Xanthylium salts formation involved in wine colour changes

Summary The reaction of (+)-catechin in wine-like model solution was investigated. First appearance of colourless dimeric compounds consisting of two flavanol units linked by carboxy-methine bridge was observed. Their isolation and further incubation was found to yield two types of yellowish pigments showing visible absorption maxima at 440 and 460 nm, respectively. Mass spectroscopy (MS) spectral analysis showed that the first type were xanthylium salt pigments formed by dehydration of the colourless compounds followed by an oxidation process. The loss of a water molecule was shown to take place between two A ring hydroxyl groups of the colourless dimers. The second type were shown to be ester derivatives of the first ones. Thus ethylester of xanthylium salt was obtained and fully characterized by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Esterification was found to involve the colourless compound before dehydration and thus a general scheme for xanthylium salt formation was postulated. The proposed scheme constitutes a new xanthylium formation pathway as up to now only anthocyanin-flavanol reactions were supposed to form xanthylium salt derivatives during wine ageing. This work also provides new support to the contribution of xanthylium salt in colour evolution observed during wine ageing which is generally expressed in an increase of absorption in the 400–500 nm, region of xanthylium salt absorption maxima.     

Ferroelectric solid solution Li1 − xTa1 − xWxO3 as potential photocatalysts in microbial fuel cells: Effect of the W content

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical systems that can directly convert the chemical energy contained in an effluent into bioelectricity by the action of microorganisms. The performance of these devices is heavily impacted by the choice of the material that forms the cathode. This work focuses on the assessment of ferroelectric and photocatalytic materials as a new class of non-precious catalysts for MFC cathode construction. A series of cathodes based on mixed oxide solid solution of LiTaO₃ with WO₃ formulated as Li_1-xTa_1-xW_xO₃ (x=0, 0.10, 0.20 and 0.25), were prepared and investigated in MFCs. The catalyst phases were synthesized, identified and characterized by DRX, PSD, MET and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The cathodes were tested as photoelectrocatalysts in the presence and in the absence of visible light in devices fed with industrial wastewater. The results revealed that the catalytic activity of the cathodes strongly depends on the ratio of substitution of W⁶⁺ in the LiTaO₃ matrix. The maximum power densities generated by the MFC working with this series of cathodes increased from 60.45 mW·m^-3 for x=0.00 (LiTaO₃) to 107.2 mW·m^-3 for x=0.10, showing that insertion of W⁶⁺ in the tantalate matrix can improve the photocatalytic activity of this material. Moreover, MFCs operating under optimal conditions were capable of reducing the load of chemical oxygen demand by 79% (COD_initial=1030 mg·L^-1).     

Study of nisin adsorption on plasma-treated polymer surfaces for setting up materials with antibacterial properties

Setting up antibacterial materials by nisin adsorption on surfaces depends mainly on the surface properties and the surface treatments allowing the modification of such properties. In order to investigate the factors affecting such adsorption, the native low density polyethylene (LDPE) was modified using Argon/Oxygen (Ar/O₂) plasma, nitrogen (N₂) plasma and plasma-induced grafting of acrylic acid (AA). The films were studied by various characterization techniques. The chemical surface modification was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the wettability of the surfaces was evaluated by contact angle measurements, the surface charge was determined by the zeta potential measurements, and the changes in surface topography and roughness were revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nisin was adsorbed on the native and the modified surfaces. The antibacterial activity, the nisin adsorbed amount, and the peptide distribution were compared for the four nisin-functionalized films. The highest antibacterial activity was recorded on the Ar/O₂ followed by AA then by N₂ treated films and the lowest activity was on the native film. The observed antibacterial activity was correlated to the type of the surface, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, surface charge, surface topography, nisin adsorbed amount, and nisin distribution on the surfaces.     

Experimental study and simulation of a solar dryer for spearmint leaves (Mentha spicata)

An indirect forced convection solar dryer consisting of an air flat plate collector and a drying cabin was designed and fabricated to investigate its performance under the climate of Algiers. Drying experiments have been performed for spearmint leaves at different air flow rates in order to determine the drying velocity, the characteristic drying curve, the effective diffusion coefficient and the activation energy. A mathematical model based on thermal and mass balances over the component of the solar collector and the cabinet dryer was developed. Simulations are carried out for meteorological data of Algiers (Algeria). We analyse the effect of air mass flow rate, air temperature, products mass, collector area, air recycling rate on the drying time, the solar fraction and the efficiency of the dryer.     

Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Leaves

The antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of three varieties of Phoenix dactylifera leaves, namely Deglet Nour, Medjhoul, and Barhee, were studied. The antioxidant activities of extracts of different leaf varieties obtained with solvents of different polarity were investigated using assays of 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrymhydrasyl hydrate radical-scavenging activity, total phenolics and flavonoids amount, condensed tannins, reducing power, and total antioxidant capacity. The results showed that all the extracts exhibited antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities at different magnitudes and potency. The decreasing order of antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities among the extracts assayed were found to be methanol (MeOH) fraction > ethyl acetate fraction > hexane fraction > water extract. Correlation analysis indicated that there is a linear relationship between antioxidant potency, free radical-scavenging ability, and the content of phenolic and flavonoids compounds of Phoenix dactylifera leaf extracts. These results showed that Phoenix dactylifera leaf extracts are a valuable natural antioxidant, which can be applied in both healthy medicine and food industry and biotechnology.     

