• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine if chlorine dioxide ($ClO_{2}$) gas might minimize microbial contamination of fresh produce. After exposing grapes to 20 ppm or 40 ppm of chlorine dioxide gas in a closed container, grapes treated with 20 ppm $ClO_{2}$ were packaged in Ny/PE/L-LDPE pouches, stapes treated with 40 ppm $ClO_{2}$ were placed in an empty corrugated box, and untreated control grapes were placed in a box with a sachet containing $ClO_{2}$ gas adsorbed to silica gel (a silica gel pad). The free volume of the sachet material allowed the release of $ClO_{2}$ gas into the headspace of packages containing fresh grapes. Control fruit not exposed to $ClO_{2}$, was placed in a box and stored at either $25^{\circ}C$ or $0^{\circ}C$. Fruit in Ny/PE/L-LDPE film treated with 20 ppm $ClO_{2}$ lost almost no weight during storage at either $25^{\circ}C$ or $0^{\circ}C$. Such fruit had a lower soluble solid content than did other fruit samples. Titratable acidity tended to fall rapidly during storage at either $25^{\circ}C$ or $0^{\circ}C$. Anthocyanin content of grapes decreased over 21 days at $25^{\circ}C$ but increased over 10 weeks at $0^{\circ}C$. The total microbial count of grapes treated with $ClO_{2}$ gas and silica gel pads were lower than controls at $25^{\circ}C$. Fruit treated with 20 ppm $ClO_{2}$ and packaged in Ny/PE/L-LDPE pouches had lower microbial counts than other fruit samples when stored at $0^{\circ}C$. The silica gel pad did not significantly improve total microbial count (compared to untreated control samples) at $0^{\circ}C$. This result may be attributed to a higher rate of diffusion of $ClO_{2}$ gas at room temperature.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

Sawdust biofiltration is an emerging bio-technology for control of ammonia emissions including compost odors from composting of biological wastes. Although sawdust is widely used as a medium for bulking agent in composting system and for microbial attachment in biofiltration systems, the performance of agitated bed composting and sawdust biofiltration are not well established. A pilot-scale composting of hog manure amended with sawdust and sawdust biofiltration systems for practical operation were investigated using aerated and agitated rectangular reactor with compost turner and sawdust biofilter operated under controlled conditions, each with a working capacity of approximately $40m^3\;and\;4.5m^3$ respectively. These were used to investigate the effect of compost temperature, seed germination rate and the C/N ratio of the compost on ammonia emissions, compost maturity and sawdust biofiltration performance. Temperature profiles showed that the material in three runs had been reached to temperature of 55 to $65^{\circ}C$ and above. The ammonia concentration in the exhaust gas of the sawdust biofilter media was below the maximum average value as 45 ppm. Seed germination rate levels of final compost was maintained from 70 to 93% and EC values of the finished compost varied between 2.8 and 4.8 ds/m, providing adequate conditions for plant growth.