The safe operation zone of the spark ignition engine working with dual renewable supplemented fuels (hydrogen+ethyl alcohol)

The effect of the amount of hydrogen/ethyl alcohol addition on the performance and pollutant emission of a four-stroke spark ignition engine has been studied. The results of the study show that all engine performance parameters have been improved when operating the gasoline spark ignition engine with dual addition of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol. The important improvements of alcohol addition are to reduce the NOx emission while increasing the higher useful compression ratio and output power of hydrogen-supplemented engine. An equation has been derived from experimental data to specify the least quantity of ethyl alcohol blended with gasoline and satisfying constant NOx emission when hydrogen is added. A chart limiting the safe operation zone of the engine fueled with dual renewable supplemented fuel, (hydrogen and ethyl alcohol) has been produced. The safe zone provides lower NOx and CO emission, lower s.f.c. and higher brake power compared to an equivalent gasoline engine. When ethyl alcohol is increased over 30%, it causes unstable engine operation which can be related to the fact that the fuel is not vaporized, and this causes a reduction in both break power and efficiency.     

Biological quality and safety assessment of rice bran protein isolates

Three stabilisation techniques, microwave, dry heat and parboiling were applied to bran followed by enzymatic extraction, biological quality through growth and nitrogen balance study and safety assessment through 45 days feeding trial. Traits linked with protein bio‐evaluation were affected significantly by the test diets (P < 0.05), growth study parameters during the experimental remained as; PER from 1.97 to 2.18 with higher value for microwave stabilised protein isolates, net protein ratio of 4.43–5.14. Nitrogen balance study parameters too were better in microwave and dry heat stabilised protein isolates, while the lowest values were observed for parboiled protein isolates; true digestibility was within the range of 76.0–86.11% and biological value of extracted isolates was within the upper and lower limit of 78.57–88.23. No general ill effects were observed during the safety evaluation trial as the serum biochemical profile and organ to body weight ratio exhibited normal metabolic activity. Findings of current study are supportive for the suggestion that these extracted isolates can be safely used for variety of foods especially the designed formulations for protein deficient vulnerable groups especially from low socio‐economic countries.     

Modelling and kinetic study of microwave assisted drying of ginger and onion with simultaneous extraction of bioactive compounds

Food Science and Biotechnology - Onion and ginger are rich sources of bioactive compounds which are lost during conventional drying process. The present study was designed to optimize the novel...     

Aliovalent Ho3+ ion doped BaZrO3 thin films; Structural,optical and photoluminescence properties

Ho doped BaZrO3 thin film phosphors with varying Ho content (1, 2, 3 and 4?at%) were prepared via pulsed laser deposition technique. To understand the effect of doping on structural, morphological, optical and emission properties of thin films, X-ray Diffractrometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) and Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy have been used, respectively. Polycrystalline nature with single phase cubic crystalline structure of the films has been obtained. The optical band gap energy, as estimated by SE, has been found to increase with increase in the Ho content. The PL spectra of the synthesized phosphor exhibit green and yellow-orange as prominent emission bands in response to 328?nm as excitation wavelength.     

Initial Plasma Formation in the GLAST-II Spherical Tokamak

This paper reports the initial plasma formation in glass spherical tokamak (GLAST-II) with electron cyclotron resonance pre-ionization assisted startup. Initially, a plasma current of 3 kA has been produced for duration of about 0.5 ms after establishing optimum conditions for microwave absorption at 2.45 GHz. Plasma current is then enhanced up to 5 kA by applying a small vertical magnetic field that provides additional plasma heating and shaping. Applied vertical field is optimized experimentally and optimal value is found to be 40 Gauss for this experiment. Plasma current and loop voltage are monitored by using Rogowski coil and toroidal loop of wire. A fast framing camera (5000 fps) is used for temporal investigation of plasma during the discharge scenario. A fast photodiode (BPX-65) and USB4000 spectrometer are used to record the signature of plasma current and the impurity content (O₂, H etc.). Cross-sectional average electron temperature is also estimated from plasma resistivity and found to be 6.1 eV for maximum plasma current of 5 kA.     

