Fossil fuel resources are decreasing daily. As a renewable energy, biodiesel has been receiving increasing attention because of the relevance it gains from the rising petroleum price and its ...environmental advantages. This review highlights some of the perspectives for the biodiesel industry to thrive as an alternative fuel, while discussing opportunities and challenges of biodiesel. This review is divided in three parts. First overview is given on developments of biodiesel in past and present, especially for the different feedstocks and the conversion technologies of biodiesel industry. More specifically, an overview is given on possible environmental and social impacts associated with biodiesel production, such as food security, land change and water source. Further emphasis is given on the need for government’s incentives and public awareness for the use and benefits of biodiesel, while promoting policies that will not only endorse the industry, but also promote effective land management.
Ultrasound as an eco-friendly green technology has been widely studied in food processing. Nevertheless, there is a lack of publications regarding the application of ultrasound in food processing ...using large-scale reactors. In this paper, the mechanisms and the devices of multi-frequency power ultrasound (MFPU) are described. Moreover, the MFPU applied in enzymolysis of protein, and washing of fruits and vegetables are reviewed. The application of MFPU can improve the enzymolysis of protein through modification on enzyme, modification on substrate materials, and facilitation of the enzymatic hydrolysis process. The ultrasound treatment can enhance the removal of microorganisms, and pesticides on the surface of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, the reactors of ultrasound-assisted enzymolysis of protein, and washing of fruits and vegetables on the industrial scale are also detailed. This review paper also considers future trends, limitations, drawbacks, and developments of ultrasound application in enzymolysis and washing.
Taste and aroma compounds in Tianyou were determined using HPLC and GC–MS/GC-olfactometry. By comparison with light soy sauce (control), the contents of salt, sugar, total nitrogen and total acid in ...Tianyou were higher, while the contents of umami, sweet and bitter free amino acids, and the percentage of 1–5kDa peptides in Tianyou were lower. Thirty-one aroma-active compounds were identified in both Tianyou and the control (30 compounds in common). Aroma extraction dilution analysis indicated that most flavor dilution factors of aroma-active compounds were lower in Tianyou than the control. Quantitative descriptive analysis showed that Tianyou had significantly stronger salty and sweet tastes, weaker umami taste and weaker malty, caramel-like and smoky notes when compared to the control (p<0.05), which were in agreement with the analyses of taste and aroma compounds. This confirms that Tianyou has a distinctively different flavor from light soy sauce.
A: light soy sauce; B: Tianyou; C: HPLC; D: GC–MS/GC-O; E: key compounds resulted in flavor differences between light soy sauce and Tianyou; F: differences in taste and aroma of light soy sauce and Tianyou. Display omitted
•Taste and aroma compounds of Tianyou were determined.•Taste and aroma compounds of Tianyou were similar to those of light soy sauce.•But the taste and aroma of Tianyou were distinct from those of light soy sauce.•The reasons for their differences in aroma and taste were elucidated.
From the perspective of green chemistry, it is of great significance to produce cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with more environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. This study investigated the ...efficient cleavage of strong hydrogen bonds occurred in sugarcane bagasse (SCB), ultrafast fabrication of CNFs through a 20 min microwave-assisted ternary carboxylic acid deep eutectic solvent (Mw-TCADES) deconstruction and sweep frequency ultrasonic (SFU) separation pretreatment. It also investigated the subsequent high-intensity ultrasonication (HIU) fibrillation process. After pretreating SCB with two different TCADES (choline chloride: oxalic acid: AlCl
3
·6H
2
O, and choline chloride: lactic acid: AlCl
3
·6H
2
O, molar ratio 1:1:0.2), the cellulose content of the SCB was 56.2 and 62.6%, respectively. The CNFs obtained after the two Mw-TCADES treatments contained 0.74 and 0.84 mmol/g carboxylic acid groups, and the crystallinity was 58.05 and 60.71%, respectively. Meanwhile, the CNFs obtained under the optimum treatment conditions (Mw-TCADES, 100 °C, 20 min and HIU) showed high thermal stability, which exhibited promising potential for further applications. Under the optimum conditions, the CNFs had a length of about 400–600 nm, width of around 15–17 nm, and a height of about 6–7 nm. The results showed that the TCADES can be used effectively as an alternative to the traditional acid–base pretreatment method and provide a green and efficient method for the utilization of lignocellulosic materials and the separation of CNFs.
