Physical and compressional characteristics of a novel 3D fibrous structure – application in comparison between PU foam and 3D fibrous structure

The question of the recycling of the polyurethane (PU) foam, especially in the automotive industry represents one of the main technology thrust and challenge of the car manufacturers and the Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM) since 2000. Indeed, it is nowadays necessary for car industry to promote ecological methods of development in regard to new consumer sensibility. New textile products present the best alternative solutions to answer this issue of replacement of the PU foam. Based on this fact, a new three-dimensional (3D) fibrous structure made of polyester (PET) material has been developed in order to replace PU foam in automotive trim. These new manufactured 3D fibrous structures are laminated with needle-punched and spun-bonded sheets. The sheets are made of 100% PET, in order to obtain a mono component product. Characterization of physical and mechanical properties of these new 3D fibrous structures, testing methods have to be developed. Based on the automotive specifications, a methodology has been set up to test the compression behavior of these new products. In order to answer the issue of replacement, some PU foam products have also been characterized, and comparisons with alternative products have been conducted. The results of this study show interesting properties of the new 3D fibrous structure in terms of compression behavior when compared to the PU foam.     

Preparation and characterization of carbon black/polybutylene terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate antistatic fiber with sheath–core structure

In this study, antistatic sheath–core composite fibers with the core composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer and a sheath composed of carbon black/polybutylene terephthalate (CB/PBT) polymer were fabricated using a conjugate spinning process. CB powders of various particle sizes were compounded with PBT polymers to prepare the antistatic CB/PBT pellets, and their electrical resistivities strongly depended on the intrinsic properties and dispersion of CB powders. The CB/PBT/PET fibers consisted of well-mixed CB powders within the polymer matrix showed an outstanding antistatic function, and they were employed to manufacture an antistatic glove with commercial acrylic yarns for practical applications. The antistatic glove with a reliable washing fastness is capable of being used on capacitive touch panels of smart phones, tablets, and other wearable electronic devices. This approach offers new possibilities for a variety of textile applications requiring antistatic properties.     

Interfacial characteristics and microchannel emulsification of oleuropein-containing triglyceride oil–water systems

This study investigated the adsorption characteristics of olive leaf water extract and its major phenolic compound, oleuropein, at the triglyceride oil–water interface. We also investigated the preparation characteristics of food-grade triglyceride oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions stabilized by oleuropein using microchannel (MC) emulsification. Refined soybean oil, extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, and medium-chain triacylglyceride (MCT) oil were used as triglyceride oils. Both olive leaf extract (OLE) and highly purified oleuropein had a pronounced ability to decrease the interfacial tension at the refined soybean oil–water interface. The packing of oleuropein molecules at the triglyceride oil–water interface was estimated on the basis of their surface excess concentration and area occupied per molecule, determined from the Gibbs adsorption equation. MC emulsification was performed using a silicon grooved MC array plate (model CMS6-2). The continuous aqueous phase contained 0.6 wt.% of oleuropein. Monodisperse, oleuropein-stabilized O/W emulsions with an average droplet diameter of 25 μm and coefficient of variation (CV) of < 5% were produced in all systems, except the MCT oil-containing system, even in the absence of a cross-flowing continuous phase. This successful MC emulsification was observed without droplet coalescence for 15 h of continuous operation. Our findings demonstrate that the use of oleuropein, which has an interfacial activity, is capable of producing monodisperse O/W emulsions using MC emulsification and stabilizing the generated oil droplets when appropriate types of triglyceride oils are used.     

Volatile characteristics of 50 peaches and nectarines evaluated by HP–SPME with GC–MS

Using HS–SPME–GC–MS, characteristics of the volatiles of 50 peaches and nectarines representing different germplasm origins were investigated. Ten of these peaches and nectarines were studied in two successive years. Eighty-four compounds were identified. Volatile composition was relatively consistent, but the amount of total volatiles and certain individual compounds varied between years. Moreover, the composition of volatiles and their contents depended on genotypic background and germplasm origin. Total volatiles in wild peaches and a Chinese local cultivar ‘Wutao’ were much higher than in the other groups. All the peaches and nectarines could be classified into four groups by principal component analysis of the volatiles (excluding C₆ compounds): ‘Ruipan 14’ and ‘Babygold 7’ with high contents of lactones, Chinese wild peaches and ‘Wutao’ with high contents of terpenoids and esters, seven cultivars with American or European origins with high content of linalool, and others without characteristic composition of volatiles.     

Effect of calcium and sodium caseinates on physical characteristics of soy protein isolate–lipid films

The effect of addition of caseinates to soy protein isolated (SPI) based films containing lipids (33% of oleic acid or 85:15 oleic acid (OA)–beeswax blend (BW)) on water vapour permeability (WVP), mechanical and optical properties was evaluated. SPI–lipids was combined with caseinates (sodium or calcium) in different SPI:caseinate ratios with the aim of improving water vapour barrier, mechanical and optical properties of SPI films containing lipids. Caseinate incorporation to SPI based films provoked an increase of elastic modulus and tensile strength at break, mainly for calcium caseinate. Both caseinates contributed to increase the water vapour barrier properties of soy protein-based films. Caseinates also provoked an increase of transparency of SPI based films and colour softening. The most effective combination was 1:1 sodium caseinate:SPI ratio, when film contains 85:15 oleic acid:beeswax ratio.     

Effect of processing history on the functional and structural characteristics of starch–fatty acid extrudates

Normal maize starch was extruded with and without the addition of fatty acid potassium salts in a twin screw cooker extruder equipped with a slit die rheometer, at 100, 120, 140 or 160 °C barrel temperatures and at screw speeds 20, 91, 161 or 227 rpm. The in line melt viscosity measurements showed that the flow behaviour of the starch system was influenced by the addition of either myristic or palmitic acids used. The examination of functional properties of the extrudates such as bulk density, water solubility index, expansion ratio, degree of gelatinization and water adsorptivity indicated that the addition of fatty acids affected the functionality of starch systems. That is, the extrudate texture became more cohesive and compact whereas the water solubility exhibited by the system was decreased. Structural studies indicated that the crystallinity of starch–fatty acid extrudates was higher than that of the starch systems without fatty acid whereas all extrudates exhibited high glass transition temperatures and their structure was very rigid and brittle.     

Effect of ionizing radiation on quality characteristics of vacuum-packaged normal,pale–soft–exudative,and dark–firm–dry pork

Normal, pale–soft–exudative (PSE), and dark–firm–dry (DFD) pork Longissimus dorsi muscles were vacuum-packaged, irradiated at 0, 2.5 or 4.5 kGy, and stored at 4 °C for 10 days. The pH, color and lipid oxidation of pork were determined at 0, 5 and 10 days of storage. Volatile production from pork loins was determined at Day 0 and Day 10, and sensory characteristics at Day 7 of storage. Irradiation increased the redness of vacuum-packaged normal, PSE and DFD pork. However, the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of three types of pork were not influenced by irradiation and storage time. Irradiation increased the production of sulfur (S)-containing volatile compounds, such as mercaptomethane, dimethyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, methyl thioacetate, and dimethyl disulfide, as well as total volatiles in all three types of pork. Normal pork produced higher levels of total and S-containing volatile compounds than the PSE and DFD pork did. The volatiles produced by irradiation were retained in the vacuum packaging bag during storage. Although the odor preference for the three meat types of pork was not different, the panelists could distinguish irradiated meat from the non-irradiated. Industrial relevance: Several US meat companies have already started test-marketing irradiated meat products. Irradiation and the subsequent storage of pork improved the color of PSE and DFD pork, and showed generally similar effects on the production of volatiles, except that there appeared to be a lower level of S-volatiles in the PSE than in the other two samples. This indicated that irradiation can increase the utilization of low-quality pork (PSE and DFD). DFD pork, in particular, which has shorter shelf-life than the others, could benefit the most from irradiation because the shelf-life of DFD meat can be extended significantly by both the methods of vacuum packaging and irradiation.     

Brewster angle microscopy of adsorbed protein films at air–water and oil–water interfaces after compression,expansion and heat processing

Recent Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) observations of adsorbed films of proteins at the air-water (A–W) and oil–water (O–W) interfaces are reviewed and compared. At the A–W interface β-lactoglobulin (β-L) and ovalbumin (OA) were studied at pH 7 and 5. At the O–W interface β-L, α_s1-, β- and κ-caseins were studied at pH 7. The adsorbed films were periodically subjected to compression and expansion cycles such that the film area was typically varied between 125% and 50% of the original film area. At the A–W interface, little structure was observable on compression or expansion or aging, especially at pH 7. For ovalbumin at pH 5, some cracks and ridges in the films appeared. But, for both β-L and OA, such features became much more obvious on addition to the interface of a low area fraction (<0.01%) of 20 μm polystyrene latex (PS) particles. With particles present the structuring was also more obvious at pH 5 (closer to the protein isoelectric point) than at pH 7, and for greater adsorption times and/or higher bulk protein concentration (C_b). Particle addition was not necessary to highlight folding and ridges that occurred at the O–W interface for β-L. After heating to 80 and 90 °C, β-L films adsorbed from low C_b (0.005 wt%) even greater film structuring was evident. However, β-L films adsorbed from higher C_b (≥0.05 wt%) showed fewer, but more pronounced ridges and cracks. The caseins at the O–W interface showed comparatively little evidence of structuring, either before or after heating. A measure of the dilatational elastic modulus of the films correlated with the observed variations in the structural integrity of the films. Clearly, protein films subjected to these types of thermal and mechanical perturbations can become highly inhomogeneous, depending on the type of protein and the bulk solution conditions, with implications for the stability of the corresponding foams and emulsions. This is in agreement with earlier computer simulations. Protein films at the O–W interface (particularly after heating) appear to be more resilient and less aggregated than films at the A–W interface.     

