025128   Alok Nath;Pratibha;Sharma D;Beera V;Mandal P (Agricultural Engineering Dep, Assam Univ, Silchar-788 011, Email: alok_1001@yahoo.com) : Development of dehydrated cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) in a solar cabinet dryer. Envir Ecol 2012, 30(3A), 709-12.

Although India is the second largest producer of horticultural crops in the world, yet sometimes it faces shortage of foods. This is due to lack of knowledge of preservation techniques. An experiment was carried out to check the suitability of solar cabinet dryer for drying of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) as a low cost drying technique for Indian farmers. Raw (S₁), blanched (S₂) and chemically treated (S₃) cauliflower samples were dried in the solar cabinet dryer. Final moisture contents of the samples S₁, S₂ and S₃ were 7.64, 6.44 and 5% (wet basis) respectively. The highest volume expansion (400) was obtained in the raw cauliflower sample (S₁). Blanched and chemically treated samples of dried cauliflower had equal volume expansion. It was observed that 4 minutes was sufficient and accepted for rehydrating the dried cauliflower samples. Overall acceptability of the samples S₁ and S₃ was found to be good whereas that of the blanched sample (S₂) after rehydration was also good. All the samples could be stored in polyethylene bags and kept for about 3 to 4 months safely without any change in the quality.

3 tables, 9 ref

025127   Ahmed K S;Attar S J;Parande M (Chemical Engineering Dep, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed Univ College of Engineering, Pune, Maharastra, Email: parandemadan2007@yahoo.co.in) : Hydrogenation of O-nitroanisole catalysed by pd-C: reaction kinetic studies in a batch three phase slurry reactor. Int J chem Sci 2012, 10(2), 691-6.

Hydrogenation of o-nitroanisole to o-nitroanisidine is an important industrial reaction. onitroanisidine is a useful chemical and has application as intermediate in the manufacture of dyes and drugs. Many catalyst^1-6 have been reported in the literature but in order to selectively produce onitroanisidine, a modified catalyst has to be used (Pd-C). The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the reaction kinetics of hydrogenation of o-nitroanisole to o-nitroanisidine. In this work, the kinetic data was obtained using Pd (5%)-C catalyst in a stirred slurry reactor under isothermal condition. The effect of various parameters such as catalyst loading, agitation speed, initial concentration of reactant, partial pressure of hydrogen, effect of product have been investigated. The pressure vs time data were obtained over a wide range of conditions and kinetic analysis was carried out from initial rates.

4 illus, 14 ref

024100   Tabrizi U;Parvizi R;Davoodi A;Moayed M H (Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Dep, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi Mashhad Univ, Mashad 91775-11, Iran, Email: adavoodi@kth.se) : Influence of heat treatment on microstructure and passivity of Cu-30Zn-1Sn alloy in buffer solution containing chloride ions. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(1), 89-97.

Tin as an alloying element is of great interest in brasses for dezincification impediment. In this paper, Cu-30Zn-lSn alloy was submitted to three different heat treatments, viz. A (heating up to 800 °C for 20 h, held at 200 °C for 20 h in salt bath and air cooled), B (heating up to 800 °C for 20 h and water quenched) and C (heating up to 600 °C for 20 h and water quenched). The influence of heat treatment on microstructure was evaluated by OM and SEM-EDS analysis. The corrosion resistance in buffer solution (pH 9), H₃BO₃/Na₂BaO₇-10H₂O, with various concentrations of chloride ions was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization curves and compared with multi-component Pourbaix diagrams. A correlation between the heat treatment, microstructure and passivity of the heat treated samples was observed. The results indicated that all heat treatment procedures led to formation of α, and γ-Sn-rich phases as microstructure constituents with a small fraction of β phase in A. Sn-rich phase appears in grain boundaries and its morphology was slightly changed due to heat treatment. Beneficial influence of low concentration chloride ions on passivity was associated with the formation of copper oxides/hydroxide and chloride complexes. Deterioration was observed at concentrations higher than 0.05 M NaCl due to accelerated dissolution of copper by formation of CuCl₂^-. As a result of dezincification process, preferential corrosion attack and copper redeposition on a phase (matrix) were observed. However, Sn-rich (γ1) phase in grain boundaries was not attacked due to SnO₂ formation. In buffer solution, the higher passivity current density in A was related to the presence of small amount of β phase. On the other hand, in 1 M NaCl, lower critical current density for passivation in B and A (about two times lower than C) was attributed to the grain size effect.

11 illus, 26 ref

024099   Shivanand P;Devmurari V;Manish G;Pandey D (NO, Smt. R.B.P.M. Pharmacy College, Atko, Rajkot, Gujarat) : Formulation, optimization and in-vitro evaluation of ketoconazole cream. Der Pharmac Lett 2009, 1(2), 18-24.

Variations in the physico-chemical properties of ketoconazole have been studied, following polymorphic changes caused by fusion-cooling processes or by recrystallization in solvents commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. Changes in physico-chemical properties were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared, X-rays and HPLC. Results revealed changes in the peak temperature of the different recrystallization and changes in their X-ray diffraction patterns. Infrared spectra of the samples indicated no changes in the chemical structure of ketoconazole. HPLC results indicated a decrease in the solubility except in one case. No degradation products were detected. The validated methods were applied for quantitative determination of ketoconazole in commercial and simulated emulsion formulations. Quantitative first derivative UV spectrometric determinations were made using the zero - crossing method at 257 nm, with methanol as background solvent.

1 table, 16 ref

024098   Sharaff M;Vajpai S K;Vajpai K (Chemistry Dep, CM Dubey Postgraduate College, Bilaspur, Chattisgarh) : Variation in coal quality and distribution of ash constituents in different size fractions of a bulk coal sample from Kusmunda seam, Korba coalfield. J Chem chem Sci 2013, 3(3), 183-200.

High ash in Indian coals has necessitated incorporation of some steps to reduce ash in coals for large scale utilization as in power, sponge iron and cement industries. Possibility of reduction in the ash level without wet beneficiation has been studied on a Korba coal sample through size reduction of bulk coal and then mixing of specific size fraction(s) to obtain a composite coal with the desired ash level. The process results in composite samples of finer sizes with reduction of 5-7 units in ash. Nearly 61.1% of total ash, 61.5% of silica, 61.7% of alumina, 47.3% of ferric oxide, 48.2% of lime, 57.61% of alkalies as K₂O and 62.6% of Titania are retained in the coarser size product (+25 mm) which then may or may not be subjected to gravity separation.

7 illus, 16 tables, 10 ref

024097   Patel M;Saurabh Kumar;Prasad V V B; Subrahmanyam J (NO, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad-500 058, Email: patelmet@yahoo.co.uk) : High temperature C/C=SiC composite by liquid silicon infiltration. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(1), 63-73.

Ceramic matrix carbon fibre (CMC) reinforced composite has received great attention for use in aerospace engineering. In aerospace, the atmosphere is highly oxidative and experiences very high temperature. In addition to this, the materials require high thermal stability and high abrasion resistance in that atmosphere. The C/C-SiC composite meets with these requirements. In this paper, the C/C-SiC composite by liquid silicon infiltration is reviewed thoroughly.

