Objetivou-se nesse trabalho avaliar os efeitos de fontes de óleo vegetal na dieta de bovinos Nelore em fase de terminação sobre a aceitação sensorial, teores de colesterol e óxidos de colesterol, composição de ácidos graxos e estabilidade oxidativa de hambúrgueres bovinos, avaliados após serem congelados e acondicionados a -18°C por 90 dias, então avaliados crus e grelhados. Foram confinados 96 bovinos, machos, castrados, Nelore, com aproximadamente 380 kg de peso inicial e idade média de 24 meses, alimentados com óleos de soja, girassol, linhaça e tratamento controle sem adição de óleo por 82 dias. A partir do músculo Longissimus e da gordura subcutânea dos animais foram produzidos hambúrgueres Os hambúrgueres produzidos com carne de bovinos que receberam óleo de soja tiveram maior estabilidade lipídica, tanto para zero quanto para 90 dias de armazenamento quando comparado às outras dietas. O método cru de preparo também resultou em menores valores tanto para o tempo zero quanto para o tempo 90 dias de armazenamento, em relação ao método grelhado. Os hambúrgueres dos animais alimentados com o óleo linhaça resultaram em menores valores para o atributo sabor. O tempo zero dias de armazenamento dos hambúrgueres resultou em maiores notas dos consumidores para a textura e aceitabilidade global, em relação às amostras armazenadas por 90 dias. A porcentagem de ácidos graxos polinsaturados foi reduzida, independente dos tratamentos, após 90 dias de armazenamento. O CLA c9 t11 foi encontrado em maiores quantidades nas amostras dos animais alimentados com os óleos de linhaça e soja, para zero e 90 dias de armazenamento. O teor de colesterol aumentou após as amostras de hambúrgueres serem grelhadas, enquanto que não foi observado efeito para as fontes de óleos e os tempos de armazenamento. Foi observada a presença de óxidos de colesterol após as amostras serem armazenadas por 90 dias, independente das fontes de óleos utilizadas. O fornecimento de óleos insaturados para bovinos confinados aumenta a porcentagem de ácidos graxos polinsaturados em hambúrgueres produzidos com carne e gordura desses. A inclusão de óleos vegetais para bovinos aumenta a oxidação lipídica de hambúrgueres produzidos a partir de carne e gordura provenientes desses animais quando comparados a um tratamento sem inclusão de óleos vegetais. Hambúrgueres produzidos com carne e gordura de animais alimentados com óleos vegetais na dieta possuem maior oxidação lipídica após 90 dias de armazenamento quando comparados com os hambúrgueres do tempo zero e dos hambúrgueres do tratamento controle enquanto que o processamento térmico não foi responsável pela maior oxidação lipídica. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vegetable oil sources in Nellore diet in the finishing phase of the sensory analysis, cholesterol analysis and cholesterol oxides, fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of beef burgers, raw and packaged grilled at -18 ° C in two stages (storage for zero and 90 days). 96 cattle were confined, castrated male, Nellore, with about 380 kg of initial weight and average age of 24 months, fed soybean oil, sunflower, linseed and a control treatment without oil for 82 days. From the Longissimus muscle and subcutaneous fat of animals burgers were produced. The beef burgers receiving soybean oil had higher lipid stability for both zero and 90 days of storage as compared to other diets. The raw patties resulted in lower values for zero as well as 90 days of storage compared to the grill method. The animal burgers fed the flaxseed oil resulted in lower values for the attribute flavor. The burgers of storage time zero days resulted in higher grades by consumers for texture and overall acceptability compared to the samples stored for 90 days. The percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids was decreased, regardless of the treatment after 90 days of storage. The CLA c9 t11 were found in larger quantities in samples of animals fed with linseed and soybean oils, and 90 to zero days of storage. The cholesterol content increased after samples of burgers were grilled, while there was no effect for the sources of oils and storage times. The presence of cholesterol oxides was observed after the samples were stored for 90 days, independent of the used oil sources. The supply of unsaturated oils to feedlot cattle increases the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids in hamburgers produced from meat and fat of these animals. The addition of vegetable oils for cattle increases lipid oxidation in hamburgers produced from meat and fat from these animals when compared to a treatment without addition of vegetable oils. Hamburgers produced from meat and fat animals fed with vegetable oils in the diet have higher lipid oxidation after 90 days of storage compared to burgers with zero storage time and the control treatment burgers, while the heat process is not responsible for the higher lipid oxidation.