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Objective: This research aims to examine the effect of different fermentation times on the results of scanning electron microscope energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), chemical, organoleptic, and microbiological quality of banana peel. Materials and Methods: The design in this study used a completely randomized design (four treatments and four replications). The treatments in this study were different durations of fer¬mentation of banana peels; T0 = no fermentation; T1 = 6 days; T2 = 12 days; and T3 = 18 days. The research parameters were chemical, organoleptic, microbiological quality, composition, and SEM-EDX images. Analysis of chemical, organoleptic, and microbiological quality data was done using analysis of variance, followed by Duncan’s multiple range testing at the 5% significance level, while the elemental composition and SEM-EDX images were analyzed descriptively. Results: The results of the study showed that the length of fermentation had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on moisture content, ash, crude fiber, nitrogen-free extract, and all organoleptic quality variables of banana peels. Different fermentation durations had no effect (p > 0.05) on crude protein, ether extract, metabolic energy, total lactic acid bacteria, total bacteria, Gram positive or negative bacteria, and total fungi on banana peels. The analysis showed that the elemental composition of banana peels is C, Na2O, Cl, K2O, MgO, SO3, SiO2, and P2O5. Conclusion: Eighteen days of fermentation improved the chemical quality, organoleptic, microbi¬ological, elemental composition, and SEM-EDX image of fermented banana peel.

Tropical forests store and sequester large amounts of carbon in above‐ and below‐ground plant biomass and soil organic matter (SOM), but how these are driven by abiotic and biotic factors remains poorly understood. Here, we test the effects of abiotic factors (light variation, caused by logging disturbance, and soil fertility) and biotic factors (species richness and functional trait composition) on biomass stocks (above‐ground biomass, fine root biomass), SOM and productivity in a relatively monodominant Guyanese tropical rainforest. This forest grows on nutrient‐poor soils and has few species that contribute most to total abundance. We, therefore, expected strong effects of soil fertility and species’ traits that determine resource acquisition and conservation, but not of diversity. We evaluated 6 years of data for 30 0.4‐ha plots and tested hypotheses using structural equation models. Disturbance increased productivity but decreased above‐ground biomass stocks. Soil phosphorus (P) enhanced above‐ground biomass and productivity, whereas soil nitrogen reduced fine root biomass. In contrast to expectations, trait values representing acquisitive strategies (e.g. high leaf nutrient concentration) increased biomass stocks, possibly because they indicate higher nutrient absorption and thus higher biomass build‐up. However, under harsh conditions where biomass increase is slow, acquisitive trait values may increase respiration and vulnerability to hazards and therefore increase biomass loss. As expected, species richness did not affect productivity. We conclude that light availability (through disturbance) and soil fertility—especially P—strongly limit forest biomass productivity and stocks in this Guyanese forest. Low P availability may cause strong environmental filtering, which in turn results in a small set of dominant species. As a result, community trait composition but not species richness determines productivity and stocks of biomass and SOM in tropical forest on poor soils. A plain language summary is available for this article. Plain Language Summary

Crown rot caused by fungal pathogen is the most prevalent postharvest disease in banana fruit that results significant economic losses during transportation, storage, and ripening period. Antifungal effects of ultraviolet C (UVC) irradiation at doses varied from 0.01 to 0.30 kJ m−2 were investigated in controlling postharvest crown rot disease, maintenance of fruit quality, and the effects on antioxidant capacity of Berangan banana fruit during ripening days at 25 ± 2°C and 85% RH. Fruits irradiated with 0.30 kJ m−2 exhibited the highest (i.e., 62.51%) reduction in disease severity. However, the application of UVC at all doses caused significant browning damages on fruit peel except the dose of 0.01 kJ m−2. This dose synergistically reduced 46.25% development of postharvest crown and did not give adverse effects on respiration rate, ethylene production, weight loss, firmness, color changes, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, and pH in banana as compared to the other treatments and control. Meanwhile, the dose also enhanced a significant higher level of total phenolic content, FRAP, and DPPH values than in control fruits indicating the beneficial impact of UVC in fruit nutritional quality. The results of scanning electron micrographs confirmed that UVC irradiation retarded the losses of wall compartments, thereby maintained the cell wall integrity in the crown tissue of banana fruit. The results suggest that using 0.01 kJ m−2 UVC irradiation dose as postharvest physical treatment, the crown rot disease has potential to be controlled effectively together with maintaining quality and antioxidant of banana fruit. UVC irradiation at 0.01 kJ m−2 could be considered as the optimum dose for Berangan banana, which effectively reduced disease severity without causing browning on the fruit peel.

Phosphorus (P) concentrations in sediments are frequently used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in freshwater and marine systems, with high values thought to be indicative of a high biological productivity. Recent studies suggest that the post-depositional formation of vivianite, an iron(II)-phosphate mineral, might significantly alter trends in P with sediment depth. To assess its importance, we investigate a sediment record from the Bornholm Basin that was retrieved during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment Expedition 347 in 2013, consisting of lake sediments overlain by brackish–marine deposits. Combining bulk sediment geochemistry with microanalysis using scanning electron microscope energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), we demonstrate that vivianite-type minerals rich in manganese and magnesium are present in the lake deposits just below the transition to the brackish–marine sediments (at 11.5 to 12 m sediment depth). In this depth interval, phosphate that diffuses down from the organic-rich, brackish–marine sediments meets porewaters rich in dissolved iron in the lake sediments, resulting in the precipitation of iron(II) phosphate. Results from a reactive transport model suggest that the peak in iron(II) phosphate originally occurred at the lake–marine transition (9 to 10 m) and moved downwards due to changes in the depth of a sulfidization front. However, its current position relative to the lake–marine transition is stable as the vivianite-type minerals and active sulfidization fronts have been spatially separated over time. Experiments in which vivianite was subjected to sulfidic conditions demonstrate that incorporation of manganese or magnesium in vivianite does not affect its susceptibility to sulfide-induced dissolution. Our work highlights that post-depositional formation of iron(II) phosphates such as vivianite has the potential to strongly alter sedimentary P records particularly in systems that are subject to environmental perturbation, such as a change in primary productivity, which can be associated with a lake–marine transition.

Cold plasma (CP) technology has proven very effective as an alternative tool for food decontamination and shelf-life extension. The impact of CP on food quality is very crucial for its acceptance as an alternative food processing technology. Due to the non-thermal nature, CP treatments have shown no or minimal impacts on the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory attributes of various products. This review also discusses the negative impacts and limitations posed by CP technology for food products. The limited studies on interactions of CP species with food components at the molecular level offers future research opportunities. It also highlights the need for optimization studies to mitigate the negative impacts on visual, chemical, nutritional and functional properties of food products. The design versatility, non-thermal, economical and environmentally friendly nature of CP offers unique advantages over traditional processing technologies. However, CP processing is still in its nascent form and needs further research to reach its potential.

This book takes the reader through all aspects of quality assurance, from the statistical basics and quality control tools to becoming accredited to international standards. The latest understanding of concepts such as measurement uncertainty, metrological traceability and interlaboratory studies are explained for a working chemist or her customer.

In the recent decades, global warming has caused water shortages all over the world. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of drought caused by climate change on the chemical quality of groundwater in Saveh County, Markazi province, Iran. The physicochemical parameters of 29 wells were analyzed by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) during the drought period 2004–2015. Wilcox and Schoeller diagrams were applied to evaluate the water quality of wells for irrigation and drinking purposes, respectively. Schoeller diagram was consulted to show the relative concentrations of anions and cations typically expressed in milliequivalents per liter. Also, the Wilcox diagram was consulted to determine the suitability of water for agriculture purposes. Finally, the geographic information system was applied to the zoning of the groundwater quality parameters. According to the results, almost 90% of wells were in the category of “very salty and harmful for agriculture uses” in the last year of the study period (2015). The Schoeller diagram suggests that the water quality of 72.5, 10.4, 65.5, 100, 44.9, and 69% of wells were inappropriate and exceeded the Iranian National Standard level, in terms of TDS, TH, Na + ، Mg 2+ , Cl − , and SO 4 2− in 2015, respectively. A decrease in yearly average precipitation during the studied period has not only caused overuse of groundwater as the primary water resources but also led to a significant decline in its chemical quality.

