Current and future interventions for improving poultry health and poultry food safety and security: A comprehensive review

Poultry is thriving across the globe. Chicken meat is the most preferred poultry worldwide, and its popularity is increasing. However, poultry also threatens human hygiene, especially as a fomite of infectious diseases caused by the major foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Listeria). Preventing pathogenic bacterial biofilm is crucial in the chicken industry due to increasing food safety hazards caused by recurring contamination and the rapid degradation of meat, as well as the increased resistance of bacteria to cleaning and disinfection procedures commonly used in chicken processing plants. To address this, various innovative and promising strategies to combat bacterial resistance and biofilm are emerging to improve food safety and quality and extend shelf-life. In particular, natural compounds are attractive because of their potential antimicrobial activities. Natural compounds can also boost the immune system and improve poultry health and performance. In addition to phytochemicals, bacteriophages, nanoparticles, coatings, enzymes, and probiotics represent unique and environmentally friendly strategies in the poultry processing industry to prevent foodborne pathogens from reaching the consumer. Lactoferrin, bacteriocin, antimicrobial peptides, cell-free supernatants, and biosurfactants are also of considerable interest for their prospective application as natural antimicrobials for improving the safety of raw poultry meat. This review aims to describe the feasibility of these proposed strategies and provide an overview of recent published evidences to control microorganisms in the poultry industry, considering the human health, food safety, and economic aspects of poultry production.     

Model‐Based Recognition of Mid‐Infrared Sensor Fouling in Paracetamol Crystallization

A procedure for the recognition of undesired solid deposition on the optical element of an attenuated total reflectance probe for online mid‐infrared spectroscopy during crystallization processes is presented. Unlike other approaches, the method exclusively uses intelligent spectral analysis for solid recognition and does not require additional devices. Indirect hard modeling enables the separation of the solid material's contribution to the mixture spectra from those contributions of the dissolved material and the solvents, expressed through the predicted component weights. The detection of the solid component weight is promising for implementation into process monitoring or control.     

Hen Egg‐White Lysozyme Crystallisation: Protein Stacking and Structure Stability Enhanced by a Tellurium(VI)‐Centred Polyoxotungstate

As synchrotron radiation becomes more intense, detectors become faster and structure‐solving software becomes more elaborate, obtaining single crystals suitable for data collection is now the bottleneck in macromolecular crystallography. Hence, there is a need for novel and advanced crystallisation agents with the ability to crystallise proteins that are otherwise challenging. Here, an Anderson–Evans‐type polyoxometalate (POM), specifically Na₆[TeW₆O₂₄] ? 22 H₂O (TEW), is employed as a crystallisation additive. Its effects on protein crystallisation are demonstrated with hen egg‐white lysozyme (HEWL), which co‐crystallises with TEW in the vicinity (or within) the liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) region. The X‐ray structure (PDB ID: 4PHI) determination revealed that TEW molecules are part of the crystal lattice, thus demonstrating specific binding to HEWL with electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds. The negatively charged TEW polyoxotungstate binds to sites with a positive electrostatic potential located between two (or more) symmetry‐related protein chains. Thus, TEW facilitates the formation of protein–protein interfaces of otherwise repulsive surfaces, and thereby the realisation of a stable crystal lattice. In addition to retaining the isomorphicity of the protein structure, the anomalous scattering of the POMs was used for macromolecular phasing. The results suggest that hexatungstotellurate(VI) has great potential as a crystallisation additive to promote both protein crystallisation and structure elucidation.     

Abscheidung hochohmiger Stäube in einem Elektrofilter mit niederfrequenter Wechselspannung

Due to the occurrence of back corona, the separation of particles with high electrical resistivity in electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) is difficult. In this case, the power consumption of the ESPs is significantly increased, and unacceptably high particulate emissions occur. Here, a novel approach for the separation of highly resistive dusts with ESPs is described. The effective electrical resistance of the dust layer can be modified by the use of low‐frequency AC voltage, which significantly improves the separation rates. The new method was tested with various highly resistive dusts in a wire‐tube ESP.     

Analysis of compaction and life‐time prediction of porous polymer membranes: influence of morphology,diffusion and creep behaviour

In membrane applications, large values of permeability and selectivity are generally desired during the whole period of application. The permeability of porous polymer membranes often is reduced by the effect of compaction. Compaction of polymer membranes is a time‐dependent process which is strongly determined by the viscoelastic properties of the polymer and its plasticisation caused by the feed medium (e.g. a liquid medium or a process gas in the case of porous support structures). In this study, the time‐dependent compaction of porous polymer membranes under pressure is modelled. The influence of viscoelastic and diffusion properties of the polymer material on the permeability of the membrane is analysed for different types of membrane morphologies. The life‐time of a porous polymer membrane is associated with the time at which the glass transition is achieved in a creep experiment. Equations are derived in order to estimate the maximum life‐time of polymer membranes based on compaction. The analysis reveals that the diffusion coefficient, the average retardation time in creep, the magnitude of creep compliance and the time–temperature–pressure shift factor strongly influence compaction of microporous membranes. Generally, a larger tortuosity at constant porosity yields a lower life‐time of the membrane. Buckling of cell struts is the dominant failure mechanism in porous membranes with a very high porosity and allows an estimation of life‐time. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rheologische Charakterisierung von Fermentersuspensionen

For dimensioning and planning plants and apparatuses as well as optimizing, the collection of rheological data is indispensable. Characterizing bio‐suspensions rheologically is often impossible or can be done only with insufficient precision because of their physical properties. Using a special large‐scale tube viscometer that has been developed at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, rheological data from bio‐suspensions were collected directly in agriculture biogas plants without any pretreatment. The sizes measured are then evaluated and corrected, so that the final absolute viscosity data can be used.     

Molar mass of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) during ultimate uniaxial drawing

The changes of the average molar mass M_w, M_n, M_z, and molar mass distributions during multistep uniaxial drawing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) to achieve ultimate mechanical properties have been studied in detail by means of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with triple detection: concentration, viscosimetry, and light scattering, using HFIP as solvent. An increase in molar mass of PET due to post‐polycondensation and/or transesterfication during drawing at a high temperature of 160 to 230°C was found. Moreover, drawing leads to crystallization and large orientation in the amorphous phase, which results in lower molecular mobility and prevents a further growth in chain length. Crazing under extreme drawing conditions occurs and affects a decrease in molar mass.     

Manufacturing of electrical discharge machinable ZTA-TiC - hot pressing vs. spark plasma sintering

Hot pressing and spark plasma sintering were applied to manufacture electrical discharge machinable ZTA-TiC ceramics containing 17?vol.% zirconia (1.5Y) and 24?vol.% titanium carbide in an alumina matrix. Sintering was carried out at 1450–1600?°C and 40?MPa pressure with 2?h dwell for HP and 10?min for SPS. The influence of sintering conditions on mechanical properties, microstructure, phase composition and electrical conductivity was investigated. Both sintering technologies lead to fully densified samples with similar strength and toughness. Hardness was generally lower for SPS. SPS samples develop a finer microstructure. HP samples the TiC grains tend to merge at high sintering so that HP materials reach significantly higher conductivities. Productivity and energy consumption per piece can be significantly decreased by shifting to SPS. Both types of material were ED-machinable. Hot pressed ceramics showed better cutting performance and improved surface quality in trimming operations.     

A GC-based method for high-throughput screening of enantioselective catalysts

By combining two gas chromatography instruments (each containing a column with a chiral stationary phase) with the proper robotics and software, it is possible to construct an instrumental configuration which makes possible high-throughput screening of the enantioselectivity of a given catalytic reaction. As an example, the acylation-based catalytic kinetic resolution of racemic 2-phenyl-1-propanol catalyzed by mutant lipases can be about assayed, 700 exact E- and ee-determinations being possible per day. The method is, therefore, of interest in the directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes and/or in the combinatorial search for asymmetric transition metal catalysts.