Methods of Minimizing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Content in Homogenized Smoked Meat Sausages Using Different Casings and Variants of Meat-Fat Raw Material

To ensure food safety and protect human health, the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in model smoked-pork meat products were examined to select which type of casing and variant of raw material contributes to minimizing the content of PAHs in the final products. The sausages were smoked in a steam smoke chamber with an external smoke generator. The determination of PAHs was performed using the QuEChERS-HPLC-FLD/DAD method. The analyzed products met the requirements of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 835/2011 on the maximum permissible levels of PAHs. Statistically higher sums of 19 PAHs, including 15 heavy and 4 marker PAHs, were stated in smoked sausages in natural and cellulose casings. Synthetic casings like collagen and polyamide exhibited better barriers against PAH contamination than cellulose and natural casings. For each type of casing, significantly higher concentrations of PAHs were found in the external parts of the products. An increase in the fat content of the raw material increased the levels of PAH contamination in the products, regardless of the casing. Therefore, in industrial practice, the selection of an appropriate type of casing and raw material with the lowest possible fat content can be an effective method for reducing PAH levels in the interior of smoked meat products.

Latest Trends in Industrial Vinegar Production and the Role of Acetic Acid Bacteria: Classification, Metabolism, and Applications-A Comprehensive Review

Vinegar is one of the most appreciated fermented foods in European and Asian countries. In industry, its elaboration depends on numerous factors, including the nature of starter culture and raw material, as well as the production system and operational conditions. Furthermore, vinegar is obtained by the action of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) on an alcoholic medium in which ethanol is transformed into acetic acid. Besides the highlighted oxidative metabolism of AAB, their versatility and metabolic adaptability make them a taxonomic group with several biotechnological uses. Due to new and rapid advances in this field, this review attempts to approach the current state of knowledge by firstly discussing fundamental aspects related to industrial vinegar production and then exploring aspects related to AAB: classification, metabolism, and applications. Emphasis has been placed on an exhaustive taxonomic review considering the progressive increase in the number of new AAB species and genera, especially those with recognized biotechnological potential.

Lignins as Promising Renewable Biopolymers and Bioactive Compounds for High-Performance Materials

The recycling of biomass into high-value-added materials requires important developments in research and technology to create a sustainable circular economy. Lignin, as a component of biomass, is a multipurpose aromatic polymer with a significant potential to be used as a renewable bioresource in many fields in which it acts both as promising biopolymer and bioactive compound. This comprehensive review gives brief insights into the recent research and technological trends on the potential of lignin development and utilization. It is divided into ten main sections, starting with an outlook on its diversity; main properties and possibilities to be used as a raw material for fuels, aromatic chemicals, plastics, or thermoset substitutes; and new developments in the use of lignin as a bioactive compound and in nanoparticles, hydrogels, 3D-printing-based lignin biomaterials, new sustainable biomaterials, and energy production and storage. In each section are presented recent developments in the preparation of lignin-based biomaterials, especially the green approaches to obtaining nanoparticles, hydrogels, and multifunctional materials as blends and bio(nano)composites; most suitable lignin type for each category of the envisaged products; main properties of the obtained lignin-based materials, etc. Different application categories of lignin within various sectors, which could provide completely sustainable energy conversion, such as in agriculture and environment protection, food packaging, biomedicine, and cosmetics, are also described. The medical and therapeutic potential of lignin-derived materials is evidenced in applications such as antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor agents; carriers for drug delivery systems with controlled/targeting drug release; tissue engineering and wound healing; and coatings, natural sunscreen, and surfactants. Lignin is mainly used for fuel, and, recently, studies highlighted more sustainable bioenergy production technologies, such as the supercapacitor electrode, photocatalysts, and photovoltaics.

