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Aim of study: A common procedure when evaluating scientists is considering the journal’s quartile of impact factors (within a category), many times considering the quartile in the year of publication instead of the last available ranking. We tested whether the extra work involved in considering the quartiles of each particular year is justifiedArea of study: EuropeMaterial and methods: we retrieved information from all papers published in 2008-2012 by researchers of AGROTECNIO, a centre focused in a range of agri-food subjects. Then, we validated the results observed for AGROTECNIO against five other European independent research centres: Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and the Universities of Nottingham (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), and Bologna (Italy).Main results: The relationship between the actual impact of the papers and the impact factor quartile of a journal within its category was not clear, although for evaluations based on recently published papers there might not be much better indicators. We found unnecessary to determine the rank of the journal for the year of publication as the outcome of the evaluation using the last available rank was virtually the same.Research highlights: We confirmed that the journal quality reflects only vaguely the quality of the papers, and reported for the first time evidences that using the journal rank from the particular year that papers were published represents an unnecessary effort and therefore evaluation should be done simply considering the last available rank.

Non-edible cellulose-containing biomass is a promising and abundant feedstock for simple sugar production. This study presents the results of different cellulose-containing materials (CCM) hydrolysis experiments with P. verruculosum enzyme complexes in laboratory conditions. Among the non-pretreated substrates, only a few had a relatively high convertibility—soy bean husks (31%) and sugar beat pulp (20%)—while wheat straw, oat husks, sunflower peals, and corn stalks had a low convertibility of 3% to 12%. This indicates that a major part of CCM needs pretreatment. Steam-exploded (with Ca(OH)2) soy bean and oat husks (76% and 58%), fine ball-milled aspen wood and nitric acid-pretreated aspen wood (62% and 78%), and steam-exploded (with sulfuric acid) corn stalks (55%) had a high convertibility. Woody biomass pretreated with pulp and paper mills also had a high convertibility (56–78%)—e.g., never dried kraft hardwood and softwood pulp (both bleached and unbleached). These results demonstrate that effective cellulose-containing material processing into simple sugars is possible. Simple sugars derived from CCM using P. verruculosum preparation are a promising feedstock for the microbiological production of biofuels (bioethanol and biobutanol), aminoacids, and organic acids (e.g., lactic acid for polylactic acid production).

Water availability and substrate type are essential factors in seed germination tests, influencing imbibition and seedling development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of two substrates and different water volumes on the germination and vigor of chia seeds. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 x 6 factorial scheme, which consisted of two substrates, paper towel (Germitest®) and blotting paper, soaked with six water volumes equivalent to 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 times their dry weight, in four replicates of 50 seeds each. Germination percentage, mean time of germination, shoot length, radicle length, shoot dry matter, radicle dry matter, total dry matter (seedling), and root/shoot ratio were evaluated. Based on our results, germination tests for seeds of chia should be conducted using blotting paper (on paper) as substrate, with a water volume of 2.5 to 4.0 times its dry weight. Chia seedlings grown on blotting paper showed greater growth and dry matter accumulation compared to those grown on paper towel. A disponibilidade de água e o tipo de substrato são requisitos essenciais para a condução do teste de germinação em sementes, por influenciarem na embebição e no desenvolvimento das plântulas. Objetivou-se avaliar a influência de dois substratos e diferentes volumes de água sob a germinação e vigor de sementes de chia. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 x 6, sendo dois substratos substratos de papel toalha (Germitest®) e mata-borrão umedecidos com seis volumes de água equivalentes a 1,5; 2,0; 2,5; 3,0; 3,5 e 4,0 vezes o seu peso seco, em quatro repetições de 50 sementes. Avaliou-se a percentagem e o tempo médio de germinação, comprimento da parte aérea e da radícula, massa seca da parte aérea, radícula e total (plântula) e a relação raiz/parte aérea. O teste de germinação de sementes de chia deve ser conduzido no substrato mata-borrão (sobre papel) com quantidade de água entre 2,5 a 4,0 vezes o peso do papel seco. As plântulas de chia oriundas do papel mata-borrão obtiveram maior crescimento e acúmulo de matéria seca em relação às do papel toalha.

The influence of low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on the content of phenolic compounds (PC) in plants on different stages of ontogeny is discussed. A medicinal plant (Calendula officinalis L.) and agricultural crop Fagopyrum sagittatum G., diploid varieties and tetraploid varieties were chosen as objects of study. Microwave EMR in two frequency bands, 53.57-78.33 GHz (wide range mode) and 64.00-66.00 GHz (narrow range mode), has been selected to learn the physical effects on seeds, with a treatment exposure time of 20, 12, or 8 min. The experiments were conducted under laboratory and field conditions. Treated and control seeds were germinated by 100 pcs in a growth chamber on moistened filter paper at 22–24˚C in the dark and placed on the daylight from the third day. The level of PC in the seedlings was measured with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. It was found that in the EMR pretreated C. officinalis seedlings the level of PC is maximal on 14th day of germination. The wide mode treatment for 12 min results in a two-fold increase in the level of PC in juvenile shoots with respect to control. Different constitutional levels of phenolic compounds in the leaves of diploid and tetraploid varieties of F. sagittatum in the most critical phases of ontogeny were found. It is recommended to use EMR with a 12 min exposure time for C. officinalis. The narrow frequency mode with an exposure time of 20 min is preferable to use for most varieties of F. sagittatum., Theinfluence of low-intensity electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on the content ofphenolic compounds (PC) in plants on different stages of ontogeny is discussed.A medicinal plant (Calendula officinalis L.) and agricultural crop Fagopyrumsagittatum G., diploid varieties and tetraploid varieties were chosen as objects of study. MicrowaveEMR in two frequency bands, 53.57-78.33 GHz (wide range mode) and 64.00-66.00GHz (narrow range mode), has been selected to learn the physical effects onseeds, with a treatment exposure time of 20, 12, or 8 min. The experiments wereconducted under laboratory and field conditions. Treated and control seeds weregerminated by 100 pcs in a growth chamber on moistened filter paper at 22–24˚Cin the dark and placed on the daylight from the third day. The level of PC inthe seedlings was measured with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. It was found thatin the EMR pretreated C. officinalis seedlings the level of PC is maximal on14th day of germination. The wide mode treatment for 12 min results in atwo-fold increase in the level of PC in juvenile shoots with respect tocontrol. Different constitutional levels of phenolic compounds in the leaves ofdiploid and tetraploid varieties of F. sagittatum in the most critical phasesof ontogeny were found. It is recommended to use EMR with a 12 min exposuretime for C. officinalis. The narrow frequency mode with an exposure time of 20 minis preferable to use for most varieties of F. sagittatum.

Micrografting of lime were evaluated on four different citrus rootstocks; small-fruited sour orange, big-fruited sour orange, lime and lemon in four culture medium supporting systems including paper bridge, perlite and vermiculite supplemented with half MS and paper bridge supplemented with full MS each one with 60 or 75 g L-1 sucrose. Also, micrografted plantlets were evaluated in three beds including perlite, vermiculite, and perlite-vermiculite for acclimatization and growth. Statistical analysis of micrografting and acclimatization was done as factorial in a completely randomized design with 5 replications. According to independent treatments results, the most rate of successful micrografting of lime shoot tip was achieved on seedling rootstocks of lemon. Also, the best micrografting were observed at the highest concentration of sucrose at 75 gL-1media culture. In general, the most rate of successful micrografting of lime shoot tip was obtained on seedling rootstocks of lemon and big fruit sour orange in culture medium supporting systems of perlite and paper bridge with half MS containing 75 gL-1sucrose. After micrografting, the plantlets were transplanted from the in vitro to the culture medium. The highest survival rate and adaptation of micrografted lime based on the number of leaves and length of scion after 5 weeks was obtained with lemon and big-fruited sour orange rootstocks micrografted in paper bridge culture medium and transferred to the perlite- vermiculite bed.

The study was concerned with the kinetics of dehydration of jackfruit and mango pulp and their use for the development of mixed leather. Kinetics study showed that jackfruit pulp dried faster than mango pulp. The chemical composition of fresh jackfruit and mango pulp showed that moisture, ash, protein, fat, vitamin -C, acidity, pH and total soluble solids content were found 74.23%, 0.86%, 1.55%, 0.60%, 5.04 mg/100g, 0.224% (wb), 5.41 and 25.0% for jackfruit pulp, whereas for mango pulp, the contents are 80.1%, 0.45%, 1.2%, 0.70%, 24.2 mg/100 g, 0.48% (wb), 3.79 and 18.0% respectively. During mechanical drying, it was shown that drying rate decreased with the increase in thickness and for fresh jackfruit and mango pulp, values of index n were 0.38 and 0.20 at 60°C respectively, whereas for steam blanched jackfruit and mango pulp, value of index n were 0.38 and 0.29 at 60°C respectively and these were lower than 2 as predicted by the Ficks 2nd law of diffusion. The activation energy (Ea) was calculated as 3.12 Kcal/g.mole, 2.786 Kcal/g.mole, 2.90 Kcal/g.mole and 2.786 Kcal/g.mole for the fresh jackfruit, fresh mango, steam blanched jackfruit and steam blanched mango pulps respectively. The organoleptic taste test showed that sample 401 (Fruit pulp with sugar and KMS) secured highest score. [Fundam Appl Agric 2019; 4(4.000): 1089-1096]

The study aimed to minimize defective products to improve the production process quality of PT BI by identifying the most types of defects, calculating Defect per Million Opportunities (DPMO) value, suggesting the quality improvement of the Semi Refined Carrageenan (SRC) production process, and calculating Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) value. The methods used in this research were Six Sigma and the COPQ. The priority improvement based on the Pareto chart was moisture defects with the percentage of damage of 36.9%. The Sigma level of the production process of PT BI was 3.42 with a defect rate of 27,429 DPMO. The analysis on the cause and effect diagram showed that factors affected the occurrence of defective products were error in reading on moisture content, diverse raw material, the wrong method of mixing raw materials prior to production process, and the lack of inspectors of production process. The most influential-dominant factor was the obsolete machine which causes error in reading on moisture content. The company can take preventive and corrective actions to suppress defective products and improve product quality. Based on the calculation of the COPQ, the costs that must be incurred by the company due to defective products was IDR 1,007,690,694. Keywords: Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), quality control, seaweed, Six Sigma Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meminimalkan jumlah produk cacat sehingga meningkatkan kualitas proses produksi PT BI dengan mengidentifikasi jenis cacat terbanyak, menghitung nilai Defect per Million Opportunities (DPMO), menyarankan perbaikan kualitas proses produksi Semi Refined Carragenan (SRC) serta menghitung nilai Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). Metode yang digunakan adalah Six Sigma dan COPQ. Perbaikan yang diprioritaskan berdasarkan diagram Pareto adalah cacat moisture dengan persentase 36,9%. Tingkat Sigma dari proses produksi PT BI adalah 3,42 dengan tingkat kecacatan 27,429 DPMO. Analisis diagram sebab akibat menunjukkan bahwa faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi terjadinya produk cacat adalah kesalahan pada pembacaan kadar air, keragaman bahan baku, metode pencampuran bahan baku yang salah sebelum proses produksi serta kurangnya pengawas proses produksi. Faktor dominan yang paling berpengaruh adalah mesin usang yang menyebabkan kesalahan pembacaan kadar air. Perusahaan dapat mengambil tindakan preventif dan korektif untuk menekan jumlah produk cacat dan meningkatkan kualitas produk. Berdasarkan perhitungan COPQ, biaya yang harus dikeluarkan perusahaan akibat produk cacat adalah sebesar Rp1.007.690.694. Kata kunci: Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ),, pengendalian kualitas, rumput laut, Six Sigma

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is a compound originating from oil mills during oil extraction processes. In the Mediterranean area, more than 30 million m3 of OMW are produced each year, which represents 95-97% of the world production. Such volumes of untreated OMW are usually directly disposed of into drainage systems, water bodies (such as streams, lagoons and ponds) or are sprinkled on soils, causing potentially severe environmental problems to soils and groundwater. Consequently, there is a serious waste management problem related to the olive oil industry, because these practices no longer being acceptable. In the case of on-land OMW disposal, the characterization and the identification of this contaminant in soils is a fundamental task especially with a view to maintaining the integrity and quality of agroecosystems. In recent years, soils have been extensively studied to detect contaminants by using various geophysical methods. Among such techniques, time domain reflectometry (TDR) has shown, in different contexts, evident sensitivity and resolution capability for the characterization of contaminated soil sites. In order to further exploit the potential of the TDR technique, in this study we conducted a series of laboratory-controlled tests to explore how OMW influences the dielectric response of contaminated soils. This investigation led to the development of an empirical dielectric model to estimate the presence of OMW in variably saturated-contaminated soils with different textures and pedological features. In particular, the soils selected belong to two typical pedological units in southern Italy which account for approximately 90% of the Italian olive plantations and one of the highest concentrations of the olive oil industry in Italy. In these districts, as well as in other European and Mediterranean countries, there is the controversial habit to spread OMW on soils.

The aim of the study was to characterize the pulp oil of bacuri Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. (Arecaceae) according to official analytical methods. Total phenolic and carotenoids contents were evaluated by spectrophotometry, and tocopherols composition by high-performance liquid chromatography. The fatty acid profile was obtained through gas chromatography from samples transesterified with potassium hydroxide in methanol and n-hexane. According to the proximate composition, bacuri pulp contained 41.5 % carbohydrates and 39.2 % lipids. Regarding its physicochemical properties, the oil showed a free fatty acids content of 0.7 %, a peroxide value of 1.4 meq/kg, a refractive index of 1.463, an iodine number of 84.3 g I2/100 g, a saponification number of 193.5 mg KOH/g, an unsaponifiable matter of 0.5 %, and 48.7 h of oxidative stability. Total phenolic, carotenoids, and tocopherols contents recorded values of 2.4 mg GAE/g, 243.0 µg/g, and 86.8 mg/kg, respectively. The bacuri oil showed a fatty acid composition similar to olive oil and a high percentage of unsaturation, finding 67.3 % of monounsaturated acids, and 11.3 % of polyunsaturated acids. The main fatty acids were oleic (67.3 %), palmitic (13.3 %), and linoleic (10.5 %). Due to its physicochemical characteristics, bacuri oil has a great potential to be used in food preparations, such as salad oil or in margarine formulation. Resumen El objetivo del estudio fue caracterizar el aceite de pulpa de bacuri Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng. (Arecaceae) de acuerdo con métodos analíticos oficiales. Los contenidos totales de fenólicos y carotenoides se evaluaron mediante espectrofotometría y la composición de tocoferoles, mediante cromatografía líquida de alta resolución. El perfil de ácidos grasos se realizó por cromatografía de gases a partir de las muestras transesterificadas con hidróxido de potasio en metanol y n-hexano. Según la composición proximal, la pulpa de bacuri registró un 41,5 % de carbohidratos y un 39,2 % de lípidos. En cuanto a las propiedades fisicoquímicas, el aceite presentó un contenido de ácidos grasos libres de 0,7 %, valor de peróxido de 1,4 meq/kg, índice de refracción de 1,463, índice de yodo de 84,3 g I2/100 g, índice de saponificación de 193,5 mg KOH/g, materia insaponificable de 0,5 % y estabilidad oxidativa de 48,7 h. Los contenidos totales fenólicos, de carotenoides y de tocoferoles fueron de 2,4 mg EAG/g, 243,0 µg/g y 86,8 mg/kg, respectivamente. El aceite de bacuri mostró una composición de ácidos grasos similar a la del aceite de oliva y un alto porcentaje de insaturación, con un 67,3 % de ácidos monoinsaturados y un 11,3 % de poliinsaturados. Los principales ácidos grasos fueron el oleico (67,3 %), el palmítico (13,3 %) y el linoleico (10,5 %). Debido a sus características fisicoquímicas, el aceite de bacuri tiene un gran potencial para ser utilizado en preparaciones alimenticias como aceite de ensaladas o en formulación de margarinas.

In the present world, climate change is a mass talked issue. Because of climate change, humans and animals are under the risk of threatening. The scientist has pointed out that main reasons for climate change are waste. Waste is generated from household chores and industries, factories etc. that are affecting the balance of the environment in many ways. This waste may be of various types such as solid, liquid, gaseous etc. Therefore, the study was taken to assess the chemical components contain in wastewater in Dinajpur Sadar, Bangladesh. This study was aimed to evaluate the chemical compositions of the generated wastewater including comparison with the groundwater. The data concerning to the rice mill waste water in Dinajpur, Bangladesh was obtained from individual field visits by interviewing with owner and worker in the rice mills. The wastewater samples were collected randomly from different rice mills. A laboratory experiment was performed to determine the chemical constituents of the wastewater sample. The wastewater contained of pH(6.11-6.18), EC(181.47-185.23 µScm-1), Na(26.19-28.89 mgl-1), Ca(45.41-51.26 mgl-1), Mg(47.12-49.8 mgl-10), K(184.7-191.3 mgl-1), TDS(45.94-47.96 mgl-1), HT(306.7-332.33 mgl-1), S(11.05-13.25 mgl-1), Cl-(522.45-526.182 mgl-1), HCO3-(5.12-6.99 mgl-1), DO(0.46-0.53 mgl-1), P(17.01-21.54 mgl-1). The obtained concentration of Ca, EC, pH, Na and HCO3- were within the reported range of groundwater in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The concentration of Cl-, K, P, Mg and hardness in the wastewater were above the concentration of reported groundwater in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. On the other hand, the concentration of TDS in the wastewater was less than the reported concentration of groundwater in Dinajpur, Bangladesh.

Bu çalışmada, biyoyakıt kaynağı olarak fındık üretiminden kaynaklanan atıkların kullanımı incelenmiştir. Atıklar, yatay bir rotaya sahip bir hidrolik briketleme makinesi kullanılarak briketlenmiştir. Katı silindirik briketler iki farklı sıkıştırma basıncı (P: 80 MPa ve 160 MPa), nem içeriği (M:%8 -%10 ve %13 -%15) ve parçacık boyutları (PS: 2-5 mm ve 7-10 mm) ile üretildi. Briketlerin fiziksel özellikleri (kütle yoğunluğu, mekanik dayanıklılık ve kırılma indeksleri, su emme kapasitesi, nem ve eşdeğer nem içeriği) ve bazı ısısal özellikleri (yanma sonrası gaz emisyon değerleri, kül içeriği ve ısıl değerler) ölçüldü. Çalışma sonucunda fındık zurufu tarımsal atığı için en uygun briketleme basıncı 160 MPa, nem içeriği %8 -%10 ve parçacık boyutu 2-5 mm aralığında bulunmuştur. Çalışma umut verici sonuçlar vermiştir ve tarımdaki atıl atık potansiyelinin yeşil enerji için kullanılabileceğini kanıtlanmıştır., Thisstudy examined the utilization of residues from the production of hazelnuts asa source of biofuel. The residues were briquetted using a hydraulic briquettingmachine with a horizontal course. Solid cylindrical briquettes were producedwith two different compression pressures (P: 80 MPa and 160 MPa), moisturecontents (M: 8%-10% and 13%-15%) and particle sizes (PS: 2-5 mm and 7-10 mm).Physical properties (bulk density, tumbler and shatter indexes, waterabsorption capacity, moisture and equivalent humidity contents) and thermalproperties (gas emission values after combustion, ash content and calorificvalues) of the briquettes were measured. The study found an optimum briquettingpressure of 160 MPa, optimum moisture content of 8%-10%, and optimum particlesize of 2-5 mm for hazelnut husk agricultural residues. The study gavepromising results and proved that the idle residue potential in agriculturecould be utilized for green energy.

In light of recent news reporting the use of banned colorants in Lebanese-made pickled turnips exported to the European Union (EU) by the Rapid Alert System of Food and Feed (RASFF), The Lebanese Consumer Protection Association tested samples of pickled turnips being sold to the public and confirmed the use of rhodamine B. Many products were pulled off the market and were replaced with new products that were supposed to be free of any banned colorants. We selected 5 different brands of pickled turnips and tested them for pH, salinity, nitrites, and colorants. We tested the salinity using two methods: evaporation and titration. The concentration of nitrites was tested by absorbency method. The presence of colorants was determined using TLC and absorbency method. We determined that the newly released pickled turnips comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Lebanese Standards Institution (LIBNOR) and the international standards according to the Codex Alimentarius.

O objetivo deste estudo foi produzir cervejas artesanais com adição das frutas tropicais atemoia e sapoti em sua composição. Para elaboração dos mostos cervejeiros as matérias primas utilizadas foram malte tipo Pilsen e levedura cervejeira tipo Lager. A polpa de atemoia foi adicionada no mosto cervejeiro na concentração de 8,5% (p/v) e a polpa de sapoti na concentração de 17% (p/v). O processo de fermentação alcoólica ocorreu a 15ºC por 15 dias e o processo de maturação das cervejas verdes ocorreu a 5ºC por 15 dias. Após engarrafamento e carbonatação na própria garrafa realizaram-se as análises físico-químicas das três cervejas produzidas: cerveja sem adição de frutas (cerveja Pilsen), cerveja com polpa de atemoia (cerveja de atemoia) e cerveja com polpa de sapoti (cerveja de sapoti). A adição das polpas de frutas aumentou o teor alcoólico das cervejas de atemoia (5,0ºGL) e de sapoti (5,0ºGL) em relação à cerveja sem frutas (4,6ºGL). Também foi observado um aumento do teor de compostos fenólicos totais das cervejas de atemoia (111,29 mg/100 mL) e de sapoti (77,61 mg/100 mL) em relação à cerveja sem frutas (64,00 mg/100 mL). Outro resultado observado foi o aumento da atividade antioxidante das cervejas de atemoia e sapoti em relação à cerveja sem frutas. A utilização das polpas de atemoia e sapoti mostraram-se tecnologicamente viáveis na produção das cervejas artesanais. As cervejas com frutas valorizam o uso de frutas tropicais e despertam a atenção dos consumidores de cervejas artesanais.

Since the availability of micronutrients in agricultural soil are strongly depended on changes in soil characteristics, microfertilizers are one of the most effective means of influencing crop productivity and product quality. The use of nanoparticles of metals compensates for the loss of microelements, increases the stress tolerance of plants, both of which improve the quality of the final product. The aim of the research was to study the characteristics of a colloidal solution of metal nanoparticles (Mn, Cu, Zn, Ag, Fe) using X-ray diffraction to estimate the prospects of using them in agrotechnology. The objectives of the study included optimizing the method for treating plants and determining effective concentrations of metal nanoparticles and their composition, combined with traditional fertilizers (NPK), for enhancing soybean productivity. The objects of the study were varieties of soybean recommended for the forest-steppe ecoregion of Ukraine: ultra-early and early maturing Annushka and Ustya, respectively. The results obtained indicate the feasibility of using of a colloidal solution of metal nanoparticles as fertilizer due to its properties (phase composition, size) in agricultural technologies for soybean, which improves the productivity of this crop.

Cyanides are deadly toxic substances commonly found in cassava root tuber. Higher content of cyanides causes bitter taste of the root tuber. Therefore, analysis of cyanide content has been used as one of criteria for bitterness in cassava. The substitute common method used for this purpose was organoleptic test that could lead to poisoning, or argentometry, which is complicated, time-consuming, and requires lots of reagents. Therefore, a fast, easy, and safe method is strongly demanded. In this work, a smart screening technology kit (SST-Kit) was developed using ninhydrin reagent. This simple, fast, and low-cost method can be applied in the field for the analysis of cyanide levels in cassava. This method was optimized to the concentration of sodium carbonate from 0.5 to 2.0% by measuring the red color intensity produced under various times of reading from 1 to 3 minutes and three sample preparation techniques. The optimum condition for SST-Kit to read the cyanides level was achieved under the condition of 0.5% of sodium carbonate with a time readout of 2 minutes, using grinding preparation technique followed by dilution. The SST-kit had been applied on cassava samples with the accuracy of more than 90%.

Background A new prototype of bio-conditioner useful in rehabilitation of degraded soils was performed. In order to obtain this aim two stages were established: production of biomass of Microbacterium sp. CSB3 and formulation of this inoculum in a sediment supplemented with low-rank coal (LRC). Materials and methods The effect of agitation and pH on microbial growth was determined. As response variables, the final production of biomass (Xf) and yield (Yx/s) were determined. Growth dynamics of CSB3 in a 2-L reactor was also evaluated through Xf, Yx/s and the determination of kinetic parameters (specific growth rate [μ] and duplication time [Dt]). The formulation of CSB3 was evaluated; mixtures of several LRC proportions with a sediment from a municipal aqueduct were made. During 90 days, the viability of CSB3 was monitored by counting CFU. Results The optimal pH and agitation for Xf and Yx/x were 7.5 and 232 rpm, respectively; the values of Xf, Yx/s, μ and Dt in 2-L reactor were: 1.5 gL−1, 0.28 g/g, 0.0208 h−1, 33.3 h, respectively. Regarding the formulation, the most suitable combination to conserve the viability of CSB3 was LRC 25%–sediment 75%; the heavy metals content of LRC allow to infer that the prototype of bio-conditioner does not represent a pollution risk for environment soil. Conclusions It was possible to optimize the growth of CSB3 under laboratory conditions. The viability of CSB3 could be maintained by a formulation in a sediment supplemented with lignite; this formulation constitutes a new prototype of soil bio-conditioner.

This study evaluated the effects of de-inking paper sludge (DPS) and sewage sludge (SS) application on soil properties, and durum wheat growth and yield. A pot experiment was performed on Calcaric cambisol (clCM) and Cromic Luvisol (coLV) soils. Three DPS rates (0, 30, and 60 Mg ha−1) were studied with and without nitrogen fertilizer (280 kg NH4NO3 ha−1). DPS was also mixed with SS at two rates (5 and 10 Mg ha−1) to highlight the benefits of organic nitrogen compared to mineral nitrogen. DPS improved total organic carbon and nitrogen, mineral nitrogen, and soils cation exchange capacity, the 30% rate provided the greatest improvement in both soils. DPS increased grain and root P, K, Ca, and Mg contents in both soils. It also increased wheat straw N, P, Mg, and Ca for the same soil compared to the control. Mixed DPS treatments with nitrogen fertilizer enhanced grain yield by up to 38% and increased root biomass in the studied soils. Thus, DPS is a potential source of organic matter and a liming agent for acid soils when appropriate supplemental fertilizer is provided.

