Colour and flavour of potato protein preparations,depending on the antioxidants and coagulants used

The colour and profile of the aromatic compounds of potato juice (PJ) protein preparations were investigated following various process modifications. Several antioxidants (sodium bisulphate, tartaric acid, ascorbic acid), acidulants (tartaric, ascorbic and hydrochloric acids) and chelating agents (chloride, lactate and calcium hydrogen phosphate salts) used for pectin removal during the coagulation of the PJ proteins were evaluated. The combination of sodium bisulphate or ascorbic acid as antioxidants, with calcium chloride or lactate, and ascorbic acid as the protein coagulant, increased the brightness of the protein preparations. Forty-one aromatic compounds, including aldehydes, alcohols and alkanes, were identified. The total concentration of volatiles ranged 59–105 μg g⁻¹. The ascorbate variant contained the lowest n-hexanal concentration. Different treatments did not impact significantly on the 2-methyl-propanal and 2-methyl-butanal concentrations. Interestingly, 2-pentylfuran production was dramatically reduced (16.48 μg g⁻¹) in the lactic variant in comparison to 40.52 μg g⁻¹ with CaHPO₄ addition.     

Effect of Different Forms of Silicon on Growth of Spring Wheat Cultivated in Organic Farming System

Silicon - Application of silicon (Si) could greatly boost wheat growth and yield by mitigating abiotic stress, especially drought. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of silicon...     

Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of Zn-doped brushite

Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) enriched by different amounts of Zn²⁺ ions was synthesised in aqueous solution via standard precipitation method. The obtained powders were characterised by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These tests confirmed that all the powders were highly microcrystalline brushite. As the concentration of zinc increased, an additional crystalline phase of α-hopeite appeared, and, simultaneously, the crystallinity of brushite slightly decreased. Moreover, according to the shifts of PXRD, FTIR and ³¹P ssNMR line positions, it was proved that zinc ions were successfully introduced into the crystal of DCPD. The (Ca + Zn)/P molar ratio calculated from ICP-OES results was ca. 1.0, which is typical for DCPD; only the (Ca + Zn)/P molar ratio of the sample with the highest concentration of Zn slightly differs, which was caused by the presence of α-hopeite. SEM images have shown a high tendency of Zn-containing brushite to agglomerate into the spherical, compact clusters. The preliminary biological tests have shown that the powders are non-toxic, which makes them promising materials for potential use in mineralised tissue engineering.     

Arabidopsis Phototropins Participate in the Regulation of Dark-Induced Leaf Senescence

Senescence is the final stage of plant development, affecting individual organs or the whole organism, and it can be induced by several environmental factors, including shading or darkness. Although inevitable, senescence is a complex and tightly regulated process, ensuring optimal remobilization of nutrients and cellular components from senescing organs. Photoreceptors such as phytochromes and cryptochromes are known to participate in the process of senescence, but the involvement of phototropins has not been studied to date. We investigated the role of these blue light photoreceptors in the senescence of individually darkened Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. We compared several physiological and molecular senescence markers in darkened leaves of wild-type plants and phototropin mutants (phot1, phot2, and phot1phot2). In general, all the symptoms of senescence (lower photochemical activity of photosystem II, photosynthetic pigment degradation, down-regulation of photosynthetic genes, and up-regulation of senescence-associated genes) were less pronounced in phot1phot2, as compared to the wild type, and some also in one of the single mutants, indicating delayed senescence. This points to different mechanisms of phototropin operation in the regulation of senescence-associated processes, either with both photoreceptors acting redundantly, or only one of them, phot1, playing a dominant role.     

A Review on Ionic Liquids-Based Membranes for Middle and High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEM FCs)

Today, the use of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) possessing ionic liquids (ILs) in middle and high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (MT-PEMFCs and HT-PEMFCs) have been increased. ILs are the organic salts, and they are typically liquid at the temperature lower than 100 °C with high conductivity and thermal stability. The membranes containing ILs can conduct protons through the PEMs at elevated temperatures (more than 80 °C), unlike the Nafion-based membranes. A wide range of ILs have been identified, including chiral ILs, bio-ILs, basic ILs, energetic ILs, metallic ILs, and neutral ILs, that, from among them, functionalized ionic liquids (FILs) include a lot of ion exchange groups in their structure that improve and accelerate proton conduction through the polymeric membrane. In spite of positive features of using ILs, the leaching of ILs from the membranes during the operation of fuel cell is the main downside of these organic salts, which leads to reducing the performance of the membranes; however, there are some ways to diminish leaching from the membranes. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of these issues by evaluating key studies that have been undertaken in the last years in order to present objective and comprehensive updated information that presents the progress that has been made in this field. Significant information regarding the utilization of ILs in MT-PEMFCs and HT-PEMFCs, ILs structure, properties, and synthesis is given. Moreover, leaching of ILs as a challenging demerit and the possible methods to tackle this problem are approached in this paper. The present review will be of interest to chemists, electrochemists, environmentalists, and any other researchers working on sustainable energy production field.     

