Mohammad Shafiur Rahman

• PhD
• Professor at Sultan Qaboos University

Holocellulose (HC) fraction extracted from date-pits was evaluated as a novel feed additive for ruminant feeding. This study was performed to investigate the effectiveness of the HC additive on rumen fermentation, methane (CH4) production, and diet degradability over 24 h of in vitro incubation. Three independent incubation trials were conducted ov...

Moisture, fats and fatty acids of 14 pelagic and demersal fishes were measured by conventional chemical analysis to relate these with the proton relaxation using Low Frequency Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR). Artificial intelligence was used to assess the predictability of composition using six relaxation parameters of LF-NMR. Multiple linear r...

The objective of this study was to develop functional date-pits by mold digestion for the potential use in food products. Whole date-pits (WDP) and defatted date-pits (DDP) were digested by mold Trichoderma reesei at 20 °C. T. reesei consumed date-pits as nutrients for their growth, and DDP showed higher growth of molds as compared to the WDP. The...

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important fruit of the Middle East and North Africa with a high content of phenolic compounds. This study applied ultrasonic-assisted and conventional methods to extract phenolic compounds from date flesh and seed. The efficacy of the extraction methods is compared in terms of quantity, content, and antioxid...

Būt (Sideroxylon mascatense) is an indigenous wild blueberry found in Oman. It has a very short season and is commonly preserved by drying. The aims of this study were to determine the physico-chemical characteristics and stability of phytochemicals (i.e., polyphenols and flavonoids) in the berries during drying (i.e., freeze-drying at −40 °C and a...

Agro-byproducts are substances generated by the bioprocessing industry that may provide functionality and bioactivity when used in foods, health supplements, and bio-composites. Date pits accumulate in very large quantities as a by-product of date processing factories, and they contain valuable bioactive compounds. Date pits and their treated fract...

Moisture sorption properties of whole date-pits (WDP) and three fractionated date-pits; defatted date-pits (DDP), residue (REP) and supernatant (SUP) fractions were studied. Sorption isotherms were measured using Differential Thermal and Humidity chamber at different temperatures (10, 30, 50, 70 and 90 °C) and relative humidity ranged from 0.05 to...

Thermal (differential scanning calorimetry, DSC), proton (low-frequency nuclear magnetic resonance, LF-NMR), and mechanical (differential mechanical thermal analysis, DMTA) relaxations were measured for defatted date-pits as a function of temperature. DSC showed three types of relaxations, lower one structural relaxation (i.e. − 5 °C), followed by...

Safety and quality of fresh produce is considered a high concern to the consumers and food industry. Traditional methods, like gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), are expensive, time-consuming, and require skills to operate. Similarly, the sensory evaluation method has limitations to apply in the routing quali...

This book describes the various techniques for nondestructive quality assessment of fruits and vegetables. It covers the methods, measurements, operation principles, procedures, data analysis, and applications for implementing these techniques. The book presents the details of nondestructive approaches focusing on the present-day trends and existi...

Two fractions of date-pits fibers were developed by alkaline digestion of whole date-pits powder at 70 °C for 24 h, one from the residue and other one from the supernatant after digestion. Residue and supernatant fibers showed higher hygroscopicity as compared to the date-pits powder (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the...

Date-pits are waste from date fruit processing industry and their valorisation as a lignocellulose biomaterial could generate economic gain. In this work, defatted date-pits (DDP) from whole date-pits (WDP), was soaked in alcohol-water followed by pressure-cooking. Two fractions of date-pits were developed, one as residue fraction (REP) and another...

Holo-cellulose fibers were prepared by pre-treatments (i.e., water, ethanol, microwave and pressure cooker) followed by alkaline-acid digestion of defatted date-pits. Ethanol pre-treated fibers showed the highest content of hollo-cellulose (i.e., 76.1 g 100 g−1 sample−1) and the lowest content of lignin (0.8 g 100 g−1 sample−1). Low lignin content...