The main problems of meat products thermal treatment have been considered and analysed in the paper. Analysis of the existing research papers suggests that the main attention is devoted to the influence of temperature value and time of processing on the physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic indicators of the product. The influence on the protein and fat components of raw meat has been described as well as the changes in the meat product structure under the influence of temperature have been pointed out. The important impact of thermal treatment on the changes in proteins at heating, including solubility and hydration of the proteins, has been examined. The paper analyses the microbiota screening before and after thermal treatment. Special attention was paid to the impact of temperature on microbiota as it is an important indicator of a meat product safety. Methods and purpose of thermal treatments as well as the advantages and drawbacks of each method were considered. Formation of tastiness properties of the product depending on the methods and thermal cycling was emphasized. Submitted is the analysis of the factors that influence the product mass losses under the impact of high temperature. The dependence conditions of a meat product quality on the thermal cycle were also analysed. Attention is paid to alternative methods of thermal heating as well as their influence on ready product quality and safety. Substantial contribution of Odesa National Academy of Food Technologies to solving problems of the conventional thermal treatment of meat products was shown, same as a possibility of bringing a product to cooking readiness without application of high temperature. The main content of the paper includes analysis of the methods and thermal treatment cycles existing in the world and proves importance of the temperature control and cooking time which influence safety, quality and yield of the product.

Este documento analiza la producción de biodiésel a partir de especies autóctonas de aceites de Jatropha curcas y Neem (Azadirachta indica), junto con el rendimiento del motor y las características de emisión de mezclas B10 a 1000 rpm. Los rendimientos de la producción de biodiésel fueron 90% y 68% en peso de Jatropha curcas y Neem (Azadirachta indica), respectivamente. Las tres mezclas preparadas de biodiésel fueron 10% Biodiésel de Neem (NB10), 10% de biodiésel de Jatropha (JB10) y 5% de Jatropha + 5% de Biodiésel de Neem (NJB10). La prueba de emisiones del motor mostró menos producción de monóxido de carbono con NB10 (94 2,15 ppm), seguida de JB10 (100 2,44 ppm) y NJB10 (121 3,65 ppm) en comparación con el diésel (135 2,18 ppm). Sin embargo, las emisiones de dióxido de carbono fueron más altas debido a las mejores características de combustión de las mezclas de biodiésel como NB10 (3,21%), JB10 (3,06%) y NJB10 (2,53%) comparado con el diésel (2,13%) por volumen. Las cantidades más bajas de emisiones de dióxido de azufre (SO2) se observaron con el combustible de biodiésel mezclado, en comparación con el diésel mineral. Las emisiones de dióxido de nitrógeno (NO2) fueron de 5 ppm de diésel a 73 C de temperatura de escape, mientras que se incrementó a 8 ppm mediante el uso de biodiésel mezclado con NB10 debido a las altas temperaturas de escape de 85;33 C. La potencia y la carga del motor producidos a partir de las muestras de biodiésel mezclado fueron ligeramente inferiores al diésel convencional en un 12% y un 7;7%, respectivamente. Los resultados experimentales mostraron que el rendimiento del motor y la emisión del biodiésel de Neem (NB10) era mejor en comparación con otras mezclas de biodiésel.//This paper presents the production of biodiesel from indigenous species of Jatropha curcas and Neem (Azadirachta indica) oils, then its engine performance and emission characteristics of B10 blends measured at 1000 rpm. Biodiesel production yields were found 90% and 68% by weight from Jatropha curcas and Neem (Azadirachta indica), respectively. Three prepared biodiesel blends were 10% Neem biodiesel (NB10), 10% Jatropha biodiesel (JB10) and 5% Jatropha + 5% Neem biodiesels (NJB10). The engine emission test showed less carbon monoxide production from NB10 (94 2.15 ppm), followed by JB10 (100 2.44ppm) and NJB10 (121 3.65ppm) as compared to diesel (135 2.18ppm). However, the carbon dioxide emissions were found higher due to the better combustion characteristics of biodiesel blends as NB10 (3.21%), JB10 (3.06%) and NJB10 (2.53%) than diesel (2.13%) by volume. The reduced amounts of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions were found with blended biodiesel fuel in comparison to mineral diesel. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions were 5 ppm from diesel at 73 C exhaust temperature, while it was increased by using blended biodiesel, to 8 ppm with NB10 due to higher exhaust temperatures 85;33 C. The measured engine power and torque produced from the blended biodiesel samples were slightly lower than the conventional diesel by 12% and 7.7%, respectively. The experimental results showed that an engine performance and emission characteristic of Neem biodiesel (NB10) was better as compared to other biodiesel blends.

One of the principles of the circular economy requires the effective recycling of organic waste, especially since its volume is increasing from year to year. Therefore, one of the best solutions to solve this problem is the composting of organic waste. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of 10 different composts in terms of their quality. The composts varied with regard to waste materials used for composting, the adopted composting method, and the degree of compost maturity. Both biological (seed germination rate and intensity of plant root growth) and chemical methods (contents of macro- and micronutrients, presence of heavy metals, as well as the quality and quantity of humus compounds) were applied to evaluate the fertilisers, providing comprehensive characteristics of individual composts. It was found that composts prepared on the basis of sewage sludge had the highest contents of macro- and micronutrients as well as heavy metals. In addition, these composts contained the greatest amounts of humic substances, although these were of low quality. These composts also strongly inhibited seed germination and plant root growth. The least desirable chemical composition was found for the composts based on yard trimmings and household wastes prepared in home composters. These composts contained good quality humus compounds and had a positive effect on seed germination and plant root growth.

With the aim of identifying new sources to produce cellulose nanofibers, olive tree pruning biomass (OTPB) was proposed for valorization as a sustainable source of cellulose. OTPB was subjected to a soda pulping process for cellulose purification and to facilitate the delamination of the fiber in the nanofibrillation process. Unbleached and bleached pulp were used to study the effect of lignin in the production of cellulose nanofibers through different pretreatments (mechanical and TEMPO-mediated oxidation). High-pressure homogenization was used as the nanofibrillation treatment. It was observed that for mechanical pretreatment, the presence of lignin in the fiber produces a greater fibrillation, resulting in a smaller width than that achieved with bleached fiber. In the case of TEMPO-mediated oxidation, the cellulose nanofiber characteristics show that the presence of lignin has an adverse effect on fiber oxidation, resulting in lower nanofibrillation. It was observed that the crystallinity of the nanofibers is lower than that of the original fiber, especially for unbleached nanofibers. The residual lignin content resulted in a greater thermal stability of the cellulose nanofibers, especially for those obtained by TEMPO-mediated oxidation. The characteristics of the cellulose nanofibers obtained in this work identify a gateway to many possibilities for reinforcement agents in paper suspension and polymeric matrices.

The lignocellulosic residue from the palm oil industry, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB), represents a challenge to both producing industries and environment due to its disposal diffculties. Alternatively, OPEFB can be used for the production of valuable products if pretreatment methods, which overcome OPEFB recalcitrance and allow tailored valorization of all its carbohydrates and lignin, are developed. Specifically, high-value applications for lignin, to increase its contribution to the feasibility of lignocellulosic biorefineries, demand high-purity fractions. In this study, acid-catalyzed organosolv using ethanol as a solvent was used for the recovery of high-purity lignin and digestible cellulose. Factors including catalyst type and its concentration, temperature, retention time, and solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratio were found to influence lignin purity and recovery. At the best conditions (0.07% H2SO4, 210 °C, 90 min, and S/L ratio of 1:10), a lignin purity and recovery of 70.6 ± 4.9% and 64.94 ± 1.09%, respectively, were obtained in addition to the glucan-rich fraction. The glucan-rich fraction showed 94.06 ± 4.71% digestibility within 18 h at an enzyme loading of 30 filter paper units (FPU)/g glucan. Therefore, ethanol organosolv can be used for fractionating OPEFB into three high-quality fractions (glucan, lignin, and hemicellulosic compounds) for further tailored biorefining using low acid concentrations. Especially, the use of ethanol opens the possibility for integration of 1st and 2nd generation ethanol benefiting from the separation of high-purity lignin. © 2020 by the authors.

Root system architecture is a vital part of the plant that has been shown to vary between species and within species based on response to genotypic and/or environmental influences. The root traits of wheat seedlings are critical for their establishment in soil and evidently linked to plant height and seed yield. However, plant breeders have not efficiently developed the role of RSA in wheat selection due to the difficulty of studying root traits. We set up a root phenotyping platform to characterize RSA in 34 wheat accessions. The phenotyping pipeline consists of the germination paper-based moisture replacement system, image capture units, and root-image processing software. The 34 accessions from two different wheat ploidy levels (hexaploids and tetraploids), were characterized in ten replicates. A total of 19 root traits were quantified from the root architecture generated. This pipeline allowed for rapid screening of 340 wheat seedlings within 10 days. At least one line from each ploidy (6&times, and 4&times, ) showed significant differences (p &lt, 0.05) in measured traits, except for mean seminal count. Our result also showed a strong correlation (0.8) between total root length, maximum depth and convex hull area. This phenotyping pipeline has the advantage and capacity to increase screening potential at early stages of plant development, leading to the characterization of wheat seedling traits that can be further examined using QTL analysis in populations generated from the examined accessions.

