Three-Dimensional Mass Transfer Modeling of Hydroquinone Adsorption on Phragmites australis Biochar.

In this work, the overall adsorption kinetic process of hydroquinone on Phragmites australis biochar (PAC) was analyzed in depth. A 3D mass transfer model of pore volume and surface diffusion was established, and the diffusion mechanism was analyzed. The characterization results show PAC has a higher porosity value, which is conducive to the adsorption of hydroquinone. The adsorption process modeling results show that the combined effect of pore volume diffusion and surface diffusion promotes the total diffusion process of hydroquinone in the PAC particles, and the two mechanisms of pore volume and surface diffusion exist simultaneously. Under the different operating concentrations, the range of surface diffusion coefficient Ds is 2.5 × 10-10-1.74 × 10-9 cm2/s, and the contribution rate of surface diffusion SDCP% is close to 100%, which is much larger than pore volume diffusion, revealing that regardless of the contact time and position, surface diffusion occupies the main position in intraparticle diffusion.

The Relationship between Microbial Community Succession and Flavor Formation during the Natural Fermentation of Hongqu sufu.

To study the diversity of microbial flora in Hongqu sufu and analyze the characteristics of special flavor compounds, this study took self-made Hongqu sufu as the research object. Dynamic changes in sufu during fermentation were studied. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) was used to analyze changes in the diversity of fungal and bacterial communities during fermentation. The results showed that at the phylum level, the dominant fungal phyla were identified, Mucormyces and Ascomycetes. The dominant bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. At the genus level, the dominant fungal genera were identified as Actinomucor, Monascus, and Aspergillus. The dominant bacterial genera were Pseudomonas, Aneurimibacillus, Sphingobacterium, and Bacillus. Headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) combined with technology that can dynamically change flavor compounds was explored to investigate the correlation between microbiota and flavor compounds. In different stages of fermentation, 75 main volatile organic compounds were identified, including seven alcohols, four acids, 16 alkanes, 14 olefins, seven kinds of aldehydes, two kinds of ketones, 10 kinds of esters, one kind of phenol, one kind of sulfur-containing compound, one benzene, and 12 other compounds. The correlation analysis between flora and flavor compounds showed that the fungi genera Alternaria and Pichia were significantly correlated with most flavor compounds. Bacteria genera including Weissella, Hafnia-Obesumbacterium, and Leuconostoc had a strong positive correlation with ethyl oleate.

Effects of microbial interspecies relationships and physicochemical parameters on volatile flavors in sorghum-based fermented grains during the fermentation of Shanxi light-flavored liquor.

In this study, high-throughput technology was used to reveal the core microbial community in sorghum-based fermented grains during different fermentation periods and to quantify the impacts of physicochemical parameters and microbial interspecies relationships on the volatile flavors. Headspace solid-phase microextraction, coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was used to select 14 major volatile products with relative content greater than 1% in at least one sample, including three alcohols, one acid, eight esters, and two alkanes. The relative content of alkanes was only high on the first day and continued to decrease during the later fermentation stage. As fermentation progressed, the relative content of ethanol, ethyl acetate (aroma), and isoamyl alcohol (pungent, spicy) first increased and then decreased. In addition, the relative content of other ethyl esters continued to increase. In the early stage of fermentation (1-7 days), the temperature, moisture, and alcohol content showed an upward trend, while the content of reducing sugar decreased. As the temperature decreased in the middle and later stages (7-28 days), the physicochemical parameters tended to stabilize. In community composition, the dominant bacterial genera were Lactobacillus, Streptomyces, and Acetobacter, and the fungal genera were mainly Issatchenkia, Torulaspora, and Pichia. Network analysis identified a total of 10 core microbiota as the main contributors of esters and alkane metabolites. Moreover, total acidity and reducing sugar played important roles in promoting the formation of core microbiota and succession of dominant taxa.

