Influence of nitrogen on the degradation of toluene in a compost‐based biofilter

Two identical laboratory‐scale bioreactors were operated simultaneously, each treating an input air flow rate of 1 m³ h^?1. The biofilters consisted of multi‐stage columns, each stage packed with a compost‐based filtering material, which was not previously inoculated. The toluene inlet concentration was fixed at 1.5 g m^?3 of air. Apart from the necessary carbon, the elements nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium and other micro‐elements are also essential for microbial metabolism. These were distributed throughout the filter bed material by periodic ‘irrigations’ with various test nutrient solutions. The performance of each biofilter was quantified by determining its toluene removal efficiency, and elimination capacity. Nutrient solution nitrogen levels were varied from 0 to 6.0 g dm^?3, which led to elimination capacities of up to 50 g m^?3 h^?1 being obtained for a toluene inlet load of 80 g m^?3 h^?1. A theoretical analysis also confirmed that the optimum nitrogen solution concentration lays in the range 4.0–6.0 g dm^?3. Validation of the irrigation mode was achieved by watering each biofilter stage individually. Vertical stage‐by‐stage stratification of the biofilter performance was not detected, ie each filter bed section removed the same amount of pollutant, the elimination capacity per stage being about 16 g m^?3 h^?1 per section of column. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

NEG thin films for under controlled atmosphere MEMS packaging

Non-evaporable getter (NEG) thin films for residual gases control in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) cavities after sealing are considered. For this study, several getters are deposited and analyzed in terms of sorption performances, microstructure and activation mechanism. Compared to single layer evaporated titanium reference, the addition of a chromium sub-layer is shown to decrease the activation temperature of the NEG. Moreover, when activated under 0.2 mbar of N₂, nitrogen diffusion in the titanium layer is enhanced by sub-layer addition. Effective pumping of nitrogen is monitored by residual gas analysis (RGA). Transmission electron microscopy investigation of as-deposited thin film getters reveals Ti layer microstructure modification due to platinum sub-layer addition. Furthermore, activation under nitrogen atmosphere is shown to induce microstructure modifications for both getters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and depth profiling monitoring of NEG activation under high vacuum conditions (10⁻⁸ mbar) shows the dissolution of the NEG surface oxide in the getter bulk, along with the formation of carbide and nitride compounds. These results are in good agreement with already published results on getter alloys.     

Process–Structure–Function Relations of Pectin in Food

Pectin, a complex polysaccharide rich in galacturonic acid, has been identified as a critical structural component of plant cell walls. The functionality of this intricate macromolecule in fruit- and vegetable-based–derived products and ingredients is strongly determined by the nanostructure of its most abundant polymer, homogalacturonan. During food processing, pectic homogalacturonan is susceptible to various enzymatic as well as nonenzymatic conversion reactions modifying its structural and, hence, its functional properties. Consequently, a profound understanding of the various process–structure–function relations of pectin aids food scientists to tailor the functional properties of plant-based derived products and ingredients. This review describes the current knowledge on process–structure–function relations of pectin in foods with special focus on pectin's functionality with regard to textural attributes of solid plant-based foods and rheological properties of particulated fruit- and vegetable-derived products. In this context, both pectin research performed via traditional, ex situ physicochemical analyses of fractionated walls and isolated polymers and pectin investigation through in situ pectin localization are considered.     

Seed Germination and Seedling Growth under Simulated Microgravity Causes Alterations in Plant Cell Proliferation and Ribosome Biogenesis

The study of the modifications induced by altered gravity in functions of plant cells is a valuable tool for the objective of the survival of terrestrial organisms in conditions different from those of the Earth. We have used the system “cell proliferation–ribosome biogenesis”, two inter-related essential cellular processes, with the purpose of studying these modifications. Arabidopsis seedlings belonging to a transformed line containing the reporter gene GUS under the control of the promoter of the cyclin gene CYCB1, a cell cycle regulator, were grown in a Random Positioning Machine, a device known to accurately simulate microgravity. Samples were taken at 2, 4 and 8 days after germination and subjected to biometrical analysis and cellular morphometrical, ultrastructural and immunocytochemical studies in order to know the rates of cell proliferation and ribosome biogenesis, plus the estimation of the expression of the cyclin gene, as an indication of the state of cell cycle regulation. Our results show that cells divide more in simulated microgravity in a Random Positioning Machine than in control gravity, but the cell cycle appears significantly altered as early as 2 days after germination. Furthermore, higher proliferation is not accompanied by an increase in ribosome synthesis, as is the rule on Earth, but the functional markers of this process appear depleted in simulated microgravity-grown samples. Therefore, the alteration of the gravitational environmental conditions results in a considerable stress for plant cells, including those not specialized in gravity perception.     

Modeling heat resistance of Bacillus weihenstephanensis and Bacillus licheniformis spores as function of sporulation temperature and pH

Although sporulation environmental factors are known to impact on Bacillus spore heat resistance, they are not integrated into predictive models used to calculate the efficiency of heating processes. This work reports the influence of temperature and pH encountered during sporulation on heat resistance of Bacillus weihenstephanensis KBAB4 and Bacillus licheniformis AD978 spores. A decrease in heat resistance (δ) was observed for spores produced either at low temperature, at high temperature or at acidic pH. Sporulation temperature and pH maximizing the spore heat resistance were identified. Heat sensitivity (z) was not modified whatever the sporulation environmental factors were. A resistance secondary model inspired by the Rosso model was proposed. Sporulation temperatures and pHs minimizing or maximizing the spore heat resistance (T(min(R)), T(opt(R)), T(max(R)), pH(min(R)) and pH(opt(R))) were estimated. The goodness of the model fit was assessed for both studied strains and literature data. The estimation of the sporulation temperature and pH maximizing the spore heat resistance is of great interest to produce spores assessing the spore inactivation in the heating processes applied by the food industry.     

Microencapsulation of Flaxseed Oil by Spray Drying: Effect of Oil Load and Type of Wall Material

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the type of wall material and the oil load on the microencapsulation of flaxseed oil by spray drying. Gum arabic, whey protein concentrate, and a modified starch were used to produce the microcapsules, each with four oil concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40% oil, w/w, with respect to total solids), for a total of 12 tests. Initially, the feed emulsions were characterized for stability, viscosity, and droplet size. Then they were dried in a laboratory-scale spray dryer and the resulting particles were analyzed for encapsulation efficiency, lipid oxidation, moisture content, and bulk density. The increase in oil concentration led to the production of emulsions with larger droplets and lower viscosity, which directly affected powder properties, resulting in lower encapsulation efficiency and higher lipid oxidation. Among the three wall materials evaluated, the modified starch showed the best performance, with the highest encapsulation efficiency and lowest peroxide values.