22 illus, 29 ref

024096   Meysam B (Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep, Science and Research Branch Islamic Azad Univ, Iran) : Fracture carbonate reservoir formations of Iran. J Chem chem Sci 2013, 3(3), 177-82.

Study of underground gas storage (UGS) and studies of underground liquid storage (U L S) were performed on a partially depleted, naturally fractured gas and liquid reservoir through compositional simulation. According to the data of a reservoir production permeability and porosity were studied. The results showed that distribution of fracture density affects on fluid flow and production of water, but not that of gas, through porous medium However because of high mobility of gas, the gas production and reservoir average pressure are insensitive to fracture shape factor. Also, the data showed that uniform fracture permeability distribution enhances communication within reservoir and consequently more pressure support is obtained by water bearing of aquifer. Also the effect of aquifer on the reservoir performance was studied. Results showed that use of horizontal wells is superior to vertical wells in order to avoid detrimental effects of active aquifer.

2 illus, 30 ref

024095   Marimuthu T;Rajendran S;Manivannan M (Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar Univ, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) : Review on bacterial degradation of textile dyes. J Chem chem Sci 2013, 3(3), 201-12.

A variety of synthetic dyestuffs were released from the textile industry and made a threat to environmental safety. Azo dyes account for the majority of all dyestuffs, produced because they are extensively used in the textile, paper, food, leather, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Existing effluent treatment procedures are unable to remove various dyes completely from effluents because of their color fastness, stability and resistance to degradation. Bacterial decolorization and degradation of dyes under certain environmental conditions. The method of treatment, as these are inexpensive, eco-friendly and can be applied to wide range of such dyes. This review mainly focuses on the different of bacterial decolorization processes and find a solution to decolorization of dyes and dye effluents.

^iia1 table, 79 ref

024094   Machappa T;Ambika Prasad M V N (Materials Science and Physics Dep, Gulbarga Univ, Gulbarga-585 106, Email: prasad1_amb@rediffmail.com) : Humidity sensing behaviour of polyaniline/magnesium chromate (MgCrO₄) composite. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(1), 75-81.

'In situ' polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) was carried out in the presence of magnesium chromate (MgCrO₄) to synthesize PANI/ceramic (MgCrO₄) composite. These prepared composites were characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM, which confirm the presence of MgCrO₄ in polyaniline matrix. The temperature dependent conductivity measurement shows the thermally activated exponential behaviour of PANI/MgCrO₄ composites. The decrease in electrical resistance was observed when the polymer composites were exposed to the broad range of relative humidity (ranging between 20 and 95% RH). This decrease is due to increase in surface electrical conductivity resulting from moisture absorption and due to capillary condensation of water causing change in conductivity within the sensing materials. PANI/MgCrO₄ composites are found to be sensitive to low humidity ranging from 20 to 50% RH.

9 illus, 31 ref

024093   Lain S (Fluid Mechanics Group, Energetics and Mechanics Dep, Autonoma de Occidente Univ, Santiago de Cali Univ, Colombia, Email: santiago.lain@gmail.com) : Turbulent two-phase gas-solid flow in horizontal channels. Indian J chem Technol 2013, 20(2), 128-36.

Deals with pneumatic conveying of spherical particles in a six meter long horizontal channel with rectangular cross-section from a numerical perspective. Calculations are done for spherical glass beads of different sizes with a mass loading of 1.0 kg particles/kg gas. Additionally, different wall roughnesses are considered. Air volume flow rate is kept constant in order to maintain a fixed gas average velocity of 20 m/s. The numerical computations are performed by the Euler/Lagrange approach in connection with a Reynolds stress turbulence model accounting for two-way coupling and inter-particle collisions. For the calculation of the particle motion, all relevant forces (drag, slip-shear and slip-rotational lift and gravity), inter-particle collisions and particle-rough wall collisions are considered. The agreement of the computations with the findings or earlier experiments are found to be satisfactory for mean and fluctuating velocities of both phases as well as for the normalized particle mass flux.

6 illus, 28 ref

024092   Kushala G;Sreenivas K N;Naveen Kumar K S (NO, Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bangalore) : Product development, physico-chemical characters and storage behaviour of jackfruit squash blended with avocado and kokum. Pl Archs 2012, 12(1), 399-404.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) is largest edible fruit in the plant kingdom, research was carried out to develop jackfruit nectar blended with avocado and kokum, India holds unique position in the world by growing a large number of fruits, blending becomes the one of the way of utilization of more number of fruits. It helps to improve nutritional value and sensory quality of the product. Squash from jackfruit (65%) by blending with avocado (15%) and kokum (20%). Various physico-chemical parameters were studied. During four months of storage TSS content was increased, total and reducing sugar increased with decreased non-reducing sugar, decreased in acidity with corresponding increased in pH and ascorbic acid content declined with increase in the duration of storage, product was free from spoilage during storage.

2 illus, 3 tables, 9 ref

024091   Khanna P;Dhaliwal Y S;Kaushik R (NO, M.M. Institute of Hotel Management, M.M. Univ, Mullana, Ambala-133 001, Email: poonamkhanna05@gmail.com) : Effect of addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on microbiological, chemical and sensory quality of fruit juices. J Dairying Fd Home Sci 2012, 31(2), 121-5.

An effort was made to prepare fruit drinks from mango, peach and kiwi added with strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The prepared fruit drinks were evaluated for their chemical and sensory characteristics. The moisture soluble solids, Brix acid ratio, pH, reducing sugars, non reducing sugars and total sugars decreased. The mean score of color, flavor, taste and consistency were observed highest in mango juices (7.78, 7.60, 7.30 and 7.30) followed by apple juice ((7.23, 6.87, 6.87 and 7.00), peach juice (6.93, 6.47, 5.90 and 6.57) and kiwi juice (6.57, 6.27, 6.47, and 6.50) respectively on 9.0 point had once scale. The overall acceptability of fruit juices improved with the addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The fruit drinks were also evaluated for their shelf life at weekly interval upto 28 days and it had been observed that the yeast count decreased with increase in time of incubation.

6 tables, 12 ref

024090   Jakhar M S;Pathak S (Post Harvest Technology Dep, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Narendra Deva Agriculture and Te, Kumarganj-224 229) : Preparation and storage stability of blended ready-to-serve from ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.) and jamun (Syzigium cuminii Skeels.) pulp.. Pl Archs 2012, 12(1), 533-6.

An experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of blending of ber and jamun fruit juices in different blending ratios and recipes for the preparation of blended ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage and asses their storage life at ambient temperature. The prepared blended RTS were organoleptically evaluated by adopting 9 point Hedonic scale. Among the different blending ratios and recipes tried for RTS beverage, 10% blended pulp (25% ber pulp + 75% jamun pulp) with, 13% TSS and 0.2% acidity was found to be the best on overall sensory score. Blended RTS stored in glass bottles and physico-chemical changes during storage were also studied at monthly intervals. Total soluble solids and acidity did not change upto one month and two month, respectively then increased gradually whereas browning increased continuously during storage. Ascorbic acid content did not change upto one month and then decreased gradually whereas organoleptic score decreased continuously during entire period of storage. The appearance, colour, flavour, taste and overall acceptability of blended RTS were found to be good upto five months of storage at ambient temperature.

