Quality enhancement of the abundant under‐valued crustacean,lobster krill (Munida spp.), during its chilled storage

Lobster krill (Munida genus) represents an under‐valued crustacean frequently caught on European fishing banks. In this work, its sensory, microbiological and biochemical qualities were evaluated during chilled storage. Additionally, the effects of a prestorage antimelanosic treatment consisting of soaking in sodium metabisulphite (SMB) solutions at two different concentrations (0.25% and 0.75%) were also studied. SMB prestorage treatment provided lobster specimens that still exhibited acceptable sensory quality after 10 days of storage, while control specimens were unacceptable at that time. SMB treatment also resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of microbial growth, mainly of Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophes and proteolytic bacteria. Low lipid oxidation levels were observed for all batches; however, a significantly higher (P < 0.05) retention of polyunsaturated fatty acids was found in SMB‐treated lobster, especially in the 0.75% SMB batch. The results presented here open the way to the potential commercialisation of currently under‐utilised lobster krill as a chilled product.     

Effects of breed and age at slaughter on degradation of muscle lipids during processing of dry‐cured hams

Hams from Landrace, Duroc and Hampshire pigs slaughtered at ages 6, 7.5 and 9 months were processed to generate Norwegian Parma‐style hams. Lipid contents and the compositions of fatty acid classes (ΣSFA, ΣMUFA, ΣPUFA) within neutral lipids, phospholipids and free fatty acids were determined. Small differences in lipid degradation and composition of the classes were revealed. However, significant sensory differences related to lipids were observed. Breed was more important than age. Dry‐cured Hampshire hams gave a more intense mature odour that may be associated with higher overall lipid degradation. Unexpectedly, these hams also demonstrated high juiciness and tenderness, which could be related to the melting characteristics of the fat. Dry‐cured Duroc hams showed a higher susceptibility towards rancidity, presumably associated with preferential oxidation of n‐6 fatty acids relative to C18:1 n‐9. Dry‐cured Landrace hams showed the lowest juiciness and tenderness, likely due to their lower fat content (marbling).     

Insights into biological delignification of rice straw by Trametes hirsuta and Myrothecium roridum and comparison of saccharification yields with dilute acid pretreatment

Rice straw is the most abundant agricultural residue on a global scale and is widely available as feedstock for cellulosic fuel production. However, it is highly recalcitrant to biochemical deconstruction and also generates inhibitors that affect enzymatic saccharification. Rice straw from eastern Arkansas was subjected to dilute acid pretreatment (160 °C, 48 min and 1.0% sulfuric acid) and solid-state fermentation with two lignocellulolytic fungi, Trametes hirsuta and Myrothecium roridum, and their saccharification efficacies were compared. T. hirsuta and M. roridum were tested separately; pretreatment of rice straw with either strain for seven days resulted in 19 and 70% enrichment of its holocellulose content, respectively. However, liquid chromatography analysis of the alkali extracts showed significant differences in cell wall degradation by T. hirsuta and M. roridum. T. hirsuta removed 15% more phenolic compounds and 38% more glucan than M. roridum, while M. roridum removed 77% more xylan than T. hirsuta. Fungal and dilute acid pretreated biomass was then hydrolyzed using Accellerase^® 1500, a saccharification cocktail. Saccharification efficiency of M. roridum was 37% higher than that of dilute acid pretreatment of rice straw, requiring 8% lower enzyme loading and 50% shorter enzymatic hydrolysis duration. Alkali extraction of fungal pretreated biomass also yielded 10–15 g kg⁻¹ of acid precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL), which is a valuable co-product for biorefineries. In comparison to dilute acid pretreatment, fungal pretreatment could be a cost-effective alternative for the degradation of recalcitrant biomass, such as rice straw.     

TEM Studies of High Temperature Corrosion Behaviour of TiAl Intermetallics with Surface Modifications

The oxidation/sulphidation behaviour of a Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si alloy with a TiAl₃ diffusion coating was studied in an environment of H₂/H₂S/H₂O at 850^oC. The kinetic results demonstrate that the TiAl₃ coating significantly increased the high temperature corrosion resistance of Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si. The SEM, EDX, XRD and TEM analysis reveals that the formation of an Al₂O₃ scale on the surface of the TiAl₃‐coated sample was responsible for the enhancement of the corroison resistance. The Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si alloy was also modified by Nb ion implantation. The Nb ion implanted and as received sampels were subjected to cyclic oxidation in an open air at 800^oC. The Nb ion implantation not only increased the oxidation resistance but also substantially improved the adhesion of scale to the substrate.     

