Physicochemical Characteristic of Malt Vinegar with Spices

The malt vinegar is very popular in England, being prepared from barley malt using a method resembling to the one used to produce the wine vinegar. It has a strong taste and a medium acidity. Regarding the fact that it is not very common in Romania, the aim of the study was flavouring the malt vinegar with seasoning plants for a high concentration of antioxidants, flavour and also for making it more popular amongst consumers. Two types of flavoured malt vinegar were obtained, one of them with turmeric and the other one with rosemary, pepper and grain mustard. In order to characterize the new products, several physicochemical analyses were conducted (antioxidant capacity, total extract and acidity).Â

Comparison of Ferments in the Process of Functional Beverage Making

The aim of this study was to compare the main ferments selected to be used in the process of mead making: Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and pollen, the latter having been used in ancient times as ferment. It has only been recently that the market has exhibited significant interest in developing foods containing functional ingredients. Honey has been a corollary of hidden nutritional and medicinal value for centuries. Mead is the result of alcoholic fermentation, by mixing different proportions of honey with water and pollen, as a fermentation agent. The fermentation process was monitored by collecting samples periodically and analyzing the alcohol concentration, total extract, the level of fermentation, the pH, as well as the yeast number with the Thoma cell counting chamber. Additionally, physicochemical (acidity and vitamin C) and sensory parameters were determined for the final products. Results and discussion: Pollen-fermented beverages have a higher alcohol concentration than beverages fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is explained by the additional intake of carbohydrates induced by the addition of pollen

Structural Changes Associated with the Pseudoelastic Response of Fe-Based Shape Memory Alloys

The pseudoelastic responses of two types of iron base shape memory alloys (SMAs) were introduced and discussed. The former was based on Fe-Mn-Si system, obtained by classical (CM) and by powder metallurgy (PM) manufacturing. The latter was based on Fe-Ni-Co system being processed by a non conventional technology comprising melt spinning and heat treatment. In the case of FeMnSibased SMAs, CM specimens obviously experienced larger ductility and a more pronounced pseudoelastic response while PM specimens were stiffer and underwent larger work-hardening. On the other hand, melt spun FeNiCo-based SMAs revealed an outstanding superelasticity in the case of micro-indentation tests. By means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, a martensitic morphology was identified in FeMnSi-based SMAs while FeNiCo-based SMAs revealed an austenitic structure. The presence of both α’ and ε martensites was confirmed in FeMnSibased SMAs by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). In fully austenitic melt-spun and aged FeNiCo-based SMAs, no martensite was indentified on XRD patterns. These results sustain the conclusion that FeMnSi-based SMAs, that contain pre-existing martensite, experienced a pseudoelastic behavior caused by crystallographic reorientation of martensite plate variants while austenitic FeNiCo-based SMAs experienced a reversible stress-induced martensitic transformation, at room temperature

Influența exercitată de Led-uri și tuburile fluorescente, de diferite culori, asupra proceselor regenerative și a morfogenezei la culturile in vitro de Rebutia heliosa

The paper traces how the light source and light color influence the regenerative processes and morphogenesis in vitro cultures of Rebutia heliosa. To establish the vitroculture of R. heliosa, some explants from young plants, either buds or rounds cut from young stems and cross-sectioned were considered. The culture medium consisted of: macroelements and Fe EDTA Murashige-Skoog (1962), microelements Heller (1953), a mineral mixture to which the following vitamins were added: pyridoxine HCl, thiamine HCl and nicotinic acid (each 1 mg/l, each), m-inositol – 100 mg/l, sucrose – 20 g/l and agar-agar 7 g/l, without growth phytoregulators.The variable element was the lighting source. Fluorescent tubes and LEDs (monochrome but differently coloured) have been used: blue (λ = 470 nm), yellow (λ = 580 nm), green (λ = 540 nm), red (λ = 670 nm) as well as LED`s emitting white light (λ = 510 nm) at a luminous intensity of 1000 lux. The evolution of R. heliosa vitro cultures was monitored for 90 days and analyzed their reaction variability. Based on the comparative study, the following can be stated: the light of fluorescent tubes is more suitable for the morphogenesis of R. heliosa vitroplants, but the processes of regeneration and organogenesis are directly influenced by the source and color of light influenced, thus rhizogenesis and caulogenesis is favored by the presence of green and red light emitted by LEDs, while the white and yellow light of fluorescent tubes favors the caulogenesis and callusogenesis processes.Lucrarea urmărește modul în care sursa de iluminare și culoarea luminii influențează procesele regenerative și morfogeneza în vitroculturile de R. heliosa. Pentru a înființa vitrocultura de R. heliosa am prelevat explante de la plante t inere, fie mugurași, fie rondele decupate din tulpinile tinere și secţionate transversal. Mediul de cultură utilizat de noi a constat din: macroe-lemente şi Fe EDTA Murashige-Skoog (1962), microelemente Heller (1953), amestec mineral la care au fost adăugate vitaminele: piridoxină HCl, tiamină HCl şi acid nicotinic (câte 1 mg/l, fiecare), m-inozitol – 100 mg/l, zaharoză – 20 g/l şi agar-agar 7 g/l, fără fitoregulatori de creștere. Variabila este reprezentată de sursa de iluminare, tuburi fluorescente și LED-uri (monocrome și diferit colorate): albastru (λ = 470nm), galben (λ = 580nm), verde (λ = 540nm), roșu (λ = 670nm) și LED-uri care emit lumină albă (λ = 510nm) la o intensitate luminoasă de 1000 lux. Am urmărit timp de 90 de zile evoluţia vitroculturilor de R. heliosa și am analizat variabilitatea de reacţie a acestora iar pe baza studiului comparativ putem afirma următoarele: lumina tuburilor fluorecente este mai potrivită pentru morfogeneza vitroplantulelor de R. heliosa, dar procesele de regenerare și organogeză sunt influențate în mod direct de sursa și culoarea luminii, astfel rizogeneza și caulogeneza este favorizează de prezența luminii verde și roșie emisă de LED-uri în timp ce lumina albă și galbenă a tuburilor fluorescente avantajează procesele de caulogeneză și calusogeneză

