Insights into the relations between cell wall integrity and in vitro digestion properties of granular starches in pulse cotyledon cells after dry heat treatment

Natural foods,such as whole pulses,are recommended in the dietary guidelines of the US and China.The plant cell wall structure in whole pulses has important implications for the nutritional functionalities of starch.In this study,garbanzo bean cells with varying degrees of cell wall integrity were subjected to dry heat treatment(DHT)and used to elucidate the food structure-starch digestion properties of pulse food.The morphological features suggested that all cell samples do not exhibit remarkable changes after being subjected to DHT.Molecular rearrangement and the crystallite disruption of starch granules entrapped in cells occurred during DHT as assessed by the crystal structure and thermal properties.DHT decreased the inhibitory effects of enzymes of both the soluble and insoluble components,but the digestion rate and extent of slightly and highly damaged cell samples did not exhibit significant differences compared with their native counterparts.We concluded that the starch digestion of pulse cotyledon cells is primarily determined by the intactness of the cellular structure.This study reveals the role of food structure on the ability to retain the desirable nutritional properties of starch after subjection to physical modification.

Temperature and Humidity Control System Identification Based on Neural Network in Heating and Drying System

Artificial neural network has unique advantages for massively parallel processing, distributed storage capacity and self-learning ability. The paper mainly constructs neural network identifier and neural network controller for system identification and control on temperature and hmnidity of heating and drying system of materials. And the paper introduces the structure and principles of neural network, and focuses on analyzing learning algorithm, training algorithm and limitation of the most widely applied multi-layer feed-forward neural network （ BP network） , based on which the paper proposes introducing momentum to improve BP network.

Effects of process parameters on pore structure of semi-coke prepared by solid heat carrier with dry distillation

The semi-coke was prepared by solid heat carrier with dry distillation in single factor method. The pore structures of raw coal and semi-coke were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the adsorption and desorption isotherm of semi-coke are not coincident. There was a wide pore distribution on the semi-coke, in which mesopores and micropores account for a considerable proportion. Also there are many more secondary pores. With the increase of the final temperature of heat carrier and constant temperature, as well as the decrease of volume ratio of coal and hot carrier reactor, specific surface area and pore volume of semi-coke increased rapidly first and then decreased and finally increased, along with the rapidly reduction of average pore size. SEM photos show that the surface of semi-coke becomes increasingly rough and glossy.

Impacts of different drying strategies on drying characteristics,the retention of bio-active ingredient and colour changes of dried Roselle

The drying kinetics of Roselle （Hibiscus sabdariffa L） of variety Terengganu （UMKL-1） and the quality attribution of Roselle were studied. The experiments were conducted using four different drying methods, including solar greenhouse drying （SD）, solar greenhouse with intermittent heat pump drying （SIHP）, hot air drying （HA） and heat pump drying （HP）. Among the four drying methods, HP achieved the highest drying rate at a range from 0.054 g H20-（g DM）-1. rain-1 to 0.212 g H20-（g DM）-1. rain 1 while SD had the lowest drying rate, measured at 0.042 g H2O. （g DM） 1.min- 1. The analysis on colour kinetics revealed that there is no significant colour loss （p 〉 0.05） observed from HP＇s dried Roselle. Greater amount of flavonoid compounds i.e. protocatechuic acid was found in SD and SIHP dried finished product whereas HP＇s dried Roselle contains higher percentage of catechin as compared to other drying methods.

Stability of phenolic compounds and drying characteristics of apple peel as affected by three drying treatments

To realize high-value utilization of discarded apple peel,this study investigated the effects of three selected commercial drying methods on drying kinetics,microstructure,color,phenolic stability and antioxidant capacity of apple peel.Apple peel was dehydrated by hot air drying(AD)at 75,65 and 55℃,heat pump drying(HP)at 65,55 and 45℃,and vacuum freeze-drying(FD),respectively.The results showed that HP was superior to AD and FD in terms of drying rate.In addition,HP at 65℃provided high-quality dried apple peel due to less browning and brighter appearance,the highest retention of total phenolics(29.35 mg/g)and the strongest antioxidant activities,with the highest ABTS and FRAP value of 127.15 and 219.57μmol TE/g,respectively.The content of the six major individual phenolics,i.e.caffeic acid,(-)-epicatechin,hyperoside,rutin,phlorizin and quercitrin,were found to be the highest in HP dried samples.Interestingly,the content of rutin was even increased after HP compared to the fresh sample.Considering drying efficiency,organoleptic quality and phenolic stability of the products,HP at 65°C is suggested for drying of apple peel.

Analysis of QTL for Seed Dormancy and Their Response to Dry Heat Treatment in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling seed dormancy in rice were identified usingrecombinant inbred lines (RILs) population derived from the cross between a japonicavariety Kinmaze and an indica variety DV85. Seeds of two parental cultivars and each RILwere harvested in 35d after heading. The germination percentage of these seeds at 30℃for 7 days were measured as the degree of seed dormancy. QTL analysis was performed withWindows QTL Cartographer 1.13a program by composite interval mapping. A total of four QTLfor seed dormancy were detected on chromosome 2 (two regions), 5 and 11, respectively.Phenotypic variation explained by each QTL ranged from 8.37 to 17.40%. Responses of suchloci to a dormancy-breaking treatment with dry heat were further detected. The resultsshowed that two alleles of qDOR-2-1 and qDOR-5 from DV85 as well as the allele of qDOR-11 from Kinmaze increased the seed dormancy, which seemed to be easily broken by dry heattreatment. Such loci of seed dormancy may be applied to rice genetic improvement. Theallele of qDOR-2-2 from DV85 increased the seed dormancy, which could not be broken bydry heat treatment.