Objectives The researchers have tried to economically make a flower pot from sludge cake produced in paper mill industries for the purpose of decreasing its volume. The crude flower pot did not resist natural sprinkling of water or natural rain. The aims of this study were to clarify two hypotheses: (1) whether life time of a degradable flower pot on the ground would be prolonged or not by coating it with appropriate material, and (2) whether paraffin, material used for coating flower pot, would prevent the toxicity of sludge cake in it. Methods Sludge cake was mixed with soil. The circular plaster mold was used as a fixed mold. Three types of coating materials, paraffin wax, tapioca starch and modified tapioca starch were selected. Water durability test was performed with a water sprinkler. As the toxicological testing, leaching test and seed germination test were used using the paraffin-coated flower pot. Results In the water durability test, the durability was different among types of the coated flower pot. Among them, the paraffin prolonged the life time of flower pot on the ground until 5 weeks at least and may be 8 weeks. The results of leaching test using the paraffin-coated flower pot showed that three heavy metals, lead, nickel and copper, were lower than the standard in Thailand, but the paraffin had no preventive effect on the leaching of the heavy metals from the sludge cake in the flower pot. The seed germination test showed no significant difference in the number of germination of Chinese kale and the length of its leaf from those grown in the plant soil, and suggested that the paraffin-coated flower pot seemed to have no suppressive effect on the seed germination of Chinese kale. Conclusion The paraffin prolongs the life time of flower pot on the ground. Although it has no preventive effect on the toxicity of the sludge cake in the flower pot, the paraffin-coated flower pot seems to have no negative effect on the environment. This paraffin-coated flower pot has the possibility to reuse the sludge cake in the horticultural practice of growing the ornamental plant.

Sewage sludge management is a problem of growing importance. Anaerobic sewage sludge stabilization is commonly used technology, where organic matter contained in primary and activated sewage sludge is converted into biogas, so both, pollution control and energy recovery can be achieved. The paper deals with the effect of process temperature (36 °C, 42 °C and 50 °C) on biogas production and quality during anaerobic stabilization of primary and activated sewage sludge generated during purifying process in low‑loaded activated sludge process. Primary and activated sewage sludge samples were taken at the wastewater treatment plant Brno, Czech Republic. The characteristics of sludges (dry matter and organic dry matter content, pH, conductivity, redox potential) were dermined. Biogas production and quality was measured using 3 anaerobic systems, each of 8 batch anaerobic fermenters, at the 3 different temperature conditions 36 °C, 42 °C and 50 °C. Hydraulic retention time was 20 days. Hypothesis, which predicts that the fermentation of primary and activated sludge provides dissimilar methane quantity and quality under different temperature conditions (36 °C, 42 °C and 50 °C), was partially confirmed. Temperature 42 °C significantly increased biogas production from primary sewage sludge (by 60 % in comparison with production at 36 °C). For activated sewage sludge samples no significant influence of temperature on the biogas production was observed.

Algae have been considered as a source of high value bioactive compounds including pigments, lipids, fatty acids, polysaccharides, antioxidants and minerals. These compounds serve as a source of nutrition for both humans and animals and as additives in food production. Conventional solvent and/or green extraction techniques are mostly applied to extract these compounds from algae biomass. In this review, paper the most frequently used green extraction techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction, microwave assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, subcritical water extraction and pulsed electric field extraction were investigated in terms of their process conditions, applications, advantages and disadvantages.

From an economic point of view, efficiency implies the use of resources, of any kind, at maximum efficiency, or else the relation between effect and effort is over unit. In any kind of activity economic efficiency is the basis for its start. In the present paper, the level of economic efficiency for rape crops will be determined, according to two technological systems: conventional and organic. The revenue structure, and especially the expenditure, will be found in the income and expenditure budget of the culture. We will compare the value of production, production costs, but also yield or rate of return. In the continuation of the study, a set of indicators of economic efficiency will be calculated for each crop system, which will be subjected to a mirror analysis, to determine the feasibility of rapeseed crops as accurately as possible. Finally, the results will be presented, the profitability of the crop according to the system, the level of the profit and the recommendations regarding the future way of growing the rapeseed.

Pequi ( Caryocar brasiliense subsp. brasiliense , Cambess), has relevant levels of lipids, fibers, and carotenoids, and can thus have a relevant effect on lipid metabolism and as an antioxidant agent. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to describe the physical and chemical characteristics of the pulp of C. brasiliense Cambess collected in two cities of Minas Gerais, as well as its content of phenolic compounds. The fruits of C. brasiliense Cambess were collected in two cities in Minas Gerais: the Ponto Chique and the Jequitai on the ground after a natural fall, being submitted to hygiene and manually pulped. Then, the fruits underwent physical and chemical analyzes. To determine the nutritional composition of the fruits, moisture, ash, lipids, proteins, and total carbohydrates were analyzed. In order to prove the bioactive potential of the pequi pulp, an analysis of total phenolic compounds was carried out. The evaluation of the physical and chemical composition of the pulp of C. brasiliense Cambess from different cities in the north of Minas Gerais showed only physical differences and in the contents of phenolic compounds, possibly due to the great geographical proximity. However, further study is needed to determine the viability of pequi pulp as well as the fruits native to different regions of Minas Gerais. Both pulps stood out because of their considerable lipid and ash concentrations. Through the results, the potential of C. brasiliense Cambess was determined. There is evidence for significant antioxidant potential because of natural bioactive compounds present in the pulps.

The method and temperature of storage of a product are the basic agents that make it possible to prolong the post-harvest life of strawberries. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the use of different packages with the passive modified atmosphere in the post-harvest quality of strawberry (cv. Camarosa). The strawberries were harvested and subsequently transported to the Laboratory of Drying and Post-harvest Storage of Agricultural Products, where they were stored in BOD, at 0ºC, and 90±5% relative air humidity. A completely randomized design was used, in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme (three packages: expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging + polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film at 0 °C; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging at 0 °C; and without packaging at 0 °C (control) x five analysis: at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days of storage), with four replications per day for each treatment. Averages were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. The variables, fresh mass loss, pulp firmness, pH, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and SS/TA ratio were analyzed. The tested packages had better results when compared to the control treatment. The use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages at 0ºC had a less fresh mass loss during storage days, lower acidity reduction, and no significant decrease in pulp firmness.

Agricultural developments mostly depend on rapidly increasing world population. Tomato is a highly nutritious vegetable. Post-harvest technologies are often applied to prolong the consumption periods of tomato. Drying is one of the oldest methods of conservation. In this study, five different drying methods (oven drying, vacuum oven drying, sensitive drying, shaded-open atmosphere drying and sun drying) was used. Drying processes were carried out with dryers at 55°C, 60°C, 65°C and 70°C temperatures. All drying trials were performed in three replications. Drying performance (drying duration, final moisture content), drying kinetics, colour analysis, energy consumption, chemical analyses were performed for all drying methods. Fresh samples reached to desired moisture contents in 20-300 hours. To define time-dependent changes in moisture contents, Page, Logarithmic and Midilli-Küçük equations were used. Page equation yielded the worst estimations. There were not significant differences in “a” redness values of fresh samples, 65-70ï‚°C of oven dryer and all temperatures of sensitive dryer. Sensitive dryer yielded the closet pH values to fresh samples. Based on current findings, it was concluded that oven drying, and sensitive drying were suitable for drying Selinus tomato variety.

High demand for fresh fruit and vegetables requires the implementation of techniques to extend the shelf life of these highly perishable products. A widely used method for this purpose is the refrigeration; however, it is known that most of the vegetables preserved in this way evidence chilling injury signs during storage. Eggplants cv C029 recently harvested were stored at 13°C packed into low-density polyethylene bags either with perforations (PPB), vacuum packaged (VPB), or unpacked during 5, 10, 15 and 20 days to evaluate the effect of chilling on physicochemical characteristics and visual appearance. Unpacked Eggplants presented remarkable chilling injury symptoms, losing its commercial quality before 10d of storage. Fruit stored in VPB showed discoloration affecting visual appearance but maintains the phenolic compounds and avoided pulp and seeds browning. Eggplants packed in PPB showed the best results in this work, preserving overall characteristics during 15d. RESUMEN La demanda de los mercados globales por productos frescos requiere la implementación de métodos que permitan prolongar su vida de útil, especialmente en el caso de frutas y vegetales por ser altamente perecederos. Un método de conservación ampliamente utilizado es la refrigeración, sin embargo, la mayoría de los vegetales preservados empleando este método presentan señales de daño por frio durante el almacenamiento. Berenjenas cv C029 recién cosechadas fueron almacenadas a 13°C, empacadas en bolsas de polietileno de baja densidad con perforaciones (PPB), vacío (VPB) y control, durante 5, 10, 15 y 20 d, para evaluar el efecto de la refrigeración sobre sus características físico químicas y visuales. Las muestras de control presentaron considerables síntomas de daño por frio, perdiendo su calidad comercial antes de 10d de almacenamiento. Frutas almacenadas en VPB presentaron pérdida de color, afectando negativamente su apariencia visual, no obstante, preservando su contenido de compuestos fenólicos y evitando el pardeamiento de las semillas. Berenjenas almacenadas en PPB presentaron los mejores resultados en este trabajo, manteniendo sus características organolépticas durante 15d.

