Free Water Content Research Articles

Effects of High-Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma Treatment on Microbiological and Quality Characters of Tilapia Fillets.

Cold plasma (CP) has become an alternative to conventional thermal processing of food products. In this study, the effect of cold plasma treatment time on the inactivation and quality of tilapia fillets was investigated. The surfaces of tilapia fillets were inoculated with Salmonella enteritis (S. enteritis), Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), and a mixture of both before being treated with cold plasma at 70 kV for 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 s. With the extension of treatment time, the number of colonies on the surface of the fillets decreased gradually; after 300 s of cold plasma treatment, S. enteritis and L. monocytogenes populations were reduced by 2.34 log CFU/g and 1.69 log CFU/g, respectively, and the a* value and immobile water content decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while the free water content increased significantly (p < 0.05). TBARS value increased significantly (p < 0.05) to 1.83 mg MDA/kg for 300 s treatment. The carbonyl value and sulfhydryl value of sarcoplasmic protein significantly (p < 0.05) increased and decreased, respectively, as treatment time extension, while no significant changes were found in myofibrillar protein. No significant differences were observed in pH, b* value, elasticity, chewiness, thiol value, and TVB-N value. The results showed that cold plasma had an inactivation effect on tilapia fillets and could preserve their original safety indicators. It was concluded that CP treatment could be used as an effective non-thermal method to maintain the quality of tilapia fillets and extend their shelf-life.

Field and saccharification performances of poplars severely downregulated in CAD1.

Lignin is one of the main factors causing lignocellulosic biomass recalcitrance to enzymatic hydrolysis. Glasshouse-grown poplars severely downregulated for CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 1 (CAD1), the enzyme catalysing the last step in the monolignol-specific branch of lignin biosynthesis, have increased saccharification yields and normal growth. Here, we assess the performance of these hpCAD poplars in the field under short rotation coppice culture for two consecutive rotations of 1 yr and 3 yr. While 1-yr-old hpCAD wood had 10% less lignin, 3-yr-old hpCAD wood had wild-type lignin levels. Because of their altered cell wall composition, including elevated levels of cinnamaldehydes, both 1-yr-old and 3-yr-old hpCAD wood showed enhanced saccharification yields upon harsh alkaline pretreatments (up to +85% and +77%, respectively). In contrast with previous field trials with poplars less severely downregulated for CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE (CAD), the hpCAD poplars displayed leaning phenotypes, early bud set, early flowering and yield penalties. Moreover, hpCAD wood had enlarged vessels, decreased wood density and reduced relative and free water contents. Our data show that the phenotypes of CAD-deficient poplars are strongly dependent on the environment and underpin the importance of field trials in translating basic research towards applications.

Ion hydration controls self-diffusion in multicomponent aqueous electrolyte solutions of NaNO2-NaOH-H2O

• Water and Na + diffusion was correlated to the water activity. • Water activity is equated to the “unbound water” in Zavitsas electrolyte model. • Diffusion rates are thus faster in water not strongly held by electrolytes. • Diffusion rates were correlated to nitrite Raman peak widths. • Raman peak widths are expected to be related to molecular rotation. Determining the diffusive properties of multicomponent electrolyte mixtures is challenging because the compositional space is large. Here, this complexity was accounted for in aqueous mixtures of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ) up to saturation with the help of Zavitsas’ model. The model calculates the quantity of water bound to electrolytes and equates the mole fraction of remaining (free) water to the water activity. The amount of free water was linearly correlated with the self-diffusion coefficients for both proton ( 1 H) and sodium ( 23 Na) over the whole concentration range. Furthermore, both the translational diffusion coefficients of water and sodium ions, and the amount of unbound water were monotonically related to the width of the Raman-active deformation band ( v 2 ) and symmetric stretching band ( v 1 ) of the nitrite oxyanion in NaNO 2 solutions. Thus, similar correlations exist between rotational reorientation times of nitrite oxyanions and the concentration of free water. These findings collectively suggest that diffusion through bulk water may be faster than diffusion around electrolytes. At higher concentrations the self-diffusion rates are slower because some of the water is bound to electrolytes and there is less bulk water through which to diffuse.

Study on the quality and myofibrillar protein structure of chicken breasts during thawing of ultrasound-assisted slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW)

The effects of air thawing (AT), water thawing (WT), slightly acidic electrolyzed water (ET), ultrasound-assisted water thawing (WUT) and ultrasound-assisted slightly acidic electrolyzed water (EUT) on the quality and myofibrillar protein (MP) structure of chicken breasts were investigated. The results showed that WUT and EUT could significantly improve the thawing rate compared with AT, WT, and ET groups. The EUT group not only had lower thawing loss, but also their immobilized and free water contents were similar to fresh sample according to the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF NMR) results. The EUT treatment had no adverse effect on the primary structure of the protein. The secondary and tertiary structures of MP were more stable in the EUT group according to Raman and fluorescence spectra. The muscle fibers microstructure from EUT group was neater and more compact compared with other thawing methods. Therefore, EUT treatment could be considered as a novel potential thawing method in the food industry.

Changes in Textural Quality and Water Retention of Spiced Beef under Ultrasound-Assisted Sous-Vide Cooking and Its Possible Mechanisms.

The present study investigated the effects of ultrasound (28 kHz, 60 W at 71 °C for 37 min) combined with sous-vide cooking (at 71 °C for 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 min) on the textural quality, water distribution, and protein characteristics of spiced beef. Results showed that the spiced beef treated with conventional cooking (CT) had the highest cooking loss (41.31%), but the lowest value of shear force (8.13 N), hardness (55.66 N), springiness (3.98 mm), and chewiness (64.36 mJ) compared to ultrasound-assisted sous-vide (USV) and sous-vide cooking (SV) groups. Compared with long-time thermal treatment, USV heating within 100 min enhanced the water retention of spiced beef by maintaining the lower values of cooking loss (16.64~25.76%), T2 relaxation time (242.79~281.19 ms), and free water content (0.16~2.56%), as evident by the intact muscle fibers. Moreover, the USV group had relatively lower carbonyl content, but higher sulfhydryl content compared to CT and SV groups. More protein bands coupled with a minor transformation from α-helixes to β-turns and random coils occurred in USV40~USV80. In conclusion, these results indicated that USV treatment within 100 min positively affected the textural quality and water retention of spiced beef by moderate protein oxidation.

Understanding the Changes in Quality of Semi-Dried Rice Noodles during Storage at Room Temperature.

The changes in semi-dried rice noodles during storage at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C) in terms of microbial growth, cooking quality, color, textural properties, thermal properties, crystallinity, and moisture content, and moisture distribution was examined. Total plate count, cooked broken rate, cooking loss, and b* value increased, while rehydration ratio, L* value, and moisture content decreased during storage. The hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness of semi-dried rice noodles increased significantly, according to textural properties. DSC and XRD showed that the enthalpy of thermal absorption and crystallinity of semi-dried rice noodles increased from 1.67 J/g and 3.48% to 4.21 J/g and 18.62%, respectively. LF-NMR showed that the weakly bound water content in semi-dried rice noodles decreased by 3.71%, and the bound water content and free water content increased by 3.20% and 0.51%, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that the changes in quality during storage of semi-dried rice noodles were influenced by the combination of microbial growth, aging of rice noodles, and moisture migration.

The Effect of Cation Exchange on the Pore Geometry of Zeolite L

Zeolites with the LTL framework topology are attractive materials for use in optoelectronics, gas adsorption and as chemical reactors. This is due to their unique, one-dimensional (1D) channel systems which are large enough to act as hosts for organic dye molecules and other guest materials. Here, we use high-resolution X-ray diffraction to show the effect of cation exchange on the pore geometry of LTL-type zeolites. The nature of the exchanging cation is shown to influence the free access diameter, volume and water content of the 12-ring (12R) channel systems. As such, cation exchange can be used to tune the molecular sieving and adsorption properties of LTL-type zeolites. This offers new possibilities for these materials in technologically relevant applications.

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Quality Analyze of Elais guineensis at Palm Oil Mill PT. Sinar Pandawa, Labuhanbatu Regency (Based on Free Fatty Acid Levels, Water Content, and Impurities)

