Search Results (2,592)

The development of plant-based meat analogues with defined physicochemical, textural, techno-functional, and sensory properties is relevant amid the growing demand for sustainable protein sources. This study aimed to develop and mathematically model a plant-based meat analogue based on textured soy, pea, and wheat proteins in a minced meat form. Seven models of minced meat mixtures were prepared with the help of Mixture Design module of the Minitab program. Extreme Vertices was selected as the Type of Design and three types of textured vegetable protein were chosen as the variable components. Physicochemical indicators; techno-functional properties, including water absorption capacity, water absorption index, and oil absorption capacity; texture profile parameters; and sensory attributes were determined. Protein content ranged from 18.42 to 21.29% and caloric value from 181.11 to 184.02 kcal/100 g. All models of minced plant-based meat analogue formulations showed high techno-functional indicators. Texture profile analysis revealed differences between raw samples, whereas after cooking their textural characteristics approached those of the cooked beef control. Sensory evaluation showed that the best characteristics were obtained in formulations containing all three plant proteins, with predominance of soy and pea components. Mixture regression analysis and response surface optimization were used to evaluate protein effects and identify the optimal ratio in the Mixture Design module of the Minitab program. The composite sensory index and the hardness of the raw minced mixtures were used as the two responses. The composite sensory index was maximized while hardness was set to a target value of 4 N, corresponding to that of raw beef mince. Optimization determined the optimal textured protein mass fraction ratio: textured soy protein (0.598): textured pea protein (0.250): textured wheat gluten (0.152). These results can support further modelling of plant-based meat analogue formulations with improved sensory and textural properties. Full article

Cadmium (Cd) concentrations in Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica droppings were assessed during chick rearing using non-invasive sampling at nine Icelandic colonies. One fresh dropping was collected immediately after directly observed defecation from each of 159 different individuals in June–July 2018, and Cd was quantified by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry on a dry-weight basis. Reported Cd concentrations were strongly right-skewed (median, 155.2 µg kg⁻¹ dry weight; range, 1.1–3539.2 µg kg⁻¹) and differed among colonies in the primary unadjusted comparison (Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.001), with Holm-adjusted Dunn tests identifying 9 of 36 significant colony pairs. In a secondary model including dry sample mass, the colony effect remained strong (Wald χ²(8) = 108.75, p < 0.001), and adjusted geometric means spanned 24.2–506.9 µg kg⁻¹ dry weight (20.9-fold). Variance partitioning yielded an ICC of 0.261 (95% confidence interval, 0.104–0.519), which is interpreted as a model-dependent estimate given the nine colonies. No association with chick-provisioning prey composition or breeding performance remained detectable after false-discovery-rate correction. The 2018 dataset therefore shows pronounced colony-scale contrasts in reported Cd concentrations in droppings. Mechanistic attribution requires direct prey measurements and multi-year replication. Full article

Discoloration of soybean-based foods, particularly reddening during processing, remains poorly understood. In this study, yellow and red pigments associated with soybean reddening were extracted, purified, and characterized. The pigments showed distinct UV–Vis spectra, with a shoulder near 420 nm for the yellow pigment and an absorption maximum near 510 nm for the red pigment. Heat and pH stability experiments showed that the yellow pigment decreased during thermal treatment, accompanied by an increase in the red pigment. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed a consistent 2 Da mass difference and a common fragment ion, indicating a close structural relationship between the pigments. Both pigments were detected in soybean, soymilk, and tofu, and the red pigment increased during processing. The pigments did not correspond to known major soybean constituents. These findings suggest that soybean reddening involves the conversion of a yellow pigment into a structurally related red pigment during soybean processing. Full article

Package-level hygrothermal simulations commonly represent drying at epoxy molding compound (EMC) surfaces using idealized boundary conditions, which may not fully capture the coupled effects of bulk moisture diffusion and surface evaporation during reflow soldering and thermal cycling. This study developed a diffusion- and evaporation-based hygrothermal mechanical model for quad-flat no-lead (QFN) packages by incorporating an evaporation boundary formulation with moisture transport parameters obtained from independent moisture absorption and desorption experiments. The mass transfer Biot number S was introduced to quantify the relative roles of bulk moisture diffusion and surface evaporation in package desorption. Comparative simulations demonstrated that S influenced surface moisture removal kinetics and moisture retention during thermal loading, resulting in variations in predicted hygrothermal stress evolution. The proposed approach provides an experimentally calibrated and physically representative treatment of desorption boundaries for reliability analysis of plastic encapsulated packages. Full article

