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Organic waste management is challenging in low-middle income countries. Environmental impacts and high management costs affect the sustainable development of cities, an issue that is exacerbated by the lack of social involvement. The research conducted in Iran aims to assess the benefits of organic waste home composting in Shiraz to improve solid waste management (SWM) sustainability. The introduction of a pilot project to assess home composting systems was described, together with an economic, social and environmental analysis. The current SWM system (S0) has been compared with the new strategy proposed (S1), where home composting is considered to be introduced to collect about 10% of the municipal solid waste generated in a 10-year horizon. An economic balance related to the capital costs and operational costs of both systems was introduced, in parallel with a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the SWM system, and a questionnaire survey of the local population. Results showed that S1 leads to around 5% economic savings for the municipality due to the avoidance of organic waste transportation and disposal. Environmental benefits include a lowering of CO 2 -Eq emissions of about 19,076 tonnes year -1 . In addition, about 28% of the interviewed ( n  = 319) agreed to employ the home composting system at home (CI 5.5%, 95% of confidence level) supporting the theory that about 10% of the organic waste can be segregated and home-composted. The research underlines that home composting can contribute to improve the sustainability of SWM systems in developing countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

A complex microbial community is critical for developing unique flavors in semi-dried large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea). Volatilomics analysis identified hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, phenylacetaldehyde, 1-octen-3-ol, and butanoic acid were identified as the key flavor compounds in the fish. Clostridium sensu stricto was the dominant genus, with a relative abundance of 79.78 % after 4 days of air-drying. Validation results showed a positive association between the accumulation of nonanal, phenylacetaldehyde, and butanoic acid and the presence of Clostridium sensu stricto. Significant correlations were also observed between the genera of Lactobacillus and Microbacterium and the key flavor compounds of hexanal and heptanal. Microorganisms contribute to the metabolism of these compounds, primarily through the metabolism of phenylalanine, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and pyruvate. This flavor-regulating role of microorganisms presents them as potential targets for flavor enhancement in traditional aquatic products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Almond bagasse resulting after the production of almond-based drinks represents a promising by-product with potential for use as a functional ingredient. To facilitate its utilization, the stability of this material can be achieved through dehydration processes such as hot air drying or freeze-drying. Nevertheless, owing to its high fat content, almond bagasse is prone to lipid oxidation, which could result in undesirable quality. Therefore, the objective of this work was to assess the impact of dehydration (by hot air drying at 60 and 70 °C and by freeze-drying) and storage (at room temperature and in accelerated conditions) on the functional quality and stability of almond bagasse powder. Throughout the dehydration process, it was observed that antioxidant compounds were preserved without significant differences among dehydration treatments. These compounds increased over the storage period, especially in the samples treated with hot air. Regarding antiradical capacity, the hot-air-dried samples showed higher values than the freeze-dried ones, although in all cases, it increased during storage. For total phenols in samples air-dried at 70 °C, increases of more than 50% were observed. The acidity and peroxide index were increased in the extended storage period, although they did not reach critical values. Samples stored for 180 days showed peroxide values ranging from 10 to 12.8 meq O 2 /kg dry matter for samples stored at room temperature and from 14.7 to 23 meq O 2 /kg dry matter for samples subjected to accelerated storage.

Fresh and dried Cordyceps sinensis are widely used by the public for medicinal and health purposes. However, the differences between them have not been examined. In this study, fresh wild and artificial C. sinensis (WFC and AFC) were dried to obtain dried wild and artificial C. sinensis (WDC and ADC). Non-targeted GC-MS was used to analyze the metabolic profile characteristics of the four groups of samples. The results showed that air drying significantly altered the composition and content of C. sinensis , mainly in the form of higher abundance of organic acids and derivatives and lower abundance of lipids and lipid-like molecules in fresh C. sinensis . Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and quantitative analyses showed that air drying increased the abundance of Valine, Zinniol, Urocanate, Vulpinic acid, and Uridine 5'-diphosphate, and decreased Xanthotoxol, Vitexin-4-o-glucoside, Val-trp, and Wogonin. These differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were also shown to be potential biomarkers for C. sinensis . KEGG enrichment analysis identified lysine biosynthesis as the most significantly enriched pathway. Annotation of these DAMs to lysine biosynthesis revealed that citrate cycle and pyruvate metabolism entered lysine biosynthesis via 2-oxohlutarate and Homocitrate, respectively, resulting in significant enrichment of L-saccharopine and L-lysine content was significantly higher. Alanine, aspartate, and Glutamate metabolism synthesized more L-aspartate to promote L-lysine synthesis. Thus, high levels of L-lysine result in lysine degradation and pymolysine, which are the most active metabolic pathways during the drying of fresh C. sinensis and indirectly lead to differences in metabolic profiles., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Elderflower extracts are known to be a source of valuable substances that show a wide spectrum of biological activity, including antibacterial and antiviral properties, which demonstrate a degree of effectiveness against SARS CoV-2. In this work, the influence of fresh inflorescence stabilisation methods (freezing, air drying, and lyophilisation) and extraction parameters on the composition and antioxidant properties of the extracts were studied. Wild elderflower plants growing in the Małopolska Region of Poland were studied. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical-scavenging ability and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. The total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the phytochemical profile of the extracts was analysed using HPLC. The obtained results showed that the best method for the stabilisation of elderflower was lyophilisation, and the determined optimal maceration parameters were 60% methanol as a solvent and a process time of 1-2 days.