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O girassol (Helianthus annuus L.) por apresentar características agronômicas importantes, como elevado teor de óleo de ótima qualidade, baixa exigência hídrica e ter a possibilidade de ser cultivado em diferentes épocas do ano, pode tornar-se uma importante opção de cultivo. A cultura ainda é considerada como secundária nos sistemas produtivos brasileiros e faltam pesquisas, principalmente sobre o manejo da fertilidade. Neste sentido, dois experimentos foram conduzidos no Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal de Roraima, localizado no município de Boa Vista RR, nos anos de 2007 e 2008. O delineamento utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial, com quatro repetições. Objetivou-se no primeiro experimento avaliar os componentes de produção de três cultivares de girassol (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 962 e Embrapa 122/V2000), submetidas a quatro formas de aplicação do nitrogênio. Objetivou-se, no segundo experimento, estudar os componentes de produção de três cultivares de girassol submetidas a diferentes doses de cobertura de potássio. Os tratamentos consistiram da combinação de três variedades (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 967 e Embrapa 122/V2000) e cinco doses de cobertura de potássio (0; 30; 60; 90 e 120 kg ha-1) / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), due it presents important agronomical characteristics such as high oil content, low water requirement and due the possibility of being cultivated in different times of the year, can become an important crop option for the production. The culture is still regarded as secondary in by brazilian productives system and it lacks more research, mainly on fertility management. To this end, two experiments were conducted in the Center of Agricultural Sciences of Universidade Federal de Roraima, located in Boa Vista RR in 2007 and 2008. The approach used in the work was the delineation of randomized blocks in factorial scheme with four replicates. The first experiment aimed at evaluating the production components of three cultivars of sunflower (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 962 and Embrapa 122/V2000), submitted to four forms of nitrogen application. The aim of the second experiment was to study production components of three cultivars of sunflower submitted to different rates of potassium side dressing. The treatments consisted of a combination of three varieties (Agrobel 960, Agrobel 967 and Embrapa 122/V2000) and five doses of potassium sidedressing (0; 30; 60; 90 and 120 kg ha-1)

O desenvolvimento e implementação de uma estratégia de manejo integrado de doenças na cultura do girassol (Helianthus annuus) requer informações precisas e acuradas sobre os danos causados pela mancha de Alternaria, causada por Alternaria helianthi. Os objetivos desta tese foram: elaborar e validar uma escala diagramática para avaliação da mancha de Alternaria; determinar a influência da temperatura (15-32,5 °C) e da duração do período de molhamento foliar (2-24 h) nos componentes monocíclicos da doença; comparar a relação de variáveis relacionadas à doença ou à área foliar com os componentes de produção de girassol, em experimentos de campo. A escala diagramática, com níveis de severidade de: 0,03; 0,2; 0,6; 3; 7; 12; 25; 40 e 66% da área foliar lesionada, foi validada por três avaliadores experientes. A escala permitiu que se fizesse uma avaliação acurada e precisa, quando se utilizou folhas desenhadas ou folhas verdes com sintomas. O erro absoluto ao estimar a severidade foi menor que 13% e a reprodutibilidade das avaliações foi alta. Em ambiente controlado, verificou-se que a densidade relativa de lesões e a severidade foram influenciadas pela temperatura e pela duração do período de molhamento foliar. A doença foi mais severa na temperatura de 25 °C. A temperatura mínima para desenvolvimento da doença foi de 13,0 °C e a máxima foi de 35,8 °C. A doença aumentou com o aumento da duração do período de molhamento foliar. A temperatura mínima estimada para a taxa de crescimento micelial foi de 5,5 °C e a máxima foi de 32,9 °C. A temperatura mínima estimada para germinação de conídios foi de 7,9 °C e a máxima foi de 40,0 °C. Experimentos foram conduzidos nas safras de 1997/1998, 1998/1999 e 1999/2000 para avaliar a relação entre severidade da mancha de Alternaria, área sob a curva de progresso da doença (AUDPC), índice de área foliar sadia em determinado dia (HLAI), duração da área foliar sadia (HAD), radiação interceptada pela área foliar sadia em determinado dia (HRI), absorção da área foliar sadia (HAA) e componentes de produção de girassol, semeado em quatro épocas. A AUDPC teve relação com rendimento de aquênios, com ajuste do modelo exponencial negativo em duas safras. A relação rendimento x HAD foi linear para os três experimentos. Para as variáveis integrais estudadas, a melhor relação com rendimento foi verificada para HAA, com ajuste do modelo exponencial. A taxa da relação severidade x rendimento tendeu a se estabilizar a partir da fase de desenvolvimento R1. A taxa da relação linear entre HLAI e rendimento estabilizou-se entre as fases R1 a R6. A taxa da regressão entre HRI e rendimento foi bastante variável e não mostrou tendência de estabilização. Verificou-se que plantas que apresentaram severidade maior que 10% na fase de desenvolvimento R3 produziram rendimentos inferiores a 500 kg/ha, para as três safras, independentemente da época de semeadura, o que pode ser utilizado como um limiar de dano. A severidade pode ser usada como uma variável independente para um sistema de manejo da mancha de Alternaria em girassol. / The development and implementation of integrated disease-management system on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) require precise and accurate information on the damage caused by Alternaria leaf spot (Alternaria helianthi). The objectives of this thesis were: to develop and to validate a diagrammatic scale for Alternaria leaf spot; to determine the influence of temperature (15-32.5 °C) and leaf wetness duration (2-24 h) on the monocycle of the disease; and to compare the relationship between variables related to Alternaria leaf spot or to leaf area and yield, in field experiments. The diagrammatic scale with levels representing: 0.03; 0.2; 0.6; 3; 7; 12; 25; 40; and 66% of diseased leaf area was validated by three experienced raters. The scale permitted assessments to be accurate and precise, when drawn or detached leaves were used. The absolute error in estimating disease severity was lower than 13% and the reproduc ibility of assessments was high. In controlled environment studies, relative lesion density and severity were influenced by temperature and leaf wetness duration. The disease was more severe in the temperature of 25 °C. The minimum temperature for disease development was 13.0 °C and the maximum was 35.8 °C. The disease increased with increasing periods of leaf wetness. The estimated minimum temperature for mycelial growth rate was 5.5 °C and the maximum was 32.9 °C. The estimated minimum temperature for conidia germination was 7.9 °C and the maximum was 40.0 °C. Three field experiments were carried out in 1997/1998, 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 to investigate the relationship between severity of Alternaria leaf spot, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), healthy leaf area index at any given day (HLAI), healthy leaf area duration (HAD), radiation intercepted by healthy leaf area at any given day (HRI), total healthy leaf area absorption (HAA), and yield components of sunflower, sowed in four dates. AUDPC showed relationship with yield in two years, following the negative exponential model. The yield x HAD relationship was linear for each of three trials. Among the integral variables analyzed, the yield x HAA relationship was the best one, fitted by the exponential model. The slope of the yield-severity relationship was stable from R1 growth stage. The yield-HLAI relationship was stable between R1 and R6. The yield-HRI relationship was variable and not stable. The yield-severity relationship in R3 growth stage proved that plants with severity higher than 10% had yield lower than 500 kg/ha, despite the sowing date, which can be used as a damage threshold. Severity can be used as an independent variable to a system of sunflower Alternaria leaf spot management.

