Functional properties of hydrolysates from Phaseolus lunatus seeds

Use of low degree of hydrolysis (DH < 10%) with enzymatic treatment can produce protein hydrolysates with functional properties superior to the raw material. Suspensions of Phaseolus lunatus protein isolate (PPI) were treated with one of two commercial enzymes (Alcalase or Flavourzyme) at 50 °C and pH 8.0. DH with Alcalase was greater than Flavourzyme at 5 or 15 min of reaction. Alcalase-prepared hydrolysates had more peptides than those prepared with Flavourzyme. All the hydrolysates had higher solubility than the PPI, the highest being for the Alcalase-prepared hydrolysate at 15 min reaction time. Overall, the Alcalase-prepared hydrolysates had better solubility characteristics, whereas the Flavourzyme-prepared hydrolysates had better film properties (maximum emulsifying capacity and the highest foam formation values). This is probably because of the greater ease of movement toward the interface as shown by their high surface hydrophobicity values. The Alcalase-prepared hydrolysates had generally low or nonexistent film properties.     

Wheat bran globulins: Competitive inhibitors of mushroom tyrosinase

The inhibitory capacity of the globulin fraction of wheat bran against the diphenolase activity of mushroom tyrosinase, using l-tyrosine as substrate, was evaluated. Enzyme kinetics was monitored in the presence of globulin solutions by measuring the absorbance at 475nm. Lineweaver-Burk plots were drawn in order to determine V_max, K_m, and type of inhibition. Results showed that globulins from wheat bran competitively inhibited, the activity of mushroom tyrosinase with a K_I of 0.79%(w/v). The degree of inhibition was 24% at 2 mM of the substrate L-tyrosine.     

Mathematical optimization of a supply chain for the production of fuel pellets from residual biomass

One of the main concerns of humankind in the last years is the availability of energy sources. Research has been focused on finding clean and renewable ways to satisfy the energy demand worldwide. In the particular case of the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, clay industry burns each year about 15,000 m³ of fuel oil and residual oils, and 96,000 t of wood derivatives. As a way to reduce the environmental impact of clay industry, the use of solid fuel pellets, obtained from vegetable residual material, is proposed. The raw material for the pellets is obtained from agribusiness and from the cities of the state. The solid biofuel has high density, low content of humidity, a homogeneous shape and high energy density. Nevertheless, special care must be taken about the location of the production facility and hubs, in order to make the production of the biofuel economically feasible. Furthermore, to have an environmentally friendly fuel, the supply chain and the production process must minimize the global environmental impact. In this work, a mathematical programming model is proposed to determinate the optimal location of the production facilities, the hubs, and the best distribution logistics. The problem is modelled using a general disjunctive programming approach, and then relaxed into a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem. It has been determined that the main plant should be located in the city of Irapuato, while secondary plants must be established in the cities of León, Irapuato, Abasolo and Salamanca. Moreover, it has been estimated that, when the residual biomass is converted into pellets, about 72,548 t/year of equivalent CO₂ are avoided in the main plant, together with 24,182 of equivalent CO₂ avoided per secondary facility.     

Possibilities and sustainability of “biomass for power” solutions in the case of a coal-based power utility

This paper investigates the possibilities and the sustainability of “biomass for power” solutions on a real power system. The case example is JP Elektroprivreda BiH d.d.—Sarajevo (EPBiH), a typical conventional coal-based power utility operating in the region of South East Europe. Biomass use is one of the solutions considered in EPBiH as a means of increasing shares of renewable energy sources (RES) in final energy production and reducing CO₂ emissions. This ultimately is a requirement for all conventional coal-based power utilities on track to meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) cut targets by 2050. The paper offers a discussion of possible options as a function of sustainability principles, considering environmental, economic and social aspects of biomass use. In the case of EPBiH, the most beneficial would be waste woody biomass and energy crop co-firing on existing coal-based power plants, as suggested by biomass market analyses and associated technological studies. To assess the sustainability of the different biomass co-firing options, a multicriteria sustainability assessment (MSA) and single criteria analysis (SCA) were used. Four different options were considered, based on different ratios of biomass for co-firing: 0 wt%-reference case, and 5, 7 and 10 wt% of biomass. Both the MSA and the SCA confirmed that the option with the highest share of biomass is the most preferable one for the considered case. In addition to that, the CO₂ parameter proved to be a key sustainability indicator, effecting the most decision making with regard to preference of options from the point of sustainability. Following up on the results of the analyses, the long-term projection of biomass use in EPBiH has shown an increase in biomass utilization of up to 450,000 t/y in 2030 and beyond, with associated CO₂ cuts of up to 395,000 t/y. This resulted in a 4 % CO₂ cut achieved with biomass co-firing, compared to the 1990 CO₂ emission level. It should be noted that the proposed assessment model for biomass use may be applied to any conventional coal-based power utility as an option in contributing to meeting specific CO₂ cut targets, provided that the set of input data is available and reliable.     

