Pulp Fractions Research Articles

Comparison of oxalate contents and recovery from two green juices prepared using a masticating juicer or a high speed blender

BackgroundJuicing is a popular health trend where green juice is prepared from a range of common vegetables. If spinach is included in the mix then the juice may contain significant quantities of oxalates and these are not safe to consume regularly in large amounts as they predispose some people to kidney stone formation. MethodsGreen juice, prepared from spinach and other common vegetables using a high speed blender that produced a juice containing all the original fiber of the processed raw vegetables, was compared with a juice produced using a masticating juicer, where the pulp containing most of the fiber was discarded in the process. The oxalate contents of both juices were measured using HPLC chromatography. ResultsTwo juices were prepared using each processing method, one juice contained a high level of spinach, which resulted in a juice containing high levels of total, soluble and insoluble oxalates; the other was a juice mixture made from the same combination of vegetables but containing half the level of spinach, which resulted in a juice containing considerably (P<0.001) lower levels of oxalates. Removal of the pulp fraction from the green vegetable juice had resulted in significantly (P<0.01) higher levels of oxalates in the remaining juices made from both levels of spinach. ConclusionGreen juices prepared using common vegetables can contain high levels of soluble oxalates, which will vary with the type and proportion of vegetables used and whether or not the pulp fraction was retained during processing.

English

Ximenia americana popularly known as wild plum grow wildly in Brazilian semiarid region and its fruit were harvested in two maturity stages and evaluated for quality. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments (immature, mature pulp and seeds), and treatment effect&nbsp;was&nbsp;evaluated&nbsp;for pulp&nbsp;fraction (composed of both mesocarp and exocarp or peel) in maturation stages: immature (largest size with green colored peel), mature (largest size with yellow colored peel) and seeds of&nbsp;mature fruits,&nbsp;from&nbsp;eight&nbsp;repetitions of&nbsp;25 fruits each,&nbsp;totaling 200&nbsp;fruits per&nbsp;treatment. Fruit were separated and evaluated for physical and physicochemical variables, mineral composition, bioactive compounds content and total antioxidant activity (TAA). The X. americana grown in Brazilian semiarid region presents a great potential to further commercial exploitation. The pulp, aside its maturation stage contains high levels of lipids, proteins, sugars, starch, titratable acidity, vitamin C, yellow flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidant activity. The seed also presents high levels of lipid, protein, starch, total extractable polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Imature pulp stands out for acidity, polyphenol, flavonoid and anthcyanin levels, while mature fruit pulp has higher yield, sugar and vitamin C levels. Seeds have higher starch, protein and lipi levels. The antioxidant activity found for wild plum pulp could be attributed to polyphenol and vitamin C contents; meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of seeds was dependent only on polyphenolic content. Pulp had higher Na, K, Mg, Ca and Fe levels, however, both seed and pulp fractions have substantial contents of P, K, Cu and Mn. &nbsp; Key words: Development, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, minerals, quality.

Comparative Study of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Properties of Pulp Fractions from Waste Paper

As a lignocellulosic material, wastepaper is a potential material for ethanol production. However, little research on the enzymatic hydrolysis of wastepaper pulp has been conducted. In this study, the enzymatic hydrolysis of different waste pulp fractions (R80 represents greater than 80-mesh wastepaper pulp, R80-180 represents the range of 80- to 180-mesh wastepaper pulp, and R180 represents smaller than 180-mesh waste paper pulp) were carried out at 50 °C, pH 4.8, for 96 h, with a substrate concentration of 5% (w/v) and cellulase loading of 18 FPU/g cellulose. In terms of the specific surface area, fiber structure, and surface morphology, R80-180 had the highest affinity to cellulase and therefore the highest glucose yield of 80.33%. R180 had the lowest glucose yield (55.36%) because of its high ash content (21.36%), which reduced the adsorption of cellulase to cellulose. The enzymatic hydrolysis of R80 mixed with R80 or R80-180 was also studied. Results indicated that adding R80-180 increased the glucose yield of R80. The highest glucose yield (82.57%) was obtained when 15% R80-180 was mixed with R80. However, the glucose content decreased when R180 was mixed with R80 because of its high ash content.

