Variation in ultrasonic frequency and time as pre-treatments to air-drying of carrot

Vegetable drying is an alternative method to curb post harvest decay of vegetables and a process to produce dried vegetables, which can be directly consumed or used as ingredients for the preparation of soups, stews, baby foods, cakes, puddings, and many other foods. In this study, the effect of ultrasound frequency and sonication time as pre-treatment prior to air drying at 70°C at an air velocity of 0.5 m/s, on carrot drying kinetics, flavour, colour, and non-enzymatic browning was investigated using a 3-level factorial response surface method. The result showed that an increase in sonication frequency and time did not significantly increase moisture diffusivity but in comparison with the control, water diffusivity increased after ultrasound application and the overall drying time was reduced. Application of the ultrasound pre-treatment in distilled water resulted in water gain and sugar loss, indicating that the ultrasonic pre-treatment can be an important step to produce low sugar content dried products. The brightness and redness to yellowness values of the ultrasonically pre-treated dried carrots were better than those without ultrasound application. In comparison with the flavour of the control, the ultrasound pre-treated samples recorded higher flavour response signals, indicating that the application of ultrasound improved the flavour of the dried carrot. The variation in sonication frequency and time did not significantly affect the non-enzymatic browning index of the dried products but were better than the control

Overcoming the caking phenomenon in olive mill wastes

The use of olive mill wastes (orujillo) within coal fired power stations in the UK has led to unexpected difficulties with material caking within the fuel handling plant. This study replicated orujillo caking on a laboratory scale using a planetary ball mill and explored the impact of mill parameters (speed, volume, and duration) on the caking phenomenon. The impact of orujillo composition was examined for 4 sections of fresh and dried orujillo (whole, pulp 0-850 µm, pulp 850-3350 µm, and cluster 3350 µm+) for set milling conditions. Caking was induced by heat generation within the mill and was most prevalent in the pulp section of orujillo. Caking was brought on by a glass transition step, which was measured to be around 97-98 °C for a moisture content of 6-7% in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Caking was the result of the bulk moisture content (14-18%) being higher than the standard moisture content of orujillo (< 12%), and can be mitigated through drying. Thus the key to overcoming orujillo caking in fuel handling plants is through moisture content control. Additionally, as the caking issue is most prevalent in the pulp section, all fines below the required combustion particle size (typically < 1 mm) should be removed prior to comminution and sent directly to the burner. This would also reduce the comminution load by nearly 50%, increase the energy potential of the fuel, and remove the most problematic section of orujillo from the fuel handling plant

Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill

The potential benefits of dry comminution in a knife mill for a diverse range of biomass 6 pellets are explored. The impact of dry comminution on energy consumption, particle size and shape, 7 is examined as well as the link between milling and mechanical durability. Biomass pellet comminution 8 energy was significantly lower (19.3-32.5 kW h t-1 [fresh] and 17.8-23.2 kW h t-1 [dry]) than values 9 reported in literature for non-densified biomass in similar knife mills. The impact of drying was found 10 to vary by feedstock. Dry grinding reduced milling energy by 38% for mixed wood pellets, but only 2% 11 for steam exploded pellets. Particle size and shape, particle distribution dispersion, and distribution 12 shape parameters changes between fresh and dry milling were also material dependent. Von Rittinger 13 analysis showed that to maximise mill throughput, pellets should be composed of particles which can 14 pass through the screen and thus have a neutral size change. A strong correlation was found between 15 pellet durability and energy consumption for fresh biomass pellets. Dry grinding has the potential to 16 significantly reduce energy consumption without compromising the product particle size, as well as 17 enhancing product quality and optimising biomass pellet comminution and combustion

Winter curing of Prunus dulcis cv ‘Butte,’ P. webbii and their interspecific hybrid in response to Xylella fastidiosa infections

Clonal replicates of Prunus dulcis cv ‘Butte,’ P. webbii and their interspecific hybrid P 63-61 were inoculated with Xylella fastidiosa strain M23 and evaluated for almond leaf scorch disease and subsequent winter curing of infections during three growing seasons. Initial inoculations established greater than 90% infection in each of the accessions, based on PCR diagnoses from petiole tissues sampled near the inoculation site. Classic leaf scorch symptoms were evident in each population during the first growing season in a controlled greenhouse environment. Trees were removed from the greenhouse during the winters to accumulate chill hours and to provide the possibility of winter curing X. fastidiosa infections. Both PCR diagnostics and in vitro cultivation were used during the second and third growing seasons to determine the persistence of X. fastidiosa in clones among the three populations. Tree survival and the degree of winter cured infections differed among the three populations, with P. webbii and P 63-61 demonstrating enhanced levels of survivorship over ‘Butte.’ After two cycles of ambient winter temperatures and subsequent growth, ‘Butte’ averaged 21.2% winter cured trees with 73.1% mean survival. Tree survival and winter cured infections were nearly 100% for both P. webbii and P 63-61, demonstrating the utility of P. webbii in almond breeding efforts aimed at reducing tree vulnerability to X. fastidiosa infections

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially