Field trial on use of soybean crude extract for carbonate precipitation and wind erosion control of sandy soil

Wind erosion is a major cause of land desertification and sandstorm formation in arid and semi-arid areas.The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of soybeans crude extract induced calcium carbonate precipitation(SICP)on reducing wind erosion risk of sandy soil.Field tests were carried out in Ulan Buh Desert,Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,China.Results showed that the SICP method could significantly enhance the surface strength and wind erosion resistance of the topsoil.The optimal cementation solution(urea-CaCl2)concentration and spraying volume,according to experiments conducted on sandy land,were 0.2 mol/L and 4 L/m^2,respectively.Under this condition,the CaCO3 content was approximately 0.45%,the surface strength of sandy soil could reach 306.2 kPa,and the depth of wind erosion was approximately zero,after 30 d completion of SICP treatment.Soil surface strength declined with the increase of time,and long-term sand fixation effects of SICP treatment varied depending on topography.Whereas wind erosion in the top area of the windward slope was remarkable,sandy soils on the bottom area of the windward slope still maintained a relatively high level of surface strength and a low degree of wind erosion 12 month after SICP treatment.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)tests with energy dispersive X-ray(EDX)confirmed the precipitation of CaCO3 and its bridge effect.These findings suggested that the SICP method is a promising candidate to protect sandy soil from wind erosion in desert areas.

Pomegranate （Punica granatum L.） Peel Extract as a Source of Natural Antioxidant

An increase in the demand for natural additives has shifted the attention from synthetic to natural antioxidants. Antioxidative components from pomegranate peel were extracted by using different solvents like methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform and ethyl acetate. All the extracts were tested for Total phenolic content （TPC） and the methanol which proved to be best in extracting the phenolic compounds was used to assess the antioxidant property by using different methods like Diphenyl piridyl picryl hydrazyl （DPPH）, Relative reducing power （RRP）, Beta carotene bleaching and Ferric thiocyanate （FTC）. The antioxidant activity （AA） of pomegranate peel extract （PPE） was compared with Butylated hydroxyl toluene （BHT） and Butylated hydroxyl anisole （BHA）. The methanolic extract was examined by Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy （LCMS） and the spectra showed the presence of different phenolic compounds. The extracts were tested for their efficiency in preventing rancidity of Refined Bleached Deodorized Soybean oil （RBDSBO） in comparison with BHT and control at 200 ppm concentration. The PPE proved to be best in preventing rancidity. Owing to the present results, the studies can further be extended to exploit the PPE for application into different food products.

Chemical characteristics changes associated with extracted protein and salt addition and effect of different additives in the curing process on sensory acceptance of liquid fermented fish from tilapia frame

Liquid fermented fish(Nam pla ra)is a traditional local condiment and popular consumption in Thailand.According to previous research,tilapia frame could be used as a raw material for the production,but the amount of protein received is still below the standard.In addition,there is no information of additives in curing process on consumer preferences.In this research,response surface methodology was used to study the influence of extracted protein from soybean meal(5-15%)and salt(15-20%)contents on chemical characteristics of Nam pla ra after 4 months of fermentation.The amount of roasted rice and roasted rice bran addition in curing process on sensory preferences were also studied.The results showed the linear effect of extracted protein and salt contents on NaCl content(P<0.05).When extracted protein increased,NaCl content of sample decreased,while increased salt concentration,NaCl content increased.Extracted protein showed linear relationship with autolytic degradation products and formaldehyde nitrogen of sample(P<0.05).Increase in extracted protein concentration caused an increment to both autolytic degradation products and formaldehyde nitrogen.In addition,salt content showed linear relationship with protein,total nitrogen,ammonia nitrogen and amino nitrogen(P<0.05).When increased salt concentration,protein and all kind of nitrogen tested in this study decreased.The statistical models for protein and NaCl contents(as an index of product quality)and our experimental validation,indicated that the models were appropriate to predict values.For acceptability test,there was no significant different in all attributes scores of cured samples with 10%roasted rice,roasted rice bran and mixture of both.In addition,their showed a significant different in all attributes scores lower than the commercial sample.In conclusion,the highest protein content was found in a treatment prepared by added salt content 15%by weight of digested material.Addition of proteins extracted from soybean meal did not lead to increase in protein content of finished product.However,chemical properties of all treatments could meet Thai community product standard.