Graphic abstract
•Ultrasound osmotic pretreatment improved vacuum freeze-drying of strawberry slices.•Dual-frequency ultrasound shortened drying time more than single-frequency.•Dual-frequency ultrasound in ...sequential mode exhibited the best quality attributes.•Pretreatment improved the physical properties and biological activity of strawberry.
The effects of osmotic pretreatment assisted by ultrasound in different frequency modes before vacuum freeze-drying (VFD) on moisture migration and quality characteristics of strawberry slices were investigated. The frequency modes are single-frequency modes under 20, 40 kHz (SM-20, SM-40), and dual-frequency under 20/40 kHz including sequential mode (SeDM) and simultaneous mode (SiDM). The quality characteristics of dried strawberry products including rehydration, hardness, color, flavor, total anthocyanins, total phenols, vitamin C content, and active antioxidant components (DPPH and –OH) were determined. Results showed that drying time of the strawberry slices irradiated by ultrasound was reduced by 15.25%–50.00%, compared to the control samples. Besides, dual-frequency ultrasound shortened the drying time more than single-frequency ultrasound. The drying time of SeDM was the shortest. In addition to vitamin C content, the quality characteristics including rehydration, hardness, color, flavor, total anthocyanins, total phenols, and antioxidant activity of dried strawberry products pretreated by SeDM were significantly (p < 0.05) better than those of control and other pretreated samples. It can be concluded that the SeDM was an effective pretreatment method to produce high-quality vacuum freeze-dried strawberry products.
The chemical structure and antioxidant of natural and ultrasonic degraded polysaccharides from Porphyra yezoensis Udea was investigated. The degraded polysaccharide (PYPSUD) was purified, and F2 (a ...homogeneous fraction) was obtained. FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectral analysis revealed that F2 have typical porphyran structure. It has a backbone of alternating (1→4)-3,6-anhydro-α-l-galactopyranose) units and (1→3)-linked β-d-galactose or (1→4)-linked α-l-galactose 6-sulfate units. The result ascertained ultrasound degradation did not change the main structure of polysaccharides in the test conditions. Antioxidant proved that the activity of scavenging superoxide and hydroxyl radical is F2>VC>PSPYUD>PSPY. It was possible that ultrasonic treatment is an effective way for enhancing PSPY's antioxidant activity ascribing to decreasing molecular weight of polysaccharides.
•Dual-frequency multi-angle ultrasound was used for processing of raw soymilk.•Monitored ultrasonic field intensity of 40 + 20 kHz 0° treatment was the largest.•The 40 + 20 kHz 45° treatment ...maximally increased soybean protein content.•Flavor of soymilk was improved by dual-frequency multi-angle ultrasonic treatment.
To improve the soybean protein content (SPC), flavor and quality of soymilk, the effects of dual-frequency ultrasound at different angles (40 + 20 kHz 0°, 40 + 20 kHz 30°, 40 + 20 kHz 45°) on physicochemical properties and soybean protein (SP) structure of raw soymilk were mainly studied and compared with the conventional single-frequency (40 kHz, 20 kHz) ultrasound. Furthermore, the intensity of the ultrasonic field in real-time was monitored via the oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer. The results showed that 40 + 20 kHz 45° treatment significantly increased SPC. The ultrasonic field intensity of 40 + 20 kHz 0° treatment was the largest (8.727 × 104 W/m2) and its distribution was the most uniform. The emulsifying stability of SP reached the peak value (233.80 min), and SP also had the largest particle size and excellent thermal stability. The protein solubility of 40 + 20 kHz 30° treatment attained peak value of 87.09%. 20 kHz treatment significantly affected the flavor of okara. The whiteness and brightness of raw soymilk treated with 40 kHz were the highest and the system was stable. Hence, the action mode of ultrasonic technology can be deeply explored and the feasibility for improving the quality of soymilk can be achieved.
