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[Objective] In order to explore the loss pattern of VC in kiwifruit pork jerky by twin-screw extrusion and solve the "black box" problem of nutrient loss during the extrusion process. [Methods] In this paper, a twin-screw extruder was used to produce kiwifruit pork jerky, and the VC content of the material before and after extrusion was determined by high performance liquid chromatography, and the Mean Residence Time （MRT） was used as the reaction time of the material in the barrel, and the VC loss rate under different extrusion conditions was dynamically analyzed. [Results] Increasing the temperature and moisture content of the barrel, decreasing the screw speed, and increasing the amount of dried fruit added during the extrusion process will increase the VC loss rate of the extruded material. The variation pattern of MRT and VC loss rate is basically consistent. Dynamic analysis shows that VC loss during the extrusion process follows a first-order dynamic model, and the VC loss rate constant is between 0.003 54 and 0.006 05 s-1. [Conclusion] MRT is an important factor affecting the variation of VC loss rate. A predictive model for VC loss rate can be obtained through multiple regression analysis, which can achieve reasonable prediction of the variation pattern of VC loss rate under different conditions and reduce production costs.

Objective: The relationship between tinnitus in the elderly with hearing loss remains elusive. This study aimed to reveal the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment among older adults with age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among a population of outpatients diagnosed with ARHL at four medical centers in different regions of China, from June 2020 to June 2023. ARHL patients were divided into two groups based on their self-reported tinnitus: tinnitus and non-tinnitus. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment in ARHL patients. Subgroup analyses, stratified by gender and age, were performed to further evaluate the association. Results: A total of 418 older adults with ARHL were included in the study. Compared to the non-tinnitus group, ARHL patients with tinnitus had lower hearing thresholds (β = −5.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) −9.32 to −0.81; p = 0.020). On subgroup analyses stratified by gender and age, the male ARHL patients with tinnitus still had lower hearing thresholds compared to those without tinnitus (β = −6.96; 95% CI −12.70 to 1.22; p = 0.018). In females, tinnitus was not associated with hearing thresholds (β = −3.69; 95% CI −10.11 to 2.74, p = 0.262). There was no association between tinnitus and hearing thresholds in both the age group of ≥70 years (β = −4.31; 95% CI −9.65 to 1.03; p = 0.116) and the age group of <70 years (β = −3.54; 95% CI −9.96 to 2.89; p = 0.282). Conclusion: Based on this multi-center cross-sectional study, we reveal that there is no evidence for the assumption that tinnitus may exacerbate hearing loss in the elderly for the first time. On the contrary, tinnitus is associated with better hearing in the male elderly with ARHL. More extensive longitudinal studies are needed to give a comprehensive insight of the present findings and the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing protein, a kind of commonly used plant meat, has a neatly arranged fiber structure similar to muscle fibers. It is considered as an important raw material for plant-based meat. To prepare drawing protein with highly oriented fiber alignment, the amount of three additives, monoglyceride, span-60, and carboxymethylcellulose sodium, was optimized by single-factor and response surface experiments using orientation degree as an indicator during the twin-screw extrusion process. The optimum amount of monoglyceride, span-60, and carboxymethylcellulose sodium were 1.51%, 1.74%, and 1.55%, respectively. The average orientation of the highly oriented drawn protein produced was 1.94 under the above-mentioned conditions. Subsequently, the orientation effects and textural properties of highly oriented drawing proteins were compared with five kinds of popular commercially available products. Results indicated that the microscopic fiber structure of the highly oriented drawing protein was neatly arranged with a high degree of organization (2.29), and its overall orientation effects were similar to that of commercially available hand torn bean tendon. Besides, the hardness (85.06 N) and shear force (31.12 N longitudinally and 71.32 N laterally) of highly oriented drawing protein were close to those of purchased beef jerky. And the corresponding elasticity (1.52 mm), cohesiveness (0.72), and chewiness (90.04 mJ) were between commercially available beef jerky and dried pork. In summary, the optimized drawing protein with a high degree of orientation has good orientation effects and texture properties of it are all within the fluctuation range of popular commercial