The engineering profession has responded to the issue of sustainable development in two main ways. It has responded through public policy statements that acknowledge the magnitude of the problem in addition to pledgin...The engineering profession has responded to the issue of sustainable development in two main ways. It has responded through public policy statements that acknowledge the magnitude of the problem in addition to pledging to steer engineering towards a more sustainable future, and it has also responded more directly through technological innovation. In this paper, these two responses will be explored with respect to the debate on how to operationalize sustainability principles in practical terms. This paper also attempts to provide the rationale for a philosophy of engineering ethics grounded in the notion of sustainable development. It is hoped that this would lead to a revised “social contract” that would enable engineers to engage more actively in political, technical, economic and social discussions and processes.展开更多
The feasibility of using two types of biochars to reduce steroid hormone pollution from poultry and swine manure application on agricultural land was evaluated. The sorption affinity and desorption resistance of softw...The feasibility of using two types of biochars to reduce steroid hormone pollution from poultry and swine manure application on agricultural land was evaluated. The sorption affinity and desorption resistance of softwood and hardwood biochars were also determined for two estrogen hormones, 17β-estradiol （E2） and its primary metabolite estrone （E1）. The softwood and hardwood biochars demonstrated high retention capacity for both estrogens. The effective distribution coefficient （Kedff） of soil-softwood-derived biochar （SBS450） was significantly higher than soil-hardwood-derived biochar （SBH750）, indicating the stronger sorption affinity of SBS450 for estrogens. To validate the laboratory results, a field lysimeter experiment was conducted to study the fate and transport of E2 and E1 in soil and leachate in the presence of 1% softwood-biochar （BS450） in topsoil and to compare it with soil without any amendments. The spatio-temporal distribution of both estrogens was monitored at four depths over a 46-day period. The lysimeters, in which the surface layer of soil was amended with biochar, retained significantly higher concentrations of both estrogen hormones. Although they leached through the soil and were detected in leachates, collected at 1.0 m depth, the concentrations were significantly lower in the leachate collected from biochar-amended lysimeters. The result confirmed the efficacy of biochar amendment as a remediation technique to alleviate the manure-borne hormonal pollution of groundwater.展开更多
Field pea(Pisum sativum L.) is an important protein-rich pulse crop produced globally. Increasing the lipid content of Pisum seeds through conventional and contemporary molecular breeding tools may bring added value t...Field pea(Pisum sativum L.) is an important protein-rich pulse crop produced globally. Increasing the lipid content of Pisum seeds through conventional and contemporary molecular breeding tools may bring added value to the crop. However, knowledge about genetic diversity and lipid content in field pea is limited. An understanding of genetic diversity and population structure in diverse germplasm is important and a prerequisite for genetic dissection of complex characteristics and marker-trait associations. Fifty polymorphic microsatellite markers detecting a total of 207 alleles were used to obtain information on genetic diversity, population structure and marker-trait associations. Cluster analysis was performed using UPGMA to construct a dendrogram from a pairwise similarity matrix. Pea genotypes were divided into five major clusters. A model-based population structure analysis divided the pea accessions into four groups. Percentage lipid content in 35 diverse pea accessions was used to find potential associations with the SSR markers. Markers AD73, D21, and AA5 were significantly associated with lipid content using a mixed linear model(MLM) taking population structure(Q) and relative kinship(K) into account. The results of this preliminary study suggested that the population could be used for marker-trait association mapping studies.展开更多
The changes in total polyphenolics in elderberry (Sambucus nigra) following treatment with various doses of pulsed ultraviolet rays (UV) were investigated. Four pulsed UV durations (5, 10, 20, 30 seconds) at three ene...The changes in total polyphenolics in elderberry (Sambucus nigra) following treatment with various doses of pulsed ultraviolet rays (UV) were investigated. Four pulsed UV durations (5, 10, 20, 30 seconds) at three energy dosages (4500, 6000, 11,000 J/m2/pulse) were considered for the research. All treated elderberry fruits were incubated for 24 h at room temperature (25℃) following treatment to ensure enough response duration for enhanced development of polyphenols by the berries. The highest increase in total phenolics around 50% was found with 11,000 J/m2/pulse for a 10 seconds treatment while nearly 40% increase in total phenolics was found at an energy dosage of 11,000 J/m2/pulse after 5 seconds exposure. Even though most of the treatments indicated an increase in total polyphenols, some treatment expressed a decrease in phenolics content when compared to untreated fruits.展开更多
In an agricultural field, monitoring the temporal changes in soil conditions can be as important as understanding spatial heterogeneity when it comes to determining the locally-optimized application rates of key agric...In an agricultural field, monitoring the temporal changes in soil conditions can be as important as understanding spatial heterogeneity when it comes to determining the locally-optimized application rates of key agricultural inputs. For example, the monitoring of soil water content is needed to decide on the amount and timing of irrigation. On-the-go soil sensing technology provides a way to rapidly obtain high-resolution, multiple data layers to reveal soil spatial variability, at a relatively low cost. To take advantage of this information, it is important to define the locations, which represent diversified field conditions, in terms of their potential to store and release soil water. Choosing the proper locations and the number of soil monitoring sites is not straightforward. In this project, sensor-based maps of soil apparent electrical conductivity and field elevation were produced for seven agricultural fields in Nebraska, USA. In one of these fields, an eight-node wireless sensor network was used to establish real-time relationships between these maps and the Water Stress Potential (WSP) estimated using soil matric potential measurements. The results were used to model hypothetical WSP maps in the remaining fields. Different placement schemes for temporal soil monitoring sites were evaluated in terms of their ability to predict the hypothetical WSP maps with a different range and magnitude of spatial variability. When a large number of monitoring sites were used, it was shown that the probability for uncertain model predictions was relatively low regardless of the site selection strategy. However, a small number of monitoring sites may be used to reveal the underlying relationship only if these locations are chosen carefully.展开更多