Black carbon is an important light-absorbing component of atmospheric particulate matter, with significant implications for urban air quality, climate forcing, human health, and sustainable urban development. Reliable monitoring of black carbon is therefore essential for assessing combustion-related pollution and supporting sustainable air quality management and emission-reduction strategies. This study evaluated the performance of the Multi-Wavelength Absorption Black Carbon Instrument for the offline determination of aerosol light absorption and equivalent black carbon under contrasting urban conditions. PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ samples were collected at urban-background sites in Krakow, Poland, and Athens, Greece, during winter and summer 2024, thereby covering heating and non-heating periods and a broad range of aerosol concentrations. Samples were collected in parallel on Quartz-fibre and Teflon filters. Their light absorption was measured offline using the Multi-Wavelength Absorption Black Carbon Instrument at 870 nm. Elemental carbon concentrations were independently determined on Quartz-fibre filters by thermo-optical transmittance using the EUSAAR_2 protocol, while continuous absorption measurements from an AE33 Aethalometer operated in Athens were used to assess the comparability of offline and online measurements. The consistency of two independent Multi-Wavelength Absorption Black Carbon Instruments operated in Krakow and Athens was also examined using a common set of filters. Strong linear relationships were observed between the offline absorption coefficients and elemental carbon concentrations, with coefficients of determination exceeding 0.90 for the investigated datasets. The offline measurements also reproduced the variability observed by the AE33, although they systematically yielded higher absorption coefficients than the continuous instrument. Quartz-fibre filters produced higher absorption values and higher apparent mass absorption cross-sections than Teflon filters, demonstrating a pronounced substrate-dependent effect. The differences in the quartz-based relationships between Krakow and Athens indicated that aerosol composition, source characteristics, ageing, and mixing state may also affect the relationship between optical absorption and elemental carbon concentration. These findings confirm that the instrument is suitable for offline and retrospective assessment of equivalent black carbon, particularly where continuous monitoring is unavailable. Reliable quantitative application requires filter-specific calibration and, where necessary, site-specific mass absorption cross-section values. By enabling the use of archived and routinely collected filter samples for black carbon assessment, this approach can complement continuous monitoring networks and support more accessible and sustainable air quality monitoring. Such measurements can contribute to the evaluation of pollution trends, emission-control measures, and evidence-based strategies aimed at improving urban environmental quality and advancing sustainability goals. Full article

To improve regeneration performance and shorten desorption time in amine-based CO₂ capture, this study proposes an integrated “blended-amine solvent and microwave regeneration” process. Triethylenetetramine (TETA) was used as the primary absorbent and blended with diethanolamine (DEA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP). Response Surface Methodology (RSM, Box–Behnken design) was employed to establish formulation–performance relationships, and an entropy-weighted TOPSIS method was further applied for multi-objective evaluation and optimization. The optimal formulation consisted of TETA, DEA, and AMP at a mass ratio of 6:1:2. Under the optimized conditions (20 wt% aqueous solvent, 30 °C absorption, 95 °C microwave regeneration), the solvent achieved an absorption capacity of 1.0 mol CO₂·mol⁻¹ amine with a CO₂ recovery of 93.56%. Compared with conventional heating, microwave regeneration markedly accelerated CO₂ desorption, reducing regeneration time from 30 min to 4 min. The estimated total regeneration energy was approximately 2.4 GJ·t⁻¹ CO₂ under microwave heating for the optimized blend. In addition, among the water/n-butanol formulations tested, the fully aqueous system showed the best overall absorption–regeneration performance. Overall, the data-driven solvent design coupled with microwave regeneration offers a practical route toward more efficient CO₂ capture processes. Full article

