Chemical composition of grape stalks of Vitis vinifera L. from red grape pomaces

The chemical composition and the structure of macromolecular components of grape stalks from red grape pomaces have been evaluated. These are composed mainly of cellulose (30.3%), hemicelluloses (21.0%), lignin (17.4%), tannins (15.9%) and proteins (6.1%). Among hemicelluloses the xylan was the most abundant (ca. 12%). The parameters of cellulose unitary cell, average diameter of nanofibrils and the degree of crystallinity (75.4%) were assessed by X-ray scattering analysis. The xylan was partially acetylated glucuronoxylan (DS = 0.49) possessing the Xylp:MeGlcpA ratio of 25:1. The lignin of grape stalks was suggested to be of HGS type with H:G:S molar proportion of 3:71:26 as revealed by analysis of nitrobenzene oxidation products. Among alkali soluble condensed tannins procyanidins prevailed over prodelphinidins. The abnormal response of grape stalks to kraft pulping, leading to poorly delignified fibrous material, was attributed to a particular lignin structure and it structural association with other macromolecular components of grape stalks.     

Cynara cardunculus L. — a new fibre crop for pulp and paper production

The pulping potential of the thistle Cynara cardunculus L. was evaluated by studying anatomy and chemical composition of the stalks and Kraft pulp yields and properties. C. cardunculus is a perennial plant, with annual harvests, that can be grown in hot and dry climates with high productivities. The stalk of the plant has a central pith, ca. 45% in volume and 10% in weight, of small parenchyma cells, surrounded by a cortex where numerous fibre vascular bundles are imbedded. The fibres are on average 1.3 mm long, 18.8 μm wide and have a 4.8 μm wall thickness. The whole stalks have 7.7% ash, 14.6% extractives, 17.0% lignin and 53.0% polysaccharides, mainly cellulose and xylans. The pith has more lignin than the depithed stalk (20.3 vs. 13.6%). The Cynara stalks could be cooked by standard Kraft pulping to produce well delignified pulps with high yields (44–47% with Kappa 11–15), low rejects and very good strength properties, especially in relation to tensile strength. Depithing of the stalks has a positive impact on pulp yield, chemical consumption and on the pulp strength properties.     

玉米乳熟期茎秆木质素含量的遗传分析

以WBA31×K4138构建的DH群体及其亲本为试验材料,采用P1、P2与DH群体3世代主基因+多基因联合分离分析模型,对玉米乳熟期茎秆木质素含量进行遗传分析,探讨玉米茎秆木质素含量的遗传基础。结果表明,玉米茎秆木质素含量遗传符合3对加性-上位性主基因+多基因模型遗传,主基因遗传率为44.91%,多基因遗传率为43.94%,多基因效应比较明显,主基因总加性效应小于主基因间互作效应。因此,在育种时既要注重基因间的加性效应,又要考虑基因间的互作,同时要加强微效多基因的效应累加。     

Extraction of condensed tannins from grape pomace for use as wood adhesives

The extraction of condensed tannins from grape pomace was examined using a mixture water-sodium hydroxide at 120 °C. The extracts were characterized by solution ¹³C NMR and have showed characteristic consistent with that of condensed tannins with dominant procyanidin units. The tannin fractions reactivity toward formaldehyde was studied by gel time analysis and thermomechanical analysis in bending. It has been demonstrated that the extracts obtained by using 10% of NaOH (w/w) displayed promising properties for adhesive applications.     

Surface chemical composition of some non-wood pulps

The surface lignin and extractives coverage of some non-wood pulps (wheat straw, reed, bagasse, bamboo and kenaf bark) were investigated by means of ESCA and compared with wood pulps. Strong enrichment of lignin and extractives on the pulp fiber surface was found for all of the pulps. At the same bulk lignin content level, the surface lignin coverage was found to be higher in the non-wood pulp than in the softwood pulp. The possible reasons for this were examined.     

