Comparison of functional properties and SDS-PAGE patterns between fish protein isolate and surimi produced from silver carp

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the physicochemical properties of fish protein isolate (FPI) produced from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), which is a relatively cheap fish with low consumption in Fars (a state of Iran). In this research, proteins were isolated using pH shifts method. Results showed that in terms of production efficiency, protein recovery, lipid reduction and functional properties such as water-holding capacity, emulsifying capacity, foaming capacity and water absorption, FPI was better than conventional surimi. The treated samples at pH?=?2.5 represented better functional properties relative to other samples. The electrophoretic patterns demonstrated that acidic pH led to vanish high molecular weight protein bands because these proteins were converted to low molecular weight proteins, whereas basic pH caused the formation of high molecular weight proteins relative to myosin heavy chain. It seems that in basic pH, the proteins were linked together after denaturation and then aggregated. Overall, the results showed that physicochemical qualitative properties of FPI were better than those of conventional surimi.     

Enhanced biosurfactant production with low-quality date syrup by Lactobacillus rhamnosus using a fed-batch fermentation

Food Science and Biotechnology - Novel strategies toward the use of low-cost media to produce food-grade microbial products have been considerably attended in recent years. In this study, date...     

Dispersed phase holdup and slip velocity of phases in a pulsed packed column in conditions with and without mass transfer

Dispersed phase holdup and slip velocity of phases were measured in a pilot plant pulsed packed column with a diameter of 76.2 mm for two different chemical systems in conditions with and without mass transfer. The effects of pulsation intensity, dispersed and continuous phases flow rates, interfacial tension and solute concentration on dispersed phase holdup and slip velocity of phases were investigated. A new empirical correlation in terms of the above‐mentioned parameters developed from the measurements is given for the prediction of slip velocity. The dispersed phase holdup was calculated by means of this correlation and very good agreement between calculated and experimental values was obtained.     

Effect of Intermetallic Compounds on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hot Roll Bonding Titanium to Steel

Titanium cladding on steel leads to the creation of properties such as resistance to corrosion that contribute to a widespread application of this metal composite in industries such as nuclear, chemical, aerospace, and biomaterial. One of the solid-state bonding methods to apply such a clad is to use the roll bonding method. In this paper, quality of the titanium cladded on carbon steel was studied in terms of metallurgical, mechanical properties and the effect of the copper interlayer on the metallurgical properties of bonding. The interface between the clad and the base metal was studied using a scanning electron microscope and light microscope and the phases formed were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that an increase in the bonding temperature increased the thickness of the intermetallic compounds, increased the hardness at close distances to the interface, and reduced the adhesion of the titanium cladded to the base metal.     

Fault detection using microtremor data (HVSR-based approach) and electrical resistivity survey

The faults and fractures are known as two of the most important parameters in earthquake occurrence. During the construction in urban areas, faults and fractures may be covered in depth and thus are not visible at the ground surface. In this context, non-invasive geophysical prospecting methods (microtremor and geoelectrical methods) and borehole data were used to detect subsurface geological structures (hidden faults) in a suburb of Shiraz in Iran. The horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method was used to obtain the dynamic parameters (predominant frequency and resonance amplitude) of the soil, to detect hidden faults. The results show that the abrupt changes in the sediment thickness and predominant frequencies at a specific direction (NW-SE) can be related to the displacement of a nearly vertical fault with NW-SE trend. In addition, the electrical resistivity method using continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) and Schlumberger arrays was employed to detect a hidden fault and the results were compared with previous data. The obtained results of both arrays illustrate the presence of a nearly vertical fault with NW-SE trend in the region. Comparison of all results shows that the detected faults by both methods are consistent with each other. Therefore, it can be conclusive that combination of the two methods is a useful and reliable approach to study and detect hidden faults.     

Comparative and competitive adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) onto Sepia pharaonis endoskeleton biomass from aqueous solutions

In this research, the possibility of simultaneous removal of lead, cadmium and copper divalent ions from water samples through the use of Sepia pharaonis endoskeleton powder (SPEB) as bio‐material, was investigated. The bio‐sorbent was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT‐IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF). The different factors affecting the bio‐sorption process were studied. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyse the experimental data. The kinetic studies showed that the pseudo‐second order model kinetics were compatible with the investigated systems. It was found that under optimal conditions, this bio‐sorbent was efficient in the uptake of these heavy metal ions from both mono and multi‐metal solutions, and high removal percentages were achieved. This study verified the potential ability of SPEB as an efficient natural adsorbent for removal of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions from river, tap and mineral water samples.     

Reduction of formaldehyde emission from plywood

The aim of this work is to evaluate performances of tannin-based resins designed as adhesive in the plywood production. For this purpose, a part of phenol formaldehyde (PF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) in the classic adhesive formulation was replaced by tannin. The physical properties of the formulated resins (rheological characterization, etc.) were measured. In order to analyze the mechanical performance of tannin-based resins, plywood panels were produced and the mechanical properties including tensile strength wood failure and three-point bending strength were investigated. The performance of these panels is comparable to those of plywood panels made by commercial PF and MF. The results showed that the plywood panels bonded with tannin–PF (PFT) and tannin–MF (MFT) resins exhibited better mechanical properties in comparison to the plywood panels made of commercials PF and MF. The introduction of small properties of tannin in PF and MF resins contribute to the improvement of the water performance of these adhesives. The formaldehyde emission levels obtained from panels bonded with tannin-based resins were lower than those obtained from panels bonded with control PF and MF. Although there are no actual reaction at all between PF, MF, and tannin, addition of tannin significantly improves the water resistance of PF and MF resins. This is a novel finding that manifests the possibility of replacing a convention PF and MF resins by tannin. Modified adhesive is one of the goals in the plywood production without changing any of their production conditions with improvement to their overall properties.