Physico‐chemical Characterization of Floridean Starch of Red Algae

The current work reports on isolation and physico‐chemical characterization of floridean starch from three species of agarophytic macro red algae. As determined by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, the average chain length and degree of branching frequency of this starch were 18 and 4.8, respectively. According to its amylopectin chain length distribution obtained by Dionex analysis, the crystalline polymorph of floridean starch from the red alga Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis was deduced to be C‐type and this was further supported from its X‐ray crystallographic pattern. Enzymatic analysis of its glucose 6‐phosphate content showed that floridean starch had a low level of covalently linked phosphate (1 nmol per milligram starch) and this was further confirmed by ³¹P‐NMR. The absorbance peak of floridean starch with iodine occurred at 527—530 nm and the blue value was low (0.1), indicating the absence of amylose, which was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Floridean starch exhibited low gelatinization temperature, low viscosity, high clarity and little or no retrogradation upon repetitive freeze‐thaw cycles, as studied by DSC and rapid viscosity analysis (RVA). These results are discussed in light of the functional properties and the structure of floridean starch.     

IT for niche companies: is an ERP system the solution?

Abstract.  Niche companies are per definition idiosyncratic. They survive in a competitive world by mastering a small market niche, providing what their customers need. This often requires a flexible organization, and the ability to customize products. To be more efficient, many of these companies rely on extensive use of IT, often by installing general Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. These systems have grown from isolated systems that handle planning based on incoming orders and the component structure of the various products, to systems with ambitions to embrace the total functioning of the company including vendor and customer relation management. In this paper, we present four case studies. One company is a part of a large enterprise, but performs niche functions within this enterprise. The other three are small- or medium-sized enterprises. Each of these performs in small niche markets. Common to all is the fact that they encounter problems with the utilization of their ERP systems. The major problem seems to be that the ERP system has an inherent business model that may not conform to the needs of the company. Without a good understanding of the underlying models and the constraints under which the fundamental algorithms operate, it is difficult to use these systems correctly. Even excellent systems may give bad results if they are applied to situations where they are not suited. Further, the monolithic structure of an ERP system, with a rather complicated parameter setting, is often insufficient to mould the system to the needs of a niche company. We discuss these problems based on our four case studies, and offer alternative approaches that may be considered.     

Heat conduction in microbes exposed to pulsed electric fields

Nonthermal pasteurization of liquid foods by intense pulsed electric fields results in advantages over conventional heat pasteurization. Thermal damage to liquid foods can adversely affect the flavor and taste and result in loss of nutrients. Numerical modeling of heating parameters near the microbe during exposure to these intense electric fields is described. Boundary conditions at membrane interfaces included the continuity of temperature and continuity of heat flow. Temperature, heat flow vector, and heat source were included in the one-dimensional model. Two simulations are reported here. Simulation 1 consisted of a 0.5 μm wide microbe suspended in liquid with conductivity of 0.01 S/m and was treated with an applied electric field of 40 kV/cm for 375 ns. Simulation 2 contained a 1.0 μm wide microbe suspended in liquid with conductivity of 0.1 S/m and was treated with an applied electric field of 40 kV/cm for 1 μs. Comparison is made with a uniform conductivity model (ohmic), and it is shown that significant differences exist in the heating parameters between the two models. For the parameters used in these one-dimensional simulations, conditions for electroporation were found to exist without a significant temperature rise in the microbe     

Replacement of partially hydrogenated soybean oil by palm oil in margarine without unfavorable effects on serum lipoproteins

We have compared the effects of three different margarines, one based on palm oil (PALM-margarine), one based on partially hydrogenated soybean oil (TRANS-margarine) and one with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA-margarine), on serum lipids in 27 young women. The main purpose of the study was to test if replacement of trans fatty acids in margarine by palmitic acid results in unfavorable effects on serum lipids. The sum of saturated fatty acids (12∶0, 14∶0, 16∶0) was 36.3% of total fatty acids in the PALM-diet, the same as the sum of saturated (12∶0, 14∶0, 16∶0) (12.5%) and trans (23.1%) fatty acids in the TRANS-diet. This sum was 20.7% in the PUFA-diet. The content of oleic acid was 37.9, 35.2, and 38.6%, respectively, in the three diets, whereas linoleic acid amounted to 16, 13.5, and 27.3%, respectively. Total fat provided 30–31% and the test margarines 26% of total energy in all three diets. The subjects consumed each of the diets for 17 d in a Latin-square crossover design. There were no significant differences in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) between the TRANS-and the PALM-diets. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and apoA-I were significantly higher on the PALM-diet compared to the TRANS-diet whereas the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol was lower, although not significantly (P=0.077) on the PALM-diet. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and apoB were significantly lower on the PUFA-diet compared to the two other diets. HDL-cholesterol was not different on the PALM-and the PUFA-diets but it was significantly lower on the TRANS-diet compared to the PUFA diet. Compared to the PUFA-diet the ratio of LDL-to HDL-cholesterol was higher on both the PALM- and the TRANS-diets whereas apoA-I was not different. Triglycerides and lipoprotein (a) were not significantly different among the three diets. We concluded that nutritionally, palmitic acid from palm oil may be a reasonable alternative to trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated soybean oil in margarine if the aim is to avoid trans fatty acids. A palm oil-based margarine is, however, less favorable than one based on a more polyunsaturated vegetable oil.     

Dissolution of platinum in methoxy propionitrile containing LiI/I2

The stability of vapour deposited Pt and Pd as electrocatalysts on fluorine doped, tin oxide coated glass for the use as counter electrodes in dye senzitized electrochemical solar cells has been investigated. The electrocatalytically active layers did not seem to be chemically stable in an electrolyte consisting of LiI and I₂ dissolved in methoxy propionitrile. Thermodynamical calculations suggest the dissolution of Pt and Pd from the electrode surface to be caused by the formation of PtI₄ and PdI₆. Formation of complex species as PtI²⁻₄ and PdI²⁻₄ is less thermodynamically favoured, but PtI²⁻₄ may also be present in the solution.     

Experimental investigation of the dynamic elastic modulus and vibration damping in MoSi2-30%Si3N4 as a function of temperature

The dynamic elastic modulus, E, and vibration damping of molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂) with 30% volume addition of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) were measured at varying temperatures using the piezoelectric ultrasonic composite oscillator technique (PUCOT). The value of the elastic modulus of the composite was observed to decrease as temperature, T, was increased. The value of dE/dT of MoSi₂ was determined to be −0.03 GPa/K. The vibration damping of MoSi₂-30%Si₃N₄ increased as temperature was increased, with an effective activation energy of 0.076 eV/atom. This was an average over the entire temperature range, but two distinct slopes were observed in the plot of damping versus inverse temperature.