Effect of Ultrasonic-Assisted Blanching on Size Variation, Heat Transfer, and Quality Parameters of Mushrooms

The main aim of this work was to assess the influence of the application of power ultrasound during blanching of mushrooms (60 90 °C) on the shrinkage, heat transfer, and quality parameters. Kinetics of mushroom shrinkage was modeled and coupled to a heat transfer model for conventional (CB) and ultrasonic-assisted blanching (UB). Cooking value and the integrated residual enzymatic activity were obtained through predicted temperatures and related to the hardness and color variations of mushrooms, respectively. The application of ultrasound led to an increase of shrinkage and heat transfer rates, being this increase more intense at low process temperatures. Consequently, processing time was decreased (30.7 46.0 %) and a reduction in hardness (25.2 40.8 %) and lightness (13.8 16.8 %) losses were obtained. The best retention of hardness was obtained by the UB at 60 °C, while to maintain the lightness it was the CB and UB at 90 °C. For enhancing both quality parameters simultaneously, a combined treatment (CT), which consisted of a CB 0.5 min at 90 °C and then an UB 19.9min at 60 °C, was designed. In this manner, compared with the conventional treatment at 60 °C, reductions of 39.1, 27.2, and 65.5 % for the process time, hardness and lightness losses were achieved, respectively. These results suggest that the CT could be considered as an interesting alternative to CB in order to reduce the processing time and improve the overall quality of blanched mushrooms.The authors acknowledge the financial support of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas and Universidad Nacional de La Plata from Argentina, Erasmus Mundus Action 2-Strand 1 and EuroTango II Researcher Training Program and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (SPAIN) and the FEDER (project DPI2012-37466-CO3-03).Lespinard, A.; Bon Corbín, J.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Benedito Fort, JJ.; Mascheroni, RH. (2015). 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Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (US) on the drying kinetics of orange peel as well as its influence on the microstructural changes induced during drying. Convective drying kinetics of orange peel slabs were carried out at a relative humidity of 26.5±0.9%, 40 °C and 1 m/s with (AIR+US) and without (AIR) ultrasound application. In order to identify the US effect on water transport, drying kinetics were analyzed by taking the diffusion theory into account. Fresh, AIR and AIR+US dried samples were analyzed using Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy. Results showed that the drying kinetics of orange peel were significantly improved by US application, which involved a significant (p<0.05) improvement of mass transfer coefficient and effective moisture diffusivity. The effects on mass transfer properties were confirmed with microstructural observations. In the cuticle surface of flavedo, the pores were obstructed by the spread of the waxy components, this fact evidencing US effects on the air solid interfaces. Furthermore, the cells of the albedo were disrupted by US, as it created large intercellular air spaces facilitating water transfer through the tissue.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of MICINN and CEE (European Regional Development Fund) from projects Ref. DPI2009-14549-C04-04, PSE-060000-2009-003, and FP6-2004-FOOD-23140 HIGHQ RTE.García Pérez, JV.; Ortuño Cases, C.; Puig Gómez, CA.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Pérez Munuera, IM. (2012). Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 5(6):2256-2265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0645-0S2256226556Alandes, L., Perez-Munuera, I., Llorca, E., Quiles, A., & Hernando, I. (2009). 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Demonstration of the event identification capabilities of the NEXT-White detector

In experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay, the possibility of identifying the two emitted electrons is a powerful tool in rejecting background events and therefore improving the overall sensitivity of the experiment. In this paper we present the first measurement of the efficiency of a cut based on the different event signatures of double and single electron tracks, using the data of the NEXT-White detector, the first detector of the NEXT experiment operating underground. Using a 228Th calibration source to produce signal-like and background-like events with energies near 1.6 MeV, a signal efficiency of 71.6 ± 1.5 stat± 0.3 sys% for a background acceptance of 20.6 ± 0.4 stat± 0.3 sys% is found, in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. An extrapolation to the energy region of the neutrinoless double beta decay by means of Monte Carlo simulations is also carried out, and the results obtained show an improvement in background rejection over those obtained at lower energies. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Radiogenic backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

