The influence of lactic acid fermentation on biogenic amines and volatile compounds formation in flaxseed and the effect of flaxseed sourdough on the quality of wheat bread

The aim of the study was to investigate if differences in acidification, biogenic amines (BA) and volatile compounds (VC) occurred when Lactobacillus sakei KTU05-6, Pediococcus acidilactici KTU05-07 and Pediococcus pentosaceus KTU05-8 are used as starters in solid state fermentation of flaxseed and the impact of flaxseed sourdough on the wheat bread making process assessed.     

Enterolignans enterolactone and enterodiol formation from their precursors by the action of intestinal microflora and their relationship with non-starch polysaccharides in various berries and vegetables

The aim of this work was to investigate the production of enterolactone (ENL) and enterodiol (END) both enterolignans, from their precursors by the action of intestinal microflora and their relationship with non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in common plant foods such as berries and vegetables. For the investigation of the bioconversion of plant lignans the technique of in vitro fermentation was used and the quantitative analysis of their metabolites ENL and END was performed by HPLC with coulometric electrode array detection. The enterolignan production from various berries ranged from 7.8 to 382.8 nmol/g as well as from vegetables - from 10.5 till 91.2 nmol/g. By comparing different kind of berries, the cloudberry, raspberry, and strawberry were the best enterolignan producers. Considering vegetables, potatoes produced the highest quantity of total enterolignans. Garlic, zucchini and broccoli were the other good producers of enterolignans in this product group. The quantitative relationship between NSP components and their associated lignan metabolites were determined. The results showed that there is a correlation between the particularities of fermented food matrices and the production of enterolignans. For berries, an intermediate correlation was found between the total NSP and ENL values. For vegetables, higher correlations between NSP and END were found.     

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy data analysis: time or frequency domain?

Comparisons of time and frequency domain methods are presented forin vitro ¹H andin vivo ³¹P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data. Many distortions in the MR spectrum, introduced by applying the Fourier transform to a nonideal free-induction decay (FID), can be handled more elegantly in the time domain, where operations are carried out directly on the measured signal. It was found that if the measured signal is well conditioned—high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), no truncation, no baseline problems—then both time and frequency domain methods give the same results within the error limits. However, distortions in the measured signal make analysis by time domain methods preferable over frequency domain methods. In all applications, the use of prior knowledge appeared to play an important role.     

Method and system for Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment in analysis of construction and retrofit projects

Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) methods prioritize the alternatives of comparative projects quite accurately. Problems arise when there is a need to determine the utility degrees and market values of the project alternatives. This becomes especially important for establishing the market value of real estate property in tender offers. However, the available MADM methods cannot accomplish this. Thus the authors of this article developed the MAMVA method, which permits determining the utility degrees and market values of project alternatives, and also developed a system on the basis of this developed method. This article presents the proposed Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment (MAMVA) Method and the Decision Support System for Construction and Retrofit Projects (DSS-CRP). It also presents a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and system. The application of the MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System for prioritizing and for determining the utility degrees and market values of construction and retrofit projects under consideration for financing by the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Financial Mechanism Grant made it possible to decrease the amount of requested support.This article also presents the analysis and comprehensive assessment of the noted construction and retrofit projects. These were performed in consideration of the entire life cycle of a project and of needs satisfaction relevant to all the groups interested in a project. The developed MAMVA Method and DSS-CRP System permit assessing the appropriateness of projects under analysis in conceptual and qualitative forms. This method and system automatically submit the values of the project alternatives.     

