Moisture Absorber Research Articles

Colorimetric polymer nanofilm-based time-temperature indicators for recording irreversible changes of temperatures in cold chain

Monitoring and recording subzero temperatures and humidity are essential activities for pharmaceutical, food-beverage, and cold storage industries, as product quality can be hampered during storage and transportation due to temperature disruptions. Traditional electronic subzero time-temperature indicators (TTIs) can be energy-inefficient, fragile, non-recyclable, and susceptible to data breaches and cyber-attacks. Hydrophilic colorimetric polymer nanofilms have been developed as colorimetric temperature and relative humidity (RH) sensors, however, the reversible color-changing behavior of these films significantly limited their application as TTIs, as cannot record temperature changes in the past. Herein, the first colorimetric polymer nanofilm-based TTI for recording an irreversible change of temperatures is reported. This device has shown quick color response in temperature ranges from 23 °C to -30 °C in fewer than 50 s. Remarkably, when the device experiences temperature disruption above a certain threshold time (tth), it shows irreversible color-changing behavior in response to the temperature change from subzero (-30 °C and -15 °C) to room temperature or above. It was demonstrated that tth, from minutes to days, of the TTI device can be precisely tuned by adjusting moisture absorber type and weight, interior RH, and storage temperature. Several field tests have demonstrated good versatility and applicability of the device.

Active Packaging for Improving the Shelf Life and Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.)

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is a popular berry of the world but it is highly perishable in nature and possesses an extremely short shelf life. Active packaging in plastic punnets of size 17cm x 11 cm x 3.5 cm of 100 gm capacity with the treatment of Ethylene absorber + moisture absorber + Clo2 (5ppm) increased the shelf life by 7 days as compared to control 3 days. Physiological Loss in weight 4.4%) and decay incidence was also reduced 36% as compared to control showing PLW 9% and decay incidence of 65%. The mean value after storage of quality parameters such as TSS (10.8 0 Brix), Titratable acidity (0.8%), Anthocyanin (61.2 mg/100gm) and Ascorbic acid (65.16mg/100g) content was observed which performed better with the organic treatment as compared to the treated fruits.

Numerical optimization of process parameters and quality stability of active edible coated jaggery cubes during storage

The present investigation was focused on the optimization of process parameters for edible coating and the evaluation of quality characteristics of coated jaggery cubes stored for a period of 150 days. Quality parameters were evaluated at intervals of 0, 45, 90, 120, 135, and 150 days under ambient storage conditions. A total of 17 experiments as per BBD were carried out with three independent variables, including the HDPE bag thickness (100, 150, and 200 μm), the moisture absorber (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 g/L), and the concentration ratio of CMC and HPMC (0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 g/100 mL). The responses, i.e., moisture content, pH, hardness, overall acceptability, and yeast/mould count for coated jaggery cubes, were evaluated. The optimization was performed using design expert software (ver. 13), and optimised values for process parameters were observed as 100 μm (HDPE bag thickness), 1.5 g/L (moisture absorber), and 0.8 g/100 mL (concentration of CMC and HPMC). From the storage study results, it was observed that after 150 days of storage, the yeast/mould count (98 cfu/g) in the control sample was highest compared to the control sample (15 cfu/g). The highest overall acceptability score was observed in the case of packed coated jaggery cubes (8.5), while the least (5.5) was observed for control after 150 days of storage. It was concluded that edible coatings consisting of moisture absorbers (dimethyl fumarate and silica gel) and concentration ratios of CMC and HPMC, along with HDPE bags, could maintain the quality characteristics of jaggery cubes and enhance the shelf life up to 150 days.