Būt ( Sideroxylon mascatense ) is an indigenous wild blueberry found in Oman. It has a very short season and is commonly preserved by drying. The aims of this study were to determine the physico-chemical characteristics and stability of phytochemicals (i.e., polyphenols and flavonoids) in the berries during drying (i.e., freeze-drying at -40 °C and air-drying at 60 and 90 °C) and the polyphenol stability of the dried berries as a function of storage temperature (i.e., 90, 70, 60, 40, 20, and -20 °C). The moisture content of fresh berry flesh was 64.5 g/100 g sample (wet basis). The crude protein and fat contents were higher in the seeds than in the flesh. Glucose and fructose were the main sugars and their concentrations were highest in the sample air-dried at 60 °C. The initial total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the flesh were 2.009 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry-solids and 0.199 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/g dry-solids, respectively. The samples air-dried at 90 °C and freeze-dried at -40 °C had higher TPC (i.e., 2.638 mg GAE/g dry-solids) and TFC (i.e., 0.395 mg CE/g dry-solids), respectively. There was a significant difference between the TPC and TFC of fresh and dried wild berries ( p < 0.05). The freeze-dried wild berries retained a high TPC compared to the air-dried samples. The polyphenol storage stability of freeze-dried wild berries at different storage temperatures showed two phases: an initial release phase followed by a decay phase. The polyphenol storage stability was modeled using the Peleg model and the kinetic parameters were correlated with the storage temperature.

Introduction: Immediate fixation of smears in 95% alcohol for Pap staining is commonly used for cytopathological diagnosis of cancers and other diseases. Few research studies have investigated the comparative outcomes of alcohol wet fixation and rehydration of air-dried smears, indicating that air-dried rehydrated (ARF) smears are viable alternative to wet-fixed (WF) smears. However, there are no or few investigations on the effects of long durations of air-drying fixation on cytomorphological staining quality., Materials and Methods: 124 cervical smears were obtained from the Family Planning Unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Quadruple smears were WF and air-dried for 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h prior to rehydration with normal saline and fixation (ARF). All the smears were stained with Papanicolaou stain, examined microscopically for their cytomorphological features, and scored. Cytomorphological scores were statistically analyzed using SPSS software., Results: No significant difference in cytolysis, cell border, nuclear border, chromatin, and cellularity between WF and ARF was observed. However, significant differences in cytoplasmic staining quality (p value &lt;0.001) and the absence of RBCs (p value &lt;0.001) were observed in the 4-h ARF. The absence of RBCs in the ARF smears rendered a clearer background than in the wet fixation., Conclusions: ARF, Pap-stained smears showed comparably superior cytomorphological features to those of WF smears. The 8-h ARF smears produce crispy chromatin and excellent background, making them suitable for bloody cytological samples., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The shrinkage of the connective tissue and myofiber of lamb meat submitted to heat treatment or air drying at different storage stages (1, 5 and 7 days) was evaluated herein. The longitudinal and transverse shrinkage of heated lamb meat was significantly influenced by storage time and water bath heating temperature (50 °C, 70 °C and 90 °C) (p < 0.001). In contrast, the shrinkage of air-dried lamb meat was not influenced by storage time (p > 0.05). The microstructure of heated lamb meat, namely, the distance between muscle fascicles, the distance between myofibril networks, the area of myofibril networks, and the endomysium circumference, was significantly influenced by storage time (p < 0.05). During storage, the proportion of muscle fibers completely detached from endomysium increased, which could be due to the progressive degradation of proteins linking the endomysium and myofibril, including β-dystroglycan, α-dystroglycan, integrin-β1, and dystrophin. However, degradation of such proteins did not influence the shrinkage of lamb meat stored for five days or longer, since the decreased distance between myofibril networks indicated a higher shrinkage ratio of the endomysium compared to myofibers in samples air-dried at 35 °C or heated at 90 °C. The effect of these proteins on the shrinkage of heated lamb meat (raw meat stored for 1 day or less time) requires further elucidation.

Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV)-dried broccoli, oranges, and carrots prepared by the optimal drying protocols determined in this study were compared to the freeze-dried and air-dried samples based on the nutritional values before and after drying. An accelerated shelf-life study for REV-dried broccoli, oranges, and carrots was also conducted. For all the samples, REV drying significantly shortened the processing time. The REV-dried samples had much higher retention of the nutritional values (vitamin C, β-carotene) compared to the conventional air-drying process, and the values were also competitive to those of the freeze-dried samples. Although freeze-drying resulted in the best rehydration property, the REV-dried samples still earned the highest scores in the sensory test. In the accelerated shelf-life study conducted on the REV-dried samples, the moisture content and water activity stayed at the same level, but the nutritional values showed a downward trend. The sensory properties fluctuated in the shelf-life but still gained positive feedback from the panelists. Moreover, the testing method for β-carotene content was uniquely designed in this project and could be a semi-quantitative method to refer to.

The physico-chemical and microstructural changes of "Rojo Brillante" persimmons in two maturity stages (S1 and S2) were evaluated during air drying. The maturity stage influences moisture loss. A Moisture level of approximately 50%, a limit at which persimmons are considered semidried, was reached after 21 and 28 days for S1 and S2, respectively. Shrinkage resulting from water removal led to secondary epidermis formation concomitantly to internal flesh gelling, which was related to moisture loss and water activity changes of each fruit part. The thicker epidermis and the lower volume of gelled area inside the S1 fruits led to harder fruit compared to the S2 fruits. The microstructural study revealed parenchyma degradation during drying in both the outermost area (secondary epidermis) and internal flesh, and this process was faster in S1 than in S2. The second peel presented hollows, generated by water outflow, which were bigger in S1 and explained the faster internal dehydration in S1. During drying, slight browning occurred, as reflected in the declining color parameters ( L* , h* and C* ). Water removal led to soluble solids tannin reduction to non-astringency values on day 28.

Osmotically dehydrated and air dried berry fruits are used as ingredients for the production of yoghurts, chocolates, cereal bars and mixes, ice creams and cakes and these fruits are often subjected to mild thermal treatments only, posing questions around their microbiological safety. As osmotic dehydration methods and parameters vary considerably within the industry and minimally processed high quality fruits are increasingly sought, the scope of this study was to determine which temperatures are required for the inactivation of relevant bacteria and viruses during osmotic dehydration of berries, using blueberries as a model berry in a thawed state to mimic common industrial practices. Additionally, we studied the inactivation of osmotic dehydration at 23 °C, sometimes referred to "cold infusion" followed by air drying at 100 °C to determine the microbiological safety achieved by this combined treatment. Four pathogens (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and hepatitis A virus (HAV)) and five surrogates (Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli P1, Listeria innocua, murine Norovirus (MNV) and bacteriophage MS2) were inoculated on blueberries and reductions were measured after different treatment combinations. After osmotic dehydration of bacterial strains at 40 °C no survivors were detected on blueberries, with the exception of E. faecium. Inactivation of the viruses at 45 °C showed no survivors for MS2 and mean reductions of 1.5 and 3.4 log 10 median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID 50 )/g for HAV and MNV, respectively. Similarly, in the sugar solution at 40 °C, no survivors were observed, with the exception of E. faecium and the three viruses. The combined process (osmotic dehydration at 23 °C followed by air-drying at 100 °C) achieved an >6 log reduction of all tested bacterial strains and MS2. For HAV and MNV, 2.6 and >3.4 log 10 TCID 50 /g were measured. In summary, the present study shows that osmotic dehydration appears an efficient control measure for the control of L. monocytogenes, S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 if carried out at 40 °C or at 23 °C and followed by air-drying at 100 °C. Based on the results generated with MNV, the combined treatment is also expected to reduce human Norovirus (NoV) but does not appear to be sufficient to fully control HAV. The results contribute to a better management of the microbial safety of osmotically dehydrated and dried berries and especially the results generated for the viruses emphasize that within a robust food safety management system, safety must be assured through the entire food supply chain and therefore must start at primary production with the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are commonly found in plants and other organisms capable of undergoing severe and reversible dehydration, a phenomenon termed "anhydrobiosis". Here, we have produced a tagged version for three different LEA proteins: pTag-RAB17-GFP-N, Zea mays dehydrin-1dhn, expressed in the nucleo-cytoplasm; pTag-WCOR410-RFP, Tricum aestivum cold acclimation protein WCOR410, binds to cellular membranes, and pTag-LEA-BFP, Artemia franciscana LEA protein group 3 that targets the mitochondria. Sheep fibroblasts transfected with single or all three LEA proteins were subjected to air drying under controlled conditions. After rehydration, cell viability and functionality of the membrane/mitochondria were assessed. After 4 h of air drying, cells from the un-transfected control group were almost completely nonviable (1% cell alive), while cells expressing LEA proteins showed high viability (more than 30%), with the highest viability (58%) observed in fibroblasts expressing all three LEA proteins. Growth rate was markedly compromised in control cells, while LEA-expressing cells proliferated at a rate comparable to non-air-dried cells. Plasmalemma, cytoskeleton and mitochondria appeared unaffected in LEA-expressing cells, confirming the protection conferred by LEA proteins on these organelles during dehydration stress. This is likely to be an effective strategy when aiming to confer desiccation tolerance to mammalian cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The yeast form (blastospore) of the dimorphic insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana can be rapidly produced using liquid fermentation methods but is generally unable to survive rapid dehydration processes or storage under non-refrigerated conditions. In this study, we evaluated the influence of two convective drying methods, various modified atmosphere packaging systems, and storage temperatures on the desiccation tolerance, storage stability, and virulence of blastospores of B. bassiana ESALQ 1432. All blastospore formulations were dried to <5 % water content equivalent to aw < 0.3. The viability of B. bassiana blastospores after air drying and spray drying was greater than 80 %. Vacuum-packaged blastospores remained viable longer when stored at 4 °C compared with 28 °C with virtually no loss in viability over 9 months regardless the drying method. When both oxygen and moisture scavengers were added to sealed packages of dried blastospore formulations stored at 28 °C, viability was significantly prolonged for both air- and spray-dried blastospores. The addition of ascorbic acid during spray drying did not improve desiccation tolerance but enhanced cell stability (∼twofold higher half-life) when stored at 28 °C. After storage for 4 months at 28 °C, air-dried blastospores produced a lower LC80 and resulted in higher mortality to whitefly nymphs (Bemisia tabaci) when compared with spray-dried blastospores. These studies identified key storage conditions (low aw and oxygen availability) that improved blastospore storage stability at 28 °C and will facilitate the commercial development of blastospores-based bioinsecticides.

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been included among the most important air pollutants by governmental environment agencies and academy researchers. The use of terrestrial plants for monitoring PM has been widely accepted, particularly when it is coupled with SEM/EDS. Herein, Tillandsia stricta leaves were used as monitors of PM, focusing on a comparative evaluation of Environmental SEM (ESEM) and High-Pressure SEM (HPSEM). In addition, specimens air-dried at formaldehyde atmosphere (AD/FA) were introduced as an SEM procedure. Hydrated specimen observation by ESEM was the best way to get information from T. stricta leaves. If any artifacts were introduced by AD/FA, they were indiscernible from those caused by CPD. Leaf anatomy was always well preserved. PM density was determined on adaxial and abaxial leaf epidermis for each of the SEM proceedings. When compared with ESEM, particle extraction varied from 0 to 20% in air-dried leaves while 23-78% of particles deposited on leaves surfaces were extracted by CPD procedures. ESEM was obviously the best choice over other methods but morphological artifacts increased in function of operation time while HPSEM operation time was without limit. AD/FA avoided the shrinkage observed in the air-dried leaves and particle extraction was low when compared with CPD. Structural and particle density results suggest AD/FA as an important methodological approach to air pollution biomonitoring that can be widely used in all electron microscopy labs. Otherwise, previous PM assessments using terrestrial plants as biomonitors and performed by conventional SEM could have underestimated airborne particulate matter concentration., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Domestic food waste drying foresees the significant reduction of household food waste mass through the hygienic removal of its moisture content at source. In this manuscript, a new approach for the development and optimization of an innovative household waste dryer for the effective dehydration of food waste at source is presented. Food waste samples were dehydrated with the use of the heated air-drying technique under different air-drying conditions, namely air temperature and air velocity, in order to investigate their drying kinetics. Different thin-layer drying models have been applied, in which the drying constant is a function of the process variables. The Midilli model demonstrated the best performance in fitting the experimental data in all tested samples, whereas it was found that food waste drying is greatly affected by temperature and to a smaller scale by air velocity. Due to the increased moisture content of food waste, an appropriate configuration of the drying process variables can lead to a total reduction of its mass by 87% w/w, thus achieving a sustainable residence time and energy consumption level. Thus, the development of a domestic waste dryer can be proved to be economically and environmentally viable in the future.

