Changes in volatile compounds during ripening of Chorizo de Pamplona elaborated with Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus carnosus.

The ripening of chorizo de Pamplona was followed through the changes of the volatile compounds extracted by a simultaneous destilation-extraction with dichloromethane. An increase of the number and concentration of compounds was detected during the maturation, ranging from 63 compounds (10.26 mg dodecane/g dry matter) to 98 substances (223.16 mg of dodecane/g dry matter) identified in the mixing and in the final product, respectively. Acids showed the highest increase during the ripening, reaching 90% of the total amount of compounds at the end of the process, followed by esters and aldehydes. Short chain fatty acids, which contributed to the typical organoleptic charac teristics of dry fermented sausages, became apparent from the 21st day and accounted for only 1.3 mg of the total of acids in final product (202 mg dodecane/g dry matter). Sulphur compounds decreased slightly during the ripening, a result of the decrease in the content of the disulphide di- 2-propenyl, a compound originated from garlic

Piezoelectric materials parameters for piezoelectric thin films in GHz applications

Piezoelectric thin films have existing and promising new applications in microwave filter technologies. The final performance depends on many parameters, and very specifically on the materials properties of each involved material. In this article, materials and properties for thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators are discussed on some selected issues: the piezoelectric coefficients and acoustic losses of AlN, the relation of the first one with microstructural parameters, the inclusion of parasitic elements, and the merits of and problems with ferroelectric material

Influence of the simultaneous addition of the protease flavourzyme and the lipase novozym 677BG on dry fermented sausage compounds extracted by SDE and analyzed by GC-MS

A dry fermented sausage (chorizo de Pamplona) was elaborated with the simultaneous addition of a lipase (Novozym 677BG) and a protease (Flavourzyme) and ripened during 21 days, in contrast to the control without enzymes and ripened during 35 days. Faster and more intense lipolytic and proteolytic activities were observed in the modified sausage, despite its shorter maturation time. At the end of the ripening, a determination of the profile of compounds extracted by simultaneous distillation-extraction with dichloromethane was carried out. The total amounts of extracted compounds (expressed in milligrams of dodecane per gram of dry matter) were 2.5 in the sausage with enzymes and 1.9 in the control. The chemical groups showing increments due to the use of enzymes were esters (103.5% increment) and acids (87% increment) in both cases due to the greater presence of long-chain fatty acid products. However, development of substances originated from further degradation process of amino acids and free fatty acids did not seem to have taken place

Optimizing headspace temperature and time sampling for identification of volatile compounds in ground roasted Arabica coffee

Equilibration time and temperature were the factors studied to choose the best conditions for analyzing volatiles in roasted ground Arabica coffee by a static headspace sampling extraction method. Three temperatures of equilibration were studied: 60, 80, and 90 degrees C. A larger quantity of volatile compounds was extracted at 90 degrees C than at 80 or 60 degrees C, although the same qualitative profile was found for each. The extraction of the volatile compounds was studied at seven different equilibration times: 30, 45, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 150 min. The best time of equilibration for headspace analysis of roasted ground Arabica coffee should be selected depending on the chemical class or compound studied. One hundred and twenty-two volatile compounds were identified, including 26 furans, 20 ketones, 20 pyrazines, 9 alcohols, 9 aldehydes, 8 esters, 6 pyrroles, 6 thiophenes, 4 sulfur compounds, 3 benzenic compounds, 2 phenolic compounds, 2 pyridines, 2 thiazoles, 1 oxazole, 1 lactone, 1 alkane, 1 alkene, and 1 acid

Analysis of volatile compounds by GC-MS of a dry fermented sausage: chorizo de Pamplona

The profile of volatile compounds of a typical Spanish dry fermented sausage, chorizo de Pamplona, has been analyzed by GC-MS, using a simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) system. Qualitative and quantitative differences were found in the volatile profiles obtained in the five analyzed commercial brands. One hundred and ninety three different substances were isolated, the group of acids being the most important from a quantitative point of view in all brands, accounting at least for the 60% of the total area. Aldehydes, basically from lipid oxidation, contributed between 7.72% and 13.97% to the total amount. Acids and aldehydes were the chemical families that showed the lowest variability among brands. In contrast, esters showed the highest coefficient of variation among brands (111%), followed by phenols (82%) and terpenes (76%). The variability observed in these three families could be attributed respectively to the different starter cultures, smoking process and spices employed in their production. Butylated hydroxytoluene (added as an antioxidant, E-321) was the third most abundant compound in 3 of the 5 brands

Human Cerebral Activation during Steady-State Visual-Evoked Responses

Flicker stimuli of variable frequency (2-90 Hz) elicit a steady-state visual-evoked response (SSVER) in the electroencephalogram (EEG) with the same frequency as the stimulus. In humans, the amplitude of this response peaks at approximately 15 Hz, decreasing at higher stimulation frequencies. It was not known whether this peak response corresponds to increased synaptic activity in the visual cortex or to other mechanisms [for instance, the temporal coherence (phase summation) of evoked responses]. We studied the SSVER in 16 normal volunteers by means of visual stimulation at 14 different frequencies (from 5 to 60 Hz) while recording the EEG. In nine subjects of the group, we measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with positron emission tomography (PET)-H2(15)O at rest and during visual stimulation at five different frequencies: 5, 10, 15, 25, and 40 Hz. We confirmed that the amplitude of the SSVER in occipital regions peaks at 15 Hz stimulation. Applying to the PET rCBF data a contrast weighted by the amplitude of the SSVER, we determined that the primary visual cortex rCBF follows an activation pattern similar to the SSVER. This finding suggests that the amplitude of the SSVER corresponds to increased synaptic activity, specifically in Brodmann's area 17. Additionally, this study showed that visual stimulation at 40 Hz causes selective activation of the macular region of the visual cortex, and that a region in the dorsal aspect of the Crus I lobule of the left cerebellar hemisphere is activated during repetitive visual stimulation

Topography of Cortical Activation Differs for Fundamental and Harmonic Frequencies of the Steady-State Visual-Evoked Responses. An EEG and PET H15 2 O Study

In humans, visual flicker stimuli of graded frequency (2--90 Hz) elicit an electroencephalographic (EEG) steady-state visual-evoked response (SSVER) with the same fundamental frequency as the stimulus and, in addition, a series of harmonic responses. The fundamental component of the SSVER is generated by increased synaptic activity in primary visual cortex (V1). We set out to determine the cortical origin of the harmonic responses in humans. For this purpose, we recorded the SSVERs at 5 different frequencies (5, 10, 15, 25, and 40 Hz) and measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with positron emission tomography-H15 2 O at rest and during visual stimulation at the same frequencies. The rCBF contrast weighted by the amplitude of the SSVERs first harmonics showed activation of a swath of cortex perpendicular to V1, including mostly the inferior half of the parietooccipital sulcus. This area overlapped minimally with the primary visual cortex activated by the fundamental frequency. A different method, estimating EEG cortical source current density with lowresolution brain electromagnetic tomography, gave the same results. Our finding suggests that the inferior portion of the banks of the parieto-occipital sulci contains association visual cortex involved in the procparieto-occipital sulcus