At present, over 30000 powder diffraction patterns are available as references. It is proposed that the patterns on file as well as new patterns submitted for publication be assigned quantitative quality factors. A simple-to-use figure of merit, FN, covering both accuracy in the measurement of the positions of the diffraction lines and completeness of the pattern, has been derived: FN=(1/ld2Ol)(N/Nposs), where Nposs is the number of independent diffraction lines possible up to the Nth observed line and Id201 is the average absolute discrepancy between observed and calculated 20 values. This figure of merit provides a rapid evaluation of powder patterns, in much the same way as the R factor provides a rating for single-crystal structure determinations. This figure of merit also provides a means to assess the reliability of a unit derived solely from powder data. The present FN ranking scheme is shown to be superior to de Wolffs M20 for ranking patterns. It is recommended that use of the latter be discontinued for that purpose. Guidelines are given on the use and implementation of the FN rating of powder diffraction patterns.

Acrylamide is formed from reducing sugars and asparagine during the preparation of French fries. The commercial preparation of French fries is a multistage process involving the preparation of frozen, par-fried potato strips for distribution to catering outlets, where they are finish-fried. The initial blanching, treatment in glucose solution, and par-frying steps are crucial because they determine the levels of precursors present at the beginning of the finish-frying process. To minimize the quantities of acrylamide in cooked fries, it is important to understand the impact of each stage on the formation of acrylamide. Acrylamide, amino acids, sugars, moisture, fat, and color were monitored at time intervals during the frying of potato strips that had been dipped in various concentrations of glucose and fructose during a typical pretreatment. A mathematical model based on the fundamental chemical reaction pathways of the finish-frying was developed, incorporating moisture and temperature gradients in the fries. This showed the contribution of both glucose and fructose to the generation of acrylamide and accurately predicted the acrylamide content of the final fries.

The positional and thermal parameters of a-quartz at room temperature have been redetermined accurately using Cu Kc~ diffractometric intensities from a natural crystal showing unusually little primary extinction. Anisotropic refinement on the basis of the l l2 observable independent T_Fol' S was performed by least squares and differential synthesis to final R values of 3-6 and 3.3 ~ respectively. In good agreement with the results of YoLmg & Post, the positional parameters are found to be x=0. 4145, y=0-2662, z=0.1189, u=0.4698

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bFresh pork sausage is produced without a microbial kill step and therefore chilled or frozen to control microbial growth. In this report, the microbiota in a chilled fresh pork sausage model produced with or without an antimicrobial combination of sodium lactate and sodium diacetate was studied using a combination of traditional microbiological methods and deep pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. In the untreated system, microbial populations rose from 10 2 to 10 6 CFU/g within 15 days of storage at 4°C, peaking at nearly 10 8 CFU/g by day 30. Pyrosequencing revealed a complex community at day 0, with taxa belonging to the Bacilli, Gammaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Clostridia. During storage at 4°C, the untreated system displayed a complex succession, with species of Weissella and Leuconostoc that dominate the product at day 0 being displaced by species of Pseudomonas (P. lini and P. psychrophila) within 15 days. By day 30, a second wave of taxa (Lactobacillus graminis, Carnobacterium divergens, Buttiauxella brennerae, Yersinia mollaretti, and a taxon of Serratia) dominated the population, and this succession coincided with significant chemical changes in the matrix. Treatment with lactate-diacetate altered the dynamics dramatically, yielding a monophasic growth curve of a single species of Lactobacillus (L. graminis), followed by a uniform selective die-off of the majority of species in the population. Of the six species of Lactobacillus that were routinely detected, L. graminis became the dominant member in all samples, and its origins were traced to the spice blend used in the formulation.