Kleinschalige raffinage van bietenblad : eerste verkenning van de moglijkheden

Doelstelling van de eerste fase van het onderzoek was ‘het verkennen van kleinschalige keten(s) voor de raffinage van bietenblad’, met aandacht voor de technologische en economische haalbaarheid. Deze verkenning vormt de basis voor de volgende fase, waarin kansrijke opties verder worden uitgewerkt en openstaande vragen worden beantwoord. De eerste fase bestond uit het benoemen van een aantal mogelijkheden om feed-eiwit te winnen uit bietenblad, in overleg met een aantal consortiumpartners. Daaruit zijn twee opties geselecteerd die technologisch haalbaar zijn (gebruik makend van bestaande technologie). Deze zijn vervolgens economisch doorgerekend op hoofdlijnen, waar nodig met gebruik van een aantal ruwe aannames. Parallel hieraan zijn een aantal proeven gedaan met bietenblad: er is bietenblad geperst en ingekuild en er zijn analyses gedaan aan vers blad en verschillende tussenproducten

Structure and Scaling Behavior of Aging Rennet-Induced Casein Gels Examined by Confocal Microscopy and Permeametry

A study is presented on the structure of rennet(-induced) casein or skim milk gels at three pH values (5.3, 6.0, and 6.65) and temperatures (20, 25, and 30 C). The structure was examined by confocal scanning laser microscopy and permeametry. Deconvolution was applied to the microscopic images. A fractal scaling analysis has been applied to the images and permeametry results. In this analysis, the fractal dimensionality (Df), lower cutoff length (R0), and apparent pore size (P) of the linear scaling regime were calculated from the microscopical data. The Df and apparent pore size were also calculated from the permeametry data. During aging of the gels, a coarsening of the structure was observed; the pore size increased and the clusters became more compact. This was reflected in the fractal parameters: R0 and P increased during gel aging. Their values are generally high (0.5-1.5 and 5.0-15 m, respectively) compared to data obtained by computer simulations. The Df value is also high (~2.2-2.6), which is an indication of slow aggregation or rearrangements during aggregation. The gel aging effects are probably mainly due to rearrangements such as particle fusion and strand fracture, which rates increase with increasing temperature, and even more pronouncedly, with decreasing pH

Structure and Scaling Behavior of Aging Rennet-Induced Casein Gels Examined by Confocal Microscopy and Permeametry

A study is presented on the structure of rennet(-induced) casein or skim milk gels at three pH values (5.3, 6.0, and 6.65) and temperatures (20, 25, and 30 C). The structure was examined by confocal scanning laser microscopy and permeametry. Deconvolution was applied to the microscopic images. A fractal scaling analysis has been applied to the images and permeametry results. In this analysis, the fractal dimensionality (Df), lower cutoff length (R0), and apparent pore size (P) of the linear scaling regime were calculated from the microscopical data. The Df and apparent pore size were also calculated from the permeametry data. During aging of the gels, a coarsening of the structure was observed; the pore size increased and the clusters became more compact. This was reflected in the fractal parameters: R0 and P increased during gel aging. Their values are generally high (0.5-1.5 and 5.0-15 m, respectively) compared to data obtained by computer simulations. The Df value is also high (~2.2-2.6), which is an indication of slow aggregation or rearrangements during aggregation. The gel aging effects are probably mainly due to rearrangements such as particle fusion and strand fracture, which rates increase with increasing temperature, and even more pronouncedly, with decreasing pH

Body mass index and complications following major gastrointestinal surgery: A prospective, international cohort study and meta-analysis

Aim Previous studies reported conflicting evidence on the effects of obesity on outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. The aims of this study were to explore the relationship of obesity with major postoperative complications in an international cohort and to present a metaanalysis of all available prospective data. Methods This prospective, multicentre study included adults undergoing both elective and emergency gastrointestinal resection, reversal of stoma or formation of stoma. The primary end-point was 30-day major complications (Clavien–Dindo Grades III–V). A systematic search was undertaken for studies assessing the relationship between obesity and major complications after gastrointestinal surgery. Individual patient meta-analysis was used to analyse pooled results. Results This study included 2519 patients across 127 centres, of whom 560 (22.2%) were obese. Unadjusted major complication rates were lower in obese vs normal weight patients (13.0% vs 16.2%, respectively), but this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.863) on multivariate analysis for patients having surgery for either malignant or benign conditions. Individual patient meta-analysis demonstrated that obese patients undergoing surgery formalignancy were at increased risk of major complications (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.49–2.96, P < 0.001), whereas obese patients undergoing surgery for benign indications were at decreased risk (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46–0.75, P < 0.001) compared to normal weight patients. Conclusions In our international data, obesity was not found to be associated with major complications following gastrointestinal surgery. Meta-analysis of available prospective data made a novel finding of obesity being associated with different outcomes depending on whether patients were undergoing surgery for benign or malignant disease