Durable press finish of cotton fabric using malic acid as a crosslinker

It has been considered that malic acid,α-hydroxy succinic acid, could not form crosslinks in the cellulosic materials unless activated by other polycarboxylic acids such as butanetetracarboxylic acid or citric acid because there are only two carboxylic acids per molecule available for the formation of one anhydride intermediate. However we found that the dicarboxylic malic acid with sodium hypophosphite catalyst without the addition of other crosslinkers was able to improve wrinkle resistance of cotton up to 294° (dry WRA) and 285° (wet WRA), which is a measure of crosslinking level in cotton.¹H FT-NMR, FT-IR and GPC analysis indicated the in-situ formation of an trimericα, β-malic acid with a composition of 1:3 through the esterification between hydroxyl group and one of carboxylic groups in malic acid during curing. The crosslinking of cotton was attributed to the trimericα, β-malic acid, a tetracarboxylic acid, which can form two anhydride rings during curing. The influence of crosslinking conditions such as concentrations of malic acid and catalyst, pH of the formulation bath, and curing temperature were investigated in terms of imparted wrinkle resistance and whiteness. The addition of reactive polyurethane resin in the formulation slightly increased the mechanical strength retention of crosslinked fabric coupled with additional increase in wrinkle resistance.     

The acid doping behavior of polybenzimidazole membranes in phosphoric acid for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The acid doping behavior of poly(2,2′-(m-phenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole) (PBI) membranes in aqueous phosphoric acid was studied at room temperature. It was found that doping phosphoric acid in the membrane obeyed a multimolecular layer absorption mechanism proposed in this work. Equation, i.e., 1/[L ^T ] _B =(1 − C ₀/17.5)/2.1, was presented to describe the relationship of the acid doping level of membranes and the concentration of the doping acid in a range of 2–14 mol L⁻¹. The acid doping kinetics as well as the influence of the doped acids on the conductivity and mechanical strength of the PBI membranes was investigated.     

Change in Colour and Antioxidant Content of Tomato Cultivars Following Forced-Air Drying

Three New Zealand grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cultivars, Aranka, Encore, and Flavourine, were analysed for colour (CIELAB L^∗ a^∗ b^∗ values), ascorbic acid, total phenolics, lycopene, and total antioxidant activity (ABTS assay). Colour analyses of the air-dried tomatoes showed that the colour degradation as measured by the L^∗ a^∗ b^∗ values was minimal, and the colour was not significantly different (p < 0.05) between each of the dried cultivars. In general, there was no significant difference (p < 0.01) between the fresh cultivars in terms of antioxidant components or total antioxidant activity. The average values obtained for antioxidant components in the three fresh cultivars were: ascorbic acid, 276 mg/100 g DM, total phenolics, 613 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g dry matter (DM) and lycopene 38 mg/100 g DM. Total antioxidant activity of the fresh cultivars was 2917 μmole Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)/100 g DM. Following forced air-drying treatment at 42 ^∘C for 48 hr, all cultivars showed significant decreases in ascorbic acid, total phenolics and total antioxidant activity, and increases in extractable lycopene contents. This study was undertaken to identify cultivars that would provide the best colour and nutrient contents after commercial air drying.     

Modeling the tensile strains of non-uniform fibers

The maximum strain experienced by the thinnest segment of a non-uniform fiber governs fiber breakage, yet this maximum strain can not be obtained from a normal single fiber test. Only the average strain of the whole fiber specimen can be obtained from a normal single fiber tensile test. This study has examined the relationship between the average strain, the maximum strain and the degree of fiber non-uniformity, expressed in coefficient of variation (CV) of fiber diameters along fiber length. The tensile strain of irregular fibers has been simulated using the finite element method (FEM). Using this method, average and maximum tensile strains of non-uniform fibers were calculated. The results indicate that for irregular fibers such as wool, there is an exponential relationship (i.e.ɛ _ave ɛ _max=ae ^{−b CV} ) between the ratio of average breaking strain and maximum breaking strain (ɛ _ave ɛ _max) and the along-fiber diameter variation (CV). The strain ratio decreases with the increase of the along-fiber diameter variation.     