Natural radioactivity represents one of the main backgrounds in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Within the NEXT physics program, the radioactivity- induced backgrounds are measured with the NEXT-White detector. Data from 37.9 days of low-background operations at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc with xenon depleted in 136Xe are analyzed to derive a total background rate of (0.84±0.02) mHz above 1000 keV. The comparison of data samples with and without the use of the radon abatement system demonstrates that the contribution of airborne-Rn is negligible. A radiogenic background model is built upon the extensive radiopurity screening campaign conducted by the NEXT collaboration. A spectral fit to this model yields the specific contributions of 60Co, 40K, 214Bi and 208Tl to the total background rate, as well as their location in the detector volumes. The results are used to evaluate the impact of the radiogenic backgrounds in the double beta decay analyses, after the application of topological cuts that reduce the total rate to (0.25±0.01) mHz. Based on the best-fit background model, the NEXT-White median sensitivity to the two-neutrino double beta decay is found to be 3.5σ after 1 year of data taking. The background measurement in a Qββ±100 keV energy window validates the best-fit background model also for the neutrinoless double beta decay search with NEXT-100. Only one event is found, while the model expectation is (0.75±0.12) events. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Energy calibration of the NEXT-White detector with 1% resolution near Q ββ of 136Xe

Excellent energy resolution is one of the primary advantages of electroluminescent high-pressure xenon TPCs. These detectors are promising tools in searching for rare physics events, such as neutrinoless double-beta decay (ββ0ν), which require precise energy measurements. Using the NEXT-White detector, developed by the NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) collaboration, we show for the first time that an energy resolution of 1% FWHM can be achieved at 2.6 MeV, establishing the present technology as the one with the best energy resolution of all xenon detectors for ββ0ν searches. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of natural products

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (USAE) is an interesting process to obtain high valuable compounds and could contribute to the increase in the value of some food by-products when used as sources of natural compounds. The main benefits will be a more effective extraction, thus saving energy, and also the use of moderate temperatures, which is beneficial for heat-sensitive compounds. For a successful application of the USAE, it is necessary to consider the influence of several process variables, the main ones being the applied ultrasonic power, the frequency, the extraction temperature, the reactor characteristics, and the solvent-sample interaction. The highest extraction rate is usually achieved in the first few minutes, which is the most profitable period. 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Electroluminescence TPCs at the thermal diffusion limit

