O consumo e a utilização de produtos naturais, tanto para a alimentação quanto para utilização industrial é cada vez mais frequente. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo principal extrair um iridoide natural a partir do jenipapo, a genipina, a fim de empregá-la como agente de ativação em suportes de quitosana para imobilização de enzimas. Já que, dentre os agentes conhecidos este é o menos tóxico para este tipo de aplicação. Adicionalmente, foi iniciado um estudo para a construção de uma lactase recombinante visando a sua imobilização e síntese de prebióticos. Inicialmente, o jenipapo (Genipa americana L.), que pode possuir até 3 % de genipina disponível em seu fruto, foi submetido a diferentes condições de extração enzimática em um sistema aquoso bifásico (SAB). Com o intuito de compará-la com seu possível substituinte, o glutaraldeído, géis de quitosana foram produzidos e reticulados tanto com genipina quanto com glutaraldeído para avaliação das suas propriedades texturais e reológicas. Após, duas β-galactosidases modelos, de Kluyveromyces lactis e de Aspergillus oryzae, foram imobilizadas nos suportes de quitosana preparados a fim de avaliar a capacidade catalítica das enzimas imobilizadas O tratamento com a enzima comercial Celluclast à 10 % (v/v), a 36 °C e pH 3,7, promoveu a obtenção de 196 mg de genipina por grama de jenipapo – a maior concentração descrita na literatura. Quanto aos géis de quitosana reticulados, a utilização de 0,5 % de genipina (m/v) resultou em géis com propriedades texturais superiores e propriedades reológicas similares aos géis reticulados com 3 % de glutaraldeído (v/v). No geral, a hidrólise da lactose com a β-galactosidase de K. lactis imobilizada em quitosana ativada com 0,5 % de genipina (m/v) foi superior ao grau de hidrólise alcançada com as β-galactosidases imobilizadas em quitosana ativada com 3 % de glutaraldeído (v/v) (87 % e 9 %, respectivamente). Assim, a genipina extraída mostrou ser uma excelente substituta do glutaraldeído na ativação da quitosana e para utilização na imobilização de enzimas. Por fim, foi realizado o estudo para obtenção de uma β-galactosidase recombinante visando a síntese de galacto-oligossacarídeos (GOS). / The consumption and use of natural products, both for food or for industrial use is increasingly common. Thus, the main objective of this work was to extract a natural iridoid from genipap, genipin, in order to use it as an crosslinking agent in chitosan supports for immobilization of enzymes. Since, among the known agents, it is the least toxic for this type of application. In addition, a study was started for a construction of a recombinant lactase aiming at its immobilization and synthesis of prebiotics. Initially, which may have up to 3% genipin available in its fruit, was submitted to different enzyme-assisted extractions in an aqueous biphasic system (ABS). Moreover, in order to compare it with its possible substituent, glutaraldehyde, chitosan gels were prepared and crosslinked with genipin and glutaraldehyde for evaluation of their textural and rheological properties. Lastly, the crosslinked chitosan was used as support for the immobilization of two model β-galactosidases from Kluyveromyces lactis and Aspergillus oryzae, in order to evaluate their catalytic capacities. The treatment carried out with Celluclast 10 % (v/v), at 36 °C and pH 3.7, provided an extraction of 196 mg of genipin per gram of genipap - the highest genipin concentration found in literature until now Chitosan gels crosslinked with genipin 0.5 % (w/v) showed better textural and similar rheological properties when compared to the chitosan crosslinked with glutaraldehyde 3 % (v/v). In general, the percentage of lactose hydrolysis by the β-galactosidases from K. lactis immobilized using genipin as a crosslinker was higher than when glutaraldehyde was used (87 % and 9 %, respectively). Therefore, genipin proves to be an excellent alternative for the use of glutaraldehyde in chitosan crosslinking studies. Finally, a study was carried out to obtain a recombinant β-galactosidase for the synthesis of galactooligosaccharides (GOS).

No description available.

