Effects of dietary rosemary extract on lamb spoilage under retail display conditions

A dietary rosemary extract (RE) was tested to extend the shelf life of raw lamb meat. Lambs were supplemented with 0.6 mg kg⁻¹ RE during fattening (from 13 to 25 kg live weight). Meat spoilage (total viable counts, psycrophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, molds and yeasts), TBARS, CIE L*a*b* color and the sensory traits of lamb cuts were analyzed on days 0, 7, 14 or 21 under retail display conditions (70/30 O₂/CO₂ atmosphere, 2 °C temperature and 1600 lx lighting). Supplementation of the lamb diet with RE was effective (P < 0.05) in prolonging the time chilled-packed lamb cuts could be kept under retail display conditions. Dietary rosemary clearly inhibited lipid oxidation and rancidity, and was moderately efficient in preventing sensory deterioration and microbial spoilage. Although the results concerning meat preservation were limited, the dietary use of rosemary extracts in lambs seems to be promising as a nutritional strategy for improving meat quality.     

Microbial, physical-chemical and sensory spoilage during the refrigerated storage of cooked pork loin processed by the sous vide method

The aim was to study spoilage during the refrigerated storage of cooked pork loin processed by the sous vide method. Samples were packaged under vacuum into polyamide-polypropylene pouches, cooked at an oven temperature/time of 70 °C/12 h, chilled at 3 °C and stored at 2 °C for 0, 5 or 10 weeks. Microbial (psychrotrophs, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, moulds and yeasts), physical–chemical (pH, water activity, TBARS, acidity, L^*a^*b^* colour, texture profile analysis and shear force) and sensory (appearance, odour, flavour, texture and acceptance) parameters were determined. The results showed that sensory spoilage preceded microbiological spoilage of sous vide pork loin. Counts bellow 1 log cfu/g of psychrotrophs, anaerobic psychrotrophs, Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria were detected in any control week, while moderate counts (2–3 log cfu/g) of moulds and yeasts were found. Minor changes in water activity, lipid oxidation, CIELab colour, hardness, cohesiveness or gumminess were associated with spoilage of pork loin, only decreases of lactic acid, springiness and shear force were observed. The pork loin was unacceptable after 10 weeks. This loss of acceptance was mainly due to the deterioration of meaty flavour and odour, although the loss of appearance, juiciness and firmness also contributed. Moderate warmed-over and rancidity were detected. The sensory analysis was the most effective method for determining the shelf life of the sous vide pork-based dishes.     

Proposal of visual strength grading rules for Uruguayan pine timber

A previous database with bending and density data of 261 structural size specimens of currently produced Uruguayan slash pine and loblolly pine timber was adjusted to meet testing and characterization requirements of European standards. Visual parameters and mechanical properties for each specimen were evaluated and their relationship was statistically analyzed. Results suggested that all specimens can be grouped in one visual grade with engineered properties similar to those of European C14 strength class. Modulus of elasticity and characteristic bending strength were the defining properties for class assignation.     

Quality characteristics of strawberry genotypes at different maturation stages

The chemical composition and quality characteristics of nine promising hybrids and two varieties (“Osmanli” and “Camarosa”) of strawberries were evaluated for their quality attributes during ripening. Main soluble sugars, carboxylic acids, organic acids and ascorbic acid of experimental varieties were separated, identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array spectroscopic and refractive index detections. Titratable acidity (TA), pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and TSS/TA ratio and their correlations were determined at ripe maturation stages for the 11 genotypes. Hybrid no. 11, a new strawberry cultivar, had desired fruit quality characteristics similar to Osmanli, which has a pleasant taste and is popular in Turkey.     

Effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging on the quality of pork loin

The effect of packaging in protective atmospheres on the process of lipid oxidation, colour and water retention capacity of pork loin chops during refrigerated storage was investigated. The use of modified atmospheres with a high oxygen concentration (70%) acted as a pro-oxidation factor both for fatty acids and for cholesterol (an increase of 86.4% on the initial COPS content). No significant advantages were found in the use of these atmospheres concerning the colour of the meat. Vacuum packaging was seen to be an interesting alternative in the packaging of pork, due to the fact that it increases oxidative stability, which brings about greater colour stability and therefore increases the shelf life. The only disadvantage of this type of packaging is that it increases initial weight loss (5.1% on day 2 of storage).     

