Total Soluble Solids from Banana: Evaluation and Optimization of Extraction Parameters

Banana, an important component in the diet of the global population, is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. This fruit is also very favorable to industry processes (e. g., fermented beverages) due to its rich content on soluble solids and minerals, with low acidity. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of factors such as banana weight and extraction time during a hot aqueous extraction process on the total soluble solids content of banana. The extract is to be used by the food and beverage industries. The experiments were performed with 105 mL of water, considering the moisture of the ripe banana (65%). Total sugar concentrations were obtained in a beer analyzer and the result expressed in degrees Plato (degrees P, which is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution at 20 degrees C), aiming at facilitating the use of these results by the beverage industries. After previous studies of characterization of the fruit and of ripening performance, a 2(2) full-factorial star design was carried out, and a model was developed to describe the behavior of the dependent variable (total soluble solids) as a function of the factors (banana weight and extraction time), indicating as optimum conditions for extraction 38.5 g of banana at 39.7 min.

Ripening-associated changes in the amounts of starch and non-starch polysaccharides and their contributions to fruit softening in three banana cultivars

BACKGROUND: Fruit softening is generally attributed to cell wall degradation in the majority of fruits. However, unripe bananas contain a large amount of starch, and different banana cultivars vary in the amount of starch remaining in ripe fruits. Since studies on changes in pulp firmness carried outwith bananas are usually inconclusive, the cell wall carbohydrates and the levels of starch and soluble cell wall monosaccharides from the pulps of three banana cultivars were analysed at different ripening stages. RESULTS: Softening of Nanicao and Mysore bananas seemed to be more closely related to starch levels than to cell wall changes. For the plantain Terra, cell wall polysaccharide solubilisation and starch degradation appeared to be the main contributors. CONCLUSION: Banana softening is a consequence of starch degradation and the accumulation of soluble sugars in a cultivar-dependent manner. However, contributions from cell wall-related changes cannot be disregarded. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

Measurement of ethylene production during banana ripening

Introduction. This protocol aims at measuring fruit ethylene production during ripening. It can be used to compare ethylene production between different banana varieties or to compare ethylene production between fruit produced in different pedo-climatic conditions. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the three steps necessary for calculating the amount of ethylene produced during banana postharvest ripening. Possible troubleshooting is considered.

Extraction and purification of total RNA from banana tissues (small scale)

Introduction. This protocol aims at preparing total RNA for gene expression analysis by Northern blots, RT-PCR and real-time quantitative PCR; cDNA isolation by RTPCR; and cDNA library construction. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required for obtaining total RNA and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the required materials and the 27 steps necessary for preparing RNA from peel and pulp fruit tissue: preparation of plant tissue powder, preparation of the complete RNA extraction buffer and isolation of RNA from ground banana fruit tissue. Results. Extraction of total RNA by the method described makes it possible to achieve electrophoresis under denatured conditions and in vitro reverse transcription. An example for Northern blot analysis is illustrated.

Determination of banana fruit susceptibility to post-harvest diseases: wound anthracnose, quiescent anthracnose and crown rot

Introduction. This protocol aims at ( a) evaluating the resistance to post-harvest diseases within different genotypes of bananas, and ( b) comparing different origins of bananas ( geographic origin, physiological stage, etc.) for their susceptibility to post-harvest diseases. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. Materials required and details of the twelve steps of the protocol ( fruit sampling and inoculum preparation, wound anthracnose resistance study, quiescent anthracnose resistance study and crown-rot resistance study) are described. Results. Typical symptoms of the different diseases are obtained after artificial inoculation.

Biochemical characterization of pulp of banana fruit: measurement of soluble sugars, organic acids, free ACC and in vitro ACC oxidase

Introduction. We present some protocols aiming at partially characterizing banana fruit quality through measurement of some key biochemical parameters. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the steps necessary for achieving four protocols making it possible to measure sugar, organic acids and free ACC contents, and in vitro ACC oxidase activity. Results. Standard results obtained by using the protocols described are presented in the figures.

Measurement of banana green life

Introduction. This protocol aims at measuring the storage life potential of banana fruit, and at determining the physiological age of fruit. The principle, key advantages, starting plant material, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the five steps necessary for calculating the banana green life duration, which corresponds to the number of days between the fruit harvest and climacteric crisis. Results. The measurement of O-2 and CO2 concentrations allows one to detect the climacteric peak which marks the end of the banana green life.