Extending shelf life of Ney Poovan banana through active packaging for export market

The present study focuses on the impact of active packaging technology on the Ney Poovan banana variety, aiming to extend its shelf life for export purpose. The experiment comprised four treatments: an ethylene absorber, a moisture absorber, a control group, and packaging in vacuum-sealed polythene bags. These banana samples were subsequently stored at two different temperatures, namely room temperature (RT) and 13.5°C. The results obtained from the experiment indicated that the fruits packed with an ethylene absorber exhibited an extended shelf life of 72 days when stored at 13.5°C. The fruits remained fresh for 20 days when stored at RT. These ethylene-treated fruits also displayed the highest pulp-to-peel ratio (PPR) of 7.34 when held at 13.5°C, while the highest acid content (0.673%) was registered at RT. On the other hand, the control group fruits stored at RT tended to show the highest TSS content (29oBrix). The fruits stored at RT, irrespective of the treatments exhibited the highest content of TSS (21.11oBrix). The physiological loss in weight increased gradually during storage in both temperatures but was low in fruits packed with moisture absorbers. Though the ethylene evolution rate increased towards extended storage in both temperatures, the concentration was less in fruits packed with ethylene absorber.

Silica Synthesis from Oil Palm Mill Boiler Ash Under Different Concentration of NaOH and Extraction Time

Boiler ash from palm oil mill contains high SiO2compound. The boiler ash used in this study was from PKS Cikasungka PTPN VIII, Bogor. The research objectives were to (i) optimize the conditions of silica synthesis process from boiler ash, (ii) analyze the silica content of the synthesis, (iii) and analyze the performance of silica as a moisture absorber. This research was designed using a central composite design (CCD) and the variables were optimized using the response surface method (RSM), silica was synthesis using sol-gel method and silica content was measured using XRF. The performance of silica as a moisture absorber was also studied to determine the appropriate adsorption kinetics at 32%, 64%, 75%, 85% and 97% RH conditions. The results showed that the optimum process conditions that produced the highest silica yield (41.17%) were solvent concentration of 7.39 M and extraction time 78.13 minutes. The silica gel produced is a white powder with SiO2content of 79.20%. The results showed that the water vapor adsorption kinetics at 64% RH was simulated with a first order model, while other treatments with 32%, 75%, 85% and 97% RH were simulated with a second order pseudo model. At 32% RH had a higher k value of 0.086 g/g/day than the 97% RH of 0.011 g/g/day.

The Natural Moisture of ABS Filament and Its Influence on the Quality of FFF Products.

The article presents the results of research on the influence of the natural moisture of a filament made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer (ABS) on the mechanical properties and quality of products fabricated with fused filament fabrication (FFF). The concept of the natural moisture of the filament was defined, and the range of its variability was identified in reference to the range of the natural ambient humidity. It is shown that a change in the ambient humidity by 10% resulted in a change in filament moisture by about 0.05%. The results of the research on the moisture variability of an ABS filament stored in a package, an airtight container, or a container with a moisture absorber are also discussed. The last part of the article presents the results of the research on the impact of the moisture of the filament in its natural range of variability on select mechanical properties of filaments and products made using FFT. It is shown that this impact was significant and had a value of 1 MPa on 0.1% filament moisture.

Investigation of an Upcycling Strategy for Mixed Plastic Wastes from Urban Collection

AbstractIn this work, an upcycling strategy, aimed to upgrade the performances of recyclates deriving from sorting and mechanical recycling of mixed plastic waste recovered from the urban collection (UPW), is explored. To this aim, UPW samples are firstly analyzed to get information on their polymer constituents (type and relative amount), and then they are upcycled with the addition of different amounts of a polymer compatibilizer, a CaCO3‐based moisture absorber, and/or odor removers. All used additives give interesting benefits on processability and quality of the recycled UPW. In particular, the stiffness is increased up to ca. 22%, with the addition of 5 wt% of compatibilizer, and up to ca. 36%, with the addition of 5 wt% of moisture absorber, which also give better processability thanks to its moisture removal action. The odor absorber significantly reduces the smell of the recyclates, as found in preliminary odor recognition test sensory evaluation.