L'extraction d'huile de graines d'oléagineux en milieu aqueux a pour principal objectif la suppression des solvants utilisés dans les industries de trituration. Pour extraire l'huile des graines, les mélanges enzymatiques et de nombreux paramètres physico-chimiques ont été étudiés. Deux plans d'expériences consécutifs, réalisés sur le M.I.A. ont permis de formuler des mélanges d'enzymes efficaces, constitués de 3 ou 4 préparations enzymatiques commerciales parmi les 25 retenues initialement. Cette démarche permet de réaliser des mélanges optimaux pour la dégradation des parois des graines étudiées. Les extractions d'huile font apparaître 4 phases après séparation par centrifugation : résidu solide, émulsion, phase aqueuse et huile libre. Les effets de différents paramètres physico-chimiques ont été évalués (broyage, temps, température, agitation, séparation...). Au final, l'huile libérée des graines à l'aide des mélanges formulés (85% de l'huile totale pour le colza, 92% pour le tournesol), la quantité de sucres fermentescibles produite (entre 60 et 80 g/l en fonction des conditions) ou encore la concentration de protéines solubilisées (supérieure à 30g/l) sont les résultats marquants de cette étude. Cette étude décryptant les conditions à mettre en œuvre pour maximiser l'extraction d'huile en phase aqueuse constitue un socle de connaissances permettant d'envisager le développement futur d'un bioraffinage complet des graines de colza grâce à la valorisation de chacun des co-produits huiles, protéines (napines du colza) et sucres fermentescibles. / The extraction of oil from oilseed in an aqueous medium aims to remove the solvents used in the crushing industry. To extract oil from seeds, the enzymatic mixtures and numerous physico-chemical parameters have been studied. Two consecutive experimental designs, realized on the A.I.M. prepared from treated seeds, allowed to select effective enzyme mixtures, consisting of 3 or 4 commercial enzyme preparations out of the 25 originally selected. This original approach, based on the use of statistical tools, allows to achieve optimal mixtures for the degradation of the walls of studied seeds. The extraction of oil shows 4 phases after separation by centrifugation: solid residue, emulsion, aqueous phase and free oil. The effects of different physico-chemical parameters were evaluated (grinding time, temperature, agitation, separation...). Finally, the oil released from seeds using enzymatic mixtures made (85% of the total oil for rapeseed, 92 % for sunflower), the amount of fermentable sugars produced (60 and 80 g/l depending on conditions) or the concentration of solubilized protein (greater than 30g/l) are the landmark results of this study. This study, decrypting the conditions to implement the maximization of oil extraction in aqueous phase, is an important whole of knowledge to contribute the future development of a complete biorefining of rapeseed and sunflower with the use of each co-products : oils, proteins (napins from rape) and fermentable sugars.

Background: The differential effects of using topical oils for the prevention or treatment of baby dry skin on skin barrier function may contribute to the development of childhood atopic eczema. Prevalence of atopic eczema has increased from 5% of children aged 2 to 15 years in the 1940s, to approaching 30% more recently. This increase cannot be attributed to genetic changes. It is likely that increases stem from environmental factors, including the increased use of some inappropriately formulated commercial and natural baby skincare products. Midwives, health visitors and other maternity service health professionals, in the UK, routinely recommend the use of olive oil and sunflower oil for baby dry skin or massage, but the effect of these oils on newborn baby skin has not been studied. Aim: The aim of this research was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of testing the hypothesis that the regular application of sunflower oil, when compared to no oil or olive oil, had an effect on skin barrier function of newborn term babies. Study Design: A pilot, assessor-blinded, single centre, three-arm, randomised controlled trial, with nested qualitative component, underpinned by post-positivism. Methods: Quantitative methods were used to establish proof of concept that the use of topical oils had some effect on newborn baby skin barrier function, and to assess the feasibility of trial processes and parameters. Qualitative methods were used to explore the acceptability to parents of having a newborn baby participating in a randomised controlled trial, and trial design and procedures. The study was conducted in St. Mary’s hospital, a large teaching hospital in North West England. Data were collected between September 2013 and August 2014.The randomised controlled trial included 115 babies who were randomised to three groups: sunflower oil, olive oil and no oil, using a computer-generated varied size block randomisation with concealed allocation. Parents of babies randomised to the oil groups were blinded to which oil they were allocated. Data were collected using standardised case report forms for demographic and clinical observation data, weekly telephone questionnaires and a follow-up questionnaire, informed by previous baby skincare trials. The qualitative study encompassed semi-structured interviews, conducted within six months of birth. The sample was a subset of the trial participants, purposively sampled to incorporate a mix of treatment groups and positive and negative experiences derived from the follow-up questionnaire. Data also included two open-text questions from the follow-up questionnaire. Quantitative data were managed using IBM SPSS Statistics versions 20 and 22 and analysed descriptively. Qualitative data were managed in NVivo 10 and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results: The pilot study found that a definitive randomised controlled trial is not the optimal next step. A longitudinal observational study and further mechanistic work is recommended. Recruitment was challenging and loss to follow-up was higher than anticipated. Protocol adherence was reasonable and the study was acceptable to parents. Some statistically significant results were obtained, which must be interpreted with caution as the study was not powered to detect such a difference. These results showed that both oils may impede the development of the skin barrier function from birth; clinical importance of the results is not known. Conclusion: A longitudinal observational study is required, which maps the diagnosis of atopic eczema with environmental factors such as the use of baby skincare products from birth. Mechanistic work is also required to consider the optimal skincare formulation. As any intervention should do more good than harm, it would be wrong to support the recommendation of topical olive oil or sunflower oil for newborn baby dry skin or massage, based on the study data.

