The role of Al and Mg in the hydrogen storage of electrospun ZnO nanofibers

Pure and doped ZnO nanofibers with Al and Mg were successfully synthesized via an electrospinning method using a sol–gel containing Polyvinylpyrrolidone as a spinning aid and a zinc nitrate precursor. Calcination of the doped and undoped electrospun nanofibers was conducted at 500 °C in air, and the resultant structures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The diameter of the doped nanofibers decreased with increasing viscosity and conductivity, as measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed that Mg and Al are present in ZnO nanofibers. The pressure composition isotherm (PCI) demonstrated that the capacity of hydrogen storage in pure zinc oxide nanofibers is a factor of two greater than that of zinc oxide nanoparticles. However, Al-doped ZnO nanofibers have the highest capacity of hydrogen storage (2.81 wt%) at room temperature.     

The chemometrics approach applied to FTIR spectral data for the analysis of rice bran oil in extra virgin olive oil

Among eleven studied vegetable oils, rice bran oil (RBO) has the close similarity to extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in terms of FTIR spectra, as shown in the score plot of first and second principal components. The peak intensities at 18 frequency regions were used as matrix variables in principal component analysis (PCA). Consequently, the presence of RBO in EVOO is difficult to detect. This study aimed to use the chemometrics approach, namely discriminant analysis (DA) and multivariate calibrations of partial least square and principle component regression to analyze RBO in EVOO. DA was used for the classification of EVOO and EVOO mixed with RBO. Multivariate calibrations were exploited for the quantification of RBO in EVOO. The combined frequency regions of 1200-900 and 3020-3000 cm^− 1 were used for such analysis. The results showed that no misclassification was reported for the classification of EVOO and EVOO mixed with RBO. Partial least square regression either using normal or first derivative FTIR spectra can be successfully used for the quantification of RBO in EVOO. In addition, analysis of fatty acid composition can complement the results obtained from FTIR spectral data.     

Alternative for Rapid Detection and Screening of Pork,Chicken, and Beef Using Dielectric Properties in the Frequency of 0.5 to 50 GHz

Dielectric property at high microwave frequency region has been utilized for possible rapid detection and screening of different types of meat, especially for halal authentication. This investigation focused on both raw and sterilized (processed) beef, pork, and chicken samples. Dielectric response that consists of dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor was measured over the range of 0.5 to 50 GHz. All raw and sterilized meat samples could be differentiated by the dielectric values. Two distinct peaks were observed only for both raw and sterilized pork samples at the frequency around 7.43 and 31.19 GHz. These peaks can potentially be linked to compounds that exist only in pork such as DNA, microbes, enzyme, proteins, amino acids, and many others. Dielectric values for sterilized samples were lower than raw samples due to molecule structural changes that occurred in the samples. The dielectric results promise a great potential of utilizing dielectric properties as a rapid on-site detection approach prior to subsequent laborious analysis.     

Physiochemical Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha curcas</Emphasis> Seed Oil from Different Origins and Candidate Plus Plants (CPPs)

The physicochemical properties of Jatropha seed oil from 9 geographical origins and 24 candidate plus plants (CPPs) were evaluated. The yield of seed oil obtained by Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane as solvent varied from 40.0% (Malaysia) to 48.4% (Vietnam) among seeds from different origins and 32.1% (CPP-17) to 48.8% (CPP-01) (w/w) among CPPs. Density, specific gravity, and refractive index of oil showed very little differences among all the seed sources. Oil from Borneo had the highest free fatty acid (FFA) content (2.3%) and a South African sample had the lowest FFA (0.4%), as oleic acids. Seed oil of CPP-13 had the highest FFA content (1.2%) and seed oil of CPP-17 the lowest (0.3%). Most of the CPPs in this study had an FFA content of less than 1%. Jatropha seed oil of Philippine origin had the highest iodine value (187.3 mg/g oil) and seed oil from Borneo the lowest (83.5 mg/g oil). The lowest saponification values were obtained from seed oil of Philippine origin (189.5 mg KOH/g) and CPP-22 (183.3 mg KOH/g oil) from Malaysia. The maximum higher heating value (40.3 MJ/kg) was obtained from seed oil from Borneo. The cetane numbers range from 25.4 (Indonesia) to 56.0 (Borneo) among the oils of base material and 46.4 (CPP-15) to 53.7 (CPP-06) among CPPs. This study gives basic information of relevance for biodiesel production using Jatropha seeds from various origins.     

Authentication analysis of cod liver oil from beef fat using fatty acid composition and FTIR spectra

This study aimed to authenticate cod liver oil (CLO) from beef fat (BF) by determining the level of BF as a fat adulterant in CLO. Two instrumental techniques, namely GC-FID for fatty acid analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, were exploited for such authentication. The decreased level of some fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), could be used as an indicative means to detect the adulteration of CLO with BF. In addition, FTIR spectroscopy combined with partial least-squares (PLS) at frequency regions of 1200-1000 cm(-1) was successfully developed for the quantification of BF in CLO. Using the PLS model, the errors obtained in calibration and prediction samples were 0.55% and 0.82% v/v, respectively.     

