Exergy driven process synthesis for isoflavone recovery from okara

Isoflavones, found in soybeans and other members of the fabaceae family, are considered bioactive components of high economic value. An opportunity would be to separate isoflavones from okara, the by-product of the soymilk and tofu production. Such a process would not only valorise that side-stream but also, and maybe more importantly, reduce the waste of high quality bioactive compounds. Extraction is an important part during the recovery of isoflavones from okara and was conceptually designed in this work. Due to environmental constraints, ethanol and water were the only solvents considered in this work for extraction of isoflavones. Different process scenarios were established and assessed by solvent footprinting, energy use, and exergy analysis. Simulation of the various process scenarios showed that distillation and the loss of ethanol in the spent okara represent the largest inefficiencies regarding exergy waste and energy usage. Furthermore, even though the use of ethanol leads to a higher recovery, water is in most cases the preferred solvent due to the high exergetic cost of losing some ethanol in the spent okara and during distillation

Bulk Scale Synthesis of Monodisperse PDMS Droplets above 3 μm and Their Encapsulation by Elastic Shells

We report several facile, surfactant-free methods to prepare monodisperse polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) droplets in the size range 3–8 μm in water. These methods, of which the pros and cons are discussed, are extensions of a procedure described before by our group which focused on smaller droplet sizes. The PDMS oil droplets are formed by ammonia catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of the monomer dimethyldiethoxysilane (DMDES) in water. One of the methods entails a seeded growth procedure in which other oils, such as lower molecular weight hydrocarbons, were found to be able to swell the PDMS droplets if their solubility in water was higher than that of the seed droplets. This way, larger droplets with mixed composition could be prepared. It also turned out to be possible to load the monodisperse droplets with an oil soluble dye. The droplets could be coated with an elastic, partially permeable, shell formed by cross-linking the PDMS with tetraethoxysilane (TES) in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) that provided colloidal stability. Besides, the liquid interior of these shells could be changed by solvent exchange

Food Engineering at Multiple Scales:Case Studies, Challenges and the Future—A European Perspective

Abstract A selection of Food Engineering research including food structure engineering, novel emulsification processes, liquid and dry fractionation, Food Engineering challenges and research with comments on European Food Engineering education is covered. Food structure engineering is discussed by using structure formation infreezing and dehydration processes as examples for mixing of water as powder and encapsulation and protection ofsensitive active components. Furthermore, a strength parameter is defined for the quantification of material properties in dehydration and storage. Methods to produce uniform emulsion droplets in membrane emulsification are presented as well as the use of whey protein fibrils in layerby-layer interface engineering for encapsulates. Emulsion particles may also be produced to act as multiple reactors for food applications. Future Food Engineering must provide solutions for sustainable food systems and provide technologies allowing energy and water efficiency as well as waste recycling. Dry fractionation provides a novel solution for an energy and water saving separation process applicable to protein purification. Magnetic separation of particles advances protein recovery from wastewater streams. Food Engineering research is moving toward manufacturing of tailor-made foods, sustainable use of resources and research at disciplinary interfaces. Modern food engineers contribute to innovations in food processing methods and utilization of structure–property relationships and reverse engineering principles for systematic use of information of consumer needs to process innovation. Food structure engineering, emulsion engineering, micro- and nanotechnologies, and sustainability of food processing are examples of significant areas of Food Engineering research and innovation. These areas will contribute to future FoodEngineering and novel food processes to be adapted by the food industry, including process and product development to achieve improvements in public health and quality of life. Food Engineering skills and real industry problem solving as part of academic programs must show increasing visibility besides emphasized training in communication and other soft skills