Effectiveness of silica gel from palm kernel shell ash as a moisture absorber of bottle packaging medicine

Silica gel is widely used in industrial and pharmaceuticals, especially as a moisture absorber. Silica gel can be synthesized from a material containing high SiO2. One of natural material SiO2 resource is palm kernel shell ash (PKSA). PKSA contains 55.2% SiO2. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of silica gel from PKSA as a moisture content absorber for bottle packaging medicine. This study used experimental method with laboratory analysis. The steps in this study were initiated with the preparation of PKSA, synthesis of silica gel from PKSA, characterization of the synthesized silica gel with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) instruments, water content analysis to determine the optimum absorption time of silica gel as a moisture absorber for bottle packaging medicine followed by testing the effectiveness silica gel at the optimum absorption time. The results showed that obtained silica gel from PKSA with a yield of 34%. XRF characterization shows content of SiO2 by 45.13 %. XRD characterization shows the nature of the solid silica gel in the form of crystalline phase. The optimum absorption time is 2 weeks for silica gel from PKSA. The effectiveness of the silica gel from the PKSA is 85.65 % as bottle packaging medicine moisture content absorber. Further analysis is needed on how to minimize the level of impurities in silica gel of PKSA to increase the effectiveness as a bottle packaging medicine moisture absorber.

Multi-functional cyclic ammonium chloride additive for efficient and stable air-processed perovskite solar cells

Because morphology and defect of organic-inorganic halide perovskite film is very sensitive to moisture and oxygen, it is important to develop humidity tolerant air-processes that produce high quality film with minimal defects for the successful commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PeSCs). As an attempt to optimize perovskite film in the air, we develop a cyclic quaternary ammonium chloride (N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methylpyrrolidinium chloride, M-P chloride) with a pentagonal ring and hydroxyl functional group as an effective additive. The Cl− anions in M-P chloride increase the crystallinity and the grain size by retarding nucleation and growth rate. After crystal growth, bulky M-P chloride diffuses out and remains on the grain boundaries and surface of the perovskite, and thus passivates both types of defects. Furthermore, since the M-P chloride may act as a moisture absorber, the intermediate phase of the perovskite can be protected from the moisture. As a result, this strategy can not only modulate the crystallinity and film morphology but also passivate the defects, leading to enhanced efficiency and stability, regardless of humidity. In particular, even at high humidity of ∼77%, PeSC with M-P chloride exhibits 18.20% power conversion efficiency (PCE) without any hysteresis behavior.

CARACTERÍSTICAS DE CALIDAD, QUÍMICAS Y FERMENTATIVAS in vitro DE ENSILADOS DE PAPAYA (Carica papaya L) DE DESECHO Y HENO DE PASTO ESTRELLA (Cynodon nlemfluensis)

