Influence of pulsed electric field on enzymes,bacteria and volatile flavor compounds of unpasteurized sake

A pulsed electric field(PEF) was applied to unpasteurized sake at constant temperatures, at which α-amylase was not inactivated. We adjusted the input energy to be identical for the temperatures by changing the number of PEF application, because the current significantly increased with the temperature, even the amplitude of the applied voltage was identical. As a result, the α-amylase was seemed to be inactivated by PEF application, not due to thermal effect.The glucoamylase was significantly inactivated by PEF. Moreover, the acid carboxypeptidase was inactivated by PEF at 4 °C but significantly activated at 25 °C. These results show that the sensitivity of enzyme to PEF application differs depending on the types of enzyme and treatment temperature. On the other hand, the colony number of bacteria was remarkably decreased, but the amount of the volatile flavor compounds was not decreased by PEF application.     

Impact of Infrared Broiling on the Thiamin and Riboflavin Retention and Sensory Quality of Salmon Steaks for Foodservice Use

Salmon steaks were broiled using infrared radiation and compared to convection oven baking. Total percent cooking losses of moisture and fat content were not significantly different. Samples broiled by infrared oven retained 87.2% and 92.6% of thiamin and riboflavin content, respectively. There were no significant differences for vitamin retention by both methods. Appearance and color of salmon steaks baked in the convection oven were rated significantly higher than infrared broiled samples. Tenderness and juiciness scores for infrared broiled steaks were significantly higher than those for convection oven baked steaks. There were no significant differences in panel scores for odor, flakiness, flavor and overall acceptability of steaks prepared by both methods.     

A comprehensive economic analysis of biomass gasification systems

This paper presents a comprehensive economic analysis of biomass gasification systems. There has recently been interest in promoting biomass energy systems in Japan's domestic sector. However, there are problems in achieving this project. The costs of plant construction are very high compared with conventional plants. Accordingly, the unit costs of electricity will be increased to levels comparable with those of other environmental energy systems. Copyright © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. In this paper, biomass energy systems using woody biomass are proposed from the viewpoint of successful environmental business. Biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) plants operated by independent power producers and biomass gasification cogeneration (BGCGS) plants in sawmills or asphalt‐concrete production factories have the potential for implementation in the near future. Our analysis concludes that the systems proposed in this paper provide the following outcomes with subsidies: (1) the generating cost of BIGCC ranges from 15.1 to 36.6 yen/kWh, (2) the generating cost of BGCGS ranges from 2.6 to 32.2 yen/kWh, and (3) the cost reduction of BGCGS products in asphalt factories amounts to about 60 million yen per year. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 153(3): 52–63, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20089     

Mixing and Flow Characteristics in the Alumina/Thermoplastic Resin System

Rheological properties were investigated for combinations of six different alumina and three thermoplastic resins of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The curves of torque versus time in the alumina/resin mixture systems could be classified into four patterns depending on both the mixing properties of each of the resins and the solid concentration. It was verified through infrared spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography measurements that the behavior of the mixtures could be explained by taking the degradation of each resin into account. Flow was characterized as shear thinning in both the alumina/resin and resin systems. A simple parameter, V¯_p= (ρ_cr− V¯)/ρ_cr, a kind of corrected liquid volume concentration, was introduced to express the dependence of relative viscosity η_r of the mixture on the solid concentration V¯ and the relative compaction density ρ_cr. The relation η_r=αV¯^−β_p could be useful for estimation of the flow properties of ceramic powder/resin mixture systems.     

Functional Improvement of Alginic Acid by Conjugating with β-Lactoglobulin

Two bovine β-lactoglobulin-alginic acid (β-LG-ALG) conjugates were prepared to improve the function of ALG by using water-soluble carbodiimide and the Maillard reaction. Fluorescence studies suggested that the conformation around Trp had been changed in each conjugate and that the surface of each conjugate was covered with polysaccharide chain. Structural analyses with monoclonal antibodies indicated that the conformation around 15Val-29IIe (β -sheet) in each conjugate had changed, while the native structure was maintained around 125Thr-135Lys (α-helix). After conjugating with β -LG, ALG showed retinol-binding and high emulsifying ability. The aggregating property of ALG in acid and in the presence of Ca²⁺ was improved in each conjugate.     

EFFECTS OF DIMENSIONS OF AGAR AND GELATIN GELS ON PALATAL PRESSURE PATTERNS

Eating of agar and gelatin gels in the mouth was studied dynamically in detail. The palatal presures on agar and gelatin gels of various concentrations and dimensions were detected by pressure transducers installed at three locations of the palate. For each of the gels, Pm (the maximum palatal pressure at the initial stage of mastication), P (the mean palatal pressure), W (work), and T (retaining time in the mouth) changed significantly when their concentrations increased. Moreover, gel dimensions also affected Pm, P and W. For a bite-size gel, Pm, P and W increased or remained constant, while for a finer sized gel, Pm, P and W were nearly constant regardless of the increase in rupture strength or gel concentration.     

氧化物弥散强化铁素体钢的电子辐照行为

本文利用超高压电子显微镜进行电子辐照实验，分析了我国试制的氧化物弥散强化（ＯＤＳ）铁素体钢的辐照行国．在６７０－７２０Ｋ下辐照时观察到了辐照空洞的形成．辐照条件为７２０Ｋ，９ｄｐａ时的辐照肿胀率小于０．１％．同时在电子衍射图样中发现了明显的衍射环，分析表明这些衍射环的出现是由于电子辐照促进了Ｙ２Ｏ３微细相形成的缘故．     

Modelling inundation patterns and sediment dynamics in the extensive floodplain along the Tonle Sap River

The Tonle Sap River (TSR) serves as a natural medium for the reversal flow between Tonle Sap Lake (TSL) and the Mekong River to sustain productivity and biodiversity in the TSR floodplain and TSL. Understanding the hydrological connectivity and its dynamics in the TSR, including its floodplain, is therefore important to support activities that aim to maintain ecological services in the TSR–TSL system. Thus, the main objective of this study is to examine the hydrological connectivity of the TSR and its floodplain by a modelling approach that integrates inundation patterns and sediment dynamics. The Caesar–Lisflood model was applied to describe inundation, sediment erosion, transport, and deposition in the TSR for the period of 2003–2013. The inundation areas connected to the TSR ranged from 140 to 2,327 km², whereas the isolated inundation areas from the TSR ranged from 0.27 to 504 km². Sediment dynamics showed its influence on inundation patterns and hydrological connectivity and could alter the yearly inundation ratio (defined as a normalized inundation frequency with a value ranging from 0 to 1) up to 0.8. Our approach provides a quantitative way to determine key factors (e.g., total inundation areas, seasonality, and connectivity of inundation patterns) for further investigation of ecological processes in relation to the inundation patterns and sediment dynamics in the TSR and TSL.