Mechanical characterisation of banana fruits

Introduction. This protocol aims at measuring the mechanical characteristics of bananas, especially peel and fruit hardness, and pulp firmness; it can also allow the mechanical characterisation of green or ripening fruit of different pedo-climatic origins and/or varieties. Materials and methods. This part describes the required laboratory materials and the three steps necessary for the measurement of the mechanical characteristics of bananas. Results. The data allow the drawing of a curve characterising the firmness of the fruit (slope), hardness of the peel (peak) and hardness of the pulp (plateau).

Methodology to forecast the harvest date of banana bunches

Introduction. This method is used to forecast the harvest date of banana bunches from as early as the plant shooting stage. It facilitates the harvest of bunches with the same physiological age. The principle, key advantages, time required and expected results are presented. Materials and methods. Details of the four steps of the method ( installation of the temperature sensor, tagging bunches at the flowering stage, temperature sum calculation and estimation of bunch harvest date) are described. Possible problems are discussed. Results. The application of the method allows drawing a curve of the temperature sum accumulated by the bunches which have to be harvested at exactly 900 degree-days physiological age.

MODIFICATIONS ON LEAF ANATOMY OF BANANA DURING THE MICROPROPAGATION PROCESS

The study and understanding of alterations taking place during the micropropagation process can provide valuable information about this technology. The objective of this work was to evaluate the anatomical modifications in leaves of micropropagated banana (Musa spp.) plants during their adaptation to ex vitro conditions. Aseptic axillary shoots of `Preciosa` cultivar (AAAB) were rooted for 24 days in MS medium containing NAA (1mg.l(-1)) and agar (6g.l(-1)), and acclimatized for 120 days. The treatments consisted of leaves at different stages of development: T1 - leaves from plants at the end of in vitro rooting phase, T2 persistent leaves from plants after 30 days of acclimatization, T3 - new leaves from plants after 30 days of acclimatization (transition leaves). T4 - transition leaves from plants after 60 days, T5 - new leaves from plants after 60 days of acclimatization, and T6 - new leaves from plants after 120 days of acclimatization. A higher degree of differentiation and, thereby, better adaptation took place in leaves from leaf primordial differentiated in ex vitro conditions. The acclimatization phase is crucial for a greater thickness and differentiation of spongy and palisade parenchyma, and to correct the modifications of plants developed in vitro. The study of leaf anatomy provides a better understanding of alterations occurring in micropropagated banana plants.

Combined photocatalytic and fungal processes for the treatment of nitrocellulose industry wastewater

The objective of this work was to characterize the delignification effluent originating from the delignification industry and evaluate the combination of the fungus and photocatalytic process (TiO(2)/UV system) for the treatment of this effluent. The delignification effluent has proven harmful to the environment because it presents high color (3516 CU), total phenol (876 mg/L and TOC (1599 mg/L) and is also highly toxic even in a low concentration. The results of photocatalysis were 11%, 25% and 13% higher for reductions in color, total phenol and TOC, respectively. The combined treatments presented benefits when compared to the non-combined treatments. Fungus and photocatalysis in combination proved to be the best treatment, reducing the color, total phenol, toxicity (inhibition of Escherichia coli growth) and TOC by 94.2%, 92.6%, 4.9% and 62%, respectively. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Banana as Adjunct in Beer Production: Applicability and Performance of Fermentative Parameters

Traditionally, the raw materials for beer production are barley, hops, water, and yeast, but most brewers use also different adjuncts. During the alcoholic fermentation, the contribution of aroma compounds from other ingredients to the final beer flavor depends on the wort composition, on the yeast strain, and mainly on the process conditions. In this context, banana can also be a raw material favorable to alcoholic fermentation being rich in carbohydrates and minerals and providing low acidity. In this work, the objective was to evaluate the performance of wort adjusted with banana juice in different concentrations. For this, static fermentations were conducted at 15 degrees C at pilot scale (140 L of medium). The addition of banana that changed the concentration of all-malt wort from 10 degrees P to 12 and 15 degrees P were evaluated (degrees P is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution, at 20 degrees C). The results showed an increase in ethanol production, with approximately 0.4 g/g ethanol yield and 0.6 g/L h volumetric productivity after 84 h of processing when concentrated wort was used. Thus, it was concluded that banana can be used as an adjunct in brewing methods, helping in the development of new products as well as in obtaining concentrated worts.

