Granule Size Research Articles

Comparison of the fine structure and physicochemical properties of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) starch from different ecological regions

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the morphology, granule size, fine structure, thermal properties, and pasting properties of starch from a waxy (139) and a non-waxy (297) varieties of proso millet grown in Yulin (YY) and Yangling (YL). Compared with the starches from the two varieties grown in YY, the starches from the two varieties grown in YL exhibited higher relative crystallinities, 1045/1022 cm−1 ratio, and amounts of amylopectin long branch chains (APL) but lower 1022/995 cm −1 ratio, amounts of amylopectin short branch chains (APs), and APs/APL ratios. Starches from YL also synthesized long branch-chain amylopectin to enhance intermolecular interactions and form a stable granular structure, which resulted in increased starch gelatinization temperature, enhanced shear resistance, and reduced setback viscosity. Starch from the waxy (139) variety has good application prospects in the food industry because of its high gelatinization temperature and light transmittance and low setback value, which can be ascribed to its extremely low amylose content, polydispersity index, high molecular weight, and dispersed molecular density. It may serve as a reference for applying proso millet starches in the food industry and developing breeding programs to improve starch quality.

Identification of Climate-Smart Bread Wheat Germplasm Lines with Enhanced Adaptation to Global Warming.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is widely grown in sub-tropical and tropical areas and, as such, it is exposed to heatstress especially during the grain filling period (GFP). Global warming has further affected its production and productivity in these heat-stressed environments. We examined the effects of heatstress on 18 morpho-physiological and yield-related traits in 96 bread wheat accessions. Heat stress decreased crop growth and GFP, and consequently reduced morphological and yield-related traits in the delayed sown crop. A low heat susceptibility index and high yield stability were used for selecting tolerant accessions. Under heatstress, the days to 50% anthesis, flag-leaf area, chlorophyll content, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), thousand grain weight (TGW), harvest index and grain yield were significantly reduced both in tolerant and susceptible accessions. The reduction was severe in susceptible accessions (48.2% grain yield reduction in IC277741). The plant height, peduncle length and spike length showeda significant reduction in susceptible accessions, but a non-significant reduction in the tolerant accessions under the heatstress. The physiological traits like the canopy temperature depression (CTD), plant waxiness and leaf rolling were increased in tolerant accessions under heatstress. Scanning electron microscopy of matured wheat grains revealed ultrastructural changes in endosperm and aleurone cells due to heat stress. The reduction in size and density of large starch granules is the major cause of the yield and TGW decrease in the heat-stress-susceptible accessions. The most stable and high-yielding accessions, namely, IC566223, IC128454, IC335792, EC576707, IC535176, IC529207, IC446713 and IC416019 were identified as the climate-smart germplasm lines. We selected germplasm lines possessing desirable traits as potential parents for the development of bi-parent and multi-parent mapping populations.

Pengaruh Ukuran Butir Kapur Berbeda terhadap pH, Fe-larut dan Al-tukar Tanah pada Lahan Pasang Surut

Swampland in Indonesia covers an area of ​​34.93 million ha spread over various islands such as Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua. One type of swamp land that is often used in agriculture is tidal lands. The problems faced in the development of tidal lands for agriculture include acidic soil pH, high levels of soluble Fe and Al. One of the efforts to overcome the problem of acidic soil pH, high levels of soluble Fe and Al-dd is liming. The finer grain level of lime may increase the effectiveness of liming. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of lime grain sizes on changes in pH, dissolved Fe, and exchangeable Al of tidal lands. This study employed a one-factor completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 6 treatments (Control; CaCO3 more than 1.00 mm (> 18 mesh); CaCO3 lime, 0.5-100 mm (18 -35mesh); CaCO3 measuring 0.21-0.50 mm (35-70 mesh); CaCO3 measuring 0.21 mm (<70 mesh); CaCO3 lime measuring 0.15-1.00 mm (18 -100 mesh)). The results showed that the difference in the size of the CaCO3 lime granules had a significant effect on changes in pH, soluble Fe and exchangeable Al. The application of CaCO3 lime granules 0.21 mm (<70 mesh) result in increases in soil pH and suppress soluble Fe and exchangeable Al.

Quantitative analysis of small coronary artery calcium detectability with an accurate simulation and validation on a clinical CT scanner.

The absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) measured via CT is associated with very favorable prognosis, and current guidelines recommend low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) lowering therapy for individuals with any CAC. This motivates early detection of small granules of CAC; however, calcium scan sensitivity for detecting very low levels of calcium has not been quantified. In this work, the size limit of detectability of small calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) granules with clinical CAC scanning was assessed using validated simulations. CT projections of digital 3D mathematical phantoms containing small CaHA granules were simulated analytically; images were reconstructed using a filter designed to reproduce the point spread function of a specific commercial scanner, and a relationship of HU number versus diameter was derived. These simulation results were validated with experimental measurements of HU versus diameter from phantoms containing small granules of CaHA on a GE Revolution CT scanner in the clinic; ground truth measurements of the CaHA granule diameters were obtained using a Zeiss Xradia 510 Versa high-resolution 3D micro-CT imaging system. Using experimental measurements on the clinical CT scanner, detectability was quantified with a detectability index (d') using a non-prewhitened matched filter. The effect of changes to reconstruction slice thickness and reconstruction kernel on granule detectability was evaluated. Under typical clinical calcium scanning and reconstruction conditions, the minimum detectable diameter of a simulated spherical calcium granule with a clinically relevant CaHA density was 0.76mm. The minimum detectable volume was 2.4 times smaller on images reconstructed at a slice thickness of 0.625mm compared to 2.5mm. The detectability index d' increased by a factor of 1.7 when images were reconstructed with 0.625mm slices compared to 2.5mm slices. d' did not change when images were reconstructed with the high-resolution BONE filter compared to the less sharp STANDARD resolution filter on the GE Revolution CT. We have quantified detectability versus size of small calcium granules at the resolution limit of a widely available clinical CT scanner. Detectability increased significantly with reduced slice thickness and did not change with a sharper reconstruction kernel. The simulation can be used to calculate the trade-off between dose and CAC detectability.

Starch can act differently when combined with alginate or gellan gum to form hydrogels

Microgels were tailored by combining starches from different sources (corn, potato or phosphated) and anionic polysaccharides (gellan gum or alginate) using ionic gelation. Rheological analysis pointed out a lower consistency index for alginate-based solutions compared to the gellan-based ones and, therefore, this favored the formation of smaller droplets during the atomization process (58.74 ± 1.72 µm vs. 101.38 ± 2.71 µm). Additionally, it was noticed that the starch granule size isdirectly related to the diameter of the particle formed, both for gellan and alginate systems. The combination between starches and anionic gums still promoted an increase in the water holding capacity, probably due to the presence of additional hydrophilic groups from starch. According to the mechanical properties, starch acts differently when combined with alginate or gellan gum, considering it strengthened the biopolymeric network for the alginate-based gels increasing the stress at rupture values (except for potato starch), while it decreasedthe hardness and elasticity for gellan-based gels. Microparticles based on gellan and alginate showed high anthocyanin encapsulation efficiency (EE ≥ 80%) in all systems. In these cases, the addition of starch did not contribute to increasing this property, even though starch granules filled the gel pores. The high EE showed that the studied systems allow the encapsulation of anthocyanin and suggest possible encapsulation of other hydrophilic bioactive compounds, considering the best type of starch for each application.

Simulation of roller compaction by combination of a compaction simulator and oscillating mill – A material sparing approach

This study investigates the feasibility of a compaction simulator and oscillating mill to mimic a roller compactor as a material sparing approach for process development. Microcrystalline cellulose and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate were selected to represent soft and hard materials, respectively. The relative density of ribbons and riblets was determined using a pycnometer and granules size distribution was determined by laser diffraction. Tablet tensile strength and relative density were determined using a hardness tester and pycnometer, respectively. This study showed that the relative density of riblets and ribbons were similar between 1 and 12 kN/cm, which indicates that the compaction simulator adequately mimics the compaction of the roller compactor using a Kp of 1. The size distribution of granules produced by the oscillating mill and roller compactor were similar, which indicates that the oscillating mill adequately mimics the roller compactor when using a similar gap and sieve design. Finally, the tablet tensile strength and relative density were similar independent of the applied granulation method and deformation behaviour of the material. In conclusion, the use of a compaction simulator and an oscillating mill in combination adequality mimics the roller compactor, which ultimately can save large amounts of material and time during process development.

A tabletability change classification system in supporting the tablet formulation design via the roll compaction and dry granulation process

In this paper, the material library approach was used to uncover the pattern of tabletability change and related risk for tablet formulation design under the roll compaction and dry granulation (RCDG) process. 31 materials were fully characterized using 18 physical parameters and 9 compression behavior classification system (CBCS) parameters. Then, each material was dry granulated and sieved into small granules (125–250 μm) and large granules (630–850 μm), respectively. The compression behavior of granules was characterized by the CBCS descriptors, and were compared with that of ungranulated powders. The relative change of tabletability (CoTr) index was used to establish the tabletability change classification system (TCCS), and all materials were classified into three types, i.e. loss of tabletability (LoT, Type I), unchanged tabletability (Type II) and increase of tabletability (Type III). Results showed that approximately 65% of materials presented LoT, and as the granules size increased, 84% of the materials exhibited LoT. A risk decision tree was innovatively proposed by joint application of the CBCS tabletability categories and the TCCS tabletability change types. It was found that the LoT posed little risk to the tensile strength of the final tablet, when Category 1 or 2A materials, or Category 2B materials with Type II or Type III change of tabletability were used. Formulation risk happened to Category 2C or 3 materials, or Category 2B materials with Type I change of tabletability, particularly when high proportions of these materials were involved in tablet formulation. In addition, the risk assessment results were verified in the material property design space developed from a latent variable model in prediction of tablet tensile strength. Overall, results suggested that a combinational use of CBCS and TCCS could aid the decision making in selecting materials for tablet formulation design via RCDG.

Overexpression of PSR1 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii induces luxury phosphorus uptake.

Remediation using micro-algae offers an attractive solution to environmental phosphate (PO4 3-) pollution. However, for maximum efficiency, pre-conditioning of algae to induce 'luxury phosphorus (P) uptake' is needed. To replicate this process, we targeted the global regulator PSR1 (Myb transcription factor: Phosphate Starvation Response 1) for over-expression in algae. Manipulating a single gene (PSR1) drove uptake of both PO4 3- and a Mg2+ counter-ion leading to increased PolyP granule size, raising P levels 4-fold to 8% dry cell weight, and accelerated removal of PO4 3- from the medium. Examination of the gene expression profile showed that the P-starvation response was mimicked under P-replete conditions, switching on luxury uptake. Hyper-accumulation of P depended on a feed-forward mechanism, where a small set of 'Class I' P-transporter genes were activated despite abundant external PO4 3- levels. The transporters drove a reduction in external PO4 3- levels, permitting more genes to be expressed (Class II), leading to more P-uptake. Our data pointed toward a PSR1-independent mechanism for detection of external PO4 3- which suppressed Class II genes. This model provided a plausible mechanism for P-overplus where prior P-starvation elevates PSR1 and on P-resupply causes luxury P-uptake. This is because the Class I genes, which include P-transporter genes, are not suppressed by the excess PO4 3-. Taken together, these discoveries facilitate a bio-circular approach of recycling nutrients from wastewater back to agriculture.

Insights into the life-cycle of aerobic granular sludge in a continuous flow membrane bioreactor by tracing its heterogeneous properties at different stages

This work gave insights into the life-cycle of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) by tracing its heterogeneity in the basic properties at different stages in a closed system (a continuous flow membrane bioreactor, MBR), including physical and chemical characteristics and microbial communities. The results indicate that the entire life-cycle consists of the following four stages, namely, the initial, growing, mature and cleaved stages, where multiple AGS properties synergistically affect the rheological properties of the AGS over its life-cycle. The storage modulus (G') of AGS reached its maximum value at the mature stage, whose value was significantly and positively correlated with the protein (PN) in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and granule size, specifically the peak area of granule size distribution, but this value was strongly and negatively correlated with the roughness. The AGS at the mature stage would be more vulnerable to be destroyed than that at other stages under the condition of higher shear strain, such as γ = 50%, which was associated with larger granule size and fewer polysaccharide (PS)-related functional groups (especially in the soluble microbial products (SMPs) in the outermost layer of AGS), and the decrease in PS was correlated with a higher relative abundance of Chloroflexi. Additionally, the value of shear strain that AGS was subjected to had a good linear correlation (R2=0.993) with the Young's modulus, which indicated the ability of AGS to resist deformation improved with increasing values of shear strain.

The Evolution of Variance and Entropy of the Granule Size Distribution in Fluidized Bed Agglomeration

The evolution of the variance and entropy of granule size in the fluidized bed agglomeration process using two different aggregation kernels is examined. The first is a constant kernel (aggregation is independent of both time and granule size) and permits the most unconstrained agglomeration process that can occur where granules in any size class (up to a maximum size) can be formed at any point in time. This gives the fastest and largest increase in the variance and entropy of the resulting granule size distribution. The second kernel is a mechanistic kernel including a granule growth-limiting mechanism, in this case implemented by the consideration that not all collisions result in coalescence. This markedly changes the evolution of the variance and entropy of the distribution and reduces both significantly. Quantifying the entropy of the distribution provides another perspective on the change in the size distribution in an agglomeration process. It is shown that entropy can provide a better measure of size evolution than variance in that it represents the changing shape of the distribution more closely.

A new type of phasin characterized by the presence of a helix-hairpin-helix domain is required for normal polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation and granule organization in Caulobacter crescentus.

Bacteria frequently store excess carbon in hydrophobic granules of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) that in some growth conditions can occupy most of the cytoplasmic space. Different types of proteins associate to the surface of the granules, mainly enzymes involved in the synthesis and utilization of the reserve polymer and a diverse group of proteins known as phasins. Phasins have different functions, among which are regulating the size and number of the granules, modulating the activity of the granule-associated enzymes and helping in the distribution of the granules inside the cell. Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic bacterium that shows several morphological and regulatory traits that allow it to grow in very nutrient-diluted environments. Under these conditions, storage compounds should be particularly relevant for survival. In this work, we show an initial proteomic characterization of the PHB granules and describe a new type of phasin (PhaH) characterized by the presence of an N-terminal hydrophobic helix followed by a helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) domain. The hydrophobic helix is required for maximal PHB accumulation and maintenance during the stationary phase while the HhH domain is involved in determining the size of the PHB granules and their distribution in the cell.

Quantitating Storage Granule Size, Accumulation, and Localization in Rhodobacter sphaeroides Using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Light Microscopy.

Quantitating Storage Granule Size, Accumulation, and Localization in Rhodobacter sphaeroides Using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Light Microscopy.

Passive acoustic emissions application to a segregation prone mixture in a V-blender

Powder mixing is an important manufacturing step in many industries. The quality of the end product critically depends on mixing the powders to a specified degree of uniformity. Segregation due to particle size has been observed in V-blenders. Vibrations from passive acoustic emissions were measured during rotations of a V- blender using both glass beads and starch granules of different sizes. The vibrations from particle collisions with the V-shell lid, measured by an accelerometer attached to the lid, provided information about particle movement within the V-shell. The vibrations identified “left-right” segregation by 50 rotations, with the smaller particles segregated into the outer arm and the larger particles into the inner arm. This pattern was attributed to a trajectory segregation mechanism. The profile created from the vibrations of the passive acoustic emissions also identified the point at which the mixture becomes stable, which is important in optimizing mixing processes.

CHARACTERIZATION OF ALUMINA MICROSPHERES PRODUCED BY COMBUSTION TORCH REMELTING

The present work investigates the thermal treatment of alumina powder with a purpose built oxygen-Liquefied Petroleum Gas torch, as a of low-cost alumina microsphere production process. In this dry process, irregularly shaped alumina particles are re-melted, acquiring a spherical shape due to surface tension. Microspheres of the stable alpha alumina phase were produced starting from two different alumina powders, both having a granule size of approximately 80 µm. In one case the initial granules are formed of micrometric crystalline particles while in the other the crystalline particles are nanometric. In both cases the resulting microspheres present similar surface texture and the predominant crystalline phase is ?-alumina. Microspheres smaller than 42 µm show a dendritic morphology on the surface with minor presence of ?-alumina. In contrast, microspheres larger than 103 µm present a smoother surface with rhombohedral grains and presence of ?-alumina.

Impact of long-term ultrasound treatment on structural and physicochemical properties of starches differing in granule size

Granule size is a critical parameter affecting starch processing properties. Ultrasound treatments of up to 22 h were applied on two starches differing in granule size (quinoa starch and maize starch). The two starches showed significantly different trends in both structural and physicochemical aspects affected by the ultrasound treatments. For the small granule starch (volume-weighted mean particle size of 1.79 μm), short-term ultrasonication caused an increase of swelling power. As the treatment time increased, the physicochemical properties were influenced by the degradation of amylopectin external chains. The X-ray diffraction results showed a decrease of relative crystallinity and changes of peak areas with long-term treatment. On the other hand, a balance between amylose leaching and surface damages was seen for the large granule starch (volume-weighted mean particle size of 18.3 μm). The effect of ultrasound modification on starches with different molecular and granular structures was discussed. A possible mechanism of the ultrasound effect was proposed.

Mathematical model and numerical investigation of the influence of spray drying parameters on granule sizes of mold powder

In this work, the formation mechanism of the droplet-to-granule was investigated in detail based on mold powder manufacturing. A specific mathematical model of two-stage spray drying was established to describe droplet and granule motion, heat and mass transfer, and granule morphology during spray drying. Then, the relationships between spray drying parameters (inlet temperature, atomization pressure, slurry mass flow rate) and the properties of the drying tower (temperature and velocity fields) and mold powder granules (temperature, evaporation rates, moisture content, and diameter) were simulated and calculated using ANSYS/Fluent software. To ensure that the granule size of mold powder was controlled within the ideal range (0.2–0.6 mm) for producing granules with appropriate mechanical and metallurgical properties, the following optimum spray drying parameters were chosen based on the results of the numerical simulation: inlet temperatures, 873 K; slurry atomization pressure, 1.8 MPa; slurry mass flow rate, 0.05 kg s−1. Among these parameters, the slurry mass flow rate has the most significant effect on granule size.

Increasing amyloplast size in wheat endosperm through mutation of PARC6 affects starch granule morphology.

The determination of starch granule morphology in plants is poorly understood. The amyloplasts of wheat endosperm contain large discoid A-type granules and small spherical B-type granules. To study the influence of amyloplast structure on these distinct morphological types, we isolated a mutant in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) defective in the plastid division protein PARC6, which had giant plastids in both leaves and endosperm. Endosperm amyloplasts of the mutant contained more A- and B-type granules than those of the wild-type. The mutant had increased A- and B-type granule size in mature grains, and its A-type granules had a highly aberrant, lobed surface. This morphological defect was already evident at early stages of grain development and occurred without alterations in polymer structure and composition. Plant growth and grain size, number and starch content were not affected in the mutants despite the large plastid size. Interestingly, mutation of the PARC6 paralog, ARC6, did not increase plastid or starch granule size. We suggest TtPARC6 can complement disrupted TtARC6 function by interacting with PDV2, the outer plastid envelope protein that typically interacts with ARC6 to promote plastid division. We therefore reveal an important role of amyloplast structure in starch granule morphogenesis in wheat.

Physicochemical and microstructural characteristics of Frafra potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) starch

ABSTRACT Frafra potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) is an underutilized climate-resilient tuber crop commonly cultivated in the tropics. Different accessions have been identified and bred to broaden its application in food. This study characterized the starches extracted from ten accessions, from Ghana (released) and Burkina Faso (unreleased), in terms of yield, physicochemical, and microstructural characteristics. The starches did not differ significantly (p < .05) in color (L*) and amount (35 to 39% dry matter basis). Furthermore, there were no significant differences (p < .05) among them in amylose/amylopectin ratio, syneresis %, granule types and shapes, except for one of the unreleased accessions (E82), which had a significantly (p < .05) smaller granule size. There were, however, significant differences (p < .05) in paste clarity of the starch gels, ranging from 51 to 63% of the starch gels, as well as in the thermal properties of the starches. The XRD and FTIR spectra showed the starches to be A-type, typical of tuber starches, with relative crystallinities ranging between 30.5 to 33.5%. The ten Frafra potato cultivars were clustered into two groups using PCA procedures; one group (Maa-Lana and Nutsugah) clustering on thermal properties of starch, while the other group (E82, E111, E132, E134, E145, Manga, Naachem-Tiir, and WAAPP) on paste clarity and change in temperature. The variations in granule size and thermal characteristics of the starches could impact the performance, cooking and textural properties, of these Frafra potato accessions in food applications.

Distribusi Ukuran Granul dari Tepung Singkong dengan Tepung Tapioka sebagai Pengikat pada Rotary Drum Granulator

Granulation is a process of monoparticle attachment with a particular mechanism to form a bigger and compact particle which is called granule. Granulation application has been used on many industries like pharmacy and agriculture industries. Research about granulation has been done continuously to get predictive models for various cases. The model which is only applicable to the specific material used in this research is expected to be useful to optimize the perfomances of the granulator in the industries. This research aims to develop the kinetics model of granule size distribution of cassava flour and its connection to granulation time by varying the mass of tapioca starch as the binder in rotary drum granulator. 2 grams of Cassava flour and tapioca starch were mixed in the rotary drum granulator and then water was sprayed during the granulation process. The duration of granulation were 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 minutes. The variations of mass of the binder used in this research were 1, 1,5, and 2 gram. The granules were dried in the oven at 80°C until 30 minutes, and afterwards the granules were screened through various screen layers with different mesh size. The results of this research show that binder mass variations do not influence the layering rate of granule, and the increase of binder mass will decrease the birth rate.

Anticipated transients without scram in an innovative power nuclear reactor of anomalously high power

The article considers the possibility of creating a safe power reactor of anomalously high power. This may be relevant in the transition to large-scale safe and environmentally acceptable nuclear power. The safety justification is carried out based on mathematical modeling of the most dangerous emergency modes from among ATWS (anticipated transients without scram). With the use of a number of innovations (the UN-PuN-U cermets fuel used, a coolant based on lead with a high concentration of the 208Pb isotope, and tungsten fuel cladding), it was possible to ensure the safety of a fast reactor with an electric power of up to 3 GW. In contrast to previously proposed innovations, the article considers core layouts containing fuel pins with claddings made entirely of tungsten. Emergency modes are modeled approximately based on solving three groups of equations: a system of point kinetic equations, a non-stationary heat conduction equation, which, and a reactivity balance equation. The value of the void reactivity effect is estimated based on the solution of the gas-kinetic neutron transport equation. Reserves have been identified in further increasing the power and safety of the power reactor. They are associated with the optimization of the size of granules of ceramic and metal powders in the fuel composition.