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(2024)Trees are the most visible part of urban vegetation, and they provide many ecosystem services which cannot be replaced. The ability to sequester and store carbon (C), balance peaks of storm water flows, regulate microclimate and provide shade in heat waves are dependent on the size and the vitality of a tree. Through the root system, abiotic and biotic factors in growing medium have a role in tree health and size. Tree fine roots and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) root tips, which are the most distal part of root system, have a crucial role in maintenance of tree vitality as they are responsible of water and nutrient uptake. Growing conditions in urban environments differ from those in natural environments. However, urban tree fine roots and EcM root tips are a scarcely studied subject. In this thesis I studied fine root growth, phenology, depth distribution, annual production, and the number of EcM root tips of three different tree species (Tilia cordata, Tilia × europaea and Betula pendula) growing in three different urban greenspaces (park, street site, unmanaged forest patch). In addition, I studied the effect of site, soil temperature, and soil moisture on root elongation. Fine root elongation was observed by a minirhizotron image system below ground from May until November 2020. Root production and the number of EcM root tips was studied by the ingrowth core method. Betula pendula had the highest fine root elongation among the three tree species, which can at least partially be explained by species-specific differences. Growing site had a statistically significant effect on root elongation, but also the thermal sum of soil temperature and the level of relative extractable water affected root elongation. Average height and trunk diameter between Tilias grown at the Garden and Tilias grown at the street side were different relative to their age. Tilias had clearly less EcM root tips on the street side, their fine roots elongated more, and the amount of dead roots was slightly higher than at Garden, indicating that root turnover rate was faster for street trees as they tried to absorb nutrient in a poorer environment. Based on previous studies, differences in fine root elongation between sites were expected, as e.g. rising of the temperature has been found to affect positively to root elongation. Additionally, the poor nutrient status of the growing medium has also previously been found to increase root growth. The site and the characteristics of the growing medium can has a significant effect on the fine roots and thus on the growth and vitality of the entire tree.
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(2017)Industrial clusters are a worldwide phenomenon and a vital economic development strategy. The approach is defined to be an interrelationship between its participants, suppliers and related industries that produce synergy in a particular location. Clustering has become to be a crucial feature in nation’s economic development. However, the approach has not yet been studied widely in Sub-Saharan African countries and the existing number of empirical studies are limited. Therefore, this leaves a gap for an up-to-date study to investigate the possibilities of developing an efficient forest industry cluster in Angola. The purpose of the study was to critically assess and to define the potential of different wood processing industries in connection to develop an efficient forest industry cluster in the Province of Huambo. The objective was to create a comprehensive picture of the existing market situation through a field study and to develop the future concept of wood processing industries. Research methods were qualitative in the empirical part of the study and quantitative in the investment calculations. The primary data were collected through a semi-structured field interviews and observations of existing operators. Interviews were conducted in January and February 2017 to obtain knowledge about the prevailing market situation and about the existing wood product manufacturers. The data were collected with nine interviews, which were transcribed. Pictures and video clips were recorded to support the observations from the factories in the data collection. Based on the field study and observations, investment alternatives were decided and calculated to different wood processing industries. Profitability of the investments were calculated with the Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Multiple of Invested Capital (MOIC) and Wood Paying Capability (WPC) at stumpage. Attention was paid to the uncertainty in the calculations with the help of sensitivity analysis. The literature review was based on the cluster theory, collective efficiency and the capital expenditure projects. As a result of this study, an investment model was developed in a shape of a cluster. The cluster model contains five different dimensions: sustainable plantation forestry, production of primary wood products, production of secondary wood products, wood residues sufficient utilization and production of sustainable energy. This study suggests that veneer peeling and sawn timber production could be selected for the primary wood production, carpentry and furniture for the secondary processing and wood residues to produce sustainable energy. The corresponded 10-year investments NPVs varied from USD 606 000 to USD 974 000 at an interest rate of 15%. The maximum IRR achieved was 31.6% and the minimum was 16.8%. The highest WPC at stumpage achieved was USD 69.8 and the lowest was USD 44.1. The MOIC ranged between 2.4 and 4.0 times the invested capital. This study suggests that the Company could develop an efficient forest industry cluster around veneer peeling with the support from other wood processing industries to the region.
