This thesis focuses on transport properties and durability of liquid crystalline polymers (LCP)and fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) with regard to application in industrial process equipment.In the first part of the study the possibility of using a thermotropic LCP of type Vectra A950as lining material for FRP process equipment was investigated. Its performance wascompared to that of a fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) with respect tochemical and permeation resistance. Transport property and chemical resistance data wereestablished for different types of LCP film (compression molded, uniaxially and biaxiallyoriented film) exposed to selected chemicals chosen to represent typical industrial processenvironments. Annealing of the LCP, which may reduce the disclination density and henceimprove the barrier properties, induced a crystallinity increase, but did not significantlyimprove the barrier and chemical resistance properties. Different surface treatments toincrease the bonding between the LCP and FRP were explored. The conclusion was that LCPhas potential to serve as lining material for FRP in contact with water, organic solvents andnon-oxidizing acid environments, although certain issues, such as jointing techniques, stillhave to be evaluated. The second part of the study focused on transport and long-termproperties of commercial thermoset and FRP materials for industrial process equipment inaqueous environments (50 – 95 °C, water activity 0.78 – 1, exposure time ≤ 1000 days). Thewater transport properties in different thermosets were related to their chemical structureusing the solubility parameter concept. The transport of water in the thermosets with differentchemical structures could be predicted from the water activity, regardless of the actual type ofionic or non-ionic solute in the solution. An empirical relationship, independent of boththermoset chemistry and temperature, was established to describe the water concentration inthe thermoset as a function of water activity and the water concentration in pure water. Inlong-term, the water concentration in the thermosets increased with exposure time. Thisseemed to be primarily related to stress relaxation processes induced by water absorption andcertain leaching effects. The effects of hydrolysis seemed to be small. The glass fibrereinforcement may to various extents affect the water transport properties by capillarydiffusion and additional absorption around fibre bundles. The extent of such processesseemed to depend on temperature, water activity and the type of thermoset and reinforcement.The present work may be a useful contribution to an increased understanding of water effectsand durability of FRP process equipment. However, open questions still remain for a morecomprehensive durability analysis. / QC20100629

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-08-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:42:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 pedro_mam_dr_sjrp.pdf: 1284122 bytes, checksum: 45709686cf62bab3c06f4aeffcf8c502 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Os objetivos deste trabalho foram analisar a influência do tipo e da quantidade de aditivos, além de diferentes métodos de secagem da polpa de maracujá em pó, nas isotermas, propriedades termodinâmicas de sorção e nos atributos de qualidade do produto obtido. No capítulo 1 descreve-se o efeito de diferentes aditivos - maltodextrina DE 10 e goma arábica - sobre as isotermas de sorção nas temperaturas de 20, 30, 40 e 50 ºC de polpa de maracujá em pó obtida por secagem a vácuo. O modelo de GAB se ajustou aos dados de sorção. As isotermas apresentaram comportamento da curva do tipo II, na classificação de Brunauer. Observou-se que a adição de maltodextrina DE 10 e de goma arábica à polpa de maracujá desidratada reduziu a umidade de equilíbrio em relação à umidade da polpa pura e não houve diferença considerável entre as umidades de equilíbrio das amostras da polpa com 18% de goma arábica e polpa com 18% ou 55% de maltodextrina. O aumento da concentração da maltodextrina não teve influência sobre os valores de umidade de equilíbrio. O calor isostérico de sorção da polpa em pó aumentou com o decréscimo da umidade, ao mesmo tempo em que apresentou menores valores para a polpa em pó com aditivos do que os observados para a polpa pura. Através da teoria da compensação isocinética, pode-se concluir que o processo de sorção de água pela polpa de maracujá em pó é um processo espontâneo e controlado pela entalpia para todas as amostras testadas. No capítulo 2 foi analisada a influência de três métodos de secagem: em estufa a vácuo (60 ºC), spray drying (140 ºC) e liofilização sobre as isotermas da polpa de maracujá em pó com 55% de maltodextrina DE 10. O pó produzido em spray dryer apresentou maior capacidade de sorção em relação aos pós desidratados em estufa a vácuo e em liofilizador. No capítulo 3 foi avaliada a influência... / The objectives of this work were to analyze the influence of type and quantity of additives, in addition to different drying methods, on the production of powdered passion fruit pulp, on its water sorption isotherms and on its themodynamical properties, as well as evaluating the quality attributes of the obtained product. Chapter 1 describes the effect of different additives - maltodextrin DE 10 and Arabic gum - on the sorption isotherms at temperatures of 20, 30, 40 e 50 ºC of passion fruit pulp powder obtained by vacuum drying. The sorption data were well adjusted by GAB model. The isotherms presented behavior of type II curves according to the Brunauer classification. The addition of maltodextrin DE 10 and Arabic gum to the passion fruit pulp powder decreased the equilibrium water content when compared to the pure powdered pulp and no considerable differences between the equilibrium moisture content of samples with 18% of arabic gum and with 18% or 55% of maltodextrin were observed. The increase in maltodextrin concentration did not affect the equilibrium water contents. The isosteric heat of sorption of the powdered pulp increased with decreasing water content, at the same time that lower values were obtained to powdered pulp with additives than to pure powdered pulp. Through the isokinetic compensation theory it could be concluded that the water sorption process by the powdered passion fruit pulp is an enthalpy controlled, spontaneous process for all tested samples. In chapter II, the influence of three drying methods: vacuum drying (60 ºC), spray drying (140 ºC) and freeze drying over the powdered passion fruit pulp isotherms with 55% of maltodextrin DE 10, was analyzed. The passion fruit pulp powder produced by spray drying presented higher sorption ability than vacuum dried and freeze dried pulp. In chapter 3, the influence of different concentrations and different dextrose... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Du fait de problèmes de santé publique, l’industrie agroalimentaire doit réduire la quantité de sel et de matière grasse dans les aliments, et donc dans les charcuteries. Lors de la fabrication des saucissons secs, une diminution combinée des taux de sel et de matière grasse animale peut se traduire par des problèmes de stabilité microbiologique, des défauts d’arôme et de texture dus à des modifications physicochimiques et biochimiques. Dans ce contexte, les objectifs de cette thèse étaient : (1) d’étudier l’impact d’une réduction directe des teneurs en sel et en matière grasse animale sur les évolutions physicochimiques et biochimiques au sein des produits, (2) d’identifier les composés aromatiques responsables de l’arôme du saucisson sec, ainsi que leurs origines, (3) de développer de nouvelles formulations de saucissons secs à teneurs réduites en sodium et en acides gras saturés, et (4) d’étudier les transferts d’eau et sel et de développer une isotherme de sorption spécifique pour le saucisson sec. L’étude de l’effet d’une réduction directe combinée a mis en évidence la difficulté de fabriquer des saucissons secs à teneurs réduites en sel et en matière grasse animale, sans modifier les évolutions physicochimiques et biochimiques. Une identification des composés volatils odorants de saucissons secs de haut de gamme a permis de montrer que l’aromatisation par l’ail et le poivre noir pouvait être un levier technologique permettant d’améliorer la qualité aromatique des saucissons secs allégés en sel et en matière grasse animale. L’impact de l’aromatisation et d’une substitution partielle combinée du sel par le chlorure de potassium et du gras de bardière de porc par l’huile de tournesol oléique sur les propriétés physicochimiques, les réactions biochimiques et les attributs sensoriels de saucissons secs, a été étudié. Cette étude a montré le rôle important de l’aromatisation qui agit en introduisant des molécules aromatiques qui rehaussent l’acceptabilité des produits par les consommateurs, en tant qu’exhausteur de la perception du goût salé et aussi, sur les processus fermentaires qui vont conditionner l’aspect et la texture finale du produit. La substitution partielle combinée est une solution efficace pour conserver au mieux la qualité organoleptique des saucissons, en permettant, d’une part, d’éviter les défauts texturaux et sensoriels liés aux modifications physicochimiques, protéolytiques et lipolytiques générés par une réduction directe combinée, et d’autre part, d’améliorer l’arôme du produit en rehaussant les niveaux d’oxydations lipidique et protéique. L’étude des transferts d’eau et de sel a mis en évidence une migration du sel vers le cœur du saucisson, et a permis de déterminer des valeurs de diffusivité apparente de l’eau en surface de ces produits. Il a été montré qu’une forte réduction en matière grasse réduisait la diffusivité de l’eau à la surface du saucisson. Une isotherme de sorption spécifique permettant de prédire l’aw en fonction des teneurs en eau, en lipides et en sel a été construite en adaptant un modèle de Ross établi pour la gélatine salée et grasse. / Because of public health problems, the food industry must lower sodium and animal fat contents in all food products, therefore in cured meat products. During dry-fermented sausage manufacture, a combined reduction both in salt and animal fat contents may induce microbial safety problems and textural and aroma defects due to physical-chemical and biochemical changes. On account of that, this work of thesis aims (1) to investigate the impact of a direct reduction on the salt and animal fat contents on the physical-chemical and biochemical evolutions in the products, (2) to identify the aromatic compounds responsible for the aroma of dry-fermented sausage, and their origins, (3) to develop new nutritionally-improved formulations of dry-fermented sausages with less sodium and saturated fatty acids, and (4) to study the impact of lipid and sodium chloride contents on water transfers in dry-fermented sausages and to build a specific sorption isotherm curve for dry sausages. The study of the effect of a combined direct reduction highlighted the difficulty of manufacturing sodium-reduced fat-reduced dry sausages, without affecting the physical-chemical and biochemical evolutions. Identification of odorous volatile compounds of high quality dry sausages showed that flavouring, especially garlic and black pepper, could be a good solution for improving the aromatic quality of salt-reduced fat-reduced dry-fermented sausages. The impact of flavouring and of a combined salt and animal fat replacement by potassium chloride and oleic sunflower oil, respectively, on physical-chemical properties, biochemical reactions and sensory attributes of dry-fermented sausages was then studied. This specific study showed the crucial role played by flavouring which introduces aromatic molecules that enhance the product acceptability by consumers, which acts as an enhancer of the saltiness perception and which improves the product appearance and texture by boosting the fermentation process. Consequently, the combined partial substitution is an efficient solution to preserve at best the organoleptic quality of the products, allowing, on one hand, avoiding the textural and sensory defects related to physical-chemical, proteolytic and lipolytic modifications induced by a combined direct reduction, and on the other hand, enhancing the product aroma by increasing the levels of lipid and protein oxidations. The study on water and salt transfers highlighted a salt diffusion towards the dry sausage core, and made it possible to determine values of apparent water diffusivity at the sausage surface. We demonstrated that a strong reduction in animal fat content significantly lowered the water diffusivity value at the product surface. A specific sorption isotherm curve based on a modified Ross model was built, allowing dry-fermented sausages water activity to be calculated as a function of water, fat and salt contents.