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Edible insects are repeatedly being considered as underutilized food candidate due to their high nutritional value. Although frequent acceptance of whole insects to consumer is still challenging, incorporation of insects in food as powder or paste has been suggested to increase their acceptability. Hence, Acheta domesticus and Gryllus assimilis were subjected to freeze drying, oven drying, and blanching to acquire a clear insight on the impact of the processing methods on the nutritional and physical properties of both species. Result showed that these three methods had limited effects on the proximate composition, fatty acid and amino acid profile but had significant impact on other parameters for both species. Vitamin B12 in A. domesticus did not change but G. assimilis changed due to the treatment. Freeze drying showed better lightness (L* value) and lower browning index for both cricket species. Oven drying and blanching resulted in lower lipid oxidation values than freeze drying for both cricket species; though lipid oxidation was in all cases well below the rejection limit. Esters were the predominant group of volatile compound in freeze and oven-dried cricket while least amount of volatiles were found in blanched cricket. The volatiles resulted from fatty acid oxidation were higher in freeze-dried crickets, while Maillard reaction products were found in oven-dried samples. Although freeze drying showed higher colour quality, oven drying exerted superior effect in terms of nutritional and flavour characteristics followed by blanching treatment.

The specific gravity (SG) of wood is a measure of the amount of structural material a tree species allocates to support and strength. In recent years, wood specific gravity, traditionally a forester's variable, has become the domain of ecologists exploring the universality of plant functional traits and conservationists estimating global carbon stocks. While these developments have expanded our knowledge and sample of woods, the methodologies employed to measure wood SG have not received as much scrutiny as SG's ecological importance. Here, we reiterate some of the basic principles and methods for measuring the SG of wood to clarify past practices of foresters and ecologists and to identify some of the prominent errors in recent studies and their consequences. In particular, we identify errors in (1) extracting wood samples that are not representative of tree wood, (2) differentiating wood specific gravity from wood density, (3) drying wood samples at temperatures below 100°C and the resulting moisture content complications, and (4) improperly measuring wood volumes. In addition, we introduce a new experimental technique, using applied calculus, for estimating SG when the form of radial variation is known, a method that significantly reduces the effort required to sample a tree's wood.

Drying plays a pivotal role in post‐harvest processing, influencing the quality, storability, and commercial value of cocoa beans. This study compared the impact of three drying techniques—open sun drying (OSD), convective oven drying (COD), and a modified convective oven drying method (MCOD), which emulates sun drying by controlling temperature and humidity—on the quality characteristics of fermented cocoa beans from Ghana. Key attributes assessed included pH, fermentation index (FI), fermentation quality (FQ), fat and polyphenol content, levels of free fatty acids (FFA), sugars, organic and amino acids, and the profile of volatile compounds. Beans dried using MCOD achieved the highest FI (1.16) and a higher FQ of 96.23%, closely mirroring results from OSD (FI = 1.14, FQ = 98.23%). COD produced the lowest values (FI = 0.90, FQ = 89.23%). Fat content was preserved in OSD and MCOD (52.82% and 52.03%, respectively), whereas COD resulted in a lower fat yield (40.29%). Total polyphenol content (TPC) peaked in COD samples (40.55 mg GAE/g), while MCOD had the lowest FFA content (0.77%). OSD and MCOD retained higher levels of sugars and free amino acids and showed richer volatile profiles. Principal component analysis revealed similar chemical profiles between OSD and MCOD, particularly in sugars, amino acids, and volatiles, while COD samples were more associated with organic acids. These findings suggest MCOD is a practical and scalable substitute for traditional sun drying, especially under unfavorable weather conditions. Further studies should examine its potential in retaining bioactives, minimizing mycotoxins, and preserving sensory attributes. Effects of cocoa drying techniques on bean quality: This study compares open sun drying (OSD), convective oven drying (COD), and a modified convective oven drying (MCOD) method on the quality of fermented cocoa beans. MCOD closely mimics OSD and preserves key chemical and sensory attributes—such as a high fermentation index, fat content, and volatile profiles—while COD results in higher levels of undesirable organic acids and a reduction in flavor precursors. The findings support MCOD as a viable and scalable alternative for improving cocoa quality in weather‐limited regions.