Digital soil mapping (DSM) aims to produce detailed maps of soil properties or soil classes to improve agricultural management and soil quality assessment. Optimized sampling design can reduce the substantial costs an...Digital soil mapping (DSM) aims to produce detailed maps of soil properties or soil classes to improve agricultural management and soil quality assessment. Optimized sampling design can reduce the substantial costs and efforts associated with sampling, profile description, and laboratory analysis. The purpose of this study was to compare common sampling designs for DSM, including grid sampling (GS), grid random sampling (GRS), stratified random sampling (StRS), and conditioned Latin hypercube sampling (cLHS). In an agricultural field (11 ha) in Quebec, Canada, a total of unique 118 locations were selected using each of the four sampling designs (45 locations each), and additional 30 sample locations were selected as an independent testing dataset (evaluation dataset). Soil visible near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectra were collected in situ at the 148 locations (1 m depth), and soil cores were collected from a subset of 32 locations and subdivided at 10-cm depth intervals, totaling 251 samples. The Cubist model was used to elucidate the relationship between Vis-NIR spectra and soil properties (soil organic matter (SOM) and clay), which was then used to predict the soil properties at all 148 sample locations. Digital maps of soil properties at multiple depths for the entire field (148 sample locations) were prepared using a quantile random forest model to obtain complete model maps (CM-maps). Soil properties were also mapped using the samples from each of the 45 locations for each sampling design to obtain sampling design maps (SD-maps). The SD-maps were evaluated using the independent testing dataset (30 sample locations), and the spatial distribution and model uncertainty of each SD-map were compared with those of the corresponding CM-map. The spatial and feature space coverage were compared across the four sampling designs. The results showed that GS resulted in the most even spatial coverage, cLHS resulted in the best coverage of the feature space, and GS and cLHS resulted in similar prediction accuracies and spatial distributions of soil properties. The SOM content was underestimated using GRS, with large errors at 0–50 cm depth, due to some values not being captured by this sampling design, whereas larger errors for the deeper soil layers were produced using StRS. Predictions of SOM and clay contents had higher accuracy for topsoil (0–30 cm) than for deep subsoil (60–100 cm). It was concluded that the soil sampling designs with either good spatial coverage or feature space coverage can provide good accuracy in 3D DSM, but their performances may be different for different soil properties.展开更多
β-carotene acts as an antioxidant and is receiving growing interest due to its ability as protecting agent against heart diseases, cancer and strengthening effect on red blood cells. The main aim of this work was to ...β-carotene acts as an antioxidant and is receiving growing interest due to its ability as protecting agent against heart diseases, cancer and strengthening effect on red blood cells. The main aim of this work was to study the kinetics of the supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from tray dried carrots at 40℃, 50℃ and 55℃ and 30, 35 and 40 MPa at SC-CO2 flow rate of 2.0 L/min for extraction time of up to 6 h. It was observed that the concentration of β-carotene in the extract increased with pressure, temperature and extraction time. The results indicated that yield was found to be maximum at 45℃ and 35 MPa at 2 L/min SC-CO2 flow rate. Concentration of β-carotene in the extract increased with SC-CO2 flow rate. Weibull distribution model described adequately the kinetics of extraction of β-carotene from carrots.展开更多
The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake at different combination of Frying Oil Temperatures (FOT) and time during deep-fat frying of chicken meat was investigated in this study. Chicken meat samples were...The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake at different combination of Frying Oil Temperatures (FOT) and time during deep-fat frying of chicken meat was investigated in this study. Chicken meat samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170°C, 180°C, and 190°C) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Fat analysis was accomplished in a soxhlet extraction apparatus with petroleum ether solvent. Prior to fat analysis samples were freeze dried and the moisture analysis was based on the standard AOAC standard method. The results show that a cook value of 415 s was found to give the most ideal sensory characteristics. The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake during the initial phase of frying (°C and 190°C, respectively, and the rate (1.35 g/s) at FOT 170°C was significantly (P < 0.05) lower.展开更多
Food allergy is a significant public health concern globally.Certain probiotics have been found to enhance food allergy by regulating immune-microbe interactions in animal models and patients.However,the effects of Bi...Food allergy is a significant public health concern globally.Certain probiotics have been found to enhance food allergy by regulating immune-microbe interactions in animal models and patients.However,the effects of Bifidobacterium lactis Probio-M8 on food allergy have not been thoroughly investigated.The present study examined the anti-allergic properties of Probio-M8,particularly in relation to immune response and gut microbiota composition.Results demonstrate that oral administration of Probio-M8 effectively mitigated the allergy symptoms triggered by ovalbumin(OVA)by ameliorating the morphological damage in the jejunum,reducing OVA-specific IgE and histamine levels in the serum,and suppressing Th2 cytokines(interleukin(IL)4 and IL-13)while increasing Th1 cytokines(interferon(IFN)γ)and regulatory T(Treg)cytokines(IL-10 and transforming growth factor(TGF)β1)in the culture supernatants of splenic cells.Furthermore,Probio-M8 effectively altered the diversity and composition of gut microbiota,particularly the relative abundances of Akkermansia_muciniphila in OVA-induced mice.Compared to the OVA group,the Probio-M8 group showed a decrease in the relative abundance of Akkermansia_muciniphila.In conclusion,Probio-M8 demonstrates the potential to alleviate food allergy by regulating the Th1/Th2 response and modulating gut microbiota,thereby offering a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with food allergy.展开更多