Color thresholds for aesthetically compatible replacement of stones on monuments

A visual test was conducted to find color ranges in which a replacement stone is aesthetically compatible. This study describes a color calibrated image chain processing, from acquisition to display, that was used to simulate stone replacements on a realistic image of monument. Then, a visual test protocol was designed to locate color thresholds that separate a perceptible from an imperceptible replaced stone. A case study has been performed on the Aigues‐Mortes medieval city walls (South of France): Fifteen naive observers rated 2160 proposals of simulated stone replacements. The observer's answers (acceptance or rejection) were used to compute color thresholds along three colorimetric axes in a physiological and device‐independent color space (LMS). The results show that color thresholds are not centered on the mean color of the monument. Furthermore, lighter colors are not accepted, though these appear in the original wall. These color thresholds constitute a set of quantitative criteria for aesthetically compatible stones. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 38, 356–363, 2013     

Physicochemical Characteristics of Date Sap “Lagmi” from Deglet Nour Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.)

Physicochemical properties of sap from Deglet Nour date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) were studied. Composition analysis revealed (on a dry-weight basis) a high content of carbohydrates (94.98 g/100 g of dry matter basis) mainly sucrose, 2.72 g/100g (dry matter basis) of proteins and 2.29 g/100 g (dry matter basis) of ash. Date palm sap also contains 7.64 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 ml of total polyphenol. Thus, date palm sap showed antioxidant activity with a percentage inhibition of the DPPH radical value of 47.64%. Surface and foaming properties were also performed by drop volume and bubbling method, respectively. Equilibrium surface tension of fresh sap was 63.51 mN/m. Freeze-drying method preserved surface activity. Native sap showed better foam power (1.03) and foam stability (1150 s) than solutions prepared from lyophilised sap (5–30 g /100g of solution). Results demonstrated that this natural juice could be regarded as functional food due to its high nutritional value, antioxidant activity, surface activity, and foam power.     

Antioxidative effect of compounds isolated from Globularia alypum L. structure-activity relationship

The antioxidant activity of the Globularia alypum phytochemicals were evaluated for their capacity to scavenge the 1,1-diphenyl-2-dipicrylhydrazyl (DPPH°) free radical and some structure-activity relationships were obtained. Assay guided fractionation led to the isolation of syringin, four phenylethanoids, four flavonoids and six iridoids as the main constituents of the extract and their antioxidant activity was determined. The obtained results showed that the activity towards the DPPH° free radical was mainly due to the flavonoid and phenyl ethanoid constituents which were most active free radical scavengers than iridoids. Among the tested flavonoids, 6-hydroxyluteolin glycosides showed the strongest activity, suggesting that the presence of the 6-hydroxyl group was a favourable structural feature of flavonoids with regard to DPPH° scavenging effect. The isolated phenylethanoid glycosides all showed potent antioxidant activity and their capacity to scavenge free DPPH° radical was greater than BHT. Their high antioxidant activity could be attributed to the caffeoyl moieties contained in them, while iridoids showed moderate free radical scavenging activity. The obtained results demonstrated that some of the isolated compounds play an important role for the antioxidant activity of G. alypum and give a scientific basis to the use of this plant in traditional medicine. The hydromethanolic extract of G. alypum could thus be considered as a source of potential antioxidants and will promote the reasonable usage of this plant in food technology and processing as well as for medical use.     

Ecoulement de fluides newtoniens et non newtoniens à travers des lits fixes stratifiés

Fixed beds of plate shape particles have been studied in two different “flow-particle” configurations. From pressure drop measurements performed for a Newtonian fluid flow, two characteristic structural parameters have been determined by using a capillary - type model. The differences concerning the hydrodynamic behaviour of the two configurations are discussed and a factor characterizing the bed anisotropy is proposed. A dimensionless equation allowing the pressure drop determination for Newtonian and non-Newtonian purely viscous fluid flow in the two configurations, for a large range of Reynolds numbers, is proposed and tested with experiments.     

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Fe-Ni Alloy Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting Fe/Ni Mixed Powders

Fe—Ni alloy,as a widely applied ferromagnetic material,is synthesized using selective laser melting(SLM).The chemical compositions and microstructure of the SLM Fe—Ni alloy are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.It was found that the samples exhibited fine grains with homogenous distribution when a low laser scanning velocity was used.Moreover,the magnetic properties of the samples with different laser parameters are also measured.It shows that the SLM Fe—30%Ni alloy possesses a low coercivity and high saturation magnetization.It also can be obtained that SLM is an alternative faster method to prepare soft magnetic material with complex shapes.Moreover,the magnetic properties can be influenced by the laser parameters.