Effects of pre-treatments to preserve quality attributes and prolong shelf-life of dried pomegranate arils

Horticultur

Effect of curing conditions and harvesting stage of maturity on Ethiopian onion bulb drying properties

The study was conducted to investigate the impact of curing conditions and harvesting stageson the drying quality of onion bulbs. The onion bulbs (Bombay Red cultivar) were harvested at three harvesting stages (early, optimum, and late maturity) and cured at three different temperatures (30, 40 and 50 oC) and relative humidity (30, 50 and 70%). The results revealed that curing temperature, RH, and maturity stage had significant effects on all measuredattributesexcept total soluble solids

Development and quality evaluation of bioactive rich drink powder based on sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn berries have been used as an ancient medicine for thousands of years. Exceptional nutritional value and health benefits of sea buckthorn have been disclosed by recent research. Sea buckthorn berries are high in health-enhancing bioactive compounds. The major health benefits of sea buckthorn include anti-oxidation activities, anti-cancer properties, reduction of cardiovascular disease and improvement of immune system. Evidence suggests that diets rich in antioxidants reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through direct effects on amyloid beta (Aβ, a hallmark of AD) and consequently influence AD pathogenesis. Despite the links between sea buckthorn and known AD risk factors (altered glucose metabolism and elevated cholesterol levels), the relationship between sea buckthorn and Aβ production/ degradation has not been fully characterised. The aim of this study was to develop a bioactive rich functional drink powder incorporating sea buckthorn and address this knowledge gap by administering drink powder and sea buckthorn to an inexpensive in vitro cell system and assess their effects on Aβ levels

Integration of pulsed electric fields technology in the biorefinery of agri-food wastes and microalgae

2017 - 2018Recently, the idea of valorizing industrial agro-food wastes and microalgal biomass, through an efficient recovery of their major bioactive constituents to be used as ingredients in food, feed, pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors, is gaining interest, due to the increasing demand of consumers for natural products. However, the extraction of these compounds is problematic, due to the presence of a “physical barrier” (cell wall/membrane) when removing intracellular substances. Pre-treatment stage (thermal, mechanical or enzymatic) to permeabilise cellular tissues and facilitate the diffusion of the intracellular compounds in the external medium are required, together with the use of large amount of organic solvents and long contact times. This lead to high energy consumption, the formation of undesired compounds as well as to the eventual degradation of the target molecules to be recovered. Physical pretreatments operations have been proposed in the last year to overcome these problems and among them Pulsed electric fields (PEF) technology has shown promising results as to obtain mild, sustainable and efficient permeabilisation of cell membranes with respect to conventional cell disintegration methods. PEF consists in exposing biological cells to repetitive short voltage pulses (μs – ms in width) with an electric field strength in the range 0.5 - 50 kV/cm and an energy input up to 150 kJ/kg, mainly depending on cell size and morphology. This technique exploits its potential via the “electroporation” of membranes, which rapidly favors the leakage of valuable compounds from the cells. ... [edited by Author]XXXI cicl

Actions for Bioenergy and Biofuels: A Sustainable Shift

The topic of bioenergy is a multidisciplinary one, where the use of resources and skills can be optimized for the development of sustainable models. It is a time for green strategies, but also for action. It is, therefore, necessary to implement projects that address virtuous examples of the circular bioeconomy. All politicians are called on to contribute, because this global goal can only be achieved if a contribution is made by all countries

Food science sourcebook

2 v. : ill. ; 26 cm2nd edition.Rev. ed. of: Source book for food scientists. c1978"An AVI book."Pt. 1. Terms and descriptions -- pt. 2. Food composition,properties, and general data

Synthesis of new pyrazolium based tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids and their use in removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution

In this study, two new pyrazolium based tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids, 2-ethyl-1-(4-methylphenyl)-3,5- dimethylpyrazolium tetrafluoroborate (3a) and 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-pentyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazolium tetrafluoroborate (3b), were synthesized via three-step reaction and characterized. The removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution has been investigated using the synthesized salts as an extractant and methylene chloride as a solvent. The obtained results show that MB was extracted from aqueous solution with high extraction efficiency up to 87 % at room temperature at the natural pH of MB solution. The influence of the alkyl chain length on the properties of the salts and their extraction efficiency of MB was investigated

Effects of Irrigation Rate and Planting Density on Maize Yield and Water Use Efficiency in the Temperate Climate of Serbia

Scarce water resources severely limit maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation in the temperate regions of northern Serbia. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and planting density on yield and water use efficiency in temperate climate under sprinkler irrigation. The experiment included five irrigation treatments (full irrigated treatment – FIT; 80% FIT, 60% FIT, 40% FIT, and rainfed) and three planting densities (PD1: 54,900 plants ha–1 ; PD2: 64,900 plants ha–1; PD3: 75,200 plants ha–1). There was increase in yield with the irrigation (1.05–80.00%) as compared to the rainfed crop. Results showed that decreasing irrigation rates resulted in a decrease in yield, crop water use efficiency (WUE), and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). Planting density had significant effects on yield, WUE, and IWUE which differed in both years. Increasing planting density gradually increased yield, WUE, and IWUE. For the pooled data, irrigation rate, planting density and their interaction was significant (P < 0.05). The highest two-year average yield, WUE, and IWUE were found for FIT-PD3 (14,612 kg ha–1), rainfed-PD2 (2.764 kg m–3), and 60% FITPD3 (2.356 kg m–3), respectively. The results revealed that irrigation is necessary for maize cultivation because rainfall is insufficient to meet the crop water needs. In addition, if water becomes a limiting factor, 80% FIT-PD3 with average yield loss of 15% would be the best agronomic practices for growing maize with a sprinkler irrigation system in a temperate climate of Serbia