Lithium naphthalenides in non-polar or in low-polarity media: some insights regarding their use as initiators in anionic polymerizations

The synthesis of bidirectional anionic initiators by the reaction between metallic lithium (Li) and naphthalene (Naph), under mild conditions, in non-polar (benzene) or low-polarity media (benzene/THF mixtures) is reported. The efficiency of these initiators to provide macromolecules with well-defined structures was demonstrated. Model linear homopolymers from styrene (S) or hexamethyl(ciclotrisiloxane) (D₃) monomers were synthesized using classical anionic polymerization (high-vacuum techniques). The model polymers obtained were analyzed using the conventional analytical techniques, and showed narrow molar mass distributions, a broad range of molar masses (from 3000 to 1,000,000 g/mol) and polydispersity indexes (M _w/M _n) lower than 1.1. High molar mass polymers were obtained using pure benzene as solvent, whereas lower molar masses were obtained in benzene/THF mixtures in which the concentration of THF was lower than 10 % v/v. The ratio [Li]/[Naph] and the nature of the reaction medium are the experimental parameters to be controlled to obtain the desired lithium naphthalenides.     

The impact of Na2O on the synthesis of α-C2SH with different mineral composition and the stability of intermediate and final products

In this work the effect of Na₂O on the synthesis of α-C₂S hydrate (2CaO·SiO₂·H₂O), named as α-C₂SH, with different mineral composition and the stability of intermediate and final products were investigated. It is worth noting that new results was discovered by evaluating the mineral composition of hydrothermally synthesized α-C₂SH samples (200?°C; 2–72?h). It was found that Na₂O additive significantly influenced the formation and stability of intermediate and final products: within 12?h of hydrothermal treatment together with α-C₂SH a new calcium silicate hydrate phase, killalaite, was obtained in the products. Besides, the mineral composition of formed compounds slightly varied by prolonging the duration of synthesis to 24?h. For the first time it was proved that Na⁺ ions are not incorporated into the crystal structure of the main synthesis product, α-C₂SH. On the contrary, the mentioned ions are intercalated into the crystal structure of other calcium silicate hydrates. Moreover, the investigated alkaline additive reduced the recrystallization temperature of the synthesis products to wollastonite by 50?°C and significantly decreased the values of both specific area and total pore volume of α-C₂SH till 8.496?m²/g and 0.05084?cm³/g, respectively. The synthetic products were characterized by XRD, DSC, SEM/EDX and N₂ adsorption analysis.     

Effect of liquid whey protein concentrate–based edible coating enriched with cinnamon carbon dioxide extract on the quality and shelf life of Eastern European curd cheese

Fresh unripened curd cheese has long been a well-known Eastern European artisanal dairy product; however, due to possible cross-contamination from manual production steps, high moisture content (50–60%), and metabolic activity of present lactic acid bacteria, the shelf life of curd cheese is short (10–20 d). Therefore, the aim of this study was to improve the shelf life of Eastern European acid-curd cheese by applying an antimicrobial protein-based (5%, wt/wt) edible coating. The bioactive edible coating was produced from liquid whey protein concentrate (a cheese production byproduct) and fortified with 0.3% (wt/wt, solution basis) Chinese cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum cassia) CO₂ extract. The effect of coating on the cheese was evaluated within package-free (group 1) and additionally vacuum packaged (group 2) conditions to represent types of cheeses sold by small and big scale manufacturers. The cheese samples were examined over 31 d of storage for changes of microbiological (total bacterial count, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds, coliforms, enterobacteria, Staphylococcus spp.), physicochemical (pH, lactic acid, protein, fat, moisture, color change, rheological, and sensory properties). The controlled experiment revealed that in group 1, applied coating affected appearance and color by preserving moisture and decreasing growth of yeasts and molds during prolonged package-free cheese storage. In group 2, coating did not affect moisture, color, or texture, but had a strong antimicrobial effect, decreasing the counts of yeasts and molds by 0.79 to 1.55 log cfu/g during 31 d of storage. In both groups, coating had no effect on pH, lactic acid, protein, and fat contents. Evaluated sensory properties (appearance, odor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability) of all samples were similar, indicating no effect of the coating on the flavor of curd cheese. The edible coating based on liquid whey protein concentrate with the incorporation of cinnamon extract was demonstrated to efficiently extend the shelf life of perishable fresh curd cheese, enhance its functional value, and contribute to a more sustainable production process.