Water content in peanut seeds according to conditions of the storage environment

The conditions of the storage environment can influence the quality of seeds or grains in relation to commercial quality, deterioration and nutritional characteristics, mainly as a function of temperature and relative humidity. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of temperature and relative humidity of storage on the water content of peanut seeds. The experiment was developed in a completely randomized design in factorial scheme 5 x 9, with five temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 °C) and nine conditions of relative humidity, each condition had nine repetitions. The seeds were stored in airtight packaging with saturated solutions to maintain a constant condition. The water content in the seeds was evaluated in each condition. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, correlation, regression, multivariate analysis and adjustment with mathematical models. Relative humidity was more expressive in changing the equilibrium water content. The Chung-Pfost model was the most suitable to represent the sorption process in peanut seeds.

Preparation of a photocurable hydrogel with adjustable mechanical properties for 3D printing

Purpose This paper aims to show a series of hydrogels with adjustable mechanical properties, which can be cured quickly with visible light. The hydrogel is prepared conveniently with hydroxyethyl acrylate, cross-linker, gelatin and photoinitiator, and can be printed into certain 3D patterns with the direct ink write (DIW) 3D printer designed and developed by the research group. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors designed a composite sensitization initiation system that is suitable for hydrogels. The concentration of photoinitiator, gelatin and cross-linker was studied to optimize the curing efficiency and adjust the mechanical properties. A DIW 3D printer was designed for the printing of hydrogel. Pre-gel solution was loaded into printer for printing into established models. The models were made and sliced with software. Findings The hydrogels can be cured efficiently with 405-nm visible light. While adding various content of gelatin and cross-linker, the mechanical properties of hydrogels show from soft and fragile (elastic modulus of 121.18 kPa and work of tension of 218.11 kJ·m−3) to rigid and tough (elastic modulus of 505.15 kPa and work of tension of 969.00 kJ·m−3). The hydrogels have high capacity of water absorption. With the DIW 3D printer, pre-gel hydrogel solution can be printed into objects with certain dimension. Originality/value In this work, a composite sensitization initiation system was designed, and fast curing hydrogels with adjustable mechanical properties had been prepared conveniently, which has high equilibrium water content and 3D printability with the DIW 3D printer.

Isotermas e calor isostérico de dessorção das sementes de tungue

<p><span class="fontstyle0">The tung is a species that has potential for biodiesel production, so for safe storage there is a need to get to know its hygroscopicity. The objective of this work was to determine the desorption isotherms based on the recommendation of a mathematical model, to define the safe moisture content for storage, and to obtain the isosteric heat for the tung seeds. In order to obtain the hygroscopic equilibrium water content, the static method was used, with 20g of seeds surrounded by a permeable tissue, and placed inside the desiccators containing salt solutions, in a BOD chamber with temperatures of 20, 25, At 30 and 35 ºC, water activity ranged from 0.14 to 0.812 decimal.The Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Schwarz information criterion (BIC) were used to adjust the mathematical models and to help choose the best one. Among the tested models, ChungPfost was elected to represent the desorption isotherms of tung seeds. Integral isosteric desorption heat values in the equilibrium moisture content range from 2.08 to 8.35 (% b.s.) ranged from 3754 to 2555 kJ kg</span><span class="fontstyle0">-1</span> <br /><br /></p>

The Ophthalmic Performance of Hydrogel Contact Lenses Loaded with Silicone Nanoparticles

In this study, silicone nanoparticles (SiNPs) were prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) via the sol-gel process. The resultant SiNPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). These SiNPs were then blended with 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) before polymerizing into hydrogel contact lenses. All hydrogels were subject to characterization, including equilibrium water content (EWC), contact angle, and oxygen permeability (Dk). The average diameter of SiNPs was 330 nm. The results indicated that, with the increase of SiNPs content, the oxygen permeability increased, while the EWC was affected insignificantly. The maximum oxygen permeability attained was 71 barrer for HEMA-NVP lens containing 1.2 wt% of SiNPs with an EWC of 73%. These results demonstrate that by loading a small amount of SiNPs, the Dk of conventional hydrogel lenses can be improved greatly. This approach would be a new method to produce oxygen-permeable contact lenses.

Synthesis, Preparation and Characterization of Amine-Induced Bacterial Cellulose-Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Semi-Interpenetrating Network Hydrogel

Bacterial cellulose (BC) was synthesized using Gluconacetobacter xylinus (BCRC 14182). Synthesized BC was powdered and dissolved in Bis(ethylenediamine) copper (II) hydroxide (Cuen) solution to introduce the amine (NH2) group onto the BC network to yield modified BC (mBC) which was then blended with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and subsequently crosslinked with genipin (Gp). Pristine, modified and crosslinked hydrogels were studied using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and swelling behavior in water. FTIR revealed a distortion on the BC network chain via a reduction in the absorption of OH peak of mBC and the emergence of peaks at 1587 and 1560 cm-1 attributed to N-H stretching of the induced NH2 group. SEM confirmed the 3-D fibril and porous structure of BC which became distorted after modification and crosslinking. The hydrogels showed equilibrium water content of 86.5%, 67.5%, 66.7% and 33.0 % for BC, PVA, mBC-PVA and mBC-PVA-Gp, respectively. The decreased swelling in mBC-PVA-Gp indicated that genipin was able to crosslink the modified BC.

Synthesis and Characterization of Silicone Contact Lenses Based on TRIS-DMA-NVP-HEMA Hydrogels

In this study, silicone-based hydrogel contact lenses were prepared by the polymerization of 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane (TRIS), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP), and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA). The properties of silicone hydrogel lenses were analyzed based on the methods such as equilibrium water content, oxygen permeability, optical transparency, contact angle, mechanical test, protein adsorption, and cell toxicity. The results showed that the TRIS content in all formulations increased the oxygen permeability and decreased the equilibrium water content, while both DMA and NVP contributed the hydrophilicity of the hydrogels. The maximum value of oxygen permeability was 74.9 barrers, corresponding to an equilibrium water content of 44.5% as well as a contact angle of 82°. Moreover, L929 fibroblasts grew on all these hydrogels, suggesting non-cytotoxicity. In general, the silicone hydrogels in this work exhibited good oxygen permeability, stiffness, and optical transparency as well as anti-protein adsorption. Hence, these silicone hydrogel polymers would be feasible for making contact lens.

Modelling the Water Sorption Isotherms of Warionia Saharae and determination of sorption heats and drying kinetics

The hygroscopic equilibrium of Warionia saharae was studied, which allowed getting an idea of ​​the equilibrium water content relative to a given humidity. The results of this study made it possible to have the sorption curves. The results of this study made it possible to obtain the sorption curves necessary for know the storage conditions of the plant and the study of its drying kinetics. The static gravimetric method was used to determine sorption isotherms of Warionia saharae leaves at 30and 40 ◦C and in the range of water activity varying from 0.063 to 0.898. The Gab, Peleg models was found to be the most suitable for describing the sorption curves. The isosteric heat calculated by applying the Clausius–Clapeyron equation .The desorption isosteric heat was higher than the isosteric heat of adsorption and both decreased continuously with increasing of the equilibrium moisture content. The experimental results obtained allowed us to determine the temporal evolution of the drying kinetics as a function of the moisture content. The curve of the evolution of the water content as a function of time shows the absence of the phases product temperature and constant drying rate Keywords: Sorption isotherm, isosteric heats, modelling, kinetics, Warionia saharae.