Assessing Nursery-Finishing Pig Manures on Growth of Black Soldier Fly Larvae.

Livestock manure is an important component of agricultural organic waste, and in recent years, with the development of research on the bioconversion of manure, BSFs have been proven to be useful in the treatment of a variety of livestock wastes. In-depth research on the composition of manure and its effect on the development of BSFL is, however, very scarce. The purpose of this study was to identify the parameters that influenced the growth of BSFL that was fed fattening pig manure. The pH, moisture, and nutrients of the fattening manures (namely, nursery, growing, and finishing pig manures) were measured. To examine the influence of manure types on larval growth, 100 larvae were inoculated in 100 g of each type of manure in triplicate. According to the findings, larvae fed finishing pig manure had the lowest dry weight (30.2 ± 6.1 mg) compared to those fed growing (58.2 ± 7.3 mg) or nursery (65.5 ± 6.2 mg) pig manure. The correlation coefficients (r) between the nutrients in the manure and the weight of the larvae were calculated. Hemicellulose had the greatest |r| value (0.9569). Further research revealed that larvae raised on hemicellulase-pretreated finishing pig manure frequently weighed 21-30% (days 2-8) more than larvae raised on control manure. In conclusion, hemicellulose was a significant component that might hinder larval growth. The results of this study could be used to improve the system before it is put into use.

Preparation, and physicochemical and biological evaluation of chitosan-Arthrospira platensis polysaccharide active films for food packaging.

Active films from chitosan incorporated with Arthrospira platensis polysaccharide (APP) of various ratios (0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%, w/v) were developed by solution casting. The effect of APP on the structural, physicochemical, mechanical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties of the chitosan-APP films (CA-film) was investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) confirmed successful incorporation of chitosan and APP. The compact structure of the films was observed clearly in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns suggest the semi-crystalline structure was increased upon addition of APP. The composite films showed an improved water resistance and vapor barrier properties, and reduced by at least 27.4% and 32.1% in swelling degree (Sd ) and water vapor permeability (WVP) compared with chitosan film (C-film), respectively. However, the transparency decreased slightly, which may be due to the shrinkage of the spacing of the polymer interchain. The composite films also displayed enhanced the mechanical properties. The antimicrobial activity of the CA-film showed an increase of at least of 0.41-fold in inhibition zone diameter for E. coli. At a concentration of 1.2 mg/mL, the antioxidant activity of CA-film was enhanced by more than threefold compared with C-film. Therefore, CA-films have good potential as sources of active packaging material for the food industry.

Polysaccharides in Spirulina platensis Improve Antioxidant Capacity of Chinese-Style Sausage.

This study examined the effect of Spirulina platensis polysaccharides (SPP) at 0.1%, 0.25%, and 0.5% (wt/wt) of Chinese-style sausages on lipid peroxidation, microbiological and sensory properties during 24 d stored at 4 °C. During the storage, pH, lightness (L* ) values, DPPH radical scavenging activity and sensory scores decreased with time and TBARS, TVB-N, mesophilic, and psychrotrophic total viable counts increased. However, the magnitude of the changes was attenuated with the addition of SPP as compared to control. Samples containing SPP had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher DPPH radical scavenging activity and lower TBARS values compared with the control, and the antioxidant effect was dose-dependent. The addition of 0.5% SPP maintained stable redness (a* ) values of sausages, although there was no positive effect on the microbiological status. Moreover, the addition of SPP prevented the decrease of aroma, flavor and sensory acceptance of samples. The results suggested incorporation of SPP could decrease lipid peroxidation and improve sensory properties of Chinese-style sausage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: There is a great need for adding natural antioxidants to healthier meat and meat products. Spirulina platensis polysaccharides (SPP) had strong antioxidant activity. The addition of SPP to Chinese-style pork sausage could inhibit lipid peroxidation, to extend the shelf life of meat products. SPP were very potential to be used to replace synthetic antioxidants in meat and meat products.