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(2020)Many European citizens have growing concerns over climate change. This seems to go together with the debate about the impact of consumers’ personal dietary choices on climate change. Novel food protein sources are entering the European food market to replace or compensate meat protein sources. One protein food alternative are insect-based proteins. However, there is limited research as to how choices of alternative insect-based protein products may influence consumers’ carbon footprints. This study explores the potential of insect protein to reduce the carbon footprint associated with European food consumption. Three scenarios were formed to identify and describe options for reducing current levels of carbon footprints associated with the consumption of conventionally produced chicken meat. In the scenarios, soybean meal-based feeds used in conventional chicken production are replaced with insect-based feeds, and chicken products are replaced with protein food products from insects. Further, two different insect feeding sources are considered and compared to each other. A number of existing global warming potential values from a variety of Life Cycle Assessment studies focusing on chicken and insect production were collected to create a database for use in the scenario analyses. The database was utilised to assess the global warming impact of producing alternative insect protein on the carbon footprint of European food consumption. The results from the three scenarios indicate that the carbon footprint of food consumption can be reduced by replacing conventionally produced chicken meat with insect-based protein food products. However, insect-based protein products would have a positive impact on the carbon footprint only if the insects that are produced for use in feed or food are farmed with low-value side streams. Currently, the shift to an increased use of side streams in insect-based food production faces regulatory challenges in Europe. In the light of European efforts to encourage sustainable food alternatives, and considering the environmental benefits insects could offer as alternative proteins over options of conventional protein sources, there is a need for continued research on the environmental sustainability of insect eating and insect feeding, as well as the safety and regulatory issues related to the use of insect protein in food consumption.
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Exploring the potential of lactic acid bacteria for sensory improvement of plant protein ingredients (2022)One of the greatest challenges of our time is securing the global protein supply for the growing population in a sustainable manner. Fermentation with lactic acid bacteria has a long history of successful employment for the production of fermented foods and beverages. During this study, the ability of diverse lactic acid bacteria for fermentation and sensory improvement of leguminous and cereal protein concentrates was investigated.The main aim of this study was to overcome the sensory limitations of these plant protein ingredients by finding suitable candidates for the design of new starter cultures for their fermentation. A collection of 82 lactic acid bacteria was screened for fermentation of leguminous and cereal protein concentrates with different nutrient supplementations. Most strains required additional nutrients to adequately acidify the leguminous protein concentrate during a 24-h fermentation, while the cereal-based substrate appeared to be a more complete growth substrate. Descriptive sensory analysis also revealed differences in the aroma perceived by a panel depending on the matrix, supplementation and fermenting strain employed. Three of the strains that produced the most desirable aromas and acidified sufficiently the test matrixes were further studied. All three strains preferentially fermented glucose to lactic acid rather than any other sugar. The concentration of hexanal, one of the volatile compounds involved in grassy and beany off-flavor formation, reduced during fermentations in favor of 1-hexanol, a compound with a significantly higher odor threshold. However, only two of the cultures were able to prevent the growth of contaminating bacteria during fermentation. The results of this study can provide guidance for selecting potential starter cultures and fermentation substrate composition to improve the aroma of plant protein ingredients. Two of the selected strains especially have shown potential to be used as starter cultures for the leguminous protein concentrate. Further studies are required to optimize the performance of the selected strains in the test matrixes and to quantitatively characterize their effect on the substrates’ volatile profile, taste and antinutritional factor content