Phytochemical Composition of Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos L.) Fruits Growing in Protected Areas of Lithuania

The fruits of Vaccinium oxycoccos L. are an important source of bioactive compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects. Studies on the phytochemical analysis of cranberry fruit samples showed that the qualitative and quantitative composition of biologically active compounds varied in cranberry fruit samples collected from different types of wetland sites: the total anthocyanin content was 698 ± 24-8352 ± 200 µg/g, the total flavonol content-518 ± 16-2811 ± 31 µg/g, the total content of triterpene compounds-4060 ± 122-6542 ± 157 µg/g, the content of chlorogenic acid-17 ± 0.4 µg/g to 1224 ± 41 µg/g, and the total content of proanthocyanidins-919 ± 19 µg EE/g to 3038 ± 137 µg EE/g. The percentage composition of anthocyanins in cranberry fruit varied between the different wetland sites: in some cranberry fruit samples, four anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-arabinoside, peonidin-3-galactoside, and peonidin-3-arabinoside) were predominant, while in other samples, six anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-arabinoside, peonidin-3-galactoside, peonidin-3-arabinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and peonidin-3-glucoside) predominated. The results of these studies showed the differences in the composition of secondary metabolites in the studied cranberry samples and prove that the standardization of the qualitative and quantitative composition of cranberry fruit raw materials and the application of routine tests are necessary for the expansion of the use of botanical raw materials in the production of functional foods and phytopreparations.

Mycotoxin Occurrence in Feeds and Raw Materials in China: A Five-Year Investigation

Mycotoxins are ubiquitously present in feeds and raw materials and can exert toxicity on animals and humans. Therefore, mycotoxin occurrence should be monitored. We report here a multi-mycotoxin survey of feed samples in China from 2017 to 2021. Concentrations of aflatoxins, trichothecenes type B, fumonisins, and zearalenone were determined in a total of 9392 samples collected throughout China. Regional differences and year-to-year variation of mycotoxin occurrence were also assessed in new-season corn. Generally, Fusarium mycotoxins were prevalent, while mycotoxin contamination in each feed commodity showed a distinct pattern, e.g., wheat and bran were typically affected by trichothecenes type B, peanut meals were highly susceptible to aflatoxins, and finished feeds exhibited a comparatively high prevalence of all mycotoxins. In new-season corn, trichothecenes type B and fumonisins were most prevalent, with positive rates of 84.04% and 87.16%, respectively. Regions exhibited different patterns of mycotoxin occurrence. The Anhui and Jiangsu provinces of East China exhibited a high prevalence and concentrations of aflatoxins with a positive rate and a positive average of 82.61% and 103.08 μg/kg, respectively. Central China obtained high fumonisins levels of 4707.84 μg/kg. Trichothecenes type B and zearalenone occurred more frequently in temperate regions of Northeast China, and their positive rates reached 94.99% and 55.67%, respectively. In these regions, mycotoxin concentrations in new-season corn exhibited pronounced year-to-year variations and this could be due to the unusual changes of rainfall or temperature during sensitive periods of corn growing. A large fraction of new-season corn samples contained multiple mycotoxins with two to three classes (75.42%), and the most frequently observed co-contaminants were the combination of trichothecenes type B and fumonisins (73.52%). Trichothecenes type B and zearalenone concentrations were highly positively correlated with a coefficient of 0.775. In conclusion, mycotoxins contamination and co-contamination of feeds are common. Mycotoxin contamination in new-season corn exhibited regional patterns and year-to-year variations, with climate and weather conditions as determinant factors.

The Influence of Multiple Mechanical Recycling of Particleboards on Their Selected Mechanical and Physical Properties