Whole grain and bran samples of two Malawian sorghums, Phatafuli, (a brown-coloured condensed tannin variety) and Shabalala, (a white-coloured condensed tannin-free variety) were analysed for their content of total phenols, condensed tannins and antioxidant activities. The effect of oxidizing conditions during extraction, and the storage stability of a freeze-dried crude phenolic extract (CPE) from the condensed tannin sorghum bran as influenced by packaging, storage temperature and length of storage, in relation to its content of total phenols, condensed tannins and antioxidant activity was also investigated. Antioxidant activity of the CPE, in comparison with tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), was then evaluated in sunflower oil at concentrations of 1000, 1500 and 2000 ppm in the absence or presence of ferric ions at 2.2 and 4.4 ppm in the dark at 65oC.Progression of oxidation was monitored by measurement of peroxide values (PV) and anisidine values (AV) during a 14-day storage period. Phatafuli contained higher content of total phenols and antioxidant activity than Shabalala both in the whole grain and the bran, probably due to the presence of condensed tannins in Phatafuli sorghum, which were not detected in Shabalala sorghum. For both sorghum varieties, the bran contained higher levels of total phenols and antioxidant activity than the whole grain, confirming that phenolic compounds in sorghum are largely concentrated in the bran. Antioxidant activities of the sorghum varieties correlated highly with their total phenol and condensed tannin contents, suggesting that the phenolic compounds were largely responsible for the antioxidant activities of the sorghum grains. Bubbling of oxygen into the liquid crude phenolic extract did not have any significant effect on the parameters tested. Similarly, vacuum-packed samples did not differ significantly in the parameters tested from the samples that were not vacuum-packed. CPE samples stored at –20oC had significantly higher levels of total phenols, condensed tannins and antioxidant activity than those stored at 25oC during some days of storage. Storage time was however the major factor influencing the levels of total phenols, condensed tannins and antioxidant activity of the CPE from Phatafuli sorghum during storage, which suggested that CPE from condensed tannin sorghum bran might need to be used shortly after extraction to ensure optimum antioxidant activity. There was an insignificant correlation between the antioxidant activities of the CPE and their phenolic contents during storage, which could have been due to the formation of new compounds with a lower antioxidant capacity. The CPE inhibited oxidation of sunflower oil as shown by lower peroxide values and anisidine values compared to control samples. The CPE was however less effective in reducing peroxide values compared to TBHQ, but was similar to TBHQ in reducing anisidine values. In the presence of ferric ions, the CPE appeared to be less effective in reducing peroxide values compared to TBHQ, but appeared to be more effective than TBHQ in reducing anisidine values. The results showed that the tannin sorghum bran CPE appeared to act as both lipid radical scavengers and metal chelators. The CPE however imparted colour to the sunflower oil, which could limit its application as a natural antioxidant in edible oils. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric) Food Science and Technology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Food Science / unrestricted

Orientador: Roberta Ceriani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T08:35:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Homrich_PerciOdilonBonetti_M.pdf: 5015007 bytes, checksum: f5fb89127af3308329cf79ba684bb5c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O girassol é a oleaginosa que se apresenta em quarto lugar em relação à produtividade agrícola destinada à obtenção de óleos e possui vantagens por apresentar uma grande quantidade de ácido linoléico (ácido graxo polinsaturado) e compostos nutracêuticos, trazendo benefícios à saúde humana. O óleo de semente de girassol deve passar pelo processo de refino químico para remover a acidez e compostos minoritários para que se torne comestível. O processo de refino químico consiste, basicamente, de quatro etapas: degomagem, desacidificação, branqueamento e desodorização. A etapa de desodorização remove compostos odoríferos (principalmente aldeídos) formados pela oxidação do óleo, além de contaminantes, como pesticidas, por esgotamento com vapor de arraste sob altas temperaturas (até 265 °C) e alto vácuo. Essas condições drásticas de