Moisture absorbers for food packaging applications

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Even though moisture in food products is useful for the quality of foods, excess moisture in a package is unfavorable to the quality of the food product and the...     

Metal–organic frameworks for active food packaging. A review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Food wastage is a major concern for sustainable health and agriculture. To reduce food waste, classical preservation techniques such as drying, pasteurization,...     

Phytotoxicity of copper fungicides to guava fruits

The copper fungicides viz., Bordeaux mixture, stabilized Bordeaux mixture and copper oxychloride were found phytotoxic to guava fruits, while carbendazim, benomyl and mancozeb were non-phytotoxic. Bordeaux mixture was highly phytotoxic and caused heavy russetting, followed by stabilized Bordeaux mixture and then copper oxychloride. The higher concentrations of these fungicides were more toxic than their lower doses. Russetted fruits failed to attain normal size and thus reduced the quality of fruits to a greater extent.     

Ecological niche modeling of customary medicinal plant species used by Australian Aborigines to identify species-rich and culturally valuable areas for conservation

Customary medicinal plant species used by Australian Aborigines are disappearing rapidly with its associated knowledge, due to the loss of habitats. Conservation and protection of these species is important as they represent sources of novel therapeutic phytochemical compounds and are culturally valuable. Information on the spatial distribution and use of customary medicinal plants is often inadequate and fragmented, posing limitations on the identification and conservation of species-rich areas and culturally valuable habitats.In this study, the habitat suitability modeling program, MaxEnt, was used to predict the potential ecological niches of 431 customary medicinal plant species, based on bioclimatic variables. Specimen locality records were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal and from Australia's Virtual Herbarium (AVH).Ecological niche models of 414 predicted species, which had 30 or more occurrence points, were used to produce maps indicating areas that were ecologically suitable for multiple species (concordance of high predicted ecological suitability) and having cultural values. For the concordance map, individual species niche models were thresholded and summed. To derive a map of culturally valuable areas, customary medicinal uses from Customary Medicinal Knowledgebase (CMKb) (www.biolinfo.org/cmkb) were used to weight individual species models, resulting in a value within each grid cell reflecting its cultural worth.Even though the available information is scarce and fragmented, our approach provides an opportunity to infer areas predicted to be suitable for multiple species (i.e. concordance hotspots) and to estimate the cultural value of a particular geographical area. Our results also indicate that to conserve bio-cultural diversity, comprehensive information and active participation of Aboriginal communities is indispensable.     

Oxygen scavenging films in food packaging

Eating safe and healthy food is a rising consumer awareness. Oxygen-sensitive foods can now be better protected using oxygen scavenging films, an emerging technology that extends the shelf life and maintains the quality and freshness of food products. The use of oxygen-absorbing materials in packaging is a current trend in active packaging, especially in food packaging. Some oxygen scavenging films have shown excellent oxygen absorbance and become commercial successes. Here, we review oxygen scavenging films used in food packaging, such as novel natural oxygen scavenging agents and active barrier films.     

Bio-control of waterborne pathogens using Lactobacillus spp

Bacteria play a significant role in water contamination. Chemicals are mostly used for the treatment of bacteriologically contaminated water. The use of bacterial interactions is a new approach to limit the pathogens' growth. Detection of antimicrobial substances produced by lactic acid bacteria against the waterborne pathogens is the objective of this work. Microbiological and biochemical methods were used to identify lactic acid bacteria having an antimicrobial activity. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity with growth kinetic measurements was performed. Four isolates of lactic acid bacteria obtained from whey and curd were identified. The predominant species belonging to the Lactobacillus genera are: Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus paraplantarum. The present study revealed that the Lactobacillus consortium is able to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus's growth along with Escherichia coli and Vibrio species. In mixed culture, after 24?h, the Lactobacillus consortium reduces the growth of S. aureus by 2.03 log; moreover, the growth of the latter bacteria totally ceased after 72?h of incubation. The protein produced by the Lactobacillus consortium was responsible for arresting the growth of S. aureus.     

WO3 thin films for photoelectrochemical purification of water

Tungsten trioxide thin films on transparent substrates (glass and F:SnO(2) or ITO-coated glass) were prepared by layer-by-layer brush painting and spin-coating using organic precursors. Well-crystallized WO(3) with monoclinic structure was formed on all substrates after annealing at 500 degrees C or above. The dense semiconducting films are specular and transparent outside the band-gap. Their photoactivity in junctions with aqueous electrolytes extends up to 470 nm, with incident photon to current conversion efficiencies around 0.9 at 313 nm and up to 0.1 at 436 nm. Films of 10 cm x 10 cm were used for the study of solute degradation reactions in a thin-film reactor under backside illumination. Dilute aqueous solutions of model substances for contaminants like oxalic acid were decomposed under continuous flow using broadband UVA illumination and electrical bias. Operation under solar illumination was also feasible. The advantage over operation without bias (conventional photocatalysis) prevailed for all decomposition reactions studied.     

High adsorption of ethylene by alkali-treated halloysite nanotubes for food-packaging applications

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Fresh food products such as fruits and vegetables are usually degrading fast after harvest, notably due to the production of ethylene, an aging hormone, by the...     

The Potential of Pulse-Jet Baghouses for Utility Boilers Part 3: Comparative Economics of Pulse-Jet Baghouse,Precipitators and Reverse-Gas Baghouses

Pulse-jet fabric filters (PJFFs) are widely used in U.S. industrial applications, and in both utility and industrial boilers abroad. Their smaller size and reduced cost relative to more conventional baghouses make PJFFs an attractive particulate control option for utility boilers. This article which is the third in a three-part series, compares the cost of PJFFs with electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and reverse-gas baghouses (RGBs).

This article presents the capital, operating and maintenance (O&M), and level-ized costs for ESPs, RGBs and PJFFs. The particulate control equipment design and pricing are supplied by manufacturers of the control equipment. A comparison of costs for a base case 250-MW boiler indicates that the PJFF capital cost is 22 percent lower than the cost of an ESP with 400 SCA and 12-inch plate spacing; in addition the PJFF is 35 percent lower than the cost of an RGB. The levelized cost for a PJFF is about equal to the cost of the ESP but 14 percent lower than the cost of the RGB. Overall, the attractiveness of a PJFF versus an ESP depends on the coal type and the outlet emissions limit required. PJFF is favored when low-sulfur coal is fired due to the high-resistivity fly ash. Also, PJFF is favored as more stringent outlet emission rates are required.