Influence of high power ultrasound on Brettanomyces and lactic acid bacteria in wine in continuous flow treatment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of non-thermal technology, a high power ultrasound (HPU) in continuous flow treatment on the reduction in number of Brettanomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in wine samples. Yeast cells and lactic acid bacteria were screened for their sensitivity to a high power ultrasound treatment using an ultrasonic processor (400 W, 24 kHz, 100 μm amplitude) at two different wine temperatures (30 and 40 °C). High power ultrasound treatment in continuous flow showed satisfactory reduction of Brettanomyces yeasts (89.1–99.7%) and lactic acid bacteria (71.8–99.3%). Sensory properties of wine were impaired. The results indicate a great potential for the application of HPU in continuous flow system for wine processing in terms of lower usage of SO₂ and preservatives. More attention is needed to preserve sensorial properties of wine.     

The effect of ultrasound treatment in combination with nisin on the inactivation of Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli

Ultrasound, alone or in combination with natural antimicrobials, is a novel food processing technology of interest to replace traditional food decontamination methods, as it is milder than classical sterilisation (heat treatment) and maintains desirable sensory characteristics. However, ultrasound efficacy can be affected by food structure/composition, as well as the order in which combined treatments are applied. More specifically, treatments which target different cell components could result in enhanced inactivation if applied in the appropriate order. The microbial properties i.e. Gram positive/Gram negative can also impact the treatment efficacy.This work presents a systematic study of the combined effect of ultrasound and nisin on the inactivation of the bacteria Listeria innocua (Gram positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram negative), at a range of cavitation conditions (44, 500, 1000 kHz). The order of treatment application was varied, and the impact of system structure was also investigated by varying the concentration of Xanthan gum used to create the food model systems (0 – 0.5% w/v). Microbial inactivation kinetics were monitored, and advanced microscopy and flow cytometry techniques were utilised to quantify the impact of treatment on a cellular level.Ultrasound was shown to be effective against E. coli at 500 kHz only, with L. innocua demonstrating resistance to all frequencies studied. Enhanced inactivation of E. coli was observed for the combination of nisin and ultrasound at 500 kHz, but only when nisin was applied before ultrasound treatment. The system structure negatively impacted the inactivation efficacy. The combined effect of ultrasound and nisin on E. coli was attributed to short-lived destabilisation of the outer membrane as a result of sonication, allowing nisin to penetrate the cytoplasmic membrane and facilitate cell inactivation.     

Effect of plating and incubation conditions on the detection of lactic acid bacteria after high hydrostatic pressure treatment

ABSTRACT

Lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Enterococcus faecalis, and Lactobacillus fermentum) were subjected to high hydrostatic pressures (HHPs) of 400 and 600?MPa at 25°C for 10?min in phosphate-buffered saline. Differential plating methods were applied to evaluate HHP-treated cell populations, assuming that healthy and injured cells during plate incubation survived maximum and minimal stress, respectively. The stress was altered by using several selective media in combination with aerobic or anaerobic incubation at 25°C or 30°C. E. faecalis was detectable after 600?MPa treatment while L. mesenteroides and L. fermentum were nondetectable. Specific combinations of incubation conditions were suggested to determine maximum and minimum viable counts of L. mesenteroides and E. faecalis. The difference between the maximum and minimum counts can be used to evaluate HHP-injured population with reduced risks to overestimate healthy and/or underestimate HHP-injured cells.     

Effects of flat sweep frequency and pulsed ultrasound on the activity,conformation and microstructure of mushroom polyphenol oxidase

The effects of thermal processing (TP) and flat sweep frequency and pulsed ultrasound (FSFPU) treatment with different frequency modes on the activity, conformation and physicochemical properties of mushroom polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were investigated. The results showed that the relative enzymatic activity of PPO gradually decreased with increasing temperature and duration, and thermosonication decreased the PPO activity to a greater extent compared with thermal processing. FSFPU treatment with dual-frequency of 22/40 kHz mode showed the most significant effect. Circular dichroism (CD) showed that the content of α-helix and β-turn dropped, while that of β-sheet and random coil raised after FSFPU treatment. The intensity of endogenous fluorescence decreased, indicating that PPO protein unfolded and the tertiary structure was destroyed. The amount of free sulfhydryl, protein aggregation index, and turbidity all rose. Moreover, FSFPU treatment led to the aggregation of protein from the analysis of atomic force microscope (AFM). Conclusively, FSFPU can be used as an effective method to inhibit the activity of endogenous enzymes in food.     

