Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds in milk and dairy products

Summary The PCB content of 469 milk and dairy product samples was determined. The fat was extracted and cleaned up through aluminium oxide. The organochlorine pesticides and the PCBs were separated by chromatography through a silica gel column. The PCBs in the purified extracts were perchlorinated to decachlorobiphenyl and determined by gas chromatography. The mean PCB content of the samples investigated was 0.18 mg per kg fat. The results are comparable with those obtained in neighbouring countries and significantly lower than the interim FDA tolerance of 1.5 mg per kg fat.

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Polychlorierte Biphenylverbindungen in Milch und Milcherzeugnissen

Zusammenfassung Der Gehalt an polychlorierten Biphenylverbindungen wurde in 469 Milch- und Milcherzeugnis-Proben bestimmt. Das Fett wurde extrahiert und über Aluminiumoxid gereinigt. Die Organochlorpesticide und die PCB's wurden durch Chromatographie über eine Silicagelkolonne getrennt. Die PCB's der gereinigten Extrakte wurden zu Dekachlorbiphenyl perchloriert und durch Gaschromatographie bestimmt. Der durchschnittliche PCB-Gehalt der gesamten Muster betrug 0,18 mg pro kg Fett. Die Ergebnisse können mit denen der Nachbarländer verglichen werden und sind bedeutsam niedriger als die vorläufige FDA-Toleranz von 1,5 mg pro kg Fett.

     

Malolactic fermentation of Tempranillo wine: contribution of the lactic acid bacteria inoculation to sensory quality and chemical composition

Malolactic fermentation (MLF) of Tempranillo Rioja wines (Spain) inoculated with two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were studied and compared with spontaneous MLF. Inoculation with selected Oenococcus oeni lyophila shortened MLF duration up to 19 days and lead to wines with more fresh and fruity characters, especially when implantation was 100%. We demonstrated modifications in the concentration of volatile and nitrogenous compounds and a good correlation between analytical and sensory attributes was also noted. In addition, the low initial amino acid concentration and the consumption of these compounds by the inoculated yeast strain during alcoholic fermentation resulted in wines with very low biogenic amines levels (under 3.75 mg L^?1) after MLF and 3 month storage period in all cases. The results showed the significance of choose the most suitable starter to elaborate quality wines and suggest the control of amino acid content in must and wine to prevent the formation of biogenic amines.     

Beef sausage structure affected by sodium chloride and potassium lactate

A histological and ultrastructural study was conducted to characterize changes in the muscle fibre structure of three fresh sausage preparations, depending on meat composition, sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium lactate (K-lactate) contents. After addition of 0.8% and 1.6% NaCl, 65% and 51%, respectively, of the area observed showed well preserved fibres (histological data). The altered regions presented a large disorganization of the myofilaments and a solubilization of the sarcolemma and of the Z lines. K-lactate addition had no marked effects on meat structure. The preparation containing some sheep meat was more sensitive to salt than the others containing only bovine meat. The level of alteration was much lower than those obtained in pork meat in another study. Technological conditions used to modify the internal muscle fibre structure during sausage processing depend on the species used. Therefore, the classification of the sausage preparation to “meat preparation” or “meat product” under the EU regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 (which assign meat preparations to meat if the product has undergone a process insufficient to modify the internal muscle fibre structure of the meat) must be systematically controlled when changing the meat sausage composition.     

Effect of Thermomechanical Fatigue on Precipitation Microstructure in Two Precipitation-Hardened Cast Aluminum Alloys

Thermal loading induces modifications of the precipitation microstructure of Al–Si–Cu–Mg alloys. This study focuses on the effect of deformation on precipitation microstructure during thermomechanical loadings. Several specimens were thermomechanically cycled while others were exposed to the same thermal cycles without any mechanical loading. The nature and morphological characteristics of the precipitation microstructure of the thermomechanically cycled specimens are compared to those of the thermally aged ones, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in order to assess the effect of deformation on the precipitation microstructure and especially on the kinetics of precipitate growth. The absence of any significant effect of superimposed straining during thermal cycling is discussed. Implications for the prevision of yield strength degradation during service operation are briefly presented.

     

Transparent ZnS Ceramics by Sintering of High Purity Monodisperse Nanopowders

We report an efficient way of preparing transparent ZnS ceramics using the hot‐pressing technique. It has been found that the transparency is highly dependent on the purity and the grain size distribution of the starting ZnS powders. Highly pure and monodisperse ZnS powders have been obtained by posttreatment of the precipitated powders in a H₂S/N₂ flow for 2 h at 600°C. The obtained ZnS ceramics show fully dense and homogeneous microstructure with average grain size of ~1 μm and smooth grain boundaries, leading to an excellent transmission of around 70% in the mid‐ and far‐ IR regions. The preparation technique described in this study is highly reproducible.     

Thermal stress–strain of self‐compacting concrete in compression

Self‐compacting concrete or self‐consolidation concrete (SCC) is being used in underground and other industrial structures that may be subjected to high temperatures during operation or in case of an accidental fire. The proper understanding of the effects of elevated temperatures on the stress–strain relationship of SCC is necessary in the assessment of structural safety. This paper presents the high temperature behavior from an experimental study carried out on SCC subjected to high temperatures. The effects of temperature, strength grade, and polypropylene (PP) fibers on the initial elastic modulus, strain at peak stress, and stress–strain curves of SCC are studied, which offered a test basis for estimating the deformation of SCC under high temperature. An empirical constitutive formula for the thermal stress–strain of SCC is developed on the basis of the deformation characteristics of PP fiber‐modified SCC. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linear viscoelasticity characterization of egg albumen/glycerol blends with applications in material moulding processes

The effect of composition, storage conditions and temperature over the rheological properties of dough-like materials prepared within a mixing-rheometer was studied using different egg albumen protein/glycerol ratios: 50/50, 60/40 and 65/35. As protein/glycerol ratio increases from 50/50 to 65/35, the mechanical spectra display a dramatic increase (i.e. 15,000-fold in the storage modulus at 1 rad/s), as a greater degree of structuration is achieved. An evolution from a predominantly viscous behaviour into a predominantly elastic one is also observed (i.e. the loss tangent shifts from 1.9 to 0.3 at 1 rad/s).When the viscoelastic properties were studied along ageing, a relaxation related minimum was found at relatively short times, which could define the optimal condition for bioplastic processing (e.g. injection moulding). Freezing also plays an important role by inhibiting ageing and strongly retarding the evolution of G′ and G″ along ageing time after thawing. When samples are submitted to a thermal treatment up to 90 °C, a minimum is always found both in G′ and G″ that takes place at lower temperature as the protein/glycerol ratio increases (from 62 to 49 °C).     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Tandem Isomerization–Transfer Hydrogenation Reactions of γ‐Trifluoromethylated Allylic Alcohols and β‐Trifluoromethylated Enones

The ruthenium–2‐propanol combination was found to transform γ‐trifluoromethylated allylic alcohols and β‐trifluoromethylated enones into the corresponding saturated alcohols in excellent yields via a one‐pot tandem process involving isomerization and transfer hydrogenation(s). High stereospecificity was demonstrated and evidence for two mechanistic pathways is provided. The method was applied to a rapid synthesis of trifluoromethylated citronellol.