Measurement of water activity and moisture sorption isotherms of foods and biomaterials are important to determine the state of water. In this work, a dynamic temperature-humidity (DTH) controlled chamber was used to measure water sorption isotherm and compared with the conventional isopiestic method. Temperature and relative humidity of DTH chambe...

Characteristics of sugar crystals are important for developing set-syrup due to their contribution to the desired mouth feel when consumed. Two types of set-syrup (i.e. seeds with and without) were developed by storing the syrup at −20, 4 and 15 °C. The melting temperatures (onset and peak), and enthalpy of set-syrup without seeds (SN) were 30.2 °C...

Pasteurized fresh milk requires an accurate estimation of shelf life under various conditions to minimize the risk of spoilage and product losses. Milk samples were stored for 56 h in an oven at 25°C and for 15 days in a refrigerator at 4°C. Samples were analyzed using an electronic nose (e-nose), total bacterial count, titratable acidity and pH to...

Food safety is always a concern due to the increasing trends of foodborne illnesses caused mainly by microbial and chemical contaminants. Chemical contamination indicates the presence of undesired and harmful chemical substances in the food chain, which is caused by excessive use of pesticides, chemical preservatives, chemicals used for artificial...

Heat and other processing treatments can adversely affect the sensory characteristic of milk and dairy products. Taste and aroma are the most affected and studied attributes in milk. This work reviewed the human sensory tests as well as the instrumental development in this field and their application in milk. For many years, human sensory-like disc...

Texture is one of the sensory attributes that consumers use to evaluate food acceptability and purchasing decision. It is a very complex attribute where different senses (e.g., vision, hearing, and touch) are used simultaneously to assess different textural properties, such as hardness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, gumminess, and springiness. These...

Deep-fat frying is a quick method of cooking that produces a product with attractive organoleptic properties. However, the degradation of frying oil that occurs thr ough series of reactions and the transfer of a substantial amount of oil to the product raises health concerns. The main oil degradation reactions are oxidation, hydrolysis, and polymer...

Thermal characteristics and proton mobility of date pits and their alkaline-treated fibers were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The DSC thermogram of date pits showed three endothermic peaks: first one for oil melting, second one after glass transition, and third one for the sol...

Vitamin C degradation of broccoli at different moisture and temperature was measured as a function of storage time and modeled by first-order reaction kinetics. The variation of rate constant was analyzed based on the activation energy, glass transition, BET-monolayer, micro-region state diagram, and empirical correlations. Three domains of chemica...

This book addresses the basic understanding of food contaminants and their sources, followed by the techniques to measure food safety and quality. It is divided into four parts: Part A - sources of contaminants in foods, their associated health risks, and integrated management and alternative options to minimize contaminants; Part B - Technological...

Food safety is vital to human beings as well as to the food industry. Therefore, knowledge and hygiene practice of food safety among food handlers are particularly important. Evaluation of food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among 18 restaurants in three different regions (i.e., districts) in the Governorate of Muscat was performed. In ord...

Four types of fibers (i.e. defatted, F1; residue after alkaline digestion, F2; precipitated fibers at pH 5.5, F3; and pH 1.5, F4) were prepared from date-pits. The date-pits were first defatted and then digested by an alkaline solution. The fibers F2 showed the highest amount of cellulose (i.e. 46.0 g/100 g sample), while fibers F3 and F4 showed th...

In order to assess food safety and quality, it is important to develop rapid, accurate, and simple techniques to measure the microbial and physicochemical characteristics of foods. Currently, varieties of new technologies are being emerged for their potential applications in food industry. In this chapter, selected technologies [i.e., biosensors, a...

Low-frequency nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to identify different proton pools and their mobility in freeze-dried broccoli (moisture 0.01 to 0.25 g g sample⁻¹ and temperature 193 to 443 K) containing un-freezable water. Three pools of protons were determined from transversal T2 (i.e., spin–spin) relaxation times. These were T2b (i.e....

a product frequently consumed or associated with specific celebrations and/or seasons, normally transmitted from one generation to another, made accurately in a specific way according to the gastronomic heritage, with little or no processing/manipulation, distinguished and known because of its sensory properties and associated with a certain local...