Energy and environmental sustainability are important considerations for increased rice production. This study examined the energy utilization and sustainability of rice processing in sub-Saharan Africa. The community...Energy and environmental sustainability are important considerations for increased rice production. This study examined the energy utilization and sustainability of rice processing in sub-Saharan Africa. The community of Gadan Loko village in the song local government of Adamawa State, Nigeria was selected as the focus of study. Rice parboiling, the most energy intensive process in rice processing is carried out usually by women in small quantities of about 13.2 kg using traditional pots on tripod support stoves. The parboiled rice is sun dried on mats before it is taken to the milling stalls where it is milled using milling machines driven by single cylinder diesel engines. There were large variations in the quality of milled rice due to lack of consistency in processing parameters. Accumulation of rice husk in the community created important environmental issues. In this study, methods of improving sustainability of rice processing were investigated. The areas included： the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for improved drying and efficient pre-soaking; the utilization of solar energy for pre-soaking; the utilization of rice husks as alternative fuel to firewood; and the optimization and redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels to minimize heat loss to the environment. The results showed that the utilization of rice husk as alternative fuel and the redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels will increase the sustainability of rice processing and can be easily adopted by the community. While solar energy pre-soaking was not economical and the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for drying and pre-soaking would be difficult to implement at the rural scale, because most of the parboiling is done far away from the milling stalls. The study showed that research, development of appropriate technology, and education （RATE） of the rural community is an important way of increasing sustainability.展开更多
Plantains （Musa paradisiaca L.） are a major food staple in West Africa and are cooked in various forms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the frying characteristics of plantains at different stages of ripen...Plantains （Musa paradisiaca L.） are a major food staple in West Africa and are cooked in various forms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the frying characteristics of plantains at different stages of ripening. The plantains used in the study were at the unripe stage through four different ripening stages. The samples were peeled and sliced into 2 mm thickness and blanched in hot water at 70 ℃ for 3 min. The slices were then deep flied in canola oil at 180 ℃. The result showed that ripening stage significantly affected moisture loss and fat absorption profiles of the plantain chips. Fully ripened plantain absorbed up to 34% （db） oil during 4 min frying, much higher than unripe plantain. The oil uptake and moisture loss during frying of the plantain chip samples were modelled using 1st order kinetics. The kinetic parameters including rates of moisture loss and oil uptake varied according to the different stages of ripening. Ripening had a significant effect on the colour lightness （L） of the chips. Similarly, the redness （a）, the yellowness （b） and textural characteristics were significantly affected by ripening stage.展开更多
Traditional thermal methods of drying food have often led to loss of flavours, nutrients, vitamins, etc., which encourages non-thermal pretreatments such as osmotic dehydration （OD） and/or high electric field （HEF...Traditional thermal methods of drying food have often led to loss of flavours, nutrients, vitamins, etc., which encourages non-thermal pretreatments such as osmotic dehydration （OD） and/or high electric field （HEF） application to improve the overall product quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of osmotic dehydration （50% sucrose） with high electric field strengths of 0.5 and 1.0 kV/cm as pretreatments on the drying kinetics and mass transfer of green apples during convective drying at 65 ~C and microwave drying at 1 W/g. The added value of the OD and HEF on the drying kinetics, and the effective mass transfer coefficients of the subsequent drying methods were investigated through this research. The efficacy of these pre-treatments was assessed and compared using cell disintegration index, product texture and thus bring forth new correlations between these pre-treatments and the cell disintegration index using dielectric spectroscopy and its effect on the product texture.展开更多
Drying is essential for the production of fibre after retting process. Flax fibre was subjected to microwave drying at controlled temperatures to study the change in drying rate and qualities. The rate of drying was t...Drying is essential for the production of fibre after retting process. Flax fibre was subjected to microwave drying at controlled temperatures to study the change in drying rate and qualities. The rate of drying was then compared with conventional hot air drying. The product temperature was maintained at 40 ℃, 60 ℃or 80 ℃ for both microwave and hot air drying. The initial moisture content of flax fibre was about 60% （wet basis）. The microwave drying was conducted in a microwave apparatus which recorded mass, product temperature, incident microwave power, reflected microwave power and inlet/outlet air temperature. The final moisture content was set to 9% （wet basis）. Microwave-convective drying ensured about 30% to 70% reduction of drying time for drying flax fibre as compared to hot air drying. Curve fitting with different mathematical models were carried out. While a significant difference in colorimeter-assessed co/our existed between microwave-convective dried flax fibre and hot air dried flax fibre. The tensile strength of flax fibre, measured with an Instron apparatus, increased with an increase in the processing temperature of both processes. Hot air dried flax fibre showed the greatest tensile strength and modulus of elasticity at processing temperatures of 60 ℃ and 80 ℃.展开更多
The effects of frying oil temperature (FOT) and time on densities and shrinkage in chicken breast meat during deep-fat frying were investigated. De-boned Chicken breast samples were diced and fried at different FOT (...The effects of frying oil temperature (FOT) and time on densities and shrinkage in chicken breast meat during deep-fat frying were investigated. De-boned Chicken breast samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Bulk and apparent densities were determined with a fluid displacement pycnometer, and fat analysis was conducted using soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether solvent. The physical structure of chicken meat changed significantly with the frying time and FOT (P < 0.001). Bulk density was 1.15 g/cm<sup>3</sup> in the raw product and decreased to 0.98, 0.95, and 0.93 g/cm<sup>3</sup> after 900 s of deep-frying at 170℃, 180℃ and 190℃, respectively. Similarly, apparent density changed from 1.13 to 1.25, 1.24 and 1.22 g/cm<sup>3</sup> and moisture loss was linearly correlated with both densities. Volumetric shrinkage was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the process variables and hence a linear correlation also existed with moisture loss. The rates of shrinkage were 0.013, 0.001, and 0.008/s and occurred rapidly during the first 90s of FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃), respectively and decreased as frying time increased.展开更多
In this study, water absorption characteristics of some rice varieties (Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) from Nigeria were studied at 30°C, 45°C, 60°C and 75°C by determining the in...In this study, water absorption characteristics of some rice varieties (Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) from Nigeria were studied at 30°C, 45°C, 60°C and 75°C by determining the increase in grain weight as a function of time during soaking. Differences in moisture content among the selected varieties of paddy during soaking were significant (P < 0.05) at all temperatures considered. Using the experimental moisture data, a non-linear regression procedure was applied to an analytical solution of the Fick’s second law of the diffusion for an infinite cylinder. The predicted values of instantaneous moisture contents were in good agreement with the experiential data with R2 of (0.834 - 0.997). Water absorption rate was found to increase with soaking temperature, while water saturation time decreased with temperature. Average values of diffusion coefficients of moisture during soaking of paddy rice at different temperatures (30°C, 45°C, 60°C and 75°C) were estimated as 6.25 × 10 -11, 6.28 × 10 -11, 7.02 × 10 -11, and 5.51 × 10 -11 and 5.52 × 10 -11 m2/s for Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44, respectively. The activation energies of the diffusivity through different varieties of rice grains werecalculated using Arrhenius-type equation for diffusion dependence on temperature and were determined as 41.96, 38.69, 40.16, 34.05 and 42.12 kJ/mole for Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44 for the respectively rice variety above.展开更多
Biodiesel is a clean and renewable resource that consists of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acid, which could be obtained from the transesterification reaction of vegetable oils and animal fats with alcohols an...Biodiesel is a clean and renewable resource that consists of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acid, which could be obtained from the transesterification reaction of vegetable oils and animal fats with alcohols and catalysts. Biodiesel yield has typically been determined using expensive and laborious techniques. The attempt of this study was to examine the potential of quantifying the biodiesel conversion in real time using refractive index in transesterification process of canola oil with methanol and KOH. Biodiesel yields at five different mixing intensities and reaction times were measured using a refractometer. The measured results were then compared with analytical data obtained from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique over a temperature range of 25℃ - 600℃. Experimental results indicated that the FAME conversions at different mixing intensity and reaction time measured from refractometer correlated well to the relative weight losses from TGA method with R2 = 0.93 (p ≤ 0.05);however, the refractometer may over-estimate the biodiesel yield when the reaction rate was too low. Overall, the refractometer technique is cheaper and easier to manage and could provide a reliable prediction of biodiesel yield in real time.展开更多
Peanuts are one of the most important food allergens globally.To reduce the risk of allergies,peanuts were treated with cold plasma(CP)for varying durations.The impact of CP on the immunoreactivity,structure,and funct...Peanuts are one of the most important food allergens globally.To reduce the risk of allergies,peanuts were treated with cold plasma(CP)for varying durations.The impact of CP on the immunoreactivity,structure,and functional properties of peanut protein(PP)was investigated,aiming to comprehensively evaluate the influence of CP on PP.The results showed that following a 25-min CP treatment,the immunoreactivity of PP decreased by 69%,with improved digestibility.The analysis of the secondary structure demonstrated a reduction of 2.32%inα-helix and 1.54%in random coil,accompanied by an increase of 4.12%inβ-sheet.This result indicated the disruption of the secondary structure in protein.Furthermore,the decrease in the intensity of intrinsic fluorescence,coupled with the rise in UV and extrinsic fluorescence,represented the fluorescence quenching of Trp and the exposure of hydrophobic groups.These alterations in structure,caused by the oxidation of CP,were postulated as potential contributors to the diminished immunoreactivity of PP.In addition,these structural modifications could augment the degree of adsorption at the air-water interface,resulting in a notable enhancement in the foaming capability of PP(from 152%to 213%).展开更多
