Effect of freezing and canning on the content of selected vitamins and pigments in seeds of two grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) cultivars at the not fully mature stage

Seeds of the grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) cultivars Derek and Krab, with a dry matter content of about 33%, were used for freezing and for canning. The content of vitamins C, B1, and B2 and of carotenoids, beta-carotene, and chlorophylls was determined in raw and blanched material, in frozen products after 6-month storage before and after cooking to consumption consistency, and in canned products after 6-month storage. In comparison with the cultivar Krab, raw seeds of Derek contained 45% more vitamin C, 14% more total chlorophylls, 13% less thiamine (vitamin B1), and 7% less riboflavin (vitamin B2). The level of carotenoids was similar. Blanching of seeds led to a statistically significant decrease only in the content of vitamin C. Freezing and frozen storage significantly lowered the level of vitamin C and chlorophylls. The cooking of frozen seeds and the production of canned products and their storage resulted in a statistically verified reduction in the content of components analysed in all the samples. Greater losses were found in products prepared from seeds of the cv. Krab. After cooking, frozen seeds contained more of all the analysed components than the canned products.     

Comparison of the contents of the main antioxidant compounds and the antioxidant activity of white grapefruit and his new hybrid

The aim of this study was to compare the main antioxidant compounds content and the antioxidant activity of white grapefruit and his new hybrid (Jaffa Sweeties). Total phenols were measured colorimetrically using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, phenolic acids—by HPLC, anthocyanins and flavonoids—spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity of these fruits was determined by total antioxidant activity (TAA) and nitric oxide (NO) methods. Trans-hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic) were more abundant in white grapefruit than in his hybrid. However, on a fresh weight basis, grapefruit's hybrid has a higher total phenol content as well as a higher antioxidant capacity in comparison with white grapefruit. A linear relationship existed between TAA and anthocyanins (R²=0.8068), TAA and flavonoids (R²=0.9320) and TAA and total phenols (R²=0.9446). Our findings indicate the following: (1) Both studied fruits contain a high concentration of natural antioxidants that have not only a high antioxidant activity, but also a good antioxidant quality. (2) The total phenol content and the antioxidant potential are significantly higher in the grapefruit hybrids than in white grapefruits.     

Changes in 4-hexylresorcinol residues during processing of deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris)

Hexylresorcinol has been used as an alternative to sulphites for prevention of melanosis or black-spot of the shrimp carapace. In order to estimate consumption of 4-hexylresorcinol, residual levels have been evaluated in deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) following dip treatments and different processing technologies (freezing, cooking and washing). The effect of 4-hexylresorcinol on the microbial growth in the dipped shrimp as well as change in the inhibitory solution during repeated utilization was also followed. The use of 4-hexylresorcinol at concentrations of 0.10 or 0.25 mg/kg led to the detection in pink shrimp of residue levels considerably higher than the limit level of 2 mg/kg. Furthermore, the processing technologies studied also showed a very low efficiency in the reduction of residues from the initial loads to acceptable values. Though the tested initial bacterial load of the shrimp was higher than it is normally expected onboard the solution of 4-hexylresorcinol did not evidence any tendency for an increase of the bacterial counts even after 29 h of utilization. No decrease in the 4-hexylresorcinol concentration is visible even after 8 dips and 29 h of solution use.     

Factors affecting usefulness of triticale grain for bioethanol production

BACKGROUND: Triticale grain could be a useful material for bioethanol production. The aim of this study was to examine how grain cultivar, nitrogen fertilisation level, location and year affect the starch content in triticale grain and which method of starch determination, polarimetric, enzymatic or near‐infrared transmission (NIT), gives the best prediction of real bioethanol productivity from triticale grain. RESULTS: It was found that the starch content in triticale grain was correlated positively with test weight and 1000‐kernel weight but negatively with falling number and protein content. All factors, i.e. cultivar, nitrogen fertilisation level, location and year, as well as the intrinsic interaction between these factors, had a significant effect on the starch level in triticale grain. The NIT procedure of starch determination gave the best results in predicting the real yield of ethanol obtained on the basis of classic fermentation (95% match), while the enzymatic and polarimetric methods corresponded with the real results at levels of 89–90 and 78–82% respectively. CONCLUSION: Grain growth conditions related to location and nitrogen fertilisation level had the most noticeable effect on grain starch content, while grain yield per hectare had the most significant effect on ethanol productivity. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

VNF-Consensus: A virtual network function for maintaining a consistent distributed software-defined network control plane

Software-defined networks (SDN) usually rely on a centralized controller, which has limited availability and scalability by definition. Although a solution is to employ a distributed control plane, the main issue with this approach is how to maintain the consistency among multiple controllers. Consistency should be achieved with as low impact on network performance as possible and should be transparent for controllers, without requiring any change of the SDN protocols. In this work, we propose VNF-Consensus, a virtual network function that implements Paxos to ensure strong consistency among controllers of a distributed control plane. In our solution, controllers can perform their control plane activities without having to execute the expensive tasks required to keep consistency. Experimental results are presented showing the cost and benefits of the proposed solution, in particular in terms of low controller overhead.     

Palygorskite sheets prepared via tape casting for wound healing applications

The main objective was to increase the applicability of palygorskite by palygorskite sheets using a tape casting method. The stability of the suspension was investigated and the tapes were characterized by TGA/DTA, XRD, and SEM-FEG. The antimicrobial activity was analyzed in order to test the applicability of a newly modified drug release system that incorporates neomycin in palygorskite. Preliminary results showed that the palygorskite sheet prepared via the tape casting is promising for wound healing applications.     

Structural changes during crystallization of apatite and wollastonite in the eutectic glass of Ca3(PO4)2‐CaSiO3 system

In this study, a bioactive glass of eutectic composition based on Ca₃(PO₄)₂‐CaSiO₃ system was prepared and investigated. It was found that by controlling the nucleation and growth of crystals, a glass‐ceramics free from cracks, containing one or two crystalline phases, and of controlled nano‐ to microscale microstructure can be obtained. Heat treatment of the parent glass produces various calcium phosphates (Ca‐deficient apatite and α‐tricalcium phosphate) and calcium silicates (pseudo‐wollastonite and/or wollastonite‐2M) plus amorphous phases. By combining a number of experimental techniques like ³¹P and ²⁹Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry, and Rietveld analysis of X‐ray diffraction patterns, a crystallization model was derived, capable of explaining the observed structural and microstructural changes. The determination of amorphous or crystalline phases enabled to produce time‐temperature‐transformation plots. The structural role on the behavior of these materials and its impact on their in vitro bioactivity are also discussed.     

Tailoring the Structure and Luminescence of Nanostructured Er3+ and Er3+/Yb3+‐Activated Hafnia‐Based Systems

Nanostructured Er³⁺‐ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺‐activated hafnium oxide films and nanoparticles were prepared from a stable colloidal suspension and investigated by several techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. Low roughness and crack‐free films were deposited by dip‐coating and spin‐coating techniques on vitreous SiO₂ and Si substrates. Nanostructured particles were also synthesized. Remarkable structural and spectroscopic differences were observed for hafnium oxide‐based materials as a function of the Er³⁺ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ concentration. The ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 emission bandwidth and the lifetime of the ⁴I_13/2 metastable state of Er³⁺ was tailored through the rare‐earth concentration. The Er³⁺ emission in HfO₂ can be explored for photonic applications.