Development of post hybrid calcium carbonate for high loaded paper

In papermaking, pre-flocculation of fillers such as ground calcium carbonate (GCC) improves the tensile strength of paper sheets. However, the pre-flocculated fillers mostly suffer from the instability of the floc shape such as the decrease in floc diameter with time elapse after preparation and no improvement of bulk and stiffness. The addition of calcium compounds such as calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide to the pre-flocculated GCC, and injection with carbon dioxide caused pre-flocculated GCC flocs to be covered with newly formed calcium carbonate. This product, called post hybrid calcium carbonate (pHCC), was found to be more stable in size and gave better sheet strength than the pre-flocculated ones. Furthermore, pHCC gave remarkably higher bulk and stiffness than the pre-flocculated flocs did without impairing smoothness that was essential in printing paper. The proper use of pHCC in papermaking could allow the production of high loaded paper with more than 10% higher filler contents, which could reduce paper production cost and save drying energy. The proportion of the newly formed calcium carbonate in pHCC, turbulence intensity at preparation stage, and the effect of storage time were investigated.

Effect of the improved protein-mineral additive on structural-mechanical characteristics of minced meat

The results of research on the effect of protein-mineral improved additive (PMIA) on the rheological parameters of minced meat, which can be used for manufacturing culinary products, including chopped semi-finished products of a high degree of readiness, are presented. It has been proven, that the additive can be used both as an ingredient, enriching calcium-digestible compounds and to improve a number of technological properties of minced meat, in particular after freezing, storage and thawing. The aim of the study was to determine the dependences of changes in the structural and mechanical characteristics of minced meat after the addition of PMIA and subsequent freezing to a temperature of –16…–18 °C and storage for 20 days. It has been found, that the addition of up to 7 % of PMIA leads to a marked increase in the conditionally instantaneous modulus of elasticity and highly elastic modulus in 4.4 times for minced beef and 2.7 and 4.4 times for chicken, respectively. It has been established, that the best stabilization of these indicators after freezing occurs at the content of PMIA at the level of 2…5 %. Studies of plastic viscosity and adhesion have shown that the use of up to 7 % of PMIA leads to an increase of 11…20 % and 26…64 %, respectively. After freezing, the plastic viscosity and adhesion of minced beef in the control decreased by 22.0 and 52 %, respectively, minced chicken – by 23.4 and 40.9 %. In the samples with a content of 7 % of PMIA, the decrease in plastic viscosity and adhesion is 7.2 and 4.4 % in minced beef and in chicken – 5.9 and 3.1 % respectively. It has been proven, that the use of PMIA in the amount of up to 7 % in the technology of minced meat production minimizes the negative destructive effect of low temperatures on the structural and mechanical characteristics of the finished product. Thus, it is expedient to use up to 7.0 % of the improved protein-mineral additive in the composition of minced meat to enrich the finished product with digestible calcium compounds and improve their structural and mechanical characteristics, in particular after freezing and storage

Effect of Calcium Compound Type and Dosage on the Properties of Acid Rennet Goat’s Milk Gels

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of adding calcium compounds to processed goat’s milk, and on the properties of acid rennet goat’s milk gels, which are a middle product obtained in the manufacture of acid rennet cheese. The properties of the gels directly affect the quality of acid rennet cheeses. The analysis of raw goat’s milk was carried out, then acid rennet gels were produced with the addition of six different calcium compounds (chloride, citrate, bisglycinate, gluconate, lactate, and carbonate). The dynamics of milk fermentation were performed by monitoring the pH value of milk during acidification. The pH, syneresis, color, and texture profile were determined in the formulated acid rennet gels. An organoleptic evaluation was also performed. The study demonstrated that, not only calcium chloride, but also calcium citrate, gluconate, lactate, bisglycinate, and calcium carbonate could be used in the production of goat’s milk acid rennet gels, or the middle product in the manufacture of acid rennet curd cheese from goat’s milk. Notably, the addition of citrate, bisglycinate, and calcium carbonate in doses of 20 mg Ca 100 g−1 most effectively reduced syneresis compared to the control sample by 4.76% (citrate), 7.85% (bisglycinate), and 10.28% (carbonate). The hardness of the control gels ranged from 2.35 N to 2.99 N. The addition of chloride, citrate, gluconate, lactate, and calcium carbonate to the milk improved the acid rennet gel’s hardness. The addition of 20 mg Ca 100 g−1 as gluconate increased the hardness the most (3.61 N). When increasing the calcium dosage in the form of all compounds, there was a tendency to increase the gel’s springiness. The addition of chloride, citrate, and bisglycinate to milk did not result in a darkening of the gel’s color. The addition of calcium compounds mostly reduced the intensity of goatish taste and odor. Calcium gluconate, in particular, reduced the goatish taste the most, a taste which is not always acceptable by the consumers.

Determining the influence of protein-mineral additives on the properties of butter cookies emulsion

This paper reports the results of studying the influence of two types of protein-mineral additives on the properties of butter biscuit emulsion. The additives are considered as a source of digestible calcium compounds and as a functional and technological component that can improve the quality of buttery flour products. The parameters for pre-hydration of additives in the environment of cow's milk for better implementation of their functional and technological characteristics have been substantiated. It was established that the use of protein-mineral additives in the manufacture of emulsions in the amount of up to 7 % leads to an increase in the emulsification capacity of model systems by 1.5...1.65 times. Improved emulsion resistance has been proven, in particular after heat treatment. It was established that using 5...7 % of the additive produces a pronounced thermal stabilizing effect. After heat treatment at a temperature of 90...95 °C during 3×60 s, when using the protein-mineral additive, a volume of the released water and fat phase increases by 12...25 %. When applying the improved additive, a volume of the released phases increases by 3...10 %. A lower degree of coalescence of the fat phase as part of the emulsion when using the improved protein-mineral additive was microscopically confirmed. The fact of increasing the effective viscosity of emulsions when using up to 7 % of the improved protein-mineral additive was established. This is a positive fact in terms of stabilizing the emulsions and improving their stability as one of the important factors related to the quality of finished flour confectionery. It was established that the improved form of the additive, due to the content of chondroitin sulfates, provides for a better effect on the characteristics of emulsions, which should have a positive influence on the quality of flour-based buttery products.

