Incorporation of Alpha‐Linolenic Acid and Enhancement of n‐3 Fatty Acids in Nile Tilapia: a Factorial Design

A 2² factorial design (two factors at two levels, in triplicate) was performed to investigate the influence of factors A (time of treatment, 15 and 30 days) and B (chia oil content in a supplemented diet, at 2.1 and 4.2 %) in three responses of interest referring to: (a) the incorporation of alpha‐linolenic acid (LNA) in lipids of Nile tilapia fillet; (b) the enhancement of n‐3 fatty acids; and (c) the decrease in the omega‐6/omega3 (n‐6/n‐3) ratio in fish. Factors A and B were significant in the three regression models obtained and the interaction AB was a significant contributor to the LNA and n‐6/n‐3 ratio. Analysis of variance suggested three significant and predictive mathematical models. Response surfaces analyses from designs indicated higher LNA and n‐3 contents and a lower n‐6/n‐3 ratio using both factors A and B in the higher levels (30 days of treatment and 4.2 % of chia oil in the diet for fish) chosen for this study.     

A review on various after treatment techniques to reduce NOx emissions in a CI engine

NOx emissions have always been a main concern in the development of diesel engines. This paper summarizes the studies about NOx emission reduction in diesel engines. The need for meeting the stringent requirements with regard to NOx emissions in a diesel engine has led to the development of a range of after treatment techniques. After treatment methods are required to reduce NOx emissions that cannot be controlled by fuel composition and combustion phenomena. Current after treatment techniques that are being employed are Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), Lean NOx Trap (LNT) and SCR Filter (SCRF). The benefits and constraints of different types of SCR are discussed. Urea SCR is a prominent well proven technology. Urea SCR produces 96–99% conversion efficiency with the help of a reductant NH₃. The operating parameters such as nature of catalyst, temperature range of catalyst, flow of DEF (Diesel Exhaust fluid) to injector and mixing of NH₃ and NOx are discussed. Hybrid SCR such as Cu-SCR + Fe-SCR, SCR + LNT moderates fuel consumption and augments the catalytic activity at low temperature. SCRF has low cell density (200–300 csi vs 400–600 csi for SCR), and also has lower deNOx efficiency for a number of reasons. Pre-stored NH₃ and Preheating helps in low temperature reaction of SCRF. Technical problems in aqueous urea systems have led to the evolution of solid SCR system (SSCR). This review incorporates the study of solid ammonium salts decomposition, temperature range of the salts and infrastructure required for SSCR.     

Chemical composition and fatty acid profile of rhea (Rhea americana) meat

The purpose of this work was to determine the proximate composition and fatty acid profiles of the Gastrocnemius pars interna intramuscular fat (IMF) of rhea (Rhea americana) thighs. The birds were bred in captivity, fed with balanced feed (Nutriavestruz Crescimento - Purina) and kept in a pen with grass ad lib. The birds of both sexes used in the research weighed 23 kg on average and were aged about twelve (12) months old. They were subjected to hydric diet (12 h) before slaughtering by electric shock. The rhea meat showed an average moisture, protein, ash and total lipid contents of 74.1%, 22.8%, 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively. It was noticed the predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in intramuscular fat (IMF), 42.3% and a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), 29.7%. The fatty acids found in higher proportion in rhea IMF were: 18:2n-6 (24.33%), 18: ln-9 (19.25%), 16:0 (13.70%), 22: ln9 (11.40%), 18:0 (10.66%), 15: ln-10 (8.62%), 24: ln-9 (2.90%) and 20:4n-6 (1.72%). The PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios were 1.06 and 31.30, respectively. The consumption of rhea meat is a healthy alternative to red meat as it points to a lower susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases caused by the high consumption of fat comparatively to the consumption of meat from most domesticated animals.     

Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition of 15 Marine Fish Species from the Southeast Coast of Brazil

Lipid content and fatty acid composition were determined in edible meat of fifteen marine fish species caught on the Southeast Brazilian coast and two from East Antarctic. Most of the fish had lipid amounts lower than 10% of their total weight. Palmitic acid (C16:0) predominated, accounting for 54–63% of the total amount of saturated fatty acids. Oleic acid (C18:1n-9) was the most abundant (49–69%) monounsaturated fatty acid, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was the predominant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), accounting for 31–84% of n-3 PUFA. n-3 PUFA level were highest in Antarctic fish meat, comprising 45% of the total fatty acid content, which consisted of mainly EPA (16.1 ± 1.5 g/100 g lipids) and DHA (24.8 ± 2.4 g/100 g lipids). The amounts of EPA + DHA in g/100 g of lipids on the Southeast Brazilian coast and Antarctic fish species investigated were found to be similar: 42.0 ± 1.7 for Bonito cachorro, 41.0 ± 2.3 for Atum, and 39.4 ± 1.8 for peixe porco, respectively. All the studied species exhibited an n-3/n-6 ratio higher than 3, which confirms the great importance of Southeast Brazilian coast fish as a significant dietary source of n-3 PUFA.     

Dielectric Properties of La3+ Doped Sr0.3–3y/2Lay Ba0.7Nb2O6 Ceramics Prepared under Different Sintering Conditions*

A study of the dielectric properties of the Lanthanum doped Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ (SBN30) ceramic according to the stoichiometric formulation Sr_0.3–3y/2La_yBa_0.7Nb₂O₆ with y = 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05, and the influence of the sintering conditions is reported. The XRD shows single phase compounds for Sr_0.285La_0.01Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ (LSBN1) and Sr_0.225La_0.03Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ (LSBN3) ceramics, both samples having similar microstructure, densification and dielectric properties. The density increases linearly with ln t, where t is the sintering time, and the values of the maximum ferroelectric peaks of the permittivity increase steadily with t. Using the Bruggeman model to estimate the theoretical permittivity, it is concluded that the magnitude of the experimental permittivity peaks are mainly affected by the volume fraction of porosity of the samples. In this study we also establish that pore diffusion mechanisms behave according to the Ginstling-Brownshtein equation. For the Sr_0.225La_0.05Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ (LSBN5) sample, XRD analysis reveals the presence of isostructural compounds of the intermediate phases BaNb₂O₆ and SrNb₂O₆, and the dielectric properties start to deteriorate. This fact indicates the existence of a solubility limit of Lanthanum ions in the SBN solid solution.     

Lipid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity Evaluation in Tilapia Fillets Supplemented with a Blend of Oils and Vitamin E

Since the nutritional value of farm‐raised fish fillets is directly related to the diet provided, we supplemented the diet of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with a blend of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) oil, tung (Aleurites fordii) oil, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to evaluate the effects on the fatty acid composition. Vitamin E was also added to the diet to improve the antioxidant capacity of tilapia fillets. We observed an increase in α‐linolenic acid content (from 6.56 to 19.03 mg g^?1 of total lipids), as well as the incorporation of CLA and conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA) isomers in the fillets. The addition of vitamin E resulted in the antioxidant capacity improvement of the fillets and higher values were found after 15 feeding days (39.25 µmol TE g^?1 in the Ferric Reducing Ability Power assay). Supplementation proved to be an excellent tool to improve the nutritional value of fish fillets.     

Identifikation und Regionalisierung von Nitratabbauprozessen in einem Grundwasserleiter – Möglichkeiten und Nutzen für die Wassergewinnung

Denitrification with pyrite or organic carbon compounds in aquifers can lead to the release of ferrous iron, sulfate and bicarbonate into the groundwater. For the water catchment, Ortheide (Emsdetten, Germany), nitrate reduction with pyrite also causes an increased well clogging with iron hydroxides in some of the wells. With the help of hydrogeochemical modelling (PhreeqC), the main processes in the aquifer of the catchment area were identified and quantified. The presence or absence of pyrite in the aquifer sediments was determined based on groundwater compositions. This allowed the regionalization of autolithotrophic denitrification in the aquifer and the distinction of so called “origin zones” of nitrate, ferrous iron and bicarbonate. Based on these zones, the comparative sensitivity of agricultural areas towards nitrate concentrations in the raw water and the clogging tendency of the wells could be estimated.