Dispersion of watermelon rinds as secondary raw materials in technologies of pectin-containing extracts and film structures

The development of protective coatings based on pectin substances that serve as natural structure-forming agents developed from a secondary resource base is focused on removing a complex problem in the production of finished products by deep processing of basic raw materials and developing an original film material. At the same time, the technical result of obtaining pectin-containing film structures is their ability to protect food products from microbiological spoilage, natural losses during storage and the preservation of quality and safety indicators. An important preparatory procedure that determines the efficiency and intensity of extraction processes can be attributed to the operation of dispersing the feedstock, since it directly affects the size of the contact surface area of the phases involved in mass transfer. However, it is clear that the greater the degree of grinding, the higher the efficiency of the process, but an excessive increase can lead to additional unjustified energy costs and, as a result, to an increase in the cost of the finished products sold. In this regard, the purpose of the research is to analyze existing technologies for producing pectin-containing extracts, in which watermelon rinds can be used as secondary resources and to intensify the extraction process by conducting a rational preparatory procedure for grinding the raw materials. The object of the research are watermelon rinds as non-recyclable waste from processing watermelon raw materials. According to the obtained graphs, and taking into account the high rates of gelatinization of the obtained pectin extracts, it is possible to recommend a complex treatment of watermelon rinds, including, in addition to the operations of preliminary preparation of raw materials, ultrasonic exposure and acid hydrolysis, and it is desirable to use food acids, for example, acetic or citric, instead of aggressive sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. As a result of the study of the dispersed composition, it has been concluded that the average equivalent particle size of the dispersed raw materials does not exceed the recommended limits, that is, the result obtained can be considered acceptable.

Assessment of the Coastal Vulnerability to the Ongoing Sea Level Rise for the Exquisite Rhodes Island (SE Aegean Sea, Greece)

The foreseeable acceleration of global sea level rise could potentially pose a major threat to the natural charm and functional integrity of the world-renowned tourist coastal attractions of Rhodes Island, as a result of the anticipated increasing frequency of flooding and erosion events. Hence, this study aims to determine the most vulnerable segments (in terms of physical impact) of the Rhodes coastline through the widely accepted coastal vulnerability index (CVI), applying a combination of well-known, broadly used approaches and methods. The frequency distribution of the current CVI along the island’s coastline suggests a rather worrying high to very high vulnerability of 40%. In addition, a CVI projection to the end of the 21st century (based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predictive scenarios) indicates an enhancement of the total vulnerability by 48%, mainly focused on the majority of the western coastline. Hence, a considerable number of popular coastal destinations in the island shall remain under unignorable threat and, therefore, coastal managers and decision-makers need to hatch an integrated plan to minimize economic and natural losses, private property damage and tourism infrastructure deterioration from flooding and erosion episodes, which will most likely be intensified in the future.

Determination of standards of raw timber natural losses due to shrinkage at long-term dry storage

The aim of the article is to describe the issue of determining the characteristics and parameters of raw timber natural losses due to shrinkage at long-term storage, defining the theoretical basis for creating standards, and verify its finding by means of a case study in raw timber storing. This issue is very topical in forestry practice in the Czech Republic as well as in other countries. The lower and upper limits of the standards were calculated, and the proposed mean value was grouped according to woody plants that reflected the most frequent commercial usage with respect to subsequent processing. Subsequently, experimental verification was carried out on a representative sample of 2 209.99 m3 of raw timber of Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ H. Karst.) at selected forest administrations. Furthermore, the article addresses the related accounting and tax issues of the standards of natural losses of raw timber. Currently, no legislation mandates an entity to establish standards.

Glycine max oil physical-chemical quality obtained of irradiated seeds

Ionizing radiation applied to agriculture has mainly benefited food production, as it reduces natural losses caused by physiological processes, as well as eliminating or reducing microorganisms, parasites and pests. In addition, this technique also allows the production of mutants with characteristics of greater productivity, precocity, smaller size, greater resistance to diseases and pests. These mutants are used to obtain new varieties of species of agronomic interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physic-chemical quality of the oil extracted from seeds of G. max (soybean) obtained from irradiated seeds with different doses of gamma radiation (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 Gy of a Cobalt-60 source, type Gammacell-220 installed in CENA-USP). The physic-chemical analyzes included: AOCS Cd-3d-63, AOCS Cd-3-25 and AOCS Cd-1-25, Acids Index (I.A), Saponification Index (IS), Iodide Index (II), respectively. All analytical determinations were performed at least in triplicates. The values found for I.A., for I.S. and for I.I., did not differ from the oil sample obtained from soybean seeds from control subjects (without irradiation) regardless of the concentration and dose of radiation applied to the seeds. The oil analyzed did not show physical-chemical variation in comparison with the oil obtained from non-irradiated seeds, thus suggesting the absence of modifications in these parameters after the genetic improvement induced by the radiation.

