Development of an efficient stabiliser mixture for physical stability of nonfat unfizzy doogh

The effects of locust bean, carboxymethyl cellulose, a mixture of locust bean and carboxymethyl cellulose and Persian gum on different properties of nonfat doogh were studied over a period of 28 days. The results showed that samples containing a mixture of locust bean and carboxymethyl cellulose had the highest stability. Furthermore, the rheological behaviour of the doogh changed from Newtonian to pseudoplastic. Better sensory acceptability was shown for the treatments containing a mixture of locust bean gum and carboxymethyl cellulose. In general, it was shown that a mixture of locust bean and carboxymethyl cellulose could be of practical use in the industrial production of nonfat doogh.     

Evaluation of Mass Exchange During Osmotic Dehydration of Plum Using Response Surface Methodology

Water loss (WL), solid gain (SG), weight reduction (WR) and shrinkage were quantitatively investigated during osmotic dehydration of plum using response surface methodology with the sucrose concentration (30–60g/100 g sample), temperature of sucrose solution (40–60°C) and immersion time (60–240 min). Experiments were designed according to Central Composite Rotatable Design with these three factors. For each response, second order polynomial models were developed using multiple linear regression analysis. With respect to water loss, solid gain, weight reduction and shrinkage, both linear and quadratic effects of four variables were found to be significant. In most cases, an increase of sucrose concentration, temperature and immersion time increased WL, SG, WR and shrinkage, except the increasing of immersion time for osmotic treatment has no effect on shrinkage. It was found that immersion time and temperature were the most significant factors affecting the WL during osmotic dehydration of plum followed by concentration of sucrose solution. This was also true for WR. Effect of temperature and time were more pronounced for SG than the concentration of sucrose solution.     

Evaluation of the effects of sodium chloride,potassium sorbate,nisin and lysozyme on the probability of growth of Clostridium sporogenes

The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of salt (sodium chloride, 0–8% w/v), sorbate (potassium sorbate, 0–4.5% w/v), nisin (0–500 ppm) and lysozyme (0–500 ppm) on the survival of Clostridium sporogenes as a non‐toxigenic surrogate of Clostridium botulinum in terms of the probability of growth by using a central composite rotatable design. The results indicated that salt and sorbate were the most effective factors in preventing the growth of Cl. sporogenes in high‐moisture (>95%) and low‐acid conditions. The probability of growth of Cl. sporogenes in broth was reduced by combinations of salt and sorbate. Nisin and lysozyme had insignificant effects on the probability of growth of Cl. sporogenes (P > 0.05). Lysozyme individually and in combination with nisin had no inhibitory effect on Cl. sporogenes. Overall, the addition of sorbate and lysozyme may allow the salt concentration to be reduced while preventing growth.     

Basis weight uniformity analysis in nonwovens

It is widely recognized that nonwoven basis weight uniformity affects various properties of nonwovens, including appearance, physical properties, or mechanical properties. However, it is one of the nonwoven characteristics that is most difficult to characterize. This paper reports on the methodology based on the well-known quadrant method that objectively quantifies uniformity of nonwoven fabrics.     

Bimetallic PtPd nanoparticles relying on CoNiO2 and reduced graphene oxide as a most operative electrocatalyst toward ethanol fuel oxidation

Of late, fuel cells have drawn great attentions owing to high-energy demands, fossil fuel depletion and worldwide environmental pollution. Direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) constituted as one of the most promising sources of green energy, howbeit the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) sluggish kinetic is one of the essential challenges toward the commercialization of DEFCs. Herein, we introduce bimetallic catalyst on CoNiO₂ modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to completely exploit the advantages of nano-surface structures as well as the reduction of Pt and Pd loading in fuel cells. With the combined advantages of PtPd, CoNiO₂ and rGO, a significant enhancement in electrocatalytic behavior, stability and CO poisoning tolerance of PtPd have been observed. Regarding the implications, PtPd/CoNiO₂/rGO is greatly preferable than Pt/CoNiO₂/rGO and Pd/CoNiO₂/rGO in terms of high electroactive surface area (ECSA), electro-catalytic activity, and lower onset potential (E_ons) towards the EtOH oxidation in alkaline media. Furthermore, the chronoamperometry curve (CA) illustrated 77% after 3600 s which is dramatically soared compared with the other electrodes (≤40%), demonstrating the high stability of the PtPd bimetallic nanoparticle electrocatalyst. Ultimately, PtPd/CoNiO₂/rGO nanocomposite is found to be an excellent anode electrocatalyst for application in DEFCs.     

An ensemble tree-based machine learning model for predicting the uniaxial compressive strength of travertine rocks

Neural Computing and Applications - Estimating the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of travertine rocks with an indirect modeling approach and machine learning algorithms is useful as models can...     

Reversible adsorption and desorption of water in nanoporous copper(II) metal–organic nanocapsules

Nanocapsule of [Cu₂(bda)₂(bpy)₂]·4H₂O (1) with nanoparticle morphology (bda^2? = 2,2?-biphenyl dicarboxylate and bpy?=?2,2?-bipyridine), was synthesized by sonochemical process. Guest water molecules can be removed from the nanopores of 1 by thermal treatment at 200?°C. The color of this compound changed from blue to deep green during this process. This process is reversible and compound [Cu₂(bda)₂(bpy)₂] (2) with the pore size of 4.3?×?5.5 Å can absorb water again. Thus nanoparticles of compound 2 with 1.53% weight absorption of water/compound 2 at room temperature could be used as water adsorption material like silica gel. Adsorption and desorption of water in these copper(II) metal–organic nanocapsules were studied by IR spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analyses (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).