Improvement of Gel Quality of Squid (Dosidicus gigas) Meat by Using Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Citrate, and Sodium Tartrate

In order to improve the quality of squid surimi products, squid surimi gels were prepared using several types of organic salts under two heating conditions to study the effects of organic salts on squid gel properties. Compared with the NaCl group, organic salts reduced the solubilization capacity of myofibrillar protein, and significant (p < 0.05) decreases in the breaking force, breaking distance, texture, and water-holding capacity of the gel were observed in the sodium gluconate group, while significant (p < 0.05) increases in the breaking force, breaking distance, texture, and water-holding capacity of the gel were observed in the sodium citrate and sodium tartrate groups. Although the mixed addition of NaCl and organic salt improved surimi gel quality, the effective improvement was still lower than that of only organic salt. Rheological properties indicated that sodium citrate and sodium tartrate had high viscoelasticity. The squid surimi gel prepared by direct heating exhibited better properties than gels prepared by two-step heating. The chemical force of squid gel prepared with sodium citrate and sodium tartrate formed a stronger matrix than the gels prepared with other salts. For color, the addition of sodium citrate resulted in an undesirable color of squid surimi gels, while the addition of sodium tartrate improved the whiteness of the surimi gel. The results showed that the quality of surimi gel was dependent upon the choice of heating method and the types of salt used. Sodium citrate and sodium tartrate could significantly improve the gel properties of squid surimi. This study provides reliable guidance for improving the overall quality of squid surimi gels.

Dielectric Switch of High Temperature Plastic Phase Transition in Two Organic Salts with Chiral Feature

Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) with high-temperature reversible dielectric switching properties and single chiral characteristics and various structural phase transformations provide more possibilities for different functional properties. Here, we successfully...

Development of a Weighted Barite-Free Formate Drilling Mud for Well Construction under Complicated Conditions

Construction of oil and gas wells at offshore fields often involves high formation pressure and the presence of swellable clay rocks in the section. In addition, productivity preservation is also an important aspect. For this purpose, it is necessary to reduce the solids content of the drilling mud. The purpose of this work is to develop, improve, and study compositions of weighted drilling muds with low content of solids, on the basis of organic salts of alkali metals and polymers for the construction of wells prone to rock swelling and/or cavings, as well as drilling fluids for drilling-in the formation. In order to achieve the set goal the following is required: Analysis of existing drilling muds of higher density for drilling wells in unstable rock intervals and for drilling in the productive formation; analysis of experience in using drilling systems on the formic acid salts base and substantiation of requirements for flushing fluids during well construction; development and investigation of drilling mud compositions on the formate base; and the evaluation of inhibiting effect of systems containing organic salts, polymer reagents, and calcium carbonate on clay samples. The developed drilling mud is characterized by a high inhibiting ability that allows minimized mud-weighting by the natural solid phase. This reduces the volume of prepared mud and facilitates the regulation of its properties by reducing the dispersion of drilled cuttings; it eliminates problems related to hydration and the swelling of active clay rocks; and stabilizes unstable argillites prone to caving. The low solids content, low filtration rates, and inhibitory nature of the mud allows high stability of the rheological properties of the mud, and preserves oil and gas reservoir productivity under conditions of elevated formation pressure.

Strong deviations from thermodynamically expected phase partitioning of organic acids during one year of rural field measurements

&lt;p&gt;Organic acids are ubiquitous compounds in the troposphere and can affect human health, the climate, air quality, and the linked ecosystems. Depending on their solubility and volatility, they can partition in both gas phase and in the particle phase. In the particle phase, organic acids partly represent about 10% of the water-soluble organic matter. However, their partitioning between different phases is not fully understood yet. Therefore, an upgraded monitor for aerosols and gases in ambient air (MARGA) was applied for one year at the Central European TROPOS research site Melpitz to study the gas- and particle-phase partitioning of formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, glycolic, pyruvic, oxalic, malonic, succinic, malic, and methanesulfonic acid (MSA). Measured gas- and PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; particle-phase mean concentrations were 12&amp;#8722;445 and 7&amp;#8722;31 ng m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; for monocarboxylic acids (MCAs), between 0.6&amp;#8722;8 and 4&amp;#8722;31 ng m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; for dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), and 2 and 31 ng m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; for MSA, respectively. Assuming full dissolution in nonideal aerosol solutions, empirical noneffective Henry&amp;#8217;s law constants (H&lt;sub&gt;emp&lt;/sub&gt;) were calculated and compared with literature values (H&lt;sub&gt;lit&lt;/sub&gt;). Calculated mean H&lt;sub&gt;emp&lt;/sub&gt; were 4.5 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#8722;2.2 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt; mol L&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; atm&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; for MCAs, 3.6 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#8722;7.5 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt; mol L&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; atm&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; for DCAs, and 7.5 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; mol L&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; atm&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt; for MSA and, thus, factors of 5.1 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#8722;9.1 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt; and 2.5&amp;#8722;20.3 higher than their corresponding H&lt;sub&gt;lit&lt;/sub&gt; for MCAs and DCAs, respectively, and 9.0 &amp;#215; 10&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;5&lt;/sup&gt; lower than H&lt;sub&gt;lit,MSA&lt;/sub&gt;. Data analyses and thermodynamic calculations implicate that the formation of chemical association complexes and organic salts inhibits the partitioning of organic acids toward the gas phase and, thus, at least partly explains higher H&lt;sub&gt;emp&lt;/sub&gt;&amp;#160;values for both MCAs and summertime DCAs. Low H&lt;sub&gt;emp,MSA&lt;/sub&gt; are also unexpected because of the high MSA solubility and are reported for the first time in this study. Overall, the results of the present study implicate that processes responsible for the observed stronger partitioning of carboxylic acids toward the particle phase need to be further investigated and accounted for in complex multiphase chemistry models as they affect the contribution of organic acids to secondary organic aerosol mass, their chemical processing, and lifetime.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

