CO2 Sorbents Based on Spherical Carbon and Photoactive Metal Oxides: Insight into Adsorption Capacity,Selectivity and Regenerability

This work aimed to obtain hybrid composites based on photoactive metal oxide and carbon having adsorption properties. The materials, composed of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide and spherical carbon, were obtained from resorcinol-formaldehyde resin, treated in a solvothermal reactor heated with microwaves and then subjected to carbonization, were received. The functional groups of pure carbon spheres (unsaturated stretching C=C, stretching C−OH and C−H bending vibrations), CS/ZnO and CS/TiO₂ samples were determined by FT-IR analysis. The characteristic bands for ZnO and TiO₂ were observed below 1000 cm⁻¹. The thermal oxidative properties are similar for TiO₂- and ZnO-modified carbon spheres. We have observed that the increased carbon sphere content in nanocomposites results in starting the decomposition process at a lower temperature, therefore, nanocomposites have a broader combustion temperature range. The effect of the oxides’ addition to carbon spheres on their adsorption properties was evaluated in detail by examining CO₂ adsorption from the gas phase. The selectivity of CO₂ over N₂ at a temperature of 25 °C and pressure of 1 bar (a novelty in testing CS-based sorbents) calculated for 3.00 CS/TiO₂ and 4.00 CS/ZnO was 15.09 and 16.95, respectively. These nanocomposites exhibit excellent cyclic stability checked over 10 consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles.     

Evaluating the Functional Characteristics of Certain Insect Flours (Non-Defatted/Defatted Flour) and Their Protein Preparations

Edible insects as an alternative source of protein are gaining increasing attention, leading to new opportunities for their use in food processing. In this study, the functional properties, such as water and oil holding capacity, foaming, and emulsifying properties, of the most popular insect forms (flour, defatted flour, and protein preparations), such as Gryllus asimillis, Acheta domesticus, and Zophobas morio, were studied. Moreover, proximate analysis, protein extraction yield and efficiency, and sensory analysis, were evaluated. Defatting the flours yielded the highest protein content of all the insect forms tested, in the range of 70.51 to 76.02%, significantly reducing their calorific value by up to 35% for Z. morio. Generally, protein preparations exhibit the best functional properties among studied forms, and the most significant differences are noticeable in foaming capacity—near 30% higher than flours. Furthermore, all samples scored well in the sensory test (overall score 3.76–4.47) except for the Z. morio flour (2.93), which may exclude it from being used in the food industry. The results show that the insect forms studied, due to their good functional properties, can become a valuable component of food recipes, positively impacting the characteristics of the designed food.     

Identification and Quantification of 29 Active Substances by HPLC–ESI-MS/MS in Lyophilized Swine Manure Samples

Veterinary drugs are frequently employed to treat and prevent diseases in food-producing animals to improve animal health and to avoid the introduction of microorganisms into the food chain. The analysis of the presence of pharmaceutical residues in animal manure could help to evaluate the legal and illegal practices during food production without harming the animals and to correctly manage manure when it is going to be applied as a fertilizer. This article describes a method for the simultaneous analysis of 29 active substances, mostly antibiotics and antiparasitic agents. Substances were extracted from lyophilized manure with a methanol:McIlvaine solution and analyzed with HPLC–ESI-MS/MS and a C18 HPLC column. The method was validated following European guidelines, the achieved trueness was between 63 and 128% (depending on the analytes), and the linearity was between 100 and 1500 µg/kg. The applicability of the method was demonstrated in 40 manure samples collected from pig farms where tetracycline was quantified in 7.5% of the samples. These results show the viability of this non-invasive method for the control of the legal and illegal administration of pharmaceuticals in food-producing animals.     

The Comparison of Physicochemical Parameters,Antioxidant Activity and Proteins for the Raw Local Polish Honeys and Imported Honey Blends

Many imported honeys distributed on the Polish market compete with local products mainly by lower price, which can correspond to lower quality and widespread adulteration. The aim of the study was to compare honey samples (11 imported honey blends and 5 local honeys) based on their antioxidant activity (measured by DPPH, FRAP, and total phenolic content), protein profile obtained by native PAGE, soluble protein content, diastase, and acid phosphatase activities identified by zymography. These indicators were correlated with standard quality parameters (water, HMF, pH, free acidity, and electrical conductivity). It was found that raw local Polish honeys show higher antioxidant and enzymatic activity, as well as being more abundant in soluble protein. With the use of principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA) protein content and diastase number were found to be significant (p < 0.05) among all tested parameters to differentiate imported honey from raw local honeys.     

