Genetic variability and correlation of yield, grain size, chemical composition and protein quality of 25 varieties of amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus)

The purpose of the present research was to establish the variability in agronomic, chemical and nutritional characteristics among 25 amaranth (A. caudatus) cultivars. A large variability was found among cultivars in all the parameters evaluated. Average seed weight was 0.75 mg, and had an average size of 1.23 x 1.14 mm. The average moisture, protein and fat content was 11.81, 12.66 and 8.44%, respectively. The average values for methionine, threonine, cystine, leucine and lysine were: 168, 276, 74, 381 and 370 mg/g N, in the same order as presented. It was possible to establish significant, positive correlations between yield-protein, methionine-cystine, methionine-lysine, and threonine-leucine, as well as significant negative correlations between protein-cystine, fat-methionine and cystine- leucine. Furthermore, it is not possible to select cultivars of higher yield on the basis of seed weight, since these two variables were negatively correlated, although not statistically significant. Among all 25 cultivars studied, some were deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids, while based on the FAO/WHO essential amino acid pattern, all of them were deficient in leucine. The average protein quality value expressed as NPR was 3.54 in thermally-processed samples, with no differences between cultivars. Nevertheless, protein digestibility values probably classified the samples in two groups with average values of 79 and 81%, respectively. The variability found can thus be used to select cultivars with higher yields and higher nutritional characteristics.     

Effects of cone opening, initial moisture content and multiple extrusion on the protein quality of extruded soybean using the Brady Crop Cooker

In the present study, three cone openings (0.133; 0.106, and 0.080 cm) and three initial moisture content values (9%, 15% and 21%) were used as treatments to evaluate their effects on the protein quality of full-fat soybean flour, extruded in the Brady Crop Cooker. The specific volume, protein and oil contents as well as available lysine content characteristic of the final product, were not affected by the treatments used. Processing temperatures, however, decreased when the initial moisture content of the material was increased. The nitrogen solubility index was affected by the cone opening but not by the moisture content of the material. With respect to the trypsin inhibitors content, the increase in the initial moisture content in soybeans gave conflicting results. At the 21% moisture treatment, the amounts of trypsin inhibitors were higher than those present in the raw material; a similar effect was also observed with urease activity. At the other two moisture contents (9 and 15%) the amounts of trypsin inhibitors and urease activity were decreased by heat treatment, mainly at the 9% moisture level, which were related to the cone opening of the extruder. PER values in rats were influenced by the moisture content and were not affected by the cone opening. Results obtained in the biological assays with chicks, both for weight gain and conversion efficiency, were favored by a decrease in cone opening. Nevertheless, the increase in the moisture content induced a decrease in weight gain at the 5- and 8-week periods, without affecting the conversion efficiency. The effect of consecutive passes of the material through the extruder was also studied. The product obtained with two extrusions presented a good biological value, probably as a consequence of the low values in the trypsin inhibitors and urease activities. When the material was extruded three times, results proved to be poor, due to a reduction to significant low levels of available lysine content--which becomes limiting--, and nitrogen solubility index of the full-fat soybean flour.     

The Effects of Screw Geometry on the Pumping Efficiency of Micro‐Screw Pump

The design of a novel micro‐screw pump for viscous fluid is described. The device consists of a rotating screw in the centre of the channel, connected with a shaft and micro motor. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of using various screw geometries on the pump performance. Theoretical analysis by finite volume simulations is carried out to study the influence of pitch, diameter of the screw and the thread (flight depth) to evaluate the optimal dimensions for the pump and to obtain the maximum flow rate. When the screw rotates, a net force is transferred to the fluid due to the differential pressure on the depth of the thread and pressure gradient along the screw axis, thus causing the fluid to displace. The three‐dimensional simulations indicate a gradual increase of the average velocity with increasing the screw diameter. The maximum average velocity can be obtained when the ratio between the pitch and screw diameter (pi/d) is 0.6. Effective pumping is achieved by increasing the thread and pitch at maximum screw diameter. The numerical simulation has been validated experimentally.     

