The effect of adding natural wastes on some properties of gypsum: تأثير إضافة المخلفات الطبيعية على بعض خواص الجبس

In this research, the effect of adding some natural wastes to gypsum was studied in order to use them as thermal insulation materials in buildings and to recycle these wastes. Thermal insulation panels were installed from gypsum (as a basic material) and natural wastes (sawdust, peanut shells, wheat straw, cottonwood) at percentages (10, 15, 20) %, and some of their mechanical and physical properties, and their thermal conductivity were studied. The results indicated an improvement in some properties of gypsum after adding wastes, and obtaining thermal building materials that have better properties than the reference sample (gypsum) in some cases. Rough sawdust samples (SdR15, SdR20) achieved the highest compressive strength exceeding (4MPa). The flexural strength was for peanut shells samples (P10:1.76 MPa, P15:1.8 MPa), while the most efficient samples as thermal insulation were ground straw and smooth sawdust samples (SdS15, SdS20, GSt15, GSt20) where their thermal conductivity was (0.194-0.141W/m.K), which makes it acceptable according to the Syrian thermal insulation code.

Efficient Production of Dried Whole Peanut Fruits Based on Infrared Assisted Spouted Bed Drying

The present study is designed to evaluate the effect of infrared assisted spouted bed drying (IR-SBD) on the product quality and energy consumption of whole peanut fruits (including peanut kernels and shells). The dehydration of whole peanuts by means of hot-air drying (HD) and infrared drying (ID) were used as the control groups, and the drying characteristics, energy consumption, microstructure, porosity, hardness and fatty acid content were compared. The results showed that, compared to HD and ID, IR-SBD could reduce the drying time by 40% and 33%, respectively, and reduced energy consumption by 66% and 32%, respectively. During the drying process, the structures of both the peanut shells and peanut kernels underwent significant deformation; specifically, the porosity gradually increased gradually. The maximum porosity value was obtained by the samples dried by means of IR-SBD. Under the three drying conditions, the hardness of the peanut shells first decreased and then increased, while the hardness of the peanut kernels showed a trend of first increasing, then decreasing and finally increasing. Compared to the fresh whole peanuts, the IR-SBD dried samples exhibited a 4.07% decrease in fatty acid. This study shows that IR-SBD is a suitable application for the dehydration process of whole peanuts for the purposes of achieving high-efficiency and -quality production in the industrial sector.

Effect of Immobilization Support and Fermentation Temperature on Beer and Fermented Milk Aroma Profiles

The food industry increasingly produces wastes like coconut and peanut shells. In addition, low temperature fermentation is always a challenge. Therefore, in the present study, a sustainable exploitation of these by-products is proposed through the production of carriers for immobilized cells of yeast and bacteria. The immobilized cells, after thermally drying, were evaluated for their efficiency in beer and milk fermentations respectively, in various fermentation temperatures and storage for up to three months. The beers and fermented milks were evaluated for their aroma and the results showed products of high quality. Coconut shells resulted in better products with increased fruity ester content in fermented milks and reduced dimethyl sulfite and vicinal diketones and increased ratio of esters to alcohol in beers. These results reveal the possibilities of immobilized cells in coconut and peanut shells for application in food industry, however, more research is needed to evaluate their effect on sensory characteristics and possible prebiotic and probiotic potential especially in the case of fermented milks.

A Comparison of Rice Husks and Peanut Shells as Bedding Materials on Dairy Cows’ Preferences, Behaviour, and Health

The provision and quality of bedding materials affect the behaviour, welfare, and health of dairy cows. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preference, behaviour, cleanliness, and physiological status of cows on three bedding materials, peanut shells, rice husks, and a combination of two-thirds peanut shells, one-third rice husk. In an initial experiment, 15 nonlactating, pregnant Holstein cows had free access to all 3 bedding treatments for 39 d. Cows spent more time lying down on rice husk (337 min/d) than on peanut–rice combination (212 min/d) and peanut shell (196 min/d) (p < 0.05), and lay down most often on rice husk (4.35 bouts/d) than on peanut shell (2.55 bouts/d) (p < 0.05) but did not differ between peanut shells and peanut–rice combinations in terms of lying time and lying bouts. In Experiment 2, 12 nonlactating cows were used to assess the effects of the 3 bedding materials on dairy cow behaviour, cleanliness, serum indicators, and productivity. The total duration of lying down (PS: 699.1 min/d, PRC: 645.6 min/d, RH: 852.5 min/d), the frequency of bouts of lying down (PS: 8.7 bouts/d, PRC: 7.6 bouts/d, RH: 11.1 bouts/d), and the mean duration of lying bouts (PS: 83.5 min/bouts, PRC: 91.8 min/bouts, RH: 81.4 min/bouts) did not differ between treatments. Similarly, no differences in eating or drinking behaviour of dairy cows were observed. In terms of hygiene, cleanliness scores did not differ between the three bedding materials, but udder and flank cleanliness decreased and improved, respectively. In addition, treatments did not affect serum metabolites or productivity of the cows. In summary, daily behaviour, serum metabolites, and productivity of dairy cows were all within the normal range, and no statistical differences occurred between the three bedding materials, although cows showed a preference for rice husk when given access to all three bedding materials at the same time. Finally, the results suggest that bedding comprised of peanut shells and peanut–rice combinations are all suitable for maintaining the health and comfort of dairy cows.