Chip Samples Research Articles

Microstructural properties of potato chips

Abstract The microstructure of foods and their response to both deformation and hydration is anticipated to be a key driver in texture and taste perception during comminution and oral processing. Here we characterise the microstructure of potato chips (crisps) using a broad range of microscopy techniques and labelling methods to capture potato cell structure and fat distribution at different length scales, as well as assess the influence of hydration. Our methods are shown to distinguish commercial samples of traditional fried chips (i.e. formed from sliced potatoes) and those formed via fabrication. Whilst both potato chips are a packed array of potato cells and thus microstructurally similar, upon hydration the potato cells in the fabricated samples separate and disperse in suspension while the tissue structure of the traditional chips remains essentially intact. We find that a significant proportion of the fat in fried chips is associated as thin film with the potato cell walls both at the surface and within the structure, while it is present as droplets at the fabricated chip surface. Upon excess hydration, the oil in both types of PCs coalesce into larger droplets. Frying of isolated cells and tissues damages cell walls and allows movement of oil into the potato cells, which may also occur for fried potato chips. The study highlights that despite the similarity in the microstructure of intact chips, subtle differences arising from processing/formulation lead to large differences in the response of the structure to hydration that needs to be considered in food structure design.

Implicit transaction cost management using intraday price dynamics

ABSTRACTUsing the Exchange Liquidity Measure, we show that implicit transaction costs exhibit intraday regularities around specific price change signals for a sample of European blue chips publicly quoted on Euronext. Not only transaction costs follow a reverse J-shape throughout the day but they also decrease significantly around specific patterns of price dynamics. By focusing on these signals during the trading day, liquidity traders may detect intraday windows of opportunities during which implicit transaction costs are lower.

Use of 2-Naphthalenethiol for Derivatization and Determination of Acrylamide in Potato Crisps by High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic with Fluorescence Detection

The present study proposes an alternative analytical method for the determination of acrylamide in potato chips, using 2-naphthalenethiol as derivatization reagent followed by a HPLC separation with fluorescence detection to be used as a routine analytical procedure in the potato chip industry. The proposed method requires a relatively low-cost instrumentation compared to the mass spectrometry-based methods or other sample cleanup techniques. The optimal conditions for the derivatization process were a reaction temperature of 90 °C, reaction time of 40 min, and a concentration of 7.3 mM of 2-naphthalenethiol. The sample preparation consisted only in an aqueous extraction and a defatting step with hexane. The limit of detection obtained was 129.2 μg kg−1. The acrylamide content of nine commercial potato chip samples was found in the interval of 269.21–1405.30 μg kg−1.

A Comparative Quality Evaluation of White Yam (Dioscorea Rotundata) and Water Yam (Dioscorea Alata) Chips as African Fries

This study was conducted to evaluate the quality characteristics of Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea alata as alternative to potato in French fries production and effect of frying time on the quality index and acceptability of resultant yam chips. The yam chips were pretreated by blanching for 10minutes at 90o C, and soaking in 5% citric and sodium metabisulphite acid solution for a period of 30minutes. The treated blanched yam chips were deep fried at 170o C for 21 minutes, but the chips were withdrawn at intervals of 3minutes to determine the moisture content, textural properties and sensory attributes of the chips. The proximate composition of the fried chips was evaluated using established procedures of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The textural properties such as Peak force and deformation at break of the deep fried chips were determined using a Universal Instron testing machine.The fried yam chips were subjected to sensory analyses (colour, crispiness, mouthfeel, taste, overall acceptability) using a 9- point Hedonic scale. Data obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance ANOVA and means separated by Duncan Multiple Range test. The result of the proximate analysis on the two varieties of raw yam tubers showed that wateryam (D.alata ) had a significant (p>0.05) higher moisture content (69.49%) and protein values (7.60%) than white yam (D. rotundata) having 64.84% and 4.55% respectively).D alata had a significant (p>0.05) high fibre content of 2.34 % compared to D rotundata which had 1.42%. On the other hand, D. rotundata, has greater amount of carbohydrate (26.70%) than D. alata with (20.18%). A significant (p< 0.05) lower moisture content existed for the fried chips samples from 3 minutes to 18 minutes for both white yam (54.32-32.76%) and water yam (61.32- 31.03%).Frying time had a significant lowering effect on the moisture content of fried chips. White yam (D. rotundata) showed significantly (p>0.05) high force at peak than wateryam (D. alata), with values of 26.30N, and 7.30N respectively. Results showed that frying time had significant (p>0 05) effects on the peak force and deformation at peak of the fried yam chips for the two varieties. The pre-treatments given to the yam chips produced from the two yam varieties, gave some desirable sensory characteristics. The sensory scores showed that fried white yam chips had a significant (p>0.05) highest score (7.14) compared to wateryam fried chips (6.39) at 21st minute frying time even in terms of colour, taste, mouthfeel and overall acceptability. The use of yam as a substitute for potato in French fries production would make fries to be more affordable and promote its utilization in French fries production.