Inhibition of polygalacturonase and polygalacturonic acid lyase fromErwinia carotovora subsp.carotovora by phenolics in vitro

Summary The phenolic acids benzoic, caffeic, chlorogenic, ferulic, p-coumaric, protocatechuic, salicylic, sinapic, syringic and vanillic together with vanillin, were tested for their ability to inhibit polygalacturonic acid lyase (PL) and polygalacturonase (PG) in culture filtrates ofErwinia carotovora subsp.carotovora. None of the compounds inhibited PL at 200 μg/ml, although syringic and sinapic acids caused a 54% and 43% reduction respectively at 400 μg/ml. PG was strongly inhibited by caffeic acid (57% inhibition at 100 μg/ml) and chlorogenic acid caused slight inhibition. Little if any inhibition of PG was caused by benzoic, ferulic, p-coumaric, protocatechuic, salicylic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids or vanillin. The percentage inhibition of PG by chlorogenic acid was not affected by pH values over the range 4–7.     

Studies on samh seeds (Mesembryanthemum forsskalei Hochst) growing in Saudi Arabia: 2: Chemical composition and microflora of samh seeds

The chemical composition of samh seed have been investigated. Proximate analysis showed a composition of 22.25% protein, 5.7% moisture, 5.6% fat, 4.0% ash, 9.7% crude fiber, and the remainder being total carbohydrates. Mineral element analysis revealed that potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium were present as the major elements. Iron, manganese, zinc and copper were found at lower levels. However, lead was not detected in the samh seeds. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of the methylester of the fatty acids of the samh seeds oil revealed the presence of fourteen fatty acids. Linoleic and oleic acids were the principle unsaturated fatty acids. While palmitic acid was the main saturated fatty acid. Amino acid analysis of the samh seeds showed the presence of seventeen amino acids including eight essential amino acids. Glutamic acid, arginine, and aspartic acid were the major amino acids. Cystine and proline were present in trace amounts. These results some of which have not been reported elsewhere indicate the high nutritional potential of Saudi samh seeds. The total aerobic bacterial count and total sporeformers of seeds were 19×10⁷ and 5×10⁴ cfu/g respectively, thus the enterobacteriaceae,B cereus and yeast and molds were 5×10², 1×10² and 7×10² respectively. The seeds were Staph. free and the samh extract had no antimicrobial effect.     

Combination of On-Line Solid-Phase Extraction with LC-MS for the Determination of Potentially Hazardous Glycoalkaloids in Potato Products

A simple and rapid method for the determination of naturally occurring, potentially hazardous glycoalkaloids (GAs) in potatoes and their products has been developed. The procedure is based on the on-line solid-phase extraction of the acetic acid extracts from potato products and combined with liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) in a fully automated system (Symbiosis™, Spark Holland Instruments, Emmen, The Netherlands). As sorbent material HySphere™ 18HD was used for alkaloid enrichment. GAs were eluted with the LC gradient and directly analysed by MS. Detection of the analytes was achieved in the sensitive multiple reaction monitoring mode using two characteristic ions (m/z 98 as a qualifier for GAs and m/z 868.3 as a quantifier for α-solanine or m/z 852.4 for α-chaconine). Typical validation data for method precision (v _k α-solanine = 5.3–6.5, v _k α-chaconine = 3.4–15.4), accuracy (average recovery of α-solanine = 84%, average recovery of α-chaconine = 87%) and linearity over the range from 1 to 1,000 ng ml⁻¹ (R ² = 0.9915 for α-solanine, R ² = 0.9939 for α-chaconine) with detection limits of 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ for α-chaconine and 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ for α-solanine were obtained. GA contents of commercial potato products were determined by the new on-line method and afterwards compared with those obtained with an established high-performance LC routine procedure. Better performance of the on-line procedure was obvious from the standard deviations of both methods. Other advantages included a strong reduction of overall analysis time, human intervention and solvent consumption as well as waste production. The time required for the on-line analysis was 5 min, which would allow processing of almost 100 samples in 8 h.     

