Effect of Blanching and Drying Temperature on Polyphenolic Compound Stability and Antioxidant Capacity of Apple Pomace

The effects of blanching and drying treatments on stability, physical properties, and antioxidant activity of apple pomace polyphenols were evaluated. Blanched and unblanched apples were extracted, and the pomace was dried in a cabinet dryer at a speed of 3 m/s at 50 °C, 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C. The color, total phenolics, flavonoids, individual polyphenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and total antioxidant activity were analyzed. The blanching process caused a major retention in color, total polyphenolic content, and total flavonoid content for fresh apple pomace when compared with fresh unblanched pomace. Drying of either fresh blanched or fresh unblanched pomace caused a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in total polyphenol and flavonoid content leading to a reduction in the total antioxidant activity. When compared with the unblanched treatment, drying the blanched pomace at 80 °C resulted in a product with significant amounts of total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The individual phenolic compounds were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in blanched pomace that was not dried when compared with unblanched samples. Drying blanched apple pomace did not cause a significant change in the concentration of individual polyphenolic compounds, but drying unblanched apple pomace caused a reduction in the concentrations of epicatechin and caffeic acid, with an important reduction in p-coumaric acid at temperatures higher than 60 °C. However, the drying process caused a significant reduction in the antioxidant capacity. Therefore, a combination of blanching and drying processes for apple pomace results in a product that maintains antioxidant capacity.     

Peracetic acid‐enhanced photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic inactivation of E. coli in aqueous suspensions

BACKGROUND: Although chlorination is an effective and widely employed method of water disinfection, it suffers serious drawbacks such as the formation of toxic chlorinated by‐products. Therefore, other disinfection technologies have been researched and developed, including advanced oxidation. RESULTS: The efficacy of heterogeneous photocatalysis and sonophotocatalysis induced by UV‐A irradiation and low frequency (24–80 kHz) ultrasound irradiation in the presence of TiO₂ as the photocatalyst and peracetic acid (PAA) as an additional disinfectant to inactivate E. coli in sterile water was evaluated. PAA‐assisted UV‐A/TiO₂ photocatalysis generally leads to nearly complete E. coli inactivation in 10–20 min of contact time with the extent of inactivation depending on the photocatalyst type and loading (in the range 100–500 mg L^?1) and PAA concentration (in the range 0.5–2 mg L^?1). The simultaneous application of ultrasound and UV‐A irradiation in the presence of TiO₂ and PAA prompted further E. coli inactivation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed advanced disinfection technology offers complete E. coli inactivation at short treatment times and low PAA doses. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Temperature stimuli-responsive nanoparticles from chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) as a drug delivery system

This work describes the preparation of thermosensitive chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) nanoparticles by ionic gelation and their potential use as a controlled drug delivery system, using doxorubicin as a model drug. A systematic study of the effect of the main processing parameters on both the size and thermoresponsive behavior of nanoparticles was investigated. The size of the particles is strongly dependent on the length of the poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) grafted chains and the concentration of the copolymer and crosslinking agent solutions. The molecular structure of the copolymer plays an essential role in the phase transition temperature of the particles, which decreases with the length of PVCL grafted chain. The system displayed proper drug-association parameters, and the drug-loaded nanoparticles exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity. A significant increase in the doxorubicin delivery rate was observed above the phase transition temperature (40 °C). These features indicate that these nanoparticles are suitable for the development of a new thermally controlled anti-cancer drug delivery system. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47831.     

Bioactivity of Phenanthrenes from Juncus acutus on Selenastrum capricornutum

Twenty-five 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes, four phenanthrenes, a dihydrodibenzoxepin, and a pyrene, isolated from the wetland plant Juncus acutus, were tested to detect their effects on the green alga Selenastrum capricornutum. Nine of the compounds were isolated and identified for the first time. Most of the compounds caused inhibition of algal growth. The 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes 1, 5, 21, and 22 were the most active.     

Contamination level evaluation on Colombian north cost

This paper presents the contamination levels, obtained applying the Equivalent Salt Deposit Density ESDD methodology in nine distribution circuits and five substations, belonging to ELECTRICARIBE S.A. E.S.P., and located in the north area of Barranquilla, the main Colombian Atlantic Ocean port. The paper shows the different study stages such as the sampling places selection and configuration, the ESDD measurement procedures and the results evaluation applying statistical techniques.     

Software tools for HVAC research

Energy saving methods can be employed to reduce energy consumption in buildings, or improve indoor thermal conditions. An example of those methods is the use of permeable coverings, but there are other important parameters like thermal inertia. To understand and predict these energy saving procedures, one may employ different software resources. In the present paper a review of existing software resources is carried out, and, as a consequence of this review, HAM tools were selected to simulate the indoor environment of school buildings. Results show that parameters like thermal inertia can interfere in the solar heat gains, changing the building time constant. Other parameters, like air changes per hour or the use of permeable coverings, present a clear enhancement of indoor environment conditions.     

Controlled release matrices and micro/nanoparticles of chitosan with antimicrobial potential: development of new strategies for microbial control in agriculture

The control of micro‐organisms responsible for pre‐ and postharvest diseases of agricultural products, mainly viruses and fungi, is a problem that remains unresolved, together with the environmental impact of the excessive use of chemicals to tackle this problem. Current efforts are focused on the search for efficient alternatives for microbial control that will not result in damage to the environment or an imbalance in the existing biota. One alternative is the use of natural antimicrobial compounds such as chitosan, a linear cationic biopolymer, which is biodegradable, biocompatible and non‐toxic, has filmogenic properties and is capable of forming matrices for the transport of active substances. The study of chitosan has attracted great interest owing to its ability to form complexes or matrices for the controlled release of active compounds such as micro‐ and nanoparticles, which, together with the biological properties of chitosan, has allowed a major breakthrough in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. Another important field of study is the development of chitosan‐based matrices for the controlled release of active compounds in areas such as agriculture and food for the control of viruses, bacteria and fungi, which is one of the least exploited areas and holds much promise for future research. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

An efficient omnidirectional vision system for soccer robots: From calibration to object detection

Robotic soccer is nowadays a popular research domain in the area of multi-robot systems. In the context of RoboCup, the Middle Size League is one of the most challenging. This paper presents an efficient omnidirectional vision system for real-time object detection, developed for the robotic soccer team of the University of Aveiro, CAMBADA. The vision system is used to find the ball and white lines, which are used for self-localization, as well as to find the presence of obstacles. Algorithms for detecting these objects and also for calibrating most of the parameters of the vision system are presented in this paper. We also propose an efficient approach for detecting arbitrary FIFA balls, which is an important topic of research in the Middle Size League. The experimental results that we present show the effectiveness of our algorithms, both in terms of accuracy and processing time, as well as the results that the team has been achieving: 1st place in RoboCup 2008, 3rd place in 2009 and 1st place in the mandatory technical challenge in RoboCup 2009, where the robots have to play with an arbitrary standard FIFA ball.