Synthesis and characterization of highly flexible thermoplastic films from cyanoethylated corn distillers dried grains with solubles

Corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) can be made into highly flexible thermoplastic films without the need for plasticizers. DDGS is an abundantly available coproduct of ethanol production that is inexpensive ($80-130/ton) compared to most of the polymers used for thermoplastic applications. In this research, oil-and-zein-free DDGS was cyanoethylated using acrylonitrile, and cyanoethylation conditions were optimized to obtain high percent weight gain of up to 42%. Cyanoethylated DDGS was characterized using (1)H NMR, FTIR, DSC, and TGA. Cyanoethylated DDGS was compression molded into thermoplastic films, and the tensile properties of the films were studied. It was found that DDGS films with elongation as high as 38% and strength of 14 MPa could be obtained without the use of any plasticizers. Alternatively, films with strength as high as 651 MPa but with relatively low elongation (2.5%) were obtained by varying the extent of cyanoethylation. This research showed that cyanoethylation could be a viable approach to develop biothermoplastics from biopolymers for applications such as packing films, extrudates, and resins for composites.     

Application of the reactive lysine procedure to estimate lysine digestibility in distillers dried grains with solubles fed to growing pigs

Two experiments were conducted to measure the reactive Lys concentration in corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In expt 1, reactive Lys was measured in 33 sources of DDGS using two procedures: the homoarginine procedure and the furosine procedure. The concentration of reactive Lys in DDGS was then correlated with the concentration of standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys in DDGS fed to growing pigs. In expt 2, a factorial experiment was conducted using four ratios of condensed distillers solubles (CDS) and wet distillers grain (WDG). The ratios (wt/wt) of CDS to WDG were 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, and 100:0, and four subsamples from each combination were freeze-dried or oven-dried at 50, 75, or 100 degrees C. The dried samples were designated DDG, DDGS 20, DDGS 40, and CDS, respectively. All subsamples were analyzed for total Lys and for reactive Lys using the homoarginine procedure. Results of expt 1 showed that only 74.1% of total Lys was reactive if measured by the homoarginine procedure and 83.5% was reactive if measured by the furosine procedure. The concentration of SID Lys in DDGS was correlated with the concentration of reactive Lys measured by the homoarginine procedure ( r (2) = 0.70, P < 0.05) and by the furosine procedure ( r (2) = 0.66, P < 0.05). In expt 2, the concentrations of total Lys and reactive Lys were reduced ( P < 0.05) when addition of CDS or drying temperature of the samples was increased, but the reduction was greater ( P < 0.05) when both CDS addition and drying temperature were increased at the same time. After oven-drying at 100 degrees C, 75.7% of total Lys was reactive in DDG, but only 27.6 and 10.2% were reactive in DDGS 20 and DDGS 40, respectively. In conclusion, reactive Lys is correlated with the concentration of SID Lys in DDGS, and addition of CDS exacerbates the negative effects of heating on the concentration of total Lys and reactive Lys in DDGS.     

Fiber reduction and lipid enrichment in carotenoid-enriched distillers dried grain with solubles produced by secondary fermentation of Phaffia rhodozyma and Sporobolomyces roseus

Carotenoid-enriched distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) developed as a value-added animal feed to provide carotenoids from mono and mixed culture (Mx) fermentation of red yeasts Phaffia rhodozyma (PR) and Sporobolomyces roseus (SR) were evaluated for their nutritional composition and compared to the control (C) DDGS. Apart from providing carotenoids, all three fermentation treatments reduced fiber with best reduction of 77% in PR, enhanced crude fat with highest of 81% in Mx, and reduced protein, amino acids and nitrogen by 50% in PR. DDGS fiber reduction by 77% was achieved by P. rhodozyma in the absence of any pretreatment. Qualitative and quantitative differences in fatty acid profiles were seen among the treatments. Vaccenic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid produced in SR and Mx fermentation, was absent in C and PR. All these nutritional modifications are highly desirable in different DDGS-based animal feeds and can be explored to obtain tailor-made feeds/feed blends for specific animal diets.     