Enhancing hemicelluloses removal from a softwood sulfite pulp

Hemicelluloses removal is highly desirable in many biomass processes, including the pretreatment steps of the bioconversion for ethanol production, production of high-quality dissolving pulps. In this study, a sequential treatment consisting of pulp fractionation, followed by caustic treatment to remove hemicelluloses from a softwood sulfite pulp, was investigated. The long-fiber fraction obtained after pulp fractionation, had a lower hemicelluloses content and smaller specific surface area, but larger pore diameter than the short-fiber fraction. The fiber fractions were subsequently treated in a cold caustic extraction (CCE) or hot caustic extraction (HCE). Results showed that hemicelluloses removal in the long-fiber fraction was more pronounced than the short-fiber fraction in both CCE and HCE processes. Other parameters, such as hemicelluloses removal selectivity, yield were studied. The underlying explanations were given.

Fiber Characteristics and Bonding Strength of Poplar Refiner-Chemical Preconditioned Alkaline Peroxide Mechanical Pulp Fractions

In China, alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping performed with refiner-chemical preconditioning (P-RC APMP) is well known to produce fiber with high bulk, opacity, and light scattering coefficient but weak bonding and strength properties. In this study, the characteristics of different P-RC APMP fiber fractions were investigated, and their effects on bonding strength properties were determined. The results showed that there was only 5.8% R30 fiber fraction and 14.1% P100/R200 fiber fraction, and the specific surface area increased from R30 to P100/R200. The tensile index increased by 51.85% and the bonding index increased by 15.35%, when the fibers were changed from the R30 fraction to the P100/R200 fraction. The short fiber fraction (P100/R200 fraction) had smaller fiber length and coarseness but larger specific surface area and greater surface charge density than the long fiber fraction (R30 fraction). The fiber specific surface area and surface charge density made significant contributions to the bonding capacity, whereas fiber coarseness and length were negatively correlated with the tensile index.

Optimization of extraction of high purity all-trans-lycopene from tomato pulp waste

The aim of this work was to optimize the extraction of pure all-trans-lycopene from the pulp fractions of tomato processing waste. A full factorial design (FFD) consisting of four independent variables including extraction temperature (30–50°C), time (1–60min), percentage of acetone in n-hexane (25–75%, v/v) and solvent volume (10–30ml) was used to investigate the effects of process variables on the extraction. The absolute amount of lycopene present in the pulp waste was found to be 0.038mg/g. The optimal conditions for extraction were as follows: extraction temperature 20°C, time 40min, a solvent composition of 25% acetone in n-hexane (v/v) and solvent volume 40ml. Under these conditions, the maximal recovery of lycopene was 94.7%. The HPLC–DAD analysis demonstrated that, lycopene was obtained in the all-trans-configuration at a very high purity grade of 98.3% while the amount of cis-isomers and other carotenoids were limited.

Improvements in tribological properties of polyamide 6 by application of aramid pulp

A mechanism for improvement in the tribological properties of polyamide 6 by addition of aramid pulp is explained through the transient or run-in stage of the wear tests. For this purpose, composites of polyamide 6 and aramid pulp with a fibrillated structure have been prepared by an internal mixer and a twin screw extruder, consecutively. Weight fraction of the aramid pulp in the composites was varied from 1 to 6 wt%. The results of the uniaxial tension test showed that 5 wt% of the aramid pulp brought about the highest yield stress and elastic modulus, after which no more improvement was seen in the mechanical properties of the composites. Composites containing 4, 5, and 6 wt% of the aramid pulp were selected for further study, and microstructure of these composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Proper distribution and engagement of the fibrils in the polymer matrix was detected for these composites. Using an in-house tribometer, it was shown that the composite containing 5 wt% of the aramid pulp had the lowest coefficient of friction, contact temperature, and wear rate as well. To explain improvements in the tribological behavior of the composites, the transient stage of the wear tests was analyzed through the friction and contact temperature graphs. It is discussed that improvements in the tribological properties of the composites are related to the strength and stability of the transfer films as well as the mechanical reinforcement of the bulk.