Evaluation of ultrasound based sterilization approaches in terms of shelf life and quality parameters of fruit and vegetable juices

The present work evaluates the performance of ultrasound based sterilization approaches for processing of different fruit and vegetable juices in terms of microbial growth and changes in the quality parameters during the storage. Comparison with the conventional thermal processing has also been presented. A novel approach based on combination of ultrasound with ultraviolet irradiation and crude extract of essential oil from orange peels has been used for the first time. Identification of the microbial growth (total bacteria and yeast content) in the juices during the subsequent storage and assessing the safety for human consumption along with the changes in the quality parameters (Brix, titratable acidity, pH, ORP, salt, conductivity, TSS and TDS) has been investigated in details. The optimized ultrasound parameters for juice sterilization were established as ultrasound power of 100 W and treatment time of 15 min for the constant frequency operation (20 kHz). It has been established that more than 5 log reduction was achieved using the novel combined approaches based on ultrasound. The treated juices using different approaches based on ultrasound also showed lower microbial growth and improved quality characteristics as compared to the thermally processed juice. Scale up studies were also performed using spinach juice as the test sample with processing at 5 L volume for the first time. The ultrasound treated juice satisfied the microbiological and physiochemical safety limits in refrigerated storage conditions for 20 days for the large scale processing. Overall the present work conclusively established the usefulness of combined treatment approaches based on ultrasound for maintaining the microbiological safety of beverages with enhanced shelf life and excellent quality parameters as compared to the untreated and thermally processed juices.     

Impacts of sonication and high hydrostatic pressure on the structural and physicochemical properties of quinoa protein isolate dispersions at acidic,neutral and alkaline pHs

Herein, 1 wt% quinoa protein isolate (QPI) was exposed to sonication using a 20 kHz ultrasonicator equipped with a 6 mm horn (14.4 W, 10 mL, up to 15 min) or high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, up to 600 MPa, 15 min) treatments at pH 5, pH 7, and pH 9. The changes to physicochemical properties were probed by SDS-PAGE, FTIR, free sulfhydryl group (SH), surface hydrophobicity (H₀), particle size and solubility. As revealed by SDS-PAGE, substantial amounts of 11S globulin participated in the formations of aggregates via SS bond under HHP, particularly at pH 7 and pH 9. However, protein profiles of QPI were not significantly affected by the sonication. Free SH groups and surface hydrophobicity were increased after the sonication treatment indicating protein unfolding and exposure of the embedded SH and/or hydrophobic groups. An opposite trend was observed in HHP treated samples, implying aggregation and reassociation of structures under HHP. HHP and sonication treatments induced a decrease in ordered secondary structures (random coil and β-turn) accompanied with an increase in disordered secondary structures (α-helix and β-sheet) as probed by FTIR. Finally, the sonication treatment induced a significant improvement in the solubility (up to ∼3 folds at pH 7 and ∼2.6 folds at pH 9) and a reduction in particle sizes (up to ∼3 folds at pH 7 and ∼4.4 folds at pH 9). However, HHP treatment (600 MPa) only slightly increased the solubility (∼1.6 folds at pH 7 and ∼1.2 folds at pH 9) and decreased the particle size (∼1.3 folds at pH 7 and ∼1.2 folds at pH 9). This study provides a direct comparison of the impacts of sonication and HHP treatment on QPI, which will enable to choose the appropriate processing methods to achieve tailored properties of QPI.     

Numerical simulation of thermal and fluiddynamical transport effects on a high pressure induced inactivation

The current paper deals with the effects of convective transport and heterogeneous thermal conditions on the uniformity of a high pressure induced inactivation by means of mathematical modelling and numerical simulation. The inactivation of B. subtilis α-amylase dissolved in TRIS-buffer is chosen as an example for a pressure induced transformation. Two different processes are considered. The first represents a direct treatment where the pressure increase is achieved by mass augmentation of the enzyme solution. The second is an indirect treatment, where the enzyme solution is packed and the pressure increase is achieved by inflow of a pressure medium into the pressure chamber. Aspects of the viscosity of the matrix as well as the heat transfer properties of the packaging material are considered. In both cases, significant process uniformities can be determined.     

射频功率对辉光放电聚合物结构和性能的影响

采用辉光放电技术,利用三倍频射频电源制备了不同功率下的辉光放电聚合物(GDP)涂层.并对GDP涂层进行了傅里叶变换红外吸收光谱(FT-IR)和元素分析仪表征,讨论了功率变化对其内部结构的影响.利用热重法(TG)表征了GDP涂层在30—650 ℃范围内的热稳定性.结果表明:随着射频功率的提高,GDP涂层的沉积速率增大;SP³CH₃和联结甲基的乙烯基强度明显减小,SP³CH₂, SP²CH_{2 关键词： GDP涂层 红外吸收谱 热稳定性 射频功率}     

Radiation force on absorbing targets and power measurements of a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) source

Based on the analytic expressions for the radiated field of a circular concave piston given by Hasegawa et al.,an integral for calculation of the radiation force on a plane absorbing target in a spherically focused field is derived.A general relation between acoustic power P and normal radiation force Fn is obtained under the condition of kr 1.Numerical computation is carried out by using the symbolic computation program for practically focused sources and absorbing circular targets.The results show that,for a given source,there is a range of target positions where the radiation force is independent of the target's position under the assumption that the contribution of the acoustic field behind the target to the radiation force can be neglected.The experiments are carried out and confirm that there is a range of target positions where the measured radiation force is basically independent of the target's position even at high acoustic power (up to 700 W).It is believed that when the radiation force method is used to measure the acoustic power radiated from a focused source,the size of the target must be selected in such a way that no observable sound can be found in the region behind the target.     

Effects of surface inactivation, high temperature drying and preservative treatment on surface roughness and colour of alder and beech wood

Although extensive research has been conducted in wood surface quality analysis, a unified approach to surface quality characterisation does not exist. Measurements of the variation in surface roughness and surface colour are used widely for the evaluation of wood surface quality. Colour is a basic visual feature for wood and wood-based products. Colour measurement is one of the quality control tests that should be carried out because the colour deviations are spotted easily by the consumers. On the other hand, a common problem faced by plywood manufacturers is panel delamination, for which a major cause is poor quality glue-bonds resulting from rough veneer. Rotary cut veneers with dimensions of 500 mm × 500 mm × 2 mm manufactured from alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata) and beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) logs were used as materials in this study. Veneer sheets were oven-dried in a veneer dryer at 110 °C (normal drying temperature) and 180 °C (high drying temperature) after peeling process. The surfaces of some veneers were then exposed at indoor laboratory conditions to obtain inactive wood surfaces for glue bonds, and some veneers were treated with borax, boric acid and ammonium acetate solutions. After these treatments, surface roughness and colour measurements were made on veneer surfaces. High temperature drying process caused a darkening on the surfaces of alder and beech veneers. Total colour change value (ΔE^*) increased linear with increasing exposure time. Among the treatment solutions, ammonium acetate caused the biggest colour change while treatment with borax caused the lowest changes in ΔE^* values. Considerable changes in surface roughness after preservative treatment did not occur on veneer surfaces. Generally, no clear changes were obtained or the values mean roughness profile (R_a) decreased slightly in R_a values after the natural inactivation process.     

Influence of ultrasound power and frequency upon corrosion kinetics of zinc in saline media

This paper is devoted to zinc corrosion and oxidation mechanism in an ultrasonically stirred aerated sodium sulfate electrolyte. It follows a previous study devoted to the influence of 20 kHz ultrasound upon zinc corrosion in NaOH electrolytes [Ultrason. Sonochemis. 8 (2001) 291]. In the present work, various ultrasound regimes were applied by changing the transmitted power and the wave frequency (20 and 40 kHz). Unlike NaOH electrolyte which turns the zinc electrode into a passive state, Na₂SO₄ saline media induces soft corrosion conditions. This allows a study of the combined effects of ultrasonically modified hydrodynamic and mechanical damage (cavitation) upon the zinc corrosion process. A series of initial experiments were carried out so as to determine the transmitted power and to characterize mass transfer distribution in the electrochemical cell. Zinc corrosion and oxidation process were subsequently studied with respect to the vibrating parameters. When exposed to a 20 kHz ultrasonic field, and provided that the electrode is situated at a maximum mass transfer point, the corrosion rate reaches values six to eight times greater than in silent conditions. The zinc oxidation reaction, in the absence of competitive reduction reactions, is also activated by ultrasound (20 and 40 kHz) but probably through a different process of surface activation.     

