Kunal Pal

• B. Pharmacy, M. Engg. (Biomedical), Ph. D. (Materials Science)
• Professor (Associate) at National Institute of Technology Rourkela

This study focuses on the holistic assessment of soy lecithin (SYL) as a crystal modifier in altering the structural and functional parameters of the oleogels comprising rice bran oil (RBO; liquid phase) and stearyl alcohol (SAl; oleogelator). The underlying role of SYL as a crystal modulator was studied by preparing oleogels with various concentra...

The current study investigates replacing water (2.5–15%) in whole wheat pasta with groundnut oil/candelilla wax (GNO/CW) oleogel. To assess the impact of incorporating GNO/CW oleogel at varied concentrations, both uncooked and cooked pasta samples are physicochemically characterized. The water absorption capacity of oleogel‐containing cooked pasta...

The current investigation focuses on the effect of different concentrations of green coffee bean powder (GCBp) on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of whole wheat bread (WWB). C1 bread formulation (containing 1% GCBp) exhibited the highest loaf volume, suggesting optimal fermentation. Moisture analysis revealed minor...

In the past years, plant-based surfactants such as plant proteins, hydrocolloids, and extracts have intrigued scientific studies of food formulations for usage in emulsion, nanoemulsion as well as microemulsion systems, mainly due to their functional benefits and low toxicity levels. In this work, a hemp seed oil-containing (HSO) emulsion system wa...

The shelf life of whole wheat bread (WWB) significantly impacts its freshness and overall quality. This research investigated the impact of chitosan lactate (CL) on various characteristics influencing the shelf life of WWB, including its physical, chemical, textural, antimicrobial, and sensory attributes. These characteristics were evaluated by con...

This study delineates biobased foods. Curcumin (CRU) delivery modules were studied using pectin gel, Sesame oil (SO), and Kokum butter (KB) oleogel (OG). SB1, the control, has 10% OG. The pectin gel between 10 and 50% oleogel were emulsified by 2.5% tween 80. Surface, physical, chemical, and physiochemical properties of prepared bigels were examine...

Oleogels, which are traditionally utilized to reduce saturated and trans fats in bakery foods, have recently shown promising applications in non-bakery foods, particularly in the enhancement of their food texture and cooking qualities. This study investigates the impact of incorporating stearic acid-containing candelilla wax–groundnut oil oleogel i...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is emerging as a global epidemic, which has resulted in a need for techniques to accurately diagnose AF and its various subtypes. While the classification of cardiac arrhythmias with AF is common, distinguishing between AF subtypes is not. Accurate classification of AF subty...

Gels are systems that consist of solid and liquid components and have a semisolid consistency. Both hydrogels and oleogels are types of gels; the difference between the two lies in the polarity of the solvent entrapped in the gel. In their natural state, hydrogels are polar, while oleogels are apolar systems. Combining oleogels with hydrogels resul...

This study investigated the effects of incorporating stearic acid (SAC) in candelilla wax (CW) and groundnut oil (GO) oleogel with potential health benefits as an alternative to saturated fats in processed foods. Results showed that SAC possesses crystal habit-modifying properties on the oleogels, causing its average crystallite size to increase, a...

This study investigated the replacement of butter with soy wax (SW)/rice bran oil (RBO) oleogel in varied proportions in cookie dough and the resulting cookies. The study mainly evaluates the physical, textural, and chemical properties of the butter cookie dough and cookies by replacing butter with SW/RBO oleogel. The dough was assessed using moist...

Abstract Background A large volume of animal byproducts remains underutilized, and low-value components such as skin, bones, feathers, heads, feet, hairs, horns, hooves, tails, cartilage, unused myofibril muscles, fins, fish scales, and whey protein are generated by meat processing industries, slaughterhouses, and milk processing industries. The ma...

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was used to enhance the bioactive compounds and biological properties of food materials, such as buckwheat, turmeric, and ginseng. This study was investigated the effects of SSF for up to 10 days using Rhizopus oligosporus on Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire). The total phenolic content of Yerba mate rose t...

Heart rate variability (HRV) has emerged as an essential non-invasive tool for understanding cardiac autonomic function over the last few decades. This can be attributed to the direct connection between the heart’s rhythm and the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The cost-effectiveness and ease with which one may obta...

Sunflower oil (SO) oleogel was initially prepared using 5 % (w/w) sunflower wax, hydrophobic (Span 80), or hydrophilic (Tween 80) emulsifiers. This study involved the physicochemical characterization of the batter and cake prepared through partial and complete replacement of butter with the oleogels. Batter and cake properties were improvised in T8...

Functional Bio-based Materials for Regenerative Medicine: From Bench to Bedside explores the use of bio-based materials for the regeneration of tissues and organs. The book presents an edited collection of 28 topics in 2 parts focused on the translation of these materials from laboratory research (the bench) to practical applications in clinical se...

In recent years, nucleic acid has emerged as a versatile molecule that has been strategically used in material synthesis and biomedical applications. Keeping in mind the presence of the phosphate group, a glass former in the nucleic acids, we synthesized a transparent glass-like material by the thermal treatment of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) at 90...

