Search Results (4)

The solid waste generated from processing rosehip fruits into jam is valuable due to its rich content in fibres, polyphenols, and carotenoids; it could be valorised as a functional ingredient in a powder form to enrich food products. This study aimed to test its potential as a value-added ingredient, especially to enrich waffle cones with fibres, polyphenols, and carotenoids. In this regard, four formulations of waffle cones were prepared by partially substituting wheat flour with rosehip waste powder at 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, reaching concentrations of 0%, 3.7%, 5.7%, and 7.5% of the total batter, respectively. These were assessed for their sensory, textural, and techno-functional properties; proximate composition (including crude fibre); energy value; pH; and colour, as well as the content of carotenoids and polyphenols. The contribution of rosehip powder to the production cost of these waffle cone formulations was also determined. The results showed that using rosehip waste powder as an ingredient reduced the waffle cones powder’s capacity to hold water (from 3.11 g/g to 2.64–3.08 g/g) and to swell (from 4.98 mL/g to 4.23–4.48 mL/g), while it increased their oil-holding capacity (from 0.93 g/g to 0.96–1.19 g/g) and the content in fibre (from 1.58% to 3.41–4.83%), polyphenols (from 400.70 µg/g to 1732.26–2715.69 µg/g), and carotenoids (from n.d. to 6.86–14.28 µg/g); however, the solubility (72.65–75.33%), hardness (2.31–2.83 N), and fracturability (6–8) were not significantly influenced. The sensory acceptability of enriched waffle cones (92–93%) was higher than that of control waffle cones (90%). The production cost of a waffle cone increased by EUR 0.004–0.009 when wheat flour was substituted by rosehip powder in concentrations of 10–20%. In conclusion, to enrich waffle cones with fibres, polyphenols, and carotenoids, at least 10% of wheat flour must be substituted with rosehip waste powder in their manufacturing recipe. Full article

Chaff jamming is a widely used passive interference method. A chaff cloud diffusion model for the widespread chaff cloud was presented. The high-density chaff cloud aerodynamic model can rapidly predict the chaff elements’ time-varying spatial orientation, location, and overall spatial distribution. Basing on these pieces of information, the radar cross section (RCS) for the single chaff fibre can be obtained based on the method of moments (MoM). For high-density chaff clouds, the attenuation and shielding effects on the signal must be considered. This paper proposed a voxel splitting method in rotated coordinates, dividing the chaff cloud into rectangular cells with one side perpendicular to the direction of radar entry. The varied polarized RCS features of the chaff cloud were simulated and analysed on this foundation. By dividing the chaff cloud into dynamic voxels and considering the uneven density distribution of the chaff cloud and the signal attenuation in each segment caused by the continuous fluctuating shape, fine-grained simulations of the chaff cloud radar echoes can be performed. Full article

Small-scale food producers have been negatively impacted by the present pandemic and have been forced to use innovations with low-risk products as a means to increase sales. The object was to determine variations in the nutrient profile of peach jam with the introduction of amaranth or quinoa seeds, the latter having been rinsed beforehand to reduce saponin content. Three varieties of the jam were made, and these were subjected to a sensory evaluation by a panel of 30 untrained judges (consumers) and analysed to determine the variation in their composition as a result of the addition of the seeds. To the basic preparation, which consisted of peaches and sugar (PJ), 20% of quinoa seeds were added (QJ) at the bottling stage. To the third jam preparation, amaranth seeds were added in the same proportion (AJ). Official analytical techniques were used to determine their nutrient profile. The protein content increased from 0.23 g% (PJ) to 2.52 g% (QJ) and 3.38 g% (AJ). Total fat increased from 0.35 g% (PJ) to 0.74 g% (QJ) and 1.72 g% (AJ). Fibre increased from 2.13 g% (PJ) to 4.24 g% (QJ) and 2.86 g% (AJ). The incorporation of amaranth and quinoa improved protein profile, fibre and total fat intake and also resulted in a jam with a better nutrient profile, although there was only a slight reduction in carbohydrates, from 68 g% to 66 g%, after the seeds were added. Plum and apricot jam were also tested, and in all instances, the results were similar. Full article

Jamming is a popular and versatile soft robotic mechanism, enabling new systems to be developed that can achieve high stiffness variation with minimal volume variation. Numerous applications have been reported, including deep-sea sampling, industrial gripping, and use as paws for legged locomotion. This review explores the state-of-the-art for the three classes of jamming actuator: granular, layer and fibre jamming. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these soft robotic systems and propose opportunities for further development. We describe a number of trends, promising avenues for innovative research, and several technology gaps that could push the field forwards if addressed, including the lack of standardization for evaluating the performance of jamming systems. We conclude with perspectives for future studies in soft jamming robotics research, particularly elucidating how emerging technologies, including multi-material 3D printing, can enable the design and creation of increasingly diverse and high-performance soft robotic mechanisms for a myriad of new application areas. Full article