Impact of the fungal protease produced by Fusarium culmorum on the protein quality and breadmaking properties of winter wheat

Samples artificially infected by Fusarium culmorum were analyzed to assess the effects of Fusarium infection on the protein quality of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The Fusarium infection did not noticeably influence either the crude protein content or the water absorption ability of the wheat flour. The protease activity found in the wheat flour was inversely correlated to the sedimentation value. In contrast, it was positively correlated to both the free amino acid content and the degree of infection as expressed in Fusarium protein equivalents (FPE) quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A distinct reduction in the content of both total glutenin and high molecular weight glutenin subunits was detected in the seriously infected samples (FPE>20 µg g^–1). The infection with Fusarium impaired the dough quality and led to a deformed loaf shape. The fungal protease was active over both a wide range of temperatures (from 10 to 100 °C) and a wide range of pH values (from 4.5 to 8.5). The maximum protease activity was displayed at 50 °C in the pH range 6.0–8.0. This property indicates that the protease produced by F. culmorum may impair storage proteins throughout all the processing procedures associated with wheat flour, thereby causing weak dough properties and, consequently, unsatisfactory bread quality.     

Liquid water flow in Pinus radiata during drying

End-sealed 60×60×250?mm³ Pinus radiata pieces were dried at 65/37 °C (dry bulb/wet bulb temperature) and 4 ms^-1 air speed to study various drying phenomena above fibre saturation point. While drying, an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner captured a cross-cut density image every ten minutes. The density data was used to determine moisture content, rate of moisture loss from the core, wetline (boundary line of the free water region) depth and cross-cut area of the wood pieces. Repeating patterns were observed, which indicated that the cavity-size distribution of the wood pieces dictated fluctuations in the rate of moisture loss from the core and cross-cut area shrinkage during drying in the free water phase. It is hypothesised that, while drying an interconnected capillary network in the free water phase, the largest meniscus penetrates a wood piece through the largest cavities, thus also allowing air into the capillary network. The largest meniscus would always get smaller as it penetrates the wood piece until it is not the largest meniscus in the network anymore. Then the new largest meniscus would start penetrating the capillary network, etc. The largest meniscus would also determine the liquid tension in the capillary network. When the largest meniscus gets small enough, and the liquid tension strong enough, deformation and collapse of the remaining liquid-filled cavities can occur. A large liquid-filled interconnected capillary network would eventually fragment into a number of smaller liquid-filled interconnected networks, at which point a receding wetline could be observed.     

Pyroglutamins?ure in Bohnenkaffee

Zusammenfassung Die Identifizierung von Pyroglutaminsäure in Kaffee durch GC/MS des Di-trimethylsilylderivats wird beschrieben. Pyroglutaminsäure findet sich im Röstkaffee zu 0,5 bis 1,5 g/kg und im Kaffee-Extrakt zu ca. 5 g/kg.

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Pyroglutamic acid in coffee

Summary The identification of pyroglutamic acid in coffee by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is described. The contents of this acid are 0.5 to 1,5 g/kg in roast coffee and about 5 g/kg in coffee extracts.

     

Phase Relations in the ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> System: Experimental Study and Advanced Thermodynamic Modeling

Phase equilibria in the ZrO₂-Nd₂O₃-Y₂O₃ system at 1523-1873 K have been investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). Temperatures of phase transformations were determined by differential thermal analysis. Temperatures of invariant reactions in the ZrO₂-Nd₂O₃ system F = A + Pyr and H = F + A were determined as 1763 and 2118 K respectively and thermodynamic parameters of phases were re-assessed. Phase transformations in ternary systems were determined at 1732 K for composition ZrO₂-48.46Nd₂O₃-5.38Y₂O₃ (mol%) and at 1744 and 1881 K for composition ZrO₂-79.09Nd₂O₃-2.75Y₂O₃ (mol%). They were interpreted using XRD investigation before and after DTA as Pyr + B → F, Pyr → F and A → B, respectively. The solubility of the Y₂O₃ in pyrochlore phase was found to exceed 10 mol%. The thermodynamic parameters of the ZrO₂-Nd₂O₃-Y₂O₃ system were reassessed taking into account solubility of Y₂O₃ in the Nd₂Zr₂O₇ pyrochlore phase (Pyr). It is assumed that Y³⁺ substitutes Nd³⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ in their preferentially occupied sublattices. Ternary parameter was introduced into fluorite phase (F) for better reproducing of phase equilibria. Mixing parameters were reassessed for phase A (Nd₂O₃ based solution), monoclinic phase B and cubic phase C (Y₂O₃ based solution). The isothermal sections calculated for the ZrO₂-Nd₂O₃-Y₂O₃ system are in the reasonable agreement with experimental results.     

