An overview of the recent developments on fructooligosaccharide production and applications

Over the past years, many researchers have suggested that deficiencies in the diet can lead to disease states and that some diseases can be avoided through an adequate intake of relevant dietary components. Recently, a great interest in dietary modulation of the human gut has been registered. Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), play a key role in the improvement of gut microbiota balance and in individual health. FOS are generally used as components of functional foods, are generally regarded as safe (generally recognized as safe status—from the Food and Drug Administration, USA), and worth about 150€ per kilogram. Due to their nutrition- and health-relevant properties, such as moderate sweetness, low carcinogenicity, low calorimetric value, and low glycemic index, FOS have been increasingly used by the food industry. Conventionally, FOS are produced through a two-stage process that requires an enzyme production and purification step in order to proceed with the chemical reaction itself. Several studies have been conducted on the production of FOS, aiming its optimization toward the development of more efficient production processes and their potential as food ingredients. The improvement of FOS yield and productivity can be achieved by the use of different fermentative methods and different microbial sources of FOS producing enzymes and the optimization of nutritional and culture parameter; therefore, this review focuses on the latest progresses in FOS research such as its production, functional properties, and market data.Agencia de Inovacao (AdI)-Project BIOLIFE reference PRIME 03/347. Ana Dominguez acknowledges Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, for her PhD grant reference SFRH/BD/23083/2005

A rational synthesis of vibration isolators

The paper deals with a rational approach to the development of general design criteria for non-dissipative vibration isolation systems. The study covers straight-through springmass systems as well as branched ones with dynamic absorbers. Various design options, such as the addition of another spring-mass pair, replacement of an existing system by one with more spring-mass pairs for the same space and material requirements, provision of one or more dynamic absorbers for the desired frequency range, etc., are investigated quantitatively by means of an algebraic algorithm which enables one to write down straightaway the velocity ratio and hence transmissibility of a linear dynamical system in terms of the constituent parameters

Prediction of the break-out noise of the cylindrical sandwich plate muffler shells

Break-out noise from the shell often puts a limit on the (net) transmission loss that can be obtained from an engine exhaust muffler. One of the best ways of reducing break-out noise is use of a sandwich plate shell. This short paper presents an analytical model for prediction of transverse transmission loss of sandwich plate shells. Four-pole parameters of the porous layer are used along with an impedance approach for relating radial velocity of the outer (exposed) metallic layer to acoustic pressure of a plane progressive wave inside the muffler shell. This is combined with radiation impedance for outgoing cylindrical waves to predict transverse transmission loss. Thus, a sandwich plate shell is compared with a single layer shell without and with wrapping of another metallic layer by means of a transverse insertion loss. Finally, results of a parametric study are reported to help the muffler designers

Analysis and design of pod silencers

Parallel baffle mufflers or split silencers are used extensively in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for increased attenuation of noise within a short or given length. Acoustic analysis of rectangular parallel baffle mufflers runs on the same lines as that of a rectangular duct lined on two sides. This simplification would not hold for circular configurations. Often, a cylindrical pod is inserted into a circular lined duct to increase its attenuation (or transmission loss), thereby making the flow passage annular and providing an additional absorptive layer on the inner side of this annular passage. This configuration, called a pod silencer, is analyzed here for the four-pole parameters as well as transmission loss, making use of the bulk reaction model. The effect of thin protective film or a highly perforated metallic plate is duly incorporated by means of a grazing-flow impedance. Use of appropriate boundary conditions leads to a set of linear homogeneous equations which in turn lead to a transcendental frequency equation in the unknown complex axial wave number. This is solved by means of the Newton-Raphson method, and the axial wave number is then used in the expressions for transmission loss as well as the transfer matrix parameters. Finally, results of a parametric study are reported to help the designer in optimization of a pod silencer configuration within a given overall size for minimal cost

On the cut‐on frequencies of a large round duct with azimuthal as well as radial partitions

This letter deals with a three‐dimensional analysis of circular sectors and annular segments resulting from the partitioning of a round (cylindrical) duct for use in an active noise control system. The relevant frequency equations are derived for stationary medium and solved numerically to arrive at the cut‐on frequencies of the first few modes. The resultant table indicates among other things that azimuthal partitioning does not raise the cutoff frequency (the smallest cut‐on frequency) beyond a particular value, and that radial partitioning is counterproductive in that respect