Microwave Drying of Palm Oil Mill Effluent

This paper describes the treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) by using microwave drying. The study concentrated on the variation of the drying rate with respect to different initial mass and microwave power and the effect of silicon carbide (SiC) to enhance the drying. The initial mass of sample and energy level ranges from 20. - 50 g and 91 - 504 watt respectively. The experimental results show that under the microwave treatment the drying time required to reduce the amount of sample to 25% of its initial mass at power level of 504 watt was within 3.5 - 6.4 min. While with SiC and at the same power level the drying time was only 1.8 - 3.6 min. This time is almost one-third of the time taken by conventional drying. The experimental results clearly showed that microwave drying can be considered as an alternative technique for the POME treatment since it is efficient, quick and does not pollute the environment

Linalool: a key contributor to the aroma nuances in hoppy beer, cocoa liquor, wines, and fermented tea beverage

Linalool (3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol) is an important monoterpene alcohol that contributes to the flowery and tea-like flavour of some liquid food products such as cocoa liquor, wines, juices, and fermented tea (black tea). In addition, linalool has been reported as the most aromatic flavour odorant of hop essential oils and by extension hoppy beer. However, the mechanism of linalool formation in most of these liquid food products remains a subject of interest. It has been assumed that terpene alcohols are probably produced from oxygenated isoprenoid hydrocarbons. In addition, linalool has been shown to occur in two forms: (1) free form in juices and (2) non-volatile precursor form. The non-volatile precursors, which are monoterpene disaccharide glycosides, have been subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis to yield linalool

Identification of characteristic aroma compounds in raw and thermally processed African giant snail (Achatina fulica)

BACKGROUND: Food flavor appreciation is one of the first signals along with food appearance and texture encountered by consumers during eating of food. Also, it is well known that flavor can strongly influence consumer's acceptability judgment. The increase in the consumption of snail meat across the world calls for the need to research into the aroma compounds responsible for the distinctive aroma notes of processed snail meat. RESULTS: The odorants responsible for the unique aroma notes in thermally processed giant African snail meats were evaluated by means of aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and odor activity values (OAVs) respectively. Results revealed significant differences in the aroma profiles of the raw and thermally processed snail meats. Whilst the aroma profile of the raw snail meat was dominated with the floral-like β-ionone and β-iso-methyl ionone, sweaty/cheesy-like butanoic acid, and the mushroom-like 1-octen-3-one, the boiled and fried samples were dominated with the thermally generated odorants like 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole and 2-acetylpyridine. CONCLUSION: Finally, results have shown that sotolon, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, 2-furanmethanethiol, 2-methylbutanal, 1-octen-3-one, octanal, furanone, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyridine, 2-acetylthiazole, and 2-methylpyrazine contributed to the overall aroma of the thermally processed snail meat

Towards a Greener Future: Exploring Factors Influencing Green Purchase Intention and Pro-Environmental Behavior among Young Consumers

While economic growth has undeniably enhanced individuals' quality of life, it has also played a role in numerous environmental issues, such as pollution, depletion of natural resources, escalating greenhouse gas emissions, and the consequential phenomena of global warming and climate change. This study examines the antecedents of green purchase intention (GPI) and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) and the role of green purchase attitude (GPA) and green trust (GTR) as mediators. The results revealed that green knowledge, social status and perceived value are significant predictors of GPI, which significantly predicted PEB, while GPA and GTR are significant mediators. &nbsp

Population gene introgression and high genome plasticity for the zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus agalactiae