Due to the environmental hazards associated with excessive meat production and the impact of excessive consumption of red meat on human health,attention is being drawn to plant-based alternatives.therefore,plant-based...Due to the environmental hazards associated with excessive meat production and the impact of excessive consumption of red meat on human health,attention is being drawn to plant-based alternatives.therefore,plant-based meat analogue are under widely research.However,there is still a lack of research focused on developing solely plant-based meat with enhanced nutritional benefits.this study aims to develop a functional plant-based meat ink utilizing 3D printing technology,which is expected to enhance the nutrition degree and customer attraction of plant-based meat.Soy protein isolate,xanthan gum,wheat oligopeptides,and grape seed extract were selected as raw materials.the results showed that the ink formulated with wheat oligopeptides and grape seed extract exhibited more suitable viscosity,stronger gel strength,and improved overall flavor.By comparing the texture properties with real meat inks,a combination of pea protein(7 g)or soy protein isolate(7 g),xanthan gum(0.25 g),wheat oligopeptides(1 g),and grape seed extract(0.5 g)was identified as the optimal ink formulation for plant-based meat analogue with potential antioxidant function for the elderly.展开更多
The rising prevalence of food allergy is a global concern,especially as children are more susceptible to developing anaphylaxis than adults.Food-induced anaphylaxis,a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic r...The rising prevalence of food allergy is a global concern,especially as children are more susceptible to developing anaphylaxis than adults.Food-induced anaphylaxis,a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction,imposes a healthcare burden in many Asian countries.While literature on food allergy in Asia is limited and heterogeneous,the prevalence shows an upward trend.In contrast,food allergy in developing countries is often overlooked as a health issue.China,with its vast population and landmass,is experiencing notable shifts in food allergy patterns.Unlike Western countries where tree nuts are common triggers,wheat,seafood,and fruits increasingly provoke allergic reactions among the Chinese population.Various diagnostic methods for food allergy were employed in China;however,the lack of a standardized approach presents challenges for effective management.In the future,it is essential to develop efficient and convenient detection methods while utilizing big data for extensive epidemiological investigations and clinical studies to address the complex health issue of food allergy.展开更多
文摘The engineering profession has responded to the issue of sustainable development in two main ways. It has responded through public policy statements that acknowledge the magnitude of the problem in addition to pledging to steer engineering towards a more sustainable future, and it has also responded more directly through technological innovation. In this paper, these two responses will be explored with respect to the debate on how to operationalize sustainability principles in practical terms. This paper also attempts to provide the rationale for a philosophy of engineering ethics grounded in the notion of sustainable development. It is hoped that this would lead to a revised “social contract” that would enable engineers to engage more actively in political, technical, economic and social discussions and processes.
文摘The feasibility of using two types of biochars to reduce steroid hormone pollution from poultry and swine manure application on agricultural land was evaluated. The sorption affinity and desorption resistance of softwood and hardwood biochars were also determined for two estrogen hormones, 17β-estradiol （E2） and its primary metabolite estrone （E1）. The softwood and hardwood biochars demonstrated high retention capacity for both estrogens. The effective distribution coefficient （Kedff） of soil-softwood-derived biochar （SBS450） was significantly higher than soil-hardwood-derived biochar （SBH750）, indicating the stronger sorption affinity of SBS450 for estrogens. To validate the laboratory results, a field lysimeter experiment was conducted to study the fate and transport of E2 and E1 in soil and leachate in the presence of 1% softwood-biochar （BS450） in topsoil and to compare it with soil without any amendments. The spatio-temporal distribution of both estrogens was monitored at four depths over a 46-day period. The lysimeters, in which the surface layer of soil was amended with biochar, retained significantly higher concentrations of both estrogen hormones. Although they leached through the soil and were detected in leachates, collected at 1.0 m depth, the concentrations were significantly lower in the leachate collected from biochar-amended lysimeters. The result confirmed the efficacy of biochar amendment as a remediation technique to alleviate the manure-borne hormonal pollution of groundwater.
基金supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Collaborative Research and Development and Lefsrud Seeds (CRDRJ385395-09)
文摘Field pea(Pisum sativum L.) is an important protein-rich pulse crop produced globally. Increasing the lipid content of Pisum seeds through conventional and contemporary molecular breeding tools may bring added value to the crop. However, knowledge about genetic diversity and lipid content in field pea is limited. An understanding of genetic diversity and population structure in diverse germplasm is important and a prerequisite for genetic dissection of complex characteristics and marker-trait associations. Fifty polymorphic microsatellite markers detecting a total of 207 alleles were used to obtain information on genetic diversity, population structure and marker-trait associations. Cluster analysis was performed using UPGMA to construct a dendrogram from a pairwise similarity matrix. Pea genotypes were divided into five major clusters. A model-based population structure analysis divided the pea accessions into four groups. Percentage lipid content in 35 diverse pea accessions was used to find potential associations with the SSR markers. Markers AD73, D21, and AA5 were significantly associated with lipid content using a mixed linear model(MLM) taking population structure(Q) and relative kinship(K) into account. The results of this preliminary study suggested that the population could be used for marker-trait association mapping studies.
文摘The changes in total polyphenolics in elderberry (Sambucus nigra) following treatment with various doses of pulsed ultraviolet rays (UV) were investigated. Four pulsed UV durations (5, 10, 20, 30 seconds) at three energy dosages (4500, 6000, 11,000 J/m2/pulse) were considered for the research. All treated elderberry fruits were incubated for 24 h at room temperature (25℃) following treatment to ensure enough response duration for enhanced development of polyphenols by the berries. The highest increase in total phenolics around 50% was found with 11,000 J/m2/pulse for a 10 seconds treatment while nearly 40% increase in total phenolics was found at an energy dosage of 11,000 J/m2/pulse after 5 seconds exposure. Even though most of the treatments indicated an increase in total polyphenols, some treatment expressed a decrease in phenolics content when compared to untreated fruits.
