Umar Shah

Art and Science behind Modified Starch Edible Films and Coatings: A Review

Technological advances have led to increased constraints regarding food packaging, mainly due to environmental issues, consumer health concerns, and economic restrictions associated therewith. Hence, food scientists and technologists are now more focused on developing biopolymer packages. Starch satisfies all the principal aspects making it a promising raw material for edible coatings/films. Modified starch has grabbed much attention, both at the academic as well as at the industrial level, because these films exhibit dramatic improvement in filming properties without involving any significant increase in cost of production. Various methods, additives used, and recent advances in the field of starch film production are discussed in detail in this review, which also provides an overview of the available information along with recent advances in modified starch film packaging.

Effect of infrared and microwave radiations on properties of Indian Horse Chestnut starch

Starch extracted from Indian Horse Chestnut (IHCN) was subjected to infrared and microwave radiations for different time intervals (15 s, 30 s, & 45 s) at constant dose. The structural change of MW and IR radiated IHCN starches were determined by Fourier transform-infra red spectroscopy. The increased peak intensity at 3240 cm(-1) of treated starch represents more exposure of hydroxyl groups due to radiation. Granule morphology of native starch showed round and elliptical granules with smooth surfaces. However radiation treatment resulted in the development of surface cracks. Effect of radiation on physicochemical properties of starch revealed increase in water absorption capacity and light transmittance and decrease in apparent amylose content, pH, and syneresis. The peak, trough, final, and setback viscosities were significantly reduced with increase in treatment time. Radiated starches displayed significantly lower values of To,Tp, and ΔHgel than native starch. Further antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH and FRAP assays. Results showed significant improvement in antioxidant activity of starch by both MW and IR treatments.

Nutraceutical properties of the green tea polyphenols.

Green tea is manufactured from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis and has been regarded to possess anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-atherosclerotic, antidiabetic and antimicrobial effects. The main bioactive components present in green tea are polysaccharides, flavonoids, vitamins B, catechin compounds, fluoride and etc. Among them catechin compounds have been proven to have a variety of physiological functions. Due to the popularity of the health benefits of tea catechins, new products have been developed with tea as an active ingredient such as ready-to-drink (RTD) tea beverages, confections, ice creams, cereal bars and pet foods. This review summarizes several lines of evidence to indicate the health-promoting properties of green tea and their potential to be used in development of foods with added nutraceutical value.

A review of the recent advances in starch as active and nanocomposite packaging films

Abstract Technological advances have led to increased constraints regarding food packaging due to environmental issues, consumer health concerns, and economic restrictions associated therewith. Hence, food scientists and technologists are now more focused on developing biopolymer packages. Starch satisfies all the principle aspects, making it a promising raw material for edible coatings/films. Starch as a package material has grabbed much attention both at academic as well as industrial levels. Besides this, the role of various plasticizers, polys, sugars, and wetting agents are discussed and their importance in packaging industries. Herein, the role of starch as packaging material and nanofillers/composites is discussed in detail. The review summons a comprehensive and current overview of the widely available information and recent advances in starch film packaging.