[EN] The NEXT experiment aims at searching for the hypothetical neutrinoless double-beta decay from the 136Xe isotope using a high-purity xenon TPC. Efficient discrimination of the events through pattern recognition of the topology of primary ionisation tracks is a major requirement for the experiment. However, it is limited by the diffusion of electrons. It is known that the addition of a small fraction of a molecular gas to xenon reduces electron diffusion. On the other hand, the electroluminescence (EL) yield drops and the achievable energy resolution may be compromised. We have studied the effect of adding several molecular gases to xenon (CO2, CH4 and CF4) on the EL yield and energy resolution obtained in a small prototype of driftless gas proportional scintillation counter. We have compared our results on the scintillation characteristics (EL yield and energy resolution) with a microscopic simulation, obtaining the diffusion coefficients in those conditions as well. Accordingly, electron diffusion may be reduced from about 10 mm/ sqrt(¿) for pure xenon down to 2.5 mm/sqrt(m) using additive concentrations of about 0.05%, 0.2% and 0.02% for CO2, CH4 and CF4, respectively. Our results show that CF4 admixtures present the highest EL yield in those conditions, but very poor energy resolution as a result of huge fluctuations observed in the EL formation. CH4 presents the best energy resolution despite the EL yield being the lowest. The results obtained with xenon admixtures are extrapolated to the operational conditions of the NEXT-100 TPC. CO2 and CH4 show potential as molecular additives in a large xenon TPC. While CO2 has some operational constraints, making it difficult to be used in a large TPC, CH4 shows the best performance and stability as molecular additive to be used in the NEXT-100 TPC, with an extrapolated energy resolution of 0.4% at 2.45 MeV for concentrations below 0.4%, which is only slightly worse than the one obtained for pure xenon. We demonstrate the possibility to have an electroluminescence TPC operating very close to the thermal diffusion limit without jeopardizing the TPC performance, if CO2 or CH4 are chosen as additives.The NEXT Collaboration acknowledges support from the following agencies and institutions: the European Research Council (ERC) under the Advanced Grant 339787-NEXT; the European Union's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreements No. 674896, 690575 and 740055; the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain under grants FIS2014-53371-C04, the Severo Ochoa Program SEV-2014-0398 and the Maria de Maetzu Program MDM-2016-0692; the GVA of Spain under grants PROMETEO/2016/120 and SEJI/2017/011; the Portuguese FCT under project PTDC/FIS-NUC/2525/2014, under project UID/FIS/04559/2013 to fund the activities of LIBPhys, and under grants PD/BD/105921/2014, SFRH/BPD/109180/2015 and SFRH/BPD/76842/2011; the U.S. Department of Energy under contracts number DE-AC02-07CH11359 (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), DE-AC02-06CH11357 (Argonne National Laboratory), DE-FG02-13ER42020 (Texas A&M) and DE-SC0017721 (University of Texas at Arlington); and the University of Texas at Arlington. DGD acknowledges Ramon y Cajal program (Spain) under contract number RYC-2015-18820. We also warmly acknowledge the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) and the Dark Side collaboration for their help with TPB coating of various parts of the NEXT-White TPC. Finally, we are grateful to the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc for hosting and supporting the NEXT experiment.Henriques, CAO.; Monteiro, CMB.; Gonzalez-Diaz, D.; Azevedo, CDR.; Freitas, EDC.; Mano, RDP.; Jorge, MR.... (2019). Electroluminescence TPCs at the thermal diffusion limit. Journal of High Energy Physics (Online). 1:1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP01(2019)027S1201NEXT collaboration, J. Martín-Albo et al., Sensitivity of NEXT-100 to neutrinoless double beta decay, JHEP 05 (2016) 159 [ arXiv:1511.09246 ] [ INSPIRE ].T. Brunner et al., An RF-only ion-funnel for extraction from high-pressure gases, Intern. J. Mass Spectrom. 379 (2015) 110 [ INSPIRE ].PANDAX-III collaboration, J. 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Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke - the second leading cause of death worldwide - were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry(1,2). Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis(3), and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach(4), we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry(5). Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries.</p

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Ultrasound-Assisted Air-Drying of Apple (Malus domestica L.) and Its Effects on the Vitamin of the Dried Products