products. Thus, the relevant technologies and methods should have great market application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The environmental pollution and ecological risks caused by the widespread use of antibiotics have attracted attention in recent years. Biochar materials have a rich pore diameter and can effectively adsorb pollutants from wastewater. However, biochar will experience high temperatures, freezing and thawing in nature, affecting its physicochemical properties and adsorption capacity. Three types of aged biochar were prepared by artificial simulated aging using soybean straw as raw material. The aged biochar's elemental composition and functional group species were investigated by characterization analysis, and their adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms were studied. RESULTS: The specific surface area and pore size of the three aged biochars were lower than those of fresh biochars. The increased number of oxygen‐containing functional groups of the aged biochars formed a water cluster interaction with norfloxacin (NOR), which was unfavorable to the adsorption of NOR. The adsorption mechanism of biochar on NOR comprises pore filling, electrostatic interaction, ion exchange and complexation. CONCLUSION: The adsorption of NOR on biochar before and after aging was spontaneous and was described by quasi‐second kinetics and the Langmuir equation. Different aging methods influenced the physicochemical properties and adsorption performance of biochar, and the adsorption capacity of biochar was significantly reduced after aging. Therefore, the influence of climatic factors needs to be considered when using biochar to remove target pollutants. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of lake and reservoir ecosystem, sediment is an important "source" and "sink" of pollutants. Antibiotics, as a kind of important emerging organic pollutants, have attracted global attention. In order to understand the adsorption behavior and mechanism of antibiotics in sediment, enrofloxacin (ENR) was used as the target pollutant to evaluate its adsorption behavior in sediment and soil and the response mechanism of environmental factors by using the intermittent equilibrium method. The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium time of ENR in sediment and soil was 6 h, and the adsorption kinetics was in line with the quasi-second-order kinetics. The two-compartment model Herry-Langmuir can better describe the adsorption of ENR by sediment and soil. There is a lag phenomenon in desorption process.The average lag coefficient HI of sediment and soil was 1.08 × 10−3 and 0.43 × 10−3, respectively, indicating that ENR was difficult to be released. When pH = 5, the adsorption capacity is the highest, indicating that the adsorption mechanism of ENR in the sample is mainly cation exchange; the higher the cationic valence state of the background liquid is, the stronger the competitive adsorption capacity is, which leads to the gradual decrease of ENR adsorption capacity in the sample. Because ENR contains -F group, resulting in complex reaction with Al3+ in the solution, thus reducing the activity of Al3+, reducing the competitive adsorption of Al3+ and ENR, then ENR adsorption capacity increased. The change of ENR adsorption capacity of sediment and soil is Q(Al3+)>Q(Na+)>Q(K+)>Q(Ca2+)>Q(Mg2+)>Q(Fe3+). The adsorption capacity of ENR on sediment was higher than that on soil under all conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type of feedstock and pyrolysis temperature are the main reasons affecting the properties of the resulting biochar. Therefore, this paper investigates the effects of different feedstocks (peanut shell, corn straw and soybean straw) and different pyrolysis temperatures (300, 450 and 600 ℃) on the structural morphology and elemental composition of the resulting biochar. The optimum pyrolysis temperature of 600 ℃ was selected based on the comparison of the adsorption of NFX (norfloxacin) by the biochar prepared at different temperatures. Characterization of biochar materials using x-ray diffractometer, fourier transform infrared spectrometer and scanning electron microscope to study the changes in the physicochemical and structural properties of biochar. The results showed that the pH, surface area and ash content of biochar are increased with increasing temperature. The results of isothermal adsorption and adsorption kinetics experiments showed that the adsorption processes of the three biochar species on NFX were consistent with the Langmuir model and Pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption process occurred in the surface layer of the biochar and was dominated by chemisorption. The inhibition of the adsorption of NFX was more obvious with the higher valence state of cations and the higher ion concentration. The adsorption mechanism of biochar on NFX includes pore filling, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]