Zearalenone-14-glucoside (Z14G) is a common modified mycotoxin attracting considerable attention due to its high occurrence in feed and food, and its potential to transform into the parent form zearalenone (ZEN) in vivo. However, the toxicokinetic data in ruminants remain scarce. In this study, male sheep (n = 5) were orally administered a single dose of Z14G at 2 mg·kg⁻¹ BW. Serum, rumen fluid, urine, and fecal samples were collected at designated time points, and tissue samples were obtained at slaughter 168 h post-dosing. Concentrations of Z14G, ZEN, α-zearalenol (α-ZOL), β-zearalenol (β-ZOL), α-zearalanol (α-ZAL), β-zearalanol (β-ZAL), zearalanone (ZAN), and zearalenone-14-sulfate (Z14S) in these samples were determined using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-Qtrap-MS/MS), so as to explore the absorption, distribution, biotransformation, excretion patterns, and tissue residue profiles of Z14G. The results showed that Z14G was rapidly hydrolyzed in the rumen, with multiple metabolites detected within 1 h. Among these, β-ZOL exhibited concentrations of 154.75 ± 55.66 ng·mL⁻¹, followed by ZEN 83.56 ± 33.36 ng·mL⁻¹. In serum, ZEN, β-ZOL, and Z14G all reached peak concentrations at 30 min, with values of 20.25 ± 2.55, 3.01 ± 0.59 and 2.15 ± 0.78 ng·mL⁻¹, respectively. The half-lives of all three analytes were less than 3 h, with Z14G eliminated the fastest (t_1/2 = 0.94 ± 0.31 h) and ZEN the slowest (t_1/2 = 2.91 ± 1.49 h). The total excretion of Z14G and its metabolites in feces and urine accounted for 0.90 ± 0.14% and 0.04 ± 0.01%, respectively. Z14G was not detected in any tissues, but ZEN was detected (1.38–3.61 ng·g⁻¹). As the first systematic toxicokinetic investigation of Z14G in ruminants, this study provides critical data for food safety risk assessment of Z14G, and offers a theoretical basis for controlling Z14G contamination in ruminant feed. Full article

Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley is an important emerald-producing region in Asia. In this study, emeralds from Kamar Safid in Southeastern Panjshir were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy, and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). These Kamar Safid emeralds are generally small, light-green-to-green crystals. Microscopic observations revealed abundant acicular and tubular three- or two-phase fluid inclusions, with transparent feldspar-group mineral inclusions. Solid phases in the fluid inclusions commonly consist of carbonate crystals or several transparent halite daughter crystals. FTIR spectra of samples indicated that the absorption of type II H₂O was higher than type I H₂O in the emeralds from Kamar Safid. The UV-Vis-NIR spectra are characterized by Cr- and V-related absorption bands, which are stronger than Fe-related absorptions. LA-ICP-MS results indicate slightly higher V contents and lower Cr contents than emeralds from other Panjshir mining areas. The relatively low total Cr and V contents of Kamar Safid emeralds account for the overall lighter color, suggesting that Cr and V are the principal chromophores, whereas Fe secondarily modifies hue. Rb, Cs, and Sc contents are 6.2–24.3 ppm, 11.9–141.6 ppm, and 92–1461 ppm, with total alkali contents of 4903.10–14,257.18 ppm. Cs-Rb, Cs-Sc, Li-Cs, and Li-Sc binary logarithmic diagrams indicate enrichment in Sc and Rb and depletion in Li and Cs. Full article

Waste cooking oil (WCO) was investigated as a waste-derived reactive precursor for a cured organic binder in highly mineral-filled composites containing turmeric. Ten formulations selected from a broader experimental screening were prepared from WCO, sulfuric acid, quartz sand, and turmeric added at 1–7% relative to the dry mass of quartz sand. Formulation-specific thermal curing was conducted at 190–210 °C for 12–20 h. Because the binder content, acid-to-binder ratio, turmeric content, curing temperature, and curing time varied simultaneously, the study was designed as an exploratory multifactorial screening rather than as a controlled assessment of individual processing variables. FTIR, ¹H NMR analysis of acetone-soluble constituents, TGA, and SEM-EDS were combined with mechanical screening, water-absorption, contact-angle, and microbiological measurements. Bending and splitting tensile strengths ranged from 1.15 to 2.42 MPa and from 0.30 to 0.52 MPa, respectively. Water absorption ranged from approximately 4.8% to 9.0%, while water contact angles exceeded 90° for all investigated formulations. Selected formulations reduced the surviving fraction by more than 90% for Staphylococcus epidermidis and by approximately 70% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa under the applied suspension-assay conditions. The estimated C₅₀ values of 60.6–83.3 mg mL⁻¹ indicated measurable concentration-dependent responses at relatively high nominal composite concentrations. The available results support curing-associated transformation and consolidation of the WCO-derived binder phase but do not quantify crosslink density or retained organic content. Because no matched turmeric-free composite or surface/eluate pH measurements were available, the biological effects are attributed to the complete composite formulations rather than specifically to turmeric or intact curcumin. The results provide an exploratory basis for the further development of waste-derived, non-load-bearing polymer–mineral composites with functional surface and biological properties. Full article