<p><strong>Background</strong>. Ripe papaya that does not meet standards for human consumption has the potential to be ensiled with star grass as a moisture absorber, which has the potential as an unconventional ruminant feed. <strong>Objective</strong>. To determine the quality, nutritional, and <em>in</em> <em>vitro</em> fermentative characteristics of silages made with milled ripe papaya (<em>Carica</em> <em>papaya</em> L) and star (<em>Cynodon</em> <em>nlemfluensis</em>) grass hay as moisture absorber, adding three levels of molasses during 21 and 28 days of lactic fermentation. <strong>Methodology</strong>. The silos (1.5 Kg) were made with 75% ripe papaya, 25% star grass hay, added with 2% urea and 0, 3 and 6% cane molasses; the silos were fermented for 21 and 28 d. The quality characteristics (pH, lactic acid (LA), ammonia nitrogen (N-NH<sub>3</sub>) and dry matter (DM)), chemical characteristics (crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and ashes (As)) and <em>in</em> <em>vitro</em> fermentation (partial and accumulated production of biogas and methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), degradation of dry matter (DDM) and degradation of neutral detergent fiber (DNDF) were evaluated). The statistical analysis was a 3x2 factorial arrangement within a completely randomized design, using level of molasses addition and fermentation time as factors. <strong>Results</strong>. pH, LA, CP and partial biogas at 24 and 48 h showed interaction between factors (p<0.05). Silages with 0% molasses showed lower content of DM, As, accumulated biogas, partial CH<sub>4</sub> at 24 h, DDM; as well as, higher NDF, partial CH<sub>4</sub> at 72 h. The silages with 6% molasses presented higher DM, As, partial CH<sub>4</sub> at 24 h, accumulated CH<sub>4</sub> and DDM; in addition, lower NDF, ADF, partial CH<sub>4</sub> at 72 h. Silages with 21 d had lower N-NH<sub>3</sub>, NDF, Ce, Biogas and accumulated CH<sub>4</sub>, partial CH<sub>4</sub> at 24 h and 72 h than at 28 d (p<0.05). The highest pH value was in silages with 28 d and 6% molasses and the highest LA in 28 d silages with 0% molasses (p<0.05). <strong>Implications</strong>. Ripe papaya silage does not require cane molasses as an additive; there is no effect on the opening of the silos at 21 or 28 d of lactic fermentation. <strong>Conclusion</strong>. Silage made with ripe papaya and star grass hay as moisture absorber, with urea does not require sugar cane molasses as an additive to maintain its quality, chemical and <em>in</em> <em>vitro</em> fermentation characteristics, which allows inferring that it is an unconventional alternative in the feeding of ruminants.</p>

Integrative programming for simulation of packaging headspace and shelf life of fresh produce

Fresh horticultural products are exposed to different environmental conditions from farm to fork. Barrier properties of packaging and physiological behaviour of produce, namely respiration and transpiration can affect headspace conditions surrounding produce and consequently remaining shelf life. Packaging material also plays a role in heat and mass transfer, such as thermal conduction and permeation of O2, CO2 and water vapour. All of these behaviours are integrated together in the form of ordinary differential equations and solved using numerical methods in MATLAB.• The simulation program is useful for designing the size and number of perforations to achieve equilibrium modified atmosphere alone or in combination with packaging material having a higher water transmission rate or active moisture absorber.• The simulation program is also useful for predicting the shelf life of fresh produce under the actual supply chain conditions.• The simulation program provides a flexible system to input predefined supply chain conditions and the properties of fresh produce and packaging material, thus, minimizing the costly and time consuming experimental procedures for selecting the optimum packaging material for fresh produce.

Effect of Moisture Absorber and High-Density Polyethylene Bags on Shelf Life of Edible Coated Jaggery Cubes During Storage

Designed experiments were carried out to study the behavior of moisture absorber and high-density polyethylene bags for increasing the shelf life of jaggery cubes stored under ambient conditions for 150 days of storage period. The results revealed that coated jaggery cubes were packed in HDPE bags with moisture absorber in preventing the absorption of moisture content inside the package to maintain the quality of jaggery cubes. Minimum changes in water activity, reducing sugar, TVC, and colour of jaggery cubes were obtained due to the presence of moisture absorber kept into HDPE bags. The water activity, colour difference (ΔE) and TVC decreased with increase in the thickness of HDPE bags followed by moisture absorber; it maintains the dry conditions inside the bags and forms uniform matrix over the dried jaggery cubes. The study recommended that coated jaggery cubes can be stored for 150 days at optimum conditions of moisture absorber (1.5 g/l), HDPE bags (100 µm) and concentration of CMC and HPMC (0.8 g/100 ml) without any change in the quality of jaggery.

