Bioactive compounds vs. organoleptic assessment of ‘smoothies’‐type products prepared from selected fruit species

The aim of this study was to determine the usability of fruits of selected species growing in Europe for the smoothies production. The organoleptic assessment, analysis of polyphenols and vitamin C content and antioxidant activity of products were determined. The panellists were most in favour of the smoothies containing cranberry, black currant and bilberry purees as well as juice from dog rose. Polymerised proanthocyanidins were found to predominate in most of the products, except for the black currant smoothies (B3) where the main group of polyphenols were anthocyanins. The content of proanthocyanidins was higher in the smoothies containing dog rose juice. The analysed products differed significantly in the content of vitamin C, as the highest content of ascorbic acid was determined in black currant smoothies with dog rose juice and bilberry puree (168.98 mg/100 g).     

Measuring the efficiency of materials management based on data envelopment analysis approach: the case of Polish regions

This paper examines the applicability of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) to measure and evaluate the efficiency of materials management at the regional level. The research has been conducted for Polish regions as a case study. The basis for the calculation of the efficiency scores was a statistically selected set of materials used in a given region and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The results of the analysis reveal that 4 (Łódzkie, Śląskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Zachodniopomorskie) out of 16 Polish regions are relatively efficient. The remaining regions consume too many material resources in the process of generating goods and services.     

Study on the electrodialytic nickel concentration from electroplating industry waste

ABSTRACT

Owing to the ability of electrodialysis to produce highly concentrated solutions from dilute stream, in this paper, the possibility of nickel recovery and concentration from real electroplating industrial waste was discussed. The results showed that the nickel content in solutions after electrodialysis was approximately two times higher than in the initial working solutions, and the nickel recovery exceeded 85%. The nickel electric current efficiency (CE_Ni) depended upon the type of electroplating bath and its acidic behaviour. The CE_Ni was in the range of 52.3–70.6%. Moreover, high boron and the total organic carbon retention coefficients equal to 88.92% and 93.93% respectively, were observed.     

Influence of series resistance and cooling conditions on I–V characteristics of SiC merged PiN Schottky diodes

The paper presents the exemplary electro-thermal models of merged PiN Schottky diode – a diode with the parallel PiN junction, protecting the device against the uncontrolled voltage rise, causing so-called thermal runaway. In the presented models, the conductivity modulation effect in the PiN junction is taken into account. The influence of the PiN junction on the non-isothermal I–V characteristics of MPS diodes, for various cooling conditions, is discussed. It is shown, that the thermal runaway is possible, in spite of presence of protecting PiN junction.     

Effect of production season on protein fraction content in milk of various breeds of goats in Poland

Milk of various goat breeds was analysed to assess the effect of production season on content of basic chemical components, with regard to whey proteins. Milk of goats in the productive herds (white and coloured coat) contained significantly (P < 0.01) more total protein, casein, fat, dry matter and functional whey proteins. The production season significantly determined the content of total protein (P < 0.01), casein (P < 0.01) and whey proteins (P < 0.05), including α‐lactalbumin (P < 0.01) and lactoferrin (P < 0.01). A higher content of total protein and casein was found in the autumn–winter season and the content of whey proteins was higher in the spring–summer period.     

Short communication: Effect of commercial or depurinized milk diet on plasma advanced oxidation protein products,cardiovascular markers,and bone marrow CD34 stem cell potential in rat experimental hyperuricemia

Cardiovascular repair and myocardial contractility may be improved by migration of bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) and their delivery to the site of injury, a process known as BMSC homing. The aim of our study was to examine the dietary effect of a newly patented depurinized milk (DP) that is almost free of uric acid and purine and pyrimidine compounds compared with a standard commercial 1.5% fat UHT milk diet or allopurinol therapy in rat experimental hyperuricemia. Bone marrow stem cell potential (BMCD34⁺, CD34-postive bone marrow cells), plasma oxidative stress parameters [advanced oxidation protein products, AOPP) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)], myocardial damage markers [creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)], plasma cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were investigated. The DP milk diet significantly increased the number of BMCD34⁺ stem cells compared with commercial UHT milk. Allopurinol given alone also increased the number of BMCD34⁺. Hyperuricemia caused a significant increase in all plasma enzyme markers for myocardial damage (CPK, LDH, and AST). A cardioprotective effect was achieved with allopurinol but almost equally with DP milk and more than with commercial milk. Regarding plasma AOPP, TBARS, and cholesterol levels, the most effective treatment was DP milk. In conclusion, the protective role of a milk diet on cardiovascular function may be enhanced through the new depurinized milk diet, which may improve cardiovascular system function via increased bone marrow stem cell regenerative potential, decreased plasma oxidative stress parameters, and decreased levels of myocardial damage markers and cholesterol. New dairy technology strategies focused on eliminating harmful milk compounds should be completely nontoxic. Novel milk products should be tested for their ability to improve tissue repair and function.     

Determination of Histamine in Some Foods by Isotachophoretic Method with Simple Sample Preparation

A one-dimensional capillary isotachophoretic method in cationic system of the separation has been applied for histamine determination in food samples. The proposed electrolyte system consisted of 0.01 M potassium hydroxide with l-valine to pH = 9.9 as the leading electrolyte and 0.02 M 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-propane-1,3-diol adjusted to pH = 8.3 with 0.1 M hydrochloric acid as terminating electrolyte. Proposed method was characterized by linearity range 5–50 mg L⁻¹ and R ² = 0.9982, accuracy (recoveries ranged from 95% to 102%), detection (2.10 mg L⁻¹), and quantification (7.01 mg L⁻¹) limits. The sample preparation for proposed electrophoretic method included only simple extraction with trichloroacetic acid with filtration and derivatisation stage are avoided. The histamine concentration was determined in meat (turkey, chicken, beef and pork) and meat products (ripened sausage and dry-cured ham), fish (smoked salmon and mackerel), and different kind of mildew and mold ripened cheeses samples. The histamine content ranged from not detected level for fresh meat to 29.63 mg 100 g⁻¹ for cheese samples. The reversed phase HPLC was applied as reference method and the F-Snedecor test and the t test were employed to compare the precision and accuracy of the both methods. Positive correlations were found between the two analytical methods for histamine determination in food products. The obtained results indicate that the proposed electrophoretic method is simple, precise, accurate, and convenient.