The objective of this investigation is to determine the effect of temperature reduction on the performance and stability of laboratory-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) treating synthetic sewage. The work was carried out using four 4-litre continuously fed UASB reactors. The operation started at a constant hydraulic retention time of ~24 hours (up flow velocity ~0.02 m hour -1 ) and an influent COD concentration of ~2250 mg l -1 , with an organic loading rate of ~2.25 g COD l -1 day -1 . During the experiment, the operating temperature was reduced in a single step from 35 to 30 ⁰C, then stepped down to 25 ⁰C. COD removal efficiency fell slightly from ~96 % in all reactors to ~93%. Effluent TSS concentrations remained below 20 mg l -1 and TSS removal efficiency ranged between 93-98%. Gas production showed a slight disturbance following the initial drop in temperature to 30 ⁰C, but stabilised at around 0.74 l CH 4 l -1 , 0.30 l CH 4 g -1 COD added and 0.31 l CH 4 g -1 COD removed. The subsequent drop to 25 ⁰C produced a stronger disturbance, but both volumetric and specific methane production recovered to the previous values by about day 412. The average biogas methane content in all reactors was unchanged or marginally higher at 78-79%.

The machines used in the winemaking process directly affect the quality of wine and its nutraceutical properties. Grapes-pressing is a very important step in winemaking as it may promote the presence and/or absence of enzymatic processes on the must, leading to the creation of different products in terms of chemical composition, starting from the same grapes. The aim of the study was to compare two different pressing systems of Sauvignon Blanc grapes using an innovative pneumatic discontinuous closed tank press in two operating modes: the traditional pressing mode in presence of oxygen and the inert pressing mode, performed through grapes pressing under inert gas with nitrogen recovery. Chemical composition of musts and wines was analysed. Pressing under inert atmosphere caused an increase in total polyphenols; total acidity values in musts raised up denoting a very favourable environment for the development of the aromatic component of the future wine. The absorbance measured at 420 nm, an index of total browning reaction of foods, was significantly lower in the wine coming from inert pressing. Principal component analysis application allowed extracting composite quality indicators of must for evaluating the effectiveness of the inert pressing procedure. Results are encouraging and open up new research prospective with the aim of applying innovative techniques to improve the quality of the final product.

The quality of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is strongly correlated to storage temperature, in fact the storage conditions (packaging material, oxygen, temperature, and light) alters not only the fatty acid alkyl esters (FAEE) of the olive oil but also other quality parameters such as peroxide, making the oil incompatible to the high quality EVOO. During storage of EVOO the polyphenols tend to decrease and compromise the dietetic and nutritional qualities and taste and produce harmful substances. The storage temperature, more than 24°C, influences quite a lot FAEE especially for long-term conservation. High storage temperature leads to degradation of oil quality in the long term while low temperature develops rancidity quickly, reducing the consumer’s demand. Low storage temperature also affects the EVOO quality but in a lesser way than high storage temperature. The present study proposes the use of a control temperature system based on the application of phase change materials (PCM) on the buildings envelope. A specific case study was considered to evaluate the effect on use of PCM. The building analysed was an olive mill building situated in Scido a small town in the province of Reggio Calabria located in southern Italy. The intervention on the EVOO storage room to improve the energy savings for temperature control was based on the insulation of the partitions and the installation of a false ceiling to limit the air volume, with a two layer panel sandwich, one of PCM and the other of a rigid polyurethane foam with a 4 cm thick metal cladding. A thermal analysis simulation, by means of DesignBuilder software, was conducted. To calculate the electric energy spent in a year to control air temperature in a range of 8- 22°C. The results were of 3590. 67 kWh/year for existing building and 2539.52 kWh/year for building with PCM, energy save of about 30%. A temperature decrease of about 3°C was measured inside the storage room without a cooling system during the hottest year period but the most important result was a thermal indoor air stabilisation in the storage room. This condition avoids a thermal fluctuation to the EVOO and it is the best storage condition.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and mineral bioavailability of T. tetraptera fruit pulp, an aromatic wild edible plant, using standard methods. The pulp were extracted from mature dried fruits obtained from plants at Awabo (5°30‘14.2”N and 4°01‘30.6”W) and Loviguié villages (5°48‘24.5‘‘N and 4°20‘15.8”W), all in south-eastern Côte d‘Ivoire. The results of chemical analysis revealed that T. tetraptera fruit pulp contains carbohydrates (63.73±0.51%), crude protein (7.01±0.66%), crude fat (1.18±0.01%), ash (5.38±0.18%), fibre (11.78±0.02%), moisture (40.52±0.18%) and an energy value of 254.74±0.15 kcal/100g. Besides, the results showed a relative high amount of vitamin A (2.11±0.02%) and vitamin B9 (261.78±0.01 µg/100g) while vitamin E, B1 and B2 in trace concentration. Otherwise, the phytochemical analysis (mg/100g) based on dry weight revealed an appreciable amount of total phenol (2407.10±8.36), flavonoids (14.29±0.56), tannins (55.11±0.44), catechin (392.93±1.01) and also carotenoids (108.19±7.42 µg/100g). Organic acids profile (mg/100mL) showed citric acid (175.06±0.02) and salicylic acid (109.85±0.01) as major organic acids. Mineral composition (mg/100g) on dry weight basis revealed that potassium (1303.67±0.58) is the most abundant followed by phosphorus (303.33±5.77), calcium (187.33±0.58) and magnesium (141.33±0.57). Furthermore, the Phytates:Zn, Phytates:Ca, Oxalates:Ca and Phytates*Ca:Zn molar ratios recorded were all below than recommended threshold values, implying a bioavailability of zinc and calcium. These data indicate that the pulp of this fruit could be a good source of ingredient for both medicine and food industries in production.

Background: Lime juice is a nutritious drink, which is generally consumed for its' refreshing properties, nutritive value, vitamin content, and health benefits. Therefore, the chemical and microbiological quality of the traditional and industrial lime juice produced in Kashan city was assessed. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 106 samples were collected and screened for total soluble solid (TSS), pH, acidic value, protein content, mold, yeast, and count of acid-tolerant bacteria according to the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI). Results: Of the total samples, 66 samples (62.26%) were within the Iran’s national standard range. Most samples that did not meet the national standard requirements, were related to traditional samples (70.24%) compared to industrial samples (31.82%, P < 0.001). No significant difference was found between pH and protein of traditional and industrial lime juice samples (P > 0.05), while TSS and acidic values in traditional lime juices were less than those of the industrial lime juice (P < 0.05). Additionally, the mold and yeast contaminations in traditional lime juices were more than industrial lime juices (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In overall, traditional lime juice samples had the most microbial and chemical contaminations. It is necessary to increase the regular monitoring by relevant organizations over quality of the produced lime juices.

In the present investigation, the effects of the substrate composition, organic load, medium acidification time, operation pH, and temperature on the production of hydrogen by anaerobic fermentation with fruits and vegetable waste, and fresh mucilage of coffee was evaluated. For this purpose, tests were carried out in a 20-liter bioreactor operated in batch mode, under a central composite experimental design (CCD). The fermentations were conducted under mesophilic conditions, without adding inoculum, and without sterilizing the substrate. The results for maximum daily hydrogen production (MDP), the maximum hydrogen content in the gas (MHC) and cumulative production (CHP) showed an acceptable fit to second-order polynomial models. All the independent variables were significant, especially the operation pH and the acidification time. Also, the premises for a model obtained by regression, according to an error analysis, were fulfilled. In the same way, it was possible to optimize the response variables. The maximum specific production concerning the organic load was 5511 mL H2 gCODremoved -1, and regarding the volatile solids was of 670 mL H2 gVSadded -1. These values are higher than those reported with similar substrates in continuous fermentation, with cell retention, use of inoculum, and substrate pretreatment. RESUMEN En la presente investigación se evaluó el efecto de la composición del sustrato, carga orgánica, tiempo de acidificación del medio, pH de operación y temperatura sobre la producción de hidrógeno por fermentación anaerobia de residuos de frutas, verduras y mucílago fresco de café. Para ello se realizaron pruebas en un bioreactor de 20 L operado en modo batch, bajo un diseño experimental de composición central (CCD). Las fermentaciones fueron realizadas en condiciones mesofílicas, sin adición de inóculo y sin esterilizar el sustrato. Los resultados en la producción diaria máxima de hidrógeno (MDP), contenido máximo de hidrógeno en el gas (MHC) y producción acumulada (CHP), presentaron ajuste aceptable a modelos polinomiales de orden dos. Todas las variables independientes fueron significativas, destacándose el pH de operación y el tiempo bajo condiciones ácidas, además se cumplieron las premisas para un modelo obtenido por regresión, según un análisis del error. De igual manera fue posible optimizar las variables de respuesta. La máxima producción específica respecto a la carga orgánica fue 5511 mLH2 gDQOremovido -1 y frente a los sólidos volátiles fue 670 mL H2 gVSadicionado -1, valores superiores a los reportados con sustratos similares en fermentaciones continuas, con retención de células, uso de inóculo y pretratamiento del sustrato.