3 tables, 14 ref

024089   Gurupadayya B M;Trinath M N;Shilpa K (Pharmaceutical Analysis Dep, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Univ, Mysore-570 015, Email: bm_guru2004@yahoo.co.in) : Spectrophotometric determination of meloxicam by sodium nitroprusside and 1,10-phenanthroline reagents in bulk and its pharmaceutical formulation. Indian J chem Technol 2013, 20(2), 111-15.

Two simple and selective spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the quantitative determination of meloxicam in pure form and in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method is based on the electron transfer reaction of drug with sodium nitroprusside in presence of hydroxyl amine HC1 and the absorption maxima is recorded at 363 nm (Method A). Second method is based on the formation of a complex of drug with ferric chloride and followed by coupling with 1,10-phenanthroline, and the absorption maximum is recorded at 343 nm (Method B). Both the methods follow Beer's range in the concentration range 4-20 μg mL^-1 and 10-50 μg mL^-1 for Methods A and B respectively. Good correlation coefficients (0.9955-0.9973) are observed between absorbance and corresponding concentrations of the drug. The calculated apparent molar absorptivity values are found to be 0.6079 x 10^-4 and 0.4849 x 10^-4 mol^-1 cm^-1 for the Methods A and B respectively. The limits of detection and quantification are also reported for both spectrophotometric methods. Intra-day & inter-day precisions and the accuracy of the methods have also been evaluated. No interference is observed from common pharmaceutical adjutants. The reliability of the methods is further ascertained by performing recovery tests by standard addition method.

4 illus, 4 tables, 21 ref

024088   Chauhan V S;Bhardwaj N K;Chakrabarti S K (Paper Technology Dep, Indian Institute of Tecnology Roorkee, Saharanpur Campus, Paper Mill Road, Saharanpur-247 001, Email: nishikant_bhardwaj@rediffmail.com) : Application of response surface methodology and central composite design for the optimization of talc filler and retention aid in papermaking. Indian J chem Technol 2013, 20(2), 121-7.

Cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) has been used as a retention aid with talc (hydrous magnesium silicate) filler to get the variation of ash in paper using response surface methodology based central composite design. The need of CPAM for varying dosage of talc filler is calculated statistically through the data of first pass ash retention (FPAR) using analysis of variance. The design is employed by selecting the dosages of talc filler and CPAM as model factors to get the variation of ash in paper. The dosages of talc and CPAM range from 250 g/t to 750 g/t and from 50 g/t to 400 g/t pulp respectively. The results of first order factorial design show that both independent variables have significant effect on increasing the ash in paper. At any particular filler addition level, the increase in CPAM addition enhances the ash and FPAR. Optimum conditions to get around 55% FPAR and 15% ash in paper are found to be 382 kg/t talc and 230 g/t CPAM. The linear equations obtained from the designed experiments can be used to predict the dosage of inputs (talc and CPAM) on the basis of desired outputs (ash content and FPAR).

3 illus, 5 tables, 14 ref

024087   Chandira M;Chandramohan;Debjit;Chiranjib; Jayakar B;Sampath Kumar K P (Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Mission Univ, Salem, Coimbatore Medical College, Coimbatore) : Design and characterisation of sustain release gastro retentive floating tablets of diltiazem hydrochloride. Der Pharmac Lett 2009, 1(2), 25-38.

Gastroretentive drug delivery systems are the systems which are retained in the stomach for a longer period of time and thereby improve the bioavailability of drugs. Diltiazem Hydrochloride, is a Calcium channel blocker, an anti-hypertension and anti-anginal drug, Diltiazem Hydrochloride undergoes an extensive biotransformation, mainly through cytochrome P-450 CYP3A, which results in less than 4% of its oral dose being excreted unchanged in urine. Suffers from poor bioavailability (-30% to 40%) owing to an important first pass metabolism. It has an elimination half-life of 3.5 hrs and an absorption zone from the upper intestinal tract. Thus the present work is aimed to formulate floating tablets of Diltiazem Hydrochloride using an effervescent approach for gastroretentive drug delivery system. Floating tablets were prepared using direct compression technique using Hydrophilic polymer like HPMC K4M, HPMC K15M and hydrophobic polymer like Ethylcellulose as matrix materials in various quantities (%w/w), sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, magnesium stearate, talc and lactose in varying ratio to formulate the floating tablets. Observations of all formulations for physical characterization had shown that, all of them comply with the specification of official pharmacopoeias and/or standard reference. It was observed that tablets of batch F6 followed the results obtained it was concluded that the formulation F6 is the best formulations as the extent of drug release: was found to be around 99.81% at the desired time 12 hrs.

4 illus, 5 tables, 25 ref

024086   Bhattacherjee A K;Dikshit A;Sanjay Kumar; Tandon D K (NO, Central Institute for Sub-Tropical Horticulture, Rehmankhera, P.O. Kakori, Lucknow-227 107, Email: bhatchaj_ak@yahoo.com) : Quality of aonla candy and segments-in-syrup prepared from steep preserved fruits in water. Indian J nat Prod Resour 2013, 4(1), 119-22.

Aonla products are commercially prepared either from fresh fruits or from fruits stored in water/salt solution. In the present investigation aonla fruits were stored in water up to 21 days at room temperature and fruits were withdrawn at 7 days interval for the preparation of products namely candy and segments-in-syrup. The fruits and products were assessed for ascorbic acid and polyphenol contents besides sensory evaluation of the products. A gradual decrease in ascorbic acid (306 to 75 mg/100 g) and polyphenols (2.64 to 0.90%) in fruits was noticed during 21 days of storage. Almost 75% of ascorbic acid and 65% of polyphenols were lost during storage of fruits in water up to 21 days. The loss was also reflected in the products prepared from the stored fruits. The retention of ascorbic acid in candy and segments-in-syrup was around 30%, while that of polyphenols was around 60-70% when prepared from 21 days of fruit storage as compared to those prepared from fresh fruits. The organoleptic quality of the prepared products decreased with the increase in the storage period of fruits. Highly acceptable products could be prepared from fresh fruits and fruits stored in water up to 7 days without much loss in the contents of ascorbic acid and polyphenols. However, the products prepared from the fruits after 21 days of storage were poor in quality and unacceptable organoleptically. It could be concluded from the study that acceptable nutritious value added products could be prepared from fresh as well as fruits stored up to 7 days in water.

^ssc1 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

024085   Amareswari B;Padma M;Raj Kumar M;Siva Shankar A (A.P.H.U., College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030) : Influence of leaf age on gel recovery in different accessions of aloe (Aloe barbadensis Miller). Pl Archs 2012, 12(1), 527-9.

The present investigation was carried out in Laboratory to study the influence of leaf age on gel recovery in different accessions of Aloe. Experiment was laid in Factorial CRD with 9 treatments and three replications. The experiment consisted of three accessions of Aloe viz., yellow flowering accession-1, yellow flowering accession-2 and orange flowering accession-3 and three leaf ages viz., 10 months, 12 months and 14 months leafages. Results revealed that, yellow flowering accession-1 has recorded the highest leaf size (530.11 cm²), leaf weight (506.67 g), gel weight (350.78 g) and peel weight (141.78 g) followed by yellow flowering accession-2 and orange flowering accession-3. Out of the three ages of the Aloe leaf, 14 months aged leaf recorded the highest leaf size (533.45 g), leaf weight (480.22 g), gel weight (321.56 g) and peel weight (158.22 cm²) followed by 12 months and 10 months leaf age. The treatment combination of yellow flowering accession-1 harvested at 14 months leaf age was found to be superior in all the physical characteristics like leaf size, leaf weight, gel weight and peel weight when compared to the other accessions and leaf ages. In present investigation 14 months leaf age is considered as optimum leaf age for collection of gel.