The influence that bacterial adaptation (or niche partitioning) within species has on gene spillover and transmission among bacteria populations occupying different niches is not well understood. Streptococcus agalactiae is an important bacterial pathogen that has a taxonomically diverse host range making it an excellent model system to study these processes. Here we analyze a global set of 901 genome sequences from nine diverse host species to advance our understanding of these processes. Bayesian clustering analysis delineated twelve major populations that closely aligned with niches. Comparative genomics revealed extensive gene gain/loss among populations and a large pan-genome of 9,527 genes, which remained open and was strongly partitioned among niches. As a result, the biochemical characteristics of eleven populations were highly distinctive (significantly enriched). Positive selection was detected and biochemical characteristics of the dispensable genes under selection were enriched in ten populations. Despite the strong gene partitioning, phylogenomics detected gene spillover. In particular, tetracycline resistance (which likely evolved in the human-associated population) from humans to bovine, canines, seals, and fish, demonstrating how a gene selected in one host can ultimately be transmitted into another, and biased transmission from humans to bovines was confirmed with a Bayesian migration analysis. Our findings show high bacterial genome plasticity acting in balance with selection pressure from distinct functional requirements of niches that is associated with an extensive and highly partitioned dispensable genome, likely facilitating continued and expansive adaptation

Effect of chitosan and carrageenan-based edible coatings on post-harvested longan (Dimocarpus longan) fruits

The effect of chitosan/carrageenan and glycerol as edible coating materials in preserving the fresh longan fruits stored at ambient temperature was evaluated. The concentration of coating components played an important role in the process of controlling quality changes and quantity losses. Changes in fruits’ weight loss, respiration rate and color were used as a measure of the coating’s effectiveness. Results have shown that increase in the chitosan or carrageenan concentration led to significant (p 1.19%) of the carrageenan resulted in slight increases in water and weight losses. From the multiple response optimization analysis, a combination of 1.29% (w/v) chitosan with 0.42% glycerol and 1.49% (w/v) carrageenan with 0.03% glycerol were predicted to give the desired coating because they were able to preserve the longan by showing minimal quality changes and quantity losses

The Effect of the Application of Edible Coatings on or before Ultraviolet Treatment on Postharvested Longan Fruits

This study compared the effect of application of edible coating on or before ultraviolet treatment on postharvest longan fruits. The treated longan fruits were examined for weight loss, respiration rate, surface color changes, enzymatic activities (PPO, POD, and PAL), and total phenolic contents throughout the 7 storage days at ambient temperature. In addition, coat homogeneity was examined and cell structure of longan flesh at the end of storage was observed. The results showed that when UV was applied before coating (i.e., chitosan or carrageenan), it had relatively lower PPO and PAL activities and retained higher TPC in longan pericarp. However, the changes in enzymatic activities did not affect the surface lightness and browning index as they were more influenced by the type of coating, in which combination treatments with carrageenan showed higher surface lightness and lower browning index compared to treatment combinations containing chitosan. However, when UV treatment preceded coating, the combinations of UV plus chitosan coating produced lower PPO and PAL activities and retained better cell structure with less damage than the combinations of UV plus carrageenan coating. UV plus carrageenan coating showed relatively higher weight loss and respiration rate, with cell structure exhibiting bigger intercellular spaces at the end of storage. Therefore, application of UV treatment followed by chitosan coating was found to be the best treatment combination for controlling enzymatic activities and reducing senescence rate of longan fruits

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Current trends in nano - encapsulation of flavours and aromas

Nano-encapsulation of flavour and aroma represents an efficient alternative in increasing their stabilities, prolong sensory perception, bio availability, and improve their efficiency. Presently, the applications of nanotechnology in the food industries are in the areas of nanoparticle coatings for packaging applications, health-promoting products, and beverages. Apart from the advantages, nanotechnology has raised a number of safeties, ethical and regulatory issues as a result of little knowledge regarding the impact of nano-sized materials on human health. While there are some reported studies on nanocapsule-containing fragrances or perfumes, very few studies have focused on nanoencapsulation of flavor and aroma. Currently, various techniques such as emulsification, complex coacervation, and supercritical fluid are being employed in nano-encapsulation of flavor and aroma. This review attempts to examine the current state of knowledge and limitations on the technology of nano-encapsulation of flavour and aroma