Comparison of Different Possible Technologies for Epoxidation of Cynara cardunculus Seed Oil

The world production of epoxidized vegetable oil, mainly epoxidized soybean oil, is continuously increasing because this product can have a wide range of applications. Non‐edible vegetable oils, recovered by the plants growing on marginal and polluted lands, represent a possible answer to industry versus food chain debate. Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) seed oil can be considered as an interesting and sustainable alternative to edible soybean oil to make plasticizers. In this work, a comparison between different epoxidation methods of cardoon oil is depicted and argued, focusing on strong points and weaknesses for each of them. It is found that cardoon seed oil can be successfully epoxidized through feasible existing technologies, by peracids and hydrogen peroxide equally. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a “greener” cardoon oil epoxidation process is possible, by using hydrogen peroxide in the presence of commercial γ‐alumina as heterogeneous solid catalyst. Practical Applications: The paper analyzes the advantages and the problems of different epoxidation methods in order to obtain a final product with high quality and answer the environmental, social, and economic sustainability requirements.     

Host and Viral Zinc-Finger Proteins in COVID-19

An unprecedented effort to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has characterized the activity of the global scientific community over the last two years. Hundreds of published studies have focused on the comprehension of the immune response to the virus and on the definition of the functional role of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Proteins containing zinc fingers, both belonging to SARS-CoV-2 or to the host, play critical roles in COVID-19 participating in antiviral defenses and regulation of viral life cycle. Differentially expressed zinc finger proteins and their distinct activities could thus be important in determining the severity of the disease and represent important targets for drug development. Therefore, we here review the mechanisms of action of host and viral zinc finger proteins in COVID-19 as a contribution to the comprehension of the disease and also highlight strategies for therapeutic developments.     

The effect of cooking on the phytochemical content of vegetables

Cooking induces many chemical and physical modifications in foods; among these the phytochemical content can change. Many authors have studied variations in vegetable nutrients after cooking, and great variability in the data has been reported. In this review more than 100 articles from indexed scientific journals were considered in order to assess the effect of cooking on different phytochemical classes. Changes in phytochemicals upon cooking may result from two opposite phenomena: (1) thermal degradation, which reduces their concentration, and (2) a matrix softening effect, which increases the extractability of phytochemicals, resulting in a higher concentration with respect to the raw material. The final effect of cooking on phytochemical concentration depends on the processing parameters, the structure of food matrix, and the chemical nature of the specific compound. Looking at the different cooking procedures it can be concluded that steaming will ensure better preservation/extraction yield of phenols and glucosinolates than do other cooking methods: steamed tissues are not in direct contact with the cooking material (water or oil) so leaching of soluble compounds into water is minimised and, at the same time, thermal degradation is limited. Carotenoids showed a different behaviour; a positive effect on extraction and the solubilisation of carotenes were reported after severe processing. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Occurrence and persistence of diacetyl in unfermented and fermented milks

The occurrence and persistence of diacetyl in samples of unfermented raw and processed milk have been investigated; in addition, samples of milk fermented by different lactic acid bacteria have also been analysed. Diacetyl was determined by using a simplified gas chromatographic method in which acetone was the extracting agent. Diacetyl in unfermented raw milk of cow, buffalo, goat and sheep was found to be 45.1, 65.2, 42.8 and 41.2 mg kg^?1, respectively. The pre-fermentative diacetyl in milk was highly stable, and its initial value irrelevantly changed after the milk had been stored at 20 °C for 24 h or freeze-dried for 8 h and finally, having been thermically treated at 80 °C for 30 min. Significant amounts of diacetyl were detected also in all the processed milks. At 26 °C growth temperature, the tested lactic acid bacteria produced diacetyl in milk in the following order: Streptococcus thermophilus < Lactobacillus paracasei < Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Diacetyl increased during fermentation of 24 h, while a spontaneous and significant loss was registered when fermentation was prolonged to 48 h.     

