Differences in the mineral composition of sound and disordered apple fruits and of sound and pitted tissue

Separation and analyses of sound Cox's Orange Pippin apples and those with disorders, after storage for 18 weeks at 3.3°C, revealed that sound apples had the lowest, apples rotted by Gloeosporium spp slightly higher, apples with bitter pit higher, and apples affected by breakdown even higher proportions of calcium in the residue after extraction with distilled water, although total concentrations of calcium in these samples were in the reverse order. Lower proportions of calcium, magnesium and potassium were extracted by 75% ethanol from fruit with breakdown than from sound apples, and similarly lower proportions of magnesium, and magnesium and potassium were extracted by water from apples with bitter pit and breakdown, respectively. Proportions of phosphorus extracted by either solvent were not obviously related to disorders. The high concentration of magnesium in pitted tissue, in relation to that in adjacent sound tissue, was evenly divided between the fractions soluble and insoluble in water, but that of calcium was mainly in the insoluble fraction.     

Effects of the methods of pre-treatment before freezing on the retention of chlorophylls in frozen leaf vegetables prepared for consumption

The investigation included kale, New Zealand spinach and spinach. The evaluation covered the raw material; the raw material after blanching; the raw material after cooking; and frozen products prepared for consumption after 0, 4, 8 and 12 months of refrigerated storage. Both the traditional method of freezing (blanching before freezing) and the modified method of freezing (cooked before freezing) were used in the experiment, as well as two storage temperatures, T = −20 °C and T = −30 °C. The content of chlorophylls in fresh kale was four times that in New Zealand spinach and 1.5 times that in spinach. With the exception of New Zealand spinach, blanching and cooking significantly reduced the content of chlorophylls. In kale products prepared for consumption, the content of chlorophylls decreased in each successive stage of the investigation. In products of New Zealand spinach and spinach, the losses were usually not significant. After 12 months of refrigerated storage, frozen kale products prepared for consumption retained 52–65% of total chlorophylls compared with the content in the raw material; products of New Zealand spinach and spinach retained 66–71%. In kale and New Zealand spinach, the content of chlorophyll a decreased more rapidly than that of chlorophyll b, while in spinach the converse was true. The kale products obtained using the modified method contained more chlorophylls, while in the two spinach species their content was lower. The lower storage temperature resulted in a higher retention of chlorophylls in vegetables.     

A comparative quality appraisal of finely comminuted batters produced using three types of knives

The aim of this study was to compare the work efficiency of three types of knives mounted successively on a knife roll of a cutter by evaluating the quality and structure of produced finely comminuted batters as well as power consumption and electric energy consumption during chopping. Experimental material comprised finely comminuted meat batters produced under commercial scale production conditions using smooth knives, knives with riffles and knives with holes. Parameters measured in batter included temperature, water, fat, free water, apparent viscosity, thermal drip and batter structure using computer image analysis.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel alkyd-silicone hyperbranched nanoresins with high solid contents

Hyperbranched alkyd-silicone nanoresins (ASiHBRs) with high solid content were synthesized by etherification reaction between a hyperbranched alkyd resin (HABR) and Z-6018 silicone. ASiHBRs were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and several other techniques. NMR spectra show the presence of aromatic rings, -Si-O and -C-O; grafting was successful. The molar masses of ASiHBRs determined by GPC are higher than that of HABR. The hydroxyl values decrease with increasing silicone content. ASiHBRs have low viscosities what allows easier film formation. Hydrodynamic dimensions, refractive indices, glass transition temperatures, gloss and hardness of ASiHBRs increase with increasing silicone contents. Low contents of volatile organic compounds provide more environmentally friendly coatings.     

Behavior of Anionic Surfactants and Short Chain Alcohols Mixtures in the Monolayer at the Water–Air Interface