Effects of the mass and volume shrinkage of ground chip and pellet particles on drying rates

The effects of varying the mass and volume of ground chip and pellet particles on the particle drying rate were analyzed. Samples of whole pellets and chips were hammer milled using a 3.2mm screen and the ground chip and pellet particles were found to have similar size distributions, although the pellet particles were denser and more spherical than the chip particles. Prior to drying, water was added to the particles to obtain 0.10, 0.30, 0.50, 0.70, and 0.90 moisture contents (on a dry mass basis). The moistened particles were subsequently dried in a constant temperature thin layer dryer set at 50, 100, 150, or 200°C under dry pure nitrogen, dry compressed air, or atmospheric air. The chip and pellet particles exhibited similar degrees of shrinkage, but the pellet particles underwent a greater reduction in their bulk volume during drying. It appears that the more spherical pellet particles are prone to shrinkage in more than one direction, whereas the needle-like chip particle shrink only in one direction. A variable radius first order drying model was found to fit the experimental data better than a fixed radius model.

Effects of food neophobia on visual attention and sensory acceptance of ethnic-flavored foods

Due to growing globalization, there has been an increase in demand for ethnic or ethnic-flavored foods in the retail grocery and foodservice industries. However, some consumers are unlikely to enjoy ethnic or ethnic-flavored foods due to novelty or unfamiliarity associated with them. Limited research exists on consumer behavior toward ethnic or ethnic-flavored foods as a function of food neophobia. This study aimed to determine the influence of food neophobia on Caucasian consumers’ visual attention toward packaging images, as well as sensory acceptance of ethnic-flavored potato chips. Ninety adults were divided into high food neophobia (HFN) and low food neophobia (LFN) groups based on a food neophobia scale score. All participants’ visual attention toward packaging images of ethnic-, local-, and plain-flavored potato chips were measured using an eye-tracker, and their willingness to taste, expected liking, and purchase intent were assessed. One week later, the participants rated sensory perception and liking of the potato chip samples whose packaging images had been viewed. Participants in the LFN group looked significantly longer at the descriptions of ethnic (Chinese Szechuan) and local (Southern biscuits and gravy) flavors shown on the packaging images of potato chips than did those in the HFN group. As participants in the LFN group, but not those in the HFN group, looked at the descriptions of ethnic flavors shown on the packaging longer, they were more likely to like and purchase those potato chips. There were only limited impacts of food neophobia on attribute intensities and likings of the potato chips, irrespective of flavor. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence that participants with a lower level of food neophobia are more attentive to descriptions regarding ethnic flavor shown on packaging of chip products, possibly inducing a higher intent of purchasing the products, although such findings vary with the type of ethnic flavor.

Correlation Between Machinability and Chip Morphology of Austempered Ductile Iron

Abstract In this work, macrostructure, microstructure, and work hardening of as-cast and austempered ductile iron chips produced by different cutting speeds were investigated. Cutting forces, surface roughness, and tool wear were also studied. After austenitizing at 900°C for 90 min, samples were austempered in a salt bath at 360°C for 90 min. Machinability tests were conducted with uncoated cemented carbide tools on a CNC lathe. The tests were carried out without using any lubricant. In these tests, the cutting speed was varied in the range 50–200 m/min, while the feed rate (0.12 mm/rev) and depth of cut (2 mm) were kept constant. The tangential, feed, and radial cutting force components acting on the tool holder were measured with a three-component dynamometer. The chips obtained during machining were polished by embedding into epoxy resin, examined with optical microscope and micrographs were taken. The microhardness values were measured on each chip sample. As the cutting speed was increased, deformation strengthening of the microstructure was increased, which decreased the tool life. It was also detected that during the machining, with the effect of cutting forces and stress, spheroidal graphites were broken off in the chip and lost their sphericity, so the chip became fragile and unstable and the graphite displayed a lubricant feature. At low cutting speed, a built-up edge was observed. However, as the cutting speed was increased because of heating, built-up edges were unstable.