On the activity of bimetallic catalysts for ethanol steam reforming

The performance of CeO₂-supported Pt–Ni and Pt–Co catalysts in the low temperature-Ethanol Steam Reforming (ESR) reaction has been evaluated studying the effect of the preparation method (impregnation/coprecipitation) and parameters such as dilution ratio, temperature, water-to-ethanol feed ratio and Gas Hourly Space Velocity (GHSV). The results show that impregnated samples perform better. In particular, the Pt/Ni/CeO₂ catalyst starting from 350 °C leads to a products distribution very close to the equilibrium calculations, with a low CO content that is ideal for fuel cells devices. In addition, the Co-based catalysts appear attractive in terms of hydrogen yield and coking tendency.     

Antibiotics in the environment: occurrence in Italian STPs, fate, and preliminary assessment on algal toxicity of amoxicillin

Amoxicillin is a widely used penicillin-like antibiotic, and due to its presence in several effluents of Italian STPs, its environmental fate along with its toxicity toward simple organisms have been investigated in model conditions. The present study shows that under abiotic conditions both hydrolysis and direct photolysis could be responsible for the transformation and removal of amoxicillin in aquatic environment, especially in slightly basic media. Quantum yields for the solar direct photolysis have been calculated along with kinetic constants and half-life times. Indirect photolysis experiments in the presence of natural photosensitizers such as nitrate ions and humic acids indicate that nitrate ions have no influence on the photodegradation rate of amoxicillin, while humic acids are able to enhance it. Standard batch experiments have been also performed under biotic conditions. The results indicated that also biodegradation on activated sludge is an effective pathway through which amoxicillin can be removed from the aquatic environment. Rate constants for biodegradation and adsorption have been calculated by applying simple pseudo-first-order kinetic models. Algal bioassays indicate that, in the range of concentrations from 50 ng/L to 50 mg/L, amoxicillin is not toxic toward eucariotic organisms such as the Chlorophyceae Pseudokirkneriella subcapitata and Closterium ehrenbergii and the Bacillariophyceae Cyclotella meneghiniana, but it shows a marked toxicity toward the Cyanophyta Synechococcus leopolensis.     

Effect of Calcium on Acrylamide Level and Sensory Properties of Cookies

Thermal process contaminants including acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural have been an intensive area of research in recent years. The main pathway of acrylamide formation is linked to the Maillard reaction. The first step is the formation of Schiff base between the carbonyl and α-amino group of asparagine. Presence of cations partially or completely eliminates the formation of Schiff base. This study aimed to investigate the effects of calcium chloride and calcium lactate on acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural levels in cookies. The effects of calcium derivatives on the sensory properties of cookies were also investigated. A direct relationship was determined between the amount of calcium in recipe and acrylamide formed in cookies. Addition of 1.0% of Puracal Act 100 decreased acrylamide concentration of cookies from 128 ± 10 ng/g to 24 ± 4 ng/g. In the same time, hydroxymethylfurfural concentration increased from 2.0 ± 0.19 mg/kg to 3.3 ± 0.24 mg/kg by the addition of 1.0% of Puracal Act 100. The calcium derivatives had no effect on cookie diameter and thickness, but the surface colors were different. The use of calcium significantly increased the lightness (L*) parameter, but decreased the redness (a*; p < 0.05). The sensory properties of cookies in terms of sweetness, saltiness and bitterness were not significantly affected by the addition of calcium derivatives at dosages up to 0.5% (p > 0.05).     

High concentration photovoltaic systems applying III–V cells

High concentration systems make use of the direct solar beam and therefore are suitable for application in regions with high annual direct irradiation values. III–V PV cells with a nominal efficiency of up to 39% are readily available in today's market, with further efficiency improvements expected in the years ahead. The relatively high cost of III–V cells limits their terrestrial use to applications under high concentration, usually above 400 suns. In this way the relatively high cell cost is compensated through the low amount for cells needed per kW nominal system output.This paper presents a state of the art of high concentration photovoltaics using III–V cells. This PV field accounts already for more than 20 developed systems, which are commercially available or shortly before market introduction.