Monitoring of substrate and product concentrations in acetic fermentation processes for onion vinegar production by NIR spectroscopy: value addition to worthless onions

Wastes and by-products of the onion-processing industry pose an increasing disposal and environmental problem and represent a loss of valuable sources of nutrients. The present study focused on the production of vinegar from worthless onions as a potential valorisation route which could provide a viable solution to multiple disposal and environmental problems, simultaneously offering the possibility of converting waste materials into a useful food-grade product and of exploiting the unique properties and health benefits of onions. This study deals specifically with the second and definitive step of the onion vinegar production process: the efficient production of vinegar from onion waste by transforming onion ethanol, previously produced by alcoholic fermentation, into acetic acid via acetic fermentation. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), coupled with multivariate calibration methods, has been used to monitor the concentrations of both substrates and products in acetic fermentation. Separate partial least squares (PLS) regression models, correlating NIR spectral data of fermentation samples with each kinetic parameter studied, were developed. Wavelength selection was also performed applying the iterative predictor weighting–PLS (IPW-PLS) method in order to only consider significant spectral features in each model development to improve the quality of the final models constructed. Biomass, substrate (ethanol) and product (acetic acid) concentration were predicted in the acetic fermentation of onion alcohol with high accuracy using IPW-PLS models with a root-mean-square error of the residuals in external prediction (RMSEP) lower than 2.5% for both ethanol and acetic acid, and an RMSEP of 6.1% for total biomass concentration (a very satisfactory result considering the relatively low precision and accuracy associated with the reference method used for determining the latter). Thus, the simple and reliable calibration models proposed in this study suggest that they could be implemented in routine applications to monitor and predict the key species involved in the acetic fermentation of onion alcohol, allowing the onion vinegar production process to be controlled in real time.     

Quantum dynamics study of the K+HF(v=0-2,j=0)-->KF+H reaction and comparison with quasiclassical trajectory results

Extensive quantum real wave packet calculations within the helicity decoupling approximation are used to analyze the influence of the HF vibrational excitation on the K+HF(v=0-2,j=0)-->KF+H reaction. Quantum reaction probabilities P and reaction cross sections sigma are compared with corresponding quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) results. Disregarding threshold regions for v=0 and 1 (v=2 has no threshold), both approaches lead to remarkably similar results, particularly for sigma, validating the use of the QCT method for this system. When moving from v=0 to v=1 there is a large increase in P and sigma, as expected for a late barrier system. For v=2 the reaction becomes exoergic and P approximately 0.95 (with the exception of large total angular momenta where centrifugal barriers play a role). While substantial vibrational enhancement of the reactivity is thus seen, it is still quite less than that inferred from experimental data in the intermediate and high collision energy ranges. The origin of this discrepancy is unclear.     

On the structural and magnetoelectrical characterization of epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films grown on (001) SrTiO3 substrates

High-quality epitaxial thin films of the ferromagnetic metallic oxide SrRuO₃ (SRO) were fabricated by dc-sputtering at high oxygen pressure and their structural and magnetoelectrical properties were carefully studied. The films featured a Curie temperature T_C ～ 160 K and a magnetic moment of ～0.7 μ_B per Ru ion. The temperature dependent magnetization could be well described by the scaling relation M(T) ∝ (T_C ? T)^β with a critical exponent β = 0.53 over the entire ferromagnetic temperature range. A negative magnetoresistance, MR, on the order of a few percent was found up to room temperature. MR showed a maximum of ～4% right at T_C where a kink structure of the resistivity, ρ, at zero field was flattened out on magnetic field application. This ρ contribution could be related to scattering due to orientational disorder of the Ru magnetic moments which become aligned by an external magnetic field. In addition, an equally strong MR effect, related to localization phenomena, could be observed at lower temperature. Particularly, the second MR peak at ～35 K might be related to a Fermi-liquid to non-Fermi-liquid crossover. A scaling behavior dρ/dT ∝ |T ? T_C|^α was observed only above T_C. Here, values for the exponent α ≈ ?0.4 and α ≈ ?1.4 were obtained in zero field and in a field of 9 T, respectively. The commonly observed ρ minimum, appearing at low temperatures (～3 K in the present case), is correlated with the structural disorder of the SRO films and is believed to have its origin in quantum corrections to the conductivity (QCC).     

Effect of polyethyleneimine ion on the sorption of a reactive dye onto Leacril fabric: electrokinetic properties and surface free energy of the system

Data are presented on the kinetics, electrokinetics, and surface free energy in the process of adsorption of polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a pretreatment of Leacril, later dyed with the reactive dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR). The electrokinetic potential of Leacril is negative, due probably to the presence of sulfonate and sulfate end-group onto Leacril fibers. The zeta potential of Leacril decreases in absolute value as a function of NaCl concentration in solution, probably because of compression of the electrical double layer. The zeta potential of Leacril as a function of the concentration of PEI in solution increases because of the adsorption of PEI ions through chemical reaction between the sulfonate end-groups of Leacril and the amine groups of PEI. The adsorption kinetics shows that an increase in the concentration of PEI, brings about an increase in the amount of RBBR adsorbed onto the fiber. This may be an indication of the chemical reaction between the reactive groups of the polyelectrolyte and dye molecules. The behavior of the surface free energy of the systems involved confirms these conclusions.     