Thermoplastic starch modified during melt processing with organic acids: The effect of molar mass on thermal and mechanical properties

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) was modified with ascorbic acid and citric acid by melt processing of native starch with glycerol as plasticizer in an intensive batch mixer at 160 °C. It was found that the molar mass decreases with acid content and processing time causing the reduction in melting temperature (T_m). As observed by the results of X-ray diffraction and DSC measurements, crystallinity was not changed by the reaction with organic acids. T_m depression with falling molar mass was interpreted on the basis of the effect of concentration of end-chain units, which act as diluents. FTIR did not show any appreciable change in starch chemical compositions, leading to the conclusion that the main changes observed were produced by the variation in molar mass of the material. We demonstrated that it is possible to decrease melt viscosity without the need for more plasticizer thus avoiding side-effects such as an increase in water affinity or relevant changes in the dynamic mechanical properties.     

Chemical composition and content of antinutritional factors in Polish cultivars of peas

The seeds of 15 Polish pea varieties contained from 221 to 281 g/kg crude protein with a mean of 240.2±3.5 g/kg dry matter (DM). The weight of 1000 pea seeds, depending on cultivar, ranged from 209.4 to 280.4 g. No interactive effect between the seed mass and the crude protein content was detected. The highest significant negative correlation between weight of seeds and dietary fiber content wasr=−0.815^XX. The content of dietary fiber ranged from 161.5 to 209.9 g/kg with a mean of 187.9±3.8 g/kg. The mean gross energy of seeds was 18.1±0.28 MJ/kg. Amino acid composition of all the cultivars was similar, which was indicated by a similar index of essential amino acids (EAAI) of about 69.7±0.25. Trypsin inhibitor content in seeds was from 2.83 to 7.32 TIU/mg and the content of phytates ranged from 6.32 to 13.36 mg/g DM. The mean content of polyphenols and flavanols in analysed pea cultivars was 0.92 amd 0.46 mg/g, respectively. In the seeds of most cultivars little or no pyrimidine glucosides, i.e. vicine and convicine, were found. The overall mean oligosaccharide content was 64.3±1.8 g/kg, of which α-galactosides were 46.8±2.0 g/kg. The antinutritional factor content was not significantly correlated with protein content. No statistical relationship was found between crude protein and dietary fiber content. It was observed that pea cultivars with higher trypsin inhibitor activity contained significantly less flavanols (r=−0.607^X) and α-galactosides (r=−0.617^X). The varieties with higher seed content of dietary fiber contained the highest amount of α-galactosides (r=0.514^X).     

Marine Macroalgae as Sources of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Algae from cold water (Canada) and warm water (China) were analysed for the total lipid content, and for their fatty acid (FA) composition and content. The major findings are that fatty acids (FA) from Canadian algae are generally richer in polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), with a higher n–3/n–6 FA ratio, and a higher degree of total unsaturation. The C 18:4 FA (stearidonic acid, morotic acid as synonym) was detected in greater amounts in cold water samples. The high levels of total PUFA, and especially of n–3 FA in Canadian algae, suggests possible utilization for nutritional purposes.     

Lipid components of mustard seeds (Brassica juncea L.) as influenced by cadmium levels

In a pot experiment the soil application of different levels of Cd²⁺ (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 µg g^–1 soil) affected the lipid components of mustard seeds (Brassica juncea L. Cv. RH-30) markedly. Total lipids declined with the Cd²⁺ levels regularly while phospho and glycolipids increased only at higher levels. Fatty acids profile of total, neutral and polar lipid fractions were affected considerably. Erucic acid in total and neutral lipids was observed to increase while it decreased in polar lipids with Cd²⁺ as compared to control. On the other hand palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids had reverse trend. Cadmium concentration increased consistently with increasing levels of Cd²⁺. Plant dry weight was also decreased significantly with Cd²⁺ levels.     

Erratum to: Antioxidant Properties of Extracts Obtained from Raw, Dry-roasted, and Oil-roasted US Peanuts of Commercial Importance

