Improved sauerkraut production with probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum L4 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides LMG 7954

Probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum L4 and strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides LMG 7954 were applied for the controlled fermentation of cabbage heads. The parameters of the controlled and spontaneous fermentations, including antimicrobial effect of cabbage brines obtained at the end of both fermentations, were monitored. To check out the influence of starter culture strains, 10 randomly chosen lactic acid bacteria, isolated at the end of controlled cabbage heads fermentation were identified by API 50 CHL test, and the presence of the probiotic culture was confirmed by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis. The starter cultures applied for cabbage heads fermentation allowed lowering of NaCl concentrations from 4.0% to 2.5% (w/v), considerably accelerated fermentation process by 14 d, and improved the product quality. The produced sauerkraut heads are considered probiotic product as viable probiotic cells count in final product was higher than 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results of this research could be applied in the production of fermented cabbage heads with added functional (probiotic) value and with lower NaCl concentration with expected shortened fermentation time. This could not only be of economic but also of ecological importance.     

Multi-method approach indicates no presence of sub-lethally injured Listeria monocytogenes cells after mild heat treatment

Application of mild inactivation treatments follows an increasing trend in the food industry and is often combined with sub-optimal intrinsic product conditions to ensure appropriate level of microbial safety. Listeria monocytogenes was subjected to mild heat treatment (20 min at 60 degrees C) and subsequently exposed to various mild preservation conditions based on increased NaCl concentration and decreased pH. Recovery and resuscitation of L. monocytogenes cells were studied using various methods. Using 12-fold Most Probable Number (MPN) method no difference in the amount of recovered cells under adverse conditions was noted between heat-treated and non-treated L. monocytogenes cells. Time-to-detection method using on-line OD measurements showed that heat-treated L. monocytogenes cells reached detection limit faster in acidified media and NaCl supplemented media in comparison with non-heated control cells. Flow cytometry (FCM) analysis using 5-6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and propidium iodide (PI) staining showed presence of low numbers of viable cells. Overall, there was no indication of sub-lethal injury in L. monocytogenes cells after mild heat treatment.     

Indoor air quality and the associated health risk in primary school buildings in Central Europe – The InAirQ study

The indoor air quality (IAQ) was investigated in sixty-four primary school buildings in five Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia). The concentration of volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, PM_2.5 mass, carbon dioxide, radon, as well as physical parameters were investigated during the heating period of 2017/2018. Significant differences were identified for the majority of the investigated IAQ parameters across the countries. The median indoor/outdoor ratios varied considerably. A comprehensive evaluation of IAQ in terms of potential health effects and comfort perception was performed. Hazard quotient values were below the threshold value of 1 with one exception. In contrast, 31% of the school buildings were characterized by hazard index values higher than 1. The maximum cumulative ratio approach highlighted that the concern for non-carcinogenic health effects was either low or the health risk was driven by more substances. The median excess lifetime cancer risk values exceeded the acceptable value of 1 × 10⁻⁶ in the case of radon and formaldehyde. PM_2.5 mass concentration values exceeded the 24 h and annual guideline values set by the World Health Organization in 56 and 85% of the cases, respectively. About 80% of the schools could not manage to comply with the recommended concentration value for carbon dioxide (1000 ppm).     

Process synthesis with simultaneous consideration of inherent safety-inherent risk footprint

Process plants should be designed to be economically viable and environmentally friendly, while also being operable and maintainable during process implementation. The safety of processes is among the most important considerations in obtaining results that are more acceptably realistic, as it is linked to the availability and reliability of the process. Inherent safety can effectively be enhanced in the early stages of the design, when the main decisions on process design are made. The aim of this study is to enhance and select the appropriate risk assessment method and to incorporate it into process synthesis, using a mathematical programming approach. A mixed-integer, nonlinear programming (MINLP) model was used for the synthesis of a methanol production process, considering risk assessment during the synthesis. Risk assessment is performed simultaneously with the MINLP process synthesis, where the risk is determined either for the whole process as overall risk, or on a per unitof- a-product basis. For the latter, a new measurement is proposed: the inherent risk footprint. The results of a case study led to two main conclusions: (i) Significantly safer designs can be obtained at negligible economic expense, and (ii) at higher production capacities, a lower inherent risk footprint can be achieved. The results also indicate that designs obtained using this method can have significantly increased inherent safety, while remaining economically viable.

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Rheological properties of aqueous α A12O3 suspensions: Influence of dispersant concentration

The effects of concentration of polyacrylic acid as a dispersant on rheological properties of aqueous alumina suspensions have been investigated under steady and oscillatory shear conditions. At solid volume fractions between 0.45 and 0.6, a high degree of particle stabilization is achieved when 0.2 wt% of polyacrylic acid is added. At lower dispersant concentrations, suspensions exhibit pronounced irreversible thixotropic behaviour, whereas at higher dispersant concentrations, time dependent effects on the flow properties are not detectable. When the saturation adsorption limit of the polyelectrolyte on Al₂O₃ is reached, further addition of the dispersant appreciably changes the flow behaviour, as well as the viscoelastic response of investigated suspensions. The data under steady shear are described by application of the generalized Casson model, and for the analysis of viscoelastic data the generalized Maxwell model is used.     

Follow-up of the Bacillus cereus emetic toxin production in penne pasta under household conditions using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Two outbreak-related Bacillus cereus emetic strains were investigated for their growth and cereulide production potential in penne pasta at 4, 8 and 25 °C during 7-day storage. Cereulide production was detected and quantified by LC-MS method (LOD of 1 ng/ml, LOQ of 5 ng/ml) and growth was determined by culture-based enumeration. Inoculated B. cereus strains (10(5) CFU/g) were able to reach counts of more than 10(8) CFU/g and cereulide production of about 500 ng/g already after 3 days of storage at 25 °C. Interestingly, a constant increase of the toxin was noticed during incubation at ambient temperature storage: the cereulide was continuously produced during the bacterial stationary growth phase reaching maximal amounts at the end of the experiment (7 days, concentration of about 1000 ng/g). Strictly respected cold chain temperature as 4 °C did not allow any detectable cereulide production for any of the two tested strains. At the limited temperature abuse of 8 °C, a detectable amount of cereulide was observed after two days for one of the strain (TIAC303) (相似文献