文摘In an agricultural field, monitoring the temporal changes in soil conditions can be as important as understanding spatial heterogeneity when it comes to determining the locally-optimized application rates of key agricultural inputs. For example, the monitoring of soil water content is needed to decide on the amount and timing of irrigation. On-the-go soil sensing technology provides a way to rapidly obtain high-resolution, multiple data layers to reveal soil spatial variability, at a relatively low cost. To take advantage of this information, it is important to define the locations, which represent diversified field conditions, in terms of their potential to store and release soil water. Choosing the proper locations and the number of soil monitoring sites is not straightforward. In this project, sensor-based maps of soil apparent electrical conductivity and field elevation were produced for seven agricultural fields in Nebraska, USA. In one of these fields, an eight-node wireless sensor network was used to establish real-time relationships between these maps and the Water Stress Potential (WSP) estimated using soil matric potential measurements. The results were used to model hypothetical WSP maps in the remaining fields. Different placement schemes for temporal soil monitoring sites were evaluated in terms of their ability to predict the hypothetical WSP maps with a different range and magnitude of spatial variability. When a large number of monitoring sites were used, it was shown that the probability for uncertain model predictions was relatively low regardless of the site selection strategy. However, a small number of monitoring sites may be used to reveal the underlying relationship only if these locations are chosen carefully.
基金the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada(No.RGPIN-2014-04100)for funding this project.
文摘Digital soil mapping (DSM) aims to produce detailed maps of soil properties or soil classes to improve agricultural management and soil quality assessment. Optimized sampling design can reduce the substantial costs and efforts associated with sampling, profile description, and laboratory analysis. The purpose of this study was to compare common sampling designs for DSM, including grid sampling (GS), grid random sampling (GRS), stratified random sampling (StRS), and conditioned Latin hypercube sampling (cLHS). In an agricultural field (11 ha) in Quebec, Canada, a total of unique 118 locations were selected using each of the four sampling designs (45 locations each), and additional 30 sample locations were selected as an independent testing dataset (evaluation dataset). Soil visible near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectra were collected in situ at the 148 locations (1 m depth), and soil cores were collected from a subset of 32 locations and subdivided at 10-cm depth intervals, totaling 251 samples. The Cubist model was used to elucidate the relationship between Vis-NIR spectra and soil properties (soil organic matter (SOM) and clay), which was then used to predict the soil properties at all 148 sample locations. Digital maps of soil properties at multiple depths for the entire field (148 sample locations) were prepared using a quantile random forest model to obtain complete model maps (CM-maps). Soil properties were also mapped using the samples from each of the 45 locations for each sampling design to obtain sampling design maps (SD-maps). The SD-maps were evaluated using the independent testing dataset (30 sample locations), and the spatial distribution and model uncertainty of each SD-map were compared with those of the corresponding CM-map. The spatial and feature space coverage were compared across the four sampling designs. The results showed that GS resulted in the most even spatial coverage, cLHS resulted in the best coverage of the feature space, and GS and cLHS resulted in similar prediction accuracies and spatial distributions of soil properties. The SOM content was underestimated using GRS, with large errors at 0–50 cm depth, due to some values not being captured by this sampling design, whereas larger errors for the deeper soil layers were produced using StRS. Predictions of SOM and clay contents had higher accuracy for topsoil (0–30 cm) than for deep subsoil (60–100 cm). It was concluded that the soil sampling designs with either good spatial coverage or feature space coverage can provide good accuracy in 3D DSM, but their performances may be different for different soil properties.
文摘β-carotene acts as an antioxidant and is receiving growing interest due to its ability as protecting agent against heart diseases, cancer and strengthening effect on red blood cells. The main aim of this work was to study the kinetics of the supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from tray dried carrots at 40℃, 50℃ and 55℃ and 30, 35 and 40 MPa at SC-CO2 flow rate of 2.0 L/min for extraction time of up to 6 h. It was observed that the concentration of β-carotene in the extract increased with pressure, temperature and extraction time. The results indicated that yield was found to be maximum at 45℃ and 35 MPa at 2 L/min SC-CO2 flow rate. Concentration of β-carotene in the extract increased with SC-CO2 flow rate. Weibull distribution model described adequately the kinetics of extraction of β-carotene from carrots.
文摘The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake at different combination of Frying Oil Temperatures (FOT) and time during deep-fat frying of chicken meat was investigated in this study. Chicken meat samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170°C, 180°C, and 190°C) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Fat analysis was accomplished in a soxhlet extraction apparatus with petroleum ether solvent. Prior to fat analysis samples were freeze dried and the moisture analysis was based on the standard AOAC standard method. The results show that a cook value of 415 s was found to give the most ideal sensory characteristics. The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake during the initial phase of frying (°C and 190°C, respectively, and the rate (1.35 g/s) at FOT 170°C was significantly (P < 0.05) lower.
基金the financial supporting by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1102400)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32102093)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20210226)。
文摘Food allergy is a significant public health concern globally.Certain probiotics have been found to enhance food allergy by regulating immune-microbe interactions in animal models and patients.However,the effects of Bifidobacterium lactis Probio-M8 on food allergy have not been thoroughly investigated.The present study examined the anti-allergic properties of Probio-M8,particularly in relation to immune response and gut microbiota composition.Results demonstrate that oral administration of Probio-M8 effectively mitigated the allergy symptoms triggered by ovalbumin(OVA)by ameliorating the morphological damage in the jejunum,reducing OVA-specific IgE and histamine levels in the serum,and suppressing Th2 cytokines(interleukin(IL)4 and IL-13)while increasing Th1 cytokines(interferon(IFN)γ)and regulatory T(Treg)cytokines(IL-10 and transforming growth factor(TGF)β1)in the culture supernatants of splenic cells.Furthermore,Probio-M8 effectively altered the diversity and composition of gut microbiota,particularly the relative abundances of Akkermansia_muciniphila in OVA-induced mice.Compared to the OVA group,the Probio-M8 group showed a decrease in the relative abundance of Akkermansia_muciniphila.In conclusion,Probio-M8 demonstrates the potential to alleviate food allergy by regulating the Th1/Th2 response and modulating gut microbiota,thereby offering a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with food allergy.
文摘Energy and environmental sustainability are important considerations for increased rice production. This study examined the energy utilization and sustainability of rice processing in sub-Saharan Africa. The community of Gadan Loko village in the song local government of Adamawa State, Nigeria was selected as the focus of study. Rice parboiling, the most energy intensive process in rice processing is carried out usually by women in small quantities of about 13.2 kg using traditional pots on tripod support stoves. The parboiled rice is sun dried on mats before it is taken to the milling stalls where it is milled using milling machines driven by single cylinder diesel engines. There were large variations in the quality of milled rice due to lack of consistency in processing parameters. Accumulation of rice husk in the community created important environmental issues. In this study, methods of improving sustainability of rice processing were investigated. The areas included： the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for improved drying and efficient pre-soaking; the utilization of solar energy for pre-soaking; the utilization of rice husks as alternative fuel to firewood; and the optimization and redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels to minimize heat loss to the environment. The results showed that the utilization of rice husk as alternative fuel and the redesign of the stoves and parboiling vessels will increase the sustainability of rice processing and can be easily adopted by the community. While solar energy pre-soaking was not economical and the utilization of waste heat from the diesel engines for drying and pre-soaking would be difficult to implement at the rural scale, because most of the parboiling is done far away from the milling stalls. The study showed that research, development of appropriate technology, and education （RATE） of the rural community is an important way of increasing sustainability.
文摘Plantains （Musa paradisiaca L.） are a major food staple in West Africa and are cooked in various forms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the frying characteristics of plantains at different stages of ripening. The plantains used in the study were at the unripe stage through four different ripening stages. The samples were peeled and sliced into 2 mm thickness and blanched in hot water at 70 ℃ for 3 min. The slices were then deep flied in canola oil at 180 ℃. The result showed that ripening stage significantly affected moisture loss and fat absorption profiles of the plantain chips. Fully ripened plantain absorbed up to 34% （db） oil during 4 min frying, much higher than unripe plantain. The oil uptake and moisture loss during frying of the plantain chip samples were modelled using 1st order kinetics. The kinetic parameters including rates of moisture loss and oil uptake varied according to the different stages of ripening. Ripening had a significant effect on the colour lightness （L） of the chips. Similarly, the redness （a）, the yellowness （b） and textural characteristics were significantly affected by ripening stage.
文摘Traditional thermal methods of drying food have often led to loss of flavours, nutrients, vitamins, etc., which encourages non-thermal pretreatments such as osmotic dehydration （OD） and/or high electric field （HEF） application to improve the overall product quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of osmotic dehydration （50% sucrose） with high electric field strengths of 0.5 and 1.0 kV/cm as pretreatments on the drying kinetics and mass transfer of green apples during convective drying at 65 ~C and microwave drying at 1 W/g. The added value of the OD and HEF on the drying kinetics, and the effective mass transfer coefficients of the subsequent drying methods were investigated through this research. The efficacy of these pre-treatments was assessed and compared using cell disintegration index, product texture and thus bring forth new correlations between these pre-treatments and the cell disintegration index using dielectric spectroscopy and its effect on the product texture.
文摘Drying is essential for the production of fibre after retting process. Flax fibre was subjected to microwave drying at controlled temperatures to study the change in drying rate and qualities. The rate of drying was then compared with conventional hot air drying. The product temperature was maintained at 40 ℃, 60 ℃or 80 ℃ for both microwave and hot air drying. The initial moisture content of flax fibre was about 60% （wet basis）. The microwave drying was conducted in a microwave apparatus which recorded mass, product temperature, incident microwave power, reflected microwave power and inlet/outlet air temperature. The final moisture content was set to 9% （wet basis）. Microwave-convective drying ensured about 30% to 70% reduction of drying time for drying flax fibre as compared to hot air drying. Curve fitting with different mathematical models were carried out. While a significant difference in colorimeter-assessed co/our existed between microwave-convective dried flax fibre and hot air dried flax fibre. The tensile strength of flax fibre, measured with an Instron apparatus, increased with an increase in the processing temperature of both processes. Hot air dried flax fibre showed the greatest tensile strength and modulus of elasticity at processing temperatures of 60 ℃ and 80 ℃.
文摘The effects of frying oil temperature (FOT) and time on densities and shrinkage in chicken breast meat during deep-fat frying were investigated. De-boned Chicken breast samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Bulk and apparent densities were determined with a fluid displacement pycnometer, and fat analysis was conducted using soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether solvent. The physical structure of chicken meat changed significantly with the frying time and FOT (P < 0.001). Bulk density was 1.15 g/cm<sup>3</sup> in the raw product and decreased to 0.98, 0.95, and 0.93 g/cm<sup>3</sup> after 900 s of deep-frying at 170℃, 180℃ and 190℃, respectively. Similarly, apparent density changed from 1.13 to 1.25, 1.24 and 1.22 g/cm<sup>3</sup> and moisture loss was linearly correlated with both densities. Volumetric shrinkage was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the process variables and hence a linear correlation also existed with moisture loss. The rates of shrinkage were 0.013, 0.001, and 0.008/s and occurred rapidly during the first 90s of FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃), respectively and decreased as frying time increased.