The primary need for cooking oil or edible oil, the demand for cooking oil raw materials increases from year to year, this increase forces producers of crude palm oil (CPO) to compete to produce quality CPO products. PT. Sinar Pandawa, which is located in the Sennah plantation village, Batang downstream district, Labuhan Batu district, is one of the companies that produce CPO. Therefore, this study aims to determine the quality of CPO PT. Sinar Pandawa has good quality by using an analysis process of free fatty acid levels, namely the amount of free fatty acids resulting from hydrolysis and fat oxidation reactions, water content, namely the amount of water content in CPO and levels of impurities are foreign substances that do not dissolve. The method used in this research is titration using 0.1 NaOH solution for analysis of free fatty acid levels. The oven is open for moisture analysis i.e. heating the sample until the remaining water evaporates. Gravimetry for analysis of impurities content by filtering the sample using Whatman filter paper. The results show that the quality of CPO at PT. Sinar Pandawa which has the highest levels of fatty acids at 5.08%, water content of 0.35% and dirt content of 0.034%. The results of the analysis that has been carried out stated that the quality of CPO PT. Sinar Pandawa has not met the quality standards of SNI. The high value of each parameter, namely free fatty acid content, water content and dirt content with test values in accordance with SNI-2901-2006 maximum free fatty acid content of 5%, 0.25% water content and 0.25% dirt content indicates a lack of quality. CPO produced by PT. Sinar Pandawa due to lack of quality control

Gait Abnormalities in Parkinson's Disease Are Associated with Extracellular Free-Water Characteristics in the Substantia Nigra.

Gait impairments are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). The pathological mechanisms are complex and not thoroughly elucidated, thus quantitative and objective parameters that closely relate to gait characteristics are critically needed to improve the diagnostic assessments and monitor disease progression. The substantia nigra is a relay structure within basal ganglia brainstem loops that is centrally involved in gait modulation. We tested the hypothesis that quantitative gait biomechanics are related to the microstructural integrity of the substantia nigra and PD-relevant gait abnormalities are independent from bradykinesia-linked speed reductions. Thirty-eight PD patients and 33 age-matched control participants walked on a treadmill at fixed speeds. Gait parameters were fed into a principal component analysis to delineate relevant features. We applied the neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) model on diffusion-weighted MR-images to calculate the free-water content as an advanced marker of microstructural integrity of the substantia nigra and tested its associations with gait parameters. Patients showed increased duration of stance phase, load response, pre-swing, and double support time, as well as reduced duration of single support and swing time. Gait rhythmic alterations associated positively with the free-water content in the right substantia nigra in PD, indicating that patients with more severe neurodegeneration extend the duration of stance phase, load response, and pre-swing. The results provide evidence that gait alterations are not merely a byproduct of bradykinesia-related reduced walking speed. The data-supported association between free-water and the rhythmic component highlights the potential of substantia nigra microstructure imaging as a measure of gait-dysfunction and disease-progression.

Investigation of the mechanism of casein protein to enhance 3D printing accuracy of cassava starch gel

This work evaluated the potential mechanism of casein protein (CP) in enhancing the 3D printing performance of cassava starch (CS) gel in terms of the multi-scale structure of starch and gel properties. The addition of CP could increase the average molecular weight (−Rh) of starch after thermal processing, which reduced the line width and increased the centre height of the 3D-printed product, despite the reduction of the structural recovery of the gel system. In addition, the increase in CS content caused a decrease in the short-range ordered structure of starch, resulting in a decline in relaxation time and an increase in free water content (A23), which in turn provided the gel system with a greater elastic modulus and ultimately increased the printing precision of 3D printed products. This study presented meaningful information for the application of 3D printing to starch-protein complex foods.

Self-Crosslinking Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Diglycidyl Ether in Water-in-Salt Electrolytes for Minimal Hydrogen Evolution Reactions and Extended LiTFSI Solubility

Water-in-salt electrolytes - WISEs - are prevailing thanks to their compelling extended voltage window due to the reduced free water molecules at the electrode interface. However, as has been reported elsewhere, free-water content still can be reduced further. In our previous work, an unstable phenomenon of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and salt precipitation/dissolution issue were revealed. Herein, we propose a novel approach in order to alleviate those issues using poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PDE) as an additive. Indeed, upon mixing LiTFSI, water and PDE at high concentrations, we observed a ring-opening reaction of PDE that was confirmed via Raman spectroscopy, FTIR and ionic conductivity measurements. These crosslinked networks could also increase the solubility limits of LiTFSI in water, which was identified by adding more LiTFSI or LiOTf. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement demonstrated that these crosslinked electrolytes effectively suppress the crystallization of water molecules with the WISE. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurements revealed that these novel crosslinked electrolytes considerably reduce free water content which effectively drives the HER to more negative potentials. More significantly, the SEI formed with these novel electrolytes remains present and stable on the electrode surface after a resting period of 1 h. Our work herein offers a new approach to tackling SEI instability and precipitation/dissolution issues.

Mechanism of moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix based on kinetic process

The moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix was characterized quantitatively by moisture phase, texture properties, and component content based on water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics. Non-linear fitting of water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics in the moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix was carried out. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging(LF-NMR/MRI) technology was used to investigate the phase state and distribution changes of water during the moistening process. The Texture Analyzer was used for the determination of texture properties. The correlations between water absorption rate, expansion rate, water phase state, hardness, and compression cycle work of Rehmanniae Radix at different moistening time were analyzed. The results showed that the water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics of Rehmanniae Radix were in accordance with the first-order kinetics. Moreover, the water absorption rate and expansion rate increased with the increase in temperature but decreased with the increase in the size of the medicinal materials.In the moistening process, the moisture was transferred from the outside to the inside, and the proportion of the moisture phase changed significantly.Within 16 hours, free water increased from 0.825% to 97.7%,while bound water decreased from 99.2% to 2.33%.Within 28 hours, the texture properties, such as hardness and compression cycle work, decreased gradually with the prolongation in moistening time.At 32 hours, water was evenly distributed throughout the whole medicinal material, and the texture properties also tended to be stable.Pearson correlation bivariate analysis showed that moistening time, water absorption rate, expansion rate, the relative content of free water and bound water, hardness, and compression cycle work were significantly correlated, suggesting that water absorption kinetics and expansion kinetics, LF-NMR/MRI,and Texture Analyzer could directly and quantitatively characterize the moistening process.This study is expected to provide a scientific basis for clarifying the scientific connotation of the moistening process of Rehmanniae Radix.

Effects of nitrogen and water stress on the rehydration, endogenous hormonal regulation and yield of maize

AbstractWater scarcity is known to be a strong limiting factor affecting maize grown and yield in cold semi‐arid regions. Numerous studies have shown that rehydration improves maize growth. Our study aimed to explore the effects of rehydration treatments on maize growth and yield under water and nitrogen stress during different growth stages. We selected the drought‐tolerant maize variety Nendan 19 (ND19) and subjected it to water stress during the V6 (sixth‐leaf), R2 (filling) and R6 (maturity) growth stages and a rehydration treatment after each stress stage. Our results indicated that N1 (N100 kg N ha−1) and N3 (N300 kg N ha−1) treatments significantly increased the leaf moisture status relative to water content (RWC), bound water content (BWC), free water content (FWC) and water potential (WP)) at different growth stages. Similar trends were observed in the accumulation of plant leaf and root hormones (zeatin+zeatin riboside, indole‐3‐acetic acid, abscisic acid and gibberellic acid), photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence. However, under the same water stress conditions, they decreased as the N rate increased and reached a minimum value in the S3 (water stress for N3) treatments. In addition, with growth stage advancement and extension of the rehydration time, both showed a gradual upward trend. The results showed that to save water resources in the cold semi‐arid region, rehydration treatments (R2S1 and R2S3) significantly increased the photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, leaf moisture status, biomass, 100‐grain weight, hormone content, ear characteristics and grain yield of maize.

T2*-Mapping of Knee Cartilage in Response to Mechanical Loading in Alpine Skiing: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose: This study intends to establish a study protocol for the quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) measurement of biochemical changes in knee cartilage induced by mechanical stress during alpine skiing with the implementation of new spring-loaded ski binding. Methods: The MRI-knee-scans (T2*-mapping) of four skiers using a conventional and a spring-loaded ski binding system, alternately, were acquired before and after 1 h/4 h of exposure to alpine skiing. Intrachondral T2* analysis on 60 defined regions of interest in the femorotibial knee joint (FTJ) was conducted. Intra- and interobserver variability and relative changes in the cartilage T2* signal and thickness were calculated. Results: A relevant decrease in the T2* time after 4 h of alpine skiing could be detected at the majority of measurement times. After overnight recovery, the T2* time increased above baseline. Although, the total T2* signal in the superficial cartilage layers was higher than that in the lower ones, no differences between the layers in the T2* changes could be detected. The central and posterior cartilage zones of the FTJ responded with a stronger T2* alteration than the anterior zones. Conclusions: For the first time, a quantitative MRI study setting could be established to detect early knee cartilage reaction due to alpine skiing. Relevant changes in the T2* time and thus in the intrachondral collagen microstructure and the free water content were observed.