Raw, skinless peanut kernels from US commercial production lines were dry- and oil-roasted according to standard industrial practices. Eighty percent (v/v) methanolic extracts from the peanut cultivars were prepared and characterized by RP-HPLC: five predominant compounds were found comprising free p-coumaric acid and potential p-coumaric acid derivatives, as elucidated by DAD-UV spectra with comparisons to those of commercial standards. A Spanish high-oleic peanut possessed the greatest naturally-occurring level of p-coumaric acid and its derivatives, followed by a high-oleic Runner, a normal Runner, and a Virginia peanut. Upon thermal processing, p-coumaric acid was liberated at the expense of its derivatives according to the relationship: oil roasting > dry roasting > raw. A high-oleic Runner exhibited the greatest increase (∼785%) in free p-coumaric acid levels after oil roasting. For many of the samples from the 2007 crop, processing increased the TPC and antioxidant capacities in the order of raw < dry roast < oil roast, but results were cultivar dependent. Oil-roasted peanuts were more effective at scavenging O₂ ^●- than their dry-roasted counterparts, as determined by a photochemiluminescence assay. Overall findings indicate that although thermal processing altered the composition of peanut kernel antioxidants, TPC values and radical-scavenging activities are preserved. Depending on peanut type, cultivar, and harvest date, enhanced antioxidant capacities can result.     

Changes in Phenolic Compounds in Garlic (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium sativum</Emphasis> L.) Owing to the Cultivar and Location of Growth

The contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were determined in selected garlic cultivars grown at four locations. The total phenolic content varied from 3.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dry matter (dm) to 10.8 mg GAE/g of dm with a mean value of 6.5 mg GAE/g of dm. The myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin flavonoids were not detected in any of the samples. Caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the major phenolic acids found with mean values of 2.9 mg/kg of dm and 2.6 mg/kg of dm, respectively. The mean contents of vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids were comparable (0.4–0.8 mg/kg of dm), and the level of sinapic acid was negligible (< 0.1 mg/kg of dm). There was a significant effect of location but an insignificant effect of genotype on contents of caffeic, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, and p-coumaric acids. However, genotype but not location affected the contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid. On average, the white garlic cultivars and Chinese garlic cultivars contained higher contents of total phenolics and ferulic acid than the purple garlic cultivars. However, the differences in the total phenolic content between the purple and white garlic cultivars were not significant.     

Gold recovery using inherently conducting polymer coated textiles

The ability of inherently conducting polymer (ICP) coated textiles to recover gold metal from aqueous solutions containing [AuCl₄]⁻ was investigated. Nylon-lycra, nylon, acrylic, polyester and cotton were coated with a layer of polypyrrole (PPy) doped with 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (NDSA), 2-anthraquinonesulfonic acid (AQSA) orp-toluenesulfonic acid (pTS). Textiles coated with polyaniline (PAn) doped with chloride were also used. The highest gold capacity was displayed by PPy/NDSA/nylon-lycra, which exhibited a capacity of 115 mg Au/g coated textile, or 9700 mg Au/g polymer. Varying the underlying textile substrate or the ICP coating had a major effect on the gold capacity of the composites. Several ICP coated textiles recovered more than 90% of the gold initially present in solutions containing 10 ppm [AuCl₄]⁻ and 0.1 M HCl in less than 1 min. Both PPy/NDSA/nylon-lycra and PAn/Cl/nylon-lycra recovered approximately 60% of the gold and none of the iron present in a solution containing 1 ppm [AuCl₄]⁻, 1000 ppm Fe³⁺ and 0.1 M HCl. The spontaneous and sustained recovery of gold metal from aqueous solutions containing [AuCl₄]⁻ using ICP coated textiles has good prospects as a potential future technology.     

Effects of a stay-green trait on the concentrations and stability of fatty acids in perennial ryegrass

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of a stay‐green trait in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) on concentrations of fatty acids as well as their susceptibility to peroxidation during wilting and to biohydrogenation by rumen bacteria. Fatty acid concentrations were recorded in stay‐green and corresponding normal perennial ryegrass selection lines over eight cuts during 1998. There was a progressive increase in total fatty acid concentrations [from 20·8 to 34·6 g kg^?1 dry matter (DM)] and the proportion of fatty acids as α‐linolenic acid (from 0·62 to 0·70 g g^?1) from early to late season. A second study compared fatty acid concentrations in stay‐green and normal herbage that was wilted for up to 48 h. There was a loss of 0·2–0·3 g g^?1 fatty acids during 48 h of wilting and a small reduction in the rate of loss of α‐linolenic acid in stay‐green perennial ryegrass compared with normal herbage (0·223 vs. 0·290 g g^?1 lost after 48 h). Stay‐green and normal perennial ryegrasses were offered to grazing lambs in a third study. Higher concentrations of trans‐vaccenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid in plasma from lambs offered less mature grass in the pre‐experimental period than during the experiment are considered to reflect a greater supply of precursor (linoleic acid). There were higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic (0·0070 vs. 0·0039 g l^?1) and linoleic (0·092 vs. 0·070 g l^?1) acids, without an increase in trans‐vaccenic acid, in plasma from lambs grazing stay‐green perennial ryegrass than normal perennial ryegrass. This suggests that the stay‐green trait affected the rate of degradation of fatty acids in the rumen. These results demonstrate the potential for obtaining proportionately large differences in fatty acid profiles of ruminant products by altering grassland management.     

