Küstenschutzmaßnahmen in Togo — Stabilisierung erosionsgefährdeter Strandabschnitte und Schutz des Containerterminals Lomé durch den Neubau einer Buhne

Die Küste Togos am Golf von Guinea in Westafrika verfügt über keinen natürlichen Schutz, z. B. durch vorgelagerte Inseln oder felsige Uferabschnitte. Der gesamte rd. 65 km lange Küstenstreifen besteht aus Sand und ist daher dem Wellenangriff des Atlantiks und der überwiegend vorhandenen West‐Ost‐Strömung ausgesetzt. Da die Uferbereiche traditionell dicht bewohnt sind, stellen Landverluste durch Erosion ein großes Problem für die Bevölkerung und die Infrastruktur dar. Die Erosionsproblematik wird daher von der togoischen Regierung sehr intensiv verfolgt. Von den rd. 6 bis 7 Millionen Togoern leben rd. 2,5 Millionen im Großraum Lomé direkt an der Küste. Durch den Bau zusätzlicher und die Rehabilitierung vorhandener Buhnen sollen langfristig der Küs tenabschnitt Togos stabilisiert und die Schutzziele erreicht werden. Die technische Umsetzung der von der INROS LACKNER AG geplanten und zu überwachenden Küstenschutzmaßnahmen wird detailliert beschrieben. Coastal protection measures in Togo — stabilization of erosionthreatened sections of the beach and protection of the container terminal Lomé by means of a sea groyne. The coast of Togo at the Gulf of Guinea, situated in West Africa is not sheltered by natural protection, such as offshore islands or rocky shorelines. The approximately 65 km long Atlantic Ocean coastline does mainly consist of sand, which is prone to erosion due to wave attacks and the prevailing west‐east current. With a traditionally dense populated coast, the land losses caused by erosion constitute a main issue for the Togolese as well as for the infrastructure in general. The problems caused by erosion are therefore vigorously pursued by the Togolese Government. Greater Lomé, located at the coast, accommodates 2,5 Million of the 6 to 7 Million Togolese people. The construction of additional and maintaining of existing groins would stabilize Togo’s coastline. The article describes the technical implementation of coastal protection measures designed and supervised by INROS LACKNER AG.     

Key Resources and Internationalization Modes of Creative Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services: The Case of Design Consultancies

In the ‘knowledge economy’, knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) are a key driver for innovation and competitiveness. The internationalization of these businesses raises challenges given their specificities such as knowledge intensity, the importance of customer interaction and intimacy in service delivery. This paper focuses on design consultancies as a specific type of creative KIBS for which these characteristics are emphasized. The objective of this research is to analyse the resources leveraged by the firms to compete internationally. It is based on 11 case studies of design consultancies located in five different countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK) that were selected for their capacity to perform at the international level for several years. The paper advances three internationalization modes depending on contingent variables and focusing on specific resources that enable international competitiveness: star‐based, process‐based and glocality‐based. In star‐based creative KIBS, the individual designer has developed a reputation that attracts customers internationally, operating as a brand. In process‐based creative KIBS, the reputation of a collective creative process attracts clients from other countries. In glocality‐based creative KIBS, the geographical proximity obtained by opening international offices helps to develop a close understanding of the client through frequent interactions, and also to know the client's market well and to better understand local codes and signs. These modes complement those presented in the existing internationalization literature which takes the peculiarities of creative KIBS into consideration.     

Comparing central location test and home use test results: Application of a new criterion

Choosing a consumer test methodology is critical for any company sensory scientist. However, we lack tools for comparing the outcome of consumer tests. Here we intended to develop a new comparison criterion based on a concept borrowed from metrology: robustness. We tested this concept with hedonic ratings data obtained from a central location test (CLT) on one hand and from a home use test (HUT) on the other hand. Two fermented milk beverages were tested and both tests were conducted with 240 subjects. The beverages differed in fat and sugar content. The comparison of the CLT and HUT data sets (both in monadic sequential) indicates that the method has a significant effect on the degree of liking. Indeed, the liking scores are lower with CLT than with HUT. Still, both tests lead to the same conclusion that the product with the higher fat and sugar content is significantly more liked. Besides, we developed three graphic representations that illustrate the results stability faced with the decrease in the panel size. These graphs show that CLT yields more robust results than HUT. Additionally the leading role of the panel size is emphasised for both tests. Our data show that the results from the two methods may change as soon as 20 subjects are removed from our original data set. These results that were not unexpected illustrate a fact which is often underestimated in practice.     

Why on Earth Can People Need Continuous Recycle Membrane Reactors for Starch Hydrolysis?