•Ultrasound freeze-thawing pretreatments improved the vacuum freeze-drying.•Pretreatment reduced the drying time and energy consumption.•Pretreatment changed the microstructure to various ...extent.•Ultrasound pretreatment retained most of the quality characteristics.•Pretreatment had no effect on the function groups and structure of pectin.
Vacuum freeze-drying is a new and high technology on agricultural product dehydrating dry, but it faces the high cost problem caused by high energy consumption. This study investigated the effect of ultrasound (US), freeze-thawing (including the freeze-air thawing (AT), freeze-water thawing (WT), freeze-ultrasound thawing (UST), and freeze-air ultrasound thawing (AT + US)) pretreatments on the vacuum freeze-drying efficiency and the quality of dried okra. The results indicated that the application of ultrasound and different freeze-thawing pretreatments reduced the drying time by 25.0%–62.50% and the total energy consumption was 24.28%–62.35% less. The AT pretreatment reduced the time by of okra slices by 62.50% and the total energy consumption was 62.35% less. The significant decrease in drying time was due to a change in the microstructure caused by pretreatment. Besides, the okra pretreated with the US retained most of the quality characteristics (flavor, color, hardness, and frangibility) among all methods, while, AT + US had the most changeable characteristics in quality, which is deprecated in our study. The okra pretreated with the US and AT, separately, had the best dry matter content loss (9.008%, 5.602%), lower chlorophyll degradation (5.05%, 5.44% less), and higher contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and pectin, with strong antioxidant capacity, compared to other methods. The pretreatments did not have a large effect on the functional groups and the structure of pectin, but slightly affected the viscosity. It can be concluded that AT and US pretreatment methods are better than others.
•Ultrasonic cavitation field was monitored in real-time during oil extraction.•Resonance frequency was found and explained by numerical calculation.•Relationship between physical field and cavitation ...oxidation was built.
The ultrasonic extraction of oils is a typical physical processing technology. The extraction process was monitored from the standpoint of the oil quality and efficiency of oil extraction. In this study, the ultrasonic cavitation fields were measured by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensor. Waveform of ultrasonic cavitation fields was gained and analyzed. The extraction yield and oxidation properties were compared. The relationship between the fields and cavitation oxidation was established. Numerical calculation of oscillation cycle was done for the cavitation bubbles. Results showed that the resonance frequency, fr, of the oil extraction was 40kHz. At fr, the voltage amplitude was the highest; the time was the shortest as reaching the amplitude of the waveform. Accordingly, the cavitation effect worked most rapidly, resulting in the strongest cavitation intensity. The extraction yield and oxidation properties were closely related to the cavitation effect. It controlled the cavitation oxidation effectively from the viewpoint of chemical and physical aspects.
In the postharvest storage of Chinese bayberry, microbial loads and exogenous contaminants pose significant challenges, leading to rapid decay and deterioration in quality. This study introduced a ...synergistic approach, combining ultrasonics and slightly acidic electrolyzed water (US + SAEW), to enhance the postharvest storage quality of Chinese bayberry. This approach was benchmarked against conventional water washing (CW), standalone ultrasonic (US), and slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) processing. Notably, compared to CW, the US + SAEW method enhanced iprodione and procymidone removal rates by 69.62 % and 72.45 % respectively, improved dirt removal efficiency by 122.87 %, repelled drosophila melanogaster larvae by 58.33 %, and curtailed total bacterial, mold & yeast growth by 78.18 % and 83.09 %. Furthermore, it postponed the appearance of sample decay by 6 days, compared to 4 days for both US and SAEW alone. From a physicochemical perspective, compared to CW-treated samples, US + SAEW processing mitigated weight loss and color deviations, retained hardness, amplified the sugar-acid ratio, augmented activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase enzymes, suppressed polyphenol oxidase activity and malondialdehyde synthesis, and preserved total phenolic, anthocyanin, and antioxidant levels. These findings underscore the potential of US + SAEW as a strategic tool to preserve the quality of Chinese bayberry during postharvest storage.