Decrease of the chlorogenic acid content in commercial sunflower meal using a polyphenol oxidase preparation secreted by the white‐rot fungus Trametes versicolor ATCC 42530

BACKGROUND: Sunflower meal (SFM) is a by‐product from the oil extraction process from sunflower seeds. The meal is used as a protein supplement in the livestock diet. However, relatively high levels of polyphenols, among which chlorogenic (CGA) and caffeic acids are in larger amounts, in the meal compromises its use for animal feed and human consumption. The aim of this work was to investigate an enzymatic process for upgrading the quality of SFM by decreasing its CGA content using an enzyme preparation from the white‐rot fungus Trametes versicolor. RESULTS: The effects of pH, temperature, enzyme and meal concentrations, and mass transfer on the decrease of the CGA content in SFM were investigated. It was found that: (1) the optimum pH and temperature were 3.4 and 45 °C, respectively. (2) The system was saturated with the enzyme when its concentration was 5 nkat/mL of liquid phase; (3) the agitation speed of the system influenced the extraction of CGA from the meal; and (4) the conversion of CGA in the SFM system increased in the presence of larger volumes of liquid phase. CONCLUSIONS: The enzyme preparation used in the experiments is able to decrease successfully the CGA content in SFM. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Aluminium content of beers

 The aluminium (Al) concentration in different brands of beers packaged in Al cans and glass bottles was measured at the end of the shelf-life of the beer, by the Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (ZGFAAS) method. The results show that in all cases a brand of beer packaged in an Al can has a higher Al content than the same brand bottled in glass. The measurements of the Al concentration in some Al-canned beers throughout 12 months of storage show that a relatively small increase of the Al concentration in beers occurs throughout storage. All these results indicate that some Al is taken up by the beer in Al cans, presumably through the slight and slow dissolution of Al from the can wall, due to some defects in the protective lacquer layer. The evaluated daily intake of Al (0.256 mg) possible through the consumption of beer was practically negligible in relation to both the total daily dietary Al intake and the tolerable daily Al intake. Thus, beers are an insignificant source of dietary Al intake and it appears that the Al intake from beers (due to the low content of Al in beers and its low bioavailability) should not be a cause for concern with regard to Al toxicity for the human body. Received: 22 April 1996     

High-temperature dielectric response of ferroelectric relaxors

It has long been considered that polar nanoregions in relaxors form at Burns temperature T(d) ≈ 600K. High-temperature dielectric investigations of Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3)) O(3) (PMN) single crystal, PMN-PbTiO(3) ceramics, and (Pb,La) (Zr,Ti)O(3) ceramics reveal, however, that dielectric dispersion, detected around 600K, is due to the Maxwell-Wagner-type contributions of surface layers. The intrinsic response was analyzed in terms of the universal scaling, taking into account the asymptotic and the correction-to-scaling behavior, and the results imply much higher T(d) or formation of polar nanoregions in a broad temperature range. High values of the dielectric constant indicate, however, that polar order already exists at the highest measured temperatures of 800K. The obtained critical exponents indicate critical behavior associated with universality classes typically found in spin glasses.     

Placer gold in SW-Bulgaria: Past and present

Gold mining and beneficiation in SW-Bulgaria dates back to antiquity. Investigations of the area have made unique discoveries. Small archaeological gold artifacts (ringlets, wire etc.) of yet unknown age, as well as gold prills and beads from melting, have been found together with native gold. Occasionally, platinumgroup minerals (PGM), e.g. osmium-iridium-rutheniumalloys, are associated with gold and other heavy minerals in placers. The beneficiation of precious metals (panning by gravity separation) also included underground mining of auriferous conglomerates.     

Process synthesis with simultaneous consideration of inherent safety-inherent risk footprint

Process plants should be designed to be economically viable and environmentally friendly, while also being operable and maintainable during process implementation. The safety of processes is among the most important considerations in obtaining results that are more acceptably realistic, as it is linked to the availability and reliability of the process. Inherent safety can effectively be enhanced in the early stages of the design, when the main decisions on process design are made. The aim of this study is to enhance and select the appropriate risk assessment method and to incorporate it into process synthesis, using a mathematical programming approach. A mixed-integer, nonlinear programming (MINLP) model was used for the synthesis of a methanol production process, considering risk assessment during the synthesis. Risk assessment is performed simultaneously with the MINLP process synthesis, where the risk is determined either for the whole process as overall risk, or on a per unitof- a-product basis. For the latter, a new measurement is proposed: the inherent risk footprint. The results of a case study led to two main conclusions: (i) Significantly safer designs can be obtained at negligible economic expense, and (ii) at higher production capacities, a lower inherent risk footprint can be achieved. The results also indicate that designs obtained using this method can have significantly increased inherent safety, while remaining economically viable.