This is a bridge between circular economy issues and wood-based panels technology, especially particleboards. Because these composites contain a significant amount of non-wood raw material (10-12% thermoset resin, high hardness laminates, among others), their mechanical recycling leads to an uncontrollable reduction in produced particle size. This problem can be especially significant since the particleboards can be intended for multiple recycling due to the shortening of their service life. This research aimed to produce particles in the cycle of multiple re-milling particleboards and evaluate the selected properties of the produced particles and particleboards. Thus, the response to the following scientific problem can be given: what factors qualitatively and quantitatively influence the properties of the particleboards produced by multi-re-milled particles? The novelty of this research is the approach to recycling the raw materials from particleboards in fully controlled conditions, providing the characterization of produced particles and producing particleboards with close-to-industrial parameters, and, finally, evaluating the features of produced particleboards in the light of raw materials used. The results confirmed that subsequent mechanical recycling of particleboards, where the other panels are made entirely of second-milling particles, leads to an unprofitable and unacceptable reduction in the mechanical properties of the panels. The physical parameters, such as thickness swelling and water absorption, are improved, but this can be the result of increased content of chemical ingredients, which negatively influence the hygienic features of panels (emission of formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds-TVOC). Further research should be directed towards estimating the optimal addition of mechanically recycled particles to particleboard production.

Biotechnological Potential of Different Organs of Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Collected from Various Host Tree Species in an Urban Area

From an economic and ecological standpoint, it is crucial to investigate the biologically active compounds of mistletoe plants, which are currently discarded by pruning urban mistletoe-infested trees. In the present study, the content of phenolic compounds, triterpenic and organic acids, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts of various mistletoe organs (leaves, stems, and fruits) collected from the most infested tree species were investigated. The mistletoe samples collected from Betula pendula, Acer platanoides, Crataegus monogyna, and Sorbus aucuparia showed the highest content of phenolic acids and flavonoids as well as antioxidant activity, as measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The leaves and stems of mistletoe from Tilia cordata were characterized by a high content of triterpenic acids (oleanolic, ursolic, and betulinic). The leaves and fruits of mistletoe plants from Populus nigra and Salix alba contained a high concentration of organic acids, particularly succinic and citric acids. Compared to stem and leaf extracts, the antioxidant activity of the mistletoe fruit extracts was 1.5-3 times higher. The obtained results indicate that mistletoe is a valuable raw material and can be used as a source of phenolic compounds and triterpenic and organic acids, as well as for producing extracts with antioxidant properties.

Nutritional Composition of Beach-Cast Marine Algae from the Brazilian Coast: Added Value for Algal Biomass Considered as Waste

In some coastal areas, large quantities of beach-cast macroalgae can accumulate and are usually considered waste and disposed of. However, due to their biofunctional and nutritional properties, they have great potential as a new source of raw materials. Increasing population growth has made the search for alternative raw materials with valuable nutritional properties urgent; here, beach-cast macroalgae could provide great potential. Our research goal was to characterize the nutritional profile of 12 beach-cast seaweed species from the Brazilian coast to assess their potential valorization. A considerable number of nutritional compounds was observed, such as ash (6.5–59.3%), total dietary fibers (22.1–65.8%), proteins (5.1–21.5%), and carbohydrates (31.4–81.0%), with an expressive abundance of minerals, free amino acids, and fatty acids. Spatoglossum schroederi and Alsidium seaforthii showed protein contents of 21.5 ± 0.2%, 19.7 ± 0.1%, and high amounts of total dietary fiber of 59.2 ± 0.4%, 61.7 ± 4.9%, respectively. The overall profile suggests that beach-cast seaweeds are suitable for nutritional and other bioeconomical purposes, to which different species with different characteristics contribute. Contamination of these seaweeds with unwanted toxic compounds like micropollutants was not studied. However, this must be considered before they are used for human consumption.

Discriminant Analysis of Pu-Erh Tea of Different Raw Materials Based on Phytochemicals Using Chemometrics

Pu-erh tea processed from the sun-dried green tea leaves can be divided into ancient tea (AT) and terrace tea (TT) according to the source of raw material. However, their similar appearance makes AT present low market identification, resulting in a disruption in the tea market rules of fair trade. Therefore, this study analyzed the classification by principal component analysis/hierarchical clustering analysis and conducted the discriminant model through stepwise Fisher discriminant analysis and decision tree analysis based on the contents of water extract, phenolic components, alkaloid, and amino acids, aiming to investigate whether phytochemicals coupled with chemometric analyses distinguish AT and TT. Results showed that there were good separations between AT and TT, which was caused by 16 components with significant (p < 0.05) differences. The discriminant model of AT and TT was established based on six discriminant variables including water extract, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin, theacrine, and theanine. Among them, water extract comprised multiple soluble solids, representing the thickness of tea infusion. The model had good generalization capability with 100% of performance indexes according to scores of the training set and model set. In conclusion, phytochemicals coupled with chemometrics analyses are a good approach for the identification of different raw materials.

