Sorption of copper (II) ions by pine sawdust

The sawdust of Calabrian pine was used as sorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution of copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO₄.5H₂O) at different concentrations, pHs and temperatures. The results showed that about 65–81% of Cu(II) ions in the solution could be adsorbed on the sawdust. The percentage of adsorped Cu(II) ions onto the sawdust increased with increasing initial concentration. Kinetic studies indicated that the sorption process followed the first order reversible kinetic model. It was also determined that the sorption process obeyed the Freundlich isotherm. Furthermore, the sorption thermodynamic was investigated in detail.     

Structural Stability and Viability of Microencapsulated Probiotic Bacteria: A Review

Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer a number of health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts, mostly due to improvement of intestinal microflora. Bacterial strains from the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus have been widely studied and are used to prepare ready‐to‐eat foods. However, the physicochemical stability and bioavailability of these bacteria have represented a challenge for many years, particularly in nonrefrigerated foodstuffs. Microencapsulation (ME) helps to improve the survival of these bacteria because it protects them from harsh conditions, such as high temperature, pH, or salinity, during the preparation of a final food product and its gastrointestinal passage. The most common coating materials used in the ME of probiotics are ionic polysaccharides, microbial exopolysaccharides, and milk proteins, which exhibit different physicochemical features as well as mucoadhesion. Structurally, the survival of improved bacteria depends on the quantity and strength of the functional groups located in the bacterial cell walls, coating materials, and cross‐linkers. However, studies addressing the role of these interacting groups and the resulting metabolic impacts are still scarce. The fate of new probiotic‐based products for the 21st century depends on the correct selection of the bacterial strain, coating material, preparation technique, and food vehicle, which are all briefly reviewed in this article.     

Curtailing Oxidation‐Induced Loss of Myosin Gelling Potential by Pyrophosphate Through Shielding the S1 Subfragment

In muscle food processing, where oxidation is inevitable, phosphates are usually added to improve water binding. This present study attempted to investigate the interactive roles of protein oxidation and pyrophosphate (PP) during thermal gelation of myosin. Myosin isolated from pork muscle was solubilized in 0.5 M NaCl at pH 6.2 then oxidatively stressed with an iron‐redox cycling system that produces hydroxyl radicals with or without 1 mM PP and 2 mM MgCl₂ at 4 °C for 12 or 24 h then heated to 50 °C at 1.3 °C/min. Protein conformational stability was measured by differential scanning calorimetry, and covalent cross‐linking was examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following chymotrypsin digestion. The binding of PP to myosin suppressed disulfide bond formation in myosin subfragments 1 and 2 and partially inhibited oxidation‐initiated cross‐linking of heavy meromyosin during myosin gelation with a lesser effect on light meromyosin. In the presence of PP, myosin exhibited less loss of conformational integrity upon oxidation than myosin without PP. Rheological analysis from 20 to 75 °C indicated up to 32% decreases (P < 0.05) in elastic modulus (G′) of myosin gels due to oxidation. However, the presence of 1 mM PP, which also lowered the gelling capacity of myosin, inhibited the oxidation‐induced G′ by nearly half (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the protection of myosin head from oxidative modification by PP can be a significant factor for the minimization of gelling property losses during cooking of comminuted meats.     

Biofunctionalized lipid-polymer hybrid nanocontainers with controlled permeability

We have successfully developed, for the first time, a novel polymer-lipid hybrid nanocontainer with controlled permeability functionality. The nanocontainer is made by nanofabricating holes with desired dimensions in an impermeable polymer scaffold by focused ion beam drilling and sealing them with lipid bilayers containing remote-controlled pore-forming channel proteins. This system allows exchange of solutions only after channel activation at will to form temporary pores in the container. Potential applications are foreseen in bionanosensors, nanoreactors, nanomedicine, and triggered delivery.     

Morphological and Thermal Properties of ABS/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites Using ABS with Different AN Contents

Acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS)/clay nanocomposites have been prepared using two types of ABS with different AN contents and a chemically modified clay, Cloisite 20A. The composites were prepared by melt mixing in a twin‐screw extruder. Their morphological properties were characterized by XRD and TEM. The thermal stability of the polymer nanocomposites was studied using TGA and flammability tests. The results were analyzed in terms of the effect of the clay content and the type of ABS used on the clay dispersion and the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. Experimental results confirmed that better dispersion and intercalation and/or exfoliation can be obtained when using an ABS with a higher AN content. The study using TGA and flammability tests showed that the nanodispersed layers of silicate enhanced the thermal stability of the ABS matrix, and that an ABS with higher AN content was more effective in providing fire retardancy. This suggests that when using higher AN contents, more polar groups are present within the polymer matrix, allowing a more homogeneous dispersion and intercalation of the chain polymers into the organomodified montmorillonite clay (MMT), and even some exfoliation of the nanoclay.

     

Application of chemical equilibrium for hydrocarbon isomerization analysis

Isomerization is used in refining industry to upgrade gasoline. Since it is an important process, it is desirable to analyze the reactions that take place in the process. In this paper, the isomerization of a mixture of hydrocarbons was modeled by solving the chemical equilibrium of the system. A direct application of the chemical equilibrium solution cannot reproduce experimental results. However, when some of the system reactions are molar extent limited, the solution can reproduce published experimental data.