2 tables, 7 ref

023031   Zhang X;Liao L;Wang Y;Ye J;Xie K (School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, , Chengdu 610065, P.R. China, Email: liaolis@scu.edu.cn) : Synthesis of Ultrafine WC-Co Core-shell Composite Powders by Chemical Reduction Method. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 327-9.

WC-Co core-shell composite powders were prepared by a solution chemical reduction method. The resulting ultrafine composite powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. The core-shell microstructure (tungsten carbide coated with cobalt shell) was confirmed by the characterization results. It reveals that the present chemical reduction method is an effective route to synthesize ultrafine WC-Co core-shell composites, which would be benefit to inhibit the discontinuous grain growth and binder pooling during the sintering cemented carbide.

3 illus, 7 ref

023030   Zhac S H;Suo M A T (College of Biology Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Econom, , Shijiazhuang 050061, P.R. China, Email: zhaoshihao_1@163.com) : High yield of melanin production by the strain Rhizobium sp. R 593 in liquid state fermentation. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 335-8.

The medium composition and culture conditions for melanin production were investigated by the strain Rhizobium sp. R 593. The significant factors such as L-tyrosine, yeast extract and CuSO₄4.5H₂O in the medium were selected by Plackett-Burman design and then these three factors was further optimized by the steepest ascent and central composite design and analyzed by response surface methodology and the optimum level of the factors were calculated and confirmed by experiments. The values of L-tyrosine, yeast extract, CuSO₄.7H₂O were 1.15, 2.62 and 0.027 g/L, respectively and the melanin production reached 3.64 g/L under the optimized medium, which was of 1.8 folds of the initial yield.

3 illus, 7 tables, 11 ref

023029   Wang J;Zeng Y;Cheng W (Institute of Geriatrics, Division of South Building, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China, , Email: weiming_cheng@hotmail.com) : Screening and identification of multi compounds in Radix aconiti using combination of liquid chromatography/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 303-8.

An approach for screening and identification of multi components in traditional Chinese medicine systems using combination of LC/TOF-MS technique was described in this paper. The chemical profile of Radix A., a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, was studied using the established method as for an application and the possibilities of screening complex traditional Chinese medicine systems and identifying these non-target components with modern data acquisition methods of acceleration time of flight mass spectrometers, such as data-dependent MS to MS/ MS switching were investigated. As a result, 33 components were identified. This study is expected to provide a rapid, sensitive, economical and systematical method for the identification and further quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

5 illus, 2 tables, 18 ref

023028   Tan S;Tian W;Zhag S (School of Chemistry and Chemical engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, P.R. China, Email: sharon0252003@yahoo.com.cn) : Preparation of γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane film on metallic surface. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 413-6.

Silylation is the process of surface treatment for metal or non-metal using solution of organic silicane. The process of surface pretreatment with γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH560) for stainless steel was studied. The results indicate that different process conditions (i.e., the type of hydrolytic reagent, the concentration of silane, hydrolysis time, aging temperature and time) all have effect on the properties of silane film. The optimum operation conditions using water/methanol/glycerin as hydrolytic reagent are the following: the concentration of silane is about 2 %, the hydrolysis time is 10 h, aging temperature is 120 °C and aging time is 20 min. The time of corrosion resistance is more than 1 h in pitting corrosion test of CuSO₄, which indicates good properties of silane film.

6 illus, 6 ref

023027   Shzia Naheed;Ahmad H B;Khurram Shahzad; Muhammad Asbdullah;Muhammad Zuber;Mazhar Hussain (Chemistry Dep, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan, Email: hafiz_badar@hotmail.com) : Exhaustion of direct dyes under optimized conditions spectrophotometrically. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 33-6.

CI Direct blue 67 and CI direct red 81 were studied for optimization of conditions in exhaust dyeing process by varying different parameters like salt concentration, time, temperature and liquor ratio. Glauber's salt (Na₂SO₄.10H₂O) or common salt (NaCl) is used as exhausting agent. The exhaustion of dye in dye bath was determined spectrophotometerically and its retention on fabric was tested on spectra flash (data colour 600). The dyeing results were evaluated by measuring colour yield, washing-fastness, rubbing-fastness and light-fastness. The best results were obtained when 4 g cotton fabric was dyed using 50 g/L Na₂SO₄.10H₂O, at 95 °C, for 1 h, in liquor ratio 1:10. After treatment, a fixer (Tino-fixer) was necessary for the best results.

10 illus, 8 ref

023026   Sharma A K;Adsule P G;Satisha J (National Research Centre for Grapes, , Pune-41307, Email: sharmadrajaygmail.com) : Use of bentonite and gelatin as fining agents for improvement in quality of Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Prog Hort 2012, 44(1), 60-7.

Young Cabernet Sauvignon wine was (prepared by inoculation of RS-3 - a strain of Pichiakudriavzevii), treated with Bentonite (0.3, 0.6 and 1 gl) and gelatin (0.05 and 0.10 gl) for a duration of 8 days. The wines were analyzed forcontent of protein, phenols, monomeric anthocyanins, colour intensity, tint, colour spectrum, intensities of yellow, red and blue colour. The content of protein, phenols and monomeric anthocyanins were significantly decreased by application of bentonite and gelatin. Colour intensity was significantly reduced in the wine samples treated with Bentonite and gelatin. The values of tint and colour spectrum were increased after the treatment. Intensity of yellow colour increased by the application of fining materials while red colour intensity was decreased in bentonite application and increased by gelatin. Blue colour activity in Bentonite treated wines was increased and decreasing trend was noted in gelatin treated wines. The wines were improved in terms of clarification after the treatment with Bentonite and gelatin.

023025   Ong S T;Keng P S;Ooi S T;Hung Y T;Lee S L (Chemical Science Dep, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, 31900 Kampar, Perak, Malaysia, Email: ongst@utar.edu.my) : Utilization of fruits peel as a sorbent for removal of methylene blue. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 398-402.

The potential of using fruits skin as a low cost sorbent in the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution was studied. The sorption behaviour of various fruits skin for methylene blue was carried out as a function of pH, contact time, concentration of methylene blue and sorption isotherms. The sorption process was rapid with high percentage of uptake taking place within the first 1 h, regardless of its initial concentration. Different kinetic models were selected to interpret the experimental data. The sorption process conformed to Langmuir isotherm and maximum sorption capacities for methylene blue were 56.50, 34.97, 50.51, 48.54, 48.31 and 78.74 mg/g for mangosteen's peel, pulasan's peel, pineapple's peel, durian husk, orange's peel and pamelo's peel, respectively. Mathematical models were employed to analyze and explain experimental data obtained. It was found that application of pseudo-second order kinetics provides better correlation of the experimental data than the pseudo-first order model for the different systems studied.

12 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

023024   Onanuga O K;Coker J O (Science Laboratory Technology Dep, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria, Email: jocoker20@yahoo.com) : Ultrasonic method of biodiesel production from palm kernel. J appl nat Sci 2013, 5(1), 1-4.

Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel derived from chemical reactors produced from palm kernel oil, is currently spreading like a wind dust in the air. It is considered as the fuel for the future without rise in global warming. It has advantages over the fossil fuel diesel as sustainability (renewable resources), ease of production, and availability of raw materials. The study examines the biodiesel produced through transesterification of palm kernel oil (1% fatty acid) with methanol using granulated sodium hydroxide as catalyst through ultrasonic method. The palm kernel oil biodiesel produced was characterized as alternative diesel fuel through standard tests (ASTM) for basic fuel properties such as viscosity, cloud point, pour point, flash point and specific gravity as well as economical feasibility for Nigeria. The result showed that 875g of palm kernel oil (1% fatty acid) with 175g of methanol using 13g of sodium hydroxide (granulated) subjected to ultrasonic method for 1 hour through transesterification process produced 96.23% of biodiesel and 16.89% of glycerol plus high excess methanol was allowed to settle for 6 hours. Two layers were observed containing unwashed biodiesel at the top and darker layers of glycerin. After washing the biodiesel with warm water, the cleaned, biodiesel was dried by heat to remove the moisture from and allowed to settle down. A bright colour biodiesel was obtained which was within the international standard for biodiesel fuel.

1 table, 24 ref

023023   Liu X L;Wang Q;Geng D G;Wei M;Duan X (Chemical Engineering Dep, Zibo Vocational Institute, Zibo 255314, P.R. China, Email: lxl5233@163.com) : Immobilization of the highly dispersed fullerene on the surface of cyclodextrin modified layered double hydroxides film. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 101-6.

A novel method was studied for the immobilization of the fullerene on the surface of cyclodextrin modified layered double hydroxides film. The supramolecular structure, physico-chemical behaviour and thermal decomposition were characterized by XRD, UV-VIS, NMR and TGDTA. The XRD results show that the basal spacing of the resulting C₆₀/CMCD-LDH film is similar with that of the CMCD-LDH film. Moreover, the UV-VIS result indicates the interaction between C₆₀ with inclusion host-CMCD, which confirmed the fullerene was only included by the CMCD on the surface of LDH. The thermal decomposition of C₆₀/CMCD-LDH was also investigated by TG-DTA measurements. Compared with the pure fullerene, the thermal stability of C₆₀/CMCD-LDH is reduced after highly dispersed and its combustion temperature decreased by 100 °C. Therefore, this work provides a novel dispersed fullerene based on functionalized CD/layered material composite. Furthermore, the schematic model of the inclusion structure has been proposed. Further investigation will focus on the photoelectrochemical and optical limiting properties of these fullerene-trapped layered double hydroxide materials.

9 illus, 97 ref

023022   Li J (Industrial Engineering Dep, Dongying Vocational College, Dongying 257091, P.R. China, Email: dyzyxyljq@126.com ) : Synthesis of thermoresponsive core-shell microgels cross-linked with acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 150-6.

Utilizing a biodegradable cross-linker, acryloyloxyethylaminopolysuccinimide (AEA-PSI), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) microgels and core-shell structure microgels were prepared via free-radical precipitation polymerization and their phase transition behaviour, phase transition temperature (PTT), hydrodynamic diameters and size distributions (polydispersity indexes, PDI) were investigated. To prepare small-sized and lower PDI PNIPAAm microgels, the optimum parameters should be selected as the concentrations of AEA-PSI, Nisopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were 1.34, 7.56, 0.152 and 0.18 g/L and the hydrodynamic diameter of the microgels was 353.8 nm (PDI, 0.24). All the microgels dispersions exhibited thermoresponsive phase transition at 30.0-32.5 °C. Using microgels as seeds, the core-shell PNIPAAm microgels were prepared. With increasing the weight ratio of the NIPAAm/AEA-PSI from 1.3:1 to 3:1 and 5:1 in the shell materials, the hydrodynamic diameter of the core-shell microgels increases from 376.4 to 432.5 and 472.3 nm at 25 °C, respectively. The morphologies of the microgels particles were also investigated by the atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images illuminated that the core-shell microgels particles had symmetrical sizes and non-aggregation, indicating better stability. Compared with the core microgels, the shell-core microgels appear a smoother and denser surface.

8 illus, 23 ref

023021   Lei B;Zhou G D;Mi H B;Zhen K J;Cheng T X (College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, P.R. China, Email: ctx@mail.jlu.edu.cn) : Decolorization of metal-complex dye direct blue-86 in wastewater by potassium ferrate(VI). Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 209-13.

Study on decolorization of metal-complex dye direct blue-86 in wastewater by potassium ferrate(VI) was carried out. Effects of pH value, oxidant dose, reaction time, initial concentration of dye and temperature on the decolorization were examined. In the absorption spectra during the decolorization process, it is clearly observed that Cu-phthalocyanine macrocycle in direct blue-86 can easily be destroyed by potassium ferrate(VI). Compared with the decolorization, the removal percentage of COD and total organic carbon were only 10.22 and 59.70 37 after 1 h, respectively. It indicates that the complete mineralization of direct blue-86 cannot be achieved under oxidation by potassium ferrate(VI).

7 illus, 23 ref

023020   Kongala Sirisha Devi;Mathur V K;Nayak S K; Mohanty S;Manish kumar (NO, Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh) : Homogeneous esterification of cellulose and characterization of cellulose esters. Der Pharma Chem 2009, 1(2), 296-303.

Focus on esterification of cellulose using lithium chloride-N,N- dimethylacetamide (LiCl-DMAc) solvent system with acetic anhydride and maleic anhydride system using pyridine as catalyst. Reaction temperature varied from 25 to 70 °C and the time varied from 2 to 24 hours. Small degradation in cellulose chain occurred at a temperature 70 °C .The esters prepared from cellulose in LiCl/DMAc solvent system were characterized by molecular weight determination and IR studies & viscometrically .Degree of substitution of the ester was found by calculating the amount of anhydride consumed.

15 ref

023019   Kantharaj Y;Sreenivas K N;Reddy P V K;Rajseh A M;Yathindra H A (Horticulture Dep, Agricultural Sciences Univ, Bangalore-560 065, Email: Kanthu.y@gmail.com) : Chemical composition of tamarind blended mango-ginger squash during storage. J Ecobiol 2012, 29(1-2), 119-22.

Tamarind blended mangoginger squash was prepared and analyzed for chemical composition at 30 days interval for 90 days of storage at ambient condition with combination of tamarind and mango-ginger pulp @ 30, 35% maintained at Total Soluble Solids @ 45 and 50 °B. Increased pH (3.31), total soluble solids (52.88 °B), total sugar (32.4%) and reducing sugar (8.7%) content, decreased acidity (0.83%), ascorbic acid (2.22 mg/100 g) and non reducing sugar (22.6%) was observed in the treatment combination of 35% pulp, 50 °B TSS after 90 days storage.

1 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

023018   Kantharaj Y;Sreenivas K N;Reddy P V K;Rajesh A M;Yathindra H A (Horticulture Dep, Agricultural Sciences Univ, Bangalore-560 065, Email: Kanthu.y@gmail.com) : Standardization of tamarind blended Rose Apple squash. J Ecobiol 2012, 29(1-2), 27-31.