Treatment-Induced Neuropathy in Diabetes (TIND)—Developing a Disease Model in Type 1 Diabetic Rats

Treatment-induced neuropathy in diabetes (TIND) is defined by the occurrence of an acute neuropathy within 8 weeks of an abrupt decrease in glycated hemoglobin-A1c (HbA1c). The underlying pathogenic mechanisms are still incompletely understood with only one mouse model being explored to date. The aim of this study was to further explore the hypothesis that an abrupt insulin-induced fall in HbA1c may be the prime causal factor of developing TIND. BB/OKL (bio breeding/OKL, Ottawa Karlsburg Leipzig) diabetic rats were randomized in three groups, receiving insulin treatment by implanted subcutaneous osmotic insulin pumps for 3 months, as follows: Group one received 2 units per day; group two 1 unit per day: and group three 1 unit per day in the first month, followed by 2 units per day in the last two months. We serially examined blood glucose and HbA1c levels, motor- and sensory/mixed afferent conduction velocities (mNCV and csNCV) and peripheral nerve morphology, including intraepidermal nerve fiber density and numbers of Iba-1 (ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1) positive macrophages in the sciatic nerve. Only in BB/OKL rats of group three, with a rapid decrease in HbA1c of more than 2%, did we find a significant decrease in mNCV in sciatic nerves (81% of initial values) after three months of treatment as compared to those group three rats with a less marked decrease in HbA1c <2% (mNCV 106% of initial values, p ≤ 0.01). A similar trend was observed for sensory/mixed afferent nerve conduction velocities: csNCV were reduced in BB/OKL rats with a rapid decrease in HbA1c >2% (csNCV 90% of initial values), compared to those rats with a mild decrease <2% (csNCV 112% of initial values, p ≤ 0.01). Moreover, BB/OKL rats of group three with a decrease in HbA1c >2% showed significantly greater infiltration of macrophages by about 50% (p ≤ 0.01) and a decreased amount of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) positive nerve fibers as compared to the animals with a milder decrease in HbA1c. We conclude that a mild acute neuropathy with inflammatory components was induced in BB/OKL rats as a consequence of an abrupt decrease in HbA1c caused by high-dose insulin treatment. This experimentally induced neuropathy shares some features with TIND in humans and may be further explored in studies into the pathogenesis and treatment of TIND.     

On the Origin of Sinter-Resistance and Catalyst Accessibility in Raspberry-Colloid-Templated Catalyst Design

Nanoparticle (NP) sintering is a major cause of the deactivation of supported catalysts. Raspberry-colloid-templated (RCT) catalysts are an emerging class of materials that show an unprecedented level of sinter-resistance and exhibit high catalytic activity. Here a comprehensive study of the origin of NP stability and accessibility in RCT catalysts using theoretical modeling, 3D electron microscopy, and epitaxial overgrowth is reported. The approach is showcased for silica-based RCT catalysts containing dilute Pd-in-Au NPs previously used in hydrogenation and oxidation catalysis. Modeling of the contact line of the silica precursor infiltrating into the assembled raspberry colloids suggests that a large part of the particles must be embedded into silica, which is confirmed by quantitative visualization of >200 individual NPs by dual-axis electron tomography. The RCT catalysts have a unique structure in which all NPs reside at the pore wall but have >50% of their surface embedded in the matrix, giving rise to the strongly enhanced thermal and mechanical stability. Importantly, epitaxial overgrowth of Ag on the supported NPs reveals that not only the NP surface exposed to the pore but the embedded interface as well remained chemically accessible. This mechanistic understanding provides valuable guidance in the design of stable catalytic materials.     

Effect of commercial processing on polyphenols and antioxidant activity of buckwheat seeds

This study analysed the influence of technological processes used in the various buckwheat groat mills on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of common buckwheat grains and groats. Dehulling, to a greater extent, influenced the quantitative changes in rutin and caused its lowering. Due to this process, the antioxidant activity decreased to a lower degree, and the content of most phenolic acids increased. The roasting process had a negative impact on the content of phenolic compounds, causing the greatest loss in the level of coumaric acid and rutin. It was found that in shaping the health benefits of buckwheat groats, the grain processing temperature is more important than the time of the treatment. In order to obtain the best health value of buckwheat groats, the roasting process should be carried out at a temperature close to 100 °C for a time that will ensure good sensory characteristics, even if it is for several hours.     

Screening and ranking framework for underground hydrogen storage site selection in Poland

This paper proposes the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in order to select the potential underground hydrogen storage sites. The preliminary selection and evaluation of hydrogen storage sites may be considered as a multi-criteria decision-making process. The use of a decision model based on 5 (for aquifers) or 6 geological criteria (in the case of salt and hydrocarbon deposits) has been proposed. A ranking of salt structures, aquifers, and crude oil and natural gas reservoirs, previously identified as the potential hydrogen storage sites in Poland, has been presented. The obtained results have confirmed that the AHP-based approach can be useful for preliminary selection of potential underground hydrogen storage sites. The proposed method enables one to objectively choose the most satisfactory decision, from the point of view of the adopted decision-making criteria, regarding the choice of the best structure.