Super-accurate GPS coming to smartphones in 2018 [News

We've all been there. You're driving down the highway, just as your navigation app instructed, when Siri tells you to "proceed east for one-half mile, then merge onto the highway." But you're already on the highway. After a moment of confusion and perhaps some rude words about Siri and her extended AI family, you realize the problem: Your GPS isn't accurate enough for your navigation app to tell if you're on the highway or on the road beside it. Those days are nearly at an end. At the Institute of Navigation GNSS+ conference in Portland, Ore., in September, Broadcom announced that it is providing customers samples of the first mass-market chip to take advantage of a new breed of global navigation satellite signals. This new chip will give the next generation of smartphones 30‑centimeter accuracy as opposed to today’s 5 meters. Even better, it works in a city's concrete canyons, and it consumes half the power of today's generation of chips. The chip, the BCM47755, has been included in the design of some smartphones slated for release in 2018, but Broadcom would not reveal which.

Changes of particle size classification of wood chips according to the new standard rules for domestic use

In 2014, the European standards of solid biofuel classification have been replaced by the International ISO standards. Considering wood chips, the main change concerns the definition of particle size distribution classes. This change in the quality, as a consequence of the new standard rules, has been quantified using 206 wood chips samples. The results show an improved classification of particle size distribution of woodchips with a reduction of not classified samples from 40 to 14% and an increase in samples belonging to the dimensionally smaller particle size classes.

Influence of Moisture Content of Feedstock Materials on Briquettes Properties

Current contribution contains of results of experimental measurements performed within the determination of initial raw feedstock materials moisture content and its influence on final properties of subsequently produced briquettes. A birch wood chips samples with five different moisture contents, specifically 5.0%, 7.6%, 16.7%, 19.0% and 27.7%, were used for experimental investigations. Investigated briquette samples were produced by hydraulic high-pressure briquetting press Briklis, type BrikStar 30-12 with cylindrical pressing chamber of 50 mm. All investigated briquette samples were produced under the same conditions with constant adjustment of all parameters of used briquetting press. A basic physical-mechanical properties of investigated briquette samples were used as a criteria of investigations evaluation. All measured values were subjected to the statistical analysis. Final evaluation of measured values indicated that best results were achieved by briquette samples produced from feedstock material with moisture content equal to 7.6%. Evaluation of current investigation also proved that if moisture content was higher or lower, the quality of produced briquette samples decreased.

HPLC-DAD method development and validation for the quantification of hydroxymethylfurfural in corn chips by means of response surface optimisation

ABSTRACTIn recent years, there has been an increased concern about the presence of toxic compounds derived from the Maillard reaction produced during food cooking at high temperatures. The main toxic compounds derived from this reaction are acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The majority of analytical methods require sample treatments using solvents which are highly polluting for the environment. The difficulty of quantifying HMF in complex fried food matrices encourages the development of new analytical methods. This paper provides a rapid, sensitive and environmentally-friendly analytical method for the quantification of HMF in corn chips using HPLC-DAD. Chromatographic separation resulted in a baseline separation for HMF in 3.7 min. Sample treatment for corn chip samples first involved a leaching process using water and afterwards a solid-phase extraction (SPE) using HLB-Oasis polymeric cartridges. Sample treatment optimisation was carried out by means of Box–Behnken fractional factorial design and Response Surface Methodolog y to examine the effects of four variables (sample weight, pH, sonication time and elution volume) on HMF extraction from corn chips. The SPE-HPLC-DAD method was validated. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.82 and 2.20 mg kg−1, respectively. Method precision was evaluated in terms of repeatability and reproducibility as relative standard deviations (RSDs) using three concentration levels. For repeatability, RSD values were 6.9, 3.6 and 2.0%; and for reproducibility 18.8, 7.9 and 2.9%. For a ruggedness study the Yuden test was applied and the result demonstrated the method as robust. The method was successfully applied to different corn chip samples.

Structural and compositional changes in eucalyptus wood chips subjected to dry torrefaction

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structural and compositional changes in eucalyptus wood chips subjected to dry torrefaction. The experiment was conducted in a semi-continuous screw reactor with indirect heating system. Wood chips samples of three initial moisture contents (0, 15 and 30% dry basis) were torrefied up to three final temperatures (220, 260 and 300°C) and at three heating times (10, 15 and 20min). The effect of these variables was evaluated through the analysis of chemical composition, thermogravimetry and mechanical durability of the torrefied wood chips. The increase at temperature and time of torrefaction, as well as the drop in the initial moisture content, promoted significant structural and compositional changes in the wood chips. The torrefied samples present a higher resistance to thermal degradation, more friable structure, higher lignin and lower polysaccharides contents than the untreated samples. These changes made it possible to increase the quality of the eucalyptus wood chips to be use as a solid fuel.

