Physicochemical, Biochemical and Instrumental Attributes and Consumer Acceptability of Dry-Fermented Sausages Elaborated with Combined Partial Substitutions of Sodium Chloride and Pork Backfat

We performed 6 fabrications of dry-fermented sausages to investigate, at laboratory scale, the effects of combined partial substitutions of sodium chloride by potassium chloride and pork backfat by sunflower oil on key physical-chemical and biochemical parameters, instrumental colour and texture measurements, and the consumer acceptability of the end-products. Regarding the physical-chemical parameters, statistical analysis of results showed that final product weight loss was impacted by fat content and use of sunflower oil;final mean water activity value was only affected by salt level;and animal fat content impacted pH values, only at the end of drying. Regarding the biochemical parameters investigated, we statistically found a marked impact of partial substitution of NaCl by KCl on the proteolysis evolution, of fat level and sodium content on the end-product lipolysis, and finally, a significant effect of animal fat level and incorporation of sunflower oil on both protein and lipid oxidations. However, the new product formulations combining salt and fat substitutions lead to globally acceptable water loss and water activity values and similar rates of proteolysis, lipolysis and lipid oxidation, but less protein oxidation. From a practical point of view, the results clearly showed that sodium and animal fat contents in dryfermented sausages can be drastically reduced with no too marked adverse effect on colour, final textural properties or consumer acceptability. On the basis of these laboratory results, new healthier dry-fermented products can be manufactured by an industrial company in the near future.

Effect of the Partial Substitution of V for Nb on the Magnetic Properties of Fe-based Nanocrystalline Alloy

The variation of the magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb with crystallizing treatment temperature and time was investigated. The variation law of the magnetic properties with the annealing temperature and time is essentially the same. The magnetic properties of the Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb reduce, and the crystallizing treatment temperature of the alloys increases. The optimum properties of Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 nanocrystalline alloys crystallized at 550℃x60 min are μ0=9.2xl0^4, μm=54.8xl0^4, Hc=1.14 A/m and Bs=1.26 T. The best properties for Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 alloys annealed at 560℃x60 min are μ0=8.79x10^4, μm=50.18xl0^4, Hc=1.26 A/m and Bs=1.24 T.

Enhancement of the thermoelectric performance of half-metallic full-Heusler Mn_(2)VAl alloys via antisite defect engineering and Si partial substitution

A half-metallic full-Heusler Mn_(2)VAl alloy is a potential p-type thermoelectric material that can directly generate electricity from waste heat via the Seebeck effect.For practical use,the Seebeck coefficient S of Mn_(2)VAl should be increased while maintaining a high electrical conductivity s from its half-metallic character.Herein,we achieved this objective through antisite defect engineering.Theoretically,it was predicted that the S was maximized by regulating partial density of states of majority-spin sp-electrons through the control of the fraction of antisite defect,f_(AD),between V and Al atoms in Mn_(2)VAl.Experi-mentally,a significant increase in S and a slight decrease in s were observed for an Mn_(2)VAl sample with an optimal fAD=33%,enhancing the thermoelectric power factor PF by 2.7 times from an Mn_(2)VAl sample with fAD=14%.Furthermore,we combined the antisite defect engineering with a partial substitution method.An Mn_(2)V(Al_(0.96)Si_(0.04))sample with fAD=33%exhibited the highest PF=4.5×10^(-4)W·m^(-1)·K^(-2)at 767 K among the samples.The maximum dimensionless figure-of-merit zT of the Mn_(2)V(Al_(0.96)Si_(0.04))sample with f_(AD)=33%was measured to be 3.4×10^(-2)at 767 K,which is the highest among the p-type half-metallic full-Heusler alloys.

Significant reduction of ammonia emissions while increasing crop yields using the 4R nutrient stewardship in an intensive cropping system

Ammonia (NH_3) emissions should be mitigated to improve environmental quality.Croplands are one of the largest NH_3sources,they must be managed properly to reduce their emissions while achieving the target yields.Herein,we report the NH_3 emissions,crop yield and changes in soil fertility in a long-term trial with various fertilization regimes,to explore whether NH_3 emissions can be significantly reduced using the 4R nutrient stewardship (4Rs),and its interaction with the organic amendments (i.e.,manure and straw) in a wheat–maize rotation.Implementing the 4Rs significantly reduced NH_3 emissions to 6 kg N ha~(–1) yr~(–1) and the emission factor to 1.72%,without compromising grain yield (12.37 Mg ha~(–1) yr~(–1))and soil fertility (soil organic carbon of 7.58 g kg~(–1)) compared to the conventional chemical N management.When using the 4R plus manure,NH_3 emissions (7 kg N ha~(–1) yr~(–1)) and the emission factor (1.74%) were as low as 4Rs,and grain yield and soil organic carbon increased to 14.79 Mg ha~(–1) yr~(–1) and 10.09 g kg~(–1),respectively.Partial manure substitution not only significantly reduced NH_3 emissions but also increased crop yields and improved soil fertility,compared to conventional chemical N management.Straw return exerted a minor effect on NH_3 emissions.These results highlight that 4R plus manure,which couples nitrogen and carbon management can help achieve both high yields and low environmental costs.