Evaluation of chemical and nutritional characteristics of the seed of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

Some chemical and nutritional characteristics of the rubber seed Hevea brasiliensis were studied. The protein content, its amino acid composition as well as the iron, calcium, phosphorus and cyanide (free and bound) concentrations, were determined in the dehulled seed. The effect of soaking, cooking, soaking-cooking and cooking-fat extraction procedure of the seed on the cyanide content and its in vivo protein utilization, was also evaluated. The protein quality was biologically assessed using the protein efficiency ratio (PER). The protein content of the seed was 18%, and the most limiting amino acid was threonine, with a chemical score of 71.6. The iron, calcium and phosphorus contents were 6.2, 109 and 429 mg/100 g, respectively. Its fat content was 48% with a total energy value of 702 kcal/100 g (2,948 Kj/100 g). The total cyanide content in the fresh seed was 130-230 mg/100 g; 6% was in the free form and 94% as bound cyanide. The most effective treatment for reducing the cyanide content was found to be 20 hours of soaking in water, combined with one hour of cooking. The raw seed had a low nutritive value and produced weight loss and death when fed to rats. The protein value, however, improved upon the seed treatment, reaching PER values close to those found in traditional cereals such as corn. It is therefore concluded that the seed of Hevea brasiliensis is a good source of energy, calcium, valine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. In contrast, it is a poor source of threonine, leucine and lysine. Its cyanide content is high, but when removed by treatment, such as soaking in water, cooking or fat extraction, the protein utilization can be improved.     

Infrared spectroscopic studies of poly(methyl methacrylate) doped with a new sulfur‐containing ligand and its cobalt(II) complex during γ‐radiolysis

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies were performed for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) samples doped with an organic ligand or its cobalt(II) complex after the extraction of the dopant during γ‐radiolysis. There were no drastic changes in the IR absorption band position, but noticeable changes in the intensities were found. The relative transmission of IR absorption bands, such as those at 750, 840, 1065, and 1388 cm^?1, were measured according to the transmission of the carbonyl group band at 1717 cm^?1. The degradation and recombination mechanism of different groups in the polymeric chain or backbone during radiolysis could be explained by the behavior of the relative transmission data for each group with increasing exposure dose. The tacticity of the PMMA samples was unchanged during radiolysis, and they were found to be syndiotactic. This was confirmed by the IR J values for different PMMA samples before and after irradiation. The protection efficiency of the organic ligand and its cobalt(II) complex was also investigated, and it was found that the organic ligand was more protective than the cobalt(II) complex for PMMA samples against γ‐rays. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1937–1950, 2004     

Miniemulsion and conventional emulsion copolymerization of styrene and butadiene: A comparative kinetic study

The kinetics of conventional and miniemulsion copolymerizations of styrene and butadiene were compared using the Mettler RC1 calorimeter. A two‐step homogenization procedure was applied to obtain miniemulsions of these monomers with hexadecane as the costabilizer. The results indicated that the miniemulsion polymerizations proceeded mainly by nucleation in the monomer droplets, while in the conventional emulsion polymerizations, particle formation occurred by a combination of micellar and homogeneous nucleation. The overall rate of miniemulsion polymerization was faster than the corresponding conventional emulsion system if the surfactant concentration was below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and slower if the surfactant concentration was above the cmc. The homogenization process is important for making stable miniemulsion systems, but had no effect on the conventional emulsion system (without hexadecane), most likely because of the second stage addition of the butadiene monomer. The dependencies of the rate of polymerization (heat of reaction) and number of particles on the surfactant concentration differed for the two types of polymerization systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2304–2312, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of aspartate polymer complexes