超导电力技术新进展及其未来发展的思考

近年来高温超导材料研究取得很大进展,它在电力领域的应用研究已受到广泛关注,一些示范样机,诸如高温超导输电电缆、变压器、故障电流限制器、电机和储能装置已经研制成功并投入示范性试验.超导技术是21世纪具有战略经济意义的高新技术,文章将介绍高温超导电力应用研究的新进展及其未来发展的思考。     

超导电力技术新进展及其未来发展的思考

近年来高温超导材料研究取得很大进展,它在电力领域的应用研究已受到广泛关注,一些示范样机,诸如高温超导输电电缆、变压器、故障电流限制器、电机和储能装置已经研制成功并投入示范性试验.超导技术是21世纪具有战略经济意义的高新技术,文章将介绍高温超导电力应用研究的新进展及其未来发展的思考.     

Synergistic inactivation of bacteria based on a combination of low frequency,low-intensity ultrasound and a food grade antioxidant

This study evaluated a synergistic antimicrobial treatment using a combination of low frequency and a low-intensity ultrasound (LFU) and a food-grade antioxidant, propyl gallate (PG), against a model gram-positive (Listeria innocua) and the gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7). Bacterial inactivation kinetic measurements were complemented by characterization of biophysical changes in liposomes, changes in bacterial membrane permeability, morphological changes in bacterial cells, and intracellular oxidative stress upon treatment with PG, LFU, and a combination of PG + LFU. Combination of PG + LFU significantly (>4 log CFU/mL, P < 0.05) enhanced the inactivation of both L. innocua and E. coli O157:H7 compared to PG or LFU treatment. As expected, L. innocua had a significantly higher resistance to inactivation compared to E. coli using a combination of PG + LFU. Biophysical measurements in liposomes, bacterial permeability measurements, and scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based morphological measurements show rapid interactions of PG with membranes. Upon extended treatment of cells with PG + LFU, a significant increase in membrane damage was observed compared to PG or LFU alone. A lack of change in the intracellular thiol content following the combined treatment and limited effectiveness of exogenously added antioxidants in attenuating the synergistic antimicrobial action demonstrated that oxidative stress was not a leading mechanism responsible for the synergistic inactivation by PG + LFU. Overall, the study illustrates synergistic inactivation of bacteria using a combination of PG + LFU based on enhanced membrane damage and its potential for applications in the food and environmental systems.     

Effect of high-intensity ultrasound on the physicochemical properties,microstructure, and stability of soy protein isolate-pectin emulsion

In this study, an emulsion stabilized by soy protein isolate (SPI)-pectin (PC) complexes was prepared to investigate the effects of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) treatment (150–600 W) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and stability of emulsions. The results found that the emulsion treated at 450 W showed the best emulsion stability index (ESI) (25.18 ± 1.24 min), the lowest particle size (559.82 ± 3.17 nm), the largest ζ-potential absolute value (16.39 ± 0.18 mV), and the highest adsorbed protein content (27.31%). Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the emulsion aggregation was significantly improved by ultrasound treatment, and the average roughness value (Rq) was the smallest (10.3 nm) at 450 W. Additionally, HIU treatment reduced the interfacial tension and apparent viscosity of the emulsion. Thermal stability was best when the emulsion was treated at 450 W, D₄₃ was minimal (907.95 ± 31.72 nm), and emulsion separation also improved. Consequently, the creaming index (CI) was significantly decreased compared to the untreated sample, indicating that the storage stability of the emulsion was enhanced.     

Effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the quality,nutrients and volatile compounds of dry-cured yak meat

