‘Lipase and protease production of dairy Penicillium sp. on milk‐protein‐based solid substrates’

The lipolytic and proteolytic activity of Penicillium camemberti PC TT033 and Penicillium roqueforti PR G3, cultured on the whey solids or simulated cheese media, were compared under several pH reaction conditions. Lipolytic activity was higher when both strains had been cultured on the whey medium than on the simulated cheese medium, whereas proteolytic activity was less influenced by the culture medium. The relationship between the reaction pH and these enzyme activities was dependent on the culture medium, which suggested that the expression level and balance of isozyme rely on the culture substrate.     

Investigation report of geotechnical disaster on river area due to typhoon landfall three times on Okhotsk region,Hokkaido, Japan

For one week from August 17 to 23, 2016, three consecutive typhoons made landfall in Hokkaido for the first time on record. These typhoons and the front they stimulated brought record-breaking torrential rain over the eastern part of Hokkaido. To investigate the damage to grounds and rivers resulting from this rainfall, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and the Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS) formed a disaster research group to conduct an investigation. This report provides the results of the investigation into damage to the grounds of areas along the Tokoro River of the Okhotsk region, Hokkaido, that suffered from this tremendous and diverse disaster. Specifically, the report describes the situation of the levees which were broken and eroded by the overflowing water, the shape of the levee bodies, the levee body soil properties examined by observation of the sections, as well as the occurrence of sand boiling and air blows. The washout of road embankments as well as damage to road bridge mounting fills and abutment backfills were also investigated. The investigation has demonstrated the need to clarify the resistance of the abutment backfills and levee bodies to flowing water as well as the geotechnical predominant factors in order to clarify the mechanisms behind erosion and washout, the need to review new measures that allow for the scale of sand boiling and resultant changes in levee body stability, and the fact that the existing embankments were able to temporarily suppress the flooding water which had spilled over from the river. Furthermore, although it has been identified that the findings of a study on an embankment washout associated with a tsunami can be applied to measures taken against the overflowing water, it has also been found necessary to clarify the predominant geotechnical factors using model tests and to use a more sophisticated analytical approach to establish a geotechnical stability review as soon as possible in order to prevent the levees and embankments from being eroded and washed out due to overflowing water.     

Effect of TiO2 on morphology and mechanical properties of PVDF/PMMA blend films prepared by melt casting process

Effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) on morphology and mechanical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend films prepared at different TiO₂ contents by a melt casting process was studied. The results showed that tensile moduli in both the machine direction (MD) and the transverse direction (TD) increased with increasing TiO₂ content, and calculated tensile moduli based on the Halpin–Tsai and the Kerner model were consistent with experimental ones in both the MD and TD of films containing 10 wt % TiO₂. However, experimental tensile moduli exhibited smaller values compared with calculated ones, as the TiO₂ content increased to 30 wt %_, and it was assumed that this is due to the decrease of crystallinity of PVDF. Morphological observations indicated that TiO₂ particles did not affect crystal structures of PVDF and the morphology of PVDF/PMMA amorphous phase, but hindered the crystallization of PVDF. The MD and TD elongation at break exhibited >200 and <20%, respectively. The SEM micrographs revealed that spherulites could deform along the MD when the tensile force was applied along the direction. By contrast, spherulites could not deform along the TD and fractured at very small elongation, owing to the anisotropic morphology of spherulites. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40454.     

Antihypertensive Effect of Salt-Free Soy Sauce,a New Fermented Seasoning,in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

ABSTRACT: In this study, we focused on the antihypertensive effect of newly fermented salt-free soy sauce (SFS) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). A 13-wk oral administration of SFS was performed daily in 8- to 21-wk-old SHRs with a dose of 200 mg/kg of body weight/d. The systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were measured for each week during the experimental period. As a result, a significant (P < 0.01) BP lowering effect was observed from the 5th d to the end of the experiment in the SFS group compared with the control group (ΔSBP_21-wk: 27 mmHg, ΔDBP_21-wk: 20 mmHg). In contrast to such substantial effect by SFS intake, angiotensin I-converting enzyme activities in blood and local organs as well as pharmaceutical parameters such as serum Na⁺ or K⁺ level did not show any significant difference between in both SFS and control groups. Vasoconstriction experiment using thoracic aorta rings from 21-wk SHRs provided an interesting result that the rings from the SFS group evoked a >2-fold higher increase in the angiotensin II-stimulated constrictive response compared with the rings from the control group (P = 0.012), which suggested that the SFS-intake would be effective in possessing a higher vessel tone. Practical Application: In this study, we investigated the antihypertensive effect of newly fermented SFS in SHRs. As a result of 13-wk SFS-administration, we found a significant antihypertensive effect of the SFS. This finding strongly demonstrates that the developed SFS would be greatly beneficial for health and useful for health-related industries.     

Effects of fermentation conditions and soybean peptide supplementation on hyaluronic acid production by Streptococcus thermophilus strain YIT 2084 in milk

To increase the hyaluronic acid (HA) yield from Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2084, fermentation conditions (pH, temperature, agitation, aeration) were optimized in milk-based medium, and the effects of supplemental soybean peptides, which have different molecular weight distributions, were determined. HA production was enhanced to approximately 100 mg/l at pH 6.8 and 33–40 °C. Agitation speed and aeration rate slightly affected HA production. Soybean peptides including those of high molecular weight (approximately 27 to 130 kDa) further increased HA production to 208 mg/l under the optimal condition (pH 6.8, 35 °C, 100 rpm), which was 20-fold greater than non-optimal condition. HA production was no longer related to the specific growth rate. The HA produced under the optimal condition included a large amount of high-molecular-weight fraction of 100 to 2000 kDa, compared with under the basal condition without optimization.     

Selective oxidation of ethane and propane over sulfated zirconia‐supported nickel oxide catalysts

The oxidative dehydrogenations of ethane and propane were investigated over a series of zirconia and nickel‐oxide supported on zirconia catalysts. It was found that zirconia, sulfated zirconia as well as NiO‐based zirconia catalysts showed high catalytic activities for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane and propane. However, conversion and selectivity differed depending on the nature of the catalysts. Zirconia, sulfated zirconia (SZ) and their supported NiO catalysts showed high ethane conversions but lesser selectivities to olefins while NiO/Li₂ZrO₃ exhibited high selectivities to ethylene and propylene. Addition of an LiCl promoter in the NiO/SZ catalyst increased the catalytic activity and olefin selectivity, thus resulting in a higher olefin yield. In the oxidative dehydrogenations of ethane and propane NiO–LiCl/SZ exhibited 79% ethylene selectivity at 93% ethane conversion at 650 °C and 52% selectivity to propylene at 20% propane conversion at 600 °C, respectively. Characterization showed that the physico‐chemical properties of the catalysts determine the catalytic activity and selectivity. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry