Impact of Exposure of Chemical Fumes on Blood Pressure and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate in Industrial Workers of Faisalabad

Objectives: 1. To determine the impact of duration of exposure to industrial chemical fumes on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) and blood pressure of the industrial workers. 2. To find out the association between changes in blood pressure and PEFR due to exposure to industrial chemical fumes in these subjects. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at Aziz Fatimah Medical and Dental College, Faisalabad. The study participants were 151 males working in the chemical industries. The study was approved by institutional ethical committee and informed consent was taken from the participants. Free camp was arranged for three days in September 2020 in the industrial area of Faisalabad. Thorough history of exposure to chemicals was taken using structured proforma. PEFR values were recorded using Wrights handheld peak flow meter. Blood pressure was taken by auscultatory method using mercury sphygmomanometer. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly raised with increase in duration of exposure.  PEFR levels were significantly declined with increase in duration of exposure to chemicals. Significant negative association was noted between diastolic blood pressure and PEFR (p value = 0.003). Negative correlation was observed between PEFR and systolic Blood pressure, however it was not statistically significant (p value = 0.92). Conclusions: PEFR decreased while Systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased significantly with increase in the duration of exposure to chemicals. There was a significant negative correlation between PEFR and diastolic blood pressure while there was no association between PEFR and systolic blood pressure.

Probing the Effect of Active Edible Coating on Shelf Stability of Cheese and Butter

The current study was conducted to evaluate the impact of active edible coating and natural essential oils (EOs) on storage stability of butter and soft cheese (SC). The major issue in storage stability of butter is lipid oxidation due to high fat content while in SC is mold growth due to its high moisture content. EOs were used due to their multifarious role such as food flavoring, preservative (food safety), antioxidant and medicinal ingredient. Corn starch (CS) and whey powder (WP) based edible coating were developed for butter and SC respectively. Peppermint oil (PMO) and clove oil (CO) were used as active ingredient in SC coating while ginger oil (GO) and black cumin oil (BCO) in butter coating. Glycerol was added as plasticizer, xanthan gum to increase the viscosity, lecithin for emulsification of EOs in edible coating. Active edible coating was applied on SC and butter with brushing method. SC samples (T0= control; T1= edible coating of SC with WP; T2 = SC containing 0.5% CO; T3= SC containing 0.75% CO; T4= SC containing 1.0% CO; T5= WP based edible coating of SC containing 0.5% CO; T6= WP based edible coating of SC containing 0.75% CO; T7= WP based edible coating of SC containing 1.0% CO; T8= SC containing 1.5% PMO; T9= SC containing 2.0% PMO; T10= SC containing 2.5% PMO; T11= WP based edible coating of SC containing 1.5% PMO; T12= WP based edible coating of SC containing 2.0% PMO; T13= WP based edible coating of SC containing 2.5% PMO) were analyzed for physicochemical parameters, color value, water activity (aw), texture profile, antioxidant activity, total viable count (TVC), proteolysis and sensory attributes during 30 days of storage at2-50C. Similarly butter samples (T0= control; T1= edible coating of butter with CS; T2 = butter containing 0.2% BCO; T3= butter containing 0.3% BCO; T4= butter containing 0.4% BCO; T5= CS based edible coating of butter containing 0.2% BCO; T6= CS based edible coating of butter containing 0.3% BCO; T7= CS based edible coating of butter containing 0.4% BCO; T8= butter containing 1.5% GO; T9= butter containing 2.0% GO; T10=butter containing 2.5% GO; T11=CS based edible coating of butter containing 1.5% GO; T12= CS based edible coating of butter containing 2.0% GO; T13= CS based edible coating of butter containing 2.5% GO) were also analyzed for physicochemical parameters, color value, water activity (aw), texture profile, free fatty acids (FFA), antioxidant activity, total viable count (TVC), and sensory attributes during 90 days of storage at2-50C. SC and butter sample containing edible coating and natural EOs shows significant (p<0.05) results. Highest value of moisture (79.55 %) was noted in T9 SC sample while the lowest moisture (74.33%) was noted in control (T0) SC. Highest value of protein (13.55%) was observed in T12 while the minimum protein (13.30%) value was observed in control (T0) SC. Similarly highest value of moisture (16.53 %) was recorded in butter sample T10 while the lowest moisture (11.25%) was noted in control (T0) butter. Highest fat (79.80%) was recorded in control butter (T0) while the lowest fat (79.56%) was noted in T10. Best treatment of SC and butter was selected on the basis of sensory evaluation and storage stability. Texture profile of SC and butter also effected significantly due to edible coating and EOs. SC and butter with direct addition of EOs showed higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activity as compared to other samples. TVC (cfu/g) was minimum in all samples of SC and butter as compared to compare to their control (T0) due to the effect of EOs and edible coating. Incorporation of natural EOs and edible coating significantly improved all the sensory characteristics of SC and butter. Hence, it is concluded from the present study that storage stability of SC and butter can be enhanced by the judicious use of edible coating and natural EOs with better flavor and quality attributes.