Maize Seeds Submitted to Thermotherapy and Analyzed by Dynamic Speckle

The quality of the seeds used for sowing is fundamental for a high productivity and quality of the crop. Therefore, eradicating pathogens is essential for the plant to develop in the best possible way. The eradication of those pathogens can be accomplished by means of treatments that consist of the application of substances to the seeds or by performing physical procedures. Thermotherapy is a physical treatment, in which the seed is exposed to a given thermal energy, such as heated air or steam, and can be highly efficient for controlling those pathogens, in addition to reducing environmental damage and costs. The present work aimed to evaluate the efficiency of thermotherapy in two ways： wet heat （water） and dry heat （water vapor）, both at 60 °C, alternating the exposure time to the thermal sources. The treatment with humid heat with a time of exposure of 5 min was the most efficient, since it presented higher germination percentages （83%） and less occurrence of Fusarium sp. （33%）. It was observed that the most efficient thermotherapy is in the control of Fusarium, the most aggressive is for the quality of the seed. The quality of the treatments was evaluated through standard methodologies, according to the rules for seed analysis, such as germination and sanitation tests. Biospeckle laser was used to identify the microbial activity in these seeds, through activity maps generated by laser speckle contrast analysis （LASCA） processing. In this way, the research involving thermotherapy can be done by varying the temperature and the time of exposure to obtain values that considerably reduce the pathogenic agents and preserve the quality, in order to maintain the values of germination and vigor acceptable for commercialization.

Pre-combustion mercury removal with co-production of hydrogen via coal electrolysis

Pre-combustion mercury removal via coal electrolysis was performed and investigated on a bench-scale coal electrolytic cell(CEC)systemically,and factorial design was used to determine the effect of different operating conditions(coal particle size,operating temperature,operating cell voltage,and flow rate of slurry)on the percentage of mercury removal,percentage of ash removal,and dry heating value change.The results showed that the operating cell voltage,as well as the interaction between operating cell voltage and coal particle size,are significant factors in the percentage of mercury removal.There is no significant factor in the percentage of ash removal and the dry heating value change,but the coal could be purified while keeping the dry heating value almost constant after electrolysis.A co-product of hydrogen could be produced during coal electrolysis with 50%lower energy consumption compared with water electrolysis.Meanwhile,a mechanism for mercury removal in coal was proposed.The facts indicate that coal electrolysis is a promising method for precombustion mercury removal.

Dehydration property of Shrimp(Pandalus borealis)undergoing heat-pump drying process

Peeled,headed or whole shrimp(Pandalus borealis)was dried in a heat-pump dryer at-2-0℃and 20℃,respectively,and desorption isotherms characterizing the dehydration property of each shrimp sample group were determined.Desorption isotherms of shrimp handled differently and dried at different temperatures(-2-0℃or 20℃)could be well described by Oswin’s model(X=a(1-a_(w)/a_(w))).The regression model of peeled,headed or whole shrimp was established,which is reliable for predicting the desorption isotherms of shrimp undergoing heat-pump drying.The handling methods of shrimp exhibit measurable influence on desorption isotherms of shrimp,whereas drying temperature(-2-0℃or 20℃)has little influence on the constants of a and n in Oswin’s model,of whole shrimp,even though it has certain influence on these constants of peeled and headed shrimp.For heat-pump drying,headed shrimp may have a better stability than peeled or whole shrimp due to the best stability.

Degradation kinetics of functional components of honeysuckle flowers during controlled-atmosphere heat pump drying

To investigate the change law of functional components and exterior color of honeysuckle flowers(HF)during controlled-atmosphere heat pump drying,nitrogen was used as drying medium in this study to reduce the oxygen concentration.The influences of drying temperature,HF’s loading amount and oxygen concentration on chlorogenic acid content,cynaroside content and L value(on behalf of browning degree)were explored,and the degradation kinetics models of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside were constructed.The results showed that chlorogenic acid content,cynaroside content and L value decreased with the rise of temperature,HF’s loading amount and oxygen concentration.The degradation kinetics models of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside during the drying process were established through introducing an exponent r related to time t in the first order reaction kinetics equation.The models had good fitting precision and can be used to predict the degradation law of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside.

Effects of heat pump drying temperature and dietary fat on carrot β-carotene bioaccessibility

Dehydration can significantly extend the shelf life of dried carrots and still retain nutrition of provitamin A carotenoids.In vitro digestion model was used in this study to assess the effect of drying temperatures of heat pump and dietary fat on the bioaccessibility ofβ-carotene in carrots.Also,low-speed centrifugation was employed to obtainβ-carotene release rate in supernatant.Microfiltration was applied to obtainβ-carotene micellar rate in micelle phase.These assays were used as indicators to assess the bioaccessibility of theβ-carotene.Despite higher drying temperatures had a negative effect on the retention rate ofβ-carotene in carrots,it showed a positive impact on the micellar rate.In addition,dietary fat significantly increased the release rate and micellar rate ofβ-carotene for both fresh carrots and dried carrot products,with the highest release rate and micellar rate obtained when 10%dietary fat was added.Therefore,the heat pump drying process and dietary fat can significantly improve the bioaccessibility ofβ-carotene in carrots,which may increase theβ-carotene bioavailability to human.