文摘In this study, water absorption characteristics of some rice varieties (Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) from Nigeria were studied at 30°C, 45°C, 60°C and 75°C by determining the increase in grain weight as a function of time during soaking. Differences in moisture content among the selected varieties of paddy during soaking were significant (P < 0.05) at all temperatures considered. Using the experimental moisture data, a non-linear regression procedure was applied to an analytical solution of the Fick’s second law of the diffusion for an infinite cylinder. The predicted values of instantaneous moisture contents were in good agreement with the experiential data with R2 of (0.834 - 0.997). Water absorption rate was found to increase with soaking temperature, while water saturation time decreased with temperature. Average values of diffusion coefficients of moisture during soaking of paddy rice at different temperatures (30°C, 45°C, 60°C and 75°C) were estimated as 6.25 × 10 -11, 6.28 × 10 -11, 7.02 × 10 -11, and 5.51 × 10 -11 and 5.52 × 10 -11 m2/s for Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44, respectively. The activation energies of the diffusivity through different varieties of rice grains werecalculated using Arrhenius-type equation for diffusion dependence on temperature and were determined as 41.96, 38.69, 40.16, 34.05 and 42.12 kJ/mole for Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44 for the respectively rice variety above.
文摘Biodiesel is a clean and renewable resource that consists of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acid, which could be obtained from the transesterification reaction of vegetable oils and animal fats with alcohols and catalysts. Biodiesel yield has typically been determined using expensive and laborious techniques. The attempt of this study was to examine the potential of quantifying the biodiesel conversion in real time using refractive index in transesterification process of canola oil with methanol and KOH. Biodiesel yields at five different mixing intensities and reaction times were measured using a refractometer. The measured results were then compared with analytical data obtained from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique over a temperature range of 25℃ - 600℃. Experimental results indicated that the FAME conversions at different mixing intensity and reaction time measured from refractometer correlated well to the relative weight losses from TGA method with R2 = 0.93 (p ≤ 0.05);however, the refractometer may over-estimate the biodiesel yield when the reaction rate was too low. Overall, the refractometer technique is cheaper and easier to manage and could provide a reliable prediction of biodiesel yield in real time.
基金the financial support from the National Key research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1102400)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32102093),Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(bK20210226)the Fundamental research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘Peanuts are one of the most important food allergens globally.To reduce the risk of allergies,peanuts were treated with cold plasma(CP)for varying durations.The impact of CP on the immunoreactivity,structure,and functional properties of peanut protein(PP)was investigated,aiming to comprehensively evaluate the influence of CP on PP.The results showed that following a 25-min CP treatment,the immunoreactivity of PP decreased by 69%,with improved digestibility.The analysis of the secondary structure demonstrated a reduction of 2.32%inα-helix and 1.54%in random coil,accompanied by an increase of 4.12%inβ-sheet.This result indicated the disruption of the secondary structure in protein.Furthermore,the decrease in the intensity of intrinsic fluorescence,coupled with the rise in UV and extrinsic fluorescence,represented the fluorescence quenching of Trp and the exposure of hydrophobic groups.These alterations in structure,caused by the oxidation of CP,were postulated as potential contributors to the diminished immunoreactivity of PP.In addition,these structural modifications could augment the degree of adsorption at the air-water interface,resulting in a notable enhancement in the foaming capability of PP(from 152%to 213%).
基金support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1102400)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘Due to the environmental hazards associated with excessive meat production and the impact of excessive consumption of red meat on human health,attention is being drawn to plant-based alternatives.therefore,plant-based meat analogue are under widely research.However,there is still a lack of research focused on developing solely plant-based meat with enhanced nutritional benefits.this study aims to develop a functional plant-based meat ink utilizing 3D printing technology,which is expected to enhance the nutrition degree and customer attraction of plant-based meat.Soy protein isolate,xanthan gum,wheat oligopeptides,and grape seed extract were selected as raw materials.the results showed that the ink formulated with wheat oligopeptides and grape seed extract exhibited more suitable viscosity,stronger gel strength,and improved overall flavor.By comparing the texture properties with real meat inks,a combination of pea protein(7 g)or soy protein isolate(7 g),xanthan gum(0.25 g),wheat oligopeptides(1 g),and grape seed extract(0.5 g)was identified as the optimal ink formulation for plant-based meat analogue with potential antioxidant function for the elderly.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32102093)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1102400)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(KYCX24_0490)the Southeast University Innovation Capability Enhancement Plan for Doctoral Students(CXJH_SEU 24215).
文摘The rising prevalence of food allergy is a global concern,especially as children are more susceptible to developing anaphylaxis than adults.Food-induced anaphylaxis,a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction,imposes a healthcare burden in many Asian countries.While literature on food allergy in Asia is limited and heterogeneous,the prevalence shows an upward trend.In contrast,food allergy in developing countries is often overlooked as a health issue.China,with its vast population and landmass,is experiencing notable shifts in food allergy patterns.Unlike Western countries where tree nuts are common triggers,wheat,seafood,and fruits increasingly provoke allergic reactions among the Chinese population.Various diagnostic methods for food allergy were employed in China;however,the lack of a standardized approach presents challenges for effective management.In the future,it is essential to develop efficient and convenient detection methods while utilizing big data for extensive epidemiological investigations and clinical studies to address the complex health issue of food allergy.
