Enzyme-Assisted Process for Production of Superior Quality Vanilla Extracts from Green Vanilla Pods Using Tea Leaf Enzymes

Vanilla planifolia Andrews is a perennial tropical vine and is an orchid grown for its pleasant flavor. There is an increasing trend world over for using natural flavors. Vanilla being an important food flavoring ingredient, the demand for natural vanilla extract is increasing. Hence, the aim of the present study was to prepare vanilla extract from green beans without going through the elaborate and time-consuming conventional curing process. Vanilla beans after size reduction were mixed in a suitable proportion with tea leaf enzyme extract (TLEE) and incubated to facilitate action of enzymes on vanilla flavor precursors. The beans mix was squeezed, and the filtrate was treated with ethanol to extract the vanilla flavor. TLEE-treated extracts had higher vanillin content (4.2%) compared to Viscozyme extract (2.4%). Also, it had higher intensity of vanilla flavor, sweet, and floral notes. Further, electronic nose analysis confirmed the discrimination between extracts. It was concluded that the use of TLEE is very much useful to obtain higher yield of vanilla extract and superior quality vanilla flavor, which avoids the traditional laborious and time-consuming curing process.     

Estimating the Effective Metal-Mould Interfacial Heat Transfer Coefficient via Experimental-Simulated Cooling Curve Convergence

The design of improved casting systems requires accurate modeling of metal cooling processes. This can only be accomplished after determining the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) between a solidifying casting and its mould. In the current work, a simple and robust inverse heat conduction technique was applied for the estimation of the effective IHTC between an aluminum alloy casting and a steel permanent mould during solidification. The solidification of the alloy at varying mould preheating temperatures was monitored using a thermocouple, and the experimental cooling curves were compared with curves simulated by casting solidification modeling software. The IHTC value applied to the software was varied until its output converged with the experimental data, leading to an estimation of 6000 W/m²K for this system. This technique is useful as a preliminary tool in materials modeling, and it will promote the development of improved casting processes without the need for excessive experimentation.     

A comparative study of the effects of three galactomannans on the functionality of extruded pea–rice blends

The present study evaluated the effects of three galactomannans on the physical and nutritional characteristics, and sensory acceptability of pea–rice based extruded products, targeted as nutritional snacks. A base blend of 70:30 pea and rice fortified with guar gum (GG), locust bean gum (LBG) and fenugreek gum (FG), at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, was extruded at pre-determined optimum processing conditions. All three gums resulted in good expanded products. Increasing the inclusion levels of gums, however, had no effect (P > 0.05) on the degree of expansion. Addition of 5% GG and LBG reduced (P < 0.05) the hardness, while the inclusion of GG and LBG at levels higher than 5%, and all inclusion levels of FG, increased (P < 0.05) the hardness of extruded products. Relative to other treatments, FG produced extrudates that were harder and crispier. The mean scores of sensory evaluation indicated that all products containing gums up to 15% were within the acceptable range. Extrusion increased (P < 0.001) the soluble fibre content and decreased the insoluble fraction; the magnitude of these changes were greater in GG and FG. The addition of 15% gums in the pea–rice blend reduced (P < 0.05) the glycaemic index to less than 55. Overall, the data suggest that all three galactomannans could be incorporated up to 15% in a pea–rice blend to develop nutritious, organoleptically acceptable, extruded snack products with low glycaemic index.     

Yttrium aluminum garnet powders by nitrate decomposition and nitrate–urea solution combustion reactions—a comparative study

Precursors for yttrium aluminum garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂—YAG) were synthesized by simple decomposition of concentrated aqueous solution of nitrates and combustion of concentrated aqueous solution of nitrates with urea on a heater. The precursor formed by the former reaction was granules of agglomerated powder while that from the latter reaction was a voluminous and porous sponge-like mass. Both precursors were ground to powders and subjected to detailed thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction studies. The precursor from the simple decomposition of nitrates exhibited a total loss in weight of about 18% in stages (25 to 300 °C and 300 to 600 °C) accompanied by endotherms—characterized as processes of dehydration of absorbed moisture and decomposition of residual nitrates, respectively. The as formed precursor and that heated to 820 °C were amorphous. Crystallization to YAG phase occurred from an amorphous oxide characterized by an exotherm above 820 °C with no loss of weight. The precursor from nitrate–urea combustion reaction was found to exhibit a weight loss of 2.5% accompanied by a shallow endotherm in the range of 25 to 300 °C—characterized as the process of dehydration of absorbed moisture. No further weight loss or heat effect was noticed, confirming it to be chemically pure YAG. This as formed precursor was found to be crystalline YAG. The difference in chemical composition of the precursors formed by these two reactions is attributed to the difference in the actual reaction temperatures during their formation—lower reaction temperature for the endothermic decomposition of nitrates and higher reaction temperature for the exothermic combustion associated with the formation of a bright flame. The morphology of the precursor powder formed by the former reaction exhibited only cracks while that of the precursor from the latter reaction exhibited pores and voids. The precursor from the former reaction was calcined at 1100 °C to form into chemically pure YAG. Zeta potential variation with pH for the aqueous suspensions of the crystalline YAG powders from both the reactions exhibited a maximum value in the range of 40 to 50 mV around a pH of 4, indicating stability of these dispersions towards coagulation at this pH. Particle size distribution of wet ground powders (slurries with 20%, v/v, solid at a pH of 4) showed that the powder from combustion reaction could be formed into a finer size than that from simple nitrate decomposition, indicating the agglomerates of combustion reaction were softer.     

