Zhihuai Mao

Effect of moisture content on the physical properties of fibered flaxseed

The physical properties of fibered flaxseed were investigated within moisture content varying from 6.21 to 16.29%. The length, width, thickness and geometric mean diameter increased from 4.20 to 4.44mm, 1.99 to 2.13mm, 0.91 to 0.95mm, and 1.95 to 2.06mm, respectively in the moisture content range. One thousand seed weight increased linearly from 4.22 to 4.62g. The bulk density decreased from 726.783 to 611.872kg/m3, while the true density increased from 1165.265 to 1289.341kg/m3 in the moisture content range. The porosity values of flaxseed increased linearly from 37.67 to 52.54%. The highest static coefficient of friction was found on the plywood surface, while the lowest on the stainless steel surface. The static coefficient of friction increased from 0.467 to 0.972, 0.442 to 0.864, 0.492 to 0.927, and 0.490 to 0.845 for plywood, stainless steel, aluminum sheet and galvanized iron, respectively. The angle of repose increased linearly from 25.7° to 33.8° in the moisture content range. The results are necessary for design of equipment to handling, transportation, processing, and the storage of flaxseed.

Optimization of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Flaxseed Oil Using Response Surface Methodology

The optimal conditions for the supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of flaxseed oil from flaxseed were determined using response surface methodology (RSM). A second-order regression for rotation-orthogonal composite design was used to study the effects of three independent variables: extraction pressure (MPa), extraction temperature (oC) and CO2 flow rate (L/h) on the yield of flaxseed oil. The independent variables were coded at five levels and their actual values selected on the basis of preliminary experiments. The results indicated that the yield of flaxseed oil was beyond 29% at a probability of 95% in the range of extraction pressure: 38.6-42.3 MPa, extraction temperature: 52.3-57.0 oC, and CO2 flow rate: 27.8-31.2 L/h. The optimal extraction conditions were extraction pressure of 41 MPa, extraction temperature of 56 oC and CO2 flow rate of 31 L/h according to the analysis of response surface. In this condition, the experimental yield of flaxseed oil was 29.96%, which was close to the predicted value of 30.52%.

Effect of steam explosion on biodegradation of lignin in wheat straw

The effect of steam explosion pretreatment on biodegradation of lignin in wheat straw was studied in this paper. Through experiments and analysis, 0.8MPa operation pressure and 1:20 wheat straw to water ratio are optimum for destroying lignin and the maximum of lignin loss rate is 19.94%. After steam explosion pretreatment, the wheat straw was retted by Trametes versicolor for 40 days. Biodegradation rate of lignin was tested and the maximum of 55.40% lignin loss rate was found on day 30. During the whole process of both steam explosion pretreatment and biodegradation, 75.34% lignin was degraded, without steam explosion the biodegradation of raw material the degradation rate of lignin was 31.23% only. FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA and SEM were used for further validating the results of biodegradation.

Micronization and Hydrophobic Modification of Cassava Starch

In this study, the cassava starch was micronized in a vacuum ball-mill to make tiny granules of different particle sizes (the d 50 value from 7.9 μm to 24.0 μm). The properties of the micronized cassava starch, such as granularity, gelatinization properties, and dispersibility in organic solvent, have been evaluated. Then the micronized cassava starch has also been modified using a dry-method to improve its hydrophobic property, with aluminate coupling agent (ACA). The results suggest that the granularity of the starch decreases sharply through micronization in the vacuum ball-mill. The d 50 value of micronized starch was reduced from 24.0 μm to 7.9 μm with the milling time from 0 h to 54 h. The active sites increase as the size of the cassava starch is reduced. The micronized starch has been found to be more easily gelatinized, dispersed in organic solvent and modified. The gelatinization temperature of starch was reduced from 59° C to 23° C with the milling time from 0 to 54 h.

Preparation and characterization of starch crosslinked with sodium trimetaphosphate and hydrolyzed by enzymes

Crosslinked porous starch samples were produced by first crosslinking corn starch with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) and then partially hydrolyzing it with a mixture of α-amylase and glucoamylase. The granule morphology, porosity, swelling power, adsorption capacity, crystalline nature, molecular structure, melting and viscometric properties of these starch samples were measured and analyzed. The results showed that the porous starch which was crosslinked with 6% (w/w) STMP (ScPS-6) possessed remarkable superiority in terms of thermal and shear resistance among all the starch samples tested. The ScPS-6 also had the highest porosity and largest average pore diameter values. The swelling power of crosslinked porous starch was 56.3% lower than that of uncrosslinked porous starch. First order reaction kinetics equation was found to excellently (R(2) ≥ 0.99, average error = 6.03%) predict the experimental adsorption kinetics data of methylene blue for the crosslinked porous starch samples.