In this research, products with high quality were obtained from natural sources. The sensorial qualities, chemical characterization, and physical properties of gelatin extracted from chicken feet were compared with commercial gelatins. The extraction process was performed using acetic acid on a concentration ranging from 0.318% to 3.682%, processing time between 1.0 h and 8.4 h and extraction temperature between 43.3 °C and 76.8 °C. After the end of each assay, the yield was measured. Results showed that, under the best conditions, the collagen extraction yield was above 8%, and comprised 78.525 g/100 g of protein. Collagen analyzed by ICP-MS was composed of 99.44% of macro-minerals that are of great importance to human health. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that approximately 70.90% of the total protein from chicken feet is collagen, whereas, in commercial gelatin, only 30.31% is collagen. When comparing chicken gelatin with commercial gelatin, most sensory attributes were similar and chicken gelatin gained acceptance by more than 80% of the consumers. Additionally, the collagen films obtained from chicken feet and swine showed water absorption, odors, and texture characteristics similar to commercial material, such as latex and celofane. Consequently, due to its similarity to human skin, it is possible to apply it as a biocurative.

Background The food industry is gaining interest in nonthermal processing methods as an alternative to conventional pasteurization. In addition to preserving nutrition and sensory qualities, pulsed spark discharge (PSD) and plasma jet treatments have shown potential for microbial decontamination. In the current study, PSD treatment and plasma jet treatment are evaluated for their effectiveness in improving carrot juice’s microbial safety and quality. Methods Two different electrode configurations were used for PSD treatment of carrot juice samples, as well as plasma jet treatment of samples. Microbiological analyses were conducted to determine reductions in Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) spores, lactic acid bacteria, total aerobic bacteria, mold, coliforms, yeast, E. coli, and E. faecalis. A variety of nutritional parameters, including vitamin C, β‐carotene, and sugar content, were analyzed, along with changes in color and phenolic content. Results PSD 1, PSD 2, and plasma jet treatment reduced B. cereus spores by 4, 3, and 0.7 log10 (CFU/mL), respectively. During plasma jet treatment, all tested microbes were eliminated. After 6 min of PSD treatment, vitamin C remained stable but decreased with extended exposure. β‐Carotene levels remained unchanged for 7 min and then declined after 9 min. Additionally, reductions in sugar content were observed after 7 and 9 min, while increases in total phenolic content were observed. Despite an increase in yellowness and a decrease in redness, lightness did not change. Conclusion PSD and plasma jet treatments significantly enhance carrot juice’s microbial safety while maintaining its nutritional and sensory properties. In addition to improved shelf life and consumer appeal, these alternatives may prove valuable in the juice industry.

Here we describe the coupling of the chemical speciation software ORCHESTRA with the parameter estimation software PEST. This combination enables the computation of optimised model parameters from experimental data for the ion binding models implemented in ORCHESTRA. For testing this flexible tool, the NICA-Donnan model parameters for proton-, Cd- and Zn-binding to Laurentian fulvic acid were optimised. The extensive description of the method implementation and the examples provided facilitate the use of this tool by students and researchers. Three procedures were compared which derive the proton binding parameters, differing in the way they constrain the model parameters and in the implementation of the electrostatic Donnan model. Although the different procedures resulted in significantly different sets of model parameters, the experimental data fit obtained was of similar quality. The choice of the relation between the Donnan volume and the ionic strength appears to have a strong influence on the derived set of optimal model parameters, especially on the values of the protonation constants, as well as on the Donnan potential and Donnan volume. Optimised results are discussed in terms of their physico-chemical plausibility. Coherent sets of NICA-Donnan parameters were derived for Cd and Zn binding to Laurentian fulvic acid.