Nanoparticles (NPs), a distinct class of particles ranging in size from 1 to 100 nm, are one of the most promising technologies of the 21st century, and titanium dioxide NPs (TiO2 NPs) are among the most widely produced and used NPs globally. The increased application of TiO2 NPs raises concerns regarding their global safety and risks of exposure. Many animal studies have reported the accumulation of TiO2 NPs in female reproductive organs; however, evidence of the resultant toxicity remains ambiguous. Since the surface area and chemical modifications of NPs can significantly change their cytotoxicity, we aimed to compare the toxic effects of pristine TiO2 powder with surface-modified TiO2 powders with salicylic acid (TiO2/SA) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (TiO2/5-ASA) on the ovaries, oviducts, and uterus on the 14th day following acute oral treatment. The results, based on alterations in food and water intake, body mass, organ-to-body mass ratio, hormonal status, histological features of tissues of interest, and antioxidant parameters, suggest that the modification with 5-ASA can mitigate some of the observed toxic effects of TiO2 powder and encourage future investigations to create NPs that can potentially reduce the harmful effects of TiO2 NPs while preserving their positive impacts.

The present study isolated starch from corn and sorghum grains through wet milling procedure. Sorghum starch is considered an alternative to corn starch in future, due to similar functional properties. However, agronomically sorghum is a cheap input cost crop compared to sorghum and can grow in drought hit areas. Lactic acid and citric acid modifications along with heat-moisture treatments were performed on both sorghum and corn grains followed by their comparison in terms of functional, textural, thermal, pasting and digestibility characteristics. For both corn and sorghum starches, the resistant starch increased after chemical modifications. The RS content of acid and acid-heat moisture treated starches were in the range of 77.9-90%, significantly higher than those of native starches (64.6-68.8%). The modifications increased the gelatinization temperature, decreased the peak and cold paste viscosity of starches. Chewiness significantly reduced after lactic and citric acid treatment along with heat-moisture treatments. The crystallinity to amorphous ratio measured through Fourier Transform infrared reduced after all chemical treatments. Percent light transmittance was further reduced after heat-moisture treatments, however the effect on corn starch was more pronounced i.e. it declined from 16.5 to 5.2%. The acid-heat moisture treatments had considerably lowered the glycemic index of starch. The GI reduced from 74 to 49.7 and 60 to 48.5 when treated with acid in the presence of heat and moisture. Thus, these starches could be used in production of low-calorie foods.