Generation of Bioelectricity from Organic Fruit Waste

This research proposes an alternative for companies and farmers through the production of electricity using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using waste from export products. Nine MFCs were manufactured with zinc and copper electrodes; and as substrates, pineapple, potato and tomato pulp wastes were used in the anode chamber, and residual sludge in the cathode chamber. It was observed that the MFCs with pineapple substrate generated higher values of the electrical parameters, resulting in voltage and current values of 0.3484 ± 0.003 V and 27.88 ± 0.23 mA, respectively. It was also observed that the maximum power density was 0.967 ± 0.059 W/cm2 at a current density of 0.04777 A/cm2 for the same substrate. Acid pH values were observed in the three samples, while the conductivity reached its maximum value on day 23 (69.47 ± 0.91 mS/cm) which declined until the last day of monitoring; the turbidity values increased abruptly after day 22 until the last day where a value of 200.3 ± 2.52 UNT was observed for the pineapple substrate. The scanning electron microscopy for the pineapple substrate MFC electrodes shows the formation of a porous biofilm on the zinc and copper electrodes. These results show that a new form of electricity production has been achieved by generating high voltage and current values, using low-cost materials.

Improved rotary film evaporator for concentrating organic fruit and berry puree

This paper reports the improved rotor-film evaporator with the lower arrangement of the separating space, the auger-type discharge of concentrated organic fruit and berry paste, and preheating the puree with secondary steam. The working surface of the evaporator is heated by a flexible film resistive electric heater of the radiating type with an insulating outer surface. Peltier elements installed in the device make it possible to provide low-voltage power for exhaust fans from the thermal secondary steam. The puree fed for processing is preheated by 8...10 °С by the heat from the concentrated product and secondary steam. For the experiment, fruit and berry blended puree from apples, quince, and black currants was used. The structural and mechanical properties of blended puree have been determined when the temperature changes within 55...75 °С, in particular, the effective viscosity varies in the range of 22...6 Pa∙s, the maximum shear stress ‒ 29...8 Pa. Effective regions in the fruit and berry puree concentration process have been established: Kmin=Vpaste/Vpuree=0.190; Kmax=Vpaste/Vpuree=0.725 When concentrating fruit and berry pastes with an initial solids content of 9...15 % to the resulting content (29...31 %), it is advisable to apply a surface load of 0.048...0.121 kg/m2s. By calculation, the reduction of the specific energy consumption for heating the volume of the product unit has been confirmed: a rotor-film evaporator – 547 kJ/kg over a period of 75 s, compared to the basic vacuum evaporator – 1,090 kJ/kg, respectively, over 1.08 hours. The results could be useful when designing evaporating equipment for rotor-film-type devices in order to concentrate various blends of fruit and berry raw materials under conditions of using the energy of secondary steam.

Fruit Degradation Detection System using CMOS Color Sensor

Fruits and vegetables have been a significant part of the human diet for the last many years. In the modern age, with the increase in disease variants, people have become more curious about natural and organic nutrition. In this current situation the thought has brought some problems with it which are mostly related to freshness. The awareness about consuming organic fruit has been highly increased in people and the major reason behind this awareness is the discoveries about health benefits of fruits and vegetables. There are several parameters that affect the freshness of fruit such as temperature, humidity, growth of micro-organisms whose effects are not visible with naked eyes but are highly dangerous and As fruits and vegetables are very good source of food for us and they are also good source of energy for microorganisms like bacteria and fungi too. We preferred developing a simplified system which will provide us with a similar amount of accuracy which is being provided by various color measuring instruments such as spectrophotometers and computer vision with digital cameras. This provoked us to develop the project consisting of PIC Microcontroller and Color Sensor TCS3200 which not only overcomes the drawbacks of the existing systems but also helps to increase the accuracy and keeps the database for future detections.

The impact of cultivation systems on the nutritional and phytochemical content, and microbiological contamination of highbush blueberry

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional and use value of berries grown in organic and conventional systems. The polyphenol content, fruit colour and firmness, and yeast, mould, and mycotoxin contents were assessed in blueberry fruit freshly harvested and stored for 8 weeks in controlled conditions (CA: CO2-12%; O2-1.5%, temperature 1.5 °C). The Shannon–Wiener diversity index was comparable in both systems and was lower for mould in organic fruit than in conventional fruit. Mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone) were found only in organic fruits. The optimal mineral content and pH of the soil allowed the cultivation of blueberry in accordance with organic standards. The storage of highbush blueberry fruit in CA cold storage for 8 weeks resulted in a slight deterioration in fruit quality and polyphenol content. The lower nutritional value of these fruits is compensated by the lack of pesticides and artificial fertilizers residues. The use of fungicides in conventional cultivation reduces the population of sensitive fungi and therefore reduces the contamination of fruits with mycotoxins.

Assessing the Origin of Phosphonic Acid Residues in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Crops: The Biofosf Project Multi-Actor Approach

Recently, on the EU market, phosphonic acid residues were detected in many organic goods, although fosetyl-derivates and phosphite salts are not allowed by Reg. EC n. 889/2009. The BIOFOSF project “Solving phosphite issue in organic fruit and horticultural crops” aimed at verifying whether the phosphonic acid contamination could be due to unproper use of fertilizers/plant protection products by organic farmers, or to the plant’s ability to self-produce it spontaneously. Applying a participative approach, field case-studies on potato, rocket lettuce, and pears were carried out (organic vs. integrated systems). The ethyl-phosphonic acid and phosphonic acid were determined in soil, tubers, leaves, fruits, tree woody organs, used fertilizers, and plant protection products to correlate them to the applied farming management. Tested crops were not able to self-synthetize phosphonic acid, being its detection due to: (i) external inputs not allowed in organic farming; (ii) fertilizers/plant protection products allowed in organic farming, contaminated by fosetyl or phosphite. In addition, it was found that tree crops can stock the phosphite in their woody organs, then translocate it from branches to leaves and fruits over time. Regression models applied to field data showed that fruit trees decontamination could take more than 5 years, depending on the starting value of phosphonic acid contamination, useful to define the phosphite maximum residue limit in organic fruit crops.