The Mexican mezcal industry annually processes approximately 2.92 × 105 t of mezcal agave, generating roughly 1.46 × 105 t of agave leaves per year, which represents a potential carbon source of at least 8170 t via enzymatic processing of agave leaf juice. This carbon source is considered an attractive alternative to produce biofuels and/or chemical products since it is produced and used without adversely affecting the environment. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of temperature, pH, enzyme concentration, and bioreaction time on the enzymatic hydrolysis of agave leaf juice enriched in fructan to maximize the fermentable sugars production from three varieties of mezcal agave, using a low‐cost commercial brand of hydrolase. This process generated a sugar‐enriched juice of 80.07–136.12 g/L of reducing sugars. A Box‐Behnken experimental design and a mathematical surface response analysis of the hydrolysis were used for process optimization.

This work proposes an optimization approach for capturing carbon dioxide from different industrial facilities to yield an algae-based biorefinery. The proposed approach is based on a distributed system to account for the economies of scale and includes site selection for the processing facilities. Additionally, the model considers optimization for the technologies used in the process stages and different technologies to yield several products. The algae oil that is obtained from each facility can be sent to processing hubs located in the same plant and/or to a central processing unit. The objective function is to minimize the total annual cost for the treatment of flue gases, including the capital and operating costs for the different processing stages and the overall transportation costs associated with the system minus the sales of products plus the tax credit for reducing CO 2 emissions. The results show several economic benefits.

The objective of this work was to simulate heat transfer during blanching (90 °C) and hydrocooling (5 °C) of broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea L. Italica) and to evaluate the impact of these processes on the physicochemical and nutrimental quality properties. Thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity [line heat source], specific heat capacity [differential scanning calorimetry], and bulk density [volume displacement]) of stem and inflorescence were measured as a function of temperature (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 °C). The activation energy and the frequency factor (Arrhenius model) of these thermophysical properties were calculated. A 3-dimensional finite element model was developed to predict the temperature history at different points inside the product. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental temperature histories was carried out. Quality parameters (firmness, total color difference, and vitamin C content) and peroxidase activity were measured. The satisfactory validation of the finite element model allows the prediction of temperature histories and profiles under different process conditions, which could lead to an eventual optimization aimed to minimize the nutritional and sensorial losses in broccoli florets.

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