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(2019)Cameroon is a country located in Central Africa. The country has an export-led economy, which means that the country highly depends on exports to ensure its population well-being. Sawnwood exports represent 14% of Cameroon’s total exports. Sawnwood is therefore one of the most important export products for Cameroon. Since Cameroon signed the EU-Cameroon voluntary partnership agreement policy in 2010, Cameroon’s sawnwood exports were impacted. The aim of this study is therefore, to examine the export competitive performance of Cameroon’s sawnwood industry from 2001 to 2017. Based on the literature, a set of three methods analyzing the competitiveness of Cameroon’s sawnwood exports were chosen. These methods are: The Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) and RSCA index which were used to analyze the competitiveness and international specialization of Cameroon in exporting sawnwood. The Spearman Rank Correlation was used to study the export competitive performance of Cameroon’s sawnwood across years and to analyze the level of competition between Cameroon, Finland, China and Ghana. Lastly, the Constant Market Share Analysis was used to explain the drivers of Cameroon’s sawnwood export competitiveness. This study also compiles information on forest in Cameroon and provides an overview of Cameroon sawnwood industry, it can therefore serve as a base for further studies on sawnwood in Cameroon. Results show that Cameroon has a competitive advantage and is the highest specialized in exporting sawnwood compared to Finland, China and Ghana. Nevertheless, the export competitive performance of Cameroon across years is not continuous and highly depends on external factors. Results also show that Cameroon has reduced its exports to EU and has diversified its importers portfolio by redirecting its exports trade flows towards Asia, especially China which has less stringent imports policies compared to EU. Cameroon will need to improve its production technologies and management practices to ensure a long run competitiveness on the global sawnwood market.
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(2020)Norway spruce is commonly cultivated throughout Europe, Russia, and Japan. Cultivation of Norway spruce often faces the issue of fungal diseases, one of which is cherry rust disease caused by Thekopsora areolata. The gene model MA_10g0010 encoding an uncharacterized peroxidase (PabPrx86) has previously been associated with the presence of this pathogen. The aim of this study was to describe and assay the protein produced from this gene model, observe its localization in the cell, and determine its relative expression level in different tissues of Norway spruce. Experiments were performed by isolating the full length cDNA for PabPrx86 and cloning the cDNA into destination vectors pEAQ-HT-DEST1 and pK7FWG2 leading to a hypertranslatable transcript and a C-terminal GFP fusion, respectively. The plasmid constructs were transformed to Agrobacterium tumefaciens and agro-infiltrated to Nicotiana benthamiana. In addition, the relative expression level of this gene in different spruce tissues at different times of the year was determined using the qRT-PCR method. Sequencing showed that there were two allelic variants of this gene in the spruce individual sampled for RNA. Results showed that both alleles code for a peroxidase with basic pI. Subcellular localization with the GFP tag detected that PabPrx86 protein was located out of cytoplasm, indicating that the protein was translated in the ER-ribosomes, whereas relative expression level analysis revealed that PabPrx86 was highest expressed in the bud and lateral bud in June. Peroxidases are known to relate with plant defense, but further experiments are required to determine the role of PabPrx86 in Norway spruce and what the association with T. areolata means.
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(2023)Membrane-bound pyrophosphatases (M-PPases) catalyse the reversible hydrolysis of pyrophosphate into two inorganic phosphate molecules. This hydrolysis is coupled to the transport of protons and/or sodium ions across the biological membrane, generating an electrochemical gradient, which can be utilized by the host organism as an energy source under different stress conditions. The essential physiological roles of M-PPases in agriculturally relevant plants and various human pathogens, such as Bacteroides fragilis, Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Trypanosoma brucei, make them an important research area. Despite the biochemical studies conducted with several M-PPases and structural characterization of Thermotoga maritima and Vigna radiata M-PPases, there remain several questions regarding the biochemistry and catalytic mechanism of M-PPases, one being the basis of K+ dependence. Mutational studies have suggested that a single residue at position 495 is the sole determinant of K+ dependence in M-PPases. In K+-dependent M-PPases this residue is an alanine and a K+ ion binding in close proximity of it, has been shown of having stimulatory effect on K+- dependent M-PPases by increasing the maximal rate of pyrophosphate hydrolysis. In K+-independent M-PPases, a lysine residue resides at 495 position, where the ε-NH3+ group of the lysine residue has been suggested, based on structural modelling and AlaàLys (A495K) mutational studies, to structurally and functionally mimic the activating function of K+ in K+-dependent M-PPases. In order to provide structural basis to this, in this study, a M-PPase belonging to a hyperthermophilic deep- sea bacterium T. maritima containing a single A495K point mutation was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, solubilized using the high-temperature (“Hot-solve”) method, purified with metal affinity chromatography and structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography. As suggested, the ε-NH3+ group of the introduced lysine was shown to occupy the same space and form the same interactions at the active site as the K+ ion in K+-dependent M-PPases. However, these structural findings were in contradiction with the conducted hydrolytic activity assay which showed that the A495K mutation, besides abolishing K+ dependence, significantly reduced the overall activity compared to the wild type by ~2-10-fold, depending on the K+ concentration. These findings suggest that additional factor(s) besides the 495 residue determine the K+ dependence in M-PPases.