Chemical composition of distillers grains, a review

In recent years, increasing demand for ethanol as a fuel additive and decreasing dependency on fossil fuels have resulted in a dramatic increase in the amount of grains used for ethanol production. Dry-grind is the major process, resulting in distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as a major coproduct. Like fuel ethanol, DDGS has quickly become a global commodity. However, high compositional variation has been the main problem hindering its use as a feed ingredient. This review provides updated information on the chemical composition of distillers grains in terms of nutrient levels, changes during dry-grind processing, and causes for large variation. The occurrence in grain feedstock and the fate of mycotoxins during processing are also covered. During processing, starch is converted to glucose and then to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Most other components are relatively unchanged but concentrated in DDGS about 3-fold over the original feedstock. Mycotoxins, if present in the original feedstock, are also concentrated. Higher fold of increases in S, Na, and Ca are mostly due to exogenous addition during processing, whereas unusual changes in inorganic phosphorus (P) and phytate P indicate phytate hydrolysis by yeast phytase. Fermentation causes major changes, but other processing steps are also responsible. The causes for varying DDGS composition are multiple, including differences in feedstock species and composition, process methods and parameters, the amount of condensed solubles added to distiller wet grains, the effect of fermentation yeast, and analytical methodology. Most of them can be attributed to the complexity of the dry-grind process itself. It is hoped that information provided in this review will improve the understanding of the dry-grind process and aid in the development of strategies to control the compositional variation in DDGS.     

Effect of heat damage in an autoclave on the reactive lysine contents of soy products and corn distillers dried grains with solubles. Use of the results to check on lysine damage in common qualities of these ingredients

The suitability of the homoarginine reaction for determining the reactive lysine in soy products and corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) was tested. For this purpose, some batches were subjected to deliberate heat damage for up to 30 min in an autoclave with 135 degrees C hot steam, and the samples were analyzed for total lysine and reactive lysine. In addition, 84 samples of common soy and 80 samples of corn DDGS were tested for their content of total and reactive lysine, and the contents were compared with those of the autoclave tests. For soy products conclusive results were obtained. In the case of heat treatment, both total lysine and reactive lysine decrease, but the latter is clearly a more sensitive indicator of lysine damage. Most normal products are quite similar, with toasting-induced damage to reactive lysine of ca. 15% compared to untoasted beans. The cause of the constantly occurring residual lysine after guanidination and the poorer reaction balance in the case of damage were explained. For common DDGS samples, however, less favorable results were obtained. Reactive and total lysine decreased almost in parallel due to heat damage, showing a great gap between them. Results showed indeed that variation of total and reactive lysine in DDGS is high, proving that its production conditions are not yet optimal for a feed ingredient.     

化学预处理提高酒糟生物质酶解糖化效果

为促进酒糟生物质的酶解糖化,筛选适宜的预处理方法,以脱除木质素,提高综纤维素（纤维素和半纤维素之和）保留率为目标,研究比较了酸-超声波耦合（ultrasound-assisted acid pretreatment,UAAP）、液氨（pretreatment by soaking in aqueous ammonia,PSAA）、碱性双氧水（alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment,AHPP）和酸性亚硫酸氢盐（bisulfite pretreatment,BP）4种预处理法对酒糟化学组分、结构特性和酶解得率的影响。结果表明,与其余3种方法相比,BP法处理后酒糟的纤维素和半纤维素保留率最高,分别为84.59%和84.87%,即综纤维素保留率为84.68%。与未处理酒糟（unpretreatment,UP）相比,4种方法预处理后酒糟的综纤维素酶解得率分别提高了49.12%（酸-超声波,UAAP）、55.48%（液氨,PASS）、92.79%（碱性双氧水,AHPP）和99.15%（酸性亚硫酸氢盐,BP）,其中BP法对酒糟酶解糖化的促进作用最有效。扫描电镜（scanning electron microscope,SEM）和X-衍射（X-ray differaction,XRD）结果显示,酒糟经不同方法预处理后表观结构发生了明显变化,木质纤维网络结构遭到破坏,表面呈现无规则或形状各异的膨松状态,沟壑明显,孔隙率增加,比表面积增大,有利于提高水解酶的可及性。化学组分和结构特性的变化说明酒糟的酶解得率与综纤维素的保留、木质素的去除、表面微观形貌变化以及纤维素结晶度等因素直接相关。总之,酸性亚硫酸氢盐（BP）法是适用于酒糟生物质糖化预处理的一种有效可行方法。     

Survey of mycotoxins in U.S. distiller's dried grains with solubles from 2009 to 2011

Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is a major coproduct of the fuel-ethanol industry and is becoming a popular low-cost ingredient for animal feed. Uncertainties regarding the risk factors in DDGS, such as level of mycotoxins, could limit its application in the animal feed industry. To provide a scientifically sound assessment of the prevalence and levels of mycotoxins in U.S. DDGS, we measured aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, T-2 toxin, and zearalenone in 67 DDGS samples collected from 8 ethanol plants in the midwestern United States from 2009 to 2011. Among the five mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol was the main focus of the study because the crop year of 2009 was favorable for deoxynivalenol occurrence in corn. We learned that no more than 12% of the samples contained deoxynivalenol levels higher than the minimum advisory level for use in animal feed provided by the U.S. FDA, and the deoxynivalenol levels in all DDGS collected in 2011 were <2 mg/kg. Besides, intensive study showed that the enrichment of deoxynivalenol from contaminated corn to DDGS was about 3.5 times. With regard to the other mycotoxins in DDGS, the study suggested that (1) almost none of the DDGS samples produced in 2010 contained detectable aflatoxins and the highest level of aflatoxins in DDGS was 5.7 μg/kg; (2) no more than 6% of the samples contained fumonisin levels higher than the guidance level for feeding equids and rabbits provided by the U.S. FDA; (3) none of the samples contained T-2 higher than the detection limit; (4) most samples contained zearalenone levels between 100 and 300 μg/kg. This study was based on representative DDGS samples from the U.S. ethanol industry, and the data were collected using state-of-the-art analytical methodology. This study provided a comprehensive and scientifically sound assessment of the occurrence and levels of mycotoxins in DDGS produced from 2009 to early 2011 by the U.S. ethanol industry.     