A New Caco-2 Cell Model of in vitro Intestinal Barrier: Application for the Evaluation of Magnesium Salts Absorption

Experimental data concerning the bioavailability of the different Mg-salts in human organism is inconsistent. Mg-absorption reported by clinical studies largely varies depending on the method used for evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioavailability and accessibility of magnesium bound in different Mg-salt compounds, using an in vitro model of intestinal cell barrier. The study included a variety of inorganic (oxide, sulphate, chloride, carbonate) and organic salts (lactate, citrate, pidolate). Caco-2 cells were cultivated in a complete culture medium with different magnesium salts treatments in ascending concentrations. The viability and quantity of cells was analysed by FACS. Mg-absorption was analysed by a direct colorimetric assay, measured by spectrometry. T-test identified a significant decrease in cell count treatment with mg-lactate compared with citrate. Mg-pidolate showed a significantly higher cell viability compared with Mg-citrate, Mg-lactate and Mg-chloride. Even though the difference was not significant, we showed that an increase in Mg2+ salt concentration progressively decreased the cell count and the viability and the effect was universal for all the used Mg-salt treatments. Mg-citrate, chloride, and sulphate showed a significantly lower absorption compared to Mg-carbonate, pidolate and oxide. Our in vitro monolayer model of human intestinal transport showed that viability and quantity of cell decreased with increasing Mg-concentration. We admit that our experiment model may have some limitations in accurately describing an in vivo Mg2+ absorption. Moreover, it is also necessary to assess the relevance of our data in vivo and especially in clinical practice.

The FFLO State in the Dimer Mott Organic Superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br

The superconducting phase diagram for a quasi-two-dimensional organic superconductor, κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br, was studied using pulsed magnetic field penetration depth measurements under rotating magnetic fields. At low temperatures, Hc2 was abruptly suppressed even by small tilts of the applied fields owing to the orbital pair-breaking effect. In magnetic fields parallel to the conducting plane, the temperature dependence of the upper critical field Hc2 exhibited an upturn and exceeded the Pauli limit field HP in the lower temperature region. Further analyses with the second derivative of the penetration depth showed an anomaly at 31–32 T, which roughly corresponded to HP. The origin of the anomaly should not be related to the orbital effect, but the paramagnetic effect, which is almost isotropic in organic salts, because it barely depends on the field angle. Based on these results, the observed anomaly is most likely due to the transition between the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states. Additionally, we discuss the phase diagram and physical parameters of the transition by comparing them with other FFLO candidates.

Adsorption of reactive yellow BF-3R dye by CTABr modified zeolite NaY

Textile industries generate effluents composed of organic salts and complexes from dyes not fixed on fabrics, or not degraded by the inefficiency of conventional treatment processes, which represents a high potential for environmental impact due to inadequate disposal of the generated effluent. Zeolites are porous materials that have a three-dimensional structure containing tetrahedrals of AlO4 e SiO4 which can be modified to improve its properties. The adsorption process using zeolites as adsorbents can be considered an excellent economic physical treatment to solve or minimize such a problem. This work presents an experimental study focusing on the preparation and characterization of zeolite NaY and modified with organic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) intended to be used as adsorbent in the process of removing yellow dye BF-3R in dye-water system batch system. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and thermogravimetry (TG). The effect of process parameter such as pH was studied. Results revealed that even though the modified cetyltrimethylammonium bromide organic surfactant (CTABr) did not cause alterations on the zeolite NaY structure. The IR results revealed that CTABr was successfully incorporated to zeolite NaY structure. The best conditions were established with respect to pH to saturate the available sites located on the zeolite NaY and NaY_CTABr surface. The maximum adsorption capacities were 3.35 and mg/g for dye 5.35 using as-synthesized zeolite NaY and CTABr modified zeolite NaY. Modified zeolites are excellent adsorbents for removing reactive dyes from industrial wastewater.