Traditional foods are specially distinguished and known for their unique sensory properties, and perception; and play important roles in the recognition of a country or a region. These are prominent and noticeable to a region’s (i.e. certain local area, region, or country individuality) history, culinary heritage, local values and a part of the nat...

Traditional food and beverage derived from land and sea, and it reflect an important trait of any nation’s cultural heritage. These foods are considered as essential daily or occasional dishes by the local populace for long time. The method and recipes of preparation have been inherited from generation to generation. Furthermore, traditional foods...

Background: Azoxymethane (AOM) is considered as an oxidizing insult and a potent carcinogenic agent that is commonly used to induce colon cancer in rats. Clinical studies continue to support the notion that different honey bee products (honey, pollen and propolis) combat cancer development, yet no recent studies conducted to examine the antioxidant...

In this study, the retention of vitamin C in fresh broccoli stored at different temperatures (i.e. chiller, room, cooking, and roasting or baking; 5-120°C) was investigated. The thermal stability of vitamin C in broccoli was analysed at 5, 20, 45, 60, 70, 80, 110, and 120°C. The vitamin C content was measured by the indophenol titration method. Vit...

Water activity is considered an important factor in assessing the stability of food. Understanding the relationship between water activity and equilibrium moisture content (moisture sorption isotherm) benefits food processing in terms of modeling of drying and estimation of shelf life. In addition, glass transition helps to quantify molecular mobil...

Water activity is considered an important factor in assessing the stability of food. Understanding the relationship between water activity and equilibrium moisture content (moisture sorption isotherm) benefits food processing in terms of modeling of drying and estimation of shelf life. In addition, glass transition helps to quantify molecular mobil...

This work provides comprehensive coverage of the preparation, processing, marketing, safety and nutritional aspects of traditional foods across the globe. Individual chapters focus on the traditional foods of different cultures, with further chapters discussing the consumer acceptability of traditional foods as well as the laws and regulations and...

Curcumin has a wide spectrum of biological, pharmaceutical, and antioxidant effects in cancer experimental models. Nitrosamine is commonly used as an experimental oxidizing agent which induces gastric oxidative stress and gastric carcinogenesis in rats. We examined the antioxidant potential effect of curcumin against nitrosamine-induced gastric oxi...

Folate and vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with depletion of the major intracellular antioxidant glutathione, and oxidative stress is emerging as an etiological mechanism for colon cancer. Azoxymethane (AOM), a potent carcinogen, induces colon cancer in rats by causing pathophysiological changes and oxidative stress. We investigated the synerg...

This volume addresses the challenges of the short shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Innovative packaging technologies are the most promising strategies for overcoming these limitations. This book provides a host of sustainable packaging solutions that deliver protection, branding, consumer attractiveness, and speed to market in a competitive ret...

State diagram of crystallized date-syrup was developed based on the freezing curve, glass transition curve, sugar crystals-melting curve, maximal-freeze-concentration condition, and eutectic point. The freezing point, glass transition, and sugar crystal-melting curves were modeled by Chen's model based on Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Gordon-Taylor...

Variability and sensitivity of a portable electronic nose (32 sensors) was assessed by considering different variables for measurement (i.e., reference, standard, first and second purges, sample draw time, waiting time for the volatiles released in the headspace, and mass of sample or headspace volume of the jar containing sample). In this study, d...

Seaweed contained health functional polysaccharides and polyphenols. Five extracts were prepared from red seaweed Melanothamnus somalensis ; two of these were aqueous at 20°C (F1) and 70°C (F2), followed by acid (F3), alkali (F4) and acid-washed (F5) treatments. Molecular characteristics of extracts were measured by high-performance liquid chromato...