Conformation of N(alpha)-substituted hydrazino acetamides in CDCl3, the precious help of the analysis of Deltadelta between amidic hydrogens, and correlation to the conformation of aza-beta3-peptides

[structures: see text] We studied the conformation of a series of primary amides in a solution of chloroform. Classical NMR tools such as dilution experiments, influence of DMSO, and 2D-NOESY, together with X-ray diffraction, were combined with an analysis of the difference of the chemical shift Deltadelta between the geminal amidic protons. This study was addressed in order to understand the conformation adopted by hydrazino acetamides 1a and 1b as model compounds for aza-beta3-peptides. In this manner, it was possible to show that the amidic group of these compounds acts as a H-bond donor and interacts with two different H-bond acceptors. We concluded that the hydrazinoturn, a specific bifurcated H-bond system observed in the solid state, is also the preferred conformation of hydrazino acetamides 1a and 1b in solution. Our results show that the short-range interaction with the N(alpha)-nitrogen lone pair not only stabilizes the C8 pseudocycle but could also contribute to the folding process of aza-beta3-peptides. In light of this, it could explain why aza-beta3-peptides develop a different H-bond network in comparison to their isosteric beta3-peptides analogues. Our work is in keeping with the recent interest of hydrazino peptides as an extension of the beta-peptide concept.     

A theoretical study of diborenes HLB=BLH for L=CO, NH3, OH2, PH3, SH2, ClH: structures, energies, and spin–spin coupling constants

Ab initio calculations were carried out to investigate the structures, binding energies, bonding, and NMR spin–spin coupling constants of complexes HLB=BLH, for L=CO, NH₃, OH₂, PH₃, SH₂, and ClH. Both B–B and B–H bonds lengthen on complex formation relative to singlet HBBH, and except for L=CO, the B–B bonds are double bonds. The order of stability of the trans isomers correlates with the ordering of ligands in the spectrochemical series of ligand field theory. The trans isomer is always more stable than the corresponding cis. Inverse correlations are found between ¹ J(B–B) and ¹ J(B–H) and the corresponding B–B and B–H distances. For the trans isomers, ¹ J(B–B) appears to be related to the ordering of ligands in the spectrochemical series, while ¹ J(B–H) is related to the protonation energy of the ligand L.     

Understanding the Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of the Fullerene Derivative PCBM on Gold Surfaces

We report a DFT study on the self‐assembly of the fullerene derivative PCBM on the Au(111) surface. Recent STM experiments (Angew. Chem. 2007 , 119, 8020–8023^[1]) show a coverage‐dependent transition of the adsorption and self‐assembly of PCBM on this surface. To understand the origin of this observation, we compute the geometries and relative energies of ten PCBM dimers and four tetramers. The calculations show that the self‐assembly of PCBM at high coverage is mainly controlled by hydrogen bonding between the PCBM tails. Due to the large size of the fullerene cage, the hydrogen bonds are formed far away from the surface; hence they are very similar to those found in the gas phase. This picture successfully explains the observed site‐insensitive adsorption at high coverage and the 2D arrangement of PCBM on the surface.     

Capillary electrophoresis for the detection of PMP22 gene duplication: study in Mexican patients

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common inherited disorder of the human peripheral nerve, with an estimated overall prevalence of 17-40/10 000 [1]. The typical phenotype presents peroneal muscular atrophy and pes cavus [2]. CMT is usually divided into two large types, about two-thirds of the patients have CMT type 1 (CMT1), that affects the layer of myelin (demyelination). In type 2 (CMT2) the nerve fibers are affected (axonal). CMT diseases have autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked inheritance [1]. The most frequent subtype is 1A (CMT1A) with autosomal dominant transmission, secondary in most cases to a tandem duplication of a 1.5 Mb DNA fragment on chromosome 17p11.2-p12 [4-7]. In this region, the codification of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) takes place. The severity of the disease varies among patients, even within the same family, from almost no symptoms to severe foot-drop and sensory loss. The PMP22 gene has four exons and is regulated by two promoters located toward the extreme 5'. The origin of the duplication that causes the disease is an uneven exchange of the chromatids during the meiosis. This unequal recombination occurs between two regions that limit the PMP22 gene, described as REP places of 24 kb, proximal and distal [3, 4].     

The unusual stability of H-bonded complexes in solvent caused by greater solvation energy of complex compared to those of isolated fragments

Here, the effect of solvent on the stability of non-covalent complexes, was studied. These complexes were from previously published S22, S66, and X40 datasets, which include hydrogen-, halogen- and dispersion-bonded complexes. It was shown that the charge transfer in the complex determines whether the complex is stabilized or destabilized in solvent.