processamento causam a degradação e a volatilização de compostos nutracêuticos (principalmente antioxidantes), além de reações de oxidação e isomerização cis-trans de ácidos graxos insaturados. Neste contexto, este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de pré-tratar o óleo de girassol com solvente, removendo os odores do óleo bruto por extração líquido-líquido, o que possibilitaria uma posterior etapa de desodorização com condições operacionais mais brandas. Para isso, os dados de equilíbrio líquido-líquido para sistemas modelos compostos por óleo de semente de girassol + aldeídos + etanol anidro a 25 ºC foram experimentalmente determinados, sendo os sistemas quantificados por três métodos distintos. A partir dos dados obtidos, os parâmetros coeficiente de distribuição e seletividade do solvente indicaram que a extração dos aldeídos com solvente foi satisfatória, e a correlação dos dados pelos modelos termodinâmicos NRTL e UNIQUAC indicou que o NRTL correlacionou de forma mais fidedigna os resultados, apresentando um desvio global que variou entre 0,4447 e 0,7203 % / Abstract: Sunflower seed oil is the oilseed that represents the fourth major agricultural productivity destined to obtaining refined oils, possessing some advantages due to its high quantity of linoleic acid (polyunsaturated fatty acid) and nutraceutical compounds, promoting benefits to human health. In order to become edible, sunflower oil must be chemically refined for removing free fatty acids and minority compounds. Basically, chemical refining consists of four steps: degumming, deacidification, bleaching and deodorization. The deodorization step removes odoriferous compounds (mainly aldehydes), formed by the oil oxidation reaction, in addition to contaminants, such as pesticides, by a steam stripping under high temperatures (up to 265 °C) and very low pressures. These drastic process conditions result in the degradation and volatilization of nutraceutical compounds (mainly antioxidants), and favor the occurrence of oxidation and cis-trans isomerization reactions of the unsaturated fatty acids. In this context, this work investigated the possibility to pre-treat the sunflower oil with a solvent, removing the crude oil odors by liquid-liquid extraction, which would enable a posterior deodorization stage with milder operational conditions. To achieve this purpose, the liquid-liquid equilibrium data for model systems composed by sunflower seed oil + aldehydes + anhydrous ethanol at 25 °C were experimentally determined and the systems were quantified using three different methods. From the experimental data obtained, the distribution coefficient and the solvent selectivity parameters indicated that aldehydes extraction using ethanol as solvent was satisfactory, and the data correlation done by the thermodynamics methods NRTL and UNIQUAC showed that the NRTL model faithfully correlated the experimental data, presenting a global deviation that varied between 0.4447 and 0.7203 % / Mestrado / Engenharia Química / Mestre em Engenharia Química

The low and varying protein content and high crude fibre content of sunflower oil cake produced from sunflower seed create problems for the South African oil expelling industry. This prompted research into factors that may affect the seed quality for processing purposes. The seed quality characteristics are the seed oil and protein contents and the hullability. Analysis of the kernel-rich fraction produced after dehulling gives an indication of the potential oil yield, oil cake yield and oil cake protein and crude fibre contents and thus the processed value. Seed hullability and potential losses of oil and protein were affected by seed moisture content and seed size. Drying seed resulted in increased hullability, and sifting it into size classes proved to be a mechanism for differentiating in terms of oil cake quality. The effects of cultivar, environment and selected environmental variables on seed yield and processing quality were investigated by means of field trials. Seed yield and quality were more affected by environment than by cultivar. Seed size and hullability, and as a result also the protein content of the potential oil cake, were affected by plant population, with lower populations associated with better quality. Increased nitrogen application improved seed yield and seed protein content but lowered seed oil content, with no effect on hullability. Boron fertilisation improved seed yield in one trial but suppressed yield in a second trial. Hullability declined in one trial due to boron fertilisation. A mild water stress during the grain-filling stage reduced seed yield by 23% and hullability by 14%. Optimising the seed oil:seed protein ration through breeding may be the most advisable option for improving seed quality for processing. Due to the need for a seed grading system based on seed quality, regression analyses between easily measurable seed characteristics and seed quality parameters were done. The relatively low mean deviation between measured and predicted values indicate that seed oil content, protein content and hullability can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. These relationships must still be validated. / Dissertation (PhD (Plant Production: Agronomy))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