Effect of wheat-based dried distillers' grains with solubles inclusion on barley-based feed chemical profile, energy values, rumen degradation kinetics, and protein supply

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of replacing the barley grain portion of the diet by wheat-based dried distillers' grains with solubles (wDDGS) at graded levels on feeding value for beef cattle. Two cultivars of barley were mixed with two sources of wDDGS in ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75% (weight DM basis; denoted B0, B25, B50, and B75, respectively). This study revealed that increasing wDDGS inclusion level increased most of the nutritional composition linearly except for starch, which linearly decreased (from 609 to 320 g/kg of DM). Soluble, slowly degradable, and undegradable Cornel Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) protein and carbohydrate fractions linearly increased with increasing wDDGS inclusion level, whereas their rapidly and intermediately degradable fractions decreased. With increasing wDDGS inclusion, the rumen degradation rate of all measured parameters decreased linearly, the extent of degradability of organic matter was not affected, and the extent of CP degradability (g/kg DM) as well as the predicted protein supply in the small intestine and degraded protein balance in the rumen was increased. The inclusion of wDDGS in barley-based diets up to 50% did not alter energy values of the diet. Furthermore, optimum N to energy balance of the feed mixture for microbial growth in the rumen was reached by replacing 25% of barley by wDDGS. Thus, the nutritive value of the barley-based diets is manipulated by including wDDGS, which can be used to overcome the shortcomings of barley-dominated diets for beef cattle.     

Possible utilization of ash from meat and bone meal and dried distillers grains gasification as a phosphorus fertilizer: crop growth response and changes in soil chemical properties

Purpose

Gasification process is regarded as a viable option for disposal of various types of organic waste. Its application to meat and bone meal (MBM) and dried distillers grains (DDG) is a new concept that is recently receiving more attention as possible strategy for safe recycling of these materials to benefit from their energy and nutrient value. Besides, this process produces ash that is rich in phosphorus (P) and may be suitable for utilization as a P fertilizer. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of these specific types of ashes as P fertilizer via evaluating their direct effect on canola growth, P uptake, apparent P recovery and changes in some selected soil chemical properties after their addition to a P-deficient soil.

Materials and methods

A growth chamber experiment was set up to meet the study objective. The experimental treatments included meat and bone meal ash (MBMA) and dried distillers grains ash (DDGA) applied at three rates (25, 50, or 100 kg P ha^?1) in comparison to a mineral (mono-calcium phosphate) fertilizer (MP) applied at the same rates in addition to non-P-treated soil (control).

Results and discussion

After a growth period of 5 weeks, the DDGA was the most effective ash type and provided biomass yield, P uptake, and apparent P recovery better or similar to that of MP, indicating high availability of its P. The MBMA had a limited effect on measured crop variables, suggesting that a significant portion of this ash P is present in insoluble form and is not as readily available for plant uptake. This was also indicated by its lesser effect on enhancing extractable available P remaining in soil after harvest in comparison to MP or DDGA. Application of all ash material caused a slight but significant change in soil content of inorganic N as well as soil pH and EC; however, this change was more evident with DDGA treatments.

Conclusions

Ash derived from gasified DDG was the most effective P fertilizer and was comparable to mineral fertilizer. The results of this study demonstrated that the effectiveness of organic material ash as a P fertilizer is controlled by the type of gasified feedstock. The positive results obtained from this study should stimulate further research on utilization of these ashes as a source of P for different crops in different soil types, especially repeated application under field conditions.     