Fiber yield and quality of fiber nettle (Urtica dioica L.) cultivated in Italy

To evaluate the production potential of fiber nettle crops in Tuscany (Italy), a German clone of fiber nettle was cultivated during 2006–2007.Although a longer experimentation is essential, the two first years of trials showed that the German clone used also seems to give good results in term of growth and fiber yield in an environment like central Italy, with higher temperatures and generally lower rainfall. Indeed the stalk mean dry matter obtained was about 15.4 Mg ha^?1 with a mean fiber content of about 11% of stalk dry matter, and the resulting fiber yield was 1696 kg ha^?1, comparable to or higher than those reported in the literature.The differences in chemical, physical and mechanical characteristics of fibers extracted from different portions of stalks seemed to indicate an intrinsic heterogeneity of the fibers along the stem. Fiber mean diameter values ranged from 47 to 19 μm and fiber length from 43 to 58 mm moving from stalk bottom to top. Tensile strength of the bottom part of the stalk was much lower than that of the other parts, with mean values of about 24 and 60 cN tex^?1, respectively. More constant mean values along the stalk were found for the elongation parameter (2.3–2.6%). Lignin content decreased moving toward the stalk top from about 4.4% to 3.5%.These physical–mechanical characteristics confirmed the potential of the fibers of nettle cultivated in Tuscany to be used for textile purposes. Indeed they were similar to hemp fibers in diameter, lignin content and elongation, and similar to flax or cotton in tensile strength.     

Chemical characterization of various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans)

The current study was initiated to characterize various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) to establish whole utilization of this biomass as potential raw material for fuels and chemicals. Nipa consisting of frond, shell, husk and leaf was chemically characterized for cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, protein, extractives and inorganic constituents for its each part. The total chemical composition showed that the cellulose and hemicellulose contents were in the range of 28.9-45.6 wt% and 21.8-26.4 wt%, respectively. The hemicellulose was rich with glucuronoxylan. The lignin content was 19.4-33.8 wt% with the highest lignin content found in leaf. The alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products showed that nipa palm lignin mainly consists of guaiacyl and syringyl propane units with a small amount of p-hydroxyphenylpropane unit. Besides the main chemical components, starch, protein and extractives were also present in significant amounts from 2 to 8 wt%. Additionally, the ash content was high from 5.1 to 11.7 wt%, consisting of the major inorganic elements being Na, K and Cl with minor inorganic elements of Mg, Ca, Si, P, S and Al. Overall, each part of the nipa palm has its individual superior characteristics and could be exploited as lignocellulosic resources for fuels and chemicals.     

Cell morphology and chemical characteristics of corn stover fractions

This paper investigated cell morphology, chemical components, lignin distribution and inorganic elements distribution of corn stover fractions. Corn stover fractions, classified as stalk rind, stalk pith and leaf, had different tissues, cell morphology and chemical compositions. Corn stalk rind had good fiber morphological characteristics for papermaking, while stalk pith, having short fibers and high contents of parenchyma and vessel, was not suitable for papermaking. Stalk rind had the highest lignin and cellulose content but the lowest hemicellulose content among all the fractions. The major ash-forming elements in corn stover fractions were potassium, chlorine, silica, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Potassium and chlorine took more than 86% of total inorganic elements in stalk rind while silica content was much higher in leaf and stalk pith than that in stalk rind. Perivascular sclerenchyma and subepidermal sclerenchyma of stalk rind were more lignified than the other tissues. The highest lignin concentration existed in cell middle lamella and corner. All corn stover fractions could be good biorefinery feedstock based on their main chemical compositions, though they are obviously heterogeneous in aspects of cell morphology and chemical characteristics.     

乙烯利对玉米茎秆抗倒伏性的调控效应

以郑单958和先玉335为试验材料,设置3个不同浓度乙烯利处理,研究乙烯利对玉米茎秆形态、穿刺强度、木质素含量及相关合成酶活性的影响以及与抗倒伏能力的关系。结果表明,乙烯利处理抑制了玉米株高、穗位高、节间长和产量,提高了茎秆抗折力、穿刺强度、木质素含量及PAL、CAD、4CL活性和抗倒伏指数。玉米茎秆木质素含量与抗折力呈极显著正相关(r=0.930,P0.01),在200 mg/L乙烯利处理下,PAL、CAD、4CL活性与抗倒伏指数呈极显著正相关。PAL、CAD、4CL活性是提高玉米抗倒伏能力的酶学基础,有利于提高茎秆强度,进而增强其抗倒伏能力。     

Condensed tannins extraction from grape pomace: Characterization and utilization as wood adhesives for wood particleboard

The extraction of condensed tannins from grape pomace was examined using water medium in the presence of NaOH, Na₂CO₃, NaHCO₃ eventually in the presence of Na₂SO₃. The tannin fractions reactivity towards formaldehyde was studied by gel time analysis and thermomechanical analysis in bending and it was demonstrated that despite of their lower phenolic contents, some of these extracts displayed promising properties for adhesive applications. A resin formulation in which the total content of tannin is 75% of the total resin solids content gave good results and was employed for the elaboration of the first grape pomace based-wood particleboard which passed relevant international standard specifications for interior-grade panels.     