Effect of High-Pressure Homogenization on the Structure of Cassava Starch

Cassava starch suspension was homogenized at different pressures (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 MPa) with a high-pressure homogenizer. To investigate the effect of high-pressure homogenization on the structure of cassava starch, the samples were characterized using microscopy, laser scattering, and X-ray diffraction techniques, with native and heat gelatinized cassava starches as controlled samples. The temperature of starch suspension increased linearly with applied pressure at a rate of 0.187°C/MPa. Microscopy studies showed that cassava starch was partly gelatinized after high-pressure homogenization, and the degree of gelatinization increased with homogenizing pressure. Results of laser scattering measurements suggested a considerable increase in particle size after homogenization at 100 MPa as a result of granule swelling. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that there was no evident change after homogenization suggesting that the crystalline structure of starch granules was resistant to high-pressure homogenization.

Effects of incubation temperature, starter culture level and total solids content on the rheological properties of yogurt

The effects of incubation temperature (35-45oC), starter culture level (0.003-0.006%, w/v), and milk total solids content (12.32-15.68%, w/v) on the rheological properties of yogurt were investigated using central composite rotatable design (CCRD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Gelation time during milk fermentation and apparent viscosity of yogurt stored for 3 days were the rheological parameters studied. The results revealed that the gelation time and apparent viscosity of yogurt were significantly affected (P < 0.1) by incubation temperature, starter culture level, and total solids. Incubation temperature had the greatest influence on the gelation time. Higher temperature led to shorter gelation time, but resulted in lower apparent viscosity of yogurt. Apparent viscosity of yogurt was mainly affected by total solids. Higher apparent viscosities were also obtained at lower incubation temperature.

Microstructure Analysis of Rice Kernel

The microscopic structure of rough rice kernel has been investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) after solar drying in order to identify the mechanisms of the initiation and propagation of stress induced cracks. The structure of the endosperm tissue of rice kernel has been found damaged slightly due to drying. Stress induced cracks were evident. The cracks were also found between the seed capsule and the endosperm tissue. The cracks appeared to have initiated at the center of endosperm tissue and then propagated. When stress induced cracks are produced, both sides of the endosperm tissue are damaged. Most of these cracks are propagated along the edge of the starch granule through to the cell walls. These observations are a part of a series of the studies which provide useful information for practical control or minimization of the crack formation in keeping the grade of the dried rice high.

Influences of Microemulsion Cross-linking Reaction and Ball-milling on Particle Size Characteristics of Potato and Maize Starches

In this study, microemulsion cross-linking treatment was used on food grade potato and maize starches for preparing micro starch particles. Laser diffraction technique was introduced to measure the particle size characteristics, including the median particle diameter (d 50), surface area mean diameter D [3, 2], volume mean diameter D [4, 3] and specific surface area of micro potato and maize starch particles. The volume distributions and number distributions were also analyzed using Mastersizer 2000 Software. The d 50, D [3, 2], D [4, 3] of the potato starch granules were reduced significantly (p < 0.05) after the microemulsion cross-linking reaction and ball-milling treatment. However, the microemulsion cross-linking treatment did not produce significant changes in the particle size characteristics of the maize starch samples.

Ohmic heating behavior of certain selected liquid food materials

Ohmic heating is an alternative fast heating technique for food products, which takes its name from Ohms law. The basic principle of ohmic heating is the conversion of electrical energy into heat, resulting in internal energy generation. In this study, an experimental ohmic heating unit was designed and fabricated. Four kinds of liquid food materials (tap water, fruit-vegetable juice, yogurt and 0.5% aqueous sodium chloride solution) were heated on this laboratory scale static ohmic heater to evaluate the devices performance. Different voltage gradients (7.5V/cm, 11.25V/cm, 15V/cm, 18.75V/cm, 22.5V/cm and 26.25V/cm) were applied to study the heating behavior of liquid food materials. Results indicated that the voltage gradient significantly influenced the ohmic heating rates for all four materials tested. The electrical conductivity also changed significantly with temperature.