Influence of form and size of a root on the storage life of kitchen beetroot

Kitchen beetroots have a series of high-value parameters: good taste properties, healing-prophylactic importance, ability to long-term storage. There are many sorts of kitchen beetroot, different by root form. Most widespread are ones of the round and cylindrical forms. At the same time plants of kitchen beetroot at growing form roots of different masses. The aim of the study was to investigate the storage life of kitchen beetroot depending on form and root sizes. The conducted studies give a possibility to substantiate scientifically an influence of kitchen beetroots’ form and sizes on their storage life for determining its term. It has been established, that roots of the round form of the Kharkiv Bordo sort lost moisture more intensively at the expanse of breath and evaporation – 4.4–5.4 %. In the Vital sort with roots of the cylindrical form, mass natural losses were 4.1–5.1 %. At that more natural mass losses were in small roots with mass 150–300 g. Small roots were more inclined to sprouting at storage. Among sprouted roots, 1.6–1.8 % were small ones with mass 150–300 g. More percent of sprouted roots was for ones with mass 500–700 g as 2.3–2.5 %. At that less percent of sprouted roots was in the Vital sort of the cylindrical form. Small roots with mass 150–300 g were more damaged by rots at storage – 10.4–12.3 %. Among roots of middle sizes, 6.0–6.8 % were damaged by rots, among big ones – 4.5–4.7 %. It must be also noted, that cylindrical roots of the Vital sort were less damaged by rots at storage than round ones of the Kharkiv Bordo sort

CHANGES OF INDEXES QUALITY OF MUSHROOMS DEPEND ON DURATION AND STORAGE CONDITIONS

The results of investigations of the effect of duration and conditions of storage on changes in the quality of mushrooms of the Agaricus Bisporus (AB) of strain IBK-25 and Pleurotus Ostreatus (PO) of strain NK-35 were presented in the article. Changes in the quality of mushrooms were determined before and after 6 days of storage by organoleptic, marketability and chemical parameters. The temperatures of storage were minus 1, 1, 3 and 5°C and relative humidity – 90±1%. The quality of products was evaluated by appearance, magnitude of natural losses (NL), output of marketability mushrooms and chemical parameters (dry matter (DM), protein nitrogen (PN), ascorbic acid (AA)). The results of visual observations during 6 days were indicated that better temperature of storage for mushrooms was 1°C. AB at a temperature of minus 1°C frozen and after defrosting was not suitable for utilize, and the PO restored own structure and after sorting them could be processed. The quantity of marketability AB during 6 days of storage at a temperature of 3°C decreased by 3.4 and 3.5%, PO – by 3.4 and 3.8%, compared with the control; at 5°C – in AB by 19.2 and 20.6% and in the PO by 12.4 and 13.1%, respectively, depending on the waves of fruiting. NL of PO after 6 days of storage at 5°C were greater than AB as a result larger evaporation area, but they had smaller quantity of non- marketability mushrooms 8.7–9.9% against 17.7–19.3%. The output of marketability products at a temperature of 1°C in both species of mushrooms was approximately the same but at the temperature of 5°C in PO it was higher on 9.0-9.4%. Term of storage of AB during 6 days had effect on the changed quantity of some chemical substances: the amount of DM decreased (by 5.3-17.4%), AA (by 7.4-25.9%) but almost did not change the quantity of PN. Similar trends were observed for PO. Thus, as a result of the conducted researches we recommend as an optimum temperature regime of storage for mushrooms of AB and PO 1°С because it provides preservation of their organoleptic, marketability and chemical indicators.