The effect of seasonality of the growing–finishing period on carcass,meat and fat characteristics of heavy barrows and gilts

A trial was conducted to study the effect of gender (barrows; gilts) and seasonality of growing–finishing period (S, summer; W, winter) on the carcass and meat characteristics and fatty acid (FA) profile of subcutaneous fat of pigs slaughtered at 131 kg of body weight. No significant gender × seasonality interaction was detected and the differences between genders were scarce. The S pigs had a 13.2% thinner fat depth over the Gluteus medius muscle and a higher yield of shoulders and loins by 10.6% and 10.0%, respectively than W pigs. Meat from S pigs had 32.5% lower intramuscular fat content and higher cooking losses (9.1%) and shear force (6.4%) than meat from W pigs. Subcutaneous fat from S pigs had a 7.8% higher percentage of saturated FA and 4.9% lower monounsaturated FA than that from W pigs. It is concluded that in Spanish natural-environment facilities, the seasonality of the growing–finishing period affects the carcass, and meat and fat quality of heavy pigs.     

On-line application of visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict chemical–physical and sensory characteristics of beef quality

The aim of this study was to assess the on-line implementation of visible and near infrared reflectance (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy as an early predictor of beef quality traits, by direct application of a fibre-optic probe to the muscle immediately after exposing the meat surface in the abattoir. Samples from M.longissimus thoracis from 194 heifers and steers were scanned at quartering 48 h postmortem over the Vis-NIR spectral range from 350 to 1800 nm. Thereafter, samples from M.longissimus thoraciset lumborum were analysed for colour (L^∗, a^∗, b^∗; 48 h postmortem), cooking loss (14 days postmortem), instrumental texture (Volodkevitch, 10 days aged meat; slice shear force, 3 and 14 days aged meat) and sensory characteristics. Vis-NIR calibrations, tested by cross-validation, showed high predictability for L^∗, a^∗ and b^∗ (R² = 0.86, 0.86 and 0.91; SE_CV = 0.96, 0.95 and 0.69, respectively). The accuracy of Vis-NIR to estimate cooking loss and instrumental texture ranged from R² = 0.31 to 0.54, suggesting relatively low prediction ability. Sensory characteristics assessed on 14 days aged meat samples showed R² in the range from 0.21 (juiciness) to 0.59 (flavour). Considering the subjective assessment of sensory characteristics the correlations of Vis-NIR measurements and several meat quality traits in the range from 0.46 to 0.95 support the use of on-line Vis-NIR in the abattoir. Improvement of predictability was achieved if only extreme classes of meat characteristics have to be predicted by Vis-NIR spectroscopy.     

Amperometric determination of bisphenol A in milk using PAMAM–Fe3O4 modified glassy carbon electrode

A simply and sensitively electroanalytical method for determination of bisphenol A (BPA) using poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) and Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was presented. Compared with bare electrode, PAMAM–Fe₃O₄ modified electrode not only significantly enhanced the oxidation peak current of BPA, but also lowered the oxidation overpotential, suggesting that the modified electrode can remarkably improve the determining sensitivity of BPA. Factors influencing the detection processes were optimised and kinetic parameters were calculated. Under the optimal conditions, the oxidation current increased linearly with increasing the concentration of BPA in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁸–3.07 × 10⁻⁶ M with the correlation coefficient of 0.9996 and the detection limit of 5 × 10⁻⁹ M. The current reached 95% of the steady-state current within about 6 s. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine BPA in milk samples and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Effects of heat treatment and glucono-δ-lactone-induced acidification on characteristics of soy protein isolate

The storage modulus (G′) and gel hardness of non-heated and heat-treated SPI at neutral pH and those of subsequently formed GDL-induced gels were measured. The values obtained for acid-induced gels formed by heat-treated SPI were significantly increased compared to those formed by non-heated SPI. The physicochemical properties of non-heated SPI and heat-treated SPI at pH 6.9 (denaturation degree, dispersibility, water-holding capacity, sulfhydryl groups and surface hydrophobicity) were measured to correlate their effects to gel strength and gel hardness, sulfhydryl groups and water-holding capacity of GDL-induced gels.     

