Increase In Oil Content Research Articles

Sesamum indicum Oleosin L improves oil packaging in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.

Plant oil production has been increasing continuously in the past decade. There has been significant investment in the production of high biomass plants with elevated oil content. We recently showed that the expression of Arabidopsis thaliana WRI1 and DGAT1 genes increase oil content by up to 15% in leaf dry weight tissue. However, triacylglycerols in leaf tissue are subject to degradation during senescence. In order to better package the oil, we expressed a series of lipid droplet proteins isolated from bacterial and plant sources in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue. We observed further increases in leaf oil content of up to 2.3‐fold when we co‐expressed Sesamum indicum Oleosin L with AtWRI1 and AtDGAT1. Biochemical assays and lipid droplet visualization with confocal microscopy confirmed the increase in oil content and revealed a significant change in the size and abundance of lipid droplets.

Oil Recovery from Fractionated Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) Using Enzymes

Oil recovered from dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) can be a high-value product over animal feed to provide an additional profit to ethanol plants currently operating at slim profit margins. Fractionations of DDGS and enzymatic hydrolysis were considered in this study to improve the oil recovery from DDGS. A combination of sieving and then air aspiration was used to separate the original DDGS into three different fractions: light, medium, and heavy. The heavier fraction had up to 24% increased oil content compared to the original DDGS. Commercial enzymes, protease, cellulase, and hemicellulase were tested separately and in combinations at 55 °C for 3 h at 130 rpm to determine their effect on oil recovery from the original and fractionated DDGS. Oil recovery was significantly improved (around 20%) following enzyme hydrolysis of the sieved aspirated heavy fractions of DDGS compared to the original DDGS. More than 90% of oil recovery was achieved by using a combination of cellulase and protease enzymes. Increasing the temperature above 55 °C without any enzyme did not impact oil recovery using the heavy-fraction DDGS. Overall, fractionation and enzymatic hydrolysis showed promise to increase oil recovery from DDGS without any current ethanol plant design changes.

Essential oils as multifunctional additives in biodegradable linear low density polyethylene/starch blends

PurposeThis study aims to develop a biodegradable linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)/starch blends with improved mechanical and flow characteristics and evaluate the probability of using essential oils such as Moringa oleifira and castor oils as green plasticizers and compatibilizers to avoid using harmful chemicals.Design/methodology/approachCorn starch was blended with LLDPE through the melt blending technique. The corn starch content was varied from 5 to 40 phr in LLDPE. To enhance poor mechanical characteristic of the LLDPE/starch, essential oils such as M. oleifira and castor oils were incorporated into the composites with different concentrations starting from 1 to 7 phr. The essential oils’ effect on mechanical, flow character, thermal stability and electrical properties of the LLDPE/starch was also investigated. The morphology of LLDPE/starch containing essential oils was also investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM).FindingsThe results revealed that increasing the corn starch content had an adverse effect on mechanical and flow characteristics of the composites, whereas incorporation of essential oils had increased the flow and mechanical characteristics of the composites. Also, dielectric measurements revealed that permittivity and dielectric loss increased by increasing oil content. Moreover, the values of the blends containing castor oil are higher compared to that containing M. oleifira. The SEM micrographs illustrated that the presence of essential oils in LLDPE/starch enhanced the distribution and the homogeneity of the composites, and the particle size of starch granules became smaller in LLDPE matrix.Originality/valueThis study aims to introduce green plasticizer and compatibilizer to avoid using harmful chemicals in packaging industry.

Exogenously used boron and 24-epibrassinolide improved oil quality and mitigate late-season water deficit stress in camelina

