Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used in the reflection mode to characterize the surface texture (roughness) of sliced food surfaces. Sandpapers with grit size between 150 and 600 were used as height references to standardize the CLSM hardware settings. Sandpaper particle sizes were verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mean amplitude (in micrometers) of surface variation along line segments of the scanned sandpaper topographical image sets showed very close agreement between the measured result and the grit particle size (based on the U.S. Coated Abrasive Manufactures Inst. {CAMI], standard). The verified instrument settings were then used to measure the surface texture of mechanically sliced food surfaces, including cooked ham, salami, and cheese. Sliced food surface texture parameters of Ra (average height of a line segment), Rs (surface area ratio), Pa (average height on a region of interest), and Pq (root-mean-square height on a region of interest) were evaluated by this method. Values of the surface roughness of sliced ham, salami, and cheese were found to be comparable to the range of dimensions of selected sandpapers. The CLSM method may be useful for other surface texture measurements, and to investigate the impact of food surface texture on microbial adhesion or attachment, which might play a significant role in microbial transfer from one surface to another.
The patterns of degradation occurring when textile fabrics are treated with sulphuric acid are derived from the change in tensile strength at different concentrations. Characteristic shapes differ for different fibre types and range from a near-linear mode to one in which a high initial loss of property takes place.Results show a general tendency, with individual variations, for deterioration to increase with time and concentration, molecular and structural factors presumably being responsible.
The mechanical properties of textiles are important because they define many of the performance characteristics of end-products. Stress-strain tests are commonly used to measure tensile properties, but stress-strain curves of woven textiles are monotonic up to the breaking point and provide little information about events during stretching. We use acoustic emission spectroscopy to characterize the mechanical properties of a wide variety of materials, including some textiles. We investigate the mechanical properties of two woolen fabrics, correlating the stress-strain curves with acoustic emission events. Our results indicate that cumulative acoustic emission is a nondestructive indicator of incipient fabric damage and can be used as a quality control test in fabric manufacturing.
Some agricultural industries generate large amounts of low value co-products/residues, including citrus peel, sugar beet pulp and whey protein from the production of orange juice, sugar and cheese commodities, respectively. National Program #306 of the USDA Agricultural Research Service aims to characterize and enhance quality and develop new processes and uses for value-added foods and bio-based products. In parallel projects, we applied scanning microscopies to examine the molecular organization of citrus pectin gels, covalent crosslinking to reduce debonding in sugar beet pulp-PLA composites and functional modification of whey protein through extrusion in order to evaluate new methods of processing and formulating new products. Also, qualitative attributes of fresh produce that could potentially guide germ line development and crop management were explored through fluorescence imaging: synthesis and accumulation of oleoresin in habanero peppers suggest a complicated mechanism of secretion that differs from the classical scheme. Integrated imaging appears to offer significant structural insights to help understand practical properties and features of important food co-products/residues.
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