Physicochemical and Spectroscopic Characterization of Biofield Treated Butylated Hydroxytoluene

The antioxidants play an important role in the preservation of foods and the management of oxidative stress related diseases by acting on reactive oxygen species and free radicals. However, their use in high temperature processed food and pharmaceuticals are limited due to its low thermal stability. The objective of the study was to use the biofield energy treatment on butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) i.e. antioxidant and analyse its impact on the physical, thermal, and spectral properties of BHT. For the study, the sample was divided into two groups and termed as control and treated. The treated group was subjected to biofield energy treatment. The characterization of treated sample was done using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The XRD results showed the alteration in lattice parameters, unit cell volume, and molecular weight along with 14.8% reduction in the crystallite size of treated sample as compared to the control. The DSC analysis showed an increase in the latent heat of fusion from 75.94 J/g (control) to 96.23 J/g in the treated BHT sample. The TGA analysis showed an increase in onset temperature of decomposition (130°C?136°C) and maximum thermal decomposition temperature (152.39°C?158.42°C) in the treated sample as compared to the control. Besides, the FT-IR analysis reported the shifting of aromatic C-H stretching peak towards higher frequency (3068?3150 cm-1) and C=C stretching towards lower frequency (1603?1575 cm-1) as compared to the control sample. Moreover, the UV spectrum also revealed the shifting of the peak at ?max 247 nm (control) to 223 nm in the treated sample. The overall results showed the impact of biofield energy treatment on physical, thermal and spectral properties of BHT sample.

The results showed the impact of biofield treatment on the lattice parameter, unit cell volume and molecular weight of treated sample. The crystallite size of treated BHT was reduced by 14.8% suggesting the presence of internal strain that could be due to the biofield energy treatment. The DSC analysis showed 26.7% increase in ?H, which revealed that biofield energy probably enhanced the potential energy in treated BHT sample as compared to the control. The TGA/DTG results suggested that thermal stability of treated sample was increased which might help to enhance its effectiveness in food materials and reduce the flammability as compared to the control. The FT-IR analysis revealed the changes in the wavenumber of aromatic C-H bond and C=C bond that suggest the increase in conjugation effect in the benzene ring that probably occurred due to biofield energy treatment. Moreover, the UV-Vis spectra also showed the shifting of peak corresponding to 247 nm towards lower wavelength i.e. 223 nm. Hence, the overall study reported the impact of Mr. Trivedi’s biofield energy treatment on the physical, thermal and spectral properties of BHT sample. The altered properties of treated sample could make it more useful in food and pharmaceutical industries by enhancing the solubility and thermal stability along with reduction in the flammability.