Biodiesel is an attractive alternative fuel for diesel engines.The feedstock for biodiesel production is usually vegetable oil, pure oil or waste cooking oil, or animal fats The most common way today to produce biodiesel is by transesterification of the oils with an alcohol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. It is a low temperature and low-pressure reaction. It yields high conversion (96%-98%) with minimal side reactions and short reaction time. It is a direct conversion to biodiesel with no intermediate compounds. This work provides an overview concerning biodiesel production. Likewise, this work focuses on the commercial production of biodiesel. The Valdescorriel Biodiesel plant, located in Zamora (Spain), is taken like model of reference to study the profitability and economics of a biodiesel plant. The Valdescorriel Biodiesel plant has a nominal production capacity of 20000 biodiesel tons per year. The initial investment for the biodiesel plant construction is the 4.5 millions €. The benefits are 2 million €/year. The investment is possible to recuperate in less than 3 years. The biodiesel yield can up to 98% with catalyst in excess. The energy used for the biodiesel production is 30% less than the obtained energy from the produced biodiesel. Replacing petro diesel by the biodiesel produced in the plant, the CO2 reduction can reach the 48%. It means that 55 000 tons CO2 per year can be reduced The production of biodiesel from sunflower oil and ethanol using sodium hydroxide as catalyst was performed in the laboratory and the results are discussed. The results are analyzed using the statistic method of Total Quality. The effect of the ethanol/oil ratio and the amount of used catalyst on the yield as well on the properties of the produced biodiesel is studied. The measured properties of the biodiesel are density, viscosity and refraction. The ethanol/oil ratio influences on the biodiesel production. The yield of biodiesel increases with the ethanol/oil ratio.  Regarding the influence of the amount of catalyst on biodiesel production in the studied condition is not possible to achieve a definitive conclusion. But a tendency showing an increasing of the biodiesel yield with the amount of catalyst can be appreciated. The study of the evolution of the transesterification during time shows that a reaction time of one hour is sufficient enough in order to reach the highest yield of biodiesel.

The cultivation of crop sunflower or Helianthus annuus is a 20 billion USD industry globally. Crop wild relatives of H. annuus have a long history of being used to breed improved traits into cultivated varieties. Cultivated H. annuus is not known to have a pleasant aroma, and at times seed yield is limited by pollination services, particularly in the production of hybrid seed. Improved floral fragrance could improve pollinator attraction and would add value to ornamental sunflowers in the context of the cut-flower industry. If volatile organic compounds that together generate favorable scents are present in wild Helianthus species, they could be bred into domesticated varieties. In order to assess the diversity of floral fragrance available in crop wild relatives, 30 diverse accessions of wild Helianthus as well as seven varieties of H. annuus spanning a domestication gradient were grown in a greenhouse experiment and variation in floral volatiles was analyzed by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. While alpha-pinene made up a significant portion of the volatiles emitted for most taxa, there was substantial diversity present across the genus. Most volatiles emitted were found to be monoterpenoids with a significant share of sesquiterpenoids. Several wild accessions such as H. debilis subsp. tardiflorus and H. praecox subsp. praecox as well as open-pollinated domesticated accessions of H. annuus show promise for breeding for improved floral fragrance due to high volatile abundance and likely favorable compound compositions.