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(2019)Finding and developing new antimicrobial compounds against clinically important antimicrobial drug resistant bacterial pathogens is necessary to counter the threats to global health, food security and development caused by these organisms. One potential source for leads for novel antimicrobial agents are bacteriophages, whose genomes hold vast numbers of genes encoding for proteins that are able to inhibit bacteria in yet uncharacterized ways. Characterization of these proteins and their functions is likely to aid the discovery of new antimicrobial drugs. This study aimed to optimize the heterologous production of three bacteria-inhibiting proteins from bacteriophage φR1-RT for the characterization of the proteins and their interactions with the bacterial host cell. Expression plasmids were successfully constructed for the heterologous production of the proteins in both Lactococcus lactis and Escherichia coli -based expression systems. The L. lactis expression system utilized a tightly regulated nisin-controlled promoter and featured a lactococcal SSusp45 secretion leader to target the produced protein to extracellular secretion. The E. coli expression system used a tightly regulated arabinose-inducible promoter to control the expression of the bacteriotoxic proteins. Despite the successful construction of the expression plasmids, the bacteriophage φR1-RT proteins were not able to be produced in quantities suitable for protein purification in either of the expression systems used in this study. The lack of protein expression is likely due to either codon bias or the harmful effects of the bacteriotoxic proteins that build up inside the bacterial cells. Codon optimized genes or a eukaryotic expression system could be tried to produce enough protein for purification and further characterization.
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(2015)Phytopathogens, notably Heterobasidion annosum, evolved several strategical combinations to infect and subsequently colonize their host even under different stress conditions. Fungal ABC transporters are well-known defenses that can confer resistance against host-secreted secondary metabolites by transporting them outside of the fungal cells and thus keeping their intracellular concentration low. Here, we aim to unveil the evolutionary trajectories of total ABC transporters-encoding genes in Heterobasidion annosum. The gene expression pattern was monitored with the fungus subjected to different chemical stressors and during fungal growth on wood. We identified 32 putative ABC protein-encoding genes in the Heterobasidion genome. Altogether 20 putative ABC transporter-encoding genes of H. annosum were further analyzed and it was revealed that several genes were either up or downregulated, while some were not differentially expressed under the experimental conditions. The results obtained from the gene expression analysis revealed that an ABC gene (annotated as Ha.ABC-G1 or Hetan_66124), was highly up-regulated in most conditions. This particular transporter-encoding gene (Hetan_66124) with induction level of up to 47 –fold (in heartwood and similar levels in other conditions) was traced, PCR amplified, cloned in Escherichia coli and expression of recombinant protein performed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as platform. Several experiments aiming to dissect functional roles of this hypothetical protein were performed. The growth of the yeast transformant over expressing the recombinant ABC protein in different terpenoids and weak organic acids were monitored. The growth rate of clones with and without transporters were not significantly different when cultured in plates (SC·gal-ura-) that were exposed to the volatile compounds (limonene, carene and ?-pinene). Based on our findings, we concluded that the yeast transformants carrying the H. annosum ABC-G1 transporter encoding gene do not show increased resistance or tolerance against the monoterpenes. The results of the transcript profiling have further contributed to our understanding about gene expression during fungal colonization upon exposure to chemical stressors. However, further studies are needed in order to specifically unveil the functional roles of these efflux pumps that underlie their transport mechanism with response to the host secreted secondary metabolites.
