Performance and Environmental Impact Assessment of Diesel Engine Operating on High Viscous Punnai Oil - Diesel Blends

The increasing demand for energy consumption because of the growing population and environmental concerns has motivated the researchers to ponder about alternative fuel that could replace diesel fuel. A new fuel should be cheaply available, clean, efficient, and environmentally friendly. In this paper, the engine operated with neat punnai oil blends with diesel were investigated at various engine load conditions, keeping neat punnai oil and diesel as base fuels. The performance indicators such as Brake Specific Energy consumption (BSEC), Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and Exhaust gas temperature (EGT); emission indicators such as Carbon monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), smoke opacity; and combustion parameters like cylinder pressure and heat release rate were examined. The Brake thermal efficiency of diesel is 29.2% whereas, it was lower for neat punnai oil and its blends at peak load conditions. Concerning the environmental aspect, Oxides of Nitrogen emission showed a decreasing trend with higher smoke emissions for Punnai oil blends. Detailed combustion analysis showed that on smaller concentrations of punnai oil in the fuel blend, the duration of combustion has improved significantly. However, for efficiency and emissions, the P20 (20% Punnai oil and 80% Diesel) blend performs similar to that of diesel compared to all other blending combinations. When compared with diesel, the P20 blend shows an improvement in BSEC by 26.37%. It also performs closer in HC emission, a marginal increase in smoke opacity of 4% with reduced NOx and CO2 emission of 7.9% and 4.65% respectively. Power loss was noticed when neat punnai oil and higher blends were used due to the high density and low calorific value of punnai oil blends which leads to injecting more fuel for the same pump stroke.

Biochemical characterization of olive oil samples obtained from fruit mixtures and from oil blends of four cultivars grown in Central Tunisia

Blends of olive oils obtained from four cultivars (Olea europaea L. cv. Chemlali, Chetoui, Oueslati and Koroneiki) were produced by two different methods of blending: processing fruit mixtures or mixing monovarietal oils, using the same proportions of selected cultivars. The obtained blends were biochemically characterized to evaluate quality, and the two methods were compared. The results indicated that the most successful formulations are mainly F8 (60% Chemlali × 20% Oueslati × 20% Koroneiki) characterized by the highest contents of phenols and an elevated oxidative stability, and F5 (50% Chemlali × 50% Koroneiki) containing the highest MUFA level and the highest oxidative stability. The effect of the blending process on pigments and volatiles cannot be easily regulated, unlike phenols, fatty acid composition and OS, all of which positively correlated to the fruit mass ratio in the blend. Results suggest that processing fruit mixtures of different cultivars resulted in a better oil quality than that of oils obtained by the common oil blending method. This blending procedure offers a possibility to modulate the contents of antioxidants, fatty acids and volatile compounds in virgin olive oil, and therefore, its quality and sensorial characteristics.

Enhancement of physicochemical characteristics of palm olein and winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) seed oil blends

Incorporation of oils from non-conventional sources into palm olein through the blending process generates a sustainable source of novel oleins with improved physicochemical and functional properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of blending winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) seed oil (WBSO) and palm olein (POo) on the physicochemical properties of the blends. Blends of WBSO (25, 50 and 75% w/w) with POo were prepared and changes in fatty acid (FA) and triacylglycerol (TAG) compositions, iodine value (IV), cloud point and thermal behaviour were studied. Reductions in palmitic (C16:0) and oleic (C18:1) acids with concomitant increases in linoleic (C18:2) and behenic (C22:0) acids were observed as the amount of WBSO increased in the blends. Blending WBSO and POo at 75:25 increased the unsaturated FA content from 56% in palm olein to 64% in the blend, producing the highest IV of 70.5 g I2/100g. At higher WBSO ratios, triunsaturated and diunsaturated TAG species within the blends increased while disaturated TAG species decreased. The lowest cloud point (8.8 °C) was obtained in the oil blend containing 50% WBSO, while the cloud point further increased with increasing amount of WBSO in the blends. This was possibly attributed to increased trisaturated TAG with very long-chained saturated FA (C20 to C24) inherently present in WBSO within the blends. Thermal behaviour analysis by differential scanning calorimetry of the oil blends showed higher onset temperatures for crystallisation with increasing proportions of WBSO in POo, with melting thermograms correspondingly showing decreasing onset melting temperatures. These findings showed that blending WBSO with POo enhanced the physicochemical characteristics of the final oil blends, resulting in higher unsaturation levels and improved cloudiness resistance.

