive comparison of recent studies on the use of OD in fruit drying and the information they provide is presented. Consequently, optimal results were obtained at specific conditions, highlighting the effectiveness of the OD pretreatment in enhancing the microwave drying process of Iranian quince slices. • Osmotic Dehydration decreased drying time by two-thirds. • Osmotic pretreatment boosts phenolic, antioxidant, and vitamin C content. • The Midilli et al. model effectively describes drying kinetics in quince slices. • Osmotic dehydration improves energy efficiency and fruit drying quality. • Optimal conditions enhance color retention and improve product quality.
Surface Modification of Polypropylene Yarns with SiO2 Sol-Gel: A Novel Approach to Enhance Thermal and Hydrophilic Properties for Depth Filter Applications Safoora Karimi, Shady Sharifzadeh, Rasul Feghhi Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 2024 Today, the use of polypropylene surface modification to increase thermal and mechanical properties has attracted much attention. Many methods have been proposed to improve surface filters, but these techniques are not typically suitable for depth filters. In this study, polypropylene yarns were improved by the SiO2 sol-gel process before being wrapped around the filter core, offering a novel approach for improving depth filter performance. First, the composition of the coated layer was assessed through FTIR-ATR analysis, revealing the presence of Si-O bonds formed on the yarns. Then the surface structure of the coated yarns was scanned using a scanning electron microscope. The thermal properties of coated yarns were examined in different ways, including differential scanning calorimetry. Mechanical properties, water adsorption, and porosity were also studied. The results showed that the yarns were properly modified by the method, especially in terms of temperature resistance. Water adsorption tests showed an approximately 195% increase in hydrophilicity over the untreated sample. Additionally, the coating had not affected yarn porosity and spacing, maintaining the overall structural integrity. Furthermore, the unchanged permeability indicates a lack of adhesion of the yarns by the coating. Generally, the novel and straightforward modification method significantly improved polypropylene yarns thermally and hydrophilicity, presenting a promising strategy for depth filter media applications.
Preparation and physicochemical evaluation of phytosterol-enriched sesame oil microemulsions Nazanin Amiri, Atefeh Pourjahed, Habib Abbasi, Safoora Karimi Journal of Food Process Engineering, 2024 Sesame oil, known for its nutritional benefits, was selected as source for phytosterol extraction. Optimal conditions of 40°C, oil‐to‐solvent ratio of 1:25, and a saponification duration of 150 min were employed to separate the phytosterols from sesame oil. The extracted phytosterols were encapsulated using microemulsion method. Various variables, such as percent of sesame oil, surfactant‐to‐cosurfactant ratio, and presence of phytosterols, were evaluated to determine their impact on particle size, polydispersity, pH, viscosity, surface tension, and stability. The particle size and PDI demonstrated significant increase with increasing oil and addition of phytosterols. A higher S:C ratio resulted in the formation of smaller microemulsion droplets. The viscosity and surface tension of the microemulsions increased significantly with an increase in the oil percent. In conclusion, the optimal composition of the microemulsion was found to be 10 wt% sesame oil with an S:C ratio of 3:1. FESEM micrographs revealed a microstructure consisting of cylindrical micelles.Practical applicationsResearch has shown that consuming 2–3 g of plant sterols and stanols can lower blood cholesterol levels by 10% and LDL levels by 15%. However, incorporating phytosterols into food products is challenging due to oxidation, insolubility, and high melting point. Most phytosterols are esterified to enrich low‐fat foods but they can be expensive and impure. The synthesis of phytosterols often involves carcinogenic chemicals and requires additional purification. Extracting phytosterols from plant sources has been proposed as a solution. However, incorporating phytosterols into food products is challenging due to their susceptibility to oxidation, particularly during processing and storage at high temperatures, their insolubility in water, and their limited solubility in fats and oils. The main aim of this study was to enrich sesame oil microemulsions with phytosterols through encapsulation. Phytosterols were extracted from sesame seed oil, followed by purification, and finally, enriched microemulsions were prepared. The optimal formulation was determined based on the evaluation of several parameters, including the mean volume diameter of particles, polydispersity index, pH, viscosity, surface tension, and physical stability.