Relaxation characteristics and state evolution of water during the early-age reaction of alkali-activated slag as monitored by low field nuclear magnetic resonance

Low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to monitor the evolution characteristics of transverse relaxation time (T2) of the water in sodium hydroxide (SH) and sodium silicate (SS) activated slag pastes. According to the T2 weighted average value evolution curve, the early-age reaction process of SH-activated system could be divided into three typical stages: initial setting stage (I), acceleration stage (II) and deceleration stage (III). However, another two distinguishable stages including the second acceleration stage (Ⅳ) and the second deceleration stage (Ⅴ) could be identified in SS-activated system. The essential reactions in different reaction stages of the two types of alkali-activated pastes were discussed. The obtained relaxation signals were employed to determine the chemically bound water content in different alkali-activated slag (AAS) pastes at specific reaction stages, as well as the dynamic change of the relative contents of gel water, capillary water and free water with reaction time. The influence mechanism of the initial active SiO44− oligomer in activator solution on the early-age reaction of AAS was revealed. A distinct water release behavior was observed in the geopolymerization process at the acceleration stages of each AAS paste.

Effect of Oxygen and Water on the Stability of Imipenem and Cilastatin Sodium for Injection

AbstractThe study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the stability of imipenem and cilastatin sodium for injection (IMI/CIL) to improve the quality and stability in IMI/CIL preparation. In this study, the effects of headspace oxygen (HO), water content, particle shape, and particle size on the stability of IMI/CIL were investigated. IMI/CIL was purged with air, premixed oxygen/nitrogen gas (5%/95%), or high-purity nitrogen (99.999%) at 20, 5, or 2% oxygen levels to prepare IMI/CIL with different HO levels. IMI/CIL was stored at 30, 45, and 75% relative humidity for 30 days to prepare IMI/CIL with different water contents. High-performance liquid chromatography method was used for analysis. The results showed that oxygen, water, particle shape, and particle size had significant effects on the stability of IMI/CIL, and free water content is a better predictor of the safety and stability of imipenem and cilastatin sodium than the total water content. The optimization scheme of the above parameters is proposed, which significantly improves the stability of IMI/CIL. This study led to a better understanding of the degradation mechanism of imipenem and cilastatin sodium, and could provide a reference for the selection and control of IMI/CIL process conditions. This study would contribute to the development of IMI/CIL with improved stability.

Effects of freeze‐thaw treatments at different temperatures on the properties of gluten protein from fermented dough

The effects of freeze-thaw cycles at different temperatures on the water-holding capacity, rheological properties, water distribution, secondary structure, and microstructure of gluten protein in the fermented dough were investigated. The gluten protein from fermented dough was freeze-thawed 1–5 times at −6°C, −12°C, −18°C, −24°C, and −30°C. The results showed that when the number of freeze-thaw cycles increased, the water-holding capacity and viscoelasticity of gluten protein decreased, the free water and β-sheet content increased significantly, and the gluten network structure was damaged. With the decrease in freeze-thaw temperature, the deterioration of the water-holding capacity and viscoelasticity of gluten decreased, and the free water and β-sheet content were more efficiently maintained. The microcosmic pores of the gluten protein tended to be uniform at lower temperatures. In short, the quality of gluten protein was most stable when the freeze-thaw cycles were performed at −24°C and −30°C. Novelty Impact Statement At present, most studies on frozen flour products focus on the impact of frozen storage, which does not fully consider the characteristics of quality deterioration and the changes caused by water migration in frozen flour products during freezing-thawing cycles. In this paper, it was found that temperature fluctuation at lower temperatures was more conducive to maintaining gluten quality. The results are beneficial because they will help mitigate the negative effects of temperature fluctuation on frozen flour products during transportation.

Green Light Partial Replacement of Red and Blue Light Improved Drought Tolerance by Regulating Water Use Efficiency in Cucumber Seedlings

