Comparison of Ultrasound Type and Working Parameters on the Reduction of Four Higher Alcohols and the Main Phenolic Compounds

In this paper, studies were conducted by a series of single-factor experiments to investigate the effects of ultrasound types and working parameters on the higher alcohols (HA), phenolic compounds, and color properties of red wine, so as to highlight the importance of the comprehensive consideration on its application. The results indicate that ultrasound devices and working parameters do have some definite influences on the HA of wine; moreover, the ultrasound bath (SB-500DTY) is better than the SCIENTZ-950E and the KQ-300VDE. With the SB-500DTY employed to further investigate its effects on phenols and color properties other than on HA, unexpectedly, some variations of color parameters are opposite to the results ever obtained from other ultrasound conditions. In summary, all these results suggest that both the ultrasound type and parameters should be fully considered or neutralized so as to have a comprehensive evaluation about its application, instead of some contradictory results.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Micro- and Macroelements in Fruit Peel Powder Mineral Supplement for Osteoporosis Patients and Their Determination by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Osteoporosis is a worldwide disease depicted by the reduced bone mass, an adequate supply of minerals is needed to support bone remodeling, and their deficiency causes bone-related diseases, osteoporosis in particular, and has osteoprotective effects. The aim of this recent research was to quantify the micro- (Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) and macroelements (Mg, K, and Ca) in the peel powder of some common fruits (pomegranate, orange, lemon, mango, and grapefruit) by flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). The extraction of micro- and macroelements in peel powder was done by using dilute acids in an ultrasonic bath. Apple leaves were used as standard reference material (SRM, NIST 1515) to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method at varied operating parameters. Maximum response was obtained for extracting of minerals in 500 mg SRM at 60°C temperature, setting a vortexing time of 5 min while using 5.0 mL extracting agent HNO3 (0.5 M)-H2O2 (10%) at 90% sonication amplitude of ultrasound bath for 6 min. While analyzing the SRM, the percentage recovery was obtained in a range between 96.8 and 102.7% to assure the accuracy whereas repeatability (n = 10) study in terms of % RSD yielding ≤2.29 supports well the precision of the proposed method, and limits of quantitation (μg/g) were 0.034, 0.061, 0.065, 0.057, 0.017, 0.175, and 0.053 for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mg, K, and Ca, respectively. The proposed UAE method was reliable, efficient, and advantageous over the conventionally employed acid digestion method with regard to less consumption of reagents and short analysis time for the determination of micro- and macroelements in fruit peel powder.

Chemical assessment, antioxidant and antimicrobial of leafs extracts of Virola sebifera, an Amazonian medicinal plant

The high biodiversity of Amazon forest implies in a great number of plants with ethnopharmacological utilization. V. sebifera is one of the most important species of Virola genus, used in treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, dyspepsia, malaria, muscle pain and erysipelas. This study aimed to investigate its chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. For this, leafs extracts i) 70% ethanol in ultrasound bath (CEU); ii) 70% ethanol in Soxhlet (CES); and iii) sequential extraction in Soxhlet apparatus, starting with hexane (HE), followed by methanol (ME), and 70% ethanol extract (EE). Phenolic concentration, total flavonoid and antioxidant activity were assessed. The highest phenolic and total flavonoid contents were found in CEU and EE showed the best antioxidant activity. The most relevant substances identified by GC-MS analysis were the Kusunokinin, Hinokinin and catechol, among others first time related in V. sebifera. The antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The CEU, CES, EM, and EE obtained positive results against S. aureus and S. epidermidis. CES and EM also inhibited S. typhimurium and E. coli. Based on these results, V. sebifera can be recognized as a promising source of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.

Ultrasound Assisted Extraction of Micro and Macroelements in Fruit Peels Powder Mineral Supplement for Osteoporosis Patients and their Determination by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Osteoporosis is a worldwide disease depicted by the reduced bone mass, an adequate supply of minerals are needed to support bone remodelingand their deficiency causes bone-related diseases, osteoporosis in particular, and have osteo-protective effects. The aim of recent researchwas to quantify the micro (Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) and macroelements (Mg, K, and Ca) in the peels powder of some common fruits (pomegranate, orange, lemon, mango, and grapefruit) by flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). The extraction of micro and macroelements in peels powder was done by using dilute acids in ultrasonic bath. Apple leaves were used as standard reference material (SRM, NIST 1515) to optimize the ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) method at varied operating parameters. Maximum response was obtained for extracting of minerals in 500 mg SRM at 60 °C temperature, setting a vortexing time of 5 min.while using 5.0 mL extracting agent HNO3 (0.5 M)-H2O2 (10 %) at90 % sonication amplitude of ultrasound bath for 6 min.While analyzing the SRM, the percentage recovery wasobtained in ranged between 96.8-102.7 % to assure the accuracy whereasrepeatability (n = 10) study in terms of % RSDyielding≤ 2.29well support the precision of proposed method and limits of quantitation (µg/g) were 0.034, 0.061, 0.065, 0.057, 0.017, 0.175 and 0.053 for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mg, K and Ca respectively. The proposed UAE method was reliable,efficient, and advantageous over the conventionally employed acid digestion method with regards to less consumption of reagents and short analysis time for the determination of micro and macroelements in fruit peels powder.