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Ce₁₄Fe₇₈Co₂B₆ Nanopowders Prepared by Ball Milling at Low Temperature

Ce14Fe78Co2B6 nanopowders with hard-magnetic properties have been successfully prepared by ball milling at low temperatures in liquid nitrogen. The morphology, structure, and magnetic properties of Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry, respectively. It was found that powder ball milling at low temperature in liquid nitrogen, has the advantage that the oxidation of powders is inhibited and the particles rapidly reach nanometric dimensions. In comparison to the Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders prepared by ball milling at room temperature, the powders milled at low temperature present a more uniform particle size and no rare-earth oxides, which leads thus to remarkable magnetic properties. The nanocrystalline Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders with optimum characteristics, prepared at low temperature, have the size of 153 nm or less, present a coercivity of 5.1 kOe, and a saturation magnetization of 113 emu/g after milling for 6 h at low temperature. Low temperature milling may become a promising technique for the fabrication of high performance powders used for permanent magnets preparation

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Ce14Fe78Co2B6 Nanopowders Prepared by Ball Milling at Low Temperature

Ce14Fe78Co2B6 nanopowders with hard-magnetic properties have been successfully prepared by ball milling at low temperatures in liquid nitrogen. The morphology, structure, and magnetic properties of Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry, respectively. It was found that powder ball milling at low temperature in liquid nitrogen, has the advantage that the oxidation of powders is inhibited and the particles rapidly reach nanometric dimensions. In comparison to the Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders prepared by ball milling at room temperature, the powders milled at low temperature present a more uniform particle size and no rare-earth oxides, which leads thus to remarkable magnetic properties. The nanocrystalline Ce14Fe78Co2B6 powders with optimum characteristics, prepared at low temperature, have the size of 153 nm or less, present a coercivity of 5.1 kOe, and a saturation magnetization of 113 emu/g after milling for 6 h at low temperature. Low temperature milling may become a promising technique for the fabrication of high performance powders used for permanent magnets preparation

Structural-Functional Changes in a Ti50Ni45Cu5 Alloy Caused by Training Procedures Based on Free-Recovery and Work-Generating Shape Memory Effect

Active elements made of Ti50Ni45Cu5 shape memory alloy (SMA) were martensitic at room temperature (RT) after hot rolling with instant water quenching. These pristine specimens were subjected to two thermomechanical training procedures consisting of (i) free recovery shape memory effect (FR-SME) and (ii) work generating shape memory effect (WG-SME) under constant stress as well as dynamic bending and RT static tensile testing (TENS). The structural-functional changes, caused by the two training procedures as well as TENS were investigated by various experimental techniques, including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fragments cut from the active regions of trained specimens or from the elongated gauges of TENS specimens were analyzed by DSC, XRD, and AFM. The DSC thermograms revealed the shift in critical transformation temperatures and a diminution in specific absorbed enthalpy as an effect of training cycles. The DMA thermograms of pristine specimens emphasized a change of storage modulus variation during heating after the application of isothermal dynamical bending at RT. The XRD patterns and AMF micrographs disclosed the different evolution of martensite plate variants as an effect of FR-SME cycling and of being elongated upon convex surfaces or compressed upon concave surfaces of bent specimens. For illustrative reasons, the evolution of unit cell parameters of B19′ martensite, as a function of the number of cycles of FR-SME training, upon concave regions was discussed. AFM micrographs emphasized wider and shallower martensite plates on the convex region as compared to the concave one. With increasing the number of FR-SME training cycles, plates’ heights decreased by 84–87%. The results suggest that FR-SME training caused marked decreases in martensite plate dimensions, which engendered a decrease in specific absorbed enthalpy during martensite reversion