The proton relaxation of waxy and non-waxy rice was investigated using low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The relaxation showed 3 types of protons from their relaxation times as strongly-bound (T2b), moderately-bound (T21) and weakly-bound (T22). These relaxation times were analyzed as a function of temperature. The strongly-bound proto...

Clinical studies have claimed in general to show a correlation between high consumption of phenolic antioxidants and reduced risks of certain types of cancer. The main antioxidant activity that has been associated with polyphenols is the ability to scavenge free radicals. Prevention of cancer may be accomplished through primary prevention, secondar...

The search for new sources of natural antioxidants from plant material may have beneficial therapeutic potential for those diseases associated with oxidative stress, including cancer. Natural products are rich in flavonoids, phenolic, alkaloids carotenoids, and organosulfur compounds, these bioactive components are known to combat oxidative stress-...

Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person’s lifestyle or by adopting primary intervention strategies. Often, the sooner a cancer is found and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many years. Cancer is a disorder of cel...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the world’s third most common cancer. Before the twentieth century, CRC was relatively uncommon; however, the incidence has risen dramatically especially in the last 50 years. Several risk factors have been proposed, including the adoption of westernized diet, obesity, and physical inactivity. The majority of colorectal c...

Cancer is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, proper preventive steps could be one of the options to prevent its occurrence. Currently, vegetables and fruits high in potential functional components are being reported as chemopreventive potential. Broccoli contains a number of functional properties including antica...

The preventive measures of diseases are based on the risk and their severity. However, in reality, multiple risks are involved and cumulative risk factor is defined as the combination of threats from exposure to multiple agents or stressors. Cancer is a multifactorial disease caused by combined effects of both genetic and environmental factors. The...

The high rate of urbanization and a steady increase in per capita income has improved the socio-economic status of people all over the world. This has resulted in drastic changes in their lifestyle and food consumption patterns, where traditional foods are being replaced with more ready-made junk foods with few servings of fresh vegetables and frui...

Background Nitrosamine acts as a carcinogenic agent and induces gastric cancer in rats. The mechanisms underlies nitrosamine‐mediated gastric cancer pathogenesis need to be investigated. Experimental studies continue to support the notion that curcumin combat cancer by acting as a dietary antioxidant. Objective Our study model was undertaken to in...

Background Epidemiological, clinical trials and observational studies continue to support the notion that colon cancer is a nutritionally modified disease in which oxidative stress is a cofactor. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. Although edible wild Omani plants ( Portulaca oleracea, Pteropyrum scoparium, and Oxalis...

Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetes and hyperglycaemia. The protective effects of natural extracts against diabetes are mainly dependent on their antioxidant and hypoglycaemic properties. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) exerts beneficial health effects in several diseases including diabetes; however, the mechanism has...

The observed high consumer demand for edible oils with high oxidative stability resulted in notable efforts to investigate wild plants as new sources of oils and fats. In this context, the fatty acid profile, total tocopherols, tocotrienols, and phenolic compounds, as well as oxidative stability parameters such as peroxide value (PV), conjugated di...

In this study, the molecular mobility of fish flesh was measured by low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) relaxation. Sardine, tuna and mackerel were frozen at −40 °C and stored for 1 day (24 h); and then these samples were thawed at room temperature (20 °C). The relaxation of water protons in fish flesh was measured for fresh (i.e., before...

Stability of foods during processing and storage can be determined from their phase and state diagrams. In this study, state diagram of broccoli was developed considering freezing curve, glass line, maximal-freeze-concentration conditions, solids-melting and BET-monolayer line. The freezing point, glass transition and solids-melting were measured a...

In the current study, for the first time, the oxidation stability of the extracted edible oil from Sardasht red grape at three different accelerated deteriorative techniques (oven, microwave, and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation) was investigated. In this context, the peroxide value (PV), conjugated diene value (CDV), carbonyl value (CV), radical scave...