High-temperature oxidation behavior of Nb-Si-Cr alloys with Hf additions

The oxidation behavior of two alloys from the Nb-Si-Cr system containing hafnium has been investigated under isothermal and cyclic conditions. Nb-20Si-20Cr-(5,10)Hf alloys (composition in atomic percent) were exposed to air for 24 and 168 h over a range of temperatures from 700 °C to 1400 °C. A gravimetric method was used to determine the oxidation kinetics; weight gain per unit area as a function of temperature or time. Computed isothermal sections of the quaternary Nb-Si-Cr-Hf phase diagrams were used for alloy selection. XRD, SEM and EDS were used to characterize the phases present in the oxidation products and the alloys. Oxidation experiments revealed extremely good oxidation resistance at 700 °C and 800 °C and above 1200 °C under isothermal conditions for both alloys. Partial pesting was observed when the samples were exposed to 800 °C. Complete oxide formation was observed above 1000 °C for 5Hf and above 900 °C for 10Hf up to 1200 °C. Beneficial effects have been observed with the addition of 10Hf to the alloy compared to 5Hf at 700 °C, 1200 °C and 1300 °C resulting in a reduction of weight gain per unit area.     

Cissus Populnea Fiber - Unsaturated Polyester Composites: Mechanical Properties and Interfacial Adhesion

ABSTRACT

Mechanical (flexural, hardness, and impact) properties and interfacial adhesion of acetic anhydride (AC) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) treated Cissus populnea fiber-unsaturated polyester (UPR) composites was investigated because of poor durability of the natural fiber-UPR composite applications. UPR composites were prepared with untreated and optimally treated fiber using hand-lay-up technique. Optimization of mechanical properties and interfacial adhesion between the fiber and UPR were determined using response surface methodology and fiber pull-out method, respectively. AC and EDTA treated fibers improved the flexural and hardness properties and interfacial adhesion at reduced impact strength. This is corroborated with morphology of the composites.     

Characterization of total capsaicinoids,colour and volatile compounds of Habanero chilli pepper (Capsicum chinense Jack.) cultivars grown in Yucatan

Total capsaicinoids, colour and volatile compounds of 10 Habanero chilli pepper (Capsicum chinense Jack.) cultivars grown in Yucatan, grouped by their colours: four red, five orange and one brown, were determined. The content of capsaicinoids, responsible for the pungency of chilli peppers, varied between 41.8 and 65.9 mg g⁻¹ dry fruit. Mean concentration of orange cultivars was 55.0 mg g⁻¹, while red cultivars had 45.0 mg g⁻¹ dry fruit, indicating that the first ones are more pungent. The composition of volatile compounds of the Habanero chilli peppers differs clearly for the different cultivars. Orange and brown cultivars have in general higher amounts of esters, with their fruity odour notes, than red cultivars. These differences are reflected in the amount of total volatiles, which is higher in orange and brown cultivars in comparison with red cultivars. From these results it can be concluded that orange and brown cultivars are better in terms of their flavour-relevant chemical composition than red cultivars.     

Ultrasound-enhanced mass transfer in Halal compared with non-Halal chicken

BACKGROUND: Halal foods are often perceived as wholesome products that are specially selected and processed to achieve the highest standards of quality. In this study, dye penetration from an aqueous solution of methylene blue (1 mol L^?1) was used as a model for the marination process of Halal and non‐Halal chicken breast. RESULTS: The effect of dye penetration was evaluated by three techniques: (1) the mass of methylene blue solution in the samples was quantified by mass gain, (2) the amount of dye absorbed was determined by spectroscopy and (3) the penetration distance of dye inside the samples was measured. For non‐Halal meat, ultrasound increased the amount of dye inside the samples by 6 and 13% after 15 and 30 min respectively. The effect on Halal meat was much more pronounced, with an increase in dye uptake of over 60% being observed for both time periods. CONCLUSION: Dye penetration is an indication of meat permeability and so can be used as an estimate of marinading of meat. Thus the use of high‐power ultrasound has potential in poultry‐processing methods, in particular that of Halal chicken marination. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Micro-Mechanical Parameters in Short Fibre Composite

The aim of this paper is to analyse the contribution of micro-mechanical parameters, on the macroscopic behaviour of a short fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites (SFRTC). By developing an algorithm to provide a representative random micro-structure, a comparative analysis of different micro-mechanical parameters, such as aspect ratio (AR) and fibre orientation (FO), was conducted and compared with the existing analytical models. A study of different aspect ratios and different fibre orientations has been carried out in order to examine their effect on the linear elastic properties of SFRTC. Aspect ratios from one to ten have been analysed for the cases of fully oriented 0° fibres, miss-oriented fibres and randomly oriented fibres. A representative volume element (RVE) was used to investigate the effect of the representative size. Results were analysed statistically through X ² test, and the subsequent representative realisations were compared with the theoretical predictions.