Axisymmetric acoustophoresis for paper pulp concentration.

In pulp and paper mills, mechanical processes such as screening and washing are commonly used to remove accumulated solid suspensions and concentrate the pulp. For environmental reasons and to optimize paper production, an emerging challenge is to develop alternative methods to concentrate paper pulp between 3 % and 6 % consistency for which the mixed pulp-water flow is complex. Among the proposed solutions in the literature, solutions based on acoustic levitation, also referred as acoustophoresis, of low-consistency pulp have been demonstrated as a potential solution for efficient pulp concentration and water recirculation.

Active Dry Yeast: Lessons from Patents and Science.

In the production of fermented foods, long-term preservation of the activity of microbial starters is a critical issue. The aim of this review was to determine key challenges in the production and use of active dry yeast over time and to compare statistics on letters patent for inventions and applied scientific articles as indicators of technological evolution. The review covers 280 original patent specifications and 212 applied scientific articles issued between 1796 and 2018, not including documents in basic science or without obvious application in fermented foods.

Compressed Baker's Yeast: Mapping Patents on Post-Fermentation Processes.

In the baking industry, fresh yeast is generally available as a compressed paste containing about 70% moisture. While much literature has been published on its growth conditions in fermentation tanks, little information may be obtained on the final steps of baker's yeast production. In this review, 226 patents were found on the separation of yeast cells from spent growth media as well as its dewatering, forming, and packaging in the compressed form.

Aeration and Foam Control in Baker's Yeast Production: Mapping Patents.

A key ingredient in the baking industry, baker's yeast must be produced under strict controlled conditions. High yields of baker's yeast cannot be attained unless a huge quantity of air is injected into fermentation vats. This review of 245 patent specifications shows that inventors have paid much attention to the distribution of fine air bubbles in order to optimize oxygen transfer to the yeast cells.

Mapping Early Patents on Baker's Yeast Manufacture.

  In the 19th century, bread had a pronounced acidic taste and a nonuniform appearance, as shown by a review of 178 early patents families on baker's yeast manufacture. This was largely due to the unpredictable nature of baker's yeast, which was generally grown under empiric conditions in nonsterile dough or liquid prepared with saccharified cereals. Inventors were mainly interested in techniques to increase yields of pressed yeast through media formulation, infection control, and automation of biomass separation and packaging.

Inventions on baker's yeast storage and activation at the bakery plant.

Baker's yeast is the gas-forming ingredient in bakery products. Methods have been invented to properly handle baker's yeast and optimize its activity at the bakery plant. Over the years, incentives for inventions on yeast storage and activation have greatly changed depending on trends in the baking industry.

Inventions on baker's yeast strains and specialty ingredients.

Baker's yeast is one of the oldest food microbial starters. Between 1927 and 2008, 165 inventions on more than 337 baker's yeast strains were patented. The first generation of patented yeast strains claimed improved biomass yield at the yeast plant, higher gassing power in dough or better survival to drying to prepare active dry baker's yeast.

Displacement and sweep efficiencies in a DNAPL recovery test using micellar and polymer solutions injected in a five-spot pattern.

Soil washing with micellar solutions is a promising alternative for the remediation of DNAPL source zones. As with any flushing technology, the success of soil washing with micellar solutions depends in a very large part on the ability of the solution to contact the contaminant (sweep efficiency) and then on the efficiency of contaminant removal once this contact is made (displacement efficiency). We report here on a field test where a micellar solution was used to recover a DNAPL in an open five-spot pattern in which polymer solutions were also injected before and after the washing solution to improve sweep efficiency.

Potato flour viscosity improvement is associated with the expression of a wheat LMW-glutenin gene.

It has been previously shown that expression of a high-molecular-weight glutenin (HMW-GS) in transgenic wheat seeds resulted in the improvement of flour functional properties. In this study, potato flour viscosity was improved through a specific expression of a low-molecular-weight glutenin (LMW-GS-MB1) gene in tuber. The resulting construct was introduced into potato leaf explants (Solanum tuberosum cv Kennebec) through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer.