Evaluation of an Integrated System for Pig Slurry Treatment

A system for pig slurry treatment, where anaerobic digestion, nitrification and denitrification have been integrated in a unique process treatment, has been investigated. This configuration allowed both removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and a decrease in nitrogen content. Strategies are reported to bring enough COD to the denitrification system. Results (90% reduction in COD, 99·8% reduction in NH₄⁺-N and 98·8% reduction in NO₃⁻N) show this process could be considered a good alternative to treat these wastes. © 1997 SCI.     

Tunisian Pistacia atlantica Desf. Extraction Process: Impact on Chemical and Nutritional Characteristics

Plant materials have been used in different fields such as therapeutics, cosmetics, and energy for ages. Several studies have investigated seeds, whether common or not, in order to ensure a better valuation of natural resources. Among these, Pistacia atlantica Desf. has been the subject of several works on its characterization and valorization. Among the current trends in sustainable development and environmental protection, valorizing natural wild plants via green chemistry has become prevalent. One of these plants, Pistacia atlantica Desf., is a tree that grows in arid and semi-arid areas, notably in Tunisia, and produces seeds rich in oil. In this study extracting the oil from its seeds is tried by three methods (supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂), pressure, and hexane), and the efficiency of these extraction processes is compared in order to obtain the best yield and maximize its valorization in a variety of industrial fields. The obtained oil is found to be rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely linoleic and oleic acids, with a similar acidic composition among all extraction methods. The tocopherol composition of the oil is determined using high performance liquid chromatography. The total polyphenol content is determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric analysis method. The results show that the seed oil of Pistacia atlantica Desf. extracted by supercritical CO₂ gives the highest extraction yield (25%) and the lowest acidity and peroxide values with a high degree of oxidation at 232 and 270 nm. This method also gives the highest content of alpha, gamma, and delta tocopherol as well as total phenolic content compared to the other extraction methods. The composition of chlorophylls and carotenes in the seed oil of Pistacia atlantica Desf. is determined. Besides, the analysis of the sterol composition reveals that β-sitosterol is still prevailing. Among all the tested extracts, the supercritical CO₂ extract demonstrates the best antioxidant performance against the tested radicals. The oil extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) is of a higher quality compared to that extracted by pressure and by hexane. Practical applications : The Pistacia atlantica Desf. oil exhibits interesting physicochemical and biological characteristics. The type of extraction affects the quality of the major and minor components in the seeds. However, the supercritical CO₂ method produces a better oil quality with the presence of antioxidants such as tocopherols and polyphenols. In fact, it is found that the oil extracted by the three methods has an important sterolic profile with the predominance of β-sitosterol. According to the classification of vegetable oils, unsaturated fatty acids of atlas pistachio oil can be categorized as oleo linoleic oil, which enhances its nutritional value. Having these characteristics, the use of this oil can be considered in agrifood products.     

Effect of drying methods on physico-chemical and antioxidant properties of date fibre concentrates

Effects of different drying methods (freeze-, oven- and sun-drying) on physico-chemical properties of date fibre concentrates (DFC) from three potential Tunisian cultivars were investigated. DFC had high contents of dietary fibre (71.01–93.46% dry matter), with high proportions of insoluble dietary fibre. Freeze dried DFC had the highest values of swelling, water holding and oil holding capacities. This drying method gave also the lightest DFC colour. Kentichi fibre produced by freeze-drying had the highest viscosity and the lowest bulkier particles. The present work assessed polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of DFC using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The highest polyphenol content was found for freeze dried DFC, contrary to radical scavenging activity which was not affected by drying methods. Results suggest that freeze dried DFC had the highest potential to be used as a functional ingredient in food products.     

Date syrup: Effect of hydrolytic enzymes (pectinase/cellulase) on physico-chemical characteristics, sensory and functional properties

This work is a contribution to give value addition to second grade dates (with hard texture) by the production of enzymatically treated syrup with high commercial value. It was observed that the pulp:water at ratio 1:3 treated with 50 U of pectinase and 5 U of cellulase during 120 min at 50 °C gave the highest recovery of total soluble solids (72.37 g of total soluble solids/100 g fresh basis) and the lower turbidity (186.45 NTU) compared with control without enzyme addition (Total soluble solids yields: 66.34 g of total soluble solids/100 g fresh basis and turbidity: 1513 NTU). physico-chemical measurements indicated that carbohydrates were predominant in all date varieties as well as their syrups (∼69.59-83.76 g/100 g dry matter in dates and ∼62.14-74.68 g/100 g fresh weight in syrup). Allig variety was characterised by a high content of reducing sugars content (∼77.91 g/100 g dry matter), contrary to Deglet Nour (∼23.17 g/100 g dry matter) and Kentichi (∼21.3 g/100 g dry matter).The CIE L∗ a∗ b∗ colour values of the enzyme-treated date syrup of Deglet Nour, Allig and Kentichi variety showed lighter colours (L∗ values ranging from 24.16 to 44) than the control without enzyme (L∗ values ranging from 0.545 to 17.2). Hedonic evaluation showed that enzyme-treated date syrup was more appreciated by consumers. Microbiological study showed that date syrups were free from aerobes, moulds, coliforms and enterobacteriaceae and were microbiologically stable during five months storage. Results suggested that enzymatic treatment could be used for production of date syrup with high commercial value     

Volatile compounds and compositional quality of virgin olive oil from Oueslati variety: Influence of geographical origin

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was applied to the analysis of volatile compounds of virgin olive oils from Oueslati variety cultivated in different geographical areas. Thus, olives at the same stage of maturation were harvested from seven regions in the Centre and the South of the country for oil extraction and analysis. Twenty-seven compounds were characterised by GC-FID and GC–MS. Compounds belonging mainly to alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones and hydrocarbons chemical classes characterised the volatile profiles. Significant differences in the proportion of volatiles from oils of different geographical origins were detected. The results suggest that, besides genetic factors, environmental conditions influence volatile formation.     

Real time protein recognition in a liquid-gated carbon nanotube field-effect transistor modified with aptamers

The combination of optimized and passivated Field Effect Transistors (FETs) based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) together with the appropriate choice and immobilization strategy of aptamer receptors and buffer concentration have allowed the highly sensitive and real time biorecognition of proteins in a liquid-gated configuration. Specifically we have followed the biorecognition process of thrombin by its specific aptamer. The aptamer modified device is sensitive enough to capture a change in the electronic detection mechanism, one operating at low protein concentrations and the other in a higher target concentration range. The high sensitivity of the device is also sustained by the very low detection limits achieved (20 pM) and their high selectivity when other target proteins are used. Moreover, the experimental results have allowed us to quantify the equilibrium constant of the protein-aptamer binding and confirm its high affinity by using the Langmuir equation.     

Stabilization of Sunflower Oil During Accelerated Storage: Use of Basil Extract as a Potential Alternative to Synthetic Antioxidants

The antioxidant efficacy of basil extracts was estimated in stabilization of sunflower oil. The basil essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Twenty-two compounds were identified representing 93.74% of the total essential oil. Basil methanolic extract was thermally evaluated by heating at 185°C. At the 100 min heating time, the extract exhibited antioxidant activity higher than that of butylated hydroxytoluene. Different concentrations of methanolic extract were added to sunflower oil. Selected parameters (i.e., weight gain, induction period to primary oil oxidation, peroxide value, conjugated dienes, and conjugated trienes) were considered for evaluating the effectiveness of basil in stabilization of sunflower oil. Basil methanolic extract showed good antioxidant activity according to synthetic antioxidants. Basil may be used as a natural antioxidants to prevent vegetable oils oxidation.     

Chains of Trust in vehicular networks: A secure Points of Interest dissemination strategy

This article describes a scheme which to the best of our knowledge is the first one to use user signatures to share information about Points of Interest in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks. In this scheme, users rate restaurants, hotels, etc. and sign those rates with their private key. Then, they broadcast that information and other vehicles store it for future use. When another user needs a Point of Interest recommendation he queries the system for the other users stored reviews and after he visits that Points of Interest for himself, he evaluates it and his level of trust in the reviewers with rates similar to his own increases. In the end, a user will be able to request to his vehicle information on a certain Point of Interest category and it will respond with the recommendations made by other users, prioritizing the ones in the user’s Web of Trust. poiSim is the tool designed to simulate this scheme. It processes a 24 h mobility trace produced by a Multi-Agent Traffic Simulator, which realistically simulates public and private traffic over regional maps of Switzerland. The result is a Chains of Trust simulation with over 260,000 nodes, which shows that the proposed scheme performs satisfactorily in a realistic scenario.     

The Role of Ferric Oxide Nanoparticles in Improving Lubricity and Tribo-Electrochemical Performance During Chemical–Mechanical Polishing

The role of ferric oxide nanoparticles on the lubricating characteristics of passivating films formed on stainless steel (SS) was discussed in this study. The tribo-electrochemical behavior of mirror-like polished AISI 304 SS, used as an exemplary material, was evaluated in various electrolytes by means of a simulated chemical–mechanical polishing process in laboratory scale. It was clearly demonstrated that a suitable combination of abrasives (ferric oxide nanoparticles) and an oxidizer (nitric acid) can act as an effective lubricant that lowers the friction and wear of the AISI 304 SS surfaces. The excellent lubricating and anti-corrosion properties shown by a slurry containing a high content of ferric oxide nanoparticles at high nitric acid concentrations were attributed to the formation of a stable and robust passive film that was composed of chromium oxide and a mixture of iron oxides. The lack of ferric oxide nanoparticles in two solutions containing nitric acid of different concentrations led to pitting corrosion and abrasive wear. When low concentrations of both ferric oxide nanoparticles and nitric acid were used, wear-accelerated corrosion became the dominant mechanism that was caused by the presence of third-body wear particles in the contact zone.