In this study, nanocomposite flm was fabricated using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as nanofller in a polymer matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and gum tragacanth (GT) via solution casting. CNCs were extracted from sugarcane bagasse using a steam explosion technique followed by acid hydrolysis. Initial analysis of CNCs by transmission electron micr...

Shape‐memory polymers (SMP) are materials responsive to stimuli, which will be modified to their initial form on the occurrence of an appropriate input. SMPs have been a class of impulsively valuable material in the last few decades. Because of their numerous, adaptable uses across a wide range, “wise” materials (SMPs) have attracted intense intere...

The development of consumer-friendly nutraceutical dosage forms is highly important for greater acceptance. In this work, such dosage forms were prepared based on structured emulsions (emulgels), where the olive oil phase was filled within the pectin-based jelly candy. The emulgel-based candies were designed as bi-modal carriers, where oil-soluble...

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was used to enhance the bioactive compounds and biological properties of food materials, such as buckwheat, turmeric, and ginseng. This study was investigated the effects of SSF for up to 10 days using Rhizopus oligosporus on Yerba mate ( Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire), which was done to enhance its biological prope...

Nowadays, due to a higher resistance to drugs, antibiotics, and antiviral medicaments, new ways of fighting pathogens are intensively studied. The alternatives for synthesized compositions are natural products, most of which have been known in natural medicine for a long time. One of the best-known and intensively investigated groups are essential...

Examining P-wave morphological changes in Electrocardiogram (ECG) is essential for characterizing atrial arrhythmias. However, standard 12-lead ECGsuffer from diagnostic redundancy due to low signal-to-noise ratio of P-waves. To address this issue, various optimal leads have been proposed for improved atrial activity recording, but the right select...

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most studied cardiac arrhythmias due to its increasing prevalence in today's scenario. Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for early identification of AF and classification has been thoroughly scrutinized. This review aims to determine the performance of machine and deep learning models applied for AF detecti...

Objectives: Atrial Tachycardia (AT) and Left Atrial Enlargement (LAE) are atrial diseases that are significant precursors to Atrial Fibrillation (AF). There are ML models for ECG classification; clinical features-based classification is required. The suggested work aims to create stacked ML models that categorize Sinus Rhythm (SR), Sinus Tachycard...

The aim of this research was to estimate the effect of a vegan diet on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) coverage for iodine in people from Poland. It was hypothesized that the problem of iodine deficiency is a concern, especially among vegans. The survey study was conducted in the years 2021–2022 on 2200 people aged 18–80 with omnivore and v...

This study investigated if whole wheat flour-based cookie dough’s physical properties were affected by mixing time (1 to 10 min). The cookie dough quality was assessed using texture (spreadability and stress relaxation), moisture content, and impedance analysis. The distributed components were better organized in dough mixed for 3 min when compared...

The joint time-frequency analysis method represents a signal in both time and frequency. Thus, it provides more information compared to other one-dimensional methods. Several researchers recently used time-frequency methods such as the wavelet transform, short-time Fourier transform, empirical mode decomposition and reported impressive results in v...

Scientists are concerned about the health risks associated with consuming a diet high in saturated fats. In this regard, oleogels have been used as a shortening substitute by researchers. This present study evaluated the role of stearyl alcohol (SA)-, and Span-60 (SP)-tailored sunflower wax/sunflower oil oleogels upon butter replacement in whole wh...

This research evaluated the influence of stearic acid, sunflower lecithin, and sorbitan monooleate on soy wax (SYW)/rice bran oil (RBO)-based oleogels. The physiochemical behavior of oleogel samples was evaluated using colorimetry, microscopy, FTIR, mechanical, crystallization kinetics, X-ray diffraction, and a drug release investigation. The prepa...

In the last decade, natural gums (NGs) have received much attention for developing polymeric systems for different applications, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic, and biomedical applications. NGs are naturally occurring polysaccharides that are mainly obtained from microbes, plants, and marine origin. The extensive use of the NGs has been...

Wound dressings are the formulations that promote the biosynthetic environment of the wound surface. They are of utmost importance in chronic wounds. Chronic wounds increase the morbidity of the patients. It also puts a financial burden on the governments, especially developing nations. However, the problem is persistent in developed countries too....

Early detection of the dysfunction of the cardiac autonomic regulation (CAR) may help in reducing cannabis-related cardiovascular morbidities. The current study examined the occurrence of changes in the CAR activity that is associated with the consumption of bhang, a cannabis-based product. For this purpose, the heart rate variability (HRV) signals...

Emerging natural-based polymers and materials progress and new technology innovations open the way for unique food products with high nutritional value development. In this regard, oleogel may be essential in replacing fatty acids from food products. In this study, we researched the effects of varied soy lecithin (SYL) concentrations on the various...

Cannabis as bhang is one of the most widely used recreational products in many parts of rural India. Many women who consume cannabis take it secretly due to societal fear. Consumption of cannabis may result in several short-term and long-term health conditions. Hence, detecting the cannabis-consuming women population is needed to avoid its associat...