The high oil content and quality of camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] seed oil for various uses, including human nutrition and industry, has encouraged many countries to increase the cultivation of this oilseed crop. Due to the coincidence of initial irrigations of summer crops with the final stages of camelina growth, production of this crop in arid and semi-arid regions depends on tolerance to the late-season water deficit stress. Therefore this two years field experiment focused on boron (B) and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) foliar spray effect on seed yield, oil content, oil yield and fatty acids profile (FAs) of camelina in a semi-arid area (Iran) during 2018−19 and 2019−20 growing season. Experimental treatments were arranged in a split-plot design based on randomized complete blocks with three replicates. Irrigation regimes based on withholding irrigation (WI): [full irrigation (FI) at 50 % of available soil water (ASW); withholding irrigation with 20 % of ASW from full flowering to silicle formation (WI1); withholding irrigation with 20 % of ASW from silicle formation to harvesting (WI2)] were considered as the main plots and ten levels of foliar spray (FS) consisted of control (non foliar spray), distilled water, B (0.5 and 1%) and EBL (0.5 and 1 μM) and their concomitant use (B 0.5 % + EBL 0.5μm, B 0.5 % + EBL 1μm, B 1% + EBL 0.5μm, and B 1% + EBL 1μm) were randomized to the subplot units. Seed and oil yield decreased by 6.7–8.4 % and 10–12 %, respectively in response to the water deficit during the flowering and silicle formation stages. The negative effect of drought stress on the quality of camelina oil was recorded as 3.3–5.3 % increment in erucic acid and significant decrease in the unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) content, oleic acid (by 4.6–8.5 %), linoleic acid (by 3.5 %), linolenic acid (by 2.5 %) and 1.2–2.8 % for monounsaturated fatty acids (ΣMUFAs) content compared with the control treatment. While foliar spary of B and EBL increased oil content by ranged from 2 to 4% under-withholding irrigation treatments. Also ecosanoic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids (ΣPUFAs) content significantly increased under combined application of B0.5 + EBL (0.5 and 1).

Fed-in-situ biological reduction treatment of food waste via high-temperature-resistant oil degrading microbial consortium

This study aims to construct a high-temperature-resistant microbial consortium to effectively degrade oily food waste by Fed-in-situ biological reduction treatment (FBRT). Oil degrading bacteria were screened under thermophilic conditions of mineral salt medium with increased oil content. The oil degradation and emulsification ability of each stain was evaluated and their synergetic improvement was further confirmed. Consortium of Bacillus tequilensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus sonorensis and Ureibacillus thermosphaericus was selected and applicated as bacterial agents in FBRT under 55 °C. Changes in pH, moisture, bacterial community and key components of food waste were monitored for 5 days during processing. Facilitated by the bacterial consortium, FBRT gave superior total mass reduction (86.61 ± 0.58% vs. 67.25 ± 1.63%) and non-volatile solids reduction (65.91 ± 1.53% vs. 28.53 ± 2.29%) compared with negative control, the feasibility and efficiency of present FBRT providing a promising in-situ disposal strategy for rapid reduction of oily food waste.

Waste cooking oils as processing aids for eco-sustainable elastomeric compounding

This work focuses on the replacement of mineral oils with bio-based waste cooking oils in rubber compounding. Two different waste cooking oils from potatoes and chicken frying process were analyzed by means of chemical and rheological tests to evaluate the chemical composition, the oxidative stability and the viscosity. Waste oils have been introduced in elastomeric compounds as substitute for typical processing aids (i.e. lubricants). Cure kinetics of rubber compounds was studied by rheological characterization. Mechanical properties of vulcanized samples were determined by means of tensile tests, hardness tests and dynamic mechanical analysis. The waste oils showed a rheological behavior very similar to the mineral oils conventionally employed in rubber manufacturing leading to almost the same processability of the resulting compound. The waste oils did not significantly affect the vulcanization kinetics of the rubber compound, as expected for conventional lubricants. Waste cooking oils and mineral oil show analogous influence on mechanical properties of cured compounds. At increasing oil content, the elongation at break and the tensile strength increased whereas the values of Elastic Modulus at 100% strain, the Storage Modulus and Shore A Hardness decreased with respect to the oil-free sample. These results are very promising, confirming the possibility to replace the mineral oils, in a good practice of circular economy.