Impact of sodium carbonate on seepage reduction in farm irrigation ponds Babak Lashkar-Ara, Leila Najafi, Saber Karimi Scientia Iranica, 2024 In this research, an economic layer using simple technology is evaluated to minimize seepage at the bottom of irrigation ponds. Since sodium carbonate diverges clay particles and decreases permeability by reducing porosity, it is recommended that sodium salts be used in mixed with soil at the bottom of irrigation ponds. The three types of soils were selected. First, the texture of the soils, second, chemical properties were determined for all three types of soils. Sodium carbonate were utilized in the percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 by weight. Finally, the falling head test and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis were conducted. The results were illustrated as the tables and the graphs, and counter curves. The Results show that the soil 20% clay, the soil 15% clay and the soil 10% clay decrease seepage on average 42%, 64% and 71% respectively. The soil 10% clay has the greatest decrease of the three soil samples. Furthermore, in all three soil samples, the highest decrease in permeability was observed at 10% sodium carbonate. Overall, the results show that this pond sealer can be a suitable solution to reduce seepage in this type of pond.
Experimental investigation of droplet rising behavior of edible olive and canola oils in the presence of a food stabilizer Fatemeh Takhtaei, Habib Abbasi, Ana Abiri, Mojtaba Shafiei, Safoora Karimi Innovative Food Technologies, 2023 Today, with the dramatic increase in the use of food industries in daily life, investigating the hydrodynamic behavior of different types of oils in the presence of food stabilizers has become very important. In the present study, the behavior of two drops of olive oil and rapeseed oil in a still fluid containing Tween 80 surfactant was investigated in a laboratory. In order to inject an oil drop into the fluid, an injection needle with a diameter of 0.9 mm was used, and the equivalent diameter of the drop was about 4 mm. At first, the results and calculations were validated by measuring the movement speed of the droplet limit in pure water fluid, then the effect of stabilizer concentration on the drop equivalent diameter, its limit speed and the dependence of the drag coefficient on the Reynolds number in each of the oils were investigated separately. The results showed that the presence of surfactant does not have a significant effect on the equivalent diameter of the drop, and with the increase in surfactant concentration, the equivalent diameter remains constant at about 4 mm. Also, due to the fact that all concentrations are above the critical concentration of micelles, in the presence of surfactant, the rate did not change significantly. In addition, the results related to the dependence of the drag coefficient on the dimensionless Reynolds number were reported, which showed that as the Reynolds number increases, the drag coefficient decreases gradually. In general, it can be concluded that the concentration of surfactant and the type of oil do not determine the droplet size. Also, if there is a need to reduce the hydrodynamic resistance in similar systems, increasing the Reynolds number can be a suggested solution.
Hydrodynamic Study of a Rising Bubble in the Presence of Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Surfactant Safoora Karimi, Ana Abiri, Mojtaba Shafiee Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 2023 The performance of surfactants especially in two-phase systems, depends on their type, Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance (HLB) number, concentration, and whether the surfactant is ionic or non-ionic. The current work was conducted to study the effect of the presence of Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, in air-water systems. Thus, the behavior of a single air bubble rising in aqueous CTAB solutions was studied experimentally. The independent test variables are solution concentration (0.4-1.6mM) and bubble diameter (3.5-4.6mm). The effect of these variables on rising velocity, bubble shape, and drag coefficient has been studied. Due to the importance of the drag coefficient in two-phase fluid, the effect of Reynolds number, Eötvös number, and aspect ratio on it has also been evaluated. Experiments have been performed at high Reynolds numbers (850<Re<1000), which are obtained by increasing the surfactant concentration. The results showed that the selected ionic surfactant had a more tangible effect on bubble behavior than nonionic surfactants. Moreover, there is no noticeable difference in the behavior of the bubble rising at concentrations above and below of Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) of CTAB, which can be attributed to its high aggregation number compared to other surfactants.