Orientador: José Manoel Balthazar / Banca: Bento Rodrigues de Pontes Junior / Banca: Vicente Lopes Junior / Resumo: Nesta dissertação faz-se a análise da dinâmica não-linear de um sistema que possui preso a ele um motor de corrente contínua com potência limitada, onde são acoplados uma mola não linear e um amortecedor do tipo magneto-reológico (dispositivo que tem como fluído interno o fluído magneto-reológico). Com o objetivo de estudar e analisar a influência deste dispositivo na dinâmica do oscilador. Inicialmente apresenta-se uma breve descrição do tipo de problema estudado (sistemas não ideais) e uma revisão dos principais trabalhos que têm sido feitos tendo este dispositivo como foco de estudos. Apresentam-se os modelos utilizados para prever o comportamento destes dispositivos e também uma síntese de alguns modelos (mecânicos e matemáticos) mais elaborados e completos utilizados também para prever este comportamento. A partir daí é feita a apresentação do modelo que prevê o comportamento do amortecedor MR utilizado (modelo Bingham) e de uma suavização do mesmo, utilizada com o objetivo de melhorar o comportamento computacional do modelo inicial, junto a isso, apresenta-se a modelagem matemática do problema visando à obtenção das equações governantes do sistema. Faz-se então a análise do sistema durante a passagem pela ressonância (onde a freqüência de rotação do motor CC se aproxima numericamente e passa pela freqüência natural do sistema), analisando o efeito deste amortecedor durante esta passagem, analisa-se também a influência do dispositivo na evolução do Efeito Sommerfeld, um dos fenômenos intrínsecos desta classe de sistemas e também é feita uma analise do sistema em condições de movimento caótico também com o objetivo de prever o comportamento deste dispositivo, tudo isso é executado através da integração numérica das equações governantes do sistema. Para efeito de ilustração apresenta-se, também, uma pequena amostra do comportamento do sistema ideal paralelo ao estudado ... / Abstract: In this dissertation it made the analysis of the nonlinear dynamics of a system that possess to fixed it a direct-current motor with limited power, where is connected a damper of the type Magnetorheological (device that has as fluid intern the fluid Magnetorheological), with the objective to study and to analyze the influence of this device in the dynamics of the oscillator. Initially one brief description of the type of studied problem is presented (nonideal systems) and a revision of the main works that have been made having this device as focus of studies. The used models are presented to predict the behavior of these devices and also a synthesis of some models (mechanics and mathematicians) more elaborated and complete also used to predict this behavior. To continue this work, we present the model that predict the behavior of used MR damper (the Bingham Model) and a smoothing of the same, used with the objective to improve the computational behavior of the initial model and the mathematical modeling of the problem, together this, we show mathematical modeling of this problem aiming at to the attainment of the governing equations of the system. The analysis of the system it is made then during the passage for the resonance (where the frequency of DC motor it approaches numerically and crosses the natural frequency of the system), analyzing the effect of this damper during this passage, the influence of the device in the evolution of Sommerfeld Effect is also analyzed, one of the intrinsic phenomena of this classroom of systems and also is made a analyzes of the system in conditions of chaotic motions also with the objective to predict the behavior of this device, everything this is executed through the numerical integration of the governing equations of the system. For illustration effect it is presented, also, a small sample of the behavior of the parallel ideal system to the studied one, also with the presence of shock absorber MR, in the.. / Mestre

L’ajout d’adjuvants dans les mortiers permet d’obtenir diverses propriétés selon lesperformances souhaitées. Les polysaccharides sont utilisés pour améliorer la capacité derétention d’eau et le comportement rhéologique du mortier. Cependant, ils engendrent unretard de prise du ciment et représentent un poids économique considérable. Il apparaît doncque la compréhension de l’interaction entre les polysaccharides et le ciment est nécessaire.Etant donné que les comportements sont différents selon le type de polysaccharide, l’étuded’une nouvelle famille de polysaccharides constitue un axe de recherche majeur. Leshydroxypropylguars (HPG) ont été choisis car ils ont été présentés comme de très bonsagents rétenteurs d’eau et sont déjà utilisés industriellement.Il s’avère que les HPG confèrent effectivement aux mortiers d’excellentes propriétés derétention d’eau. Le mécanisme de