植物纤维的回用品质及其衰变特性初探（Ⅱ）——植物纤维衰变原因的分析和探讨

文章从纸页的强度出发,进一步分析了植物纤维在回用过程中品质衰变的原因及其衰变程度的参数表征。     

马尾松回用纤维品质衰变规律及其机理研究

通过对马尾松亚硫酸盐浆、TMP浆和GWP浆的回用实验,本文得出了回用纤维品质衰变的基本规律。根据著名的Page方程,从回用纤维中聚戊糖含量的变化和回用纤维长度分布的变化以及回用纤维纸页光散射系数变化等数据中推断出了影响回用纤维品质衰变的主要因素,并进一步探讨了这些因素影响回用纤维品质的机理。     

Simulations and Measurement of Electron Energy and Effective Electron Temperature of Nanosecond Pulsed Argon Plasma

The behavior of argon plasma driven by nanosecond pulsed plasma in a low-pressure plasma reactor is investigated using a global model, and the results are compared with the experimental measurements. The time evolution of plasma density and the electron energy probability function are calculated by solving the energy balance and Boltzmann equations. During and shortly after the discharge pulse, the electron energy probability function can be represented by a bi-Maxwellian distribution, indicating two energy groups of electrons. According to the effective electron temperature calculation, we find that there are more high-energy electrons that play an important role in the excitation and ionization processes than low-energy electrons. The effective electron temperature is also measured via optical emission spectroscopy to evaluate the simulation model. In the comparison, the simulation results are found to be in agreement with the measure- ments. Furthermore, variations of the effective electron temperature are presented versus other discharge parameters, such as pulse width time, pulse rise time and gas pressure.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Monitoring of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium</Emphasis> Derivative Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate Used as Natural Additive in Animal Feed

A new simple analytical method for monitoring propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) in animal feed is presented. PTSO is an active ingredient from Allium spp. (like onion and shallot), proposed as a natural additive for feed being an efficient alternative to antibiotics used as growth promoter due to its efficiency improving animal health. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection has been used and a previous sample treatment based on solid-liquid extraction has been developed and optimized in order to extract PTSO from a feed for laying hens using acetone as extraction solvent. The method has been characterized obtaining limits of detection and quantification of 11.2 and 37.3 mg kg^?1, respectively, which are lower than the concentrations expected in samples containing this additive. The intra- and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 8.3 % in all the cases, and recoveries varied from 90.2 to 94.6 %. Finally, in order to check the unequivocal identification of PTSO, mass spectrometry detection was applied. The proposed method is a simple procedure for monitoring PTSO in commercial feed, being possible to implement it in routine laboratories for quantification purposes and stability studies of the distributed products.     

氢氧化钠/尿素法和硫酸法测定烟草木质素的对比分析

为了对比氢氧化钠/尿素法(NU法)和硫酸法在测定烟草中木质素含量(质量分数,下同)的差异性,采用NU法和硫酸法测定广东、四川、湖南、云南和贵州5个产区烟梗和烟叶的木质素含量,分析了两种方法在预处理过程的干扰物质去除率及酸解过程木质素含量和结构变化。结果表明:1与硫酸法相比,NU法预处理对干扰物质的去除率更高。2NU法采用稀酸酸解,减少了烟草中木质素的降解;选择在325 nm处测定酸溶木质素(ASL)的紫外吸光度,避免了蛋白质和糠醛对ASL的干扰,提高了烟草木质素测定结果的准确度和重现性。3与硫酸法相比,NU法分离得到的酸不溶木质素(AIL)的氧化程度低、结构变化小,因而更能反映烟草木质素的结构特征。NU法比硫酸法更加适用于烟草木质素的含量测定。