Potential hazards associated with the consumption of Scombridae fish: Infection and toxicity from raw material and processing

Scombridae fish (tuna, bonito, and mackerel) have significant ecological and economic values. They are very appreciated by consumers worldwide for their high-quality flesh and for their high nutritional value. However, consumption of Scombridae fish is potentially hazardous. Indeed, several cases of infections and toxicity linked to the consumption of Scombridae fish as raw, or processed food products have been reported worldwide. In this review, we presented the most common health risks associated with Scombridae fish consumption. Diseases associated with the consumption of these fish are generally infectious or toxic and are caused by biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemicals hazards that enter the body through contaminated fish (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, histamine) or by physical contaminants such as heavy metals. The risks of contamination exist throughout the food chain, from primary production to the preparation of products for consumption.

Application of Capillary Electrophoresis to the Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Herbal Raw Materials

The article is a summary of scientific reports from the last 16 years (2005-2021) on the use of capillary electrophoresis to analyze polyphenolic compounds, coumarins, amino acids, and alkaloids in teas or different parts of plants used to prepare aqueous infusions, commonly known as "tea" or decoctions. This literature review is based on PRISMA guidelines and articles selected in base of criteria carried out using PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study type). The analysis showed that over 60% of articles included in this manuscript comes from China. The literature review shows that for the selective electrophoretic separation of polyphenolic and flavonoid compounds, the most frequently used capillary electromigration technique is capillary electrophoresis with ultraviolet detection. Nevertheless, the use of capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry allows for the sensitive determination of analytes with a lower limit of detection and gives hope for routine use in the analysis of functional foods. Moreover, using the modifications in electrochemical techniques allows methods sensitivity reduction along with the reduction of analysis time.

[Research on Registration System of Medical Device Master Files in China]

The registration system of medical device Master Files is established to solve the problem that the outsourcing suppliers are not willing to cooperate with the device applicants in the process of providing medical device application documents. After a brief introduction of Master Files systems established by foreign regulatory agencies, this article focuses on the research of establishing a medical device Master Files registration system in China. The results show that the establishment of Chinese Master Files registration system can both improve the standardization and convenience of outsourcing activities of medical devices, and satisfy the needs of the development of medical device industry and regulatory system. At the same time, the probability of additional risk caused by the implementation of the system is low. Therefore, it is expected that the benefits of the system to promote public health outweigh the potential risks, which demonstrates that establishment of the system has important application values.

Quality Traits of Dry-Cured Loins from Iberian Pigs Reared in Montanera System as Affected by Pre-Freezing Cure

Iberian dry-cured loins from pigs fattened in Montanera are usually subjected to seasonal production, which could be overcome through freezing the loin before the curing process. Hence, three homogeneous batches (n = 15 per batch) were established to evaluate the effect of different pre-freezing cure (−20 ± 2 °C) times (three and six months) of raw material on main quality characteristics of dry-cured loins in comparison to those elaborated from unfrozen meat. All samples were subjected to similar seasoning and same curing length to obtain dry-cured loins. Results showed a decrease in lightness, redness, chrome and hue values, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), higher oxidative phenomena, and changes in rheological properties in fresh loins on account on freezing (p ≤ 0.05). Some quality parameters of dry-cured loins were affected by freezing, weight loss, and hardness being higher as well as salt content being lower. PUFA and Warner–Braztler Shear Force (p ≤ 0.05) also showed higher values in dry-cured loins from frozen meat than those elaborated from unfrozen counterparts.