Open pore porosity of spaghetti was measured by helium (He) gas pycnometer and mercury (Hg) porosimetry and it was observed as 0.025 and 0.023, respectively. Pore size distribution curve from mercury porosimetry indicated two sharp crests, at alternate position of 59±8 μm and 6.4±0.9 μm diameter pore; while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed...

Open pore porosity of spaghetti was measured by helium (He) gas pycnometer and mercury (Hg) porosimetry and it was observed as 0.025 and 0.023, respectively. Pore size distribution curve from mercury porosimetry indicated two sharp crests, at alternate position of 59±8 μm and 6.4±0.9 μm diameter pore; while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed...

Foods undergo different phase and state changes during their processing and storage; and these changes play a significant role in determining their stability during processing, storage and even during consumption. Examples of the phase changes are freezing, melting, crystallization, gelatinization and boiling. A state diagram is a stability map of...

State diagram (i.e. 12 micro-regions) of ripe banana was mapped by measuring and modeling its freezing point, glass transition, maximal-freeze-concentration conditions, solids-melting, and BET-monolayer. At 20oC, the BET-monolayer moisture was observed as 0.044 g/g dry-solids, and decreased with the increase of temperature. Un-freezable water was f...

Glass transition is a second-order time-temperature and moisture dependent transition since there is no latent heat involved in this state change. It is also considered as super-cooled liquid. It is usually observed by a characteristic discontinuity (i.e., a shift or change in slope) in the physical, mechanical, electrical, thermal, mass transfer,...

mechanisms that include oxidative stress in rat colon and liver tissue. Few studies have investigated AOM-induced oxidative stress in rat liver tissue. Red seaweeds of the genera Hypnea Bryodies and Melanothamnus Somalensis are rich in polyphenolic compounds that may suppress cancer through antioxidant properties, yet limited research has been carr...

Head rice yield (HRY) in relation to glass transition temperatures and un-freezable water of waxy (San-pah-tawng) and non-waxy (Phitsanulok 2) rough rice were studied. Freezing points and glass transitions were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a function of solid fraction. Both waxy and non-waxy rice samples exhibited similar...

Background Azoxymethane (AOM) is a potent carcinogenic agent commonly used to induce colon cancer and oxidative stress in rats. Clinical studies continue to support the notion that oxidative stress is mediated by hyperhomocysteinemia, elevated serum homocysteine level. Objective This study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of folate and v...

Background The primary prevention of type 2 diabetes relies also on lifestyle changes, including dietary habits. The antidiabetic effects of several foods and dietary supplements in both animal models and in humans have been explored. It was found that beneficial effects are mainly dependent on antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties. Broccoli (Bra...

Background Azoxymethane (AOM) is a potent carcinogenic agent commonly used to induce colon cancer and oxidative stress in rats. Clinical studies continue to support the notion that oxidative stress is mediated by hyperhomocysteinemia, elevated serum homocysteine level. Objective This study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of folate and v...

Background The primary prevention of type 2 diabetes relies also on lifestyle changes, including dietary habits. The antidiabetic effects of several foods and dietary supplements in both animal models and in humans have been explored. It was found that beneficial effects are mainly dependent on antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties. Broccoli ( Br...

Glass transition of pomegranate skin was measured by thermal, mechanical and magnetic resonance techniques. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) thermogram showed a shift (i.e. onset glass transition at 20°C) followed by an endothermic peak (i.e. solids-melting peak at 165°C and enthalpy 140 kJ/kg). Overlapping of the glass transition and meltin...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is caused by fat accumulation and is associated with oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the potential protective effect of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract (PPE) against oxidative stress in the liver of rats with NAFLD. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD), 20% corn...

In this study, oxidative stability of date-pits (i. e. Khalas variety) was investigated during storage as a function of temperature. The stability of date-pits oil was determined by measuring acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine value (PAV), tocopherol and oxidative stability index. Initial characteristics of oil were assessed by measu...