Chemostratigraphy and evolution of the Paraná Igneous Province volcanism in the central portion of the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil

Analysis of borehole samples offers the potential to investigate the chemostratigraphic variations of a large igneous province in subsurface. New geochemical data based on multielement analyses of 829 chip samples that were obtained during the drilling of seven deep boreholes is presented for the central area of the Paraná Igneous Province (PIP). In order to detail the compositional variations found within the two main types from the Central-Northern Subprovince (CNSP), simple statistical treatment was carried out for part this database. Thus, the combination of low (L) and high (H) contents of Th, Nb, La and Yb was used as a means to create 16 geochemical subtypes for the Type 4 (LSi-LZr-HTi-HP) sequence. Likewise, other four elements (Cr, Ni, Cu and Pd) were selected with the same intention for the Type 1 (Central-Northern) (LSi-LZr-LTi-LP) sequence. When subtypes are plotted in the cross section, it is possible to observe that those with similar characteristics tend to be associated in groups (cycles). This analysis showed that the volcanic pile can be divided into at least eleven different cycles and also that they are laterally continuous throughout the section. The compositional changes observed in these volcanic cycles also display correlations with Mg#, Zr, Ti/Y and La/SmN ratios, for example. Therefore, since the reservoir is marked by periods of injection of more differentiated or more mafic magmas, it could be suggested that it was periodically recharged with batches of magma from the parental source.

Thermal cycling effect on the drop reliability of BGA lead-free solder joints

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the drop reliability of ball-grid array (BGA) solder joints affected by thermal cycling.Design/methodology/approachThe drop test was made with the two kinds of chip samples with the thermal cycling or not. Then, the dyeing process was taken by these samples. Finally, through observing the metallographic analysis results, the conclusions could be found.FindingsIt is observed that the solder joint cracks which were only subjected to drop loads without thermal cycling appeared near the BGA package pads. The solder joint cracks which were subjected to drop loads with thermal cycling appear near the printed circuit board pads.Originality/valueThis paper obtains the solder joint cracks picture with drop test under the thermal cycling.

Chip formation characteristics of selective laser melted Ti–6Al–4V

In this research work, chip formation characteristics of selective laser-melted (SLM) Ti–6Al–4V in both ‘as built’ and ‘heat treated’ conditions are studied and compared with conventional wrought Ti–6Al–4V. Machined chips and partially deformed chips were collected from turning trials and quick stop experiments to study the nature of chip formation characteristics. Chip formation studies reveal that, ‘segmented’ or ‘saw tooth’ chips were produced during machining of SLM Ti–6Al–4V materials. The tendency to form segmented chips was higher in SLM Ti–6Al–4V materials as compared to conventionally produced wrought Ti–6Al–4V. In addition, cracks were found to be a common feature in primary and secondary deformation zones of SLM Ti–6Al–4V chip samples, illustrating that periodic crack initiation is the root cause of ‘saw tooth’ formation during machining. Furthermore, the tendency to form build up edge during machining was less in SLM Ti–6Al–4V materials compared to wrought Ti–6Al–4V, influencing the machined surface finish.

Effect of preconditioning on physicochemical, microstructural, and sensory quality of vacuum-fried jackfruit chips

ABSTRACTThe effect of preconditioning steps in terms of either freezing or partial drying on the quality of vacuum-fried jackfruit (JF) chips was evaluated. Prepartial drying process of the JF bulb slices resulted in the lowest moisture content in the vacuum-fried chips. The rate of oil uptake by JF bulb slices was found to be almost same in control and prefrozen samples during frying process. However, prepartial drying of slices resulted in a slower rate of oil absorption. The total carotenoid content was found to be 1.81, 0.96, and 1.87 mg/100 g (db) in control, prepartially dried and prefrozen JF chips, respectively. The Hunter L-value of control, prepartially dried, and prefrozen chips was found to be 52.3, 39.4, and 48.5, respectively. The a-value was found to increase, whereas the b-value decreased during vacuum frying in all the JF chip samples, irrespective of preconditioning type adopted. Prefrozen JF chips were found to have highest crispy texture in terms of lowest instrumental breaking force compared to the control and prepartially dried JF chips. Prefrozen JF chips were found to have lowest bulk density and highest porosity. The micrograph of prepartially dried JF chips depicted dense and shriveled structure, whereas a porous structure in prefrozen chips. The preconditioning protocols of partial drying and freezing were found to affect the overall sensory acceptability scores significantly (P < 0.05), with a high acceptability of prefrozen JF chips.