Flavor Formation in Chinese Rice Wine (Huangjiu): Impacts of the Flavor-Active Microorganisms, Raw Materials, and Fermentation Technology

Huangjiu (Chinese rice wine) has been consumed for centuries in Asian countries and is known for its unique flavor and subtle taste. The flavor compounds of Huangjiu are derived from a wide range of sources, such as raw materials, microbial metabolic activities during fermentation, and chemical reactions that occur during aging. Of these sources, microorganisms have the greatest effect on the flavor quality of Huangjiu. To enrich the microbial diversity, Huangjiu is generally fermented under an open environment, as this increases the complexity of its microbial community and flavor compounds. Thus, understanding the formation of flavor compounds in Huangjiu will be beneficial for producing a superior flavored product. In this paper, a critical review of aspects that may affect the formation of Huangjiu flavor compounds is presented. The selection of appropriate raw materials and the improvement of fermentation technologies to promote the flavor quality of Huangjiu are discussed. In addition, the effects of microbial community composition, metabolic function of predominant microorganisms, and dynamics of microbial community on the flavor quality of Huangjiu are examined. This review thus provides a theoretical basis for manipulating the fermentation process by using selected microorganisms to improve the overall flavor quality of Huangjiu.

Transitioning from development to commercial: risk-based guidance for critical materials management in cell therapies

A key hurdle to ensuring patient access to cell and gene therapies (CGTs) and continued growth of the industry is the management of raw materials. The combination of rapid growth, individual product and process complexity and limited industry-specific guidance or awareness presents non-obvious risk mitigation challenges for transitioning from development to clinical application. Understanding, assessing and mitigating the varied raw material risks for CGT products during product and clinical development are critical for ensuring smooth transitions into commercialization and for preventing interruption of product supply to patients. This article presents a risk-based approach driven by concerns for patient safety that can help focus and coordinate efforts to address the most critical risk factors. Highlighted are some of the highest risk materials common to the manufacture of many CGTs, including the primary starting material, culture media, reagents and single-use components. Using a hypothetical gene-edited cell therapy as an example, we describe the general manufacturing process and subsequently incorporate the described methodology to perform a sample risk assessment. The practical approach described herein is intended to assist CGT manufacturers and suppliers in actively assessing materials early in development to provide a basic starting point for mitigating risks experienced when translating CGT products for clinical and long-term commercial application.

Utilization of Fish Waste as Fish Feed Material as an Alternative Effort to Reduce and Use Waste

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Waste of fish catching and waste of fish fillet processing will cause environmental pollution, but these materials can still be used as raw material for fish feed. The objective of this research was to change fish wastes to be made as fish powder as raw material of fish feed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This research employed a completely randomized design with three treatments; Treatment A is artificial feed that uses raw material from trash fish, Treatment B is artificial feed that uses raw material from fish fillet waste and as control is factory-made feed. The silver pompano fish stocking was done with stocking density of 20 fishes m-3. The fishes were cultured for 60 days and they were adapted with formulated feed during 7 days before testing.

RESULTS

Fish powder material in Treatment A coming from trash fish waste had good enough protein content by 43.84%, while fish powder material in Treatment B coming from fish fillet waste had lower protein content by 36.3%. The results showed that the control produced better growth activity indicators compared to Treatment A and B. The results of economic analysis showed that Treatment A and B were cheaper to produce compared to control.

CONCLUSION

Fisheries waste both fish catch and fish fillet waste can be used as raw material for making silver pompano fish feed. Utilization of the two wastes has two functions namely saving on aquaculture costs and reducing fisheries waste.

Study of the physical and chemical changes during the maturation of three cocoa clones, EET8, CCN51, and ICS60

BACKGROUND

Colombia is known for its production of fine and aromatic cocoa; however, the lack of homogeneity in the ripeness stage of cocoa fruit affects the final quality of cocoa beans. Therefore, the aim of this work was to identify parameters that can be use as indicators of ripeness in cocoa fruit in order to homogenize the characteristics of raw cocoa used in the production of cocoa-products industry. The parameters evaluated were fruit, seed and pod weight, firmness, color, polar and equatorial diameters of the fruit, seed moisture content, total titratable acidity, pH, and total soluble solids of pulp.

