Short Electrospun Fibers by UV Cutting Method

Short electrospun fibers were obtained by using UV cutting method. Either polymers with double bonds with a photocross‐linker (CL) and photoinitiator (PI) or known photochemistry of coumarin ([2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction) without the addition of CL and PI is utilized for making short electrospun fibers. The electrospun fibers were irradiated by UV light in the presence of a mask with a defined width of slits. The uncovered parts of fibers were cross‐linked and therefore became insoluble. The non‐cross‐linked parts were removed by immersion of the fibers into an appropriate solvent. The length of obtained short fibers can be controlled by changing the width of the slits of the employed mask.

     

COMPARISON OF THE MALT CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL AND IMPROVED VARIETIES OF SORGHUM VULGARE FROM GHANA

The malt characteristics of six agronomically improved varieties of sorghum in Ghana were compared to traditionally grown local varieties. The diastatic activities of the traditional varieties were found to be better than the improved breeds. The Improved breed, Kadaga, produced extract yields comparable to the traditional varieties. Free amino nitrogen content of Nagawhite worts were also comparable to those of the traditional varieties. The malt characteristics of all the varieties tested varied remarkably, but none of the improved breeds was found to be better than the traditional varieties in terms of their potential in brewing.     

Hydrogen uptake of reduced graphene oxide and graphene sheets decorated with Fe nanoclusters

Graphene oxide (GO) has been prepared by employing modified Staudenmaier's method through thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide. High pressure hydrogen sorption isotherms up to 50 bar of GO, reduced by thermal reduction (TR-GO), chemical reduction (CR-GO) and graphene sheets decorated with Fe nanoclusters (Fe-GS) have been investigated. Thermal reduction of GO at 623 K under high vacuum yields TR-GO. Chemical reduction of GO using hydrazine forms CR-GO. Fe-GS was synthesized through arc-discharge between the ends of two graphite rods with one rod carrying Fe nanoparticles. The surface areas of these graphene samples were determined from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm employing Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) method. Kelvin's equation was used to determine the pore size distribution of all graphene based samples. Hydrogen pressure-composition isotherms (PCI) were determined at 300 K and at 77 K, between 0.1 and 50 bar. Further, in this paper, we present a comparative adsorption isotherm analysis of hydrogen and helium on TR-GO. This reveals that the volume of hydrogen and helium adsorbed by TR-GO is nearly equal. The similar uptake volume determined for both hydrogen and helium indicates the possibility of monolayer adsorption of hydrogen and also nearly similar binding energy between TR-GO and H₂/He.     

Effect of Controlled Atmosphere Storage and Chitosan Coating on Quality of Fresh-Cut Jackfruit Bulbs

Fresh-cut jackfruit bulbs were evaluated for quality changes as effect of an additive pretreatment with CaCl₂, ascorbic acid, citric acid, and sodium benzoate followed by chitosan coating. Different types of samples such as pretreated and coated, only pretreated, only coated, and untreated were subjected to controlled atmosphere (CA) storage (3 kPa O₂?+?6 or 3 kPa CO₂; N2 balance) or normal air at 6 °C. CA conditions, pretreatment, as well as chitosan coating in synergy with each other, could significantly minimize the loss in total phenolics and ascorbic acid content of the samples to the levels of around 5% and 17%, respectively, during extended storage up to 50 days. Chitosan coating could also restrict the changes in microbial load. The CA condition of 3 kPa O₂?+?6 kPa CO₂ was found to render higher efficacy in retaining quality attributes of the samples.     

Effects of Osmotic Agents on Colour,Textural, Structural,Thermal, and Sensory Properties of Apple Slices