Application of hue spectra fingerprinting during cold storage and shelf-life of packaged sweet cherry

Presented work investigated the application of a new color analysis technique in post-harvest life of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. ‘Hudson’). The hue spectra fingerprinting creates a histogram of image colors by summarizing the saturation. The advantage of this calculation method is that vivid colors make peaks while neutral background color is eliminated without object segmentation. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to estimate reference parameters during 9 d cold storage at 10 ± 0.5 °C (RH = 90 ± 1%) and following 2 d shelf-life at 20 ± 0.5 °C. The reference parameters of respiration, weight loss, fruit firmness and total soluble solid (TSS) content were measured. Samples were split into seven groups according to the number of perforations of polypropylene film and fructose concentration of moisture absorber. It was observed that parameters TSS and fruit firmness were the most sensitive to the length of storage. Weight loss was affected significantly by packaging. All reference parameters were estimated by PLS model with R2 > 0.917, but weight loss and respiration obtained high estimation error of RMSE% = 48.02% and 11.76%, respectively. TSS and fruit firmness prediction were successful with RMSE% = 0.84% and 1.85%, respectively. Desiccation and color change of peduncle became visible in the green range of hue spectra. Color change of red fruit was observed with decreasing saturation in the red range of hue spectra. Our findings suggest that hue spectra fingerprinting can be a useful nondestructive method for monitoring quality change of sweet cherry during post-harvest handling and shelf-life.

Active and Intelligent Packaging with Phase Change Materials to Promote the Shelf Life Extension of Food Products

Active packaging aims to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables using active agents such as Oxygen, Carbon-di-oxide, ethylene scavengers and moisture absorber. Intelligent packaging provides information about the fruits quality inside the package to the customer and this packaging technology detects the internal changes of fruits and vegetables using sensors and indicators. Further to improve the post-harvest storage PCM such as Rubitherm can be used depending on the package box dimension to remove the field heat from the products and maintain its temperature with low variation during transport and display. Gel packs having less weight with PET and PS can also be an alternate method in the packaging. The application of these technologies may lead to a revolution in post-harvest storage, transportation, and further retail sale. This paper reviews the theoretical principles of food packaging and recent developments in packaging technologies using PCMs.
 Keywords: Active packaging, Intelligent packaging, Phase change materials, Shelf life extension, Fruits

Agricultural waste-derived moisture-absorber for all-weather atmospheric water collection and electricity generation

Abstract Harvesting water and energy from ambient environment promises to relieve the worldwide fresh-water scarcity and energy shortage. The fabrication of well-designed materials for atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) requires highly-technical skills, hampering practical applications in isolated regions or after natural disasters. Herein, we report an efficient moisture absorber from waste corn stalk for AWH and for concurrent electricity generation. The sample can adsorb water at capacities of 0.46–1.84 kg kg−1 under relative humidity of 20%–80%. Moreover, with surface modification using commercial carbon ink, a corn stalk slice (3 cm × 1 cm × 0.2 cm) can output a stable open-circuit voltage of ~0.6 V in the air. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the oxygen groups in the carbon ink contribute to the power generation in the corn stalk. When connected in series, corn stalk slices can directly power an electronic calculator. This study contributes to the development of practical strategies to address issues in the water-waste-energy nexus.

Effect of temperature on water vapor sorption on commercial desiccant and rice husk-CaCl2 composite desiccant

Many efforts have been made to control the moisture in the package by the addition of the active ingredients which absorb this moisture. In the modern retail, moisture or water vapor absorber, known as desiccant has been widely used to extend the shelf life of the food product. Composite desiccants comprising the high active ingredient has been developed to improve the performance of single absorber material in absorbing and controlling moisture in the food package. The purpose of this research was to observe the effect of temperature storage in moisture sorption of commercial desiccants (silica gel and active clay) comparing to the composite desiccant of rice husk-CaCl2. This research proved that the sorption ability of these desiccants were different, and it was influenced by the temperature of the storage. The results showed that rice husk-CaCl2 composite dessicant possessed the highest absorption capacity especially at temperature of 40 °C with value of 1.2342 g H2O/g desiccant for 7 days of storage. The increase of temperature has been resulted on increasing absorption rate (k), for example, rice husk-CaCl2 composite dessicant, the k value was 0.2587 g H2O/g desiccant/day at 30 °C, 0.7828 g H2O/g desiccant/day at 40 °C and 0.9562 g H2O/g desiccant/day at 50 °C. It looks that the moisture absorption followed pseudo second order for all treatment with R2 at 99% for almost all treatments.