RESULTS

Factors such as seed weight, firmness, diameters, total soluble solids, pH, and acidity were affected by the clone factor, whereas seed weight, pH, and total titratable acidity were affected by ripeness stage.

CONCLUSION

Identification of indicators of ripeness for cocoa fruit is a complex task due to the influence of the clone on the evolution of the physicochemical characteristics of cocoa fruit during its maturation process. Thus, indicators must be developed for each clone, and at least two parameters among color, pH, and total titratable acidity should be used to determine the ripeness stage of cocoa fruit. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Toxicological Studies of Czech Beers and Their Constituents

BACKGROUND

Czech beers are unique because they are brewed using specific technology at a particular latitude and for being entirely produced in the area of the Czech Republic. The purpose of this work is the evaluation of toxicological effects of a variety of freeze-dried Czech beers, their raw materials (malts, hops and yeast) and processed-beer (wort, hopped wort and young beer).

METHODS

In vivo assays to evaluate the safety and protective effects in the Drosophila melanogaster eukaryotic system, and the in vitro evaluations of chemopreventive and DNA damage activity using the HL-60 tumour human cell line were carried out.

RESULTS

The safe effects for all the analysed substances and general protective effects against H2O2 were shown both at the individual and genomic level in the Drosophila animal model, with some exceptions. Moreover, all the substances were able to inhibit the tumour cell growth and to induce DNA damage in the HL-60 cells at different levels (proapoptotic, single/double strands breaks and methylation status).

CONCLUSIONS

The promising effects shown by freeze-dried Czech beers due to their safety, protection against a toxin, chemopreventive potential and the induction of DNA damage in tumour cells, allow the proposition of Czech beer as a beverage with nutraceutic potential.

A highly standardized and characterized human platelet lysate for efficient and reproducible expansion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells

BACKGROUND

Human platelet lysate (hPL) represents a powerful alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS) for human mesenchymal stromal cell (hMSC) expansion. However, the large variability in hPL sources and production protocols gives rise to discrepancies in product quality, characterization and poor batch-to-batch standardization.

METHODS

hPL prepared with more than 200 donors (200+DhPL) or with five donors (5DhPL) were compared in terms of growth factor (GF) contents and biochemical analysis. A multiple protein assay and proteomic analysis were performed to further characterize 200+DhPL batches. We also compared the phenotypic and functional characteristics of bone marrow (BM)-hMSCs grown in 200+DhPL versus FBS+basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).

RESULTS

By contrast to 5DhPL, industrial 200+DhPL displayed a strong standardization of GF contents and biochemical characteristics. We identified specific plasmatic components and platelet-released factors as the most relevant markers for the evaluation of the standardization of hPL batches. We used a multiplex assay and proteomic analysis of 200+DhPL to establish a proteomic signature and demonstrated the robust standardization of batches. 200+DhPL was shown to improve and standardize BM-hMSC expansion compared with FBS+bFGF. The levels of expression of BM-hMSC membrane markers were found to be much more homogeneous between batches when cells were cultured in 200+DhPL. BM-hMSCs cultured in parallel under both conditions displayed similar adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential and immunosuppressive properties.

CONCLUSIONS

We report a standardization of hPL and the importance of such standardization for the efficient amplification of more homogeneous and reproducible cell therapy products.