Common Indian spices: Nutrient composition,consumption and contribution to dietary value

Nutrient composition of eight commonly consumed spices of South India was analysed. Spices analysed were red chillies (Capsicum annum), black pepper (Piper nigrum), coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum), cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), garlic (Allium sativum), asafoetida (Ferula foetida), dry ginger (Zingiber officinale) and ajowan (Carum copticum). The nutrients analysed were proximate principles, minerals, starch, sugars, dietary fibre components, tannins, phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and amino acids. Dry ginger, ajowan and asafoetida had high calcium (1.0–1.5%) and iron (54–62 mg/100 g) levels. The tannin content of spices was also high (0.9–1.3% DM). Dietary fibre ranged from 14–53%. Spices had appreciable amounts of essential amino acids like lysine and threonine. A survey revealed the average per capita consumption of spices to be 9.54 g and at that level, the nutrient contribution from spices ranged from 1.2 to 7.9% of an average adult Indian male's requirement for different nutrients.     

Psyllium and acrylic acid based polymeric networks synthesized under the influence of γ-radiations for sustained release of fungicide

The present study deals with the utilization of psyllium and acrylic acid based hydrogels, synthesized under the influence of γ-radiations, in sustained delivery of copper sulfate, used as a fungicide in agricultural fields. Swelling behavior of the synthesized hydrogel was investigated in distilled water as functions of time, temperature, and pH. It was found that the hydrogel showed maximum of 10,578 % swelling at 25 °C for 24 h. The hydrogel was then checked for its sustained fungicide release behavior. It was observed that the hydrogel has been found to follow Non-Fickian type mechanism for the fungicide release. The ‘n’ and ‘k’ have been found to be 0.71 and 7.61×10⁻³, respectively.     

Hypocholesterolemic Activity from the Leaf Extracts of Cnidoscolus chayamansa

The aim of this study was to determine the hypocholesterolemic activity of Cnidoscolus chayamansa. In an in vivo model, high-cholesterol diet administered to mice Balb/c induced hypercholesterolemia. Three extracts from Cnidoscolus chayamansa (ethanol, methanol and an aqueous extract) were tested on hypercholesterolemic mice. Active extracts were assessed against the in vitro inhibitory activity of the same three extracts on the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme by using Vero cells. The specific chemical groups present in the phytochemical extracts were also determined. Only the aqueous extract (at either doses employed) showed a significant cholesterol reduction (27.9 and 31.1%, for 50 and 100 mg kg⁻¹, respectively P < 0.01). The extract did not inhibit the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme, suggesting that its compounds act at another level in cholesterol metabolism. Reactions to secondary metabolites indicate the presence of alkaloids in the aqueous and ethanol extracts and phenol hydroxyls in the ethanol and methanol extracts.     

白僵菌与苏云金芽胞杆菌水悬浮剂研制及田间防治玉米螟研究

通过室内生物测定,研究球孢白僵菌和苏云金芽胞杆菌联合防治玉米螟的效果。研究表明,确定白僵菌与苏云金芽胞杆菌浓度分别为1.0×106孢子/mL、1.0×109孢子/mL条件下,杀虫效果达到最佳,LT90为6.64(±0.07)d,较1.0×109的Bb LT90缩短26.06%。通过助剂悬浮率、乳化效果以及助剂对微生物活性影响等确定1个白僵菌与苏云金芽孢杆菌水悬浮剂剂型配方。田间防治玉米螟结果表明,两种生防菌均在防治过程中起作用,田间玉米受害株数、活虫数均明显低于未施药对照,防治效果优于单一使用白僵菌或苏云金芽胞杆菌。