A holistic approach to remediation of soil contaminated with Cu, Pb and Zn with sewage sludge-derived washing agents and synthetic chelator

Green soil washing is a new trend in remediation of heavy metal (HM) contaminated soils that is based on application of washing agents (WAs) derived from organic waste sources. This study compared for the first time the efficiency of sewage sludge-derived WAs (SS_WAs) (dissolved organic matter, DOM; soluble humic-like substances, HLS; soluble humic substances, SHS) extracted from sewage sludge with water or a NaOH solution. As a benchmark for comparison, Na2EDTA was used. The FT-IR/PAS spectra had higher intensities for SS_WAs than Na2EDTA, with a predominance of carboxyl groups in all WAs. The WAs were used to remove Cu, Pb and Zn from soil during double batch washings. The effects of these WAs on HM removal and the quality of remediated soil, including fertility indicators, content of humic substances, HM distribution, HM stability, soil phytotoxicity and activity of soil microorganisms (as dehydrogenase activity, DHA) were evaluated. The SS_WAs removed HMs with high efficiency (HLS 80–90%, SHS 61–89%), although slightly less efficiently than Na2EDTA (93–95%). DOM very efficiently removed Cu (7274 mg Cu·kg−1), but not Pb. Soil washing affected changes in HM distribution by increasing stability of most HM in washed soil. All SS_WAs, in contrast to Na2EDTA, increased soil content of organics and nutrients. The type of WA had no effect on germination of wheat seeds. However, Na2EDTA inhibited shoot and root growth (by 0.6% and 33%, respectively) and only slightly increased DHA in washed soil. In contrast, all SS_WAs stimulated shoot growth (by 29.4–40.6%), and HLS and SHS also stimulated root growth (by 5.6–11.6%) and increased DHA by the largest amount (6.5–7.4-fold compared to unwashed soil). Sewage sludge constitutes an important waste source of easily obtainable SS_WAs, which possess great potential for remediating highly polluted soils, especially Cu-polluted soils, with low toxicity and recovery of soil function. In conclusion, this holistic assessment of soil remediation indicates that SS_WAs can be an attractive alternative to Na2EDTA.

Fatty acid export protein BnFAX6 functions in lipid synthesis and axillary bud growth in Brassica napus.

Sugar is considered as the primary regulator of plant apical dominance, whereby the outgrowth of axillary buds is inhibited by the shoot tip. However, there are some deficiencies in this theory. Here, we reveal that Fatty Acid Export 6 (BnFAX6) functions in FA transport, and linoleic acid or its derivatives acts as a signaling molecule in regulating apical dominance of Brassica napus. BnFAX6 is responsible for mediating FA export from plastids. Overexpression of BnFAX6 in B. napus heightened the expression of genes involved in glycolysis and lipid biosynthesis, promoting the flow of photosynthetic products to the biosynthesis of FAs (including linoleic acid and its derivatives). Enhancing expression of BnFAX6 increased oil content in seeds and leaves and resulted in semi-dwarf and increased branching phenotypes with more siliques, contributing to increased yield per plant relative to wild-type. Furthermore, decapitation led to the rapid flow of the carbon from photosynthetic products to FA biosynthesis in axillary buds, consistent with the overexpression of BnFAX6 in B. napus. In addition, free FAs, especially linoleic acid, were rapidly transported from leaves to axillary buds. Increasing linoleic acid in axillary buds repressed expression of a key transcriptional regulator responsible for maintaining bud dormancy, resulting in bud outgrowth. Taken together, we uncovered that BnFAX6 mediating FA export from plastids functions in lipid biosynthesis and in axillary bud dormancy release, possibly through enhancing linoleic acid level in axillary buds of B. napus.

