Influence of Ti Incorporation to Bimetallic Mesoporous Carbon in the Production of 2,5-Dimethylfuran from Biomass Derivatives

Catalysis Letters - Monometallic and bimetallic supported catalysts were developed to produce 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) trough hydrogenolysis of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF). Detailed...     

Quality and safety of maize (Zea mays L.) from Rondônia state storage units,Northern Brazil

The quality and safety of maize (Zea mays L.) from different grain storage units (GSUs), located in the main producing region of Rondônia State, Northern Brazil, were evaluated. Maize grains (n = 76) stored in four GSUs were collected from July to November 2014 and evaluated for grain damages, humidity, fungi and fumonisins (FBs) content. The climate conditions data were also obtained from plant growing to storage periods. Regarding the moisture content and water activity (a_w), these varied from 10.0% to 16.1% and 0.5 to 0.8, respectively. As expected, fungi spores were present in 94.8% of the samples, prevailing Fusarium genera, with a fungi colony maximum of 2.2 × 10⁴ CFU g^?1. Regarding FBs, 60.5% of the samples were contaminated, below Brazilian and United States maximum limits, but 9.2% had levels higher than the European legislation.     

Physicochemical and technological properties of beef burger as influenced by the addition of pea fibre

This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of beef burgers with the addition of pea fibre as a partial substitute of meat or fat. Three formulations were prepared: control (CON) – similar to the commercial formulation; fibre/less meat (FLM)—5% meat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre; fibre/less fat (FLF)—7% fat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre. Non-significant differences were obtained for pH, colour parameters (L* and b*), texture profile, cooking loss and size reduction among formulations. Moreover, sensory analysis with consumers of beef burgers did not indicate differences among the formulations for all the analysed attributes. Therefore, pea fibre is a promising partial replacer for meat and fat in beef burgers due to the preservation of technological parameters and sensory acceptance.     

Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effects of Zingiber officinale,Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cymbopogon martinii essential oils against Fusarium verticillioides

ABSTRACT

There is an increasing demand for fungi control in grains, especially toxigenic. Also, there is growing concern on the use of synthetic fungicides; thus alternatives are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and antimycotoxigenic action of essential oils (EOs) from Zingiber officinale, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cymbopogon martinii against Fusarium verticillioides, a spoilage and toxigenic fungus. Essential oils were first chemically characterised by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and their antioxidant potential was measured by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disc diffusion were used to assess antifungal activity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate morphological changes in the fungus. Antimycotoxigenic activity of the EOs against the production of fumonisin B₁ and B₂ by F. verticillioides was evaluated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography system. Z. officinale, C. zeylanicum and C. martinii EOs were predominantly composed by zingiberene and geranial; eugenol; and geraniol, respectively. All the EOs had high antioxidant power, especially that from C. zeylanicum. The MICs were 250, 500 and 2,000 µg mL^?1 for C. zeylanicum, C. martinii and Z. officinale EOs, respectively. Mycelial reduction of F. verticillioides was observed when EOs were used, and the lowest activity was detected in the Z. officinale EO. Overall, the tested EOs promoted structural damage to the fungal cell wall, decreased conidia size and mycelial reduction. Antimycotoxigenic evaluation of the EOs evidenced a significant reduction (p < .05) in the production of fumonisins B₁ and B₂ with all the EOs evaluated in the study. These results suggest that especially C. zeylanicum and C. martinii EOs are highly useful for controlling F. verticillioides and fumonisins production.     

