Spray-dried rosemary extracts: Physicochemical and antioxidant properties

In this work, spray-dried rosemary extracts were obtained. A 3³ Box-Behnken design was followed to evaluate the influence of drying conditions on the contents of chemical markers and “in vitro” antioxidant activity of the powder. Although the dry products lost some of their polyphenols, they still had antioxidant activities (IC₅₀) ranging from 17.6 to 24.8 μg · mL⁻¹. Analysis of variance proved that studied factors and some of their interactions significantly affected most of the quality indicators. The best combination of conditions to use for obtaining dry rosemary extracts with adequate physicochemical and functional properties involves an extract feed rate of 6 mL · min⁻¹, a drying air inlet temperature of 140 °C and a spray nozzle air flow rate of 50 L · min⁻¹.     

Do as I say or as I do? Food handler's knowledge on good handling practices and evaluation of hygienic–sanitary conditions in hospital foodservices

The aim of the study was to evaluate the overall hygienic–sanitary conditions of university hospitals foodservices and assess food safety knowledge and self‐reported practices of food handlers. A self‐administered questionnaire based on sanitary standards for foodservices was given to 123 food handlers from three public hospitals. Microbiological analysis of food handling surfaces and food hygiene inspections were also performed. Food handlers' self‐reported knowledge and practices reached satisfactory levels (77.2% and 78.1%, respectively), and showed a significant positive intercorrelation (p < .05). Food hygiene inspections in the hospitals foodservices presented a 60.9% average of adequacy and microbiological analysis results showed that 66.7% of the evaluated surfaces presented significant contamination by mesophilic bacteria. The presence of coliforms at 45°C above the safety limit was identified in 47.9% of the surfaces. The results showed a need for motivating hospital food handlers to practice the safe handling knowledge that they have demonstrated in theory.     

Influence of Pressure and Temperature on the Velocity of a Turbulent Jet Flow 3D

To investigate the influence of pressure and temperature on the jet velocity of a three-dimensional flow was the main goal of this study. Using a precipitation chamber with approximate capacity of 600 mL, it was studied the thermodynamic behavior of supercritical carbon dioxide mixture, dichloromethane and grape seed extract via SAS （supercritical antisolvent process）. For the numerical solution, the Navier-Stokes equations were used along with the model of turbulence k-ε and Peng-Robinson equation of state with quadratic mixing rules of Van der Waals. The method of Chung was employed to determine the viscosity, thermal conductivity and mass diffusivity of the flow numerically solved through commercial code based on CFD （computational fluid dynamics）. Simulations for pressures between 80 bar and 160 bar and temperatures between 308.15 K and 318.15 K showed large variations in the jet velocity, an important property in the dynamic mixing process that involves the size, size distribution and particle morphology.     

Stability and Quality Parameters of Probiotic Cantaloupe Melon Juice Produced with Sonicated Juice

The use of sonicated melon juice as substrate for Lactobacillus casei growth in cantaloupe melon juice and its effect on product quality were investigated. The survival of L. casei in the fermented juice, the product color, the post-acidification and other quality parameters were evaluated in the refrigerated product (4 °C) for a period of 42 days. Storage pH, color, sugar content, lactic acid concentration, biomass and viable cells count were determined. The caloric value of the product was also evaluated. During the refrigerated storage period, acidification and a slight reduction in the number of viable cells were observed. However, a sufficient number of viable cells were observed to guarantee the beneficial properties from probiotic consumption (>8 log CFU?ml^?1) throughout the storage period, for both stocked samples (with and without sugar addition). The product color was also preserved during storage. The developed product resulted in a low caloric product. The caloric value was reduced during the storage period due to sugar consumption by the remaining microorganisms.     

Structural Carbon/Epoxy Prepregs Properties Comparison by Thermal and Rheological Analyses

Two different carbon/epoxy prepreg materials were characterized and compared using thermal (DSC, TGA, and DMA) and rheological analyses. A prepreg system (carbon fiber preimpregnated with epoxy resin F584) that is currently used in the commercial airplane industry was compared with a prepreg system that is a prospective candidate for the same applications (carbon fiber prepreg/epoxy resin 8552). The differences in the curing kinetics mechanisms of both prepreg systems were identified through the DSC, TGA, DMA, and rheological analyses. Based on these thermal analysis techniques, it was verified that the curing of both epoxy resin systems follow a cure kinetic of n order. Even though their reaction heats were found to be slightly different, the kinetics of these systems were nevertheless very similar. The activation energies for both prepreg systems were determined by DSC analysis, using Arrhenius's method, and were found to be quite similar. DMA measurements of the cured prepregs demonstrated that they exhibited similar degrees of cure and different glass transition temperatures. Furthermore, the use of the rheological analysis revealed small differences in the gel temperatures of the two prepreg systems that were examined.     

Assessing and interpreting personality change and continuity in patients treated for major depression.

Structural, mean- and individual-level, differential, and ipsative personality continuity were examined in 599 patients treated for major depression assigned to 1 of 6 forms of a 6-month pharmaco-psychotherapy program. Covariation among traits from the Five Factor model remained invariant across treatment, and patients described themselves as slightly more extraverted, open to experience, agreeable and conscientious, and substantially more emotional stable after treatment. Trait changes were only to a small extent explained by changes in depression severity. There was evidence for differential, individual-level, and ipsative stability, with stable personality profiles in terms of shape and to a lesser extent in terms of scatter and elevation. Traits remain relatively stable, except for emotional stability, despite the depressive state and the psychopharmacological interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new correlation for the coefficient of restitution of particles with low mechanical resistance for modeling wastewater treatment biofilm reactors

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Fluidized bed bioreactors are widely used in wastewater treatment applications. Such reactors employ gel beads or hard particles covered with a biofilm...