Pre cleaned tamarind pulp extract was used for making flavoured tamarind blended rose apple beverage and prepared product was stored under ambient temperature upto 90 days with combination of tamarind and rose apple pulp @ 30, 35% maintained at Total Soluble Solids @ 45 and 50 °B. The product was subjected to physico chemical analysis. During storage the increased TSS (53.58 °B), pH (3.13), total sugar (35%), reducing sugar (9%) content and decreased acidity (0.88%), ascorbic acid (3.36 mg/100 g) and non- reducing sugar (25.2%) content were found in the beverage contained 35 per cent pulp, 50 °B Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and 1% acidity. Similarly highest organoleptic score (4.0) was recorded in the same treatment after 90 days of storage.

1 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

023017   Jin Y;Tang B;Row K H;Feng Q (NO, College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, P.R. China, Email: baokuntang@163.com) : Gas flowing-liquid phase enrichment of organic micro pollutants from atmosphere. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 291-302.

The enrichment effects of organic micro pollutants from atmosphere by gas flowing-liquid phase and compared with XAD resin enrichment method were investigated. For optimization of the enrichment conditions, the experiment variables such as gas flow rate, temperature and different solvents were investigated. The chemical composition of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was analyzed by GC-MS. The laboratory result shows the enrichment rate was 90 ± 10 % in a certain conditions (adsorbent of dichloromethane, cryohydrate bath and 3000 mL/min of carrier gas flow). To real sampling analysis, 8 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined and satisfactory results were obtained comparing with XAD technology. The new method of gas flowing-liquid phase is simpler and economically cheaper, especially the after treatment method is simpler than XAD and enrichment efficiency is similar with the XAD technology.

8 illus, 2 tables, 32 ref

023016   Jin D;Fu S;Zhang F;Lu X;Han P (College of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Nanjing University of Te, , Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China, Email: lxp_njut@163.com) : Preparation of silica gel grafting bisquarternary phosphonium and its antibacterial activities. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 107-11.

Using the activate silica gel as a carrier reacted with (3-chloropropyl)trimethoxy silane, the product was early or late reacted with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane, 1-chlorotetradecane to give the bisquarternary phosphonium salt water-insoluble antibacterial material. The effect of the reaction temperature, the reaction time and the reaction solvent were studied by means of the orthogonal design method and the single-factor experiment. The optimum conditions are: reaction temperature 150 °C, reaction time 48 h and the reaction solvent is o-dichlorobenzene. The product has grafted with 0.68 mmol/g phosphonium group and 0.15 mmol/g long alkyl. 1,3-Bis(diphenylphosphino)propane and 1-chlorotetradecane have been early or late grafted to silica gel, characterized by FTIR and TG. The bactericidal rate of the bactericide material was up to 99.9 % using amount of 20 mg/mL in 45 min. The antimicrobial activity of the bactericidal material is still up to 98.7 %, after 5 times repeated usage.

3 illus, 8 tables, 15 ref

023015   Ersu C B (Environmental Engineering Dep, Cukurova University, 01330 Balcali, Adana, Turkey, Email: cbersu@yahoo.com ) : Modeling wastewater treatment performance of a vegetated constructed wetland using neural network approach. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 145-9.

A multi-layer perceptron neural network model with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm (MLPLM) was developed based on the performance and operation data of a research worker named Marahatta on a full-scale vegetated submerged wetland system (VSB) operated for a 5 year period. Influent chemical oxygen demand (COD_inf), volatile suspended solids (VSS_inf), total solids (TS_inf) and temperature (T) were determined as the inputs of the model, whereas the output variables were one of the following; (i) effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD_eff), (ii) total solids (TS_eff) and (iii) volatile suspended solids (VSS_eff). Multi-linear regression (MLR) and multi non-linear regression (MNLR) techniques were also used for data analysis to compare the prediction capability. Four criteria used for a statistical comparison were the following: mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute relative error (MARE) and determination coefficient (R²). The results showed that MLP-LM approach predicted the performance of the constructed wetland system than the MLR and MNLR techniques.

3 illus, 2 tables, 38 ref

023014   Bhattacherjee A K;Chaurasia R;Tandon D K (Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, , Rehmankhera, P.O. Kakori, Lucknow-227 107, Email: bhatchaj_ak@yahoo.com) : Quality evaluation of aonla powder obtained by different drying techniques. Prog Hort 2012, 44(1), 110-15.

The effect of different drying methods such as freeze, spray, solar, cabinet and sun drying on physico-chemical properties of aonla powder in terms of solubility in water, colour, ascorbic acid and polyphenols contents has been evaluated. Spray drying took least time for powder preparation (1 l/h) but yield was not satisfactory (6.3% only), while cabinet drying had best yield (14.6%) and moderate drying time (6 h). When solubility of powder in water was considered, which helped the powder to be used as ready-to-serve health drink as well as in encapsulated form in medicine, spray drying was found best (10 g/10 ml). Colour of spray and freeze dried powder was attractive white in comparison to brownish colour of powder by traditional techniques. Maximum contents of ascorbic acid and polyphenols were found in freeze dried powder (3593 mg/100 g and 23.6%) followed by spray dried (3282 mg/100g and 21.99%) and cabinet dried (3243 mg/100 g and 20.10%) powder. Though the contents of polyphenols did not differ significantly in five different drying techniques, ascorbic acid content varied considerably. In terms of quality parameters, the order of different drying methods is as follows: spray drying <62> freeze drying <62> cabinet drying <62> solar drying <62> sun drying.

023013   Baei M S;Katal R;Abbasian S (Chemical Engineering Dep, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran, Email: mazyar.sharifzadeh@gmail.com) : Removal of toluene from polluted air using ozone and Pt catalyst. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 81-4.

In this study, removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polluted air by using ozone based Pt catalyst were investigated. Highly active Pt catalysts for toluene oxidation could be obtained by using colloid-deposition method. The type of the support is an importance of supported Pt/MeOx (Me = Fe, Ni, Zn, Al) catalysts. The results indicated that process of toluene oxidation based on Pt catalyst is dependent on the type of catalyst, temperature and concentration of ozone. As can be seen, in the absence and presence of ozone, Pt/Fe₂O₃ catalyst has the best efficiency for the removal of toluene in the various temperatures. Furthermore, at 50-200 °C, the rate of toluene omission would be higher when the concentration of applied ozone increased.

6 illus, 23 ref

023012   Ates S;Uzun I;Calin R;Citak R (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Bartin University, Bartin, Turkey, Email: sates@bartin.edu.tr) : Effect of Infiltration Pressure on Thermal Conductivity of Al 2014 Matrix Composite Powered by Silicon Carbide. Asian J Chem 2012, 24(1), 76-80.

By using pressure infiltration method, metal matrix composites are produced by saturating Al 2014 aluminum composite to the gaps among SiC powders. SiC powders filled into stainless steel tubes are fastened between the filters conducting only liquid material, dipped into pressurized molten boiler and infiltrated in 3 min under 500-900 kPa pressures at 750 °C. The image analyses of samples were done by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Densities, porosities and thermal conductivities of them were identified experimentally. It is defined that by the increase of infiltration pressure, porosity amount decreases but the value of thermal conductivity increases.