Production and quality assessment of mayonnaise from blends of soybean oil and african pear (Dacryodes edulis) pulp oil

Mayonnaise is an oil-in-water emulsion rich in calorie, micronutrients and fat-soluble vitamins which is produced from dominantly vegetable oil. African pear oil is a highly unsaturated oil, domestically and commercially underutilize with tonnage of postharvest losses. It presently, has little or no industrial attraction for use as commercial ingredient for food production and formulation. The aim therefore is to improve the commercial value of African pear pulp oil for use as a main ingredient in food applications, hence improving its utilization and reducing postharvest losses. Oil was extracted from African pear through Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane as the solvent and the extracted oil was blended with soybean oil in the following ratios: SO100:APO0 (Control), SO0:APO100, SO85:APO15, SO75:APO25, SO65:APO35, and SO50:APO50 for the production of mayonnaise. Some physicochemical properties of the oil blends were evaluated while proximate and sensory properties were also evaluated in the produced mayonnaise. Blending increased theiodine, acid and free fatty acid values of the oil blends and decreased significantly (p < 0.05) the peroxide value. The values ranged from 30.65 to 124.00 g iodine 100g–1, 6.85 to 2.57 mg KOH g–1, 5.03 to 1.91% and 2.62 to 3.50 meq O2 kg–1 for iodine, acid, free fatty acid and peroxide values, respectively. The proximate composition parameters of the mayonnaise samples increased significantly (p < 0.05) after blending. The values ranged from 32.65 to 35.04% for moisture, 1.12 to 1.44% for ash, 30.15 to 37.15% for fat, 1.93 to 2.31% for protein and 25.87 to 34.15% for carbohydrate. Significant improvement was recorded in the values of vitamin E, iodine and viscosity values of the mayonnaise samples after blending compared to the control with values ranging from 4.97 to 22.60 mg 100g–1 for vitamin E, 28.70 to 88.10 g iodine 100g–1 for iodine value and 24.70 to 30.13 Pa.s for viscosity. Sensory evaluation showed that the mayonnaise samples were generally acceptable by the panelists. Conclusively, blending soybean oil with African pear oil up to 50:50 could be used in the production of acceptable mayonnaise with higher fat, protein, ash, vitamin E, iodine value and viscosity, thereby reducing its postharvest losses through improved utilization.

Essential Oil Disinfectant Efficacy Against SARS-CoV-2 Microbial Surrogates

Reports of COVID-19 cases potentially attributed to fomite transmission led to the extensive use of various disinfectants to control viral spread. Alternative disinfectants, such as essential oils, have emerged as a potential antimicrobial. Four essential oil blends were tested on three different surfaces inoculated with a coronavirus surrogate, bacteriophage Phi 6, and a bacterial indicator, Staphylococcus aureus. Log10 concentration reductions were analyzed using GraphPad Prism software. Data collected in this study show that the application of dilute essential oil disinfectants using a spray delivery device is an effective way to reduce concentrations of bacterial and viral microorganisms on ceramic, stainless steel, and laminate surfaces. Surrogate viruses were reduced up to 6 log10 PFU and bacterial were reduced up to 4 log10 CFU. Although surfaces are no longer considered a high risk fomite for COVID-19 transmission, the disinfection of microorganisms on surfaces remains an important consideration for high touch areas in hospitals, waiting rooms, etc. The application of spray disinfectants, based on essential oil blends, provides a rapid and effective means to reduce microbial contamination on high-touched surfaces.

Phytogenic Feed Additives as An Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Poultry Nutrition

Phytoadditives in animal nutrition have attracted a lot of attention for their potential role as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Phytoadditives are feed additives originated from plants or botanicals that are used in poultry nutrition. This chapter provides an overview about the potency of alternative additive from plants as a basis for exploring it as a phytoadditive for poultry. These substances are derived from herbs, spices, and other plants and their extracts. They are natural, less toxic, residue free and ideal feed additives for poultry when compared to synthetic antibiotics. There efficacy of phytogenic applications in poultry nutrition depends on several factors, such as composition and feed inclusion level of phytogenic preparations, bird genetics, and overall diet composition. Addition of 100 mg/kg feed essential oils consist of carvacrol, thymol and limonene in matrix encapsulation improved performance and apparent ideal digestibility of nutrients of broiler chickens. Besides enhancing performance, phytogenic also has antioxidant, the effects of which are associated with essential oils (EOs) and their components. Administration of eucalyptus and peppermint oil blends by oral (0.25 ml/L drinking water) and spray route (0.1 ml/20 ml water) reduced Newcastle disease infection in broilers. Phytoadditives have antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antitoxigenic, antiparasitic and insecticidal properties. The benefits of using phytoadditives in poultry nutrition are increased feed intake, stimulation of digestion, increased growth performance, reduced incidence of disease, improved reproductive parameters, feed efficiency, profitability. Based on the latest scientific findings presented in this chapter, the following main conclusions have been drawn that phytomolecule and that bioactives have potential to be developed as an alternative additive for poultry, and that promote health.