Oil content determination on sunflower seeds in drought conditions

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oil crops in the world and mostly produces oil. Due to the global warming and unexpected climatic changes especially extreme heat and droughts in recent years, as a spring crop sunflower affects severely by these climatic conditions in the vegetation period and loses seed yield hardly. Plant breeding longer process taking at least ten years to develop cultivars. Therefore, sunflower breeders should consider future climatic conditions, hence it seems that drought tolerance should consider primarily in their breeding programs. Oil content is the most important trait in sunflower than the major goal in the breeding studies; likewise, it is the most affected yield trait in sunflower from drought conditions. The study was conducted to determine the oil contents from drought some inbred lines and their hybrids developed lately in National Sunflower Project conducting by Trakya Agriculture Research Institute (TARI). Based on the study results; the significant relationships were observed between oil content and other yield traits in drought conditions. Oil content of male lines exhibited more variability than female lines changed as 13.16%–54.05% male lines and 19.12%–52.46% in female lines, and 30.17%–53.68% in the hybrids. While oil content of inbred lines affected negatively mostly from thousand seed weight and head diameter, leaf number, leaf area, and seed yield followed this trait, respectively. Based on path analysis for the contribution of yield traits on determining of oil content; it determined that seed and oil yield were the most directly affected traits then followed by oil yield in sunflower inbred lines in a negative way, and other yield traits mostly affected oil content determination in drought stress conditions over these two traits. The seed and oil yield, leaf area, and thousand seed weight reduced about over 90% in the drought in inbred lines. Severe droughts resulted heavy decreases in sunflower oil content as well as in the seed and oil yield and other yield traits so no need to focus on increasing oil contents over 40%–43% and it should be sacrified from this trait in that kind of conditions. The sunflower hybrid evaluations in three different locations mentioned that thousand seed weight, seed yield, and leaf area as well as leaf number are the most important yield traits affecting positively of oil content determination in drought stress conditions. Practical applications Sunflower is commonly influenced by the environmental conditions, such as hot temperatures and drought as being a spring growing crop. These environmental stresses mostly appear during mid-summer then sunflower suffers from these stressess resulting of seed and oil yield losses with lower oil content. Especially the stress in the grain filling period results in lower oil content in the sunflower growing season. The study results mentioned that sunflower breeders should consider more male inbred lines to develop better oil content hybrids for drought stress. Furthermore, thousand seed weight is also the most important seed characteristics other than seed and oil yield for consisting of oil content in sunflower. Therefore, we have to focus on developing higher seed yield instead of higher oil content because sunflower sacrifice from seed yield to give higher oil content over 40%–43% during the stress conditions.

Individual and interactive influences of elevated air temperature and soil drought at the flowering and boll-forming stage on cottonseed yield and nutritional quality

As the main byproduct of cotton production, cottonseed yields edible vegetable oil, ruminant feed, and industrial products. We evaluated the individual and interactive effects of elevated air temperature and soil drought on cottonseed yield and nutritional quality using two cotton cultivars, Sumian 15 (heat-susceptible) and PHY370WR (heat-tolerant). The experiment was conducted under three levels of soil relative water content (SRWC): (75 ± 5)%, (60 ± 5)% and (45 ± 5)% and two temperature regimes: ambient temperature (AT, 31.0/26.4 °C, mean daytime/night temperature) and elevated temperature (ET, 33.4/28.9 °C). Cottonseed yield, boll number, seed number, and single-seed weight were lower under combined ET and SRWC(45 ± 5)% than either individual stress or combined stresses in comparison with the control treatment (SRWC(75 ± 5)% under AT). Drought tended to increase oil content and reduce protein content, whereas ET showed almost the opposite effects. Under the combination of ET and soil drought, oil content was still higher than under control, although ET weakened the beneficial effects of drought. For protein, ET offset the negative impacts of mild drought on protein content, but protein content was not increased under SRWC(45 ± 5)%. Each stress or combined stress reduced oil and protein yields under all treatments, owing to declines in cottonseed yields. The combined stress reduced unsaturated fatty acid (UFA)/saturated fatty acid (SFA) and essential amino acid (EAA)/non-essential amino acid (NAA). Compared with PHY370WR, the sensitivity of Sumian 15 to the combined factors was evidenced in the following ways: (1) seed yield, yield components, oil and protein yields were decreased more for Sumian 15 than PHY370WR compared with the control treatment; (2) the combined stresses caused lower oil content, UFA, and UFA/SFA in Sumian 15 than PHY370WR; (3) interaction effects of the combined factors on protein content and EAA/NAA were detected only in Sumian 15.

Effect of Oil Content and Oil Addition Point on the Extrusion Processing of Wheat Gluten-Based Meat Analogues.

High-moisture extrusion is a common process to impart an anisotropic, meat-like structure to plant proteins, such as wheat gluten. The addition of oil during the process promises to enhance the sensory properties of the meat analogs. In this study, the influence of oil on extrusion-relevant parameters as well as the structure-related characteristics of extruded wheat gluten was investigated. Oil was added directly to the extruder at different contents (0, 2, 4, 6%) and addition points (front/end of the extruder barrel). Process conditions, complex viscosity, Young’s modulus and oil phase morphology were determined as a function of oil content and oil addition point. With increasing oil content, material temperature, die pressure, and complex viscosity decreased. The addition of oil at the end of the extruder barrel reduced this effect compared to the addition of oil in the front part of the extruder. It was observed that the extrudate’s tensile strength is a function of material temperature, resulting in an increase in tensile strength with increasing material temperature. The oil was dispersed in the gluten matrix as small droplets with irregular shape. As the oil content increased, the size of the oil droplets increased, while the addition of oil at the end of the extruder resulted in a decrease in droplet size.

EFFECT OF TREATMENT WITH PREPARATIONS CONTAINING HUMIC ACIDS ON THE OIL CONTENT AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF BRASSICA NAPUS L.

The article analyzes changes in the fatty acid composition of spring rapeseed represented by Trapper and Siberian varieties after their treatment with «Huminatrin» and «Beres-8». The fatty acid composition of spring rapeseed cultivated in the Siberian region was studied by gas-liquid chromatography. The rapeseed contains 19 fatty acids with a chain length of 12 to 24 carbon atoms. The treatment with preparations containing humic acids caused different reactions in varieties. The Trapper variety showed a decrease in oil content after processing, while the Siberian variety showed an increase in oil content. It was found that treatment with «Huminatrin» and «Beres-8» caused an increase in linoleic and linolenic acids and a decrease in oleic fatty acids. The maximum content of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids was observed in seeds after their treatment with the «Huminatrin». Also the treatment with «Huminatrin» and «Beres-8» preparations of Trapper and Siberian varieties led to an increase in the concentration of limited fatty acids.

Thermoresponsive liquid crystalline formulation of Exemestane: Design and structural characterization

Exemestane (EXE), a drug used for the treatment of breast cancer, has limited aqueous solubility of 0.08 mg/mL and log P∼ 4.22. The only available marketed formulation in form of tablets possess limitations of poor oral absorption (∼ 42 %), low solubility, extensive hepatic metabolism and numerous adverse effects due to its peripheral absorption. In order to address these issues, an alternative route of topical application is attempted through a lamellar liquid crystal based formulation. Pluronic® was used as stabilizer due to its higher surface activity and gelling properties. The solubility enhancement of EXE was achieved using liquid crystal formulation. We have investigated the effect of concentration of oil, Smix (surfactant – cosurfactant mixture) and EXE on lattice parameter, rheology and drug release for various combinations of the formulation. The small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement demonstrated an evidence of a lamellar structure with lattice parameter ∼15 nm, which increases with corresponding increase in oil and EXE due to increase in hydrophobic interactions leading to an expansion of lamella. The inter lamellar distance decreases at higher surfactant concentration, due to the distribution of the same amount of oil and drug within larger concentration of surfactant molecules. The rheology measurement exhibited gel like properties at low shear rate indicating soft gel formation, which converts to Newtonian type flowing liquid at higher shear rate. At constant Smix with increasing oil content, the viscosity decreases, which is attributed to the dilution of the lamellar structures with oil. The temperature sweep rheology reveals a change in the viscosity near physiological temperature, which may be attributed to the structural transition of lamellae. The formulation remains gel like at room temperature, which aids in proper application to skin and converts it to free flowing liquid above 37 °C. The invitro drug release of optimized formulation for 24 h was ∼ 38 % at 37 °C, which increased to 50 % at 42 °C. Accordingly, this formulation containing thermoresponsive lamellar liquid crystal gels of EXE represents a viable option for hyperthermia induced enhanced drug release. The characteristic and advantageous features offered by this formulation includes improved bioavailability of EXE due to enhanced solubility, permeability and absorption.

Effect of phytoremediation on the shear strength characteristics of silty clayey sand

Pollution of the environment by crude oil is a global problem that changes the geotechnical properties of soil, including its shear strength. In this study, the effects of phytoremediation of soil contaminated with crude oil have been investigated using Ophiopogon japonicus and Platycladus orientalis. The results of phytoremediation were tested at 30 and 60 days of treatment. The results were compared with samples that had not undergone phytoremediation. The soil shear strength parameters were determined using unconsolidated undrained triaxial compression tests at confining pressures of 50, 100, and 150 kPa. The results showed that an increase in the crude oil content led to a decrease in deviatoric stress at failure associated to an axial strain level of 20%. The deviatoric stress in the treated samples was about 15% higher than the samples without phytoremediation. The internal friction angle and cohesion decreased as the crude oil content increased. This decrease was less in the remediated samples, especially those exposed to P. orientalis. The results of the triaxial compression tests revealed the positive effect of phytoremediation in reducing the negative effects of crude oil on the soil shear strength characteristics. SEM images of the contaminated soil samples showed that soil flocculation initially increased with an increase in the crude oil content and time and then decreased subsequent to the application of phytoremediation.

Moisture sorption and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content

Moisture sorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content were investigated. Moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms of Camellia oleifera seeds, kernels and shells from three varieties were determined using constant temperature and humidity chamber method at different temperatures (10°C, 25°C, and 40°C) with water activity ranging from 0.20 to 0.90. Six selected mathematic models were employed to fit the experimental data. The Peleg model gave the best results for both seeds and kernels and Langmuir model was the best for shells. The difference of equilibrium moisture contents at the same water activities during desorption and adsorption indicated the occurrence of hysteresis of adsorption processes and the equilibrium moisture contents tended to decrease with the increasing oil content and temperature. The binding energy and average capacity per unit mass decreased with increasing temperature and oil content. The relationships between water activity and the logarithm of sorption activity showed the capillary porous body characteristics of the seeds. Keywords: Camellia oleifera seeds, moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms, equilibrium moisture content, oil content, thermodynamic property DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211401.5457 Citation: Zhu G F, Jin Q, Liu Y H, Lin Y W, Wang J, Li X Y. Moisture sorption and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(1): 251–258.

Influence of oil content and droplet size of an oil-in-water emulsion on heat development in an Ohmic heating process

The influence of oil content and droplet size of oil-in-water emulsions on the heat development in an ohmic heating system was investigated. The setup was run with constant power or voltage. Emulsions consisted of sunflower oil (10–50 wt%), aqua dest. (90–50 wt%) and whey protein isolate (1.25/ 2.5/ 3.75/ 5.0 and 6.25 wt%) Two different droplet size distributions were produced, large (d0.5 ≈ 2.0 μm) and small (d0.5 ≈ 0.3 μm), for each oil mass fraction. The emulsions were ohmically heated from 10 to 80 °C at a constant power of 3.0 kW and constant voltage of 15 V/cm. The electrical conductivity decreased with an increasing oil content, resulting in longer or shorter heating time for constant voltage or constant power input, respectively. The droplet size only affected the heating process at the highest oil content. Industrial relevanceEmulsions occur in a wide range of food products (e.g. sauces, dressings, desserts) and have properties giving structure to the food system. Ohmic heating is an emerging thermal process with improved (e.g. faster or less energy required) heating characteristics. The influence of physical changes due to different droplet sizes are of interest because these might also affect the heating characteristic. In addition, the direct comparison of two different process regulations (constant power and constant voltage) indicate which set up is expedient to a successful heating process. This study aims to identify the influence of emulsion-induced structural changes and process changes on the heating rates, which is of interest for the food industry and the related machine building industry.

Physicochemical and emulsifying properties of protein isolated from Phlebopus portentosus

Edible mushroom proteins have attracted increasing interest due to their high content and nutritional quality. In the present work, Phlebopus portentosus protein isolate (PPI) was extracted from P. portentosus fruiting bodies using alkali extraction and isoelectric precipitation method, and the physicochemical and emulsifying properties of PPI were systematically investigated. PPI had a good balance of essential amino acids, but showed low solubility in water. Therefore, a protein nanoparticulation strategy was used to prepare stable PPI nanoparticle (PPIP) dispersions. PPIP showed an average diameter of 225.91 nm, an oil-in-water three-phase contact angle (θo/w) of 95.62°, and fast adsorption behavior at the oil-water interfaces. The near-neutral wettability and high interfacial ability facilitate PPIP as a single emulsifier to fabricate a double Pickering emulsion via the one-step homogenization. The properties of PPIP-stabilized double emulsions were dependent on the protein concentration and oil content. For example, an increase in protein concentration resulted in the decrease of small internal droplet number, droplet size, and storage modulus; an increase in oil content also led to the decrease in the droplet size. These results suggest that PPI has a great potential to be used as emulsifiers for preparing double emulsions.

Association studies and QTL mapping for soybean oil content and composition

Soybean oil is one of the most important vegetable oils in world. Increasing oil content and improve its composition is an important aim of many soybean breeding programs. In this context, the objective of this study was to identify QTLs controlling oil and fatty acid contents in soybean seed in different locations. For this, we developed F2-derived populations by crossing CS303TNKCA and FA22 lines, and analyzed oil and fatty acid content in four locations in Brazil. We evaluated the correlations of traits in each location and between locations and used 1536 SNPs to molecular characterize this population. QTLs associated with the average values of four environments were identified by using simple interval mapping. A linkage map was generated using 534 SNP markers, and 25 linkage groups were formed. A total of 20 QTLs controlling oil, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic contents were found, varying from one (linolenic content) to six (palmitic content), and explaining from 7.02% (qSte-13) to 70.37% (qLin-14) of phenotypic variation. We could not associate eight QTLs (qPal-02, qOle-02, qLol-02, qOle-04, qLol-04, qPal-13.2, qSte-15 and qSte-17) with reported QTLs and genes, so these could be set as new QTLs controlling fatty acid composition. The results found in the present work can help understand the genetic basis of these traits and help breeders to modify oil content and composition in soybean seed, especially in tropical conditions.

Moisture sorption and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content

Moisture sorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content were investigated. Moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms of Camellia oleifera seeds, kernels and shells from three varieties were determined using constant temperature and humidity chamber method at different temperatures (10°C, 25°C, and 40°C) with water activity ranging from 0.20 to 0.90. Six selected mathematic models were employed to fit the experimental data. The Peleg model gave the best results for both seeds and kernels and Langmuir model was the best for shells. The difference of equilibrium moisture contents at the same water activities during desorption and adsorption indicated the occurrence of hysteresis of adsorption processes and the equilibrium moisture contents tended to decrease with the increasing oil content and temperature. The binding energy and average capacity per unit mass decreased with increasing temperature and oil content. The relationships between water activity and the logarithm of sorption activity showed the capillary porous body characteristics of the seeds. Keywords: Camellia oleifera seeds, moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms, equilibrium moisture content, oil content, thermodynamic property DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211401.5457 Citation: Zhu G F, Jin Q, Liu Y H, Lin Y W, Wang J, Li X Y. Moisture sorption and thermodynamic properties of Camellia oleifera seeds as influenced by oil content. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(1): 251–258.

The stepwise organization of nanoparticles into a Pickering emulsion.

Core/shell PVSt-b-PS@Fe3O4 composite nanoparticles (NPs) are achieved by grafting living cationic block copolymer chains onto the surface of amine-capped Fe3O4 NPs via fast termination. The number of chains grafted can be tuned via the molecular weight of PVSt-b-PS. Upon grafting PEG onto the PVSt block via a click reaction, the resulting (PVSt-g-PEG)-b-PS@Fe3O4 composite NPs become highly dispersible in water. A composite nanoparticle with ten chains is selected as a homogeneous NP to demonstrate the dynamic stepwise organization of the NP as oil is fed into the aqueous dispersion. The individual NPs with captured oil are further aggregated, but remain stable with increasing oil content. Eventually, a Pickering emulsion forms in which the aggregates are anchored at the emulsion interface. This dynamic behavior study helps to provide an understanding of the mechanism by which NPs stabilize Pickering emulsions.