青海省耕地资源开发利用分析及对策研究

分析论述了青海省耕地资源开发利用的现状、特点和问题。在此基础上,提出了对青海省耕地资源进行研究的框架体系和思路,同时基于GIS/RS技术设计了相关的技术路线。最后依据所做设计对青海省耕地资源开发利用做了初步分析,并进行了相关的对策研究分析。     

荔枝种子结构的扫描电镜观察

荔枝种子从果实中剥离出来后, 即使在室内条件下, 也极易失水干缩, 潮湿环境中又易发霉而腐烂。扫描电镜观察表明: 种皮上布满纹孔, 水分散失面积很大; 种脐部为疏松的海绵组织, 且营养丰富。据此, 生产上应对种子彻底清洗, 并保存于适当湿度的环境中, 以提高其发芽率。     

物联网安全及解决措施

物联网是一个集信息通信、数据交换、传感器技术与软件工程于一体的综合性产业,探讨和分析了物联网的结构体系与发展中遇到的安全问题。     

三门峡水库库岸坍塌成因分析与防治措施研究

三门峡水库自1960年9月蓄水运行以来,库岸坍塌现象频繁发生,平均每年塌岸0.5～0.7亿m3.指出了造成库岸坍塌的原因主要是地质环境的影响以及水力条件的变化;不同的地形、地貌、地质结构和岩性特征,表现了不同的塌岸强度,其中黄土塬区为极强塌岸段,黄河Ⅱ级阶地为强烈塌岸段,黄河Ⅰ级阶地为中等强烈塌岸段;分析了引起库岸坍塌的主要水力条件有大气降水、地表水和地下水,并且不同水力条件及其变化特征,对库岸坍塌影响的方式和程度也不同;最后给出了防治库岸坍塌应采用标本兼治的原则,治标是指对塌岸进行必要的加固、支挡、衬砌等;治本就是根据引起塌岸的原因以及不同地质环境条件下的塌岸特征和水力条件,因地制宜,因害设防,从根本上进行综合治理.     

Physical Properties of the Soils of Sibay City of the Republic of Bashkortostan

Eurasian Soil Science - The results of the study of the properties of urban soils of the city of Sibay located in the mining region of the Republic of Bashkortostan are presented. A specific...     

食用仙人掌萎蔫气象条件分析

塑料大棚内种植的食用仙人掌在土壤墒情较好时也有萎蔫现象发生，通过试验观测和对仙人掌生理习性的分析，发现阴雨过后天气突然放晴温度急剧上升易使仙人掌发生萎蔫现象，并提出了田间管理的应对措施。     

Heterogeneity of Organic Matter of Aggregates of Protocalcic Chernozems

Eurasian Soil Science - Layers were step-by-step removed from macroaggregates (2–1 mm in diameter) of Protocalcic Chernozems via successive abrasion in a revolving rotator during 5, 10, 15,...     

氟对小鼠生精细胞凋亡的影响及锌的保护作用

为观察氟对成年雄性小鼠生精细胞凋亡的影响及锌的保护作用,通过腹腔注射氟化钠建立氟中毒动物模型及锌保护实验。采用石蜡切片、苏木精-伊红染色(HE染色)、末端原位标记(TUNEL)及琼脂糖凝胶电泳的方法检测小鼠生精细胞的凋亡情况。结果显示:(1)氟感染组无论是低剂量组(NaF10 mg/kg)或是高剂量组(NaF 20 mg/kg)生精细胞都发生了明显的凋亡。生精细胞凋亡主要发生在精母细胞和精原细胞,凋亡指数与对照组差异极显著(P<0.05)。(2)无论是高剂量锌(ZnSO430 mg/kg)和低剂量锌(ZnSO415 mg/kg)都可以使凋亡指数明显降低,高剂量锌组的凋亡指数与对照组差异不显著(P>0.05)。     

Characterization of physical and chemical properties of Varzea soils of Goias State of Brazil

Abstract

Brazil has approximately 30 million hectares of lowland areas, known locally as “Varzea,”; distributed throughout the country. Soils in these areas have the potential to support agricultural production, but very little is known about their fertility. The current experiment was undertaken to characterize the chemical and physical properties of representative “Varzea”; soils collected at 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm depth intervals from 23 sites in Goias State of Brazil. Organic matter contents averaged 42 g/kg in the surface 20 cm of soil and should make a significant contribution to overall nutrient availability. Soil pH increased slightly with depth from a mean value of 5.2 in the surface 20 cm of soil to a mean value of 5.4 in the 60–80 cm depth interval. Several soils had exchangeable Al values ≥ 1.0 cmol Al/kg, but soil Al saturation was generally less than the 60% level frequently associated with Al toxicity. However, cereal and legume production could benefit from lime addition in many of these soils. Although base saturation was fairly low in some soils, exchangeable Ca and Mg levels were, in general, adequate throughout the profile. Extractable P levels were adequate in most surface soil samples. Extractable K levels in these soils were generally low, and the application of K fertilizers should be beneficial, especially in conjunction with lime addition. The high clay content “Varzea”; soils of the Brazilian lowlands have some drainage problems but generally exhibit favorable chemical properties for crop production when compared to soils of the well‐drained Cerrados.