Failure analysis of a broken tooth

Several days after heart surgery, a patient discovered his upper right canine tooth had broken at the root. Such tooth damage, recognized post-operatively, is usually assumed to be caused by blunt mechanical force from an instrument used by the anesthesiologist during placement of a breathing tube at the start of surgery. In this case, the patient had saved the crown portion of the broken tooth, and it was possible to examine the root fracture characteristics. The curvature and direction of the crack path and natural tooth situation suggested that failure could be described through a cantilever beam model. This was confirmed when a whole extracted sample tooth was embedded and broken by a measured force in a manner consistent with the model. The resulting fracture surface matched that of the patient’s broken canine tooth. However, the high load and force direction necessary to fracture the root was inconsistent with forces applied during the anesthesia procedure. The failure analysis and further investigation indicated tooth clenching on the breathing tube during recovery was the likely cause of fracture. This paper presents an alternate explanation for intubation-related dental injury, demonstrates the practicality of fractographic analysis of biological materials, and introduces a methodology for simulating in vitro tooth settings for mechanical testing.     

A novel way to treat refractory waste: Sonication followed by wet oxidation (SONIWO)

The effectiveness of the hybrid system sonication followed by wet oxidation (SONIWO) to treat otherwise refractory waste has been demonstrated. In such a hybrid system homogeneous CuSO₄ catalyst was found to be very efficient.     

Nitric oxide reduction and carbon monoxide oxidation over carbon-supported copper-chromium catalysts

Carbon supported copper-chromium catalysts are shown to be very active for both the reduction of nitric oxide with carbon monoxide and the oxidation of carbon monoxide with oxygen. Mixed copper-chromium oxide active phases have good activity in the simultaneous removal of nitric oxide and carbon monoxide from exhaust gases. The influence of several catalyst variables has been investigated. The activity per volume of catalyst increases with increasing loading, while the intrinsic activity shows a maximum around C/M=100−50. An optimum catalyst for nitric oxide reduction and carbon monoxide oxidation has a copper/chromium ratio of 2/1. The apparent activation energy for the carbon monoxide oxidation over carbon supported copper-chromium catalysts is 77 kJ/mol, suggesting that the Cu---O bond rupture is the rate-limiting process. The reduction of nitric oxide takes place at higher temperatures. Since all catalysts have a low selectivity for molecular nitrogen formation at lower temperatures, the dissociation of nitric oxide is probably rate determining, resulting in a slightly reduced catalyst system. In an excess of carbon monoxide the reaction is first-order in nitric oxide and zero-order in carbon monoxide. Moisture inhibits the reaction by reversible competitive adsorption, whereas carbon dioxide does not. Oxygen completely inhibits the reduction of nitric oxide due to the more rapid reoxidation of the catalytic sites compared to nitric oxide. Therefore, the reduction of nitric oxide takes place only when all oxygen has been converted and, hence, is shifted to higher temperatures. As a possible consequence, the production of nitrous oxide is reduced. Nitric oxide and molecular oxygen react preferentially with carbon monoxide, so, in an excess of oxidizing component, gasification of the carbon support occurs at higher temperatures after carbon monoxide has been completely consumed.     

Dietary α-Tocopheryl Acetate Enhances Beef Quality in Holstein and Beef Breed Steers

The effect of long-term feeding (252 days) of three supplemental levels of α-tocopheryl acetate (actual 0, 360 and 1290 IU/head/day) on meat quality was evaluated in Holstein and beef breed steers. Tissue vitamin E concentrations were increased by each increment of supplementation. The color display life of fresh beef under simulated retail conditions was extended 2 to 5 days by vitamin E and lipid oxidation was markedly reduced. Microbial population was not affected by level of supplementation. No deterioration in sensory quality occurred for steaks from supplemented steers that were displayed until the time steaks from unsupplemented steers discolored.     

异丙苯在Cu-HMS分子筛上的催化氧化

以含Cu的中孔分子筛(Cu-HMS)为催化剂,研究异丙苯的催化氧化。研究发现,Cu-HMS催化剂的加入使异丙苯氧化的诱导期显著缩短。在75℃下,以Cu-HMS为催化剂,O2为氧化剂的纯异丙苯氧化反应,苯乙酮为主要副产物,反应的选择性和转化率都很高。当催化剂用量为1 5×10-4mol/ml时,反应8h后,异丙苯转化率为32 7%,目的产物的累积浓度(质量分数)为37 7%,选择性为99%;反应12h后,异丙苯转化率为42 4%,目的产物的累积浓度为46 3%,选择性为95 6%。     

JFC磷酸酯的合成和应用

详述了JFC磷酸酯的合成工艺路线，以及它在织物前处理精练工艺中的应用。与其它磷酸酯类精练剂性能对比，证明它可作为一种性能优良的精练剂中的添加剂。