Research of qualitative indicators of butter cookies using protein-mineral supplements

The results of researches of influence of protein-mineral supplements on quality indicators of butter cookies are presented. It is described, that the supplements are used as a multifunctional ingredient, which on the one hand enriches the finished product with digestible calcium compounds, on the other - performs a number of technological tasks and improves the consumer characteristics of butter cookies. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of protein-mineral supplements on a number of physicochemical, consumer characteristics and safety indicators of butter cookies. The study of the following physicochemical parameters of the quality of butter cookies was conducted: mass fraction of moisture, wettability, alkalinity, calcium content, including total and protein-bound. It is established, that with the content of supplements up to 5.0% of the flour weight, all the above indicators meet the established requirements. With the content of suppements at the level of 6.0… 7.0%, there are limit values of such an indicator as wettability, which is undesirable to ensure the appropriate porous structure of the product. Based on the obtained data, it can be stated, that 5.0% of the use of supplements is the limit rational content in the composition of butter cookies. The organoleptic analysis proved the high characteristics of the developed products in comparison with traditional ones. In products with supplements, there was an improvement in the structure of the product in the cut and its color. This is ensured by the stabilization of the emulsion by the supplement during the manufacture of products and by peculiarities of its chemical composition. Studies of safety indicators allowed to establish less intensive dynamics of accumulation of primary oxidation products (peroxides) in samples of flour and butter products with supplements in comparison with control. The best microbiological stability of products with supplements is also proved. Due to the bacteriostatic effect of the supplements, less intensive accumulation of microflora during storage was achieved. On the basis of the conducted researches the expediency of using up to 5.0% of protein-mineral supplements in the composition of flour and butter products for enrichment of finished products with digestible calcium compounds, improvement of organoleptic characteristics and safety indicators have been established.

Silicon Compounds in Sponges

A comparative study of the microscopic morphology and chemical characteristics of spicules of Hexactinellids (Hexactinellida) with different structural features of the skeletons, as well as the freshwater Baikal sponge belonging to the class of common sponges (Demospongia), was carried out. The trace element composition of sponge spicules was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The spicules of siliceous sponges contain many elements, arranged in decreasing order of concentration: Si, Ca, Fe, Cl, K, Zn, and others. It was shown that the surface layer of sea sponges contains mainly carbon (C), oxygen (O), and to a lesser extent nitrogen (N), silicon (Si), and sodium (Na). The spicules of the studied siliceous sponges can be divided into two groups according to the phase composition, namely one containing crystalline calcium compounds and one without them. Analysis of infrared absorption spectra allows us to conclude that the sponges Euplectella aspergillum, E. suberia and Dactylocalyx sp. contain silica partially bound to the organic matrix, while the silica skeleton of the sponges of the other group (Schulzeviella gigas, Sericolophus sp., Asconema setubalense, Sarostegia oculata, Farrea sp. and Lubomirskia baicalensis sp.) practically does not differ from the precipitated SiO2. This comparative study of the chemical composition of the skeletons of marine Hexactinellids and common freshwater sponge allows us to conclude that there are no fundamental differences in the chemical composition of spicules, and all of them can be used as a starting material for creating new composite silicon–organic functional materials.

Genome-wide conditional association study reveals the influences of lifestyle cofactors on genetic regulation of body surface area in MESA population

Body surface area (BSA) is an important trait used for many clinical purposes. People’s BSA may vary due to genetic background, race, and different lifestyle factors (such as walking, exercise, reading, smoking, transportation, etc.). GWAS of BSA was conducted on 5,324 subjects of four ethnic populations of European-American, African-American, Hispanic-American, and Chinese-American from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherocloris (MESA) data using unconditional and conditional full genetic models. In this study, fifteen SNPs were identified (Experiment-wise PEW < 1×10−5) using unconditional full genetic model, of which thirteen SNPs had individual genetic effects and seven SNPs were involved in four pairs of epistasis interactions. Seven single SNPs and eight pairs of epistasis SNPs were additionally identified using exercise, smoking, and transportation cofactor-conditional models. By comparing association analysis results from unconditional and cofactor conditional models, we observed three different scenarios: (i) genetic effects of several SNPs did not affected by cofactors, e.g., additive effect of gene CREB5 (a≙ –0.013 for T/T and 0.013 for G/G, −Log10 PEW = 8.240) did not change in the cofactor models; (ii) genetic effects of several SNPs affected by cofactors, e.g., the genetic additive effect (a≙ 0.012 for A/A and –0.012 for G/G, −Log10 PEW = 7.185) of SNP of the gene GRIN2A was not significant in transportation cofactor model; and (iii) genetic effects of several SNPs suppressed by cofactors, e.g., additive (a≙ –0.018 for G/G and 0.018 for C/C, −Log10 PEW = 19.737) and dominance (d≙ –0.038 for G/C, −Log10 PEW = 27.734) effects of SNP of gene ERBB4 was identified using only transportation cofactor model. Gene ontology analysis showed that several genes are related to the metabolic pathway of calcium compounds, coronary artery disease, type-2 Diabetes, Alzheimer disease, childhood obesity, sleeping duration, Parkinson disease, and cancer. This study revealed that lifestyle cofactors could contribute, suppress, increase or decrease the genetic effects of BSA associated genes.