Modelling of Thermal Sterilisation of High-Moisture Snack Foods: Feasibility Analysis and Optimization

High-moisture snacks, such as steamed buns and rice cakes, are traditional and popular in Asian countries. However, their shelf life is short, primarily due to microbial spoilage. Current manufacturing methods address this shortcoming through the use of chemical preservatives. To satisfy consumers’ demand for preservative-free food, thermal sterilisation of a model high-moisture snack (steamed rice cakes) is investigated in this work. Bacillus cereus spores are heat-resistant pathogens typically found in rice products; hence, they constitute a suitable candidate to assess the effectiveness of thermal sterilisation. A validated combination of predicted temperature profile of rice cakes based on thermal properties extracted experimentally with thermal inactivation kinetics of B. cereus spores allows us to assess the sensitivity of processing conditions to sterilisation efficiency. Using both experimentation and modelling, it is shown that enhancement of heat transfer by improving convection from the heating medium (either water or steam) has a limited effect on inactivation due to the intrinsic kinetics of spore inactivation.     

Stable carbon isotope evidence for intrinsic bioremediation of tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene at area 6, Dover Air Force Base

Area 6 at Dover Air Force Base (Dover, DE) has been the location of an in-depth study by the RTDF (Remediation Technologies Development Forum Bioremediation of Chlorinated Solvents Action Team) to evaluate the effectiveness of natural attenuation of chlorinated ethene contamination in groundwater. Compound-specific stable carbon isotope measurements for dissolved PCE and TCE in wells distributed throughout the anaerobic portion of the plume confirm that stable carbon isotope values are isotopically enriched in 13C consistent with the effects of intrinsic biodegradation. During anaerobic microbial reductive dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons, the light (12C) versus heavy isotope (13C) bonds are preferentially degraded, resulting in isotopic enrichment of the residual contaminant in 13C. To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide definitive evidence for reductive dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons at a field site based on the delta13C values of the primary contaminants spilled at the site, PCE and TCE. For TCE, downgradient wells show delta13C values as enriched as -18.0/1000 as compared to delta13C values for TCE in the source zone of -25.0 to -26.0/1000. The most enriched delta13C value on the site was observed at well 236, which also contains the highest concentrations of cis-DCE, VC, and ethene, the daughter products of reductive dechlorination. Stable carbon isotope signatures are used to quantify the relative extent of biodegradation between zones of the contaminant plume. On the basis of this approach, it is estimated that TCE in downgradient well 236 is more than 40% biodegraded relative to TCE in the proposed source area.     

Naßklassierung von Stärke — eine physikalische Beeinflussungsmöglichkeit der technologisch wichtigen Eigenschaften von Stärke

Wet Classification of Starch — a physical possibility to influence the technologically important properties of starch . The requirements on the sharp classification of starch are not totally fulfilled by known methods. A classification process was developed by counter-current separation in the centrifugal field. With this technique, narrow starch grain size distributions can be produced. These product fractions are different in thier grain size, viscous properties, their composition (ash, protein, grease) and other relevant starch qualities. The grain size at which the separation is carried out can be changed by a variation of the operating parameters (through-put and centrifugal field of the centrifuge) and determined by means of a given equation. The quality of the classification process depends on the starch properties (starch and protein contents in the suspension) and operating parameters (water through-put). A typical result of the classification (coarse fraction: 3%< 10μm; fine fraction: 70%< 10μm) is presented. But also the influence of the operating parameters on the separation efficiency curve and the properties of the product fractions are discussed.     

Bücherschau

Ohne Zusammenfassung VDI     

Dynamics of distillation with high product purities

For the simulation of steady- and non-steady-state behaiour of separation columns, a simulation program was developed and employed for the calculation and optimization of methanol-water separation. The demand for increasingly higher purities and energy-saving optimization of plants results in complex column configurations and thus in complex control schemes. The number of possible control schemes was reduced on the basis of heuristic rules. By simulating the process, the optimum control and manipulative variables and measuring points were determined from the reduced number of control concepts. A control scheme was introduced. The model was verified by simulation of the dynamic behaviour of the process. The investigation included the effects of computing technique, time interval, model reduction and tray hold-up on the results. Thus, various effects and interactions were verified theoretically with respect to the robustness of the model. This was followed by a simulation of the non-ontrolled and controlled column. By implementing the controllers in the existing column program, the computer can predict the control parameters. These parameters were checked and corrected when the metahnol-ater column was put in operation. In the start-up phase, major problems were caused by the sensitivity and failure rate of density, throughput and pump measuring sensors. Feed impurities were another source of problems. Operation with high product purities is possible, with a side stream to discharge impurities.     