Half-life Estimation of Encapsulated Enterococcus faecium IS-27526 by Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT)

Probiotics are live microbes with beneficial effect to the host when administrated in adequate quantities. Ensuring the functionality of probiotics can be a challenge for manufacturers due to harsh environment conditions during processing, handling and storage. Enterococcus faecium IS-27526 is one of novel probiotic strain isolated from dadih, traditional fermented buffalo milk of West Sumatra. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of microencapsulation, moisture absorber, and storage temperature on the half-life of probiotic powder estimated by Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT). There were two treatment groups, namely free cell (FC), and microencapsulated cell (EC), with additional treatment in each group, with addition of moisture absorber (MA) and without moisture absorber, stored at various temperatures (5°C, 27°C and 37°C) for 21 days and viable counts was assessed every 7 days. Storage temperature significantly affects the half-life of probiotic powder (p<0.05). At 5°C, EC significantly showed longer half-life than EC-MA, 140.14 ± 5.701 and 113.45 ± 3.242 days, respectively, at 27°C, EC significantly shorter half-life than EC-MA, 38.64 ± 6.831 and 42.35 ± 0.973 days, respectively. Microencapsulation and moisture absorber didn’t show significant effect on half-life (p>0.05) at various temperature storage.

Model of Helium and Water Vapor Adsorption by a Microsphere-Based Porous Composite Sorbent

In this paper, we propose a mathematical model to describe the dynamics of a mixture of gases, including helium and water vapor, in a layer of a resting composite sorbent based on microspheres and a porous matrix of an aluminum oxide moisture absorber using the multiphase media mechanics approach. We show how to match the flow in a porous adsorber medium and the diffusion of gases in a cylindrical adsorbent granule, taking into account the adsorption of helium by microspheres and water vapor by the porous surface of the adsorbent.

Application Alkali Treatment Rice Husk – CaCl2 as Moisture Absorber of Coconut Palm Sugar Granule

Rice husk is high fiber agricultural wastes and with CaCl2 impregnated, it would be potential to develop as a composite moisture absorber. In this case, the rice husk – CaCl2 composite can absorb and control the moisture in headspace of packaging to stabilize the water activity of the product. This study was aimed to develop moisture absorber from rice husk – CaCl2 and apply the sachet of moisture absorber into the package of coconut palm sugar granule (CSG). Moisture absorber was prepared by impregnated the surface of modified rice husk using sodium hydroxide (5% w/v) and CaCl2 with the concentration of 5, 10 and 15 % w/v. Physical parameters of CSG were analyzed. Rice husk – CaCl2 15% has the highest moisture absorption. Meanwhile, the using of rice husk - CaCl2 as moisture absorber was able to maintain the moisture content of CSG during storage at the condition as about 2% with RH 70%.

Storage of primed pelleted sugar beet seed with minimal loss of seed vigour and active ingredients

Different seed storage methods, varying in storage temperature, moisture and/or oxygen content, were applied to commercial sugar beet seed lots from four breeding companies. After storage for 10–11 months, germination of the seed was tested in the laboratory (cold test, 10°C). In addition, the contents of active ingredients (fungicides and insecticide) were analyzed and compared with the initial contents before storage. Based on these results, a selection of the most promising storage methods was made to test plant emergence in a field experiment. This research was performed in 2015/16 and in 2016/17. In both years, two storage treatments outperformed the others: these were storage in a closed jar with the addition of moisture absorber (i.e. silica gel) at room temperature and storage at –18°C in a closed plastic bag. Using these two storage methods, seed vigour and contents of active ingredients were comparable to those in seed that had not been stored for one year. Based on the results from this study, the advice to growers for a successful storage of residual sugar beet seed was adjusted in 2017, after including some practical guidelines and considerations.