The elimination of flavor reversion in linseed shortening by heat polymerization and solvent segregation of the oil

Summary The optimum conditions have been established for the high temperature polymerization and solvent segregation of linseed oil to produce a “non-reverting” edible shortening and an improved drying oil. The best oil is obtained by heating at 270–275° C. for 12–15 hours while carbon dioxide is continuously passed through the oil. Under these conditions the polymerized oil has a refractive index of 1.4858 to 1.4861 at 25° C. and yields 60–65% of acetone soluble oil with a refractive index of 1.4830 to 1.4834 at 25° C. and an acid value of less than 1%, calculated as oleic acid. Pie crusts containing shortenings made from the acetone soluble fraction of the oil have been judged to be of good quality. The best shortenings were obtained by hydrogenating to a refractive index of 1.4615-1.4605 (60° C.). Macodonald College Journal Series No. 209. Issued as paper No. 145 of the Canadian Committee on Food Preservation.     

Consumer confidence in the safety of food in Canada and the Netherlands: The validation of a generic framework

A thorough understanding of consumer confidence in the safety of food and the factors by which this is influenced is necessary for the development of adequate and effective risk management and communication regarding food safety issues. As food chains become globalized, risk management and communication are increasingly applied at international levels. As a consequence, cross-culturally valid theoretical models are needed to investigate consumer confidence in the safety of food. In this study, consumer confidence in the safety of food in Canada and the Netherlands was systematically compared. On the basis of two nationally representative samples, it was examined to what extent differences in consumer confidence between the two countries resulted from differences in the relative importance of the determinants of confidence, and differences in the means of the constructs. No differences between Canada and the Netherlands were found regarding the relative importance of the determinants, which provides support for the generalizability of the framework. However, results indicated that Dutch consumers had a higher level of optimism and a lower level of pessimism regarding the safety of food, which appeared to be mainly related to Dutch consumers’ lower level of concern about factors related to production. The results also indicated cross-national differences in consumer recall of food safety issues in the media.     

Tolerance of a standard intact protein formula versus a partially hydrolyzed formula in healthy, term infants

Background  

Parents who perceive common infant behaviors as formula intolerance-related often switch formulas without consulting a health professional. Up to one-half of formula-fed infants experience a formula change during the first six months of life.     

Fatty acid analysis of blood serum, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa of normozoospermic vs. Asthernozoospermic males

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22∶6n−3) is found in extremely high levels in human ejaculate with the majority occurring in the spermatozoa. However, the relative concentration of DHA and other fatty acids, in blood serum, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa of asthenozoospermic vs. normozoospermic individuals is not known. We analyzed the phospholipid fatty acid composition of blood serum, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa of normozoospermic men and asthenozoospermic men in order to determine if DHA levels, as well as the levels of other fatty acids, differed. The serum phospholipid DHA levels were similar in the two groups, suggesting similar intakes of dietary DHA. On the other hand, seminal plasma levels of DHA (3.0 vs. 3.7%) and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (11.8 vs. 13.5%) were significantly lower in asthenozoospermic vs. normozoospermic men, respectively, while 18∶1 (19.0 vs. 16.8%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (24.2 vs. 21.7%) were significantly higher in the asthenozoospermic vs. the normozoospermic men. Spermatozoa from asthenozoospermic men had higher levels of 18∶1, 20∶0, 22∶0, 22∶1, and 24∶0 than sperm from normozoospermic men, and lower levels of 18∶0 and DHA (8.2 vs. 13.8%). Furthermore, total MUFA (19.3 vs. 16.5%) was higher and total PUFA (19.0 vs. 24.0%), n−3 fatty acids (9.3 vs. 14.6%), and the ratio of n−3 to n−6 fatty acids (1.0 vs. 1.6) were lower in the asthenozoospermic men. Therefore, in asthenozoospermic individuals, lower levels of DHA in the seminal plasma, but not in the blood serum, mimic the decreased concentrations of DHA in the spermatozoa. This suggests that the lower concentrations of spermatozoon DHA in these individuals are due not to dietary differences but to some type of metabolic difference in the asthenozoopermic men.     

Mediators of telephone-based continuing care for alcohol and cocaine dependence.

A previous randomized trial with 224 alcohol and/or cocaine addicts who had completed an initial phase of treatment indicated that 12 weeks of telephone-based continuing care yielded higher abstinence rates over 24 months than did group counseling continuing care. The current study examined mediators of this treatment effect. Results suggested that self-help involvement during treatment and self-efficacy and commitment to abstinence 3 months after treatment mediated subsequent abstinence outcomes. These analyses controlled for substance use prior to the assessment of mediators. Conversely, there was no evidence that self-help beliefs or social support mediated the treatment effect. These results are consistent with a model in which treatment effects are first accounted for by changes in behavior, followed by changes in self-efficacy and in commitment to abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissolution and Separation of Aluminum and Aluminosilicates

Selection of an aluminum alloy for target cladding affects post-irradiation target dissolution and separations. Recent tests with aluminum alloy 6061 yielded greater than expected precipitation in the dissolver, forming up to 10 wt.% solids of aluminum hydroxides and aluminosilicates. Aluminosilicate dissolution presents challenges in a number of different areas, including metals extraction from minerals, flyash treatment, and separations from aluminum alloys. We present experimental work that attempts to maximize dissolution of aluminum metal in caustic, along with silicon, magnesium, and copper impurities, through control of temperature, the rate of reagent addition, and incubation time. Aluminum phase transformations have been identified as a function of time and temperature, using X-ray diffraction. Solutions have been analyzed using wet chemical methods and X-ray fluorescence. These data have been compared with published calculations of aluminum phase diagrams. Approaches are given to enhance the dissolution of aluminum and aluminosilicate phases in caustic solution.     

Active coke: Carbonaceous materials as catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation

The catalytic dehydrogenation (DH) and oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes are of significant industrial importance. In this work both carbonaceous material deposited on VO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts during reaction and unsupported carbon nanofibres (CNFs) are shown to be active for the dehydrogenation of butane in the absence of gas-phase oxygen. Their activity in these reactions is shown to be dependent upon their structure, with different reaction temperatures yielding structurally different coke deposits. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), among other techniques, has been applied to the characterisation of these deposits – the first time this technique has been employed in coke studies. TEM and other techniques show that coke encapsulates the catalyst, preventing access to VO_x sites, without a loss of activity. Studies on CNFs confirm that carbonaceous materials act as catalysts in this reaction. Carbon-based catalysts represent an important new class of potential catalysts for DH and ODH reactions.     

Oxygen Deficiency and Hydrogen Turn ZnO Red

The effect of hydrogen on ZnO while annealing at 1370 K under oxygen-poor conditions with excess Zn vapor or Ti metal is studied. ZnO turns red only when hydrogen is present in a complex with oxygen vacancies. A practical method is described to remove hydrogen from ZnO in a sealed ampoule and to bind it to Ti metal. Hydrogen coupled to an oxygen vacancy is the simplest defect to explain the observations. The coloration is reversible at 1370 K by adding or removing hydrogen, consistent with an activation energy >1.5 eV. In red ZnO Hall data show a shallow donor level around 45 meV.