Light is one of the most important environmental signals in plant growth, development, and stress response. Green light has been proved to enhance plant defense against biotic and/or abiotic stress. To illustrate the effects of green light partially replaced red light and blue light on the plant under drought condition, cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Xinchun No. 4) seedlings were treated with short-term drought stress and were concomitantly exposed to four treatments, which were set up by adjusting the relative amount of green light as 0 (RB), 25 (RBG25), 50 (RBG50), and 75 (RBG75) μmol m−2 s−1, respectively, with a total photosynthetic photon flux density of 250 μmol m−2 s−1 and a fixed red-to-blue ratio of 4:1. The results showed that compared with RB, RBG50 significantly increased shoot fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW), root DW, plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, and leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) by 10.61, 7.69, 66.13, 6.22, 10.02, 4.10, and 12.41%, respectively. Also, the addition of green light significantly increased the root volume and root tip number. Moreover, green light partial replacement of red light and blue light increased total water content, especially free water content, improved leaf water status, and alleviated water loss in plants caused by drought stress. Also, the addition of green light increased net photosynthetic rate (Pn), reduced both stomata conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (E), enhanced the intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE) and instantaneous water-use efficiency (iWUE) of leaves, and increased the content of chlorophylls a and b. Green light substituting a proportion of blue and red light regulated stomatal aperture by significantly increasing abscisic acid (ABA) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content. In addition, the increase of GABA was resulted from the upregulation of Glutamate Decarboxylase 2 (CsGAD2). However, the relative electrolytic leakage and contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide anion (), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vigorously decreased as the intensity of green light was added to the spectrum under drought. Conclusively, green light partially replaced red light and blue light and improved drought tolerance of cucumber seedlings by upregulating the expression of CsGAD2 gene and promoting the synthesis of GABA. The increase in GABA content further downregulated the expression of aluminum-activated malate transporter 9 (CsALMT9) gene, induced stomata to close, improved water utilization, and alleviated damage caused by drought. This study highlights a role of green light in plant physiological processes. Moreover, analyzing the function of green light on improving drought tolerance of plants could open alternative avenues for improving plant stress resilience.

Utilization of Adsorbent Cocoa Shell For Purification of Used Cooking Oil

Cooking oil, triglycerides that is liquid at room temperature, is one of important foodstuffs. Repeated use of cooking oil might decrease the quality of the oil and leads to negative impacts on health. An alternative method to treat used cooking oil is adsorption with cacao shell. This present study aims to find out the influences of adsorbent and size variation of cacao peels as the adsorbent on the reduction of free fatty acid, peroxide numbers and water content in used cooking oil. The test parameters of this study were the reduction of free fatty acids by alkalimetric titration; peroxide number by iodometric titration; and content of water by oven-drying method. In the present study, cacao nibs were used as an absorbent to reduce the levels of free fatty acid, water, and peroxide number with variety sizes of the particle, such as 100 mesh and 120 mesh: and 8-hour contact time. The results of the present study indicated a decrease in free fatty acid from 0,448% to 0,327% dan 0,278%; the initial water content of 0,020% decreased to 0,010% and 0,009%; the peroxide number changed from 15,3 meq O2/kg to 3,25 meq O2/kg and 1,25 meq O2/kg. Based on the results, the absorbent that has the optimum adsorption is the 120 mesh particle size of adsorbent.

Quantitative Synthetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Brain Metastases: A Feasibility Study.

Simple SummaryThis preliminary study aims to characterize brain metastases (BM) using T1 and T2 maps generated from newer, rapid, synthetic MRI (MAGnetic resonance image Compilation; MAGiC) in a clinical setting. In addition, synthetic MR could provide contrast images analogous to standard T1- and T2-weighted images. The reproducibility and repeatability of this method have been previously established for brain imaging. This study reports and analyzes the quantitative T1 and T2 values for 11 BM patients (17 BM lesions) with a total of 82 regions of interest (ROIs) delineated by an experienced neuroradiologist. The initial results, which need to be further validated in a larger patient cohort, demonstrated the ability of T1 and T2 metric values to characterize BMs and normal-appearing brain tissues. The T1 and T2 metrics could be potential surrogate biomarkers for BM free water content (cellularity) and tumor morphology, respectively.The present preliminary study aims to characterize brain metastases (BM) using T1 and T2 maps generated from newer, rapid, synthetic MRI (MAGnetic resonance image Compilation; MAGiC) in a clinical setting. We acquired synthetic MRI data from 11 BM patients on a 3T scanner. A multiple-dynamic multiple-echo (MDME) sequence was used for data acquisition and synthetic image reconstruction, including post-processing. MDME is a multi-contrast sequence that enables absolute quantification of physical tissue properties, including T1 and T2, independent of the scanner settings. In total, 82 regions of interest (ROIs) were analyzed, which were obtained from both normal-appearing brain tissue and BM lesions. The mean values obtained from the 48 normal-appearing brain tissue regions and 34 ROIs of BM lesions (T1 and T2) were analyzed using standard statistical methods. The mean T1 and T2 values were 1143 ms and 78 ms, respectively, for normal-appearing gray matter, 701 ms and 64 ms for white matter, and 4206 ms and 390 ms for cerebrospinal fluid. For untreated BMs, the mean T1 and T2 values were 1868 ms and 100 ms, respectively, and 2211 ms and 114 ms for the treated group. The quantitative T1 and T2 values generated from synthetic MRI can characterize BM and normal-appearing brain tissues.