The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the quality of dry-cured yak meat. The ultrasonic power with 0, 200, 300 and 400 W (ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz) were used to assist processing of dry-cured yak meat. The meat quality, nutrient substances, sensory quality, electronic nose, electronic tongue and volatile compounds of dry-cured yak meat were determined. The results indicated that the moisture content and hardness value of ultrasonic treatment group was significantly lower compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Ultrasonic treatment increased the value of b*, and decreased the value of L*, a*, pH, chewiness, melting temperature and enthalpy. Springiness value significantly increased from control group to 300 W of ultrasonic power group. Shear force significantly decreased with the increase of ultrasonic power (P < 0.05). Ultrasonic treatment had no effect on the TVB-N content, but it could increase the TBARS content. Ultrasonic treatment could significantly increase the essential FAA (EFAA) and total FAA (P < 0.05). In addition, the saturated fatty acid (SFA) content significantly increased with the increase of ultrasonic power (P < 0.05). Ultrasound treatment negatively affected the meat’s color, smell, and taste but increased its tenderness and the overall acceptability. It also significantly increased alcohols and aldehydes contents (P < 0.05), which were consistent with the measurement of electronic nose and electronic tongue. The results demonstrated that the the appropriate ultrasonic power assisted in the processing improves quality of dry-cured yak meat, particularly for the power of 300 W.     

Preliminary results on the effect of power ultrasound on nitrogen oxide and dioxide atmosphere in nitric acid solutions.

The effect of ultrasound (20 kHz, 3 W cm-2) on the kinetics of HNO2 and H2O2 formation was investigated in a 1 M HNO3 medium for NO2-Ar and NO-Ar gas mixtures in various volume fractions (f(NO2) < 1.7 vol% and f(NO) < 1.1 vol%, respectively). The H2O2 formation rate measured in 1 M HNO3 in the presence of N2H5NO3 was observed to be much lower than that of HNO2 without N2H5NO3, and was relatively independent of the NO2 or NO gas volume fractions in the argon atmosphere. The HNO2 formation rate increased under ultrasound, and was higher with NO than with NO2. The induction period observed without ultrasound disappeared when ultrasound was applied. The first step in the sonochemical mechanism of HNO2 formation in the presence of NO2 involves thermal decomposition of NO2 into NO within the cavitation bubble. In the second step of HNO2 formation, NO reacts either with HNO3 in the cavitation bubble, or with NO2 in the cavitation bubble or at the bubble/solution interface.     

Effect of ultrasound on the properties of rice bran protein and its chlorogenic acid complex

Ultrasound technology was used to treat rice bran protein (RBP), and the structural and functional properties of ultrasonically treated RBP (URBP) and its chlorogenic acid (CA) complex were studied. When ultrasonic power of 200 W was applied for 10 min, the maximum emission peak λ_max of the URBP-CA complex in the fluorescence spectrum was red-shifted by 3.6 nm compared to that of the untreated complex. The atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis indicated that the surface roughness of the complex was minimized (3.89 nm) at the ultrasonic power of 200 W and treatment time of 10 min. Under these conditions, the surface hydrophobicity (H₀) was 1730, the contents of the α-helix and β-sheet in the complex were 2.97% and 6.17% lower than those in the untreated sample, respectively, the particle size decreased from 106 nm to 18.2 nm, and the absolute value of the zeta-potential increased by 11.0 mV. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment and the addition of CA changed the structural and functional properties of RBP. Moreover, when ultrasonic power of 200 W was applied for 10 min, the solubility, emulsifying activity index (EAI), and emulsion stability index (ESI) were 68%, 126 m²/g, and 37 min, respectively.     

Effects of nonlinear propagation, cavitation, and boiling in lesion formation by high intensity focused ultrasound in a gel phantom

The importance of nonlinear acoustic wave propagation and ultrasound-induced cavitation in the acceleration of thermal lesion production by high intensity focused ultrasound was investigated experimentally and theoretically in a transparent protein-containing gel. A numerical model that accounted for nonlinear acoustic propagation was used to simulate experimental conditions. Various exposure regimes with equal total ultrasound energy but variable peak acoustic pressure were studied for single lesions and lesion stripes obtained by moving the transducer. Static overpressure was applied to suppress cavitation. Strong enhancement of lesion production was observed for high amplitude waves and was supported by modeling. Through overpressure experiments it was shown that both nonlinear propagation and cavitation mechanisms participate in accelerating lesion inception and growth. Using B-mode ultrasound, cavitation was observed at normal ambient pressure as weakly enhanced echogenicity in the focal region, but was not detected with overpressure. Formation of tadpole-shaped lesions, shifted toward the transducer, was always observed to be due to boiling. Boiling bubbles were visible in the gel and were evident as strongly echogenic regions in B-mode images. These experiments indicate that nonlinear propagation and cavitation accelerate heating, but no lesion displacement or distortion was observed in the absence of boiling.