Publications by authors named "Ruchira Nandasiri"

Phenolic acids are important secondary metabolites in wheat, existing in free, conjugated, and bound forms. Traditional extraction methods use organic solvents like ethanol and acetone and are labor-intensive procedures. This study examined the extraction of phenolic acids from wheat using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) with water as the green extractant.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mustard seeds are highly valued for their protein, oil, and bioactive compounds, making them beneficial in food and pharmaceutical applications as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents.
  • Modifying pretreatment and extraction conditions enhanced both the quantity and quality of these vital compounds in different mustard seed varieties (Oriental, black, and yellow) using an eco-friendly extraction method.
  • The study found that lower pH treatments increased total phenolic content, with yellow mustard seeds showing the highest levels; meanwhile, antioxidant activity generally improved with longer pretreatment times across various pH levels.
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vegetables have demonstrated many health benefits over the years due to their composition of phenolic, flavonoid, and glucosinolate contents. However, these bioactive molecules can be easily depleted during gastronomic operations. Therefore, a sustainable method that improves their phenolic content and antioxidant activity is required for both the processors and consumers.

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Canola meal, the by-product of canola oil refining, is a rich source of phenolic compounds and protein. The meal, however, is primarily utilized as animal feed but represents an invaluable source of nutraceuticals. Of particular interest are the sinapates, sinapine and sinapic acid, with the decarboxylation of the latter to form canolol.

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This study investigated the efficacy of roasting pre-treatment by air frying to enhance the extraction and recovery of the predominant sinapic acid derivatives (SADs) from roasted canola meal and the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extracts. Canola meal was obtained by air frying canola seed at 160, 170, 180 or 190 °C for 5, 10, 15 or 20 min. Oil was extracted using the Soxhlet method, and the de-oiled meal fraction was air-dried.

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Unlabelled: The effect of preheating temperature (X), preheating time (X) and the nature of the extracting solvents (X) on the antioxidant activity of ultrasonic extracts of hemp cake was evaluated using a factorial design with a general linear multiple regression method using the three variables (X, X and X) and three levels including low (-1), intermediate (0) and high (+ 1). The results indicated that the extracting solvent and the preheating temperature levels were the principal effects influencing the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP). The highest level of preheating temperature (+ 1 = 180 °C) and extracting solvent (+ 1 = Ac80) were the optimal conditions for enhancing the extraction of the total phenolics and providing the highest antioxidant activity in hemp cake extracts.

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The health and safety concerns associated with synthetic antioxidants has resulted in an urgent search for natural sources of antioxidants. Such antioxidants are not only convenient but may also have important therapeutic properties. Oilseed crops, for example, are rich in phenolic compounds some of which exhibit powerful antioxidant properties that have broad applications in both the food and feed industry.

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Roasting of mustard seeds prior to oil extraction is a well-documented unit operation essential to produce canolol and other lipophilic sinapates. This study investigated the effectiveness of air frying as a seed roasting treatment operation for enhancing the recovery of lipophilic sinapates from various mustard samples and fractions/products. Air frying of seeds, powder, cake, bran, and flour from different mustard varieties was carried out at temperature-time combinations of 160, 170, and 180°C for 5, 10, 15, and 20 min, respectively.

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RapidOxy® 100 is an automated instrument originally designed for measuring the oxidative stability of both solid and liquid samples. The compact and portable design of RapidOxy® 100, and its built-in pressurized heating chamber, provides a suitable environment for studying processing conditions. The feasibility of using oxygen or an inert atmosphere provides the ideal environment to study the effect of dry heat pre-treatment on canola antioxidants.

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Canola meal, a by-product of oil pressing, is a rich source of phenolic antioxidants. However, its use in the food and feed sector is still limited by the need for greener, sustainable, and more cost-effective extraction methods. This study used accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) to enhance the extraction efficiency of the phenolic antioxidants.

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