Physicochemical properties of tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) hydrocolloid fractions

Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is an underutilised fruit in Malaysia. The fruit, however, contains good proportions of soluble fibre, protein, starch, anthocyanins and carotenoids. Amongst the fruits, only tamarillo mesocarp contains both polar (anthocyanins) and non-polar (carotenoids) pigments. The ability to retain both polar and non-polar pigments in the mesocarp could be related to the unique properties of its hydrocolloids. To understand the pigment–hydrocolloid interaction in the fruit, information on the physicochemical characteristics of the hydrocolloids is required. Therefore, hydrocolloids from the anthocyanin-rich seed mucilage fraction of the tamarillo and its carotenoid-rich pulp fraction were extracted and characterised. Water and 1% citric acid were used to extract the seed mucilage hydrocolloid while 72% ethanol and 20mM HEPES buffer were used for pulp hydrocolloid extraction. Seed mucilage hydrocolloid was primarily composed of arabinogalactan protein-associated pectin whereas pulp hydrocolloid was composed of hemicellulosic polysaccharides with some naturally interacting proteins and neutral polysaccharides.

New techniques developed to quantify the impurities of olive stone as solid biofuel

Solid biofuels lead towards the replacement of fossil fuels. The olive industry offers potential for biomass production because of the waste generated in olive groves and olive oil industries. Fines and pulp are two substantial components of the olive stone with negative characteristics for combustion processes. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to develop an analytical method to separate olive pulp contained in an olive stone sample and to quantify it at laboratory scale. Thus, fines and pulp have been characterized. Knowing their physicochemical properties, a new separation methodology has been tested to quantify these fractions. Then, a feasibility study of Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis has been implemented to check if olive pulp content fraction could be controlled by using this fast technique. On the one hand, the new methodology based on differences in density of the impurities has achieved excellent results. On the other hand, the feasibility study of NIR spectroscopy applied to this analysis has been performed with good results. R2 of 0.867 for olive stone fraction and 0.908 for olive pulp fraction respectively show the possibility of using this technique as routine analysis.

Physicochemical Characterization of Jordanian Air Dried Olive Fruits

The effect of indoor air drying on the mass of irrigated and rain - fed green and black olives has been investigated in the present study. Mass loss data were collected over a drying period of about four months. Several measurements were carried out on the p it and pulp fractions of the dried samples. These measurements included the determination of: Mass percentages of pits and pulp fractions, mineral and fat contents, percentages of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, gross and net calorific values. Results base d on using simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysi s, derivative thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry are reported for pits derived from rain - fed green and black olives. The maximum average % ma ss loss was found to b e 78.99 % for irrigated green olives while the minimum average % mass loss was found to be 34.48 % for rain - fed black olives. The percentages of pulp and pits for dry green olives fall in the range 57 .59 - 65.18% and 33.91 - 39.98 %, respectively. The corresp onding ranges for the dry black olives are 65.13 - 76.70 and 20.65 - 33.76 % for pulp and pits fractions. The gross calorific values are 21.609 and 21.745 kJ/g on dry basis for pits of rain - fed green and black olives. Soxhlet extraction with n - hexane of rai n - fed olives gave extractives percentages of 23.39 and 21.84 % for pits of green and b lack olives and 46.43 and 51.80 % for pulp fraction of green and black olives, respectively. The pyrolysis thermograms gave residual masses of 0.29 and 0.27 at 600 ° C for pi ts Original Research Article

THE MORPHOFUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE ORGANS OF IMMUNE SYSTEM AND LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF FEMALE WISTAR RATS IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE ESTROUS CYCLE

Differences in the morphofunctional state of the immune system of female Wistar rats in different phases of the estrous cycle are revealed. In the phase of diestrus the indices of cortex volume fraction of thymus and volume fraction of white pulp and marginal zone of lymphoid follicles of spleen are higher; the indices of subcapsular layer width of thymus and index of stimulation of granulocytes in the peripheral blood are lower as compared with the phase of proestrus. Differences in the absolute count and the percentage of T and B lymphocytes, T helpers, cytotoxic, activated and regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of female rats in the phases of proestrus and diestrus aren’t revealed.

Lyophilization of Avocado (Persea americana Mill.): Effect of Freezing and Lyophilization Pressure on Antioxidant Activity, Texture, and Browning of Pulp

Effects of both previous freezing (−26 and −80°C) and lyophilization (0.12, 0.37, and 1.07 mbar) conditions on drying kinetics, antioxidant activity, texture, and browning index of avocado pulp were evaluated. Vacuum pressure was found to have less effect on the lyophilization process than previous freezing temperature. Samples frozen initially at − 80°C required a longer lyophilization time. The best fittings for the drying kinetics of the avocado were obtained using the Page equation. The processing directly affected the antioxidant activity of the avocado pulp. Both the lipophilic and the hydrophilic fraction of the freeze-dried pulp decreased antioxidant activity, regardless of the applied pressure or freezing type. The hardness of the fresh avocado (0.93 N) was higher than the freeze-dried samples frozen in a conventional freezer (0.49 N) and their adhesion was greater than all of the freeze-dried samples. Freeze-dried pulps showed higher browning index than fresh avocado pulp (135.3).

Regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic cells using a volatile bioactive compound and human teeth

Transplantation of insulin (INS)-secreting cells differentiated in vitro from stem cells promises a safer and easier treatment of severe diabetes mellitus. A volatile bioactive compound, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), promotes cell differentiation; human tooth-pulp stem cells undergo hepatic differentiation. The aim of this study is to develop a novel protocol using H2S to enhance pancreatic differentiation from the CD117+ cell fraction of human tooth pulp. During the differentiation, the cells were exposed to 0.1 ng ml−1 H2S. Immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR, determination of INS c-peptide content and flow cytometry of pancreatically related markers were carried out. Expression of WNT and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were also determined by PCR array. After differentiation, INS, glucagon (GCG), somatostatin (SST) and pancreatic polypeptide (PPY) were positive when examined by immunofluorescence. INS and GCG were also determined flow-cytometrically. Only the cells expressing INS increased after H2S exposure. The number of cells expressing GCG was significantly decreased. Genes involved in canonical WNT and the WNT/calcium pathways were highly expressed after H2S exposure. H2S accelerated INS synthesis and secretion by regenerated INS-producing cells from human teeth. All signaling pathway functions of the PI3K-AKT pathway were extremely activated by H2S exposure. The matured INS-producing cells originating in human teeth were increased by H2S in order to control blood-glucose level.

Improvement of deinked old newspaper/old magazine pulp suspensions by means of nanofibrillated cellulose addition

During their recycling, cellulosic fibres suffer irreversible damage caused by repeated wetting and drying cycles, beating stages and bleaching reactions. This damage decreases the mechanical properties of the paper prepared from recycled pulp. Soft beating of the pulp is a simple way to partially recover the original mechanical properties, but it is limited by the high degradation of fibres, fines generation and decrease in drainage rate that recycled fibres already present. The present research studies the use of nanofibrillated cellulose (CNF) as an alternative to mechanical beating to improve the strength properties of paper produced from a deinked recycled pulp obtained by disintegration and flotation of a mixture of old newspapers and magazines. Different percentages of CNF were added to this mixture with a retention aid. A fraction of the same pulp without CNF was also beaten at different intensities in a PFI mill. Morphological properties of both beaten and CNF-reinforced pulp suspensions, as well as structural and mechanical properties of handsheets made thereof, were analysed and their results compared. Paper containing 1.5 % of CNF presented a higher tensile strength and stiffness than paper from beaten pulp with similar freeness and water retention values. A higher amount of CNF further improved the mechanical properties, up to double the tensile index, which opens new possibilities of use for recycled paper.

Utilization of food industry wastes for the production of zero-valent iron nanoparticles

The proper disposal of the several types of wastes produced in industrial activities increases production costs. As a consequence, it is common to develop strategies to reuse these wastes in the same process and in different processes or to transform them for use in other processes.This work combines the needs for new synthesis methods of nanomaterials and the reduction of production cost using wastes from citrine juice (orange, lime, lemon and mandarin) to produce a new added value product, green zero-valent iron nanoparticles that can be used in several applications, including environmental remediation.The results indicate that extracts of the tested fruit wastes (peel, albedo and pulp fractions) can be used to produce zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVIs). This shows that these wastes can be an added value product. The resulting nZVIs had sizes ranging from 3 up to 300nm and distinct reactivities (pulp>peel>albedo extracts). All the studied nanoparticles did not present a significant agglomeration/settling tendency when compared to similar nanoparticles, which indicates that they remain in suspension and retain their reactivity.

