A new model of water sorption isotherm is developed on the basis of Raoult's law. It is assumed that water present in food occurs in two states, as free water with properties of the bulk water and as water of hydration. Hydrated molecules are considered as new entities with molecular weights larger than those of non-hydrated molecules. Hydration reduces the free concentration of water and thus affects water activity in solution. Application of the developed equation to food sorption data showed that it gives approximation of sorption isotherms much better than that offered by the GAB model. Moreover, it predicts infinite adsorption at a(w)=1, the property which is not offered by the GAB equation. The new equation makes it possible to interpolate isotherms at high water activities close to one. The probability that the new equation will fit the food isotherm with small RMS is higher than 90% and substantially exceeds that found for the GAB model. As a two-parameter model it makes substantial improvement over the three-parameter GAB equation.

Recent research has documented shifts in per capita trophic interactions and food webs in response to changes in environmental moisture, from the top-down (consumers to plants), rather than solely bottom-up (plants to consumers). These responses may be predictable from effects of physiological, behavioral, and ecological traits on animal water balance, although predictions could be modified by energy or nutrient requirements, the risk of predation, population-level responses, and bottom-up effects. Relatively little work has explicitly explored food web effects of changes in animal water balance, despite the likelihood of widespread relevance, including during periodic droughts in mesic locations, where taxa may lack adaptations for water conservation. More research is needed, particularly in light of climate change and hydrological alteration.

Water is essential for life on Earth, yet little is known about how water acts as a trophic currency, a unit of value in determining species interactions in terrestrial food webs. We tested the relative importance of groundwater and surface water in riparian food webs by manipulating their availability in dryland floodplains. Primary consumers (crickets) increased in abundance in response to added surface water and groundwater (contained in moist leaves), and predators (spiders and lizards) increased in abundance in response to added surface water, in spite of the presence of a river, an abundant water source. Moreover, the relative magnitude of organism responses to added water was greatest at the most arid site and lowest at the least arid site, mirroring cricket recruitment, which was greatest at the least arid site and lowest at the most arid site. These results suggest that water may be a key currency in terrestrial dryland food webs, which has important implications for predicting ecosystem responses to human‐ and climate‐related changes in hydrology and precipitation.

Water content quantification of raw polysaccharide materials for food processing is generally performed by gravimetric analysis or titrimetric methods, which are time- and energy-consuming, