Ultrasound assisted low temperature drying of food materials

[EN] An ultrasonic design based on the indirect transmission of ultrasonic energy from the ultrasound emitter through to the material to be dried was investigated to assist in low temperature drying of food materials. The application of the improved design tested in this work was found to enhance the low temperature drying by shortening the overall drying time of up to 45% (i.e., lower energy consumption and may enable better retention of product quality). This offers a promising approach towards a better applicability of ultrasound in industrial operation, since no direct contact between the sample and the ultrasonic emitter is needed.Sabarez, HT.; Keuhbauch, S.; Knoerzer, K. (2018). Ultrasound assisted low temperature drying of food materials. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1245-1250. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.7329OCS1245125

Harnessing the potential of ligninolytic enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment

Abundant lignocellulosic biomass from various industries provides a great potential feedstock for the production of value-added products such as biofuel, animal feed, and paper pulping. However, low yield of sugar obtained from lignocellulosic hydrolysate is usually due to the presence of lignin that acts as a protective barrier for cellulose and thus restricts the accessibility of the enzyme to work on the cellulosic component. This review focuses on the significance of biological pretreatment specifically using ligninolytic enzymes as an alternative method apart from the conventional physical and chemical pretreatment. Different modes of biological pretreatment are discussed in this paper which is based on (i) fungal pretreatment where fungi mycelia colonise and directly attack the substrate by releasing ligninolytic enzymes and (ii) enzymatic pretreatment using ligninolytic enzymes to counter the drawbacks of fungal pretreatment. This review also discusses the important factors of biological pretreatment using ligninolytic enzymes such as nature of the lignocellulosic biomass, pH, temperature, presence of mediator, oxygen, and surfactant during the biodelignification process

Polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity in fruits of plum (prunus domestica l.) Cultivars "valjevka" and "mildora" as influenced by air drying

Polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of freshly harvested plums cvs. "Valjevka" and "Mildora," and changes caused by drying were analyzed. Plum drying at 90C resulted in significant changes in anthocyanins, flavonoids and phenolics content, and antioxidant capacity in both cultivars examined. Statistical analysis showed that antioxidant capacity of both fresh plums and prunes of "Valjevka" and "Mildora" is strongly influenced by the phenolic constituents of the fruit. The major phenolic compound in fresh plums and prunes is neochlorogenic acid, followed by caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. After drying, a significant decrease in neochlorogenic acid and an increase in caffeic acid was observed, while chlorogenic acid content decreased in prunes of "Valjevka," and increased in prunes of "Mildora." Rutin and protocatechuic acid contents were slightly decreased after drying, while gallic acid content was dramatically increased. A complete degradation of cyanidin was induced by drying

Naturally p-hydroxybenzoylated lignins in palms

The industrial production of palm oil concurrently generates a substantial amount of empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers that could be used as a feedstock in a lignocellulose-based biorefinery. Lignin byproducts generated by this process may offer opportunities for the isolation of value-added products, such as p-hydroxybenzoate (pBz), to help offset operating costs. Analysis of the EFB lignin by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy clearly revealed the presence of bound acetate and pBz, with saponification revealing that 1.1 wt% of the EFB was pBz; with a lignin content of 22.7 %, 4.8 % of the lignin is pBz that can be obtained as a pure component for use as a chemical feedstock. Analysis of EFB lignin by NMR and derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC) showed that pBz selectively acylates the γ-hydroxyl group of S units. This selectivity suggests that pBz, analogously with acetate in kenaf, p-coumarate in grasses, and ferulate in a transgenic poplar augmented with a feruloyl-CoA monolignol transferase (FMT), is incorporated into the growing lignin chain via its γ-p-hydroxybenzoylated monolignol conjugate. Involvement of such conjugates in palm lignification is proven by the observation of novel p-hydroxybenzoylated non-resinol β–β-coupled units in the lignins. Together, the data implicate the existence of p-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA:monolignol transferases that are involved in lignification in the various willows (Salix spp.), poplars and aspen (Populus spp., family Salicaceae), and palms (family Arecaceae) that have p-hydroxybenzoylated lignins. Even without enhancing the levels by breeding or genetic engineering, current palm oil EFB ‘wastes’ should be able to generate a sizeable stream of p-hydroxybenzoic acid that offers opportunities for the development of value-added products derived from the oil palm industry

Calcium and temperature effect on structural damage of hot air dried apple slices: Nonlinear irreversible thermodynamic approach and rehydration analysis

Mathematical models traditionally employed in fitting convective drying data do not use to report information about chemical and other physical changes different from the simple decrease in moisture content. In the present study, structural damage undergone by fresh and vacuum impregnated apple slices with different calcium lactate concentrations during convective drying at 30, 40 and 50 °C was analysed by applying equations derived from nonlinear irreversible thermodynamics to experimental data. According to the results obtained, vacuum impregnation with isotonic sucrose solution before drying at 30 °C provided maximum protection to cellular structure by promoting reversible deformations against irreversible breakages. On the contrary, cell walls strengthen with calcium had severe damaged during drying. Regarding air temperature, it was directly related both to the molar energy employed in deforming structures and the drying rate. These results were confirmed by analysing dried samples behaviour during further rehydration.Barrera Puigdollers, C.; Betoret Valls, N.; Betoret Valls, ME.; Fito Maupoey, P. (2016). Calcium and temperature effect on structural damage of hot air dried apple slices: Nonlinear irreversible thermodynamic approach and rehydration analysis. Journal of Food Engineering. 189:106-114. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2016.05.024S10611418

Influence of material structure on air-borne ultrasonic application in drying

[EN] This work aims to contribute to the understanding of how the properties of the material being dried affect air-borne ultrasonic application. To this end, the experimental drying kinetics (40 C and 1 m/s) of cassava (Manihot esculenta) and apple (Malus domestica var. Granny Smith) were carried out applying different ultrasonic powers (0, 6, 12, 19, 25 and 31 kW/m3). Furthermore, the power ultrasound-assisted drying kinetics of different fruits and vegetables (potato, eggplant, carrot, orange and lemon peel) already reported in previous studies were also analyzed. The structural, textural and acoustic properties of all these products were assessed, and the drying kinetics modeled by means of the diffusion theory. A significant linear correlation (r > 0.95) was established between the identified effective diffusivity (DW) and the applied ultrasonic power for the different products. The slope of this relationship (SDUP) was used as an index of the effectiveness of the ultrasonic application; thus the higher the SDUP, the more effective the ultrasound application. SDUP was well correlated (rP0.95) with the porosity and hardness. In addition, SDUP was largely affected by the acoustic impedance of the material being dried, showing a similar pattern with the impedance than the transmission coefficient of the acoustic energy on the interface. Thus, soft and open-porous product structures exhibited a better transmission of acoustic energy and were more prone to the mechanical effects of ultrasound. However, materials with a hard and closed-compact structure were less affected by acoustic energy due to the fact that the significant impedance differences between the product and the air cause high energy losses on the interfaceThe authors acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Ref. DPI2012-37466-C03-03, DPI2012-37466-C03-03 and DPI2011-22438) and the assistance with the microstructural analysis provided by Dra. Ana Puig from Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos of Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV). The author Cesar Ozuna thanks UPV for an FPI Grant (Ref. 2009-02).Ozuna López, C.; Gomez Alvarez-Arenas, T.; Riera, E.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; García Pérez, JV. (2014). Influence of material structure on air-borne ultrasonic application in drying. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 21(3):1235-1243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2013.12.015S1235124321