Development of a Protein-Rich By-Product by 23 Factorial Design: Characterization of Its Nutritional Value and Sensory Analysis

The aim of this study was the development of a cereal bar based on bee pollen (BP), honey (H), and flour by-products (peel passion fruit flour—PPFF), generating an innovative product. BP is a protein-rich ingredient and can be used in the composition of cereal bars. PPFF is a by-product rich in fibers. The formulations were developed using a 2³ factorial design with four replicates in the center point, studying the sensory analysis as a response variable. The texture and nutritional parameters were performed for the optimal formulation. BP showed ca. 15% of protein. The final formulation (10.35% BP, 6.8% PPFF, and 25% H) presented 22.2% moisture, 1.8% ash, 0.4% total fat, 3.0% fiber, 63.1% carbohydrates, and 74.0 Kcal/25 g. The sensory analysis presented valued around 7 (typical of a traditional bar). Regarding the possibility of purchasing the product, 51% of the panelists said they would probably buy the developed product. The formulated cereal bar had a similar composition as those already marketed. Moreover, it can be considered a source of fiber and is sensory acceptable. This approach opens up new opportunities for developing nutritional and functional foodstuff with improved sensorial aspects.     

Tuning the Photo-electrochemical Performance of RuII-Sensitized Two-Dimensional MoS2

Covalently tethering photosensitizers to catalytically active 1T-MoS₂ surfaces holds great promise for the solar-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report the preparation of two new Ru^II-complex-functionalized MoS₂ hybrids [Ru^II(bpy)₂(phen)]-MoS₂ and [Ru^II(bpy)₂(py)Cl]-MoS₂. The influence of covalent functionalization of chemically exfoliated 1T-MoS₂ with coordinating ligands and Ru^II complexes on the HER activity and photo-electrochemical performance of this dye-sensitized system was studied systematically. We find that the photo-electrochemical performance of this Ru^II-complex-sensitized MoS₂ system is highly dependent on the surface extent of photosensitizers and the catalytic activity of functionalized MoS₂. The latter was strongly affected by the number and the kind of functional groups. Our results underline the tunability of the photovoltage generation in this dye-sensitized MoS₂ system by manipulation of the surface functionalities, which provides a practical guidance for smart design of future dye-sensitized MoS₂ hydrogen production devices towards improved the photofuel conversion efficiency.     

Chemical Composition and Potential Practical Application of 15 Red Algal Species from the White Sea Coast (the Arctic Ocean)

Though numerous valuable compounds from red algae already experience high demand in medicine, nutrition, and different branches of industry, these organisms are still recognized as an underexploited resource. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of 15 Arctic red algal species from the perspective of their practical relevance in medicine and the food industry. We show that several virtually unstudied species may be regarded as promising sources of different valuable metabolites and minerals. Thus, several filamentous ceramialean algae (Ceramium virgatum, Polysiphonia stricta, Savoiea arctica) had total protein content of 20–32% of dry weight, which is comparable to or higher than that of already commercially exploited species (Palmaria palmata, Porphyra sp.). Moreover, ceramialean algae contained high amounts of pigments, macronutrients, and ascorbic acid. Euthora cristata (Gigartinales) accumulated free essential amino acids, taurine, pantothenic acid, and floridoside. Thalli of P. palmata and C. virgatum contained the highest amounts of the nonproteinogenic amino acid β-alanine (9.1 and 3.2 μM g⁻¹ DW, respectively). Several red algae tend to accumulate heavy metals; although this may limit their application in the food industry, it makes them promising candidates for phytoremediation or the use as bioindicators.     

NMR investigation of photoinduced chiral inversion in (R)/(S)-naproxen–(S)-tryptophan linked system

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On the existence of multiple solutions for a nonlocal BVP with vector-valued response

The existence of positive solutions for a nonlocal boundary-value problem with vector-valued response is investigated. We develop duality and variational principles for this problem. Our variational approach enables us to approximate solutions and give a measure of a duality gap between the primal and dual functional for minimizing sequences.     

The influence of radio-frequency radiation on thermal stability of bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution

Protein unfolding events were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solutions exposed to radio-frequency radiation. No immediate effect of this radiation on thermal unfolding of BSA was observed. The differences between irradiated and control samples have appeared during the storage of BSA solution. The irradiated samples changed faster than non-irradiated. Our results indicated that the age-related changes were stronger for 3.5 and 5 MHz than for 247 MHz frequency and dependent on energy power of radiation. Deconvolution of DSC traces allowed to study the effect of radio-frequency radiation on each component transition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Lower Josephson critical field in granular HTS measured by microwave absorption

The method of magnetically modulated microwave absorption (MMMA) has been used here to measure the lower Josephson critical field in a YBaCuO superconductor. The measurements based on the changes in the width of the hysteresis of the MMMA signal which were observed while increasing the range of the magnetic field sweep were carried out. The effects observed by us are explained using the Clem model of the cubic array of superconducting grains. Also, a simple interpretation of the influence of the magnetic modulation on the measured value of the lower Josephson critical field is provided.