Outbreaks of food poisoning have increased noticeably in Oman in recent years. Some of the factors contributing to increasing the number of food poisoning outbreaks are increased number of foods/meals consumed from restaurants, mishandling of food products in restaurants, lack of personal hygiene practices by food handlers, and using microbiologica...

The efficacy of ginger extract (GE) and pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as a traditional medicine for diabetes is well reported, however there is negligible reports on the biochemical aspects of these extracts against oxidative stress-mediated diabetes.This study evaluated the antioxidant potential properties of GE and PPE in an experimentally strep...

The safety and efficacy of minimal food processing depends on the use of novel preservation technologies. This book first examines what is meant by minimally processed foods, including fresh-cut, cooked-chilled, and part-baked products. Next explored are the technologies or methods to produce quality products in terms of safety and nutrition, inclu...

The consumptions of fresh fruits and vegetables are directly linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases and to enhance resistance against diseases (Van Duyn and Pivonka 2000). In addition to the pleasure of eating fruits and vegetables, these provide various phytochemicals and antioxidants (Kalt 2005), phytoestrogens, and anti-infl ammatory agents...

Most of the food products in the market are preserved (i.e. retained its stability) based on more than one hurdle or preservation method. In order to determine the food stability, two questions need to be asked: what target attribute(s) needs to be achieved in the microbial, chemical, bio-chemical and physical changes; and what is the required time...

Plants and their by-products offer a diverse mixture of chemical constituents like natural antioxidants. Datepits are rich in phenolic compounds that have antioxidant potential. The main objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of a date-pit extract (DPE) against AOM-induced colonic carcinogenicity and oxidative stress. Thir...

Eight descriptive sensory textural attributes of whole date fruit were evaluated by twenty trained panel members and correlated with sixteen physicochemical properties. All sensory parameters, except gumminess, significantly correlated (P<0.05) with pectin, crude fibre, and moisture content. In addition, sensory hardness, cohesiveness, elasticity,...

The consumptions of fresh fruits and vegetables are directly linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases and to enhance resistance against diseases (Van Duyn and Pivonka 2000). In addition to the pleasure of eating fruits and vegetables, these provide various phytochemicals and antioxidants (Kalt 2005), phytoestrogens, and anti-infl ammatory agents...

A gluten index test was recently introduced as a quicker method to measure wheat processing quality in comparison with the classical instrumental methods, such as a mixograph and farinograph. It is also a criterion defining whether the gluten quality is weak, normal, or strong. The gluten index test has gained wide acceptance as a method of determi...

The safety and efficacy of minimal food processing depends on the use of novel preservation technologies. This book first examines what is meant by minimally processed foods, including fresh-cut, cooked-chilled, and part-baked products. Next explored are the technologies or methods to produce quality products in terms of safety and nutrition, inclu...

Although the role of streptozotocin (STZ) in the pathogenesis of diabetes in rats has been well investigated, as evidenced by several citations, to our knowledge no study has been carried out yet to examine the preliminary steps of STZ‑mediated oxidative stress in pancreatic rat tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic and potential a...

Moisture, protein, oil and carbohydrate contents of date-pits varied from 3.1-12.5, 2.3-6.9, 5.0-12.5 and 70.9-86.9 g/100 g date-pits, respectively. BET-monolayer (i.e. strongly bound) moisture content, solids-melting peak (at moisture: 6.7 g/100 g date-pits), and melting point of oil were 4.3 g/100 g dry-solids, 106oC, and 1.8oC, respectively. The...

Date is an important fruit in the regular diets of many peoples in the Arab countries and several other parts of the world. Hardness is one of the important attributes in determining the quality of dates. Hard dates are tough, difficult to chew, unsuitable for several product preparation and ultimately fetching low market price. In general, hard da...

Food processing by-products may contain many valuable substances that can be used to produce value added products, for example dietary fiber, pigments, sugars, organic acids, flavors, antioxidant and antimicrobial substances. The date-pits is a by-product from date fruit processing industry that constitutes approximately 10% of the fruit mass and c...