Clarification of sugarcane juice by ultrafiltration membrane: Toward the direct production of refined cane sugar

Plant-based hydrocolloids for efficient clarification of cane juices: rheological analysis and solidification studies

The present study is designed to study the efficiency of plant-based hydrocolloids for the efficient clarification of sugarcane juice and subsequent production of non-centrifugal sugars (NCSs). NCSs are generally produced with lime or other inorganic solids as a clarification agent, often leading to products with a bland taste and dark color. This work is a first of its kind, where plant-based hydrocolloids such as starch, xanthan gum, and guar gum are used for clarification studies. Clarification efficiency was evaluated in terms of separation efficiency, turbidity removal, sucrose content, color transmittance, and rheology studies. Preliminary studies revealed that starch showed a better separation efficiency of 78% compared to other hydrocolloids, and further rheology studies of starch-clarified juice showed a favourable shear-thickening (dilatant, n = 1.382) behaviour, whereas the other two hydrocolloids showed an unfavourable shear-thinning (pseudo plastic, n < 0.9) behaviour. Eventually, starch was found to be a better clarification agent and is proposed as an alternative to lime-based clarification. Solidification studies were performed with starch at various concentrations (0.02-0.04%), pH (6.8-7.2), and temperature (80 °C-100 °C), and it was found that NCSs produced via starch clarification showed superior properties compared with traditional lime-based clarification processes.

Potential of ultraviolet laser pulse-induced current for characterizing the grain size of table sugar

In this work, we proposed a laser-induced current (LIC) method to investigate the grain-size dependence of the plasma of table sugar induced by a nanosecond (ns) pulsed ultraviolet laser in the size range of <180 μm->550 μm and achieve the lower power consumption in measurement. Under multiple laser irradiations and an external electric field (Vb) of 200 V, the LIC variation's (ΔIp) standard deviation and variance were 0.53 nA and 0.05 nA, respectively, indicating the relatively small systematic error during the testing process. The Vb causes a decrease in the possibility of electron-ion complexation and accelerates the separation, resulting in an increase in ΔIp with Vb. With increasing grain size (diameter D) of table sugar, ΔI demonstrate a valley-like behaviour and 250-380 μm is the critical range Dc where ΔI is very weak and considerably depends on the Vb with the slope of 0.031 nA/V. At D > 550 μm and Vb = 5 V, ΔI intensities monotonically rise by 30 % when D surpasses Dc. In this instance, the energy was the main contributor to the LIC signal during plasma generation and expansion. While D is less than Dc, ΔIp increases by 27 % at D ≤ 180 μm and Vb = 5 V. The yield stress is the main reason for the formation of plasma with high temperature and density in this situation because the sugar behaves like an elastic solid. The reason for such a LIC variation trend was discussed, which can be explained by considering the morphological, thermal and mechanical properties competing with each other. The present result suggests that the LIC method enables non-contact characterisation of sugar particle size at low-power consumption.

Key Drivers for Non-Centrifugal Sugar Cane Research, Technological Development, and Market Linkage: A Technological Roadmap Approach for Colombia

Food science innovation depends on consumers' needs and is currently seeking functional food with health effects. Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is known for its potential health effects, but there is a lack of holistic analysis on technological advancement and socio-economic and market trends for decision-making in the development of the technology. The aim of this article was to analyse the research trends, recent patents, and market trends and niches for NCS to structure an NCS technological roadmap. Scientometric, bibliometric methods, and global and local market information on NCS were used. Comprehensive analysis of the worldwide research trends and patents on NCS processing and of the growth of the main niche markets for Colombian NCS exports in the last five years was conducted. Finally, with the information obtained, an NCS technological roadmap was structured, which can be used as a tool for planning innovation processes and supporting the development of new research using market information and new norms forged by the COVID-19 pandemic for Colombian case. Furthermore, the methodological design could be used for other NCS producer countries.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12355-022-01200-9.

Effects of multi-frequency ultrasonic on the physicochemical properties and bioactivities of polysaccharides from different parts of ginseng

The effect of multi-frequency ultrasonic extraction (MUE) on the yields, physicochemical properties, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of polysaccharides (GPs) from different parts of ginseng were compared. Results demonstrated that yields of polysaccharides from different parts were found to vary significantly differences, in the order of roots (M-GRPs) > flowers (M-GFPs) > leaves (M-GLPs). Compared with heat reflux extraction, MUE not only increased the yield of GPs by up to 9.14%-210.87%, with higher uronic acid content (UAC: increased by 4.99%-53.48%), total phenolics content (TPC: increased by 7.60% to 42.61%), total flavonoids content (TFC: increased by 2.52%-5.45%), and lower molecular weight (Mw: reduced by 6.51%- 33.08%) and protein content (PC: reduced by 5.15%-8.95%), but also improved their functional properties and bioactivities. All six purified polysaccharides extracted by MUE were acidic pyran polysaccharide with different monosaccharide composition, possessed remarkable antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Especially, M-GFP-1 exhibited the highest bioactivities, illustrated that the activities were highly correlated with UAC and TPC, Mw, and triple helical structure. These results indicate that MUE was an efficient technique for improving yields, physicochemical and functional properties and enhancing biological activities of polysaccharide.