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(2020)Asteraceae comprises of approximately 10% of all angiosperm plant species. These species are well known for their highly compressed inflorescences known as capitula which consists of morphologically different types of flowers: ray, trans and disc flowers. This immense morphological difference excels Gerbera as an ideal plant to study flower type differentiations. Even though this complex process is governed by several genes, the ray flower identity is believed to be greatly influenced by GhCYC3 promoter mediated gene regulations. In previous studies two TCP transcription factors (TF): GhCIN1and GhCIN2, and two MADS TFs: GAGA1 and RCD5 were identified as the potential upstream regulators of GhCYC3. So, the aim of this study is to test whether these potential upstream regulators physically bind to GhCYC3 promoter in in vitro conditions. In order to achieve the goal, these transcription factor proteins from Gerbera hybrida were successfully expressed in E. coli and purified as fusion proteins to maltose-binding protein (MBP). Physical binding of the purified fusion proteins to the putative target DNA sites in the promoter region of GhCYC3 gene was tested by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The results showed that none of the gerbera transcription factors (GhCIN1, GhCIN2, GAGA1 and RCD5) bind to their putative target sites under the condition tested in this study. However, it might not be justifiable to deduce that these TFs do not interact with GhCYC3 promoter. The absence of in vitro interaction between the tested TFs and GhCYC3 promoter might be caused by either lack of proper folding and activity of the TFs or absence of co-factors which are available in vivo.
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(2021)Oat β-glucan is well known for its health benefits, which are related to its rheological behavior in the gut. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the extractability and viscosity of β-glucan from oat bread under physiological conditions and to see whether there were varietal differences. Oat flours of twenty different cultivars were used to bake breads which were subjected to in vitro digestion. The resulting extracts were studied for viscosity using a rheometer, and the β-glucan contents of the breads and the extracts were determined to evaluate the extractability. In addition, the effect of flour particle size on extractability was investigated. Variance in the in vitro extractability of β-glucan was seen between cultivars, which was not explained by flour particle size. All samples produced highly viscous extracts, and the viscosities increased sharply with increasing β-glucan concentration, which suggests that the β-glucan was not extensively degraded during the breadmaking process. The viscosities also varied between cultivars, as some exhibited considerably higher viscosities at similar concentrations. The results indicate that the β-glucan from the oat breads would have good capacity to increase viscosity in the intestine, although varietal differences were observed.
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(2017)Substitution of animal food products and non-biodegradable plastics is of interest for addressing climate change and pollution. Plant proteins are potential raw materials with low environmental impact which can be utilized for development of protein rich foods or biodegradable plastics. Grain legumes and especially lupins are rich in proteins that could be utilized. Protein fibril is a self-assembled non-random protein structure which has a large length to width ratio. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the concept of fibrillating proteins extracted from two lupin species (L. albus and L. angustifolius) and to characterize the formed fibrils. The proteins were extracted from dried and milled lupin seeds with alkaline followed by an isoelectric precipitation. The standard extraction procedure was combined with additional process steps such as dehulling, defatting, extraction with acidic extraction media and dialysis. The extracted protein isolates were hydrolyzed into peptides in different concentrations and assembled into fibrils by heating at pH 2.0 for 24, 48 or 72 h. The fibrillated samples were analyzed with a thioflavin T (ThT) assay to indicate the β-sheet secondary protein structure. Some of the fibrillated samples were imaged with atomic-force microscopy. Samples prepared from dehulled and defatted L. angustifolius flour had the highest total protein content of 98.3 ± 0.4% on dry matter basis. ThT binding was observed in most samples indicating formation of fibrils. The binding increased significantly for samples after standard extraction process and for lower ionic strength. The fibrils appeared to form within 48 h and samples with higher protein concentration (40 mg/ml) showed massive gelation after 24 h. Studying the samples with atomic-force microscopy showed 300 nm long curly fibrils. These initial results indicate that the proteins extracted from lupin can be fibrillated.