Strain mapping of a triple junction in nanocrystalline Pd

Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy was used to provide structural information on a triple junction in nanocrystalline Pd. This triple junction consists of two intersecting Σ3 twin boundaries with a Σ9 grain boundary and is connected to a quadruple point via the Σ9 grain boundary. A comprehensive strain analysis of this triple junction using geometric phase analysis is presented and compared with a molecular dynamics simulation. The main results are: (i) the strain field of the core of the triple junction shows dislocation character and extends over a distance of about 0.5 nm; (ii) the intersecting boundaries result in a net translation of , which corresponds to a Burgers vector of an dislocation in the fcc lattice; (iii) a disclination emerging from the triple junction along the Σ9 grain boundary is balanced by a disclination of opposite sign emerging from the quadruple point. Based on the observation that the core of the triple junction can be described by the strain field of a dislocation, its energy was estimated using to be about 1.7 × 10⁻⁹ J m⁻¹. The presence of a disclination dipole is thought to be essential for stabilization of the structure observed.     

Structural analysis of articular cartilage using multiphoton microscopy: input for biomechanical modeling

The 3-D morphology of chicken articular cartilage was quantified using multiphoton microscopy (MPM) for use in continuum-mechanical modeling. To motivate this morphological study we propose aspects of a new, 3-D finite strain constitutive model for articular cartilage focusing on the essential load-bearing morphology: an inhomogeneous, poro-(visco)elastic solid matrix reinforced by an anisotropic, (visco)elastic dispersed fiber fabric which is saturated by an incompressible fluid residing in strain-dependent pores. Samples of fresh chicken cartilage were sectioned in three orthogonal planes and imaged using MPM, specifically imaging the collagen fibers using second harmonic generation. Employing image analysis techniques based on Fourier analysis, we derived the principal directionality and dispersion of the collagen fiber fabric in the superficial layer. In the middle layer, objective thresholding techniques were used to extract the volume fraction occupied by extracellular collagen matrix. In conjunction with information available in the literature, or additional experimental testing, we show how this data can be used to derive a 3-D map of the initial solid volume fraction and Darcy permeability.     

Frequency-domain optical tomographic imaging of arthritic finger joints

We are presenting data from the largest clinical trial on optical tomographic imaging of finger joints to date. Overall we evaluated 99 fingers of patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 120 fingers from healthy volunteers. Using frequency-domain imaging techniques we show that sensitivities and specificities of 0.85 and higher can be achieved in detecting RA. This is accomplished by deriving multiple optical parameters from the optical tomographic images and combining them for the statistical analysis. Parameters derived from the scattering coefficient perform slightly better than absorption derived parameters. Furthermore we found that data obtained at 600 MHz leads to better classification results than data obtained at 0 or 300 MHz.     

Biological effects of acrylamide after daily ingestion of various foods in comparison to water: a study in rats

Scope: Acrylamide (AA), classified as a genotoxic carcinogen, is generated by heating foods. We studied whether the food matrix modulates bioavailability and/or biotransformation and investigated kinetics and biological effectiveness of AA in rats. Methods and results: AA was given to the animals at a daily intake level of AA containing foods for up to 9 days, resulting in an exposure of 50 or 100 μg AA/kg body weight (b.w.)/day. Positive controls received the same dosages of AA in water, negative controls just water. As biomarkers urinary mercapturic acids, hemoglobin adducts, plasma levels of AA and glycidamide (GA) and DNA integrity in white blood cells and hepatocytes were measured. Altogether, no significant differences in bioavailability of AA from water and the different food matrices were observed. Only with bread crust, biomarkers indicated a slightly reduced bioavailability. Monitoring glycidamide valine adduct adducts did not provide evidence for treatment‐related significantly enhanced GA‐haemoglobin adduct formation in blood although glycidamide mercapturic acid excretion in urine indicated significant GA formation. Conclusions: The results suggest AA at dietary intake levels, exceeding estimated human mean intake by a factor of at least 100 to become detoxified in Sprague–Dawley rats to a major extent through glutathione coupling.     

Vibrational properties of the LiNbO3 z-surfaces

The existence of localized vibrational modes both at the positive and at the negative LiNbO3 (0001) surface is demonstrated by means of first-principles calculations and Raman spectroscopy measurements. First, the phonon modes of the crystal bulk and of the (0001) surface are calculated within the density functional theory. In a second step, the Raman spectra of LiNbO(3) bulk and of the two surfaces are measured. The phonon modes localized at the two surfaces are found to be substantially different, and are also found to differ from the bulk modes. The calculated and measured frequencies are in agreement within the error of the method. Raman spectroscopy is shown to be sensitive to differences between bulk and surface and between positive and negative surface. It represents therefore an alternative method to determine the surface polarity, which does not exploit the pyroelectric or piezoelectric properties of the material.     

Photocatalytic TiO2 films deposited by different methods

Photocatalytic TiO₂ layers are deposited with different methods available within the Fraunhofer Photocatalysis Alliance. These are: Magnetron sputtering, evaporation, sol‐gel, laquer coating, and CVD. The photocatalytic activity under UV illumination is determined by decomposition of stearic acid. The optical properties of the films are compared and discussed.