This work has examined the influence of ultrasonic-assisted air-drying on the dehydration of apple (Malus domestica L. var Royal Gala) and its influence in the availability of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and E of the dried product. This study also has estimated the effective water diffusivity in air-drying process subjected to ultrasonic waves. The water effective diffusivity increased by up to 79 % by ultrasound application, which caused a reduction of about 35 % in the total drying time compared to the air-drying without sonication. The application of ultrasound increased the availability of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 in the dried product. A loss of vitamins B5 and E were observed for all studied drying conditions.The authors thank the financial support of the Brazilian funding agency CNPq and the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and FEDER (Ref. DPI2013-37466-C03-03).Fernandes, FA.; Rodrigues, S.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; García Pérez, JV. (2015). 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Food and Bioprocess Technology, 2, 263–270.Farrer, K. T. H. (1955). The thermal destruction of vitamin B1 in foods. Advances in Food Research, 6, 257–311.Fernandes, F. A. N., & Rodrigues, S. (2008). Application of ultrasound and ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration in drying of fruits. Drying Technology, 26(12), 1509–1516. doi: 10.1080/07373930802412256 .Fernandes, F. A. N., Linhares, F. E., & Rodrigues, S. (2008). Ultrasound as pre-treatment for drying of pineapple. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 15(6), 1049–1054. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2008.03.009 .Fernandes, F. A. N., Rodrigues, S., Law, C. L., & Mujumdar, A. S. (2010). Drying of exotic tropical fruits: a comprehensive review. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 4(2), 163–185. doi: 10.1007/s11947-010-0323-7 .García-Pérez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., de la Fuente-Blanco, S., & Mulet, A. (2006a). Effect of air temperature on convective drying assisted by high power ultrasound. Defect and Diffusion Forum, 258-260, 563–574.García-Pérez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., de la Fuente-Blanco, S., & Riera-Franco de Sarabia, E. (2006b). Ultrasonic drying of foodstuff in a fluidized bed: parametric study. Ultrasonics, 44(Suppl 1), e539–e543. doi: 10.1016/j.ultras.2006.06.059 .García-Pérez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., Riera, E., & Mulet, A. (2009). Influence of the applied acoustic energy on the drying of carrots and lemon peel. Drying Technology, 27, 281–287.Ghosh, H. P., Sarkar, P. K., & Guha, B. C. (1963). Distribution of the bound form of nicotinic acid in natural materials. The Journal of Nutrition, 79, 451–453.Greenwood, D. A., Kraybill, H. R., Feaster, J. F., & Jackson, J. M. (1944). Vitamin retention in processed meat. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 36, 922–927.Gregory, J. F., III. (1985). Chemical changes of vitamins during food processing. In T. Richardson & J. W. Finley (Eds.), Chemical changes in food during processing (pp. 373–408). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.Gregory, J. F., III, & Hiner, M. (1983). Thermal stability of vitamin B6 compounds in liquid model food systems. Journal of Food Science, 48, 1323–1327.Jedlicka, A., & Klimes, J. (2005). Determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins in different matrices using high-performance liquid chromatography. Chemical Papers, 59, 202–222.Kek, S. P., Chin, N. L., & Yusof, Y. A. (2013). Direct and indirect power ultrasound assisted pre-osmotic treatments in convective drying of guava slices. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 91(4), 495–506. doi: 10.1016/j.fbp.2013.05.003 .Merrill, A. H., Lambeth, J. D., Edmondson, D. E., & McCormick, D. B. (1981). Formation and mode of action of flavoproteins. Annual Review of Nutrition, 1, 281–317.Nowacka, M., Wiktor, A., Śledź, M., Jurek, N., & Witrowa-Rajchert, D. (2012). Drying of ultrasound pretreated apple and its selected physical properties. Journal of Food Engineering, 113, 427–433. doi: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2012.06.013 .Oliveira, F. I. P., Gallão, M. I., Rodrigues, S., & Fernandes, F. A. N. (2010). Dehydration of Malay apple (Syzygium malaccense L.) using ultrasound as pre-treatment. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 4(4), 610–615. doi: 10.1007/s11947-010-0351-3 .Ortuño, C., Perez-Munuera, I., Puig, A., Riera, E., & García-Pérez, J. V. (2010). Influence of power ultrasound application on mass transport and microestructure of orange peel during hot air drying. Physics Procedia, 3, 153–159.Ozuna, C., Gómez Álvarez-Arenas, T., Riera, E., Cárcel, J. A., & García-Pérez, J. V. (2014). Influence of material structure on air-borne ultrasonic application in drying. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 21, 1235–1243.Plesovsky-Vig, N. (1999). In M. E. Shils, J. A. Olson, M. Shike, & A. C. Ross (Eds.), Modern nutrition in health and disease (9th ed., p. 423). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.Puig, A., Perez-Munuera, I., Cárcel, J. A., Hernando, I., & García-Pérez, J. V. (2012). Moisture loss kinetics and microstructural changes in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) during conventional and ultrasonically assisted convective drying. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 90, 624–632.Rizzolo, A., & Polesello, S. (1992). Review Chromatographic determination of vitamins in foods, 624.Rodrigues, S., & Fernandes, F. A. N. (2007). Use of ultrasound as pretreatment for dehydration of melons. Drying Technology, 25(10), 1791–1796. doi: 10.1080/07373930701595409 .Rodríguez, Ó., Santacatalina, J. V., Simal, S., Garcia-Perez, J. V., Femenia, A., & Rosselló, C. (2014). Influence of power ultrasound application on drying kinetics of apple and its antioxidant and microstructural properties. Journal of Food Engineering, 129, 21–29. doi: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2014.01.001 .Sabarez, H. T., Gallego-Juarez, J. A., & Riera, E. (2012). Ultrasonic-assisted convective drying of apple slices. Drying Technology, 30, 989–997.Schössler, K., Jäger, H., & Knorr, D. (2012). Effect of continuous and intermittent ultrasound on drying time and effective diffusivity during convective drying of apple and red bell pepper. Journal of Food Engineering, 108, 103–110