Comparison between the effectiveness of regional BLEG and −80# stream sediment geochemistry in detection of precious and base metal mineral deposits in Western Turkey

Stream sediments remain the preferred sampling media for regional mineral exploration programs in most parts of the world where there is a well-defined drainage system. In Au exploration the analysis of either BLEG (bulk leach extractable gold) or acid-extractable Au in the −80# (<180μm) stream sediment fraction are the two most common approaches. Western Turkey contains a variety of mineral deposit types and geological settings. Using a large geochemical database derived mainly from company exploration programs (5149 BLEG, 11,692 −80# stream sediment analyses and 7732 rock chip samples), a comparison is made between the efficiency of these two approaches in detecting the known mineral deposits or occurrences. There is only limited variation between the median or 95th percentile values for Au or Cu across the different lithologies, although Cu is higher in BLEG in basaltic areas and Au higher in the ultramafic and metamorphic dominated terranes. Element distributions were examined using both quantile-quantile (Q-Q) and concentration-area (C-A) multifractal plots to establish the major breaks between regional geochemical populations. The C-A fractal plots generated clearer breaks than the Q-Q plots between populations and lower thresholds to the dominant “background” populations (e.g. 2ppb Au for Q-Q and 0.9 ppb for C-A in BLEG). Overall geochemical patterns in the −80# delivered clearer spatial correlations with known mineral deposits and occurrences than BLEG. Comparing the observed population breaks with the distribution of catchments containing known mineralization, based on the proportion of “true positives” and “false negatives”, C-A was more effective at separating populations related to catchments containing Au or Cu mineralization with little difference between BLEG and −80# (~80% agreement) for Au but a superior response in the −80# fraction for Cu. Given ongoing improvements in analytical detection limits for most elements, the use of the −80# (or possibly finer fractions) is recommended over BLEG for regional reconnaissance stream sediment survey in terrains similar to Western Turkey.

CO2 release and dry matter loss of Scots pine forest chips stockpiled from late summer to winter

We studied CO2 release dynamics between a stockpile and the atmosphere and estimated dry matter losses of forest chips made from small-diameter Scots pine, either whole trees or stemwood. A stockpile established in early August in northern Finland was monitored for six months. Based on changes in the basic density of the chip samples, a dry matter loss of 2.6–2.8% occurred during the storage period, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two chip assortments. The dry matter loss derived from the CO2 effluxes was 1.3–1.5%. Even when capturing only about half of the carbon loss deduced from dry mass measurements, the CO2 measurements provided valuable information about decomposition dynamics in stockpiles. The CO2 flux rates were not static, but could differ by an order of magnitude, depending on the spatial location of flux measurement and the evolution of temperature conditions within the pile. Whole-tree chips generated more heat during the first two months after pile construction. The highest emissions and largest mass flows were measured at that time near the top of the pile, where also the humidity had condensed, suggesting that the stockpile structure and temperature gradient probably channeled the gas flows.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as an efficient and sensitive method for determining of acrylamide in potato chips samples

In this research, for the first time, we successfully developed ultrasonic-assisted extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as a new, fast and highly sensitive method for determining of acrylamide in potato chips samples. Xanthydrol was used as a derivatization reagent and parameters affecting in the derivatization and microextraction steps were studied and optimized. Under optimum conditions, the calibration curves showed high levels of linearity (R2>0.9993) for acrylamide in the range of 2–500ngmL−1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the seven analyses was 6.8%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.6ngg−1 and 2ngg−1, respectively. The UAE-DLLME-GC-MS method demonstrated high sensitivity, good linearity, recovery, and enrichment factor. The performance of the new proposed method was evaluated for the determination of acrylamide in various types of chips samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

Ash Content vs. the Economics of Using Wood Chips for Energy: Model Based on Data from Central Europe

Biomass utilization is vital for developing sustainability in the bioenergy sector. In this work the effects of high ash content on the heating properties of wood chips were evaluated. In an analysis of 450 wood chips samples, the ash content, moisture content, and gross calorific value were determined, and a generalized linear model was created to identify the relationship between the gross calorific value and the ash content of the wood chips. The mean ash content of the analyzed wood chips samples was 2.64%, the mean moisture content was 38.8%, and the mean gross calorific value was 19.43 MJ kg-1. Statistical analyses showed that 49% of the gross calorific value variability was due to the ash content variability. A one percent increase in ash content resulted in a 0.11 MJ kg-1 decrease of gross calorific value. The estimated costs of ash disposal at various ash contents were calculated. Burning wood chips with 5% ash content would lead to depositing an extra 5.6 megatons in the US or 21.2 megatons in the EU, compared to burning wood chips with 2.5% ash content.