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The MINLP optimization approach to structural synthesis. Part III: synthesis of roller and sliding hydraulic steel gate structures

Part III of this three-part series of papers describes the synthesis of roller and sliding hydraulic steel gate structures performed by the Mixed-Integer Non-linear Programming (MINLP) approach. The MINLP approach enables the determination of the optimal number of gate structural elements (girders, plates), optimal gate geometry, optimal intermediate distances between structural elements and all continuous and standard crossectional sizes. For this purpose, special logical constraints for topology alterations and interconnection relations between the alternative and fixed structural elements are formulated. They have been embedded into a mathematical optimization model for roller and sliding steel gate structures GATOP. GATOP has been developed according to a special MINLP model formulation for mechanical superstructures (MINLP-MS), introduced in Parts I and II. The model contains an economic objective function of self-manufacturing and transportation costs of the gate. As the GATOP model is non-convex and highly non-linear, it is solved by means of the Modified OA/ER algorithm accompanied by the Linked Two-Phase MINLP Strategy, both implemented in the TOP computer code. An example of the synthesis is presented as a comparative design research work of the already erected roller gate, the so-called Intake Gate in Aswan II in Egypt. The optimal result yields 29·4 per cent of net savings when compared to the actual costs of the erected gate. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The MINLP optimization approach to structural synthesis. Part I: A general view on simultaneous topology and parameter optimization

This paper presents the Mixed-Integer Non-linear Programming (MINLP) optimization approach to structural synthesis. Non-linear continuous/discrete non-convex problems of structural synthesis are proposed to be solved by means of simultaneous topology, parameter and standard dimension optimization. Part I of this three-part series of papers contains a general view of the MINLP approach to simultaneous topology and continuous parameter optimization. The MINLP optimization approach is performed through three steps. The first one includes the generation of a mechanical superstructure of different topology alternatives, the second one involves the development of an MINLP model formulation and the last one consists of a solution for the formulated MINLP problem. Some MINLP methods are also presented. A Modified OA/ER algorithm is applied to solve the MINLP problem and a simple example of a multiple cantilever beam is given to demonstrate the steps of the proposed MINLP optimization approach. As simultaneous optimization, extended to include also standard dimensions, requires additional effort, the development of suitable strategies to carry out the optimization is further discussed in Part II. The modelling of MINLP superstructures and the topology and parameter optimization of roller and sliding hydraulic steel gate structures are shown in Part III of the paper. An example of the synthesis of an already erected roller gate, i.e. the Intake Gate of Aswan II in Egypt, is presented as a comparative design research work. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Drying of shiitake mushrooms in a vacuum dryer and optimization of the process by response surface methodology (RSM)

Optimization of shiitake mushroom vacuum drying process was the objective of this research. In order to produce dried sample with satisfactory shelf life, response surface methodology was used. Vacuum drying used to accomplish the task was previously described by the authors. The samples were dried at 46–74 °C and 20–580 mbar. As quality indicators of dried product, total solids, water activity, total phenolics, IC₅₀ and total color change were used. Response surface methodology resulted in optimal conditions of 57.1 °C and 100 mbar. In order to verify predictions and adequacy of the second-order polynomial models, separate validation experiments were conducted at optimum conditions. The predicted amount of total solids was 85.40 %, while a_w value was 0.615.     

Energy, water and process technologies integration for the simultaneous production of ethanol and food from the entire corn plant

This paper presents simultaneous integration of different technologies such as the traditional dry-grind process to obtain ethanol from grain with the gasification of the corn stover followed by either syngas fermentation or catalytic mixed alcohols synthesis. The optimal integrated process when using the entire corn plant (18 kg/s of grain and 10.8 kg/s of stover) is the one in which the dry-grind technology to process corn grain is integrated with the catalytic path for the corn stover due to the improved integration of energy, requiring only 17 MW of energy, 50 MW of cooling and 1.56 gal/gal of freshwater, for an ethanol production cost of 1.22 $/gal. However, the production cost decreases as we only use stover to produce ethanol, while the grain is used for food due to the lower cost of the stover and the more favorable energy balance of the ethanol production process from gasification.