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(2020)New alternatives for meat as the main source of protein are needed due to the negative impact of meat production on the environment and its high utilization of land sources. Vegetable proteins offer a more sustainable choice for meat and they can be processed into a structure that resembles meat using extrusion technology. The aim of this study was to produce a minced meat analogue using extrusion technology. The goal was to gain more information on the textural properties, colour and sensorial features of the meat analogue. In the experimental part, extrudates with replicates were produced from plant protein and fibre concentrate. Three differently processed samples were analysed. Texture analyser was used to measure the gumminess, springiness, chewiness, hardness, adhesiveness and shear energy of the samples. In addition, colour and moisture content were measured and a sensory experiment was conducted. According to the results, the content of the plant protein and fibre concentrate affected the textural properties and the colour of the samples. The results also showed that the composition of minced meat analogue had different effect on the textural properties depending how the sample was processed. In the sensory experiment, the reference sample (minced meat) had significantly higher score of pleasantness compared to extrudate containing samples. No significant differences were observed among the extrudate containing samples. This study showed that a product with some similarities to minced meat can be produced using extrusion technology with plant protein and fibre concentrate. For the development of the meat analogue, a more comprehensive sensory analysis would help to gain more information about the development targets of the product.
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(2013)The objective of this study was to develop functional method for producing doupled-haploid plants for faba bean. Microspore culture is an advanced method to produce doubled-haploids and it is based on the totipotent nature of plant cells, since even a microspore, which is an immature pollen cell with haploid genome, can develop into a plant. This plant is either haploid or doupled haploid depending on whether there has been chromosome doubling or not and because the chromosomes either do not have pairs or the pairs are pure copies of each other, the plant is completely homozygous. Doubled haploids are already used in breeding programs with several crops such as wheat, barley and oilseed rape. Faba bean is an important legume for food, feed and crop rotation. Together with other legumes it has the potential to replace soybean imports entirely in Finland. Faba bean yield stability and anti-nutritional factors restrain its use and active breeding is required to improve the crop. In Finland, where pea and faba bean are the only grain legumes actively cultivated, the breeding of faba bean has been recently reactivated and its objectives are earliness, higher yield, protein content and improved quality factors. Big bottle neck in faba bean breeding is the creation of pure homozygote lines because the partial cross-breeding in the species sets restrains for the procedure. In this study promising pea and chick pea protocols that were developed in 2009 and an efficient rapeseed protocol were applied with faba bean. The interaction of various stress treatments and two different induction media with five genotypes of faba bean on microspore culture were analysed. Pro-embryos and cell divisions were observed from the cultures. Heat shock was the most effective stress treatment. Effects of density and induction medium were high and cultivar’s low tannin content seemed to impact positively to induction efficiency. These results suggest that for faba bean microspore culture is as suitable method as anther culture is and that there is hope to produce doubled-haploid faba beans in the future.
