The Functionality of Inulin as a Sugar Replacer in Cakes and Biscuits; Highlighting the Influence of Differences in Degree of Polymerisation on the Properties of Cake Batter and Product

Sugar has multiple roles in baked products; competing for water and as such reducing starch gelatinisation and gluten development, behaving as a fluid during cooking, recrystallising on cooling; roles which influence properties such as aeration, texture and mouthfeel. Partial replacement with inulin, can provide beneficial nutritional and functional properties. This paper investigated the degree of polymerisation (DP) of two commercial inulins and their influence on baked product properties as a 30% sugar replacer. The two inulins varied substantially in their proportion of longer fructans (32.7% compared to 17.5% of DP > 11). The lower DP inulin led to a cake batter with very similar viscoelastic properties to the standard sugar batter, and subsequently to a very similar baked cake crumb structure, cake texture and mouthfeel. The higher DP inulin led to a more viscous batter, and cake with a less homogenous crumb structure that was perceived to be dryer and more mouthcoating. The subsequent use of the lower DP inulin in a biscuit formulation resulted in a slightly less elastic dough and consequently a softer and less crunchy biscuit. In summary, the success of inulin in providing functional properties that can enable sugar reduction in baked products is dependent on the degree of polymerisation of the inulin and rheological parameters needed in the specific bakery matrix.

Pre-treatments of pre-consumer cotton-based textile waste for production of textile fibres in the cold NaOH(aq) and cellulose carbamate processes

Recycling of textiles is of importance due to the large amount of waste generated from the increasing consumption and use worldwide. Cotton-rich pre-consumer textiles are considered as potential raw material for production of man-made regenerated fibres, but demands purification from the blends with synthetic fibres as well as the dyes and finishing chemicals. In this study we explore the use of different pre-treatments of pre-consumer textiles to meet specific parameters for production of fibres in the cold NaOH(aq) or cellulose carbamate process. The pre-treatments consisted of different bleaching sequences and were performed on both uncoloured and coloured pre-consumer textiles. For the uncoloured textile, degree of polymerisation and amount of inorganic content was efficiently reduced making the material suitable for both the cold NaOH(aq) and the cellulose carbamate process. In case of the coloured textile, the pre-treatments were able to remove the dye and decrease the inorganic content as well as reduce the degree of polymerisation but only sufficiently enough for production of fibres in the cellulose carbamate process. The work was able to prove a fibre-to-fibre concept while further optimisation of the regeneration steps is expected to improve the mechanical properties of the produced fibres in future studies.

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

An innovative survey was conducted of the collections of the historical Biblioteca Classense, located in the urban area of Ravenna (Northern Italy). The survey aimed to evaluate the current conservation state of the book collections, where 297 paper-based items, including incunabulae, manuscripts and books, dating from the 14th to the 20th century, were selected for analysis. This innovative survey was carried out non-destructively by assessing degradation visually and by measuring NIR spectral data followed by multivariate data analysis. Chemical and physical paper properties, important for paper characterisation and implementation of conservation strategies were determined, including paper type, pH, degree of polymerisation (DP), tensile strength, lignin, protein, and rosin content. This survey provided a significant quantitative dataset for rag paper covering a 600-year period. The analysis of DP changes over time allowed the first experimental estimation of the rate constant for historical rag paper, i.e., (4.2±0.6)·10-7 year-1, which was validated with predictions based on the Collections Demography dose response function for historic paper taking into account the past climate in Ravenna. Statistical methods were employed to describe the correlations between the measured variables and different features of the books, suggesting that the degree of polymerisation can be used as a general proxy for rag paper mechanical strength.

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

An innovative survey was conducted of the collections of the historical Biblioteca Classense, located in the urban area of Ravenna (Northern Italy). The survey aimed to evaluate the current conservation state of the book collections, where 297 paper-based items, including incunabulae, manuscripts and books, dating from the 14th to the 20th century, were selected for analysis. This innovative survey was carried out non-destructively by assessing degradation visually and by measuring NIR spectral data followed by multivariate data analysis. Chemical and physical paper properties, important for paper characterisation and implementation of conservation strategies were determined, including paper type, pH, degree of polymerisation, tensile strength, lignin, protein, and rosin content. This survey provided a significant quantitative dataset for rag paper covering a 600-year period. The analysis of DP changes over time allowed the first experimental estimation of the rate constant for historical rag paper, i.e., (4.2 ± 0.6)·10−7 year−1, which was validated with predictions based on the Collections Demography dose response function for historic paper taking into account the past climate in Ravenna. Statistical methods were employed to describe the correlations between the measured variables and different features of the books, suggesting that the degree of polymerisation can be used as a general proxy for rag paper mechanical strength.

Fructan dynamics and antioxidant capacity of 4-day-old seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars during drought stress and recovery

One of the inevitable consequences of drought stress is enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Fructan might function as effective candidate for capturing ROS in a wide range of stresses. Herein, 4-day-old seedlings of drought-tolerant and -sensitive wheat cultivars were exposed to drought stress for 7 days by water cessation, followed by further 7 days re-watering. The content, metabolism, related enzymes activity, degree of polymerisation (DP) and antioxidant capacity of fructan were compared in the two cultivars. High resolution HPAEC-PAD analysis of fructan showed an increase in the activities of fructan: fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT) in the tolerant cultivar and sucrose: sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) and 1-FFT in the sensitive cultivar under drought condition. The activity of fructan exohydrolase (FEH) did not show any significant change in tolerant cultivar, but decreased in a sensitive one. In comparison with the sensitive cultivar, the tolerant one accumulated fructan (0.9% of dry matter) with higher degree of polymerisation (10.67 ± 1.1), accompanied by increased OH radical scavenging activity, during drought condition. In regard to the fact that OH radical is the most prevalent ROS in damaging membrane lipids, the results suggest that fructans play a crucial role in the tolerance of wheat seedlings against drought stress.