INVESTIGATION OF POTATO STORAGE QUALITY DEPENDING ON VARIETY PECULIARITIES

The aim of the research was to analyze an influence of variety peculiarities, different ripeness groups of potato of Dutch selection on storage quality. It has been established, that the output of commodity products in early varieties is in average 88.22±1.53 %, in middle-ripening ones – 96.87±1.09. Among the group of early-ripening varieties, there must be separated Kristina with the output of commodity products at the end of storage as 90.15 %. The lowest output of commodity products is in the variety of Tornado – 87.09. The variation coefficient of the commodity products output is 1.9 %, that is the commodity products output varies little. In the group of middle-ripening variety, higher storage quality was observed in varieties Elekta and Setanta. The commodity products output was 92.97 and 92.2 9 % respectively. Natural mass losses for the period of storage in tubers of all varieties were in average 4.2 %, among them 72.9 % at the expanse of moisture evaporation, and 27.1 % – at the expanse of breathing. In the group of early varieties, mass losses varied from 4.1 % in the variety Kristina to 5.1 % in the variety Banda. Variation coefficient 7.4 % testifies to the small fluctuation of mass losses in the studied potato varieties. In the group of middle-ripening potato varieties, mass losses varied with the middle force, variation coefficient 19.5 %. The lower mass loss was observed in the potato variety Elekta as 3.28 %. Total losses for 6.5 months of storage were 11.78±1.53 in potatoes of the early varieties and 7.91±1.09 in the middle-ripening potato varieties. Losses were distributed in such a way: in the early varieties 39.6 % are natural losses, 34.4 – technical spoilage and 26 % – absolute spoilage. In the group of middle-ripening potato varieties there was observed the ratio of typical and total losses: natural losses were 47.3 %, technical spoilage 32.0 %, absolute spoilage 20.7 %

Method for the Reduction of Natural Losses of Potato Tubers During their Long-Term Storage

The purpose of the study was to establish whether UV-C radiation applied to potato tubers prior to their storage affected their natural losses over a long period of time. A custom-built UV-C radiation stand constructed for the purpose of this experiment was equipped with a UV-C NBV15 radiator generating a 253.7 nm long wave with power density of 80 to 100 μW∙cm−2. Three varieties of edible medium late potatoes, Jelly, Syrena, and Fianna, were the objects of the research. The measurement of tightly controlled storage conditions was carried out over three seasons between 2016/2017 and 2018/2019, in a professional agricultural cold store with automated adjustment of interior microclimate parameters. The obtained data were processed using the variance analysis (α = 0.05). There was a statistically significant reduction in transpiration- and respiration-caused losses in the UV-C radiated potato tubers in comparison to those of the control sample. Additionally, the Jelly variety reacted to UV-C radiation demonstrating a reduction in sprout weight.

STUDY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN CORN GRAIN DURING STORAGE UNDER HERMETIC CONDITIONS

In recent decades, in addition to the traditional grain storage in dry conditions, the technology of grain storage without access of air - in hermetic conditions has gained a widespread in polymeric grain bags (silobags). The aim of the research was to study the regularities of the physiological processes of respiration in maize grain when stored in hermetic conditions, which would determine the terms of safe storage of different humidity grain in polymeric grain bags and reduce the costs of its processing and storage. The object of research is the technology and processes of freshly harvested corn grainstorage. As the main subject of the study, a dent-type hybrid of corn DKS 3705 was used, which, according to its botanical and agronomic properties, was better for use on food and non-food needs and for export. On the basis of the conducted researches it was established that with an increase in initial moisture of grain from 14% to21% and subsequent storage in hermetic conditions at constant temperatures the natural losses of dry matter of grain increase in comparison with losses of dry matter of grain with standardhumidity (14%), in particular, at a temperature of 18 ºС by 112%, at a temperature of 11 ºС by 296% and at a temperature of 4 ºС by 123%. Thus, it is shown that the decrease of the temperature regimes of grain storage of maize with different initial humidity under hermetic conditions contributes to the reduction of the intensity of thenatural physiological processes in it and, consequently, the natural losses of its dry matter. It has been established that during storage of corn grain for three months and reduction of temperature storage conditions from 18 ºС to 11 ºС in samples of grain with an initial humidity of 14% decrease: the absorption rate of oxygen by 34%, carbondioxide emissions, loss of dry matter and the production of thermal energy by 66%. For a grain with an initial humidity of 21%, the reduction in intensity under the same conditions is: for absorption of oxygen 22%, the production of carbon dioxide 28%, losses of dry matter 37% and the production of thermal energy 23%. Reducing the storage temperatures of corn from 11 ° C to 4 ° C in samples of grain with an initial humidity of 14% reduces the intensity: absorption of oxygen by 79%, carbon dioxide generation by 60%, dry matter loss by 60%, and the generation ofthermal energy by 60%. For grain with an initial moisture content of 21% under the same conditions, the intensity decreases: oxygen absorption by 28%, carbon dioxide generation by 77%, dry matter loss by 77%, and heat generation by 77%. Established regularities of the physiological processes in corn grain with different initial humidity when stored in hermetic conditions at different temperatures, it is possible to predict the characteristics of gas exchange processes in the grain mass, natural losses of dry matter and the generation of heat during storage of grain.