The physicochemical characteristics and hydrophobicity of high amylose starch–glycerol films in the presence of three natural waxes

The film forming behaviour and hydrophobicity of high amylose (HA) starch in the presence of three different natural waxes (beeswax, candelilla wax and carnauba wax) were studied in the presence and absence of Tween-80. The HA starch:glycerol (G) ratio was maintained at 80:20 (on dry solid basis) and the concentration of wax was varied from 5% and 10% (w/w). The melted wax samples were homogenized with HAG dispersion with or without Tween-80 and the films were prepared by solution casting. The hydrophobicity and water-barrier properties in these films were determined by using contact angle (CA), water vapour permeability (K_w) tests, and water sorption isotherm at 0.529 RH and 20 °C. The K_w values of the HAG films decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with the addition of 5% concentration of these waxes. Then the addition of Tween-80 to the HAG + wax films increased the K_w values significantly (p < 0.05). The presence of these waxes in the presence and absence of Tween-80 resulted into different sorption isotherms and the water adsorptivity and moisture diffusion coefficient values were also affected. The presence of Tween-80 increased the CA in HAG + carnauba wax films while the CA was found to decrease in the case of other two waxes. The highest hydrophobicity was observed in HAG + carnauba wax + Tween-80 films in which the CA was >80.0° both at 5% and 10% (w/w) wax concentration. These higher CA values in HAG + carnauba wax + Tween-80 films were found to be related to the higher surface roughness in these films.     

HPLC–PDA–ESI–MS/MS profiling and chemopreventive potential of Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC

An HPLC–PDA–ESI/MS/MS method was developed to identify the phytoconstituents of the EtOAc fraction of Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC. The antioxidant effect of the EtOAc fraction together with its sub-fractions was determined in vitro. The cytotoxicity was evaluated on different cell lines. The EtOAc fraction exhibited strong antioxidant activity, reduced the viability of all cell lines and was more active on MCF-7 and HepG-2 cell lines. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity of the sub-fractions and the isolated compounds were tested on MCF-7, HepG-2. The EtOAc fraction possessed potential antitumour promoting properties. It inhibited the stimulated NO (20%), 5-LOX (48.0%) and COX-2 (49.7%) respectively (at concentration of 20 μg/ml). This study suggests that this fraction is a source of different antioxidant and cytotoxic compounds with potential chemopreventive properties that might prevent different stages of the carcinogenesis process.     

Preparation of microencapsulated carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide/polyethylene terephthalate flame–retardant functional fibers and its flame retardant properties

In order to improve the compatibility between the flame retardants of carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide (MH@CMSs) and the PET matrix and improve the spinnability of the masterbatch, MH@CMSs have been microencapsulated by PET to obtain microencapsulated carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide flame retardants – MMH@CMSs.Morphologies and structures of MMH@CMSs have been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and FTIR, which showed that an organic shell layer of PET as capsule wall was coated on the surface of MH@CMSs. A series of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers with different MMH@CMSs contents were successfully prepared through the melt-spinning method. The morphology and structure of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers were characterized by SEM and FTIR. The flame retardancy of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers was determined via limiting oxygen index (LOI) test and cone calorimeter. Results showed that the MMH@CMSs/PET fibers possessed optimum flame retardancy when the MMH@CMSs content is 0.6 wt.%, at which the LOI reached a maximum of 25.8, and the pk-HRR, total heat release, and total smoke release were reduced by 27.4, 20, and 13.6%, compared with pure PET fibers, respectively. Moreover, the flame-retardant mechanism was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis-infrared spectrometry, and the SEM of the residue char, which disclosed that MMH@CMSs enhanced the thermal stability of PET fibers, and promoted PET fibers to form a dense and continuous protective char layer that effectively blocked heat transfer and combustible gas release.     

The competitive release kinetics and synergistic antibacterial characteristics of tea polyphenols/ε-poly-l-lysine hydrochloride core–shell microcapsules against Shewanella putrefaciens

To obtain the antibacterial agents with long-acting and slow-release properties, the microcapsules were prepared with tea polyphenols (TP), ε-poly-l -lysine hydrochloride (ε-PL) and TP/ε-PL as core materials. Meanwhile, the microcapsules were characterised, their release properties were measured, and their antimicrobial mechanisms against Shewanella putrefaciens were studied. At the initial release phase, TP and ε-PL are competitively released from the composite microcapsules. The release of TP and ε-PL is both fitted to the logistic model, indicating that the primary release mechanism is the disintegration and dissolution. The long-acting antibacterial properties of the microcapsules are better than those of the free antibacterial agent. The microcapsules can destroy the integrity of the cell membrane, and make the permeability improve. Also, the synthesis and expression of bacterial proteins are inhibited. Because of long-term antibacterial properties, the microcapsules have potential value for application in the preservation of food.