rétention d’eau est attribué à la formation d’agglomératsqui, au-delà d’une concentration critique, bouchent le réseau poreux à l’interface mortier-substrat.De plus, ces molécules ralentissent nettement la cinétique d’hydratation du cimenten modifiant la croissance des hydrates par adsorption. Les HPG augmentent également la contrainte seuil de cisaillement et la consistance des mortiers. Toutes cespropriétés diffèrent lorsque les HPG sont introduits pré-dissout dans l’eau de gâchée. Uneméthodologie de fragmentation par ultra-sons des polysaccharides a été développée dans lebut d’étudier l’impact de leur masse moléculaire sur les propriétés des mortiers à l’état frais.Sur tous ces aspects, le comportement des HPG a été comparé à celui des éthers de cellulose,adjuvants rétenteur d’eau de référence. / Modern factory-made mortars are complex materials, in which are added some kinds of admixtures used to exhibit various properties. Polysaccharides are admixtures used in order to improve water retention capacity and rheological behavior of freshly-mixed mortars.However, polysaccharides induce a delay of cement hydration and represent a large part of mortar raw material cost. The improvement of the knowledge about polysaccharide-cement interaction is therefore necessary. In past, different behaviors were observed according to the kind of polysaccharide. The study of a new polysaccharide family is thus a major way of research. The hydroxypropylguars were chosen since they were presented as promising water retention agents and they are now well-established in the construction industry.Results show that HPG improve the water retention capacity of cement-based mortars. The working mechanism is attributed to the formation of HPG aggregates above a critical dosage, which may stop the water flow by plugging the porous network at the interface mortar-substrate. Moreover, HPG induce a decrease in the hydrates growth rate because of adsorption on the cement hydrated phases, and enhance the consistency and the yield stress of mortars. All these properties are influenced by the pre-dissolution of HPG in the mixing water. A methodology of ultrasonic degradation was also established in order to study the molecular weight influence of polysaccharides on fresh-state properties. Cellulose ethers were systematically investigated as polysaccharidic admixture reference.

Cette étude concerne le comportement de mortiers constitués par une matrice résineuse à base d’époxyde désignés dans ce qui suit par mortier de résine, MR.Des études antérieures ont montré que l’ouvrabilité des MR élaborés avec un taux de polymère en masse mp≤12%, afin de baisser leur coût considéré élevé par comparaison à celui des mortiers hydrauliques MH, est médiocre et constitue un frein majeur au développement de ces matériaux dans le domaine de la préfabrication et de la réparation.Un moyen de favoriser le développement des MR consiste, donc, à faciliter leur mise en œuvre. Or le fait de diminuer le taux de polymère afin de diminuer le coût rend la mise en œuvre du mortier encore plus difficile. Par ailleurs l’utilisation de sable recyclé « SR » en substitution au sable naturel « SN »pour répondre à des exigences environnementales en matière d’épuisement de ressources naturelles exacerbe cette difficulté.L’objectif de cette thèse est, donc, de trouver un diluant à incorporer dans les formulations des MR, destinées soit à la préfabrication (2 formulations avec des taux massique de liant à base d’époxyde mp= 9% et 12%) ou à la réparation (mp= 20%). Le but ultime consiste à améliorer leur ouvrabilité tout en assurant leurs propriétés mécaniques et leur durabilité vis-à-vis de la diffusion des ions chlorure. Une comparaison systématique avec des mortiers hydrauliques, MH, est réalisée.Différents diluants ont été sélectionnés. Leur influence sur le point de gel, sur le temps de réticulation et sur les propriétés mécaniques et physiques des époxydes a fait l’objet d’une étude détaillée. Il en ressort que l’octanoate de méthyle permet de diminuer la viscosité de la résine époxyde sans affecter le point de gel et les cinétiques de durcissement de façon significative. Cependant, il joue un rôle de plastifiant à l’origine de l’augmentation de la ductilité et de la diminution des résistances et des rigidités des époxydes à l’état réticulé. Le taux optimal de diluant (md) à incorporer dans la formulation des mortiers de résine a été estimé à 5%.L’incorporation du diluant, avec md= 5%, dans les MR a amélioré leur ouvrabilité, modifié leur microstructure et leurs propriétés de transfert mais a généré une baisse des résistances mécaniques. En effet une baisse de 31% est observée pour MR-SN formulé avec mp= 20%. La substitution du SN par le SR dans les mortiers de réparation (MR avec mp= 20%) engendre, également, une diminution des propriétés mécaniques et une modification des propriétés