Bovidae-based gelatin: Extractions method,physicochemical and functional properties,applications, and future trends

Gelatin is one of the most important multifunctional biopolymers and is widely used as an essential ingredient in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. Porcine gelatin is regarded as the leading source of gelatin globally then followed by bovine gelatin. Porcine sources are favored over other sources since they are less expensive. However, porcine gelatin is religiously prohibited to be consumed by Muslims and the Jewish community. It is predicted that the global demand for gelatin will increase significantly in the future. Therefore, a sustainable source of gelatin with efficient production and free of disease transmission must be developed. The highest quality of Bovidae-based gelatin (BG) was acquired through alkaline pretreatment, which displayed excellent physicochemical and rheological properties. The utilization of mammalian- and plant-based enzyme significantly increased the gelatin yield. The emulsifying and foaming properties of BG also showed good stability when incorporated into food and pharmaceutical products. Manipulation of extraction conditions has enabled the development of custom-made gelatin with desired properties. This review highlighted the various modifications of extraction and processing methods to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of Bovidae-based gelatin. An in-depth analysis of the crucial stage of collagen breakdown is also discussed, which involved acid, alkaline, and enzyme pretreatment, respectively. In addition, the unique characteristics and primary qualities of BG including protein content, amphoteric property, gel strength, emulsifying and viscosity properties, and foaming ability were presented. Finally, the applications and prospects of BG as the preferred gelatin source globally were outlined.     

Silver-substituted (Ag1-xCux)2ZnSnS4 solar cells from aprotic molecular inks

To battle the high open-circuit voltage deficit (V_OC,def) in kesterite (Cu₂ZnSnS₄ or CZTS) solar cells, a current field of research relates to point defect engineering by cation substitution. For example, by partly replacing Cu with an element of a larger ionic radius, such as Ag, the degree of Cu/Zn disorder decreases, and likewise does the associated band tailing. In this paper, solution-processed (Ag_1-xCu_x)₂ZnSnS₄ (ACZTS) samples are prepared through the aprotic molecular ink approach using DMSO as the solvent. The successful incorporation of silver into the CZTS lattice is demonstrated with relatively high silver concentrations, namely Ag/(Ag+Cu) ratios of 13% and 26%. The best device was made with 13% Ag/(Ag+Cu) and had an efficiency of 4.9%. The samples are compared to the pure CZTS sample in terms of microstructure, phase distribution, photoluminescence, and device performance. In the XRD patterns, a decrease in the lattice parameter c/a ratio is observed for ACZTS, as well as significant peak splitting with Ag addition for several of the characteristic kesterite XRD reflections. In addition to the improvement in efficiency, other advantageous effects of Ag-incorporation include enhanced grain growth and an increased band gap. A too high concentration of Ag leads to the formation of secondary phases such as SnS and Ag₂S as detected by XRD.     

Structural silicone sealants after exposure to laboratory test for durability assessment

During the service life of structural sealant glazing (SSG) facades, the load-bearing capacity of the silicone bonds needs to be guaranteed. Laboratory tests can assess the durability of SSG-systems based on mechanical characteristics of the bond after simultaneous exposure to both climatic and mechanical loads. This article studies how the material characteristics of two common structural sealants are affected by laboratory and field exposure. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) confirms a reduction in the dynamic modulus of exposed silicone samples. Results from thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering/wide-angle X-ray scattering show differences between the two sealants and indicate no/minor changes in the composition and morphology of the laboratory and field exposed sealants. Mechanical characterization methods, such as DMA, and tensile and shear testing of the structural bond, are shown to be sensitive toward the combined climatic and mechanical loadings, and are hence suitable for studying degradation mechanisms of structural sealants.     

