Search Results (4)

Grape polysaccharide extracts derived from winemaking by-products have been shown to affect key wine characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the application of different grape-derived, polysaccharide-rich extracts and commercial yeast products in white sparkling wines, since no other studies have been found. The impacts of these products on the volatile, phenolic and polysaccharide compositions, as well as on the foam properties and sensory characteristics, were evaluated. After 15 months of aging, the products used did not influence the color and phenolic composition of the sparkling wines. However, they had a positive effect on the volatile compounds, with treated wines showing a general increase compared with the control, mainly in ethyl esters and alcohol acetates, compounds associated with fruity and floral notes. The treated wines showed clear sensory differences compared with the control, including aromatic complexity, which may reflect better preservation of certain aromatic compounds over time. In addition, improvements in wine taste were observed, likely due to a reduction in perceived acidity and bitterness. These results demonstrate the potential of grape-derived polysaccharide extracts to preserve volatile compounds in sparkling wines and to enhance their aromatic complexity and mouthfeel, thus improving overall sensory quality. Full article

In practical applications, polyurethane (PU) foam must be rigid to meet the demands of various industries and provide comfort and protection in everyday life. PU foam components are extensively used in structural foam, thermal insulation, decorative panels, packaging, imitation wood, and floral foam, as well as in models and prototypes. Conventional technology for producing PU foam parts often leads to defects such as deformation, short shots, entrapped air, warpage, flash, micro-bubbles, weld lines, and voids. Therefore, the development of rigid PU foam parts has become a crucial research focus in the industry. This study proposes an innovative manufacturing process for producing rigid PU foam parts using silicone rubber molds (SRMs). The deformation of the silicone rubber mold can be predicted based on its wall thickness, following a trend equation with a correlation coefficient of 0.9951. The volume of the PU foam part can also be predicted by the weight of the PU foaming agent, as indicated by a trend equation with a correlation coefficient of 0.9824. The optimal weight ratio of the foaming agent to water, yielding the highest surface hardness, was found to be 5:1. The surface hardness of the PU foam part can also be predicted based on the weight of the water used, according to a proposed prediction equation with a correlation coefficient of 0.7517. The average surface hardness of the fabricated PU foam part has a Shore O hardness value of approximately 75. Foam parts made with 1.5 g of water added to 15 g of a foaming agent have the fewest internal pores, resulting in the densest interior. PU foam parts exhibit excellent mechanical properties when 3 g of water is added to the PU foaming agent, as evidenced by their surface hardness and compressive strength. Using rigid PU foam parts as a backing material in the proposed method can reduce rapid tool production costs by about 62%. Finally, an innovative manufacturing process for creating large SRMs using rigid PU foam parts as backing material is demonstrated. Full article

Humulus lupulus (hop) is a necessary material in beer brewing because its female inflorescences (called hop cones) give a floral aroma, bitterness and foam stability to beer. Various aspects of growth conditions in the cultivation area, especially temperature, strongly affect the yield and quality of hop cones. Recent estimates suggest that climate change accompanied by global warming is negatively impacting hop production, with high temperatures reducing the expression of genes that regulate beneficial secondary metabolites in hops. This underscores the need for techniques to enhance hop tolerance to high temperatures. This study explores the potential of N-acectylglutamic acid (NAG), a non-proteinogenic amino acid, to confer hops with tolerance against oxidative and heat stress by suppressing ROS accumulation. Exogenous NAG treatment activated the expression of HlZAT10/12 and HlHSFA2, which are putative homologues considered master regulators in response to oxidative and heat stress in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Additionally, histone acetylation, a histone modification associated with transcriptional activation, was increased at these stress-responsive genes in the NAG-treated hops. These findings reveal NAG as a potential chemical compound to mitigate hop production reduction caused by high temperatures and suggest the conservation of epigenetic modification-mediated regulation of gene expression in response to environmental stresses in hops. Full article

Bio-based polyurethane materials with abundant open-cells have wide applications because of their biodegradability for addressing the issue of environmental conservation. In this work, open-cell rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) were prepared with bio-based polyols (BBPs) derived from the liquefaction of peanut shells under different post-processing conditions. The influences of the neutralization procedure and filtering operation for BBPs on the foaming behaviors, density, dimensional stability, water absorption, swelling ratio, compressive strength, and microstructure of RPUFs were investigated intensively. The results revealed that a small amount of sulfuric acid in the polyols exhibited a great impact on physical and chemical properties of RPUFs while the filtering operation for those polyols had a slight effect on the above properties. The RPUFs prepared from neutralized BBPs possessed higher water absorption, preferable dimensional stability and compression strength than that fabricated from the non-neutralized BBPs. Moreover, the prepared RPUFs exhibited preferable water absorption of 636–777%, dimensional stability of <0.5%, compressive strength of >200 KPa, lower swelling rate of ca. 1%, as well as uniform cell structure with superior open-cell rate, implying potential applications in floral foam. Full article