Search

La alta presion hidrostatica (APH) es una alternativa al tratamiento termico para lograr la pasteurizacion del pure de aguacate. Durante el almacenamiento del aguacate pasteurizado con APH ocurren reacciones oxidativas que afectan la calidad del producto. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar los cambios bioquimicos durante el almacenamiento (45 dias, 4°C) de pure de aguacate adicionado con extractos naturales (romero, tomillo y semilla de toronja) y procesado con APH (600 MPa, 3 min). El pure de aguacate tratado con APH mostro actividades residuales de polifenoloxidasa (PPO) y lipooxigenasa de 46% y 58%, respectivamente. Durante los primeros 10 dias de almacenamiento, la actividad de PPO se incremento (2,9 veces) y despues regreso a sus niveles originales. Durante el almacenamiento, las concentraciones de hexanal y acidos grasos libres se incrementaron. Algunos extractos naturales inhibieron parcialmente la accion de enzimas oxidativas, lo cual se reflejo en un incremento en la estabilidad del producto.

The Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA) has shown a high concentration of PM2.5 in its atmosphere since 2003. The contribution of possible sources of primary PM2.5 and its precursors is not known. In this paper we present the results of analyzing the chemical composition of sixty 24-hr samples of PM2.5 to determine possible sources of PM2.5 in the MMA. The samples were collected at the northeast and southeast of the MMA between November 22 and December 12, 2007, using low-volume devices. Teflon and quartz filters were used to collect the samples. The concentrations of 16 airborne trace elements were determined using x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Anions and cations were determined using ion chromatography. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were determined by thermal optical analysis. The results show that Ca had the maximum mean concentration of all elements studied, followed by S. Enrichment factors above 50 were calculated for S, Cl, Cu, Zn, Br and Pb. This indicates that these elements may come from anthropogenic sources. Overall, the major average components of PM2.5 were OC (41.7%), SO4(2-) (22.9%), EC (7.4%), crustal material (11.4%), and NO3- (12.6%), which altogether accounted for 96% of the mass. Statistically, we did not find any difference in SO4(2-) concentrations between the two sites. The fraction of secondary organic carbon was between 24% and 34%. The results of the factor analysis performed over 10 metals and OC and EC show that there are three main sources of PM2.5: crustal material and vehicle exhaust; industrial activity; and fuel oil burning. The results show that SO4(2-), OC, and crustal material are important components of PM2.5 in MMA. Further work is necessary to evaluate the proportion of secondary inorganic and organic aerosol in order to have a better understanding of the sources and precursors of aerosols in the MMA.

El arranque en frío ha sido catalogado como uno de los periodos del ciclo de operación de los vehículos, en donde se puede esperar una cantidad importante de emisiones de compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COVs). En el presente trabajo se reportan los resultados de dos campañas de monitoreo realizadas en el Área Metropolitana de Monterrey, México, para caracterizar las emisiones en el escape de 20 automóviles de modelo reciente (preferentemente de tipo sedán) durante eventos de arranque en frío. Las muestras obtenidas fueron sujetas a análisis químico para identificar el perfil de COVs en las emisiones generadas. El análisis químico estuvo centrado en 30 alcanos y aromáticos en el intervalo C5 a C9. Los resultados revelaron que las especies con mayor concentración fueron: Dimetilhexano, 2,2,4-Trimetil -pentano y 2,3,4-Trimetil pentano. Asimismo, se encontró que vehículos que emplean el mismo tipo de gasolina (Magna o Premium) tienden a tener un perfil químico de emisiones parecido y estadísticamente diferente al otro grupo. El efecto del kilometraje recorrido, el año-modelo o la marca del vehículo no fue determinante para este resultado. Esto implica que el perfil químico de las emisiones obtenidas, es prácticamente una función exclusiva del tipo de gasolina empleado y no de las condiciones del vehículo. Por otro lado, las relaciones promedio calculadas entre las emisiones de Benceno, Tolueno y Etilbenceno (T:B-1.9, E:B-0.6 y B:T-1.5) están dentro de los intervalos de referencia encontrados en la literatura. Finalmente, se clasificaron los compuestos emitidos respecto a su reactividad (potencial de formación de ozono) empleando una escala de concentración propileno equivalente. Se encontró que la reactividad de los gases de escape está gobernada por el Dimetilhexano y el 2,3,4-Trimetilpentano, especies que son la primera y tercera más abundantes. El resto de las especies no necesariamente tienen el mismo lugar en la escala de concentración que en la escala de reactividad.

A semi-industrial scale test was conducted to thermally treat mixtures of spent oil and askarels at a concentration of 50,000 ppm and 100,000 ppm of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) under a reductive atmosphere. In average, the dry-basis composition of the synthesis gas (syngas) obtained from the gasification process was: hydrogen 46%, CO 34%, CO2 18%, and CH4 0.8%. PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs) in the gas stream were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry. The coplanar PCBs congeners 77, 105, 118, 156/ 157, and 167 were detected in the syngas at concentrations2 x 10(-7) mg/m3 (at 298 K, 1 atm, dry basis, 7% O2). The chlorine released in the destruction of the PCBs was transformed to hydrogen chloride and separated from the gas by an alkaline wet scrubber. The concentration of PCBs in the water leaving the scrubber was below the detection limit of 0.002 mg/L, whereas the destruction and removal efficiency was99.9999% for both tests conducted. The concentration of PCDDs/PCDFs in the syngas were 8.1 x 10(-6) ng-toxic equivalent (TEQ)/m3 and 7.1 x 10(-6) ng-TEQ/m3 (at 298 K, 1 atm, dry basis, 7% O2) for the tests at 50,000 ppm and 100,000 ppm PCBs, respectively. The only PCDD/F congener detected in the gas was the octachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin, which has a toxic equivalent factor of 0.001. The results obtained for other pollutants (e.g., metals and particulate matter) meet the maximum allowed emission limits according to Mexican, U.S., and European regulations for the thermal treatment of hazardous waste (excluding CO, which is a major component of the syngas, and total hydrocarbons, which mainly represent the presence of CH4).

The development of rice cultivars with insect resistance has led to major increases in food production in many developing nations of the tropical areas in the world. These cultivars have played a major role in the “green revolution” in south and southeast Asia. During the development of these cultivars, several entomological techniques and evaluation methods were pioneered. These techniques were developed in many instances to evaluate the underlying chemical mechanisms mediating insect resistance in rice germplasm. Many of the techniques have made use of existing technologies but in several cases, new technologies have been developed to aid in the progress of entomological research in the area of insect resistance in rice.