Invited review: Acid whey trends and health benefits

In recent years, acid whey production has increased due to a growing demand for Greek yogurt and acid-coagulated cheeses. Acid whey is a dairy by-product for which the industry has long struggled to find a sustainable application. Bulk amounts of acid whey associated with the dairy industry have led to increasing research on ways to valorize it. Industry players are finding ways to use acid whey on-site with ultrafiltration techniques and biodigesters, to reduce transportation costs and provide energy for the facility. Academia has sought to further investigate practical uses and benefits of this by-product. Although modern research has shown many other possible applications for acid whey, no comprehensive review yet exists about its composition, utilization, and health benefits. In this review, the industrial trends, the applications and uses, and the potential health benefits associated with the consumption of acid whey are discussed. The proximal composition of acid whey is discussed in depth. In addition, the potential applications of acid whey, such as its use as a starting material in the production of fermented beverages, as growth medium for cultivation of lactic acid bacteria in replacement of commercial media, and as a substrate for the isolation of lactose and minerals, are reviewed. Finally, the potential health benefits of the major protein constituents of acid whey, bioactive phospholipids, and organic acids such as lactic acid are described. Acid whey has promising applications related to potential health benefits, ranging from antibacterial effects to cognitive development for babies to human gut health.     

Simulation of Heat Transfer Through Soil for the Investigation of Wildfire Impacts on Buried Pipelines

Fire Technology - Wildland urban interface (WUI) communities in the Western United States have recently dealt with historic and devastating wildfires year after year. The fires have cost tens of...     

Validation of a Fast Sample Preparation Procedure for Quantification of Sodium in Bread by Flame Photometry

Reduction of salt intake through bread requires reliable monitorization when the control of a large number of samples is in order. The use of flame photometry is attractive; however, the usual dry-ash sample pretreatment is fastidious. Direct dissolution of bread sodium in water is a good alternative. A good correlation between results from these two sample preparation methods was obtained for sodium quantification in nine different types of bread. The proposed method was applied to the quantification of sodium in 48 bread samples of randomly chosen from local market to evaluate compliance with legislation requirements (lower than 550 mg sodium per 100 g of bread—Lei no. 75/2009).     

Probabilistic constrained optimization on flow networks

Optimization and Engineering - Uncertainty often plays an important role in dynamic flow problems. In this paper, we consider both, a stationary and a dynamic flow model with uncertain boundary...     

A possible solution to minimise scotta as a food waste: A sports beverage

A pilot study trial was performed on ready‐to‐drink beverages produced in a small‐scale dairy plant starting from Ricotta whey (scotta) with the addition of fruit puree and starter cultures. Microbiological shelf life was evaluated at 4 and 12 °C. At 4 °C, the product showed moderate total viable counts until the end of the trial (~5 log cfu/mL). Yeasts proved to be the specific spoilage microorganisms of the product. When applying a thermal abuse at 20 °C for 6 h, total viable count did not increase. The addition of fruit puree changed the volatile profile of the beverages compared to raw scotta.     

The Escherichia coli Outer Membrane β-Barrel Assembly Machinery (BAM) Anchors the Peptidoglycan Layer by Spanning It with All Subunits

Gram-negative bacteria possess a three-layered envelope composed of an inner membrane, surrounded by a peptidoglycan (PG) layer, enclosed by an outer membrane. The envelope ensures protection against diverse hostile milieus and offers an effective barrier against antibiotics. The layers are connected to each other through many protein interactions. Bacteria evolved sophisticated machineries that maintain the integrity and the functionality of each layer. The β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM), for example, is responsible for the insertion of the outer membrane integral proteins including the lipopolysaccharide transport machinery protein LptD. Labelling bacterial cells with BAM-specific fluorescent antibodies revealed the spatial arrangement between the machinery and the PG layer. The antibody detection of each BAM subunit required the enzymatic digestion of the PG layer. Enhancing the spacing between the outer membrane and PG does not abolish this prerequisite. This suggests that BAM locally sets the distance between OM and the PG layer. Our results shed new light on the local organization of the envelope.     

Influence of the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the thermal and mechanical properties of polyamide-11 before and after aging tests

In this work, the preparation and characterization of nanocomposites of commercial polyamide-11 reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), untreated, oxidized or with the modified surface through silanization with 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane (APTMS), in concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1.0 wt% in the polymer matrix was investigated. The processing of the nanocomposites was carried out via mixing in the molten state in a twin-screw mini-extruder at 200°C under 60 rpm screw rotation speed, with a residence time of 7 min. The addition of the MWCNT increased the thermal stability of PA11, predominantly with 0.5% of silanized nanotubes, as observed by the thermogravimetric analysis. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses indicated that the degree of crystallinity of the formulations increased with the nanofiller content. On the other hand, the use of the highest concentration generated agglomerates, suggesting less dispersion in the matrix and, consequently, a reduction in crystallinity. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis showed that the silanization process promoted an increase in both loss and storage moduli. All produced nanocomposites obtained values of corrected inherent viscosity above 1.20 dl/g, before and after the aging test. The use of lower load levels promoted better processability due to the lubricating effect of the nanotubes and an increase in the hydrophobic character of the samples, as observed by the increase of the contact angle.     

Development of an activity-based probe for autotaxin

Autotaxin (ATX), or ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 2 (ENPP2), is a secreted lysophospholipase D that hydrolyses lysophosphatidylcholine into the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a mitogen and chemoattractant for many cell types. ATX has been implicated in tumour progression and inflammation, and might serve as a biomarker. Here we describe the development of a fluorescent activity-based probe that covalently binds to the active site of ATX. The probe consists of a lysophospholipid-based backbone linked to a trapping moiety that becomes reactive after phosphate ester hydrolysis, and a Cy5 fluorescent dye to allow visualisation of active ATX. The probe reacts specifically with the three known isoforms of ATX, it competes with small-molecule inhibitors for binding to ATX and allows ATX activity in plasma to be determined. Our activity-based reporter will be useful for monitoring ATX activity in biological fluids and for inhibitor screening.