Paper mulberry fruit juice: a novel biomass resource for bioethanol production

By way of broadening the use of diverse sustainable bioethanol feedstocks, the potentials of Paper mulberry fruit juice (PMFJ), as a non-food, sugar-based substrate, were evaluated for fuel ethanol production. The suitability of PMFJ was proven, as maximum ethanol concentration (56.4 g/L) and yield (0.39 g/g) were achieved within half a day of the start of fermentation, corresponding to very high ethanol productivity of 4.7 g/L/hr. The established potentials were further optimally maximized through the response surface methodology (RSM). At the optimal temperature of 30 °C, yeast concentration of 0.55 g/L, and pH of 5, ethanol concentration, productivity, and yield obtained were 73.69 g/L, 4.61 g/L/hr, and 0.48 g/g, respectively. Under these ideal conditions, diverse metal salts were afterward screened for their effects on PMFJ fermentation. Based on a two-level fractional factorial design, nutrient addition had no positive impact on ethanol production. Thus, under the optimal process conditions, and without any external nutrient supplementation, bioethanol from PMFJ compared favorably with typical sugar-based energy crops, highlighting its resourcefulness as a high-value biomass resource for fuel ethanol production.

Prediction of Permeate Flux in Ultrafiltration Processes: A Review of Modeling Approaches

In any membrane filtration, the prediction of permeate flux is critical to calculate the membrane surface required, which is an essential parameter for scaling-up, equipment sizing, and cost determination. For this reason, several models based on phenomenological or theoretical derivation (such as gel-polarization, osmotic pressure, resistance-in-series, and fouling models) and non-phenomenological models have been developed and widely used to describe the limiting phenomena as well as to predict the permeate flux. In general, the development of models or their modifications is done for a particular synthetic model solution and membrane system that shows a good capacity of prediction. However, in more complex matrices, such as fruit juices, those models might not have the same performance. In this context, the present work shows a review of different phenomenological and non-phenomenological models for permeate flux prediction in UF, and a comparison, between selected models, of the permeate flux predictive capacity. Selected models were tested with data from our previous work reported for three fruit juices (bergamot, kiwi, and pomegranate) processed in a cross-flow system for 10 h. The validation of each selected model's capacity of prediction was performed through a robust statistical examination, including a residual analysis. The results obtained, within the statistically validated models, showed that phenomenological models present a high variability of prediction (values of R-square in the range of 75.91-99.78%), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) in the range of 3.14-51.69, and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in the range of 0.22-2.01 among the investigated juices. The non-phenomenological models showed a great capacity to predict permeate flux with R-squares higher than 97% and lower MAPE (0.25-2.03) and RMSE (3.74-28.91). Even though the estimated parameters have no physical meaning and do not shed light into the fundamental mechanistic principles that govern these processes, these results suggest that non-phenomenological models are a useful tool from a practical point of view to predict the permeate flux, under defined operating conditions, in membrane separation processes. However, the phenomenological models are still a proper tool for scaling-up and for an understanding the UF process.

Purification and Characterization of Resistant Dextrin

In this study, an efficient method for the purification of resistant dextrin (RD) using membrane filtration and anion exchange resin decolorization was developed, then the purified RD was characterized. In the membrane filtration stage, suspended solids in RD were completely removed, and the resulting product had a negligible turbidity of 2.70 ± 0.18 NTU. Furthermore, approximately half of the pigments were removed. Static decolorization experiments revealed that the D285 anion exchange resin exhibited the best decolorization ratio (D%), 84.5 ± 2.03%, and recovery ratio (R%), 82.8 ± 1.41%, among all the tested resins. Under optimal dynamic decolorization conditions, the D% and R% of RD were 86.26 ± 0.63% and 85.23 ± 0.42%, respectively. The decolorization efficiency of the D285 resin was superior to those of activated carbon and H₂O₂. Moreover, the chemical characteristics and molecular weight of RD did not change significantly after purification. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of RD showed the formation of new glycosidic linkages that are resistant to digestive enzymes. The superior water solubility (99.14%), thermal stability (up to 200 °C), and rheological properties of RD make it possible to be widely used in food industry.

Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Energy Demand of Craft Mezcal in Mexico

Agave distillates, such as tequila and mezcal, are alcoholic spirits representative of Mexican culture. In recent years, the demand for mezcal has increased, and with it the requirement for raw materials, bringing with it a series of difficulties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential environmental impact and energy demand of the production of young craft mezcal from an endemic agave (Agave cupreata) found in the central and southern Pacific area of Mexico. The potential environmental impact of the mezcal studied was obtained through the life cycle analysis methodology using a midpoint approach by the ReCiPe method to calculate the potential environmental impact with SimaPro software (version 8.2.3.0., PRé Sustainability, Amersfoort, The Netherlands). The functional unit is a young craft mezcal bottle of 750 mL with 46% Vol. Alc. The stage of highest contribution to the environmental impact of mezcal was the manufacturing/processing, contributing 59.6% of them. The energy demand of the craft mezcal resulted in 163.8 MJ/bottle of 7.5 dl. The kg CO2eq in mezcal (1.7) is higher than beer (0.63) or white wine (1.01), but lower than whisky (2.25) or pisco (3.62). These findings could allow the search for alternatives for the development of sustainable production.