Prediction of visual impact of deinked pulp on paper cleanliness

With increasing utilisation rate of recycled raw material in newsprint and graphic paper grades, dirt specks contamination is becoming critical. Predicting sheet contamination from pulp contamination level is not straigthforward, as only a fraction of the specks are actually visible in a thick sheet. We propose a specks extinction model to predict the visible contamination in sheets of paper made of deinked pulp. The modelling makes use of the optical properties of the sheet material, and the size distribution of the specks population. The model can be used for multi-layer sheets as well. We demonstrate that it is possible to minimise visible specks contamination through a combination of stratified forming and deinked pulp fractionation. ADDRESSES OF THE AUTHORS: Patrick Huber (Patrick.Huber@webctp.com), Bruno Carre (Bruno.Carre@webctp.com), Benjamin Fabry (Benjamin.Fabry@webctp.com), Saurabh Kumar (Saurabh.Kumar@webctp.com): CTP, Domaine Universitaire CS 90251, 38044 Grenoble Cedex 9, France Corresponding author: Patrick Huber

Influence of Heat Treatments on Carotenoid Content of Cherry Tomatoes.

Tomatoes and tomato products are rich sources of carotenoids—principally lycopene, followed by β-carotene and lutein. The aim of this work was to study the effect of heat treatment on carotenoid content in cherry tomatoes. Raw and canned products were sampled and analysed; furthermore whole, skin and pulp fractions of cherry tomatoes were analysed when raw and home-processed, in order to better understand heat treatment effects. Lycopene content in canned tomatoes was two-fold higher than in raw tomatoes (11.60 mg/100 g versus 5.12 mg/100 g). Lutein and β-carotene were respectively 0.15 mg/100 g and 0.75 mg/100 g in canned tomatoes versus 0.11 mg/100 g and 1.00 mg/100 g in raw tomatoes. For home-processed tomatoes, β-carotene and lutein showed a content decrease in all thermally treated products. This decrease was more evident for β-carotene in the skin fraction (−17%), while for lutein it was greater in the pulp fraction (−25%). Lycopene presented a different pattern: after heat treatment its concentration increased both in the whole and in pulp fractions, while in the skin fraction it decreased dramatically (−36%). The analysis of the isomers formed during the thermal treatment suggests that lycopene is rather stable inside the tomato matrix.

The tribological properties of poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) pulp reinforced friction materials

ABSTRACTAutomotive friction materials reinforced by home‐made poly (p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) pulp (fibrillated organic fibers) were prepared through compression molding. The friction and wear behaviors of the obtained composite materials were evaluated using a constant rotating speed type friction tester. The PBO pulp content and the testing loads showed clear influence on the tribological properties of the composites. Friction stability, wear rate, and morphology of sliding surfaces were carefully examined to investigate the effect of the pulp ingredient in the friction materials. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the morphology of the surface and wear particles. The significant wear reduction was achieved when the mass fraction of PBO pulp was 3%. Wear rates of the composites with 3% PBO pulp were measured over a load range from 0.3 to 1 MPa at different temperatures. The results pointed to two facts: (1) the wear rate of the friction material increased linearly with load at low temperature (below 200°C); (2) wear status varied with the testing loads at high temperature (above 250°C). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4032–4039, 2013

Brightness Reduction of Mechanical Pulp in the Wet End of a Paper Machine: The Effect of Different Ions in the Circulation Water

Darkening of the fines and fiber fraction of peroxide-bleached thermo-mechanical pulp (TMP) was studied on a laboratory scale using a device that simulates the short circulation of a paper machine. Selected chemicals were dissolved in the circulation water to study the effect of different cations and anions. Ferrous ions darkened the fines and fiber fraction by increasing the light absorption. It is very important to keep the iron content of the pulp and white water as low as possible because even low contents of iron have a negative effect on the brightness of produced paper. Also, chloride ions decreased the brightness by increasing the light absorption of the fines and fiber fraction. Calcium ions increased both the light absorption and light scattering of the fines fraction. The increased light absorption dominated and the brightness decreased. Calcium chloride is used very commonly as a model chemical for calcium ions in laboratory tests, but the use of it is not recommended, if the darkening phenomena are studied, because chloride ions decrease the brightness. Aluminum ions increased the brightness of the fines fraction by increasing the light scattering. Manganese, sodium, sulfate, or carbonate ions did not affect the optical properties.

Economics of coated paper production made from deinked pulp

The fraction of deinked pulp for coated paper production is continually increasing, with some mills using 100% deinked pulp for the base paper. The brightness of the coated paper made from deinked pulp may be reached through a combination of more or less extensive deinking, compensated by appropriate coating, to optimize costs overall. The authors proposed general optimization methods combined with Kubelka-Munk multilayer calculations to find the most economical combination of deinking and coating process that would produce a coated paper made from DIP, at a given target brightness, while maintaining mechanical properties.