A computational literature review of football performance analysis through probabilistic topic modeling

This research aims to illustrate the potential use of concepts, techniques, and mining process tools to improve the systematic review process. Thus, a review was performed on two online databases (Scopus and ISI Web of Science) from 2012 to 2019. A total of 9649 studies were identified, which were analyzed using probabilistic topic modeling procedures within a machine learning approach. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation method, chosen for modeling, required the following stages: 1) data cleansing, and 2) data modeling into topics for coherence and perplexity analysis. All research was conducted according to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in a fully computerized way. The computational literature review is an integral part of a broader literature review process. The results presented met three criteria: (1) literature review for a research area, (2) analysis and classification of journals, and (3) analysis and classification of academic and individual research teams. The contribution of the article is to demonstrate how the publication network is formed in this particular field of research, and how the content of abstracts can be automatically analyzed to provide a set of research topics for quick understanding and application in future projects.

     

What are the potential strategies to achieve potentially more healthful meat products?

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the consumption of meat and processed meat, and their relationship with a healthy diet. This review provides an overview of the potential strategies, which can be used to provide the implications for producing healthy, wholesome and consistently high-quality meat products. Genetic selection, nutrition and feeding management, and gene manipulation techniques have been used as the main strategies to induce beneficial changes in meat and meat composition. Besides, the incorporation of ingredients that play a technological role and are potentially health-enhancing, such as fibre, fat substitutes, natural antioxidants and the reduction of sodium and nitrites, has a high potential in the development of healthier meat products. In this review, we have observed that many strategies have been successfully used to obtain products with low fat, reduced sodium and nitrite content, low cholesterol and absence of synthetic antioxidants. Another point to be highlighted is that some of these strategies also allow obtaining products with positive health effects that can be potential alternatives to improve consumer acceptance.     

Performance of SSEBop model for estimating wheat actual evapotranspiration in the Brazilian Savannah region

In a scenario where supplying the increasing demand for food depends highly on irrigation, understanding the temporal and spatial variation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is essential for water resources management. In the last decades, several models for mapping and monitoring ETa using remote sensing data were developed and studied. In this work, the Simplified Surface Energy Balance for Operational Application (SSEBop) model was applied to estimate actual evapotranspiration of irrigated wheat in the Cerrado (Brazilian Savannahs) region, using ETM+/Landsat 7 and OLI-TIRS/Landsat 8 images. The results were compared with evapotranspiration calculated by the Bowen ratio method. Considering the data referring to satellites overpasses days, SSEBop overestimated ETa by an average of 13.6%, with a coefficient of determination (R²) equal to 0.82 and root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 0.89 mm d^?1. Considering the daily data for the entire period, including the extrapolation for the days between the satellites overpasses, SSEBop overestimated ETa by an average of 5.5%, with R² equal to 0.66 and RMSE equal to 0.95 mm d^?1. The results obtained demonstrated a reliable performance of the SSEBop for estimating actual evapotranspiration of irrigated wheat in the Cerrado, which can contribute to improve the irrigation efficiency and reduce water use conflicts. Considering the simplicity of the modeling concept and operational implementation, it can also be beneficial for water agencies on water resources planning, management and regulation in the region.     

Microstructure and flexural strength of the Y:TZP/BG composite

The addition of bioactive glasses to a Y:TZP matrix represents a feasible alternative to provide bioactivity to this material and optimize osseointegration. This work evaluated the effect of the BG concentration (0 and 10 wt%) and the sintering temperature (1200°C and 1300°C) on the microstructure, relative density, and flexural strength of the composite Y:TZP/BG. The Y:TZP and Y:TZP/BG powders were uniaxially pressed and sintered at 1200°C or 1300°C for 1 h. The microstructure was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Relative density was calculated from density values obtained using the Archimedes’ principle. For the flexural strength, specimens (n = 6) were fractured in a biaxial flexural setup using a piston-on-three-balls fixture in a universal testing machine. Bioactivity test was performed in simulated body fluid solution. The results suggested that BG addition decreased the grain size of the composite, increased porosity and caused a significant decrease in the relative density and flexural strength. Crystalline phases of calcium stabilized cubic zirconia and sodium zirconium silicate were formed after the addition of BG. Finally, it was concluded that composite specimens sintered at 1300°C showed the highest density values and larger grains compared to those sintered at 1200°C.