The optimization of key process parameters for the transformation of agro wastes into biofertilizer has been demonstrated using response surface methodology (RSM). Biofertilizer was produced by composting using 120 L capacity drum made of polyethylene as the composter. Composting time (X1), dosage ratio (X2) and moisture content (X3) were the independent factors while percentage nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N.P.K) were the response factors. The outcomes exhibited that composting time, dosage ratio and moisture content all significantly affects the mineralization of N.P.K at probability value of 0.0001. The coefficients of determination also called regression coefficients of 98.60%, 99.79% and 97.80% for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium observed between the predicted and the real value are obvious that the developed regression models can fit the experimental data well. It was seen from the optimization studies that the pinnacle value of N.P.K from the ideal conditions are 9.62%, 8.97% and 5.62. Characterization of the composite uncovered that biofertilizer produced has a high potential for commercial application on agricultural land. It can be concluded that combination of sawdust, sewage sludge and vegetable waste is a good mixture for biofertilizer synthesis. Also, the nutrients release by the compost materials during the process of composting may be maximized when process conditions are circumspectly managed within the reported optimal value. Keywords: Optimization, Composting, Sawdust, Sewage sludge, Vegetable wastes, Response surface methodology

The aim of the work on sulphates was to investigate their impact on UASB performance, including the response to step changes in influent concentration. It has been shown that UASB reactors treating municipal-type wastewaters at 20 o C can remove sulphate effectively even at relatively low COD/SO4 ratios and/or high concentrations. In this experiment, therefore the UASB reactors were fed on influent with different sulphate concentrations to establish the effects on key performance parameters. It was used eight 4-litre continuously fed UASB reactors. The effect of sulphate addition on methane production was much greater than on COD removal, the specific methane production and the ratio of actual to theoretical methane produced per g of COD removed showed relatively little effect from influent sulphate concentrations below ~120 mg SO 4 l -1 (COD/SO 4 ratio 5.8), although this may in part have reflected a period of acclimatisation while the population of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) increased.

Authors of the article are evaluating characteristics of half‑operational experimental agro‑pellets production. The problems of production and use of agro‑pellets is the current issue. It’s a way to apply part of the agricultural production in the market. It is also an opportunity to replace part of the fossil fuels and increase the share of renewables. But the use of phytomass is bringing many problems. First, it is important that the manufactured products will be succeeded on the raw materials market. Agro‑pellets therefore must have characteristics that support their competitiveness and allow their classification. The advantage comes if the agro‑pellets properties are comparable with traditional fuels and their combustion is possible in standard boilers. This objective can be achieved in several ways. The production of mixed fuels is one from the possible ways. Phytomass is pressed into pellet form in a mixture with other raw materials, usually based on powder coal or wood. The advantage of mixed fuels production is the ability to influence the final properties according to market demands and requirements of legislation. The research activity results, which are given in the text, were aimed at the possibility of Reed Canary Grass applying as part of a mixed fuel in various concentrations. The pellets are based on Reed Canary Grass and wooden biomass in the form of saw‑dust. Addition of sawdust has negative influence on the presser productivity, but has a positive impact on mechanical and burning qualities of final products. Mechanical durability values of pellets were increased by 4.8 and 3.0% with the sawdust addition. The specific weight of pellets was increased even by 31.9%. Hand in hand with the raising amount of sawdust in pellets, the decline of CO emissions in exhaust gas was proven.

The study was performed to investigate the effect of Eucalyptus camldulenses wood lignosulfonate on concrete properties. several concrete mixtures were used with the variables (cement: 500, 600, and 700 gm.), (water: 35, 40, 45, and 50%). (Lignosulfonate: zero. 3, and 5%). A compression test on all samples was used to evaluate the effect of the Eucalypt wood lignosulfonates on concrete properties. There were a highly significant effects of the studied main variables on compression test, specially cement, water percentage, lignin derivative (lignosulfonate) and the interactions between cement with water percentage, cement with lignin derivatives, water with lignin and cement with water and lignin derivatives. The interaction between cement and lignin derivative didn’t show any significant effect on compression test. After Duncan's test on all the study factors showed that cement amount of 600gm had a highest average of compression test with 130.28 kg/ cm2. water percent (35, 40, 45, and 50%) gave the highest values (112.34, 115.73, and 117.2 kg) respectively.Consequently lignin derivative percentages had a significant effect on the compression test specially at (3, 5%) percent (114, 118, 8 kg / cm2) respectively. Averages of 600gm of cement samples and 45% water interactions had a highest average (147, 81 kg/cm2) values, 40% percent of water & 3% lignin (Lignosulfonates) had compression values of (142, 84 kg / cm2).All samples of 600 gm. Cement, 45% water percentage and 3% lignin derivative had best compressed value 182.44 kg/ cm2.

Particularly in the fruit juice industry, the remaining peels and pulp parts are not available for human consumption after the juices are used. It is possible to evaluate these wastes by adding them to poultry feeds. A number of studies have been conducted by researchers on the nutritional value of many fruit wastes and on the performance of poultry. Natural antioxidant content has been reported to have a positive effect on growth, microbial and immunological parameters when high fruit peels are used as feed additive in poultry feeding.

Organic waste is considered a substrate of great interest to produce biohydrogen. In the present work, the influence of some physical and chemical parameters in the operation of a bioreactor for biohydrogen generation were studied, taking as a substrate organic residue from a wholesale food market without adding inoculum. Therefore, an experimental design of central composition was made, with four factors and two levels. The dependent variables were maximum hydrogen content (% of H2), daily production of hydrogen (L H2 d-1) and its cumulative production (L H2). The independent variables were operation pH (pHo), pH of acidification (pHa), the duration time of the acidification stage, and stirring. A numerical optimization was carried out, allowing the prioritization of the factors, and maximizing the response variables. Resulting in a yield of up to 14.9 L H2 d-1, a hydrogen content of 49.2% and a cumulative production of 21.6 L H2, for pHa values of 4.9; pHo between 6 and 6.1; acidification time of 2 d and stirring of 41.4 rpm. Likewise, a graphical optimization was carried out, reaching 14.9 L H2 d-1, a hydrogen content of 44.2% and an accumulated 22.8 L H2, for pHa values between 4.5 and 4.95; pHo between 5.6 and 6.3; acidification time of 2 d, and stirring of 37.1 rpm. Maximum yields were 1.9 L H2 Lwaste.day -1, 4800 mL H2 gCOD -1, and 608.6 m L H2 gTVSadded -1, values similar to those reported by other authors using organic waste in the production of hydrogen, using inoculum. RESUMEN Los residuos orgánicos son considerados sustratos de gran interés para la producción de biohidrógeno. En el presente trabajo se estudió la influencia de algunos parámetros físicos y químicos en la operación de un bioreactor para la generación de biohidrógeno, tomando como sustrato residuos orgánicos provenientes de una central de abasto sin adicionar inóculo. Para ello se realizó un diseño experimental de composición central, con cuatro factores y dos niveles. Las variables dependientes fueron el contenido máximo de hidrógeno (% de H2), la producción diaria de hidrógeno (L H2 d-1) y su producción acumulada (L H2). Las variables independientes fueron, pH de operación (pHo), pH de acidificación (pHa), tiempo de duración de la etapa de acidificación y agitación. Se realizó una optimización numérica que permitió priorizar los factores y maximizar las variables de respuesta, obteniéndose hasta 14,9 L H2 d-1, contenido de hidrógeno de 49,2% y una producción acumulada de 21,6 L H2, para valores de pHa de 4,9; pHo entre 6 y 6,1; tiempo de acidificación de 2 d y agitación de 41,4 rpm. De igual forma se realizó una optimización gráfica alcanzándose 14,9 L H2 d-1, un contenido de hidrógeno de 44,2% y 22,8 L H2 acumulado, para valores de pHa entre 4,5 y 4,95; pHo entre 5,6 y 6,3; tiempo de acidificación de 2 d y agitación de 37,1 rpm. Los rendimientos máximos fueron de 1,9 L H2 Lresiduo.día -1, 4800 mL H2 gDQO -1 y 608,6 mL H2 gSVadicionado -1, valores similares a los reportados por otros autores empleando residuos orgánicos en la producción de hidrógeno usando inóculo.