rhéologiques. Toutefois, ces résistances mécaniques demeurent nettement plus élevées que celles des mortiers hydrauliques à sable naturel (MH-SN) et recyclé (MH-SR). En compression, le mortier MR-SR fabriqué avec mp=20% présente une résistance supérieure de 44% par rapport à celle du MH-SN et de 53% par rapport à celle du MH-SR.La résistance des mortiers à la diffusion des ions chlorure a été appréhendée par un essai de migration en régime transitoire (Non Steady State Migration) et le coefficient de diffusion apparent Dnssm a été calculé pour 10 formulations de mortiers : 1 MH-SR, 1 MH-SN, 2 MR-SR et 6 MR-SN. Il en ressort que les bétons de résine ont une résistance à la diffusion des ions chlorure nettement plus élevée que celle des mortiers hydrauliques. Les coefficients Dnssm des mortiers MH-SN et MH-SR sont respectivement 100 et 200 fois plus élevés que celui du MR-SN (mp= 20%).Le mortier MR-SN destiné à la réparation (avec mp= 20% et md=5%) est caractérisé par une très bonne ouvrabilité et des résistances mécaniques et à la diffusion des ions chlorure les plus élevées. On montre que son adhérence à un support constitué d’un MH-SN dépend de l’état de surface du support (lisse sec, lisse saturé, rugueux sec et rugueux saturé). Le mortier de réparation n’adhère pas aux supports à surface saturée en eau alors qu’une bonne adhérence est observée pour les surfaces sèches. Cette adhérence est meilleure lorsque la surface est lisse. / This study concerns the behavior of mortars constituted by epoxy-based resinous matrix and sand designated in what follows by resin mortar, RM.Previous studies have shown that the workability of RM made with a polymer rate by weight mp≤12% in order to reduce their cost which is considered high compared to that of hydraulic mortars HM, is poor and is a major obstacle to the development of these materials in the area of prefabrication and repair. However decreasing the polymer content to reduce the cost makes the mortar implementation even more difficult. Furthermore the use of recycled sand "RS" to substitute natural sand "NS" to answer environmental requirements regarding natural resource depletion exacerbates this difficulty.The objective of this work is, therefore, to find a thinner to incorporate into RM formulations, intended either to prefabrication (2 formulations with mass rate of epoxy based binder mp= 9% and 12%) or repair (mp = 20%). The ultimate goal is to improve their workability while maintaining their mechanical properties and their sustainability to chloride ion diffusion. A systematic comparison with hydraulic mortars, HM, is performed.Various thinners were selected. Their influence on the gel point, on the time of crosslinking and mechanical and physical properties of the epoxy resin has been the subject of detailed study. It shows that methyl octanoate reduces the viscosity of the epoxy resin without affecting significantly the gel point and curing kinetics.However, it acts as a plasticizer which represents the origin of the increased ductility and reduced resistance and rigidity of the epoxy resin in the cured state.The optimal rate of the thinner (md) to be incorporated in the formulation of resin mortar was estimated at 5%.The incorporation of thinner, with md=5% in the RM improved their workability, changed their microstructure and their transfer properties but generated lower mechanical strength. Indeed a decrease of 31% was observed for RM-NS formulated with mp=20%. The substitution of NS by the RS in repair mortars (RM with mp=20%), leads also, to decreased mechanical properties and modified rheological ones.However, these strengths remain significantly higher than those of hydraulic natural sand (HM-NS)and recycled (HM-RS) mortars. In compression, the RM-RS mortar manufactured with mp=20% has a higher resistance by 44% compared to the HM-NS and 53% compared to that of HM-RS.The resistance of mortars to chloride ions diffusion was apprehended by non Steady state migration test and apparent diffusion coefficient "Dnssm" was calculated for 10 mortar formulations: 1 HM-RS, 1 HM-NS, 2 RM-RS and 6 RM-NS. It follows that the resin concrete has a resistance to chloride ions diffusion considerably higher than that of hydraulic mortars. The "Dnssm" coefficients of HM-NS and HM-RS mortars are respectively 100 and 200 times higher than that of RM-NS (mp= 20%).The RM-NS mortar intended for repair (with mp=20% and md=5%) is characterized by very good workability and the highest mechanical strength and resistance to chloride ions diffusion. We show that adhesion to a support consisting of a HM-NS depends on the surface condition of the support (smooth dry , smooth saturated, rough dry and rough saturated). The repair mortar does not adhere to the surface saturated on water while a good adhesion was observed for dry surfaces. This adhesion is better when the surface is smooth.