Effect of N supply on stalk quality in maize hybrids

The identification of maize nitrogen (N) response for stalk quality is valuable in stalk breeding improvement, stalk lodging resistance and for use in bioenergy. This study analyzed the effect of two N levels and estimated quantitative genetic parameters for stalk quality in summer maize in the north China plain (NCP). Thirty hybrids were sampled and tested from three to four geographic locations under high nitrogen (HN) (225 kg N ha⁻¹) and low nitrogen (LN) (0 kg N ha⁻¹) during 2006–2008. Compared to HN level, stalk crude protein (CP) was significantly reduced (22.06%) under LN level. Ether extract (EE), ash content (AC), in vitro dry matter digestion (IVDMD) and lignin content (LC) were lower under LN level. Cellulose content (CC), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were increased with a reduction in N, however N did not significantly affect EE, ADF and LC. An increase in NDF and ADF content under low vs. high N level was mainly attributed to a reduction in CC. ADF and NDF exhibited positive correlation and both showed a positive correlation with CC but a negative correlation with LC, IVDMD and CP. Negative correlations between IVDMD and CC, IVDMD and LC, and CP and CC were also detected. The interaction variance of genotype × year × location (σ²_GYL) for each N level, with the exception of σ²_GYL for CC under HN, was significant and most stalk quality traits were evaluated in different locations and years. The estimates of genetic variance (σ²_G) and heritability (h²) were greater under HN, with the exception of LC and EE. The interaction of genotype × nitrogen (σ²_GN) for CP was more important than σ²_G. The genotypic correlation coefficients (r_G) for performance in different stalk quality traits between HN and LN were significant. However, it was necessary to evaluate both HN and LN for IVDMD. For other stalk quality traits, breeding maize under HN levels may serve to develop hybrids well adapted to high and/or low N level. The response to N trend was similar between high oil and normal maize hybrids.     

Characterization of hairs and pappi from Cynara cardunculus capitula and their suitability for paper production

The capitula of Cynara cardunculus contain hairs and pappi representing 7% of the total plant biomass. These low density biomass components could be mechanically separated without apparent losses using a whole-plant processing prototype. Hairs and pappi are filamentous structures made up of longitudinally aligned fibre cells, without intercellular voids or pitting, with the following dimensions regarding length, width and wall thickness: 1.35 mm, 19.8, and 4.8 μm for hairs and 1.78 mm, 10.4, and 2.9 μm for pappi. Chemically hairs and pappi have low content of ash (1.9% and 1.1%, respectively), extractives (5.4% and 6.0%) and lignin (10.6% and 17.8%), and high content of holocellulose (77.5% and 72.8%) and α-cellulose (55.2% and 46.8%).Pulps could be produced using a conventional kraft process with high yields and low residual lignin, e.g. 63% at Kappa 7 for hairs and 48% at Kappa 11 for pappi, low coarseness values (0.04 and 0.03 mg m^?1) and adequate pulp properties for paper (40 and 42 N mg^?1 tensile index; 3.6 and 3.4 kPa m² g^?1 burst index in unrefined pulps of hairs and pappi, respectively). The results also indicated that there is scope for improving pulp quality by optimising pulping conditions to this type of new raw materials. The differences between hairs and pappi may also be further exploited namely the lower lignin content of hairs and the higher slenderness and wall thickness of pappi fibres.The utilization of hairs and pappi may strengthen the differentiated use of biomass fractions of the Cynara plant and its potential as a bioenergy crop.     

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud.) and Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum L.) fibres for composite materials: agronomical aspects,morphology and mechanical properties

The agronomic characteristics of Ramie and Spanish Broom were investigated for seven years in the pedoclimatic conditions of Central Italy. The chemical, physical and mechanical properties of these fibres were also examined in order to evaluate the feasibility to use them in composite materials. Results demonstrate that Ramie grown in the temperate environment can be harvested three times a year. The yield of green Ramie plants per annum was almost 10 000 g m⁻². The fresh Ramie plant is composed, by weight, of 30% green leaves and 70% green stems. The yield dry fibre is almost 3% of the green stems, giving a total yield of 200 g m⁻². Spanish Broom can reach a fresh biomass yield of 4000 g m⁻² per annum, represented by 53% of long slender terete green branches which constitutes the economic products. The dry yield per annum was about 1800 g m⁻² with a dry branchlets yield of 900 g m⁻². Ramie and Spanish Broom cortical fibres are multiple elementary fibres (ultimates) arranged in bundles. In Ramie, the elementary fibres are bound by gums and pectins, while in Spanish Broom they are bound together by lignin. Both species showed a thick secondary cell wall indicating a high cellulose content. Ramie ultimate fibres are flattened and irregular in shape, while those of Spanish Broom are more regular in shape. The diameter of the ultimates varies from 10 to 25 μm in Ramie, while the Spanish Broom ultimates ranges from 5 to 10 μm; the diameter of the whole bundle is about 50 μm for both species. Ramie fibre showed a content of lignin, pentosans and extractives lower than Spanish Broom. Both fibres had a high content of cellulose which, on the base of X-ray analysis, was evaluated to be in excess of 70%. Ramie and Spanish Broom fibres had tensile strength of 950 MPa and 700 MPa, respectively. The elastic moduli were ≈65 and ≈20 GPa, respectively, which well compare with the modulus of E-glass fibres (70–90 GPa). The strength of the fibre-matrix interface was measured using the single filament fragmentation technique and an epoxy resin as the polymer matrix. Values for carbon and glass fibres in the same resin were also measured for comparison. The interface strength for the vegetable fibres was higher than that of carbon and glass, likely due to a mechanical lock mechanism. These values confirm both fibres as potential replacement for man made fibres in composite materials.     

