ABSTRACT. Gluten has an important function in the structural and textural properties of breads, which is mainly to trap CO₂ gas produced by yeast fermentation. However, gluten consumption can be wearisome, especially for those with celiac disease. Breads based on gluten-free flour have, therefore, been developed. One alternative flour that can be used is fermented cassava flour (Fercaf), which is locally sourced. However, the absence of gluten in this flour results in bread with a texture that lacks airiness, softness, and moisture. Corn prolamin or zein is a material with viscoelastic properties similar to gluten that can be used to address the textural issues of gluten-free breads. This study aims to determine the effect of adding zein on the sensory aspects of gluten-free breads based on Fercaf by analyzing specific volume, crumb appearance, and texture. Zein was extracted from corn gluten meal (CGM) using a 70% ethanol solvent, sodium bisulfite, and lactic acid. The influence of flour composition and the type of additive (zein isolate, HPMC) was analyzed. Additionally, the zein concentration was varied at 1, 2, 3, and 4 g per 20 g mixture of fermented cassava flour and additive. Based on our experiments, the gluten-free bread variation with the best texture quality is bread made from fermented cassava flour with 2% HPMC and 10% zein isolate. Overall, although the resulting bread still had a harder crumb compared to wheat breads, adding zein isolate can improve the dough's viscoelastic properties.

ABSTRACT. The depletion and adverse impacts of fossil-based resources have highlighted the need for alternative resources. Microalgae are widely regarded as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based resources because they can efficiently utilize sunlight and CO₂, producing a range of high-value products, including biofuels, food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. However, large-scale microalgal production requires an understanding of chemical engineering principles, including thermodynamics, mass-energy balances, and kinetics. Thermodynamic analysis calculated the Gibbs free energy change during microalgal growth, while mass-energy balance analysis examined growth reaction components. Growth kinetic analysis employed the Monod model and biomass balance in batch operations. Two microalgal species were used as models: Chlorella sorokiniana for thermodynamics and mass-energy balance analysis, and Thermosynechococcus sp. for kinetic analysis. The results indicated that microalgal biomass growth is an endergonic reaction requiring external energy, with photoautotrophic microalgae harnessing light energy. Production of 500 kg batch^-1 of C. sorokiniana biomass required 1,363.7 kg batch^-1 CO₂, 246.1 kg batch^-1 HNO₃, 45.5 kg batch^-1 H₃PO₄, and 123.5 tons batch^-1 water. The photobioreactor unit generates 57.8 GJ batch^-1 of heat, requiring 102.9 tons batch^-1 of cooling water. Thermosynechococcus sp. cultivated with dissolved inorganic carbon had a maximum specific growth rate of 1.3 d^-1 and a substrate affinity constant of 190.6 mg L^-1. Simulating Thermosynechococcus sp. growth using the calculated kinetic parameters and dissolved CO₂ in batch operations resulted in a sigmoid curve, yielding 0.5 g_biomass g_DIC^-1. The chemical engineering approach used in this study can contribute to understanding and improving microalgal biomass production.

ABSTRACT. As an innovative technique and the organic−solvent−free process, supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO₂)-water mixtures in an ultrasonic environment were employed as a medium to generate liposome and to encapsulate phytochemical compounds in a single−step process. The formation and encapsulation processes were conducted at temperatures of 50 to 70 °C and pressures of 15 to 25 MPa for 60 and 90 min. With or without phytochemical compounds addition, the formed liposome seems to own the diameter size below 100 nm at each experiment condition. Their morphologies were spherical or spherical−like form. Nevertheless, the particle size analyzer displayed that their diameter size was larger than 500 nm, whereas the zeta potential analysis revealed that the nanosuspension system containing the encapsulated phytochemical compounds had good stability.

ABSTRACT. Lignocellulosic biomass was generally known to be rich in cellulose as a main component. Thus, it can be applied as a potential source for production of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) via disintegration of lignin and hemicellulose. In this work, wood waste sawdust was fed as a starting material to produce MCC by applying subcritical water (at temperatures of 100 to 140 ºC) in an alkaline environment. At these conditions, disintegrating the linked between hemicellulose and lignin parts may take place to result in the solid residue which had a high cellulose content. The FTIR spectrogram exhibited that the removal of non-cellulosic components increased with raising operating temperature and/or the extended treatment time. The XRD diffractogram also revealed that raising operating parameters (temperature and/or time) may increase the MCC crystallinity index. Conversely, the yield of MCC product decreases with raising operating temperature and/or the extended treatment time.