脱硫胶粉在乳化改性沥青中的应用

考察了不同规格胶粉及不同脱硫程度的脱硫胶粉对橡胶改性乳化沥青性能的影响,结果表明,采用100目胶粉即可制备出橡胶改性乳化沥青,但乳化沥青的性能较差;采用活化度为50%左右的100目脱硫胶粉制备乳化沥青时,脱硫胶粉的用量相比于胶粉可大幅提高;在通过外掺100目50%左右活化度的脱硫胶粉(质量分数15%,以沥青计,下同)和质量分数2%的苯乙烯-丁二烯-苯乙烯嵌段共聚物改性的乳化沥青中添加质量分数1%的丁苯胶乳,所制备橡胶改性乳化沥青无筛上剩余物,5 d储存稳定性为2.9%,蒸发残留物的25℃针入度、软化点和5℃延度分别为55 (0.1 mm)、64.5℃和22.5 cm,能够满足乳化改性沥青的技术指标要求。     

Novel approaches to purifying bacteriocin: A review

ABSTRACT

Bacteriocin is a proteinaceous biomolecule produced by bacteria (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) that exhibits antimicrobial activity against closely related species, and food-borne pathogens. It has recently gained importance and attracted the attention of several researchers looking to produce it from various substrates and bacterial strains. This ushers in a new era of food preservation where the use of bacteriocin in food products will be an alternative to chemical preservatives, and heat treatment which are understood to cause unwanted side effects, and reduce sensory and nutritional quality. However, this new market depends on the success of novel downstream separation schemes from various types of crude feedstocks which are both effective and economic. This review focuses on the downstream separation of bacteriocin from various sources using both conventional and novel techniques. Finally, recommendations for future interesting areas of research that need to be pursued are highlighted.     

负载羧基化球状介孔纳米颗粒TFN膜的研究

在薄层复合膜(thin-film composite membrane, TFC膜)中引入无机纳米颗粒，形成薄层纳米复合膜(thin-film nanocomposite membrane, TFN膜)，近几年作为反渗透膜开始应用于水处理研究。但是无机纳米颗粒在TFC膜中的性能的不稳定性和膜的机械强度等变成了突出问题。合成制备了粒径约为110 nm修饰羧基的介孔氧化硅球状纳米颗粒(MSN—COOH)，并将其成功地化学键合在TFC膜的表面功能层交联网络中。与TFC膜相比，键合有MSN—COOH的TFN膜，水通量提高了56.2%，保持高脱盐率；由于单分散介孔纳米颗粒表面亲水官能团的引入，使膜表面的亲水性有很大程度提高，单分散介孔纳米颗粒在基体中的有序排列，使膜表面粗糙度降低，提高了膜的抗污染能力。与普通TFN膜相比较，具有更好的稳定性和柔韧性，可以在长时间高压过滤操作下保持稳定。     

生物质纤维和改性木质素对聚乳酸结晶性能的影响

采用改性木质素(MZS)作为成核剂,生物质纤维(BF)作为增强剂,通过双螺杆挤出机制备了生物降解的聚乳酸(PLA)/BF/MZS材料。采用差式扫量热仪(DSC)、电子万能试验机和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析了BF和MZS对PLA材料性能的影响。结果表明,BF和MZS有效提高了PLA的结晶能力和力学性能。当BF和MZS的含量分别为15%和1%时,PLA材料结晶度提高至67.1%,在50℃/min降温速率下仍具有较高的结晶能力。105℃等温结晶时,15%BF和1%MZS的PLA材料半结晶时间降低至9.0 s,比纯PLA缩短了72.2%。当PLA含有3%BF和1%MZS时,拉伸强度和冲击强度分别为70.1 MPa和7.4 kJ/m^2,比纯PLA分别提高了7.8%和10.4%,根据SEM显示,当BF含量为3%时,在PLA材料中分布较均匀。     

A stiffness parameter and truncation error criterion for adaptive path following in structural mechanics

We explore a truncation error criterion to steer adaptive step length refinement and coarsening in incremental-iterative path following procedures, applied to problems in large-deformation structural mechanics. Elaborating on ideas proposed by Bergan and collaborators in the 1970s, we first describe an easily computable scalar stiffness parameter whose sign and rate of change provide reliable information on the local behavior and complexity of the equilibrium path. We then derive a simple scaling law that adaptively adjusts the length of the next step based on the rate of change of the stiffness parameter at previous points on the path. We show that this scaling is equivalent to keeping a local truncation error constant in each step. We demonstrate with numerical examples that our adaptive method follows a path with a significantly reduced number of points compared to an analysis with uniform step length of the same fidelity level. A comparison with Abaqus illustrates that the truncation error criterion effectively concentrates points around the smallest-scale features of the path, which is generally not possible with automatic incrementation solely based on local convergence properties.