玉米秸秆苞叶与茎皮中磨木木质素和木素-碳水化合物复合体的傅里叶红外光谱分析

通过傅立叶红外光谱(FT-IR)对玉米秸秆苞叶和茎皮中的磨木木质素(MWL)和木素-碳水化合物复合体(LCC)的结构进行表征,明确玉米秸秆不同部位木质纤维素的结构。采用改良的Bj?rkman方法,分别从玉米秸秆苞叶与茎皮部位提取分离到MWL和LCC,并通过FT-IR对其结构进行表征和分析。结果表明,两个部位中的MWL组成明显不同,茎皮木质素中的苯丙烷侧链上的支链结构以及苯环结构比重均高于苞叶木质素,而羟基、甲基和共轭羰基结构低于苞叶木质素。茎皮木质素结构中以紫丁香基结构单元为主,而苞叶木质素中主要以愈创木基结构单元为主。两个部位的LCC结构存在差异,苞叶LCC中的羟基含量高于茎皮LCC,甲基、亚甲基含量较茎皮LCC低;茎皮LCC中木质素与半纤维素连接强度明显高于苞叶LCC,因此可推断,茎皮中木质素与纤维素的分离难度大于苞叶。     

Tannin contents and protein digestibility of black grams (Vigna mungo) after soaking and cooking

The objective of this research was to ascertain the effects of soaking black grams (Cultivar AARI-5732)in different salt solutions at different temperatures and different timeperiods, and different methods of cooking on the tannin content and proteindigestibility. Tannin content of black grams was reduced to variousextents by soaking at 30^° and 100 ^°C for different timeperiods. However, soaking at 100 ^°C increased the rate ofextraction and reduced the extraction time of tannins. Soaking black gramsin water at 100 ^°C reduced tannins by 22.14% in 45 minuteswhereas about 2.5 times more tannin was reduced after soaking in sodiumbicarbonate solution with or without sodium chloride. Maximumimprovement in protein digestibility was also observed after soaking blackgrams in sodium bicarbonate solution. Tannin contents were furtherreduced along with improvement in protein digestibility as a result ofcooking.     

Stalk strength and reaction to infection by Macrophomina phaseolina of brown midrib maize (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

Reduced lignin concentration in brown mid-rib mutants in both maize and sorghum have resulted in improved dry matter digestibility, increased milk yield and higher energy in lactating cows. However, the mutations were not widely deployed due to concern that reduced lignin concentration might increase vulnerability to lodging and stalk rot incidence. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the mutations on stalk strength and stalk rot resistance in both sorghum and maize. Six brown midrib (bmr) sorghum, four brown midrib (bm) maize, and their normal isolines were evaluated for stalk strength and stalk rot disease reaction at two locations in four replications. Three randomly selected plants in each plot were inoculated with Macrophomina phaseolina at 14 d after flowering by using the toothpick inoculation technique. On 28 d after inoculation, the plants were rated for disease severity by measuring the length of necrotic lesions in the stalks. Stalk strength was determined from another three random plants in each plot by using a rind penetrometer. The mutations had no effect on stalk rot disease severity in either sorghum or maize though stalks strength was markedly affected by the mutations in both species. While maize bm entries broke easily in response to mild mechanical stress, bmr sorghums did not exhibit sign of stalk collapse in all backgrounds. The result suggests that the bmr genes in both maize and sorghum can be deployed without incurring losses to stalk rot disease.     