AnSBBR Applied to a Personal Care Industry Wastewater Treatment: Effects of Fill Time, Volume Treated Per Cycle, and Organic Load

A study was performed regarding the effect of the relation between fill time, volume treated per cycle, and influent concentration at different applied organic loadings on the stability and efficiency of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor containing immobilized biomass on polyurethane foam with recirculation of the liquid phase (AnSBBR) applied to the treatment of wastewater from a personal care industry. Total cycle length of the reactor was 8 h (480 min). Fill times were 10 min in the batch operation, 4 h in the fed-batch operation, and a 10-min batch followed by a 4-h fed batch in the mixed operation. Settling time was not necessary since the biomass was immobilized and decant time was 10 min. Volume of liquid medium in the reactor was 2.5 L, whereas volume treated per cycle ranged from 0.88 to 2.5 L in accordance with fill time. Influent concentration varied from 300 to 1,425 mg COD/L, resulting in an applied volumetric organic load of 0.9 and 1.5 g COD/L.d. Recirculation flow rate was 20 L/h, and the reactor was maintained at 30 A degrees C. Values of organic matter removal efficiency of filtered effluent samples were below 71% in the batch operations and above 74% in the operations of fed batch followed by batch. Feeding wastewater during part of the operational cycle was beneficial to the system, as it resulted in indirect control over the conversion of substrate into intermediates that would negatively interfere with the biochemical reactions regarding the degradation of organic matter. As a result, the average substrate consumption increased, leading to higher organic removal efficiencies in the fed-batch operations.

Anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor applied to automobile industry wastewater treatment: Volumetric loading rate and feed strategy effects

This paper presents a technological viability study of wastewater treatment in an automobile industry by an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor containing immobilized biomass (AnSBBR) with a draft tube. The reactor was operated in 8-h cycles, with agitation of 400 rpm, at 30 degrees C and treating 2.0 L wastewater per cycle. Initially the efficiency and stability of the reactor were studied when supplied with nutrients and alkalinity. Removal efficiency of 88% was obtained at volumetric loading rate (VLR) of 3.09 mg COD/L day. When VLR was increased to 6.19 mg COD/L day the system presented stable operation with reduction in efficiency of 71%. In a second stage the AnSBBR was operated treating wastewater in natura, i.e., without nutrients supplementation, only with alkalinity, thereby changing feed strategy. The first strategy consisted in feeding 2.0 L batch wise (10 min), the second in feeding 1.0 L of influent batch wise (10 min) and an additional 1.0 L fed-batch wise (4 h), both dewatering 2.0 L of the effluent in 10 min. The third one maintained 1.0 L of treated effluent in the reactor, without discharging, and 1.0 L of influent was fed fed-batch wise (4 h) with dewatering 1.0 L of the effluent in 10 min. For all implemented strategies (VLR of 1.40, 2.57 and 2.61 mg COD/L day) the system presented stability and removal efficiency of approximately 80%. These results show that the AnSBBR presents operational flexibility, as the influent can be fed according to industry availability. In industrial processes this is a considerable advantage, as the influent may be prone to variations. Moreover, for all the investigated conditions the kinetic parameters were obtained from fitting a first-order model to the profiles of organic matter, total volatile acids and methane concentrations. Analysis of the kinetic parameters showed that the best strategy is feeding 1.0 L of influent batchwise (10 min) and 1.0 L fed-batch wise (4 h) in 8-h cycle. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coloured Petri nets and graphical simulation for the validation of a robotic cell in aircraft industry

This paper proposes a mixed validation approach based on coloured Petri nets and 3D graphic simulation for the design of supervisory systems in manufacturing cells with multiple robots. The coloured Petri net is used to model the cell behaviour at a high level of abstraction. It models the activities of each cell component and its coordination by a supervisory system. The graphical simulation is used to analyse and validate the cell behaviour in a 3D environment, allowing the detection of collisions and the calculation of process times. The motivation for this work comes from the aeronautic industry. The automation of a fuselage assembly process requires the integration of robots with other cell components such as metrological or vision systems. In this cell, the robot trajectories are defined by the supervisory system and results from the coordination of the cell components. The paper presents the application of the approach for an aircraft assembly cell under integration in Brazil. This case study shows the feasibility of the approach and supports the discussion of its main advantages and limits. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.