L’élastographie par ondes de cisaillement consiste essentiellement en deux étapes: d'abord, une onde de cisaillement est générée en appliquant soigneusement une source contrôlée externe (par exemple actionneur mécanique ou force de rayonnement ultrasonore); Alors les déplacements induits sont imagés et l'élasticité tissulaire est déduite de la propagation d'onde de cisaillement mesurée. Cependant, avec les techniques d'élastographie actuellement disponibles, l'estimation quantitative correcte de la viscosité n'est pas possible. Dans ce contexte, le but principal de cette thèse est double: d'abord, développer un outil capable d'estimer simultanément les propriétés viscoélastiques d'un solide souple, notamment en utilisant l'imagerie par cisaillement supersonique, puis de l'appliquer aux certains problèmes rencontrés en médecine et l'industrie alimentaire.La première étape consiste à utiliser la technique SSI pour générer des cartes de vitesses des ondes de cisaillement dans des milieux solides mous et isotropes. Dans ce contexte, cette technique a été utilisée pour évaluer le processus de coagulation du lait. Au cours de cette étape, les limites de la technique SSI pour obtenir une caractérisation rhéologique complète des solides viscoélastiques sont mis en évidence. Pour parvenir à cette caractérisation, la vitesse de propagation ondes de cisaillement et la absorption que l’onde subi en traversant le milieu doivent être évalués à la fois. Compte tenu des caractéristiques de la technique SSI, en raison des effets de diffraction due à la taille finie des sources, l’absorption ne peut pas être obtenue correctement de façon quantitative.La partie centrale de la thèse porte sur l’étude des avantages et des ses limites de la correction des effets de diffraction de la technique SSI à partir d’une approximation cylindrique. Cette étude a été réalisée expérimentalement en comparant les résultats obtenus avec ceux des simulations numériques. L’étude a montré que la correction cylindrique est utile pour estimer l'atténuation provoquée par l'absorption dans certaines conditions. Une fois déterminé la zone de validité de la procédure de correction, des cartes des vitesses et des cartes d'atténuation ont était obtenus. Ces cartes ont permis t la caractérisation rhéologique complète des milieux étudiés.Une fois validé cette correction nous avons procédé à réaliser trois applications d'intérêt pour obtenir les propriétés rhéologiques, une pour l’ industrie alimentaire et deux pour la médecine clinique : a) suivie et étude du processus de coagulation du lait b) suivie et étude de processus de la coagulation du sang in vitro, c) des expériences de caractérisation rhéologique du foie in vivo. Finalement, une étude de la correction cylindrique mis en œuvre a été utilisée pour caractériser rhéologiquement des solides mous avec isotropie transversale. Milieux avec différents degrés d'anisotropie ont été analysés à l'aide de simulations numériques. Les résultats obtenus montrent que pour de faibles niveaux d’anisotropie la correction cylindrique s’avère utile avec une erreur raisonnable. Pour des degrés plus élevés d'anisotropie la correction cylindrique conduit à des erreurs majeures dans l'estimation de l'atténuation. Des mesures des coefficients d’absorption ont été réalisées dans des phantoms de gel anisotropes et dans des échantillons de viande de bœuf avec des tissues musculaire / Shear wave elastography consists essentially of two steps: first, a shear wave is generated by an external controlled source (eg mechanical actuator or ultrasonic radiation force); then the induced displacements are imaged and the tissue elasticity is deduced from the measured shear wave propagation. However, with the currently available elastographic techniques, a quantitative estimation of viscosity is not possible. In this context, the objective of this thesis is twofold: first, to develop a tool capable of estimating the viscoelastic properties of a soft solid, in particular by using supersonic shear imaging (SSI), and then to apply it to some problems encountered in medicine and the food industry.The first stage consisted in using the SSI technique to generate shear wave velocity maps in soft, isotropic solid media. In this context, this technique was used to evaluate the milk coagulation process. During this stage, limitations of the SSI technique to obtain a complete rheological characterization of viscoelastic solids were demonstrated. To achieve this characterization, the velocity of the shear waves and the absorption generated when passing through the medium must be evaluated at the same time. Given the characteristics of the SSI technique, the absorption cannot be directly quantified due to diffraction.The central part of the thesis