Fibre digestibility and its relationships with chemical and morphological traits in thirty‐two sugarcane varieties

The objectives of this study were to determine the range of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility across sugarcane varieties and predict dry‐matter (DM) and NDF digestibility based on morphological and chemical composition. Whole plants of thirty‐two commercial varieties were collected after 12 months regrowth (second cut) and evaluated for morphological traits, chemical composition, in situ digestibility of NDF (NDFD) and of DM (DMD), in vitro NDFD (IVNDFD) and gas production dynamics from isolated NDF. The content of NDF ranged from 404 to 547 g kg^?1 DM, DMD was between 593 and 739 g kg^?1 and NDFD varied from 270 to 363 g kg^?1. Cluster and discriminant analyses for NDFD agglomerated sugarcane genotypes into three groups (high, medium and low NDFD). The contents of NDF and lignin were the best univariate predictors of sugarcane DMD and NDFD respectively. Therefore, associating NDF and lignin improved the accuracy of DMD prediction. Associating lignin concentration with the number of dry leaves and stalk length significantly improved the goodness of fit of NDFD prediction. Contrary to expectations, silicon concentration was not related to NDFD. The principal component analysis patterned the content of neutral detergent solubles, NDFD and variables related to DM yield in different components. Hence, these characteristics would coexist in the same variety. Based on Lucas test and kinetics of gas production from NDF, sugarcane potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF) can be considered almost uniform (pdNDF digestibility = 677 g kg^?1). In conclusion, associating chemical composition and morphological traits can successfully improve the screening of sugarcane genotypes for animal nutrition.     

不同炭硅处理对水稻抗倒伏特性和产量的影响

以越光品种为试验材料,研究了生物炭与硅肥配施对水稻抗倒伏特性、茎秆强度、化学物质含量、酶活性的影响及相互关系。结果表明,花生壳生物炭与硅肥配施显著降低了水稻节长,增加了茎粗,进而降低了水稻的倒伏指数和倒伏面积率,并提高了茎秆中的淀粉、木质素和纤维素含量及木质素关键酶活性。其中,7.5 t/hm²生物炭与45 kg/hm²硅肥基施、叶面喷施0.02%硅肥的处理表现最优,该处理显著增强了越光的抗倒伏性,第1、第2和第3节的倒伏指数分别比对照下降36.42%、30.19%和26.83%,并实现了增产。相关分析表明,水稻的倒伏指数、倒伏面积率与茎秆强度呈极显著负相关;茎秆中淀粉、纤维素和木质素含量与茎秆强度呈显著或极显著正相关,与倒伏指数和倒伏面积率呈显著或极显著负相关;木质素含量与PAL、TAL、4CL和CAD等酶的活性呈显著正相关。研究结果可为优质水稻越光的抗倒伏栽培提供科学依据和技术支持。     

玉米茎秆纤维组分近红外反射光谱模型的建立

以200份玉米自交系作为试验材料,利用近红外反射光谱技术建立3种茎秆组分的近红外光谱模型,研究更快速、准确地测定玉米茎秆中木质素、纤维素和半纤维素的含量的方法。结果表明,在4 017.94～8 053.28、4 017.94～8 067.89和4 027.08～8 928.20谱区内建立的测定玉米茎秆木质素、纤维素和半纤维素含量的近红外光谱模型效果最好。利用偏最小二乘回归法建立校正模型,木质素、纤维素和半纤维素的校正相关系数分别为0.932 9、0.925 1和0.926 5,校正标准差分别为1.57、1.68和1.18。选取30份玉米茎秆样品作为检验集对模型进行验证,木质素、纤维素和半纤维素的外部相关系数分别为0.938 9、0.891 1和0.905 0,其预测标准差分别为1.57、2.14和1.49。同样选取30份茎秆样品对模型进行交叉验证,其相关系数分别为0.897 3、0.944 2和0.891 8,交叉验证标准差分别为1.87、2.32和1.43。研究结果表明,所建模型质量较好,能快速、准确测量玉米茎秆木质素、纤维素和半纤维素含量。     

Tannin-based rigid foams: Characterization and modification

Tannin-based rigid foams are networked structures obtained by polycondensations of polyflavonoid tannins and furfuryl alcohol. They present a wide range of characteristics. Thus, there is the need to characterise the different kinds of tannin foams to better understand their physical behaviour and their chemical composition. Mimosa tannin, pine tannin and quebracho tannin bark extracts were used as building blocks. Foams modified by the addition of hydroxymethylated lignin, polyurethane and an industrial surfactant were also characterised. Water absorption, compression resistance, direct flame behaviour and foam cells dimensions were measured for each foam sample. The foams were characterised also by ¹³C NMR analysis. Tannin-based rigid foams appear suitable for a wide range of applications.