Kalanchoe delagoensis is a Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) succulent plant native to Madagascar that has spread as an aggressive invader across subtropical and Mediterranean regions. Research on this species has focused almost entirely on its cardiotoxic bufadienolides, leaving its phenolic fraction largely unexplored. Here, we profiled the phenolics of dried K. delagoensis leaves by reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with UV-Vis detection and electrospray ionisation high-resolution mass spectrometry (RPLC-ESI-HRMS). Two flavonoid diglycosides produced the most intense signals and were tentatively annotated by MS/MS analyses as quercetin and kaempferol deoxyhexoside-pentosides; the former shares the formula and fragmentation of quercetin 3-O-arabinopyranosyl-rhamnopyranoside (QAR), the chemical marker of the congeneric K. pinnata. The remaining MS/MS supported features form a single combinatorial family of flavonol glycosides on kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin cores decorated with pentose, deoxyhexose, hexose, and hexuronic-acid units. Minor flavonol glycosides and mono- and digalloyl hexoses were also detected, and a malvidin-hexoside was putatively identified as a candidate contributor to the reddish leaf tint of the more sun-exposed leaves, supported by its absorption maximum at 520 nm and characteristic MS/MS spectrum. Folin-reactive compounds reached 47.0 ± 0.8 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dry leaf. These results extend the chemistry of K. delagoensis well beyond its bufadienolides, within the limits of a single clonal genotype and a single harvest. Full article

Oxygen-related absorption features provide fundamental constraints for passive atmospheric remote sensing in the reflected-solar spectrum. Because molecular oxygen is well-mixed in the dry atmosphere, O₂ absorption links measured radiance to atmospheric mass, pressure, and effective photon path length, while O₂-O₂ (O₄) collision-induced absorption provides complementary sensitivity to lower-tropospheric photon paths. This review synthesizes the spectroscopic basis, radiative-transfer mechanisms, satellite implementations, retrieval algorithms, and atmospheric applications of O₂ and O₄ measurements from the ultraviolet to the shortwave infrared. Particular emphasis is placed on the O₂ B-band near 687 nm, the O₂ A-band near 760 nm, O₄ bands in the UV–visible range, and the O₂ band near 1.27 µm. These features support retrievals of cloud fraction, cloud pressure, optical centroid pressure, aerosol layer height, surface pressure, dry-air column abundance, and light-path corrections for greenhouse gas observations. We review major algorithmic approaches, including cloud-as-reflecting-boundary models, cloud-as-layer models, DOAS-based retrievals, optimal-estimation frameworks, photon path-length distribution methods, and machine learning or hybrid techniques. Key applications include cloud climatology, aerosol vertical characterization, air mass factor correction, XCO₂ and XCH₄ retrievals, carbon-cycle studies, and multi-mission data integration. Remaining challenges include spectroscopic uncertainty, aerosol and cloud scattering degeneracy, surface bidirectional reflectance, three-dimensional radiative-transfer effects, wavelength-dependent path mismatch, and inconsistent uncertainty characterization. Future progress will depend on improved spectroscopy, active–passive validation, multi-angle polarimetry, physically constrained machine learning, and harmonized multi-mission retrieval frameworks. Full article

This study evaluated the potential use of waste mineral wool recovered from heating pipe insulation as a functional additive in cement concrete. The research aimed to determine the effect of this fibrous recycled material on the mechanical, physical, durability, thermal, and microstructural properties of concrete. One reference mix and three modified mixes were prepared, incorporating waste mineral wool at 12%, 16%, and 20% by cement mass. All mixes were prepared using CEM I 32.5R cement, 0/2 mm basalt aggregate, 2/8 mm granite aggregate, and a superplasticizer. After 28 days of sample curing, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, density, water absorption, frost resistance, and thermal parameters were determined. Microstructural observations were also performed on concrete fracture surfaces. The results showed that the addition of mineral wool reduced the compressive strength from 84.9 MPa for the reference concrete to 63.8–53.3 MPa for the modified concretes. At the same time, moderate dosing improved the splitting tensile strength, reaching a maximum of 3.93 MPa with a 16% addition. The most favorable thermal effect was achieved with a 12% addition, for which the thermal conductivity coefficient decreased from 1.3461 to 1.1988 W/(m·K). The results indicate that waste mineral wool can be used in concretes with limited structural function; however, its dosage requires optimization due to increased water absorption and decreased compressive strength. Full article