focuses in the study of the advantages and limitations of using a cylindrical approximation to correct the diffraction effects. This study was carried out experimentally and through numerical simulations. The study showed that cylindrical correction is useful for estimating the attenuation caused by absorption under certain conditions. After determining the validity zone of the correction, velocity and attenuation maps were obtained. These maps allowed the complete rheological characterization of the studied media.Once the correction was validated, three applications of interest were carried out to obtain rheological properties, one for the food industry and two for clinical medicine: a) monitoring the process of milk coagulation through storage and loss moduli maps b) following in vitro blood coagulation processes, c) rheological characterization experiments of the liver in vivo. Finally, the application of the cylindrical correction to characterize transversely isotropic soft solids was studied. Media with different degrees of anisotropy were analyzed through numerical simulations. The results obtained showed that for low levels of anisotropy the cylindrical correction proves useful within a reasonable error. For higher degrees of anisotropy the cylindrical correction leads to major errors in the estimation of the attenuation. Measurements of the absorption coefficients were performed in anisotropic gel phantoms and in beef samples with muscle tissue

Drilled shafts are cylindrical, cast-in-place concrete deep foundation elements. Their construction involves drilled excavation of soil or rock using large diameter augers, and placement of the necessary reinforcing steel in the excavation followed by concreting. Where a high water table is encountered, drilling slurry is used to support the excavation walls and concreting is tremie-placed. Even though the history of drilled shaft construction goes back to the 1950s, the occurrence of anomalies persists in the form of soil inclusions, reduction in shaft cross-sectional area and exposure of reinforcement. One of the main reasons for the anomalies is attributed to the kinematics of concrete flowing radially from within the reinforcing cage to the surrounding annulus/concrete cover region. In view of this radial component of concrete flow and thus radially flowing interfaces between the concrete and slurry, the region outside the cage is more likely to contain veins of poorly cemented or high water-cement ratio material. These veins contain trapped slurry, which oftentimes consists of bentonite, jeapordizing the integrity of the shafts. This research program focuses on the numerical evaluation of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) for drilled shaft application by taking into account realistic non-Newtonian concrete flow properties and the shaft structural blockages. For this objective, a 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the concrete flow in the shaft excavation is developed in ANSYS-Fluent. As a precursor to 3-D modeling, 2-D CFD modeling is carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics. In both 2-D and 3-D models, the Volume of Fluid method is used for computing the motion of the interface between the concrete and the drilling slurry. The models predict the flow patterns and volume fraction of concrete and slurry. The results are encouraging as the flow pattern from the simulation shows both horizontal and vertical creases in the concrete cover region. Moreover the flow pattern shows the concrete head differential developed between the inside and the outside the reinforcement cage. Further, the 3-D model is evaluated by studying the influence of the size of drilled shaft and arrangement of the bars and the results obtained are realistic. With this 3-D model developed as a tool, the simulation of SCC and the normal standard concrete (NC) flow in drilled shaft concreting are studied in terms of creases and concrete head differential encountered in the flow. From the simulation, it is observed that in the flow pattern of SCC, the creases are very few compared to the one obtained from the flow pattern of NC. Moreover, the concrete head differential in the flow pattern of SCC is much less, than the head differential obtained from the flow pattern of NC flow. In the case of SCC, the head differential encountered about one inch. In the case of NC, the concrete head differential is 4-inch when the vertical rebars are spaced at 7-inch apart and 10-inch when the rebars are placed at 3.5-inch apart. Based on this numerical evaluation of SCC flow in the drilled shaft excavation, it is concluded that the performance of SCC is better than the performance of NC in filling the cover annular region of drilled shafts.

In this study conducted at Food Science Australia (FSA) and Berlin University of Technology (BUT), the effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, a novel non-thermal processing technology on bovine milk microflora and native enzymes and on the rheological and textural properties of rennet-induced milk gels was investigated. The PEF treatments were conducted at field intensities of 25-37 kV cm-1 (up to 50 kV cm-1)and temperature range of 30°C to 75ºC. Native milk enzymes selected for the study included alkaline phosphatase, lipase, xanthine oxidase and plasminand microbiological study included determining Total Plate Count (TPC) and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts in skim milk. At 30ºC PEF treatment at maximum field intensity inactivated AlP by 42% while at 60oC inactivation was higher (67%). Under these treatment conditions less than1 log reduction in TPC and Pseudomonas count and 2.1 logs reduction in the Enterobacteriaceae count was achieved at 30oC while at 60ºC TPC dropped by 2.4 logs and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts were reduced by 5.9 and 2.1 logs, respectively to below the detection limit of 1 CFU mL-1. Combining PEF treatment with heat increased the inactivation level of all enzymes which showed an increasing trend with increasing field intensity and temperature. Treatment time (4.8, 9.6, 19.2, 28.8 and 38.4 µs) was controlled by either changing the pulse frequencies (100-400 Hz) or product flow rate (30-240 mL min-1) at a constant field intensity of 31 kV cm-1 and it was found that changing the flow rate was a more effective way of enzyme inactivation than changing the frequency due to longer exposure time of enzymes to heat and field intensity. The size of casein micelles and fat globules was not affected by PEF treatment while severe heating of milk at 97oC for 10 min decreased both micelle and fat globule sizes marginally. The coagulation time of rennet-induced gels made from PEF-treated (35 to 50 kV cm-1) milks (whole and skim) increased as the treatment intensity increased, but remained shorter than gels made from pasteurised milk. The PEF treatment of milk at various field intensities and temperatures adversely affected the G′, G′′ and firmness of gels, but the effects were less pronounced than in gels made from pasteurised milks. This study concludes that for successful application in milk processing the PEF treatment needs to be combined with mild heat treatment. This approach could achieve safer milk with less damage to milk functionality. However, the quest for a suitable quality assurance indicator enzyme will need more extensive studies.

The PEF treatments were conducted at field intensities of 25-37 kV cm-1 (up to 50 kV cm-1)and temperature range of 30°C to 75ºC. Native milk enzymes selected for the study included alkaline phosphatase, lipase, xanthine oxidase and plasminand microbiological study included determining Total Plate Count (TPC) and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts in skim milk. At 30ºC PEF treatment at maximum field intensity inactivated AlP by 42% while at 60oC inactivation was higher (67%). Under these treatment conditions less than1 log reduction in TPC and Pseudomonas count and 2.1 logs reduction in the Enterobacteriaceae count was achieved at 30oC while at 60ºC TPC dropped by 2.4 logs and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts were reduced by 5.9 and 2.1 logs, respectively to below the detection limit of 1 CFU mL-1. Combining PEF treatment with heat increased the inactivation level of all enzymes which showed an increasing trend with increasing field intensity and temperature. Treatment time (4.8, 9.6, 19.2, 28.8 and 38.4 µs) was controlled by either changing the pulse frequencies (100-400 Hz) or product flow rate (30-240 mL min-1) at a constant field intensity of 31 kV cm-1 and it was found that changing the flow rate was a more effective way of enzyme inactivation than changing the frequency due to longer exposure time of enzymes to heat and field intensity. The size of casein micelles and fat globules was not affected by PEF treatment while severe heating of milk at 97oC for 10 min decreased both micelle and fat globule sizes marginally. The coagulation time of rennet-induced gels made from PEF-treated (35 to 50 kV cm-1) milks (whole and skim) increased as the treatment intensity increased, but remained shorter than gels made from pasteurised milk. The PEF treatment of milk at various field intensities and temperatures adversely affected the G′, G′′ and firmness of gels, but the effects were less pronounced than in gels made from pasteurised milks. This study concludes that for successful application in milk processing the PEF treatment needs to be combined with mild heat treatment. This approach could achieve safer milk with less damage to milk functionality. However, the quest for a suitable quality assurance indicator enzyme will need more extensive studies.

Many devices are available on the market for the evaluation and rehabilitation of patients suffering from muscular disorders. Most of them are small, low-cost, passive devices based on the use of springs and resistive elements and exhibit very limited (or even not any) evaluation capabilities; extended muscular force evaluation is only possible on stationary, expensive, multi-purpose devices, available only in hospitals, which offer many exercise modes (e.g. isokinetic mode) that are not available on other devices. The objective of this thesis is to make the functionalities currently only implemented on bulky multi-purpose devices available at a lower cost and in a portable fashion, enabling their use by a large number of independent practitioners and patients, even at home (tele-medecine applications). In order to achieve this goal, a portable rehabilitation device, using a magneto-rheological fluid brake as actuator, has been designed. This particular technology was selected for its high level of compactness, simple mechanical design, high controllability, smooth and safe operation. The first part of this thesis is devoted to the design of MR-fluid brakes and their experimental validation. The second part is dedicated to the design of the rehabilitation device and the comparison of its performances with a commercial multi-purpose device (CYBEX).