Oligomeric polyester, namely poly(tetramethylene asparate) (PTMA), was synthesized From D ,L ‐aspartic acid and 1,4‐butanediol by a melt codensation technique. Polyester–metal complexes were synthesized by the reaction of PTMA with hydrated acetates of Fe(III), Pd(IV), and UO₂(II) in DMSO. The polyester–metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, UV–Vis, IR spectral studies, magnetic susceptibility measurements and ¹H‐NMR. Mossbauer spectra of mixed samples of Pd‐PTMA and Fe(II)‐PTMA with a ratio of 1 : 2 mol showed the iron(III) oxide formed in early stages of the decomposition at 250°C is mainly fine‐grained and as the temperature is increased, well‐crystalline hematic is formed. Above 250°C, the Mossbauer spectrum showed the typical six‐line pattern of magnetically oriented Fe(III) oxide, but at 800°C, the spectrum showed quadrupole interaction characteristic of PdFe₂O₄ spinel. The metal ions were found to be six—coordinated with two water molecules as additional ligands besides oxygen and nitrogen atoms of polyester repeating units. Thermogravimetric analysis (DTA‐TG) showed that co‐ordination polymers are thermally more stable than polyester; the activation parameters for both decomposition steps were calculated and discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 942–947, 2004     

Physicochemical investigation of radiation‐grafted poly(acrylic acid)‐graft‐poly(tetrafluoroethylene–ethylene) copolymer membranes and their use in metal recovery from aqueous solution

ET‐g‐PAAc membranes were obtained by radiation grafting of acrylic acid onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene–ethylene) copolymer films using a mutual technique. The ion selectivity of the grafted membranes was determined toward K⁺, Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, and Cu²⁺ in a mixed aqueous solution. The ion‐exchange capacity of the grafted membranes was measured by back titration and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The Hg²⁺ ion content of the membrane was more than that of either the K⁺ or Ag⁺ ions. The presence of metal ions in the membranes was studied by infrared and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy measurements. Scanning electron microscopy of the grafted and metal‐treated grafted membranes showed modification of the morphology of the surface due to the adsorption of K⁺ and Ag⁺ ions. No change was observed for the surface of the membrane that was treated with Hg²⁺ ions. The thermal stability of different membranes was improved more with Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions than with K⁺ ions. It was found that the modified grafted membranes possessed good hydrophilicity, which may make them promising candidates for practical applications, such as for cation‐exchange membranes in the recovery of metals from an aqueous solution. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2692–2698, 2002     

Biologically active polymers. IV. Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of tartaric acid polyamides

New bactericidal polyamides with quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts were prepared, and their antimicrobial activities were explored. The polyamides were synthesized by the polycondensation of diethyl‐l‐tartrate or chloromethylated diethyl‐l‐tartrate with ethylenediamine in dry absolute ethanol. The polyamides were modified to yield polymers with either quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts. The polymers were characterized with elemental microanalysis and ¹H‐NMR and IR spectra. The antimicrobial activity of the polymers bearing onium salts was studied against Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomones aeruginosa, Shigella sp., and Salmonella typhae), Gram‐positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus), and a fungus (Trichophytum rubrum) by the cut‐plug and viable‐cell‐count methods. Although all the polymers showed high antibacterial activity, some had no antifungal activity. The tributyl phosphonium salt of the polyamide was more effective against both Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria than the triethyl ammonium and triphenyl phosphonium salts of the polyamide. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4780–4790, 2006     

Synthesis of well‐defined,functionalized polymer latex particles through semicontinuous emulsion polymerization processes

The design of a semicontinuous emulsion polymerization process, primarily based on theoretical calculations, has been carried out with the objective of achieving overall independent control over the latex particle size, the monodispersity in the particle size distribution, the homogeneous copolymer composition, the concentration of functional groups (e.g., carboxyl groups), and the glass‐transition temperature with n‐butyl methacrylate/n‐butyl acrylate/methacrylic acid as a model system. The surfactant coverage on the latex particles is very important for maintaining a constant particle number throughout the feed process, and this results in the formation of monodisperse latex particles. A model has been set up to calculate the surfactant coverage from the monomer feed rate, surfactant feed rate, desired solid content, and particle size. This model also leads to an equation correlating the polymerization rate to the instantaneous conversion of the monomer or comonomer mixture. This equation can be used to determine the maximum polymerization rate, only below or at which monomer‐starved conditions can be achieved. The maximum polymerization rate provides guidance for selecting the monomer feed rate in the semicontinuous emulsion polymerization process. The glass‐transition temperature of the resulting carboxylated poly(n‐butyl methacrylate‐co‐n‐butyl acrylate) copolymer can be adjusted through variations in the compositions of the copolymers with the linear Pochan equation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 30–41, 2003