This study investigated the effect of air temperature, microwave power, and pomace thickness on the drying kinetics and quality of dried carrot pomace. The study established that the drying of carrot pomace occurs in the falling rate period, suggesting that drying was driven by molecular diffusion. The microwave-drying moisture diffusivity increased with microwave power and ranged between 1.57×10–8 and 2.61×10–8 m2/s. As regards convective air-drying, the moisture diffusivity values were between 3.38×10–10 and 8.27×10–10 m2/s. The microwave powerto-mass activation energy was 15.079 W/g for 5 mm, 7.599 W/g for 10 mm and 9.542 W/g for 15 mm dried samples. Meanwhile, the temperature-dependent activation energy for carrot pomace was found to be 27.637 kJ/mol for 5 mm, 17.92 kJ/mol for 10 mm and 38.76 kJ/mol for 15 mm thickness pomace. Generally, drying time decreased with increasing microwave power or air temperature. The ascorbic acid content of the fresh carrot pomace reduced after both microwave and convective air-drying. However, microwave power, and sample thickness had significant effect on the β-carotene content of dried products but air temperature did not have a significant effect. The effect of temperature and sample thickness on brown pigment formation was substantial with air temperature compared to microwave. The study has demonstrated that microwave drying, compared to conventional drying, enhances moisture removal, drying time, and preservation of carotenoids and ascorbic acid. Therefore, microwave drying can be considered as an alternative method for obtaining quality dried carrot pomace.

The fruits of the caja-mangueira (Spondias dulcis Parkinson), Present high potential for the market of fresh fruits, and also desirable characteristics for the processed one, due to their sensorial and nutritional characteristics, being presented with good perspectives of cultivation and commercialization of in order to allow the development of the region. The objective of the present study was to characterize caja-mangueira fruits harvested at commercial maturity (totally yellow color) from the microregions of the Brejo Paraibano (BP), Joao Pessoa (JP) and North Coast (LN), State of Paraiba, Brazil. A completely randomized design with two treatments (Microregion) was used, with 15 fruits, each fruit one repetition for physical characterization and three replicates of 150 g of pulp for the physical-chemical characterization. The characterization of the fruits was carried out through 11 evaluations of: length (L), diameter (D), firmness (F), fruit weight (FW), yield of pulp (YP), percentage of bark (PB), percentage of core (PC), pH, total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TTA) and SS/TTA (ratio). The physical and physicochemical characteristics of the fruit from the North Coast microregion indicate that these can be used both for the consumption of fresh fruits and for industrialization. The results of the analysis of variance showed the existence of significant simple linear correlations between the physical and chemical characteristics analyzed, indicating the existence of characters such as fruit size or soluble solids content to estimate production, selection and fruit quality parameters of the caja-mangueira.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a premium product with a high market value. Its authenticity and quality assurance are important to safeguard consumers from fraudulent practices. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adulteration by palm olein (PO) on differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) heating and cooling profiles of VCO. Pure samples of VCO, PO and their adulterated blends (5 to 30%, w/w) were subjected to thermal analysis by DSC according to a specified temperature program. DSC thermal analysis system software and SAS statistical system were used subsequently to analyze thermal data. Both cooling and heating curves of VCO were found to be vivid for fingerprint comparison of qualitative identification at 5% level of adulteration.

Several strategies have been the object of studies to control soft rot in potatoes, but in many cases they are based on methods that, even though they present promising results, demand a high investment, besides the difficulty of being applied in large volumes, which makes the use of hydrothermal treatment an interesting alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different immersion temperatures used in the hydrothermal treatment on the post-harvest quality of the treated tubers. The experiment was conducted following a completely randomized design with five immersion temperatures: control, 40, 50, 60 and 70 C °, and five storage periods: 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. Post-harvest quality determination was performed by evaluating pulp firmness, pH, titratable acidity (% citric acid) and soluble solids content (° Brix) Throughout the storage period the tubers with symptoms of soft rot were counted and discarded. The immersion temperature caused changes in the parameters of pulp firmness, titratable acidity and soluble solids content. Tubers submitted to immersion temperature of 70 ° C were all eliminated on the 5th day of evaluation. The immersion of potatoes at 40 ° C was the most efficient in reducing the appearance of soft rot, while maintaining the physical-chemical characteristics of the treated tubers during the storage period of 20 days.

The presence of microorganisms, especially during storage, can lead to the rapid deterioration of macauba fruits (Acrocomia aculeata) and reduce the quality of extracted oil for biodiesel production. An alternative to ensure the quality of the oil is the use of ozone gas, a oxidizing agent that has high antimicrobial and sanitizing power. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of high concentrations of ozone gas on macaúba fruit and its effect on the quality of the oil throughout storage for the production of biodiesel. Ozonation was performed 20 days after harvest using fruits with and without the epicarp. Ozone was applied at a concentration of 18.0 mg L-1 and a flow of 1.5 L min-1 for 10 h. After ozonation, the fruits were stored for different periods, and the physical-chemical parameters of the oil were evaluated. The ozonation of fruits without the epicarp visually reduced microorganism attack. In general, the ozonation process of macauba fruits maintained the visual characteristics of the fruits and the physical-chemical characteristics of the oil for biodiesel production compared to untreated fruits. The average acidity values of the oil were lower in the treatments with the ozone gas. Removal of the epicarp tends to facilitate the ozonation process, potentially by improving gas penetration into the fruit. RESUMO A presença de micro-organismo, especialmente durante o armazenamento, pode levar à deterioração rápida dos frutos de macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) e reduzir a qualidade do óleo extraído para a produção de biodiesel. Uma alternativa para garantir a qualidade do óleo é o uso de gás ozônio, um poderoso agente oxidante que possui alto poder antimicrobiano e sanitizante. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência do ozônio gasoso em alta concentração (18,0 mg L-1) em frutos de macaúba (com e sem epicarpo) e seu efeito sobre a qualidade do óleo durante todo o armazenamento para a produção de biodiesel. A ozonização foi realizada 20 dias após a colheita, utilizando frutas com e sem epicarpo. O ozônio foi aplicado na concentração de 18,0 mg L-1 e fluxo de 1,5 L min-1 durante 10 h. Após a ozonização, os frutos foram armazenados por diferentes períodos e foram avaliados os parâmetros físico-químicos do óleo. A ozonização de frutos sem epicarpo reduziu visualmente o ataque de micro-organismos. Em geral, o processo de ozonização de frutos de macauba manteve as características visuais dos frutos e físico-químicas do óleo para produção de biodiesel em relação ao controle não tratado. Os valores médios de acidez do óleo foram menores nos tratamentos com o gás ozônio. A remoção do epicarpo tende a facilitar o processo de ozonização, já que a retirada pode facilitar a penetração do gás no fruto.

In the process of post-harvest processing of corn seeds, the thermal drying of wet cob is the most energy-efficient operation. It depends on the value of the produce ‒ the seeds and its competitiveness on the market. Today, the problem of energy saving becomes more relevant in connection with a significant increase in prices for energy materials, the cost of which is about 90% of all costs for the drying process. Different technical and technological methods of energy saving during drying of corn seeds, such as two-stage drying of cobs with pre-drying in grain, return of exhaust coolant to the drying zone (recirculation), application of the maximum allowable heating temperatures of the cavities (intensive drying) are investigated. The most practical value is the reversing and recycling of coolants, which reduce fuel consumption by 20‒26%, fully preserve the quality of the seeds, do not require significant technical re-equipment of chamber corn dryers. The new method of energy saving based on the use of TPG heat generators working from corn cobs burning is determined and investigated. The technical and technological indicators of the operation of chamber corn dryer in the complex with the new heat generator TPG are investigated. The temperature regime corresponded to normative parameters and fluctuated within 38‒43 °C. The ventilation regime under which the drying took place depended on the mode of access of air to the fuel and ventilation compartment. Full air access provided a specific airflow at the level of 1393 m3/h per 1 tonne of boilers satisfying the norm of 800‒1000 m3/h. Relative humidity of the working hot air during the entire drying process was 10‒12%. In experiments, the drying rate fluctuated within the range from 0.16‒0.39%/h, the performance of one chamber ‒ 1.2‒6.0 t-%/h, depending on the weight of the cobs, their humidity and exposure of drying. Drying on the energy-saving complex did not have a negative impact on the quality of corn seeds. Laboratory similarity of the studied hybrids was 95‒98%, which corresponds to normative indexes. The yield of seeds dried in the energy-saving complex was at the control level, and in some cases exceeded it. Control was provided by seeds dried in a laboratory dryer at 39 °C with forced circulation of air and in premises at 20‒25 °C. The economic efficiency of the new drying method is determined. The total cost of drying maize cobs with different types of fuel is diesel 1145 UAH/t, gaseous ‒ 665 UAH/t, corn cobs ‒ 250 UAH/t. In general, the use of new heat generators does not have any negative effect on the technological process of drying ‒ its duration, dynamics and uniformity of drying of the cobs