Modeling of Effective Moisture Diffusivity in Corn Tortilla Baking.

The objective of this work was to model the mass transfer in corn tortilla baking using different approaches for effective diffusivity based on the Fick's law of diffusion and to evaluate the impact of the process on quality parameters. The 1st one assumes constant effective diffusivity (method of slopes by subperiods and method of successive approximations) and the 2nd one considers variable effective diffusivity (quadratic function of time and Weibull distribution). In addition, the Weibull distribution was applied to fracturability. The effective moisture diffusivity inside the tortilla during baking is not constant and the estimations generated when considering variable diffusivity with quadratic time and Weibull distribution showed better fits (both, R2 = 0.999) to the average moisture content. Quality parameter fracturability was affected by the baking process and the Weibull model adequately described (R2 = 0.996) the fracturability behavior. This work will allow an adequate estimation of the concentration profiles and histories for mass transfer operations in products that can be represented as an infinite plate. The obtained analytical solutions with variable diffusivity will help to estimate the optimal conditions of the baking process to achieve the required final moisture content for baked corn tortilla shells. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The analytical solutions of the Fick's law of diffusion for the moisture content in products that can be represented as an infinite plate, considering variable diffusivity, can be useful in studies when accurate estimations of effective diffusivity and concentration are needed.

Kinetic analysis of the uptake of glucose and corn oil used as carbon sources in batch cultures of Gibberella fujikuroi.

This study determined the specific uptake rate of glucose and corn oil substrates used as carbon sources in batch cultures of Gibberella fujikuroi. We tested three biological models of growth rate: Monod, logistic and lag-exponential. With respect to the substrate consumption rate, we tested two models: constant cell yield (CCY) and law of mass action (LMA). The experimental data obtained from the culture with glucose as substrate correlated satisfactorily with the logistic/LMA model, indicating that the cell yield was variable. In the case of corn oil as carbon source, considering total residual lipids as substrate in the culture broth, the model with the best correlation was the lag-exp/CCY model. The quantification by GC of the three main fatty acids (linoleic, oleic and palmitic) in the culture medium showed a cumulative behavior, with a maximum concentration of each acid at 36 h. We established a more explicit mechanism of the consumption of corn oil, consisting of two stages: generation of fatty acids by hydrolysis and consumption by cellular uptake. The kinetic of hydrolysable lipids was of first order. We found that the hydrolysis rate of corn oil is not a limiting factor for the uptake of fatty acids by the microorganism. We also established, based on the analysis of the identical mathematical structure of consumption kinetics, that the uptake of fatty acids is faster than the uptake of glucose.

Heat Transfer during Blanching and Hydrocooling of Broccoli Florets.

The objective of this work was to simulate heat transfer during blanching (90 °C) and hydrocooling (5 °C) of broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea L. Italica) and to evaluate the impact of these processes on the physicochemical and nutrimental quality properties. Thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity [line heat source], specific heat capacity [differential scanning calorimetry], and bulk density [volume displacement]) of stem and inflorescence were measured as a function of temperature (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 °C). The activation energy and the frequency factor (Arrhenius model) of these thermophysical properties were calculated. A 3-dimensional finite element model was developed to predict the temperature history at different points inside the product. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental temperature histories was carried out. Quality parameters (firmness, total color difference, and vitamin C content) and peroxidase activity were measured. The satisfactory validation of the finite element model allows the prediction of temperature histories and profiles under different process conditions, which could lead to an eventual optimization aimed to minimize the nutritional and sensorial losses in broccoli florets.

A possible mechanism of metabolic regulation in Gibberella fujikuroi using a mixed carbon source of glucose and corn oil inferred from analysis of the kinetics data obtained in a stirrer tank bioreactor.

A nonstructured model was used to study the dynamics of gibberellic acid production in a stirred tank bioreactor. Experimental data were obtained from submerged batch cultures of Gibberella fujikuroi (CDBB H-984) grown in varying ratios of glucose-corn oil as the carbon source. The nitrogen depletion effect was included in mathematical model by considering the specific kinetic constants as a linear function of the normalized nitrogen consumption rate. The kinetics of biomass growth and consumption of phosphate and nitrogen were based on the logistic model. The traditional first-order kinetic model was used to describe the specific consumption of glucose and corn oil. The nitrogen effect was solely included in the phosphate and corn oil consumption and biomass growth. The model fit was satisfactory, revealing the dependence of the kinetics with respect to the nitrogen assimilation rate. Through simulations, it was possible to make diagrams of specific growth rate and specific rate of substrate consumptions, which was a powerful tool for understanding the metabolic interactions that occurred during the various stages of fermentation process. This kinetic analysis provided the proposal of a possible mechanism of regulation on growth, substrate consumptions, and production of gibberellic acid (GA3 ) in G. fujikuroi.