Evaluation of the effect of a novel membrane filtration system on the lifespan of frying oil

Frying oil has a limited lifetime which results in the disposal of approximately 67% of all used oil. The aim of this study is to determine the suitability of different membranes for purifying frying oil and investigate the application of continuous membrane filtration in a commercial deep fryer. Eleven different membranes were tested to assess their suitability for filtrating frying oil. A prototype continuous filtration system with an integrated membrane filter was developed for a deep fryer to assess the effect of continuous membrane filtration on oil degradation. The prototype was subjected to a frying test over 13 days and the results compared to those from a standard deep fryer. The prototype maintained total polar compounds (TPC) at an acceptable level of <12% and the oil remained light in colour even after more than 280 h of use, while TPC in the standard deep fryer rose to >27%.     

>700W continuous-wave output power from single laser diode bar

>700 W continuous-wave output power has been demonstrated from a single 1 cm-wide laser bar (~940 nm) with 77% fill factor. Maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 65% has been achieved. Facet power density of 170 mW/mum and maximum PCE of 69% have been measured for 10% fill-factor bars with 3 mm cavity length     

Near 1 kW of Continuous-Wave Power From a Single High-Efficiency Diode-Laser Bar

Near 1 kW of continuous-wave output power has been obtained from a single 1-cm-wide diode-laser bar. Mounted on a water-cooled microchannel heat sink, the operating wavelength was near 940 nm (at ~400 W) and the measured thermal resistance was as low as 0.08degC/W. Maximum power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 70% and 67% were obtained from high-fill-factor bars with cavity lengths of 4 and 5 mm, respectively. A maximum PCE of 72.2% was achieved with 3-mm broad-area single emitters. On-going lifetime data may signal the stable operation at unprecedented powers.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed N‐tert‐Butoxycarbonyl (Boc) Amination by Directed C?H Bond Activation

N‐tert‐Butoxycarbonyl azide (BocN₃) was shown to be an efficient and economic source for the directed introduction of N‐Boc protected amino groups into the thiophene and benzene nucleus. Yields for the amination of 2‐pyridin‐2‐ylthiophenes (10 examples) were 52–88%. For the amination of the respective benzenes (10 examples) yields between 54% and 99% were recorded with an improved reactivity observed for substrates that bear an electron‐withdrawing group. The reaction was applied to short total syntheses of the indoloquinoline alkaloids quindoline and cryptolepine. The facile removal of the Boc protecting group was the key to the success of the syntheses. The scope of the reaction was extended to a C(sp³) H bond amination and to the amination of 2‐phenyloxazoline. For the amination of 2‐pyridin‐2‐ylbenzene a kinetic deuterium isotope effect of 2.0 was determined.

     

Evaluation of innovative technological approaches to replace palm fat with physically modified Swiss rapeseed oil in bakery products

Palm fat is often used in baked goods because of its relatively low cost, and its positive impact on texture and shelf life. Demand for alternatives has risen in recent years due to concerns about the ecological and social sustainability. This is a challenge for the bakery industry since palm fat possesses unique properties. In this study, unhydrogenated rapeseed oil was processed using novel physical technologies, such as wax crystallisation, stabilised foaming and Pickering emulsions, in order to simulate palm fat properties. Analysis showed that while the initial viscosity of the fat substitute products was low compared to palm fat, the fat replacement products behaved very similarly to palm fat in the baking experiments. The resulting biscuits baked with emulsified rapeseed oil and rapeseed oil complemented with wax crystals were judged to be suitable replacements for palm fat in terms of processability, as well as analytical and sensory assessment.     

Chemical Compounds Released from Specific Osteoinductive Bioactive Materials Stimulate Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration

In this work, a poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based composite was enriched with one of the following sol-gel bioactive glasses (SBG) at 50 wt.%: A1—40 mol% SiO₂, 60 mol% CaO, CaO/SiO₂ ratio of 1.50; S1—80 mol% SiO₂, 20 mol% CaO, CaO/SiO₂ ratio of 0.25; A2—40 mol% SiO₂, 54 mol% CaO, 6 mol% P₂O₅, CaO/SiO₂ ratio of 1.35; S2—80 mol% SiO₂,16 mol% CaO, 4 mol% P₂O₅, CaO/SiO₂ ratio of 0.20. The composites and PLGA control sheets were then soaked for 24 h in culture media, and the obtained condition media (CM) were used to treat human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) for 72 h. All CMs from the composites increased ERK 1/2 activity vs. the control PLGA CM. However, expressions of cell migration-related c-Fos, osteopontin, matrix metalloproteinase-2, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4, vascular endothelial growth factor, and bone morphogenetic protein 2 were significantly increased only in cells treated with the CM from the A1/PLGA composite. This CM also significantly increased the rate of human BMSC migration but did not affect cell metabolic activity. These results indicate important biological markers that are upregulated by products released from the bioactive composites of a specific chemical composition, which may eventually prompt osteoprogenitor cells to colonize the bioactive material and accelerate the process of tissue regeneration.     

Dynamically enhanced membrane foaming

Foamed food products like chocolate mousse, ice cream or fresh cheese are increasingly popular due to their soft and creamy sensory properties. Their perception, stability and flow behavior strongly depend on gas fraction and bubble size distribution. Foam processing research focuses on developing new optimized processes and material systems to achieve small mean bubble size and narrow size distribution.In this work, we present a new dynamically enhanced membrane foaming process. This foaming device basically consists of two concentric cylinders: the inner cylinder is rotated with circumferential velocities up to , the outer cylinder is fixed. Thus, a shear field is created in the narrow annular gap. The membrane can either be mounted to the inner or outer cylinder. Gas is pressed through the membrane and is detached as small bubbles by the acting flow shear stresses. The comparison of rheological and microstructural analysis of foams to results on bubble breakup in simple shear flow and on detachment of bubbles from the pore of a rotating membrane proved that the detachment of small bubbles from the membrane is the dominating bubble formation process in the dynamically enhanced membrane foaming process. Compared to conventional rotor-stator foaming devices, the dynamically enhanced membrane foaming process leads to significantly smaller mean bubble sizes at higher gas volume fractions and to reduced size distributions widths.