Modeling exposure period for solar disinfection (SODIS) under varying turbidity and cloud cover conditions

Solar disinfection (SODIS) is widely practiced all around the world. The process requires variable exposure periods depending upon a number of process parameters (e.g., water turbidity, atmospheric temperature, and cloud cover conditions). This paper describes the development of a mathematical model to estimate required exposure period to achieve Fecal coliforms (FCs) removal for changing process parameters. Daily and hourly solar radiation were estimated and found to be suitable for SODIS application with intensity of 500 W/m² over a period of 3–5 h/day. Randomized SODIS experiments over a period of 3 years were conducted to consider seasonal and weather variations. Six samples each for five levels of turbidity (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 NTU) were exposed to sunlight under variable cloud cover conditions on different days during the 3-year sampling period. Samples were collected and analyzed for remaining FCs at different intervals in each sampling day. Analysis of variance revealed that turbidity and percent of cloud cover are the most significant process parameters. It was found that FCs die-off in SODIS bottles followed the first-order kinetics. Different data sets were used for the development and calibration of the model. The calibrated model was further verified against the literature. Simple characteristics curves have also been established for practical application at household level to estimate exposure periods. The study revealed a significant difference between the required exposure periods for different turbidity and cloud cover conditions.     

Probiotics in the dairy industry—Advances and opportunities

The past two decades have witnessed a global surge in the application of probiotics as functional ingredients in food, animal feed, and pharmaceutical products. Among food industries, the dairy industry is the largest sector where probiotics are employed in a number of dairy products including sour/fermented milk, yogurt, cheese, butter/cream, ice cream, and infant formula. These probiotics are either used as starter culture alone or in combination with traditional starters, or incorporated into dairy products following fermentation, where their presence imparts many functional characteristics to the product (for instance, improved aroma, taste, and textural characteristics), in addition to conferring many health-promoting properties. However, there are still many challenges related to the stability and functionality of probiotics in dairy products. This review highlights the advances, opportunities, and challenges of application of probiotics in dairy industries. Benefits imparted by probiotics to dairy products including their role in physicochemical characteristics and nutritional properties (clinical and functional perspective) are also discussed. We transcend the traditional concept of the application of probiotics in dairy products and discuss paraprobiotics and postbiotics as a newly emerged concept in the field of probiotics in a particular relation to the dairy industry. Some potential applications of paraprobiotics and postbiotics in dairy products as functional ingredients for the development of functional dairy products with health-promoting properties are briefly elucidated.     

Coffee and its consumption: benefits and risks

Coffee is the leading worldwide beverage after water and its trade exceeds US $10 billion worldwide. Controversies regarding its benefits and risks still exist as reliable evidence is becoming available supporting its health promoting potential; however, some researchers have argued about the association of coffee consumption with cardiovascular complications and cancer insurgence. The health-promoting properties of coffee are often attributed to its rich phytochemistry, including caffeine, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, hydroxyhydroquinone (HHQ), etc. Many research investigations, epidemiological studies, and meta-analyses regarding coffee consumption revealed its inverse correlation with that of diabetes mellitus, various cancer lines, Parkinsonism, and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, it ameliorates oxidative stress because of its ability to induce mRNA and protein expression, and mediates Nrf2-ARE pathway stimulation. Furthermore, caffeine and its metabolites help in proper cognitive functionality. Coffee lipid fraction containing cafestol and kahweol act as a safeguard against some malignant cells by modulating the detoxifying enzymes. On the other hand, their higher levels raise serum cholesterol, posing a possible threat to coronary health, for example, myocardial and cerebral infarction, insomnia, and cardiovascular complications. Caffeine also affects adenosine receptors and its withdrawal is accompanied with muscle fatigue and allied problems in those addicted to coffee. An array of evidence showed that pregnant women or those with postmenopausal problems should avoid excessive consumption of coffee because of its interference with oral contraceptives or postmenopausal hormones. This review article is an attempt to disseminate general information, health claims, and obviously the risk factors associated with coffee consumption to scientists, allied stakeholders, and certainly readers.