The inactivation kinetics of enzymes is an important way to reveal the mechanism of enzyme inactivation by microwaves. In this paper, lipase (LA) and lipoxygenase (LOX) were treated by both microwave irradiation and conventional heating. A temperature‐controlled water bath was used for conventional heating, and a microwave monomode reactor with a simultaneous cooling and precise temperature control system was used for microwave irradiation. The results showed that the effects of both microwave irradiation and conventional heating on enzyme inactivation were enhanced as system temperature increased; LOX was more sensitive to heat than LA. Therefore, compared with conventional heating, microwave irradiation shows no significant differences in inactivating LA or LOX in aqueous solution, and the thermal effect of microwave irradiation is the main cause of enzyme inactivation.
Practical Applications
Wheat germ has a short shelf life because of the high activity of endogenous enzymes. Two relevant endogenous enzymes are involved in the degradation of nutrients, lipase (LA) and lipoxygenase (LOX); therefore, the inactivation of LA and LOX is an essential prerequisite for long‐term storage of wheat germ. Microwave irradiation treatment (MIT) has long been applied to the inactivation of enzymes and has several advantages such as having a minimal effect on food product quality and providing rapid and uniform heating. However, the mechanism of enzyme inactivation by microwaves is still controversial. In this study, wheat germ endogenous enzymes were treated by MIT and conventional heat treatment. Based on residual enzyme activities and first‐order rate of inactivation kinetics, the mechanism of microwave inactivation was demonstrated, offering a theoretical basis for the future application of this technique in grain stabilization.
The national general survey manifests that the Chinese soil is suffering from serious contamination, mainly arising from heavy metals (HM). Due to the large amount of heavy metal waste, many researchers have performed the feasibility studies on co-processing this kind of waste in cement kilns. In this paper, we review these results from the perspectives of national standards, the crystal structure of clinker, and the volatility of metals in cement kiln system. The crystal structure of clinker mineral offers physical possibility for the solidification of HM atoms. The volatility studies also indicate that most of the metals will not emit from the kiln system. For the incorporated metals in clinker, their release ratio is very low, and the leaching HM atoms can be immediately enclosed by the cement hydration products. Based on these theoretical results, we measured the HM in the raw materials and in the cement product for 1 year in a cement plant. The bag filter dust contained high level of Tl with an average of 219.30 ppm. The other metals were almost solidified by the clinker. With the vaporization of Tl in the raw materials, the circulation pattern causes the accumulation and buildup of Tl in the system. The incorporation capacity of clinker on HM is predicted in this paper, but the incorporation ratio of HM from contaminated soil, the circulation pattern of HM in cement kiln system, and the emission of HM is currently not clear and further work is in progress.
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