A rising health concern with saturated fatty acids allowed researchers to look into the science of replacing these fats with unsaturated fatty acids. Oleogelation is a technique to structure edible oil using gelators. The present study looked for the effect of solid emulsifiers; namely, sorbitan monostearate (SP) and stearyl alcohol (SA), on the ph...

Oleogels (OGs) have gained a lot of interest as a delivery system for a variety of pharmaceuticals. The current study explains the development of jasmine floral wax (JFW) and wheat germ oil (WGO)-based OGs for oral drug (curcumin) delivery application. The OGs were made by dissolving JFW in WGO at 70 °C and cooling it to room temperature (25 °C). T...

The current study aims to evaluate the effect of tamarind gum (TG) on the optical, mechanical, and drug release potential of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based films. This involves preparing PVA-TG composite films with different concentrations of TG through a simple solvent casting method. The addition of TG has enhanced the phase separation and aggre...

The current study deciphers the processing of different proportions of white flour and whole wheat flour (100:0, 75:25, 50:50: 25:75, and 0:100) into a pizza base using yeast-based fermentation. The bread making using the yeast system resulted in significant changes in the characteristics of bread, ranging from the porous structure development to t...

Growing awareness concerning human health and sustainability has been continually driving the need to change consumers’ habits and develop new bio-based and environmentally friendly materials that could be used in new product formulations [...]

In this study, novel phase-separated composite films based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan lactate (CL) were prepared by the solvent casting method. The influence of varying concentrations of CL (2.5–10% w/w) on the physicochemical properties of the films was assessed. Bright-field micrographs showed the formation of phase-separated polym...

This study aimed to enhance the water solubility and antioxidant properties of mangiferin by transglucosylation using cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) from Thermoanaerobacter sp. The highest mangiferin to mangiferin glucoside conversion yield achieved was 88.9% using 60 mU/mL CGTase, 25 mM mangiferin, and 10% starch (w/v), with incubation...

The effect of horror sound on electro-cardiac activity is not yet sufficiently explored despite recommendable research on different genres of music and sound. Detecting the impact of these stimuli is a complex task. The current study intends to automatically detect the horror-sound induced cardiac changes using wavelet coefficient-based features ex...

Schisandra chinensis (Omija) is a well-known medicinal plant in East Asia. In this study, Omija oligosaccharide syrup was prepared from sucrose with Omija fruit extract using two glucansucrases of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512F/KM and L. mesenteroides B-1355CF10/KM. The degree of polymerization of Omija oligosaccharide syrup was ranged from 2 - 1...

Food products containing high moisture content are perishable and spoil rapidly, even under refrigerated conditions. Nanoclay-based active films and coatings are advanced solutions to extend the storage period of such food products. Nanoclays, along with bio-extracts and essential oils, have been incorporated into both bio-based and synthetic polym...

The effect of coffee (caffeinated) on electro-cardiac activity is not yet sufficiently researched. In the current study, the occurrence of coffee-induced short-term changes in electrocardi-ogram (ECG) signals was examined. Further, a machine learning model that can efficiently detect coffee-induced alterations in cardiac activity is proposed. The E...

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is an evolving domain and provides encouraging solution to address the current demands in the orthopaedic healthcare system. However, even a well-exploited biomaterial such as synthetic hydroxyapatite (nHAp) fails to induce ideal bone regeneration in the complex in vivo conditions owing to its poor angiogenic potential...

A deadly novel coronavirus disease or severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2) has taken the entire globe in its grip and claimed over more than 0.1 million lives across the globe in barely four months of time. This has attracted researchers, medical practitioners, scientists, biologist’s fraternity, etc. all over the world to joi...

This chapter is aimed at identifying the variation in the cardiac electrophysiology due to the abuse of the cannabis products (bhang) in a non-invasive manner. ECG signals were acquired from 25 Indian women working in the paddy fields. Amongst them, 10 women regularly abused bhang and the rest 15 women never abused bhang. The ECG signals were prepr...

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are stimuli-responsive materials that can alter from a programmed form to their original condition upon triggering an applicable input. SMPs are a category of automatically valuable “smart” materials that have dragged deep interest within the space of advanced material fields due to their varied, versatile applications...

This study investigated the effect of solid-state fermentation of wild turmeric (Curcuma aromatica) with Rhizopus oligosporus, a common fungus found in fermented soy tempeh, on phytochemical and biological properties. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry showed that fermented wild turmeric has higher concentrations of cu...

Candelilla wax (CW) is a well-known oleogelator that displays tremendous oil-structuring potential. Lecithin acts as a crystal modifier due to its potential to alter the shape and size of the fat crystals by interacting with the wax molecules. The proposed work is an attempt to understand the impact of differently sourced lecithin, such as sunflowe...

Non-digestible isomaltooligosaccharides (NDIMOS) are functional food and beverage ingredients that contributed to human health benefits through metabolism of gastrointestinal microorganism. In this study, NDIMOS were synthesized by combine dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B512F/KM and alternansucrase from L. mesenteroides NRRL 1355CF10...