Firefighters are exposed to complex smoke containing volatile, semivolatile, aromatic, and particulate-associated organic contaminants that accumulate on skin, clothing, and protective equipment. Conventional gas sensors monitor only selected airborne species, while passive samplers require laboratory analysis and cannot provide continuous exposure assessment. To address this limitation, we developed a proof-of-concept mass-capacitor that integrates contaminant absorption and electrical sensing within a single polydimethylsiloxane/functionalized carbon nanotube (PDMS/f-CNT) composite coated on interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). Unlike conventional sensors that report the instantaneous concentration of selected compounds, the proposed platform functions as both a sorptive collector and an electrical transducer. It continuously converts contaminant uptake, retention, and release into a time-resolved electrical response. For firefighter applications, this mass-capacitor bridges the gap between passive sorptive samplers and conventional real-time gas sensors. It enables continuous tracking of the cumulative sorbed contamination burden without requiring offline laboratory analysis or restricting the measurement to selected airborne species. A custom potentiostat applied staircase cyclic excitation, while Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-assisted processing enabled extraction of the differential charge, $\mathsf{\Delta }Q$ as an indicator of contaminant loading. The sensor was evaluated using smoke generated from cotton, paper, wood, and synthetic fibers. Compared with PDMS alone, the PDMS/f-CNT composite produced an approximately 24-fold higher response with minimal humidity interference (≈80% RH). Limits of detection ranged from 0.08 to 0.26 ppm, while repeated smoke exposures produced stepwise increases in ΔQ, demonstrating continuous tracking of cumulative contaminant loading. These results establish the feasibility of the mass-capacitor concept and introduce a new approach for real-time monitoring of the accumulated organic contamination burden rather than the instantaneous concentration of individual airborne compounds. Full article

This study investigated the initial CO₂ absorption efficiency, initial average overall absorption mass transfer coefficient, absorption heat, heat of vaporization, density, and viscosity of the novel aqueous AMP–1,5-diamino-2-methylpentane (DA2MP)–MEA tri-solvent amine blend solution using a bench-scale absorption column process plant. The concentration of AMP was kept constant at 2 mol·L⁻¹, while the DA2MP concentration ranged from 1 to 2 mol·L⁻¹ and MEA concentration from 2 to 3 mol·L⁻¹, while the total tri-solvent amine blend concentration was kept at 6 mol·L⁻¹. Results showed that the AMP–DA2MP–MEA blend possessed some of the lowest densities but higher viscosities than the other studied amine systems. Results revealed that the AMP–DA2MP–MEA blend has a lower absorber column height (18% to 58%) to achieve initial 90% CO₂ absorption efficiency compared to other investigated amine solutions. Notably, the AMP–DA2MP–MEA blends achieved the greatest reduction in absorber height (41–58%) relative to the benchmark MEA solution. The AMP–DA2MP–MEA blend also possesses a higher initial absorber mass transfer coefficient compared with the benchmark MEA solution (65.9% to 118.9%), the AMP–DA2MP blend (6.6% to 40.6%), and the AMP–PZ–MEA blend (44.8% to 91%). The AMP–DA2MP–MEA blend has higher heat of vaporization (up to 9.8%) and absorption heat (up to 28.8%) compared with the other amine systems. These findings indicate that the AMP–DA2MP–MEA tri-solvent blend is a strong candidate for advanced CO₂ capture applications and requires further investigation. Full article

Recycled polymer-rich residues can alter several functions of wood-based panels, but claims of multifunctionality require property-specific evidence and transparent treatment of replication. Three-layer spruce particleboards were therefore prepared with 10 wt.% painted or unpainted polypropylene bumper granules, high-density polyethylene fuel-tank granules, tire rubber, seal-and-carpet residues, or electrical-cable fractions in the core layer. Two hybrid formulations contained 10 wt.% recycled rubber-rich filler plus 10 wt.% expandable graphite. Transient plane source measurements were evaluated at the specimen-pair level (two pairs per formulation); normal-incidence sound absorption and radiant-heat mass loss were complementary descriptive screens because the archived datasets contained one spectrum or one exposed specimen per formulation. Mean thermal conductivity varied only from 0.1908 to 0.2075 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ (−5.3% to +3.0% relative to the reference). The graphite hybrids showed the clearest change in transient response: thermal diffusivity increased by 19.6–20.1%, whereas volumetric heat capacity decreased by 14.5–16.7% and thermal effusivity by 6.5–8.7%. SC10G10 had the highest mean absorption coefficient over 126–6400 Hz (0.210; +46.2%) and the lowest mass loss after 600 s at 30 kW m⁻² (37.48%; −17.72%). Macroscopic and polarizing optical images showed formulation-dependent filler distribution and visible interfacial spaces, but they did not establish bonding mechanisms or quantify porosity. The results identify promising formulation-dependent responses while also defining the replication and structural measurements needed before application-level claims can be made. Full article