Influence of acylglycerol emulsifier structure and composition on the function of shortening in layer cake.

The effect of the structure and composition of acylglycerol emulsifiers on the functionality of a palm-based shortening and quality of layer cake was investigated. The emulsifiers evaluated were distilled monoacylglycerol (DMG) and four acylglycerols (40% monoacylglycerol content) of octanoic acid (8:0), palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), and linoleic acid (18:2), designated as GMOct40, GMP40, GMS40, and GML40, respectively. The addition of GMP40 and GMS40 led to shortening with a higher solid fat content, finer crystals, and higher proportion of ß' form. These changes enhanced shortening's function in aiding air incorporation and retention in cake batter, which improved the cake's volume and crumb structure. However, the high monoacylglycerol content in DMG did not improve the properties of shortening and cake as compared to GMP40. In contrast, GML40 and GMOct40 had adverse effects on the functionality of shortening, which generated cakes with inferior crumb structure.

Bioelectrochemical stimulation of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in saline soil using U-tube microbial fuel cells.

Bioremediation is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to decontaminate soils polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons. However, this technique usually requires a long time due to the slow degradation rate by bacteria. By applying U-tube microbial fuel cells (MFCs) designed here, the degradation rate of petroleum hydrocarbons close to the anode (<1 cm) was enhanced by 120% from 6.9 ± 2.5% to 15.2 ± 0.6% with simultaneous 125 ± 7 C of charge output (0.85 ± 0.05 mW/m(2) , 1 kΩ) in the tested period (25 days). Hydrocarbon fingerprint analysis showed that the degradation rate of both alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was accelerated. The decrease of initial water content from 33% to 28% and 23% resulted in a decrease on charge output and hydrocarbon degradation rate, which could be attributed to the increase of internal resistance. A salt accumulation was observed in each reactor due to the evaporation of water from the air-cathode, possibly inhibited the activity of exoelectrogenic bacteria (EB) and resulted in the elimination of the current at the end of the tested period. The number of hydrocarbon degradation bacteria (HDB) in soil close to the anode increased by nearly two orders of magnitude in the MFC assisted system (373 ± 56 × 10(3) CFU/g-soil) than that in the disconnected control (8 ± 2 × 10(3) CFU/g-soil), providing a solid evidence for in situ biostimulation of HDB growth by colonization of EB in the same system.