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(2022)Previous studies have demonstrated that legume proteins have high potential to lose their native functional properties during conventional wet fractionation, since heating and drying in the processes can lead to protein aggregation and solubility reduction. However, the effect of this process on faba bean protein has not been investigated thoroughly before, according to the literature review. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of wet fractionation process with and without spray drying on faba bean protein gelling properties. The hypothesis was that protein isolate produced with isoelectric precipitation without spray drying would have better solubility and gelling properties than spray dried isolate. Faba bean protein concentrate (FBPC) was used to prepare faba bean protein isolate with alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation, which was then dispersed into water and neutralized (faba bean protein slurry, FBPS). Some of FBPS was spray-dried (pilot faba bean protein isolate, FBPI-P). Commercial faba bean protein isolate (FBPI-C) was used as a reference sample. Their (FBPC, FBPS, FBPI-P, FBPI-C) functionality was studied by measuring thermal denaturation (DSC), protein solubility, particle size and light microscope pictures. In addition, glucono delta lactone (GDL) induced oil-in-water emulsion gels were prepared from FBPS, FBPI-P and FBPI-C. Water holding capacity (WHC), rheological and texture properties were measured from the gel samples. Surprisingly the obtained results of faba bean in this study were different from previous research on other legume proteins. It was found that spray-dried FBPI-P showed better gelling properties than wet based FBPS. This might be due to differences in thermal denaturation. Based on DSC curves, FBPI-C was found to be fully denatured and in a poor solubility. Interestingly, GDL-induced gels had strongest gel properties, which might be highly related to industrial manufacturing process of FBPI-C. When considering the theoretical environmental impact of these processes, FBPS could show potential of being more environmentally friendly process, as it could be more energy efficient than processes which require drying and heating. It was demonstrated that FBPS showed almost as good functional properties as the pilot spray-dried isolate. Hence, FBPS could work as functional and more environmentally friendly option for food industry. Future study could be conducted in near future about FBPS safety, technological applications, process optimization and environmental impact.
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(2023)The literature review detailed the theoretical background for this study, identified the possibility about development of faba bean protein stabilized emulsion for food products and studied the effect of increased oil addition on the structure of emulsions. The practical work was divided into three parts emulsion analysis, emulsion gel analysis and sensory evaluation. Various research methods were applie d to support this study, including droplet size distribution , droplet charge ζ potential), texture evaluation, and rheological analysis. This study showed that oil addition increased emulsion droplet size, as well as the absolute value of ζ potential . Emulsifying activity index (EAI) and emulsion stability index (ESI) decreased with increasing oil concentration. F aba protein stabilized emulsions were better stabilized by oil addition , compared with those without oil additi on . From texture analysis of gel properties, firmness improved with increasing oil concentrations (0% 30%). In addition, rheolog ical analysis for faba yogurt samples showed that increasing oil concentrations improved the viscosity of the faba yogurt samples. T he results also illustrated that increasing oil concentrations led to increased deformation meaning the emulsion gels were more easily destroyed with increasing oil concentrations (0 30%). Oil addition resulted in higher whiteness when compared with samples without oil. Sensory evaluation by a professional panel for faba yogurt samples indicated that samples with 20% oil concentration w ere the most preferred and had the highest overall quality .
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(2018)The article shows the history of studies of DC, stresses the importance of lateral transport of DC, explores and reviews the factors (vegetation, soil, temperature and precipitation, discharge, pH, weathering, global change and human perturbations) affecting transport of DC from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems and reveals many research gaps, which currently hinder a systematic understanding of lateral transport of DC from aquatic to ecosystems. The inclusion of DIC and DOC in the context of lateral transport of carbon offers more information on studies of DC. This article offers insight into the factors affecting the lateral transport of DC for future studies that focus on constructing models of the global carbon cycle and the estimate of terrestrial/global carbon budget. In addition, the factors affecting the transport of DC from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems shed some light on the management of forests, peatlands, agricultural activities and land use changes.
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(2016)Formation of second skin under artificial casing is essential when manufacturing of skinless frankfurters. The aim of this study was to study how manufacture skinless frankfurters that have a good and firm bite. In literature part the aim was to study factors what affect the formation of the second skin. Skinless frankfurters were manufactured with 4 different artificial cellulose casing: 23 mm non-CMC (carboxymethylcellulose) casing, 23mm Rapid Peel®-casing, 21 mm Rapid Peel®-casing, 17 mm Rapid Peel®-casing. Frankfurters were prepared with 2 different recipes and thermal treated with 3 different smoking-cooking programs. Commercial and pilot plant prepared natural casing frankfurters were used as a reference. Properties of frankfurters were tested with sensory analysis by making sensory profile of each product (Colour intensity, Flexibility/bendability of skin, Snappiness of the skin (voice), Snappy bite, Gumminess of the skin and Texture of frankfurter). Physical test methods to measure frankfurters were: cooking loss; colour measurements (Minolta); shear force and maximum load of skin with Allo-Kramer device and peak force needed when skin breaks with Texture Analyser. Physical test showed that all product types need to have their own tailored smoking and cooking program to reach the wanted result. Texture analyser and Allo-Kramer-device did not give any logical results so these methods needs more testing for useful results. Sensory evaluation indicated that the properties of a natural casing frankfurter is hard to achieve by manufacturing skinless frankfurter. The differences between artificial casing samples were low in all experiments. But when comparing these results to natural casing had significantly (p<0.05) lower bendability of skin, snappiness and gumminess of the skin was higher as well as the overall texture of frankfurter was harder than skinless frankfurters. In conclusion, skinless frankfurters made with artificial casings could not compete with properties of natural casings. Maybe it is possible to get very close with the right recipe, additives, casing and thermal treatment. But at the moment the natural casing is unbeaten.
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(2009)Outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism have increased during the last ten years. In addition, the interest towards national parks has grown, which can be seen also as an increasing trend in the development of the number of visits to national parks. The aim of this thesis is to explain the cross-sectional variation in the visitation data representing different parks and hiking areas. Another aim is to explore the question of why the visitation in national parks has increased in Finland. These questions are studied separately for the national parks and hiking areas, because the development of the number of visits in national parks and hiking areas has been different. In addition, the separation is made also between Southern Finland and Northern Finland due to for example the size differences and close link of the national parks in Northern Finland with the ski-resort centers. Explanatory factors are divided into supply side factors (services inside and outside the park) and demand side factors (economic and demographics factors). The data is a panel data, including all national parks and hiking areas in the time period 2000?2008. The one-way fixed effects model is used in the regression analysis. According to results the land area of the park, services inside the park and population size seemed to have positive effects on the number of visits. Income per capita had negative impact on the visits. In Southern Finland the size of the age-class 65?74 affected positively the number of visits, whereas the effect of gasoline price was negative. Used time period was short due to the lack of appropriate data. Thus, the results reflect more the cross-sectional variation between parks. Results can be used in the planning of the management of national parks and hiking areas.
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(2024)Aims: There is no information on changes in body mass index (BMI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic among persons of migrant origin. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BMI and factors associated with changes in BMI among the general- and migrant-origin populations in Finland. Methods: Individual-level changes in self-reported BMI among migrant origin persons (n=3313) were obtained from the FinMonik Survey conducted in 2018 and MigCOVID Survey conducted 2020-2021. Data for the general population reference group was obtained from the FinHealth 2017 Study conducted 2017-2018 and the FinHealth 2017 follow-up Study (n= 2982). Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between changes in BMI and age, sex, education, economic activity, length of residence in Finland, language skills, smoking, alcohol usage, sleep, physical activity, snacking, and fruit and vegetable consumption. A significant change in BMI was defined as a 5% or greater change. Results: 40.8 percent of the migrant-origin population and 41.2 percent of the general population in Finland experienced at least a five percent change in BMI. Persons of migrant origin who were other than students or employed (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.18, 2.48) faced an increased risk for an increase in BMI of at least 5%, while being between 35-49 (OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.49, 0.98) and between 50-66 (OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.36, 0.83) had a significantly decreased risk. In the general population, an increase in BMI of at least 5% was more likely to occur among women (OR=1.61, 95% CI 1.26, 2.07), those who were other than students or employed (OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.26, 2.25), those who increased their alcohol intake (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.06, 2.54), those who increased their snacking (OR=1.40, 95% CI 1.04, 1.90) and decreased their fruit and vegetable intake (OR=1.85 , 95% CI 1.18, 2.90). An increase of at least 5% in BMI was inversely related with being between the ages of 50 and 66 (OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.27, 0.57), having secondary education or higher (OR=0.61, 95% CI 0.43, 0.86), and even among those who smoked more during the pandemic (OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.26, 0.96). Conclusions: Although economic activity was determined to be a significant predictor of increases in BMI among both general- and migrant-origin populations, most examined factors applied differently to each population. These differences must be considered when planning future public health promotion efforts, particularly those during crisis situations.
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