Dispersion and Setting of Powder Suspensions in Concentrated Aqueous Urea Solutions for the Preparation of Porous Alumina Ceramics with Aligned Pores

Highly concentrated alumina powder suspensions have been prepared in aqueous urea solutions of concentrations in the range 200–360 g/100 mL using an ammonium poly(acrylate) dispersant at 80°C. The dispersant concentration for the suspension viscosity minimum in the urea solutions is higher than that in water due to the higher processing temperature. The urea solutions having higher dielectric constant than that of water offer higher interparticle potential that resulted in better dispersion of the powder as evidenced from the lower viscosity and yield stress of the suspensions. The decrease in temperature increased the suspension viscosity and the suspension formed a strong gel when cooled to room temperature due to the crystallization of urea. The minimum urea solution concentration for a 55 vol% alumina suspension to form a dimensionally stable gel is 240 g/100 mL. The compressive strength and Young's modulus of the gels increased with the increase in urea solution concentration. The alumina ceramics prepared by the urea removal followed by sintering at 1500°C had porosity in the range 28–36 vol% with the rectangular rod‐shaped aligned pores.     

Molecular Sorption by Heterogeneous Natural Rubber/Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) Blend Systems

The sorption of n-alkanes, viz. hexane, heptane and octane by cross-linked natural rubber/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (NR/EVA) blends has been studied at 28, 38, 48 and 58°C, with special reference to the effects of EVA content, cross-linking systems, penetrant nature and temperature. The solvent transport was found to decrease with increase in EVA content in the blends. The effects of blend ratio on the transport characteristics have been correlated with the phase morphology of the blends, using scanning electron micrographs and optical micrographs. Among the three vulcanising systems, viz. sulphur (S), dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and a mixed system (S + DCP) employed for the matrix, the DCP cross-linked blends exhibited the lowest solvent uptake. Octane has been found to show higher interaction with the blends than hexane and heptane, probably owing to the closer solubility parameter values. The computed transport coefficients, viz. diffusion coefficient and permeability coefficient, were found to decrease with increase in EVA content in the blends. At room temperature, the mechanism of diffusion was found to deviate slightly from the regular Fickian trend for all blend systems. The blend–solvent interaction parameter and the activation energy for transport were also determined from the sorption data.     

A bi-criteria model for the inventory aggregation problem under risk pooling

Inventory aggregation, also called Risk Pooling, is one of the most efficient ways to reduce the level of safety stocks thereby reducing inventory across the supply chain. Determining the best level of aggregation is a difficult problem and needs extensive study of all the possible scenarios that can affect this decision. Minimizing costs in a supply chain is no longer the sole priority of businesses. Maintaining a high level of responsiveness is also considered equally important. The conflicting nature of these two criteria makes the solution of the problem difficult. In this paper, we develop a bi-criteria nonlinear stochastic integer programming model to determine the best supply chain distribution network to meet customer demands, where minimizing costs while maintaining high levels of responsiveness is important. We develop a two-stage optimization algorithm to solve this problem.     

Durability of glass‐fiber‐reinforced polymer nanocomposites in an alkaline environment

This study was conducted to determine the effect of clay content in GFRP (glass‐fiber‐reinforced polymer) composite samples as they were aged in an alkaline solution. Two kinds of GFRP composite samples were prepared. One was E‐glass‐fiber‐reinforced vinyl ester polymer, and the other was nano‐GFRP composites prepared with the addition of 1 and 2 wt% of montmorillonite clay to the polymer matrix. These samples were aged in alkaline solution of pH 13.2 with and without sustained load. The load was 1335 N or 18.7% of the tensile strength of the composite samples. The aging was evaluated by measuring the reduction in tensile strength after 6 months. Also, absorption of alkaline solution into the plain and nano‐GFRP samples was investigated so as to elucidate the diffusion behaviors. It was found that for a short exposure time (e.g. 1 month) and without sustained load, dispersing 2 wt% of the nanoclay in the polymer matrix of the GFRP samples reduces the diffusivity by 39%. However, with the application of sustained load, the glass fiber composite samples deteriorate more with increasing clay content. The reduction in tensile strength was 7.1%, 12.1%, and 18.1% for the samples containing 0, 1, and 2 wt% of clay, respectively. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL., 12:25–32, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Improvements in Mechanical Properties of 319 Al Alloy Engine Blocks Through Cost-Effective Solution Heat Treatment

The use of Al engine blocks has increased significantly to improve vehicle fuel efficiency. However, the gray cast iron cylinder liners cause the development of large tensile residual stress along the cylinder bores which necessitates the optimization of mechanical properties in this region to prevent premature engine failure. This study compared the microstructure of T4-treated Al billet castings of varying cooling rate to that of the cylinder region of T4-treated (current production schedule) Al engine blocks. The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective small scale heat treatment optimization method for engine block production. Comparisons in microstructure between the engine block and the billet castings were carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results suggest that the microstructure and hardness at the top, middle, and bottom of the cylinder were similar to those of each representative billet casting, indicating that heat treatment resulted in successful replication of the engine block locations. In addition, tensile testing revealed that the YS and UTS increased slightly following T4 treatment for all billet castings, which was also observed at the middle of the engine block cylinder bridge. As such, this method can be an effective forerunner for future heat treatment optimization in Al engine block production.