Effects of type of packaging material on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of deep‐fat‐fried banana chips

A storage study of deep‐fat‐fried banana chips was carried out for 8 weeks at ambient temperature (27 °C), using four types of packaging material: laminated aluminium foil (LAF), oriented polypropylene (OPP), polypropylene (PP) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE). The physicochemical and sensory characteristics of the stored banana chips were analysed at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8. The quality parameters determined were moisture content, water activity (a_w), thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS), texture (breaking force), colour and sensory attributes. The moisture content, a_w, TBARS and breaking force values of all samples increased during storage. The colour also changed during storage, showing higher L and lower a and b values. Samples packed in LAF had the lowest moisture content, a_w, TBARS and breaking force values. The most notable sensory change that occurred during storage was a decrease in crispness. Samples packed in LAF had higher scores than the other three samples, whilst LDPE gave the lowest scores for crispness as well as product colour. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in rancid odour among samples packed in OPP, PP and LDPE. However, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between samples packed in LAF and the other three samples, with LAF giving the lowest rancid odour. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Quality characteristics of refined,bleached and deodorized palm olein and banana chips after deep‐fat frying

The changes in quality characteristics of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein used for deep‐fat frying of banana chips (180°C for 3 min at 17 min intervals for 2 h day^?1, to give six fryings per day and 30 fryings over five consecutive days) were studied. Four frying systems were used: RBD palm olein without antioxidant (system 1); RBD palm olein with 0.2 g kg^?1 α‐tocopherol (system 2); RBD palm olein with 1 g kg^?1 oleoresin rosemary (system 3); and RBD palm olein with the combination of 0.1 g kg^?1 α‐tocopherol + 0.5 g kg^?1 oleoresin rosemary (system 4). Fried oil samples were analysed for fatty acid composition, peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV), totox value, free fatty acids (FFA) value, iodine value, at 232 and 268 nm, colour and viscosity. The crispness and sensory evaluation of the banana chips fried in this study were also evaluated. The results showed that RBD palm olein with added antioxidant reduced PV, AnV, totox value, at 232 and 268 nm, FFA and viscosity. The order of effectiveness in inhibiting oil oxidation in RBD palm olein was: oleoresin rosemary > α tocopherol + oleoresin rosemary > α‐tocopherol > control. For the crispness, the force values of banana chips fried in all systems were comparable. Sensory evaluation of fried banana chips for each system showed that there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in terms of colour, flavour, odour, texture and overall acceptability. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of a Coconut- and Palm-Based Fat Blend for a Cookie Filler

Thirteen fat blends intended for cookie filler (CF) production that consist of 20–70 % palm mid-fraction (PMF), 20–70 % virgin coconut oil (VCO), and 0–10 % palm stearin (POs) were developed based on the solid fat contents (SFC) of the fat portions extracted from five commercial CF samples: A, B, C, D, and E. A mixture design was applied for fat blend optimization, and the combination that best approached the target SFC values was composed of 70 % PMF, 20 % VCO, and 10 % POs. The optimized coconut- and palm-based fat blend (O-CP) exhibited a steeper SFC profile, with 8.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 25 °C (room temperature) and 0.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 37 °C (body temperature); lower slip melting point of 34.0 °C (±0.0); and a lower iodine value (IV) of 40.25 g/100 g (±1.04). In addition, O-CP contained higher proportions of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) and lauric acid (C12:0) of 3.2 % (±0.18) and 9.7 % (±0.43), respectively. In terms of its thermal profile, O-CP showed no significant difference in terms of its crystallization range, 49.7 °C (±2.66) with the exception of sample C, but it exhibited a smaller melting range, 65.8 °C (±1.47), compared to the fat portions of the commercial samples. The ranges represented the span between the onset and offset temperatures of both crystallization and melting profiles as determined by differential scanning calorimetry.     

3-D conjugate heat transfer analysis of PLCC packages mounted in-line on a Printed Circuit Board

This paper presents a three dimensional heat and fluid flow analysis of two Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC) packages mounted in tandem arrangement on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) exposed to the free stream velocity. The numerical simulation was done using FLUENT 6.3 and the experiments were performed by using an air chamber with nozzle, at different approach air velocities to emulate the forced convection heat transfer phenomena. Parameters such as junction temperature, thermal resistance and top surface average Nusselt number have been studied for each package by varying the chip power, spacing between the packages and approach air velocities. The decrease in the junction temperature of the packages with the increase in approach air velocity is clearly observed. Furthermore, the Nusselt number of PLCC 1 is always slightly higher than PLCC 2 for all approach velocities considered. The results also show that the spacing between packages influences the thermal resistance and average Nusselt number for both packages at a particular approach air velocity. The simulation results obtained are found in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.     

Monitoring peroxide value in oxidized emulsions by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Soybean oil (SBO) was blended with 10–40% palm kernel olein (PKO) to obtain SBO:PKO blends with different degrees of unsaturation. Oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions were then prepared with 70 wt‐% of SBO or SBO:PKO blends and monitored for their chemical destabilization after an accelerated oxidation process up to 12 days at 60 °C. The formation rate of hydroperoxides, as demonstrated by peroxide value (PV) evolution, throughout the oxidation period was relatively high for a fully SBO‐based emulsion as compared to those with PKO incorporation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method was also performed in parallel with PV determination, providing further information on structural changes of the functional groups due to lipid oxidation in the emulsions. By using a partial least square chemometric method, a developed calibration model that was based on the spectral region between 1800 and 1480 cm^?1 was shown to be able to predict the PV in oxidized emulsions over the range of 4–45 meq/kg. With a ‘leave‐one‐out’ cross‐validation optimization procedure, the calibration model provides a good coefficient of determination of 0.98 and a root mean standard error of cross‐validation of 2.09. In general, FTIR spectroscopy is a suitable technique to monitor PV in oxidized emulsions.