Sustainable Development of Apple Snack Formulated with Blueberry Juice and Trehalose

Novel products that carry concrete and relevant health benefits, with texture and flavor not substantially different from already available products, are generally well accepted by consumers. Vacuum impregnation is a non-thermal technology that allows the enrichment of fruit with different ingredients in solution. The characteristic of the resulting product is a combination of both the solid matrix and the impregnation solution. This work aimed at: (i) evaluating the effect of trehalose on anthocyanin retention after drying of apple snacks vacuum impregnated with blueberry juice; (ii) modelling the air-drying kinetic, proposing an image analysis approach to monitor the drying process. Four mathematical models successfully fitted the drying experimental data, obtainingequations that could be used in the implementation of this process at industrial scale. The drying kinetics of samples impregnated with blueberry juice and trehalose were faster when compared to the control sample. Samples impregnated with blueberry juice and 100 g/kg of trehalose retained nearly four times more anthocyanin after drying when compared to the control.

Preparation and characterization of NiO/HY catalyst

NiO/HY catalyst was prepared by impregnation method with the nickel acetate as the precursor and the HY as the carrier. The influences of impregnation solution acidity, the nickel species and the calcination process on the catalyst structure were studied by the nitrogen physical adsorption and XRD. The hydrogenation reaction of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) was selected to evaluate the catalytic performance of the prepared catalyst. Experiments showed that the structure of the catalyst is critical to its performance, and NiO/HY catalyst has a good application prospect.

In vitro and in vivo study on the osseointegration of magnesium and strontium ion with two different proportions of mineralized collagen and its mechanism

To explore the optimal combination of Mg2+, Sr2+ and mineralized collagen (nHAC) with two different proportions of hydroxyapatite (HA) and collagen (COL) on differentiation of MC3T3-E1 and the underlying mechanism, as well as achieve bone osseointegration. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in a complete medium with Mg2+ at the concentration of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 mmol/L, Sr2+ at the concentration of 0, 3, 6, 12 mmol/L, and the impregnation solution of 3:7 and 5:5nHAC. The differentiation of MC3T3-E1 was measured by expression of osteogenic genes and proteins including Runx-2, BMP-2 and OCN and determined the activation of PI3K/AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in 12 mmol/LMg 2 ++3 mmol/LSr 2 ++3:7nHAC group. Osteoporosis was induced in 18 female rats by means of ovariectomy, the implants were immersed in 60 mmol/LMg 2 ++15 mmol/LSr 2 ++3:7nHAC impregnation solution and implanted into the mesial alveolar fossa for immediate implantation. The osseointegration of the implants was observed by Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and histology at 4 and 8 weeks. The groups cultured with 12 mmol/LMg 2 +, 3 mmol/LSr 2 + and 3:7nHAC impregnation solution showed the osteogenic genes and proteins were significantly higher respectively (P < 0.05), as well as p-Akt, p-GSK3β and β-catenin proteins (P < 0.05). CLSM and histology showed that the implant surface was surrounded by thick lamellar bone plate, and the trabecular bone were dense and continuous in the impregnation solution. These results found that magnesium and strontium ion-loaded mineralized collagen play an critical role in up-regulating the cells activity through PI3K/AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway and could be promote the formation of osseointegration.

Impregnation of paper with cellulose nanofibrils and polyvinyl alcohol to enhance durability

Durable papers should exhibit high mechanical strength and good soiling resistance. In this study, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) was investigated as an additive to the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) impregnation solution to improve the durability of paper. The impregnation suspensions were prepared by adding CNF to PVA solution in various ratios, and were used to impregnate a base paper. The PVA-CNF suspensions exhibited good dispersion stability; however, the low shear viscosity increased as its CNF content increased. The pickup weights of the papers impregnated with the PVA-CNF suspensions were found to be lower than those of the control sample, which were impregnated with the pure PVA solution only. Although the strength of the paper was not significantly improved by the addition of CNF, when the paper was impregnated with a PVA-CNF suspension containing 5 % CNF content, the product exhibited similar strength to the papers impregnated with only a 3 % PVA solution despite its lower pickup weight. The mechanical strength of the impregnated paper was affected by the pickup weight and penetration of the impregnating agent. The addition of a wet strengthening agent to the mixed suspensions was seen to enhance the wet soiling resistance of the papers.

Effect of Competitive Adsorbates on the Catalytic Activity of H3PMo12O40@C in the Oxidation of NMST to NMSBA

The effect of competitive adsorption on the catalytic performance of H3PMo12O40@C catalyst for producing 2-nitro-4-methylsulfonylbenzoic acid (NMSBA) from the oxidation of 2-nitro-4- methylsulfonyltoluene (NMST) by oxygen in acetic acid has been investigated. Six kinds of acids were added into the impregnation solution as competitive adsorbates for phosphomolybdic acid in the preparation of H3PMo12O40@C catalyst. H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, CH3COOH and H2C2O4 are beneficial to improving the catalytic activity of the H3PMo12O40@C catalyst. The corresponding optimum impregnation concentrations for H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, CH3COOH and H2C2O4 are 0.4, 0.3, 0.3, 1.0 and 0.3 mol L−1, respectively. The addition of H3PO4 exerts a negative effect on the catalytic capability of H3PMo12O40@C catalyst. The results of TEM characterization show that good dispersion of H3PMo12O40 on the surface of the H3PMo12O40@C catalyst is beneficial to ameliorating the catalytic ability of H3PMo12O40@C catalyst in the production of NMSBA from NMST by oxygen in acetic acid. The results of NH3-TPD indicate that the acidity of the H3PMo12O40@C also favors the improvement of the catalytic capability of H3PMo12O40@C in the oxidation of NMST to NMSBA.

Effect of Mono-, Di-, and Triethylene Glycol on the Activity of Phosphate-Doped NiMo/Al2O3 Hydrotreating Catalysts

The effect of glycols on the catalytic properties of phosphate-doped NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts in the hydrotreating of straight-run gas oil (SRGO) was studied. The NiMo(P)/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and triethylene glycol (TEG) as additives. The organic agent was introduced into the aqueous impregnation solution obtained by the dissolving of MoO3 in H3PO4 solution, followed by Ni(OH)2 addition. The Raman and UV–Vis studies show that the impregnation solution contains diphosphopentamolybdate HxP2Mo5O23(6−x)− and Ni(H2O)62+, and that these ions are not affected by the presence of glycols. When the impregnation solution comes in contact with the γ-Al2O3 surface, HxP2Mo5O23(6−x)− is decomposed completely. The catalysts were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, low-temperature N2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the sulfide catalysts prepared with glycols display higher activity in the hydrotreating of straight-run gas oil than the NiMoP/Al2O3 catalyst prepared without the additive. The hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation activities depend on the glycol type and are decreased in the following order: NiMoP-DEG/Al2O3 > NiMoP-EG/Al2O3 > NiMoP-TEG/Al2O3 > NiMoP/Al2O3. The higher activity of NiMoP-DEG/Al2O3 can be explained with the higher dispersion of molybdenum on the surface of the catalyst in the sulfide state.