5 illus, 6 tables, 14 ref

023011   Ansari S H;Hasnat A;Aziz Ahmad S (Research Lab Products and Polymer Chemistry, Gandhi Faiz-e-am College (M.J.P. Rohilkhand Univ), Shahjahanpur-242 001) : Synthesis and charcterization of methylmethacrylate modified polyesteramide. Oriental J Chem 2012, 28(2), 1015-18.

In recent years application of renewable resources has become the matter of choice in the field of coating and paint industries. India is an agriculture based country crowned with various plants and herbs. The seed oil of some plants and herbs neither used for edible purpose nor significantly used for medicinal purposes. Polyesteramide resins contain sufficient amide linkages and known to improve water and chemical resistance performances. In the present work Jatropha curcas oil used as a starting material for the synthesis of polyesteramide. The synthesized polyesteramide further modified with methylmethacrylate to improve the afore mentioned performances. Physicochemical characterization of a synthesized resins were carried out as per standard method. The structural elucidation was carried out using IR and NMR dstas.

3 tables, 36 ref

021915   Singh R;Lata;Joshi H C (Environmental Sciences Div, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, Email: renu_icar@yahoo.com) : Saccharification potential of Indian maize cultivars for biofuel production. Vegetos 2012, 25(1), 127-33.

Energy security for the mankind is the greatest need of the era. Clean and green fuel from renewable resources is the solution to various problems. Corn has the promising potential for the production of ethanol that can be blended into petrol. The efficient hydrolysis of corn through amylase is essential for the whole process. The optimal parameters of enzyme action require the change of reaction conditions. Present study is to optimize the enzyme dose, time, concentration, dry substance concentration for maximum saccharification. The two-step saccharification process seems to be very effective in the absence of calcium.

8 illus, 13 ref

021914   Singh B;Priyadeep;Singla A;Paul Y (NO, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences Univ, UGC Centre of Advanced Stu, Sector 14, Chandigarh-160 014, Email: bsbhoop@yahoo.com) : In silico quantitative structure pharmacokinetic relationship modeling on aryl carboxylic acid: volume of distribution and serum protein binding. Int J chem Sci 2012, 10(1), 539-47.

Estimate of volume of distribution (V_d) and serum protein binding (% SPB) is of paramount importance in assessing the efficacy of drugs used to treat acute conditions like pain, which can be treated by a single dose. This study was conducted to develop Quantitative Structure Pharmacokinetic Relationship (QSPR) for the prediction of V_d and % SPB in men for congeneric series of twelve arylcarboxylic acid derivatives, using computer assisted Hansch approach. The QSPR correlations were duly analyzed using a battery of apt statistical procedures and validated using leave-one-out (LOO) approach. Analysis of several hundreds of QSPR correlations developed in this study revealed high degree of cross-validated coefficients (Q²) using LOO method (p <60> 0.001). The overall predictability was found to be high in case of V_d (R²= 0.9846 F = 117.51 S² = 0.0007, Q²= 0.9617 p <60> 0.001) as well as % SPB (R² = 0.9764 F = 204.31 S²= 0.0942, Q²= 0.9684 p <60> 0.001). Topological and steric parameters were found to primarily ascribe the variation in V_d and % SPB. The results indicated the involvement of dissolution rate limited absorption rather than permeation limited, as hardly any dependence on Log P was observed.

3 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

021913   Sharma P;Sarma J;Kalita K;Bipul Phukan (College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural Univ, Raha-782 103, Email: pranjyotisharma@yahoo.com) : Hukoti- an indigenous dry fish product of tribal communities of upper Assam. Indian J Tradl Knowledge 2013, 12(1), 97-101.

Present study is a maiden report regarding the existence, preparation procedure and uses of Hukoti, a traditional indigenous dry fish product, prepared by different tribal communities of Upper Assam. Dressed and washed fish, mainly Puntius spp, are ground with deskinned stems of Colocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G. Don and leaves of Siju (Euphorbia ligulana Roxb.). The resultant paste, stuffed into bamboo cylinders and sealed using dry banana leaves and clay, are dried over kitchen fire for a period of 3-4months. Hukoti is used a pain killer and also used as a local therapeutic to cure malaria. In the present study, the authors have suggested various means to improve its overall quality and also potential avenues to commercialize the product.

10 illus, 8 ref

021912   Saurabh Prakash;Rajni Kant;Singh U;Ramesh Chandra (Dairy Technology Div, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132 001) : Technological and quality aspects of chhana based sweet (balsahi) from mixed milk. Allahabad Fmr 2013, 69(1), 10-16.

Chhana serves as a base material and filler for a large variety of Indian sweetmeats like balsahi, chum-chum, sandesh, rasogolla, chhana murki, chhana podo, rasomalai etc. The production of Chhana is confined to the eastern region of the country. It contains less than 70 percent moisture and approximate 50 percent fat on dry matter basis. A compact close-knit smooth texture and a soft body of chhana are desirable for manufacture of good quality balsahi. Buffalo milk as such is not suitable for chhana and balsahi making due to high calcium and casein contents, which results in production of hard chhana, rendering it unfit for making balsahi. Which results in production of hard chhana, rendering it unfit for making balsahi. In view of the above problems, it was planned to develop a suitable technology for the production of chhana from mixed milk so that a good quality balsahi could be produced. Different temperature of coagulation such as 85 and 80°C were investigated for getting good quality chhana suitable for preparation of balsahi. Among all, 85°C found suitable as balsahi produced was hard, succulent and less spongy and got sensory scores as 8.6,9.0 and 8.88 on 9-point Hedonic scale for flavour, body & texture and colour & appearance respectively. A minimum cooking time of 45 min was recommended for manufacturing good quality balsahi as samples obtained on cooking for 30 min secured minimum scores for each sensory attribute accept for flavour.

1 illus, 3 tables, 3 ref

021911   Muzaddadi A U;Taye R K;Bhattacharjya B K (College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural Univ, Lembucherra, Tripura-799 210, Email: drarmaan@gmail.com) : Traditional knowledge associated with Numsing, an ethnic fish product prepared by mising tribes of upper Assam, India. Indian J Tradl Knowledge 2013, 12(1), 91-6.

The common method of preparation of numsing, a traditional fish product developed by the Mising community of Assam and the traditional knowledge associated with it are discussed. Flame dried and smoked small economic fish species (Puntius spp., Amblypharyngodon sp., Lepidocephalus sp., Channa spp., Trichogaster (Colisa) spp., Danio spp., Mastacembelus spp., Mystus spp., Rasbora spp., etc.) and petioles of arum (Alocasia macrorrhiza) are ground together, packed in bamboo container and fermented for about 30 days to prepare the product. The complete process involves 11 distinct steps and the end product is preserved in the fermenting bamboo container itself by keeping it suspended over a fire place. It is consumed after steam cooking or after preparing some curry along with vegetables. Protein rich fish is balanced with carbohydrate content in the product, probably increasing the dietary fibre content as well, when it is supplemented with arum petioles. In addition, the product is the outcome of a wonderful traditional technology which combines three well established food processing techniques -drying, smoking and fermentation and also a compatible means of preserving fish for scares-fish seasons as a partial solution to protein malnutrition.