Changes in the Aromatic Compounds Content in the Muscat Wines as a Result of the Application of Ultrasound during Pre-Fermentative Maceration

This research focuses on the aromatic composition of Muscat of Alexandria wines after the application of ultrasound for 40 or 80 min during a 4 h pre-fermentative maceration process. Two methods of ultrasound application were compared in this study: probe ultrasound and bath ultrasound, for periods of 10–20 min per hour. Increases of more than 200% were obtained for some of the compounds from the skins, such as two of its terpenes, citronellol and nerol. On the other hand, increases in alcohol and ester values were registered with the application of ultrasound for 40 min. However, a significant decrease in these compounds was recorded when the ultrasound process was extended. In fact, when ultrasound was applied for 80 min, content values were even lower than those registered for the wine produced without the application of ultrasound. At the sensory level, the effect resulting from probe and bath ultrasound application for different times were compared, where most of the judges successfully discriminated the wines resulting from the application of ultrasound bath. According to data, the wines resulting from the application of ultrasound bath for 80 min presented the most significant differences, which affected the aromas of white fruit, tropical fruit, stone fruit, flowers and citrus.

Multiferroic heterostructure BaTiO3/ε-Fe2O3 composite obtained by in situ reaction

Solid-state reaction between BaTiO3 and Fe2O3 was used to produce a multiferroic heterostructure composite. Commercial BaTiO3 and Fe(NO3)3?9H2O were suspended in ethanol for 30 minutes in an ultrasound bath. The prepared mixture was thermally processed at 300?C for 6 h. Sintering at 1300?C for 1 h resulted in a mixture of different phases, BaTiO3, BaFe12O19 and Ba12Ti28Fe15O84, which were confirmed by x-ray powder diffraction. A dense microstructure with a small volume fraction of closed porosity was indicated by the scanning electron microscopy, while a homogeneous distribution of Fe ions over BaTiO3 phase was visible from energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping. Doping of BaTiO3 with Fe2O3 resulted in formation of magnetic hexaferrite phases, as confirmed by dielectric measurements that showed a broadened maximum of the permittivity measured as a function of temperature.

Extraction, separation, and evaluation of antioxidant effect of the different fractions of polyphenols from cocoa beans

Polyphenol Extracts (PE) hold antioxidant properties, which might be related to positive effects on human health. It has been stated that PE, obtained from cocoa beans, contain fractions of flavan-3-ols with different degrees of polymerization (DP). However, it is unknown which of the fractions or their mixture drives the best antioxidant activity. This paper reports the study conducted to elucidate the role of each fraction (with different DP) on Antioxidant Capacity (AC). First, the process of extraction and separation of polyphenols’ fractions in cocoa beans was executed; afterward, AC was determined for each fraction individually and their combinations (monomers, dimers and oligomers). Solid-liquid extraction was made by using a 50% (v/v) ethanol solution and a mass:solvent ratio of 1:120 in an ultrasound bath. PE were separated into monomers, dimers, and oligomers by HPLC using a semipreparative column. The results obtained show that PE contain 95.35, 7.45, and 21.75 mg EE (epicatechin equivalents) / g ds of monomers, dimers, and oligomers, respectively. Finally, the AC of each fraction was evaluated using a complete cubic model mix design. According to the results, the best AC was obtained for dimers. However, when monomers, dimers and oligomers were mixed, an antagonistic effect on AC was observed.

Effect of different chemical compounds and ultrasound bath on the sanitization of minimally processed carrots

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the use of different chemical compounds combined with ultrasound bath on the sanitization of minimally processed carrots. The sanitizers sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid, and sodium dichloroisocyanurate were investigated, all of them associated with the ultrasound bath, and the aerobic mesophiles and E. coli counts were evaluated. Sodium hypochlorite associated with ultrasound reduced the population of aerobic mesophiles and E. coli by 0.23 and 1.88 log cycles, respectively. For sodium dichloroisocyanurate associated with ultrasound, the reduction was 3.06 and 2.76 log cycles, while for the association with peracetic acid, this reduction was 2.72 and 2.35 log cycles. Thus, the effect of the ultrasound bath and sodium dichloroisocyanurate increased the decontamination efficiency of the minimally processed carrots. In addition, there is an alternative to the use of sodium hypochlorite, once they are not involved in reactions with organic compounds and the formation of trihalomethanes, which are harmful to health.

METHOD OF PREPARING CYTOLOGICAL PRODUCTS USING AN ULTRASONIC BATH

The article presents a new technique for the preparation of cytological preparations, which can significantly increase the yield of cellular elements from traces of biological origin on material evidence. The use of this technique increases the percentage of positive results when conducting forensic cytological studies. The study found that the use of an ultrasound bath in forensic examination of cigarette butts increases the number of cells removed by an average of 5-7 times compared to the conventional method of preparation of cytological drugs. The analysis of the data also indicates that the storage time of cigarettes in the laboratory does not significantly affect the amount of cellular element extraction. Some difference in the average number of cells, for example, the shelf life of 1 month and 3 months, can be explained by the “dry” way of smoking cigarettes. The use of this method in the examinations showed that ultrasound treatment does not affect the further investigation of these deficiencies in order to identify the antigens of the ABO system and to establish the category of excretion of smokers. The application of this method makes it possible to use much less material in the examinations, and treatment with saline solution allows to save the biomaterial for further research by the method of DNA analysis. Thus, the use of an ultrasound bath for the preparation of cytological preparations for cigarette butts can be recommended to forensic experts-cytologists for practical work, which will significantly increase the percentage of positive results in establishing the sex of saliva on these objects.