Measurements of the surface tension of aqueous solution of mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDDS) with methanol and ethanol in SDDS concentration range from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻² M and mixtures of sodium hexadecyl sulfonate (SHS) with methanol and ethanol at SHS concentration from 10⁻⁵ to 8 × 10⁻⁴ M and for methanol and ethanol from 0 to 21.1 and, 11.97 M, respectively, were carried out at 293 K. Moreover, the surface tension of aqueous solution mixtures of SDDS with propanol in the concentration range from 0 to 6.67 M taken from the literature was also considered. The results obtained indicate that it is possible to describe the relationship between the surface tension and molar concentration or molar fraction of alcohol by Szyszkowski and Connors equations. However, the Fainerman and Miller equation allows us to predict the isotherm of the surfactant tension at constant anionic surfactants concentration at which their molecules are present in the solution in the monomeric form if the molar area of surfactants and alcohols can be determined. Based on the surface tension isotherms, the Gibbs surface excess of anionic surfactants and alcohols concentration at water–air interface was determined and then recalculated for Guggenheim-Adam surface excess concentration of these substrates, and next the molar fraction of alcohols and surfactants in the surface layer was determined. These molar fractions were discussed with regard to surfactant and alcohol standard free energy of adsorption at the water–air interface determined from Langmuir and Aronson and Rosen equations. The standard free energy of adsorption determined in these ways was compared to that deduced on the basis of pC₂₀ and Lifshitz van der Waals-components of the anionic surfactant and alcohol tails.     

Luminescent properties of ytterbium-doped ternary lanthanum chloride

Studies of the absorption and temperature dependence of photoluminescence spectra and luminescence decay times of the intra-shell f-f transitions (²F_5/2 ↔ ²F_7/2) of Yb³⁺ ions in K₂LaCl₅:Yb³⁺ powders with 5, 10, 15 and 25% of ytterbium are presented. The spectroscopic properties of the powders with different ytterbium content are compared. Experiments were performed at the temperatures from 25 to 300 K. The strong emission around 982 nm has been observed under direct excitation of the luminescence center with 960 nm line of continuous wave Ti:sapphire laser pumped by Ar-ion laser. The temperature quenching effect of the luminescence was rather week, especially in the samples with higher concentration of ytterbium (15 and 25%). Additionally the probability of the f-f radiative transitions of the Yb³⁺ ions in these powders was almost temperature independent for more heavily doped samples (with 15 and 25% of Yb) and only weakly temperature dependent for less doped samples (with 5 and 10% of Yb). These results reveal high thermal stability of the optical properties of the examined powders.     

MODELING WATER SORPTION IN OKARA SOY MILK

ABSTRACT

Moisture sorption isotherms of okara soy milk were determined using the gravimetric method in the range 20 - 50 °C. The sorption isotherms exhibited hysteresis along all the water activity range (0·1 - 0·9). The amount of sorbed water increased as the temperature was decreased. The GAB and Halsey models gave a good fit for okara isotherms over the range of water activity 0·1 - 0·9. As temperature increased, GAB k-values increased towards unity where the GAB equation reduces to the BET equation. The influence of temperature on the constants of GAB and Halsey models was evaluated through Arrhenius-type equations. The Clausius Clapeyron equation was used to estimate the isosteric heats of sorption.     

Sorption Properties of Vacuum-Dried Strawberries

This work demonstrates the influence of changes in parameters of vacuum drying (temperature and pressure) on the sorption properties of dried strawberries. Fruits were dried at 50 and 70°C under pressures of 4 and 16 kPa. Vacuum drying was also conducted during the first 4 h at 70°C and then the temperature was decreased to 50°C at a pressure of 4 kPa. The other combination included increasing the pressure after the first 4 h from 4 to 16 kPa at a drying temperature of 70°C. Sorption isotherms were determined in the dried strawberries. It was shown that with increasing drying temperatures, there was a notable deterioration in the capacity for absorbing water vapor by the vacuum-dried fruit. On the other hand, the pressure at which vacuum drying proceeded did not significantly affect water vapor absorption. Changing the parameters of vacuum drying—that is, temperature in the range of 50–70°C and pressure in the range of 4–16 kPa—affected the shape and structure of the resultant dried strawberries. The combination of vacuum drying with convective drying also influenced the shape and structure of the dried fruit.     

Modeling of Sorption Isotherms of Various Kinds of Wood at Different Temperature Conditions

Adsorption and desorption isotherms of pine, spruce, birch, and willow Salix viminalis v. Orm (2-year stem) under three temperature conditions (20, 50, 75°C) in the range of water activity 0.0–0.9 were studied. In order to describe our experimental data, five models were implemented (GAB, Peleg, Chung-Pfost, Oswin, Halsey) and compared. It was found that GAB and Peleg models provide the best fit to the experimental data. On the basis of GAB modeling, the monolayer moisture content for each kind of wood was calculated. Moreover, the hysteresis phenomenon was investigated. The influence of temperature and wood variety on sorption isotherms was also tested.