8 illus, 1 table, 13 ref

021910   Muralidhara H B;Naik Y A;Balasubramanyam J; Yogesh Kumar K;Hanumanthappa H;Veena M S (Centre for Neurosciences, K.S. Institute of Technology, Visvesvaraya Technological Univ, Bangalore-560 002, Email: hb.murali@gmail.com) : Nanocrystalline zinc coating on steel substrate using condensation product of glycyl-glycine (GGL) and vanillin (VNL) and its corrosion study. Int J chem Sci 2012, 10(1), 524-38.

Nanostructured surface layer of zinc was electrodeposited on mild steel by simple electrochemical route. Bath composition, pH, current density and temperature were optimized through Hull cell experiments. Salt spray tests, cyclic voltammetric and linear polarization measurements were made in order to assess the corrosion behavior of the zinc deposit. The bath in presence of GGL and VNL produced highly corrosion resistant bright zinc deposit. The surface morphology and thickness of the zinc deposits were studied by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies. The preferred orientation and average particle size of the zinc electrodeposits were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.

9 illus, 3 tables, 27 ref

021909   Kumar K R R;Raghavan R (NO, Nagarjuna Fertiliser and Chemicals Ltd., Kakinada) : Ammonia plant operation under changing condition of natural gas quality. Indian J Fertil 2012, 8(10), 72-80.

Ammonia plants, using Natural Gas as feed and fuel are facing the problem of frequent changes in composition of gas. This paper highlights the effect of variation of composition on ammonia plant operated by NFCL. Attempt was made to highlight the changes occurred, parameters which are affected by choosing a case study. The data was collected when the plant was operated with carbon lean natural gas (CH4 around 98%) and carbon rich (CH4 around 90% along with higher hydrocarbons) natural gas for full day operation. The available efficiency of the catalyst is almost same in both rich and lean gas operation as plant was running without any upsets or shutdowns and no modifications were done in between the days chosen for study. Heat and mass balances were evaluated to the extent possible. While analyzing the effect of change in composition of NG on each section of ammonia plant, critical points are highlighted which are to be monitored and regulated.

6 illus, 4 tables, 4 ref

021908   Kiran;Lakshmi Bala K;Avanish Kumar (Food Process Engineering Dep, SHIATS, Allahabad-211 007) : Development and quality evaluation of fortified biscuits. Allahabad Fmr 2013, 69(1), 1-9.

Consumers demand is increasing for composite flour based bakery products like biscuits. Biscuit was prepared with the incorporation of oat flour, finger millet flour, pigeon pea flour and green gram flour with wheat flour in different proportion (i.e. 0%, 10%, 25% and 50%) along with fenugreek leaf/fenugreek powder and was examined for physicochemical and organoleptic properties at different intervals of storage i.e. 0,15,30,45, and 60 days. It was observed that percentage of moisture and ash content was slightly higher while the protein and fat content was decreasing from 0 days to 60 days. Protein content was found maximum 14.08% in T₁₇ sample and minimum 9.29% in T₂₄ sample, fat content was found maximum 12.74% in T₁₇ sample and minimum 12.01% in T₉ sample, moisture content was found maximum 3.22% in T₁₇ sample and minimum 3.01% in T₄ sample and ash content was found maximum 2.36% in T₅ sample and minimum 1.84% in T₁₈ sample. Depending upon the different sensory attributes T₁₇ sample was more acceptable. During shelf life study it was found satisfactory to store T₃ to T₁₄ samples for a period of up to 45 days and T₁₅ to T₂₆ for 30 days. Supplementation is one way to meet the needs for protein particularly in baked foods. So these different flour fortified biscuit can be recommended to all types of people.

5 illus, 2 tables, 24 ref

021907   Kavitha R;Sathali A A H (Pharmaceutics Dep, Madurai Medical College, Madurai-625 020, Email: abdulhasan@hotmail.com) : Enhancement of solubility of repaglinide by solid dispersion technique. Int J chem Sci 2012, 10(1), 377-90.

Present study involved preparation of solid dispersions of repaglinide to improve the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate in order to enhance bioavailability. Repaglinide is a BCS Class II drug, having low aqueous solubility and therefore, low bioavailability. In the present study, solid dispersions of repaglinide with different carriers [poly ethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000), poly vinyl pyrrolidone k30 (PVP K30), poloxamer 188 and crospovidone in different ratios (I : I, I : 2, I : 4, I : 6)] were prepared by melting and solvent evaporation methods. In vitro release studies revealed that the solid dispersions prepared by solvent evaporation method showed faster drug release when compared to the melting method. So, the dissolution profile of solid dispersion containing PVP K30 (1:4) was selected as the best formulation because of its faster drug release among all formulations. X-ray diffraction spectral studies showed a significant decrease in crystalline nature of drug in solid dispersions which resulted in increased dissolution rate of repaglinide. Differentia! scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies of solid dispersion revealed that no interactions exist between drug and polymer. Phase solubility studies of the best formulation indicated that the solubility was improved compared to the pure drug. Similarly tablets prepared from solid dispersed drug had better dissolution than tablets prepared from normal drug powder. In conclusion, solid dispersions of repaglinide in PVP K30 have shown to be a promising approach to improve the bioavailability of repaglinide.

6 illus, 6 tables, 14 ref

021906   Kakati B K;Goswami U C (Zoology, DST-FIST (Govt. of India) & UGC-SAP-Sponsored Dep, Fish Biology & Fishery Sciences, Gauhati Univ, Guwahati-781 104, Email: ucgoswami@rediffmail.com ) : Characterization of the traditional fermented fish product Shidol of Northeast India prepared from Puntius sophore and Setipinna phasa. Indian J Tradl Knowledge 2013, 12(1), 85-90.

Shidol is a traditional fermented fish product popular in the North eastern part of India, because of its typical flavor and aroma. The proximate composition, biochemical, microbiological and sensory quality of two types of Shidol prepared from Puntius sophore (Hamilton) and Seitpinna phasa (Hamilton) available in markets were studied. The results of the analysis showed that the market samples of Shidol were a good source of protein ranging from 27.2 - 38.35%. The pH and moisture content were from 6.1 - 6.2 and from 33.44 - 37.52%, respectively. The physicochemical analysis revealed that the products were of acceptable quality. The bacterial flora of Shidol comprised of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp and Escherichia coli indicating unhygienic handling practices during preparation and storage. There were no visible fungal colonies on the products; however, when grown on agar medium, a few yeast and mould colonies were observed. The products had acceptable sensory quality. Shidol can be kept for more than one year at room temperature.

9 illus, 2 tables, 28 ref

021905   Gupta A;Yadav N;Sheikh S (Foods and Nutrition Dep, Allahabad Univ, Allahabad) : Sensory evaluation of formulated products developed by incorporated underutilized quail grass (Celosia argentea) leaves. Allahabad Fmr 2013, 69(1), 46-9.

There are many greens are promising nutritive value which can nourish the ever increasing human population. Three recipes were prepared namely Mathri, Mung ka Pappad and Sag using quail grass (Celosia argentea) leaves as a main ingredient. These products were organoleptically evaluated using nine point hedonic scale. Sensory evaluation revealed higest score for Overall acceptability of Sag (8.41 ± 0.15) and lowest for Mung ka Pappad (7.86 ± 0.07). It can be concluded that quail grass based products being good sources of minerals and energy may be incorporated in daily diets.

1 illus, 1 table, 4 ref