Classically enzymatic hydrolysis of starch is conducted in batch reactor in a two-step process including liquefaction and saccharification. This paper presents some ideas to simplify this process and decrease its cost. Because today, either saccharifying enzymes able to attack native starch or strong liquefying catalysts leading to sufficient low-molecular weight hydrolysates may be easily found on the market, one can imagine to develop a one-step process just involving a unique species of enzymes. The process can also be improved by operating in a continuous way and reusing enzymes. Among the various reactors, the continuous recycle membrane reactor, briefly CRMR, seems to be the most attractive since it allows to perform hydrolysis while separating at the same time syrups from enzymes and non-hydrolyzed starch.     

Novel Real-Time PCR Method To Detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Raw Milk Cheese and Raw Ground Meat

Raw milk, raw milk cheeses, and raw ground meat have been implicated in Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks. Developing methods to detect these bacteria in raw milk and meat products is a major challenge for food safety. The aim of our study was to develop a real-time PCR assay to detect E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk cheeses and raw ground meat. Well-known primers targeting a mutation at position +93 of the uidA gene in E. coli O157:H7 were chosen, and a specific TaqMan-minor groove binder probe was designed. This probe targets another mutation, at position +191 of the uidA gene in E. coli O157:H7. The first step in the study was to evaluate the specificity of this probe with 156 different O157:H7/NM strains and 48 non-O157:H7/NM strains of E. coli. The sensitivity of the method was evaluated by pre- and postinoculation of cheeses and meat enrichments with different E. coli O157:H7 strains. All the E. coli O157:H7 isolates tested were positive, and none of the other bacteria were detected. Our results indicate that this method is sensitive enough to detect 10(2) E. coli O157:H7 isolates per ml of cheese or meat enrichment broth (24 h at 41.5° C) and is more sensitive than the International Organization for Standardization reference method. We can conclude that this new real-time PCR protocol is a useful tool for rapid, specific, and sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk and raw ground meat products.     

Sourdough fermentation of wheat fractions rich in fibres before their use in processed food

Fibre‐rich fractions of wheat are an important source of minerals but also contain considerable amounts of phytic acid, known to impair mineral absorption. This study explores the efficiency of wheat bran sourdough fermentation on phytate hydrolysis and mineral solubility, in comparison with whole‐wheat flour. In vitro trials were performed to assess the consequences of the addition of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), an alkalinising salt, on phytic acid breakdown and mineral bioavailability during sourdough fermentation. Sourdough fermentation was found effective for solubilising minerals in whole‐wheat flours but was less effective with bran. In addition, sourdough acidity was blunted by the addition of CaCO₃, whereas degradation of phytic acid remained effective. Despite extensive breakdown of phytic acid (almost 70%), the addition of calcium exerted a very negative effect on zinc solubility. In conclusion, a pre‐fermentation process of whole cereals or bran, in suitable conditions of hydration, allows degradation of the major part of phytic acid and optimal mineral bioavailability. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Role of pectic polysaccharides in structural integrity of apple cell wall material

Texture modulating properties of aqueous dispersions of apple cell wall material differed from those of tomato or kiwifruit, particularly under high shear. It was previously hypothesized that this may be due to the fact that the apple cell wall showed less in vivo solubilization of pectic polysaccharides during ripening compared to tomato or kiwifruit. However, in vitro solubilization of the pectic polysaccharide content of apple CWM by endo-polygalacturonase and/or extraction with 0.05 M sodium carbonate, did not affect the loss in wall integrity shown by tomato or kiwifruit CWMs under shear. In addition, the pectin-depleted residue after Na₂CO₃ extraction possessed better water retaining and viscosity generating properties than the original cell wall material. Following treatment of apple CWM with cellulase, the viscosity of suspensions decreased, emphasising the role that the cellulose–hemicellulose network plays in the water-retaining capacity of the cell wall. Residue from CWM after cellulase treatment consisted of ∼85% pectic polysaccharides. Surprisingly, the integrity of these “cellulose-free” walls was maintained after shear. It is concluded that differences in structural properties of the CWMs of apple compared to kiwifruit or tomato are not simply related to pectin solubilization but to a fundamental difference in the architecture of the apple cell wall.     

Biological Functions and Metabolism of Oleoylethanolamide

The present review is focused on the metabolism and the emerging roles of oleoylethanolamide (OEA) with emphasis on its effects on food intake control and lipid metabolism. The biological mechanism of action, including a non-genomic effect mediated through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) and transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor, is discussed. The research related to fatty acid ethanolamides has been focused until recently on anandamide and its interaction with cannabinoid receptor subtype 1. The roles of other N-acyl ethanolamine fatty acid derivatives have been neglected until it was demonstrated that OEA can modulate food intake control through interaction with PPAR-alpha. Further investigations demonstrated that OEA modulates lipid and glucose metabolism, and recent study confirmed that OEA is an antagonist of TRVP1. It has been demonstrated that OEA has beneficial effects on health by inducing food intake control, lipid beta-oxidation, body weight loss and analgesic effects. The investigation of the mechanism of action revealed that OEA activates PPAR-alpha and stimulates the vagal nerve through the capsaicin receptor TRPV1. Pre-clinical studies showed that OEA remains active when administered orally.