Raw material quality assessment approaches comparison in pectin production

Different opportunities are explored to evaluate quality variation in raw materials from biological origin. Assessment of raw materials attributes is an important step in a bio-based production as fluctuations in quality are a major source of process disturbance. This can be due to a variety of biological, seasonal, and supply scarcity reasons. The final properties of a product are invariably linked with the initial properties of the raw material. Thus, the operational conditions of a process can be tuned to drive the product to the required specification based on the quality assessment of the raw material being processed. Process analytical technology tools which enable this assessment in a far more informative and rapid manner than current industrial practices that rely on rule-of-thumb decisions are assessed. An example with citrus peels is used to demonstrate the conceptual and performance differences of distinct quality assessment approaches. The analysis demonstrates the advantage of characterization through multivariate data analysis coupled with a complementary spectroscopic technique, near-infrared spectroscopy. The quantitative comparative analysis of three different approaches, discriminant classification based on expert-knowledge, unsupervised classification, and spectroscopic correlation with reference physicochemical variables, is performed in the same dataset context. © 2018 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2762, 2019.

Quality of fresh-cut products as affected by harvest and postharvest operations

There is a rising demand for fresh-cut convenience products with high quality and nutritional standards that needs to be met by the fresh-cut industry. It is well known that harvest and postharvest handling of fresh produce has a paramount impact on its quality and storage, although most of the existing literature has focused on these impacts related only to fresh produce that is destined for the final consumers. Indeed, current harvest methods and postharvest technologies have improved fruit and vegetable handling and distribution processes by slowing down physiological processes and senescence. Nonetheless, these technologies and methods may influence the quality of fresh produce as raw material for fresh-cut processing as a result of the dynamic responses of fresh produce to handling procedures and treatments. Here, we review the existing literature on the challenges facing the fresh-cut industry, focusing on the impact of harvest, maturity, and handling of fruit and vegetables on the quality of raw materials, as well as the implications for fresh-cut products. The review also highlights areas for further research with the aim of enhancing the sensorial, nutritional and biochemical quality of such products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Which one is more important, raw materials or productive technology?--a case study for quality consistency control of Gegen Qinlian decoction]

To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine raw materials and production technology on quality consistency of Chinese patent medicines with Gegen Qinlian decoction as an example, and establish a suitable method for the quality consistency control of Chinese patent medicines. The results showed that the effect of production technology on the quality consistency was generally not more than 5%, while the effect of raw materials was even more than 30%, indicating that the effect of raw materials was much greater than that of the production technology. In this study, blend technology was used to improve the quality consistency of raw materials. As a result, the difference between the product produced by raw materials and reference groups was less than 5%, thus increasing the quality consistence of finished products. The results showed that under the current circumstances, the main factor affecting the quality consistency of Chinese patent medicines was raw materials, so we shall pay more attention to the quality of Chinese medicine's raw materials. Finally, a blend technology can improve the quality consistency of Chinese patent medicines.

Cutin from agro-waste as a raw material for the production of bioplastics

Cutin is the main component of plant cuticles constituting the framework that supports the rest of the cuticle components. This biopolymer is composed of esterified bi- and trifunctional fatty acids. Despite its ubiquity in terrestrial plants, it has been underutilized as raw material due to its insolubility and lack of melting point. However, in recent years, a few technologies have been developed to obtain cutin monomers from several agro-wastes at an industrial scale. This review is focused on the description of cutin properties, biodegradability, chemical composition, processability, abundance, and the state of art of the fabrication of cutin-based materials in order to evaluate whether this biopolymer can be considered a source for the production of renewable materials.

Fe-Doping Effect on Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type Bi0.48Sb1.52Te₃

The substitutional doping approach has been shown to be an effective strategy to improve ZT of Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric raw materials. We herein report the Fe-doping effects on electronic and thermal transport properties of polycrystalline bulks of p-type Bi_0.48Sb_1.52Te₃. After a small amount of Fe-doping on Bi/Sb-sites, the power factor could be enhanced due to the optimization of carrier concentration. Additionally, lattice thermal conductivity was reduced by the intensified point-defect phonon scattering originating from the mass difference between the host atoms (Bi/Sb) and dopants (Fe). An enhanced ZT of 1.09 at 300 K was obtained in 1.0 at% Fe-doped Bi_0.48Sb_1.52Te₃ by these synergetic effects.