In-line monitoring of the application weight of an adhesion promoter and the residual moisture content in textile finishing by hyperspectral imaging using a NIR multiplex spectrometer system

Natural fibers are gaining wide attention due to their much lower carbon footprint and economic factors compared to synthetic fibers. The moisture affinity of these lignocellulosic fibres, however, is still one of the main challenges when using them, e.g., for outdoor applications, leading to fast degradation rates. Plastination is a technique originally used for the preservation of human and animal body organs for many years, by replacing the water and fat present in the tissues with a polymer. This article investigates the feasibility of adapting such plastination to bamboo natural fibres using the S-10 room-temperature technique in order to hinder their moisture absorption ability. The effect of plastination on the mechanical properties and residual moisture content of the bamboo natural fibre samples was evaluated. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) were employed to characterize the chemical composition and 3-dimensional morphology of the plastinated specimens. The results clearly show that, as plastination lessens the hydrophilic tendency of the bamboo fibres, it also decreases the residual moisture content and increases the tensile strength and stiffness of the fibers.

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Effect of the Freeze-Drying Process on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Mexican Kefir Grains

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr7030127 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 127 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alicia Conde-Islas ◽

Maribel Jiménez-Fernández ◽

Denis Cantú-Lozano ◽

Galo Urrea-García ◽

Guadalupe Luna-Solano

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Water Activity ◽

Freeze Drying ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Freezing Temperature ◽

Freezing Time ◽

Residual Moisture Content ◽

Drying Process ◽

Residual Moisture ◽

Kefir Grains

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the properties of Mexican kefir grains (MKG) are affected by the operating parameters used in the freeze-drying process. The factors investigated were the freezing time (3–9 h), freezing temperature (−20 to −80 °C), pressure (0.2–0.8 mbar), and lyophilization time (5–20 h). The maximum range of change and one-way analysis of variance showed that lyophilization time and freezing time significant affects (p < 0.05) the response variables, residual moisture content and water activity, and pressure had a significant effect on the color difference and survival rate of probiotic microorganisms. The best drying conditions were a freezing time of 3 h, a freezing temperature of −20 °C, a pressure of 0.6 mbar, and a lyophilization time of 15 h. Under these conditions, we obtained a product with residual moisture content below 6%, water activity below 0.2, and survival rates above 8.5 log cfu per gram of lactic acid bacteria and above 8.6 log for yeast.

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