Abaca fibers were subjected to a TEMPO mediated oxidation to extract nanocellulose on a 500 L capacity locally fabricated reactor. A yield of 46.7% white gel material with 2.23% solid content was obtained from an overnight reaction. Transmission electron microscopy scan of the white gel material confirms the production of relatively short highly individualized cellulose nanofibril (CNF) as the diameter of abaca fiber was reduced from 16.28 μm to 3.12 nm with fiber length in the range of 100 nm to 200 nm. Nanocellulose film was prepared using air drying (CNF-VC) and vacuum oven drying (CNF-OD). The effect of CNF concentration on the physical, morphological, thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated. FTIR spectra showed cellulose I spectra between abaca fiber with both the CNF-VC film and CNF-OD film with two distinct peaks at 1620 cm−1 and 1720 cm−1 attributed to the carboxyl group resulting from the TEMPO oxidation. In addition, the carboxyl group decreases in thermal stability of cellulose. Moreover, the XRD scan showed a decrease in crystallinity index of CNF films compared to abaca fibers. CNF-VC film showed the highest tensile strength at 0.4% concentration with 88.30 MPa, while a 89.72 MPa was observed for CNF-OD film at 0.8% concentration.

Lake Nasser in Egypt contains significant tilapia fish quantities, yet consumption remains low due to its geographical isolation from marketing and consuming areas. Therefore, investigating efficient and economical Tilapia fish drying methods is essential. The current study developed and tested a solar dryer based on solar energy collection, using evacuated tubes at three Nile Tilapia slice (NTS) thicknesses of 4, 8, and 12 mm, and an air velocity of 0.5 m/s. The obtained result of the solar dryer with evacuated tubes (SDET) was compared with the other results of the oven liquid petroleum gas (OLPG) as an industrial drying method. The results obtained showed that the air temperature inside the drying room of the SDET ranged between 44 and 75 °C. The average initial moisture content (MC) was 74.83% (w.b.). For both systems, the drying time ranged between 13 and 17 h at the same slice thickness. The effective moisture diffusivity was in the range of 0.87 × 10 –11 to 5.66 × 10 –11 m 2 /s. Furthermore, the mathematical modeling revealed the Modified Midilli (II) and Modified Henderson and Pabis models as the most suitable models to describe the drying behavior of NTS dried on SDET. On the other hand, the environmental analysis indicates that the developed SDET can mitigate approximately 273.6 tons of CO 2 during its lifetime, resulting in a carbon credit equivalent of approximately 19,838.89 $. Additionally, the economic analysis of the SDET showed that the annual production of dried fish was 450 kg; this may result in substantial cost savings, amounting to a total of 608.4 $ per year. Also, the developed SDET had a payback period of approximately 0.413 years or less than half a year.

Secagem por pulverização, secagem por congelamento, secagem em forno a vácuo e secagem em forno de convecção foram utilizados para obtenção de Kuini em pó. Cor, atividade de água, teor de umidade, higroscopicidade, molhabilidade, fluidez, grau de aglomeração, índice de solubilidade em água, mudança de cor total, teor de fenólico total e teor de carotenoide total dos produtos de Kuini em pó foram determinados e comparados. A secagem em estufa de convecção resultou em maior rendimento (46,97%), teor de umidade (4,91%), atividade de água (0,55) e índice de solubilidade em água (74,33%), entre todos os métodos de secagem. No entanto, o produto seco em forno de convecção apresentou a menor higroscopicidade e molhabilidade, que foram de 18,66% e 12,04 s, respectivamente. A secagem por spray resultou em baixa higroscopicidade (22,41%), grau de aglomeração (22,16%), molhabilidade (275s), índice de solubilidade em água (45,67%) e grande mudança de cor (59,81). A menor mudança total de cor (19,05) e o maior amarelecimento (57,31) foram observados na liofilização. Além disso, o produto liofilizado apresentou o maior teor de fenólicos totais (24,76 mg/100 g) e de carotenoides totais (1,61 mg/100 g). A temperatura de secagem teve correlação negativa e significativa com a retenção de pigmentos e o teor de antioxidantes. As propriedades físico-químicas e o conteúdo antioxidante do Kuini liofilizado o tornam preferível em relação aos pós secos por pulverização, secos em estufa a vácuo e secos em estufa de convecção. Portanto, a liofilização oferece uma aplicação potencial em produtos alimentícios.

The present study was conducted to compare the antibacterial activity of oven‐dried and freeze‐dried Allium sativum along with its spray‐dried microencapsulated essential oil in the preservation of minced beef meat. Allium sativum extracts were tested against mesophilic aerobic microorganisms, coagulase‐positive staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., and the sulfite‐reducing anaerobes. A difference between the chemical compositions of powders obtained by the conventional oven‐drying and freeze‐drying has been verified by HPLC‐MS2, freeze‐dried fresh garlic powder contains 74% of allicin, and 12% cysteine sulfoxides comparing to the oven‐drying garlic powder in which is detected two thiosulfinate isomers: allicin (67%) and allyl‐1‐propenyl thiosulfinate (21%). CIELAB color analysis was performed to assess the effect of drying temperature on powders. The microflora‐inhibiting effect of freeze‐dried fresh garlic and the spray‐dried microencapsulated essential oil at a concentration of 20% represents a promising way to be used in food systems such as meat and meat products preservation, at 4–8°C. The microflora‐inhibiting effect of freeze‐dried fresh garlic and the spray‐dried microencapsulated essential oil at a concentration of 20% represents a promising way to be used in meat preservation, at 4–8°C.

Yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) represents a sustainable source of proteins and fatty acids for feed and food. Industrial production of mealworms necessitates optimized processing techniques, where drying as the first postharvest procedure is of utmost importance for the quality of the final product. This study examines the nutritional quality of mealworm larvae processed by rack oven drying, vacuum drying or freeze drying, respectively. Proximate composition and fatty acid profile were comparable between the dried larvae. In contrast, larvae color impressions and volatile compound profiles were very much dependent on processing procedure. High-temperature rack oven drying caused pronounced darkening with rather low content of volatiles, pointing toward the progress of Maillard reaction. On the other hand, vacuum drying or freeze drying led to enrichment of volatile Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation intermediates, whose actual sensory relevance needs to be clarified in the future. Beyond sensory and visual importance drying intermediates have to be considered with regard to their metal ion chelating ability; in particular for essential trace elements such as Zn2+. This study found comparable total zinc contents for the differently dried mealworm samples. However, dried larvae, in particular after rack oven drying, had only low zinc accessibility, which was between 20% and 40%. Therefore, bioaccessibility rather than total zinc has to be considered when their contribution to meeting the nutritional requirements for zinc in humans and animals is evaluated.

Background Drying is a critical post-harvest process for medicinal plants, which are typically high in moisture and microorganisms. To prevent spoilage and quality loss, it is essential to dry these plants promptly. The drying method significantly impacts the levels of secondary metabolites and the organoleptic characteristics of medicinal plants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of various drying methods on the total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, and phenolic acids in caper ( Capparis spinosa L.) fruits. The experiment was performed using a completely randomized design with three replications and included 11 treatments: shade drying, sun drying, oven drying (at 50 °C, 60 °C, and 70 °C), microwave drying (at 300 W, 600 W, and 900 W), freeze-drying, salt-drying, and a fresh plant sample as a control. Results Among the drying methods tested, microwave drying consistently produced the highest levels of flavonoids, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity, regardless of wattage. Specifically, the highest total phenol content was observed in samples dried at 900 W microwave, 600 W microwave, and 70 °C in the oven (5.3, 5.37, and 5.31 mg GAE/g DW, respectively). Drying at 600 W microwave yielded the highest levels of caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, vanillic, and protocatechuic acids (13.03, 3.85, 4.28, 9.73, and 5.6 µg/g, respectively) while drying at 900 W microwave also resulted in elevated levels of caffeic, ferulic, protocatechuic, and p -coumaric acids. The 70 °C oven drying method also showed high levels of caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, vanillic, and protocatechuic acids. Freeze-drying achieved the highest levels of rosmarinic, gallic, and m -coumaric acids (320.17, 175.3, and 12.99 µg/g, respectively), while shade drying produced high levels of p -hydroxybenzoic, cinnamic, ferulic, m -coumaric, protocatechuic, and p -coumaric acids. Conclusions Overall, microwave drying (especially at 600 W), oven drying at 70 °C, and freeze-drying emerged as effective alternatives to traditional drying methods. These methods not only preserved the color, texture, and taste of the fruits but also enhanced their bioactive compound levels.

The specific gravity (SG) of wood is a measure of the amount of structural material a tree species allocates to support and strength. In recent years, wood specific gravity, traditionally a forester's variable, has become the domain of ecologists exploring the universality of plant functional traits and conservationists estimating global carbon stocks. While these developments have expanded our knowledge and sample of woods, the methodologies employed to measure wood SG have not received as much scrutiny as SG's ecological importance. Here, we reiterate some of the basic principles and methods for measuring the SG of wood to clarify past practices of foresters and ecologists and to identify some of the prominent errors in recent studies and their consequences. In particular, we identify errors in (1) extracting wood samples that are not representative of tree wood, (2) differentiating wood specific gravity from wood density, (3) drying wood samples at temperatures below 100°C and the resulting moisture content complications, and (4) improperly measuring wood volumes. In addition, we introduce a new experimental technique, using applied calculus, for estimating SG when the form of radial variation is known, a method that significantly reduces the effort required to sample a tree's wood.