Bücherschau

Ohne Zusammenfassung VDI     

Kinetic evidence for peptide-induced oligomerization of the molecular chaperone DnaK at heat shock temperatures

The pre-steady-state kinetics of the binding of a fluorescent peptide (dansyl-KLIGVLSSLFRPK, fVSV13) to the Escherichia coli molecular chaperone DnaK were investigated over a range of temperatures (25-42 degrees C). At 42 degrees C, over a wide range of peptide concentrations, the fVSV13 peptide bound to DnaK with biphasic kinetics: a rapid burst in the DnaK-fVSV13 signal in the first 5 s was followed by a gradual reduction in the signal over the next 100 s. The descending portion of each biphasic trace followed the equation F(t) = DeltaF exp(-kdt) + Finfinity, where DeltaF, kd, and Finfinity are the amplitude, the apparent first-order rate constant, and the fluorescence end point, respectively. Both DeltaF and kd increased with increasing concentrations of DnaK, which suggests that the loss of the DnaK-fVSV13 signal is caused by a bimolecular reaction. We propose that (i) the fVSV13 peptide binds to and induces a conformational change in the DnaK monomer [E + P right harpoon over left harpoon (EP)*]; and (ii) the conformational change promotes the formation of oligomeric DnaK-peptide complexes [En + (EP)* right harpoon over left harpoon En-EP]. The term (EP)* denotes a monomeric DnaK-peptide complex in which the bound peptide is fluorescent; En-EP denotes an oligomeric DnaK-peptide complex in which the fluorescence of the bound peptide is quenched. Numerical fitting of the stopped-flow data to reactions (i) and (ii) yielded values for the four rate constants. When the proposed kinetic model was tested by conducting experiments in the presence of excess peptide or excess ATP&sbd;conditions which inhibit oligomerization&sbd;DnaK-fVSV13 complex formation proceeded to stable asymptotes, with no reduction in the DnaK-fVSV13 signal at long times.     

The application of methods of non-linear dynamics for the improved and predictive recognition of patients threatened by sudden cardiac death

OBJECTIVES: This study introduces new methods of non-linear dynamics (NLD) and compares these with traditional methods of heart rate variability (HRV) and high resolution ECG (HRECG) analysis in order to improve the reliability of high risk stratification. METHODS: Simultaneous 30 min high resolution ECG's and long-term ECG's were recorded from 26 cardiac patients after myocardial infarction (MI). They were divided into two groups depending upon the electrical risk, a low risk group (group 2, n = 10) and a high risk group (group 3, n = 16). The control group consisted of 35 healthy persons (group 1). From these electrocardiograms we extracted standard measures in time and frequency domain as well as measures from the new non-linear methods of symbolic dynamics and renormalized entropy. RESULTS: Applying discriminant function techniques on HRV analysis the parameters of non-linear dynamics led to an acceptable differentiation between healthy persons and high risk patients of 96%. The time domain and frequency domain parameters were successful in less than 90%. The combination of parameters from all domains and a stepwise discriminant function separated these groups completely (100%). Use of this discriminant function classified three patients with apparently low (no) risk into the same cluster as high risk patients. The combination of the HRECG and HRV analysis showed the same individual clustering but increased the positive value of separation. CONCLUSIONS: The methods of NLD describe complex rhythm fluctuations and separate structures of non-linear behavior in the heart rate time series more successfully than classical methods of time and frequency domains. This leads to an improved discrimination between a normal (healthy persons) and an abnormal (high risk patients) type of heart beat generation. Some patients with an unknown risk exhibit similar patterns to high risk patients and this suggests a hidden high risk. The methods of symbolic dynamics and renormalized entropy were particularly useful measures for classifying the dynamics of HRV.