A novel drying method for frozen-thawed whole cranberries was developed by combining microwave osmotic dehydration under continuous flow medium spray (MWODS) conditions with microwave vacuum finish-drying. A central composite rotatable design was used to vary temperature (33 to 67 °C), osmotic solution concentration (33 to 67 °B), contact time (5 to 55 min), and flow rate (2.1 to 4.1 L/min) in order to the determine the effects of MWODS input parameters on quality of the dried berry. Quality indices monitored included colorimetric and textural data in addition to anthocyanin retention and cellular structure. Overall it was found that the MWODS-MWV process was able to produce dried cranberries with quality comparable to freeze dried samples in much shorter time. Additionally, cranberries dried via the novel process exhibited much higher quality than those dried via either vacuum or convective air drying in terms of color, anthocyanin content, and cellular structure., (© 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Background: Studies regarding the effect of various methods to increase the surface hardness of Type IV dental stone are not conclusive. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the effect of air drying, micro oven drying and die hardener on surface hardness of Type IV dental stone., Materials and Methods: A standard metal die was fabricated; polyvinyl siloxane impression material was used to make the molds of metal die. A total of 120 specimens were obtained from two different die stones and were grouped as Group A (kalrock) and Group B (pearl stone), and were subjected to air drying for 24 h, micro oven drying and application of die hardener. These models were then subjected to surface hardness testing using the knoop hardness instrument. The obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis., Results: The hardness of Group A specimens was 64 ± 0.54 Knoop hardness number (KHN) after application of die hardener, 60.47 ± 0.41 KHN after 24 h air drying, 58.2 ± 0.88 after microwave oven drying and 24.6 ± 0.4 after 1 h air drying. The hardness of Group B specimens was 45.59 ± 0.63 KHN after application of die hardener, 40.2 ± 0.63 KHN after 24 h air drying, 38.28 ± 0.55 KHN after microwave oven drying and 19.91 ± 0.64 KHN after 1 h air drying., Conclusion: Group A showed better results than Group B at all times. Application of the die hardener showed highest hardness values followed in the order by 24 h air drying, microwave oven drying and 1 h air drying in both groups. The study showed that air drying the dies for 24 h followed by application of a single layer of the die hardener produced the best surface hardness and is recommended to be followed in practice.

Changes in the concentration profiles of β-carotene caused by diffusion through parenchymatic dried apple tissue were characterized by image and fractal analysis. Apple slices were dried by convection, and then impregnated with an aqueous β-carotene solution. Scanning electron microscopy images of dried apple slices were captured and the fractal dimension (FD) values of the textures of the images were obtained (FDSEM). It was observed that the microstructure of the foodstuff being impregnated have an important effect on the impregnation phenomenon, generating irregular concentration profiles of β-carotene, which are numerically described by the fractal dimension FDPROFILES and are related to the diffusion process during impregnation in dried edible tissue.

The water desorption properties of osmotically dehydrated papaya cubes at various temperatures were studied by fitting experimental isotherms in Henderson, Oswin, Chen and Clayton and Kuhn equations having 2 parameters and Henderson and Oswin equations were modified to describe the temperature dependence of isotherm data. Oswin equation was useful to predict the equilibrium moisture content values for use in determining the effective moisture diffusion coefficient during subsequent air drying process.