Copper(I)‐catalyzed multicomponent reactions in sustainable media

Multicomponent reactions including Biginelli reaction and A³ coupling are useful synthetic methodologies as they can provide valuable intermediates and building blocks for the synthesis of bioactive natural compounds. The heterocyclic products of these transformations represent antibacterial, antitumor or anti‐inflammatory properties. In presented study, copper‐mediated protocols for Biginelli reaction and A³ coupling in sustainable solvents were reported. At first, charged NHC copper complexes were synthesized in few steps and characterized using spectroscopic methods followed by preliminary activity tests in sustainable media. Later in this study, Biginelli reaction and A³ coupling were proceeded using prepared copper catalytic systems under mild conditions. Desired nitrogen‐bearing products were obtained with moderate to very high yields. Some attempts to recycle one of the received NHC copper initiators were also investigated.     

Preparation of bicyclic β-lactam and bicyclic 1,3-oxazinone scaffolds using combined cycloaddition and metathesis processes

A simple, efficient two-step method for the preparation of heterobicyclic compounds was developed. Starting from 5-acyl or 5-carbamoyl-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxa-4,5-dione bicyclic scaffolds of 1-azabicyclo[5.2.0]non-3-en-9-one, 6,9,10,10a-tetrahydro-4H-[1,3]oxazino[3,2-a]azepin-4-one, and 6,9,10,10a-tetrahydro-2H-[1,3]oxazino[3,2-a]azepine-2,4(3H)-dione were prepared using cycloaddition of thermally generated ketenes to aldimines with unsaturated side chains, followed by metathesis. The method was applied to ring closing metathesis (RCM) of different heterocyclic substrates to demonstrate its versatility.     

Operando and in situ Raman studies of alumina-supported vanadium phosphate catalysts in propane ammoxidation reaction: activity, selectivity and active phase formation

Alumina-supported VPO materials are efficient catalysts for acrylonitrile production by the propane ammoxidation reaction. In order to understand the structure-activity relationship and the nature of active sites, operando Raman-GC analyses follow the states of vanadium and phosphorous species on an alumina support during ammoxidation. These oxides were supported on γ-alumina by incipient wetness impregnation at a total V + P loading of two monolayers, which led to incipient formation of nanoscaled VPO crystallites possessing a high surface-to-volume ratio. Since catalysis occurs at the catalyst surface, which is related to the surface and outermost layers, this approach allows studying surface species phase transformations near the surface, and relates changes in activity and selectivity to variations in composition and structure. Dispersed surface V(5+) species appear selective to acetonitrile and V(4+) species would promote selectivity to acrylonitrile. This study suggests that V(3+) is probably involved in redox processes during propane ammoxidation and that the balance between these vanadium species would be determined by activation process.     

Static and dynamic superheated water extraction of essential oil components from Thymus vulgaris L.

Superheated water extraction (SWE) performed in both static and dynamic condition (S‐SWE and D‐SWE, respectively) was applied for the extraction of essential oil from Thymus vulgaris L. The influence of extraction pressure, temperature, time, and flow rate on the total yield of essential oil and the influence of extraction temperature on the extraction of some chosen components are discussed in the paper. The SWE extracts are related to PLE extracts with n‐hexane and essential oil obtained by steam distillation. The superheated water extraction in dynamic condition seems to be a feasible option for the extraction of essential oil components from T. vulgaris L.     

Hydrogel Emulsion with Encapsulated Safflower Oil Enriched with Açai Extract as a Novel Fat Substitute in Beef Burgers Subjected to Storage in Cold Conditions

This study evaluates the effects of using a fat substitute in beef burgers composed of a hydrogel emulsion enriched with encapsulated safflower oil and açai extract. The influences of the fat substitute on the chemical (TBARS, fatty acids, and volatile compounds profile) and physical (weight loss, cooking loss, water-holding capacity, color, and texture analyses) characteristics of the burgers were analyzed after 0, 4 and 8 days of storage at 4 ± 1 °C. The obtained results were compared with control groups (20 g of tallow or 8 g of safflower oil). The fat substitute used improved burger parameters such as chewiness, hardness and the a* color parameter remained unchanged over storage time. The addition of açai extract slowed the oxidation rate of polyunsaturated fatty acids and reduced the changes in the volatile compounds profile during the storage of burgers. The utilization of a fat substitute enriched the burgers with polyunsaturated fatty acids and lowered the atherogenic index (0.49 raw, 0.58 grilled burger) and the thrombogenicity index (0.8 raw, 1.09 grilled burger), while it increased the hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (2.59 raw, 2.09 grilled burger) of consumed meat. Thus, the application of the presented fat substitute in the form of a hydrogel enriched with açai berry extract extended the shelf life of the final product and contributed to the creation of a healthier meat product that met the nutritional recommendations.