Effects of various osmotic agents (i.e., glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, sorbitol, and honey) were evaluated in terms of moisture loss and solid gain besides objective measurements of colour, texture, glass transition temperature; subjective sensory profile; and scanning electron microscopic cellular structure of osmotically dehydrated apple slices. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher solid gains were observed in the samples dipped in glucose and fructose solutions, whereas maltose-treated samples showed higher water loss. The glass transition temperatures varied from ?68.4 to ?45.6°C, minimum in the case of glucose and maximum in maltose-treated ones. The sucrose- and maltose-treated samples had significantly (p < 0.05) higher L* showing restricted browning. The a* value was maximum and minimum in the case of sucrose- and fructose-treated samples, respectively. Hardness was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher (20.104 N) in sucrose-treated samples, while it was at a minimum (4.441 N) in sorbitol-treated ones. The scanning electron microscope studies revealed that cellular structure was retained in sucrose-treated samples, while the damage was observed to be more in the glucose- and fructose-treated ones. The sensory attributes of the osmo-dehydrated samples were found to be better in the case of sucrose-treated samples. The type of humectant, in terms of molecular size, significantly influences the mass transfer process that could be optimized to make the process versatile to meet the requirements of processors and consumers.     

Studies on Polyphenol Oxidase Activity of Heat Stabilized Whole Wheat Flour and its Chapatti Making Quality

Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of whole-wheat flour (WWF) as well as its chapatti making quality. Whole wheat flour samples were heat treated through various means such as (i) dipping in boiling water (BW) for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min; (ii) inpack heating under pressure (PH) at 0.352 kg/cm² for 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 min; (iii) microwave heat treatment (MW) at 900 Watt, 2450 MHz for 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 s. Studies showed that the heat treatment effectively reduced PPO level in whole wheat flour; although, it had adverse effect on the dough-making quality. Based on textural analysis of dough and chapatti as well as sensory scores of chapatti, the conditions for each of the treatments were optimized, i.e., (i) Dipping in boiling water (BW) for 30 min; (ii) inpack heating under pressure (PH) at 0.352 kg/cm² for 10 min; and (iii) microwave heating (MW) for 80 s. A maximum reduction (71.2%) in PPO activity of WWF using microwave treatment could be achieved followed by PH (56.9%) and BW (38.3%). The changes in colour of unbaked chapattis (flattened circular dough, diameter 150.0 mm and thickness 2.0 mm) and changes in quality of baked chapattis were measured to assess the effectiveness of the heat treatment. The L-value (lightness) decreased from 65.2 to 55.8, 65.7 to 58.3, 65.9 to 61.4, and 64.8 to 49.1 in case of BW, PH, MW treated, and control samples, respectively during the 72 h of storage under refrigeration temperature (5–6°C).     

Rheological Characteristics of Short Nylon-6 Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Containing Epoxy Resin as Bonding Agent

The rheological characteristics of short nylon-6 fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) were studied with respect to the effect of shear rate, fiber concentration, and temperature on shear viscosity and die swell using a capillary rheometer. All the melts showed pseudoplastic nature, which decreased with increasing temperature and in the presence of short fibers. Shear viscosity was increased in the presence of fibers. Die swell was reduced in the presence of fibers. Relative viscosity of the gum compound was less than one at all shear rates and temperatures. Activation energy of flow of the composite-containing bonding agent was higher at higher fiber loading and higher shear rates. Die swell increased marginally in the presence of the bonding agent.     

A structural VAR analysis of electricity consumption and real GDP: Evidence from the G7 countries

In this paper, we depart from the literature on electricity consumption–real GDP in that for the first time we examine the reaction of real GDP to shocks in electricity consumption. To achieve this goal, we use the structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model and examine the impact of electricity consumption shocks on real GDP for the G7 countries. We find that except for the USA, electricity consumption has a statistically significant positive impact on real GDP over short horizons. This finding implies that except for the USA, electricity conservation policies will hurt real GDP in the G7 countries.     

STUDIES ON FRYING KINETICS AND QUALITY OF FRENCH FRIES

Effects of temperature of oil (160, 170 and 180° C) and duration of pre-drying (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 h) on the kinetics of moisture removal and oil uptake, and quality of French fries were studied. Frying times at each combination of temperature and pre-drying duration were standardized on the basis of sensory characteristics of the product in the preliminary trials. Results indicated that the rate of both moisture loss and oil uptake were higher in the beginning followed by a decrease in the later stages of frying. Mathematical models were developed to describe both the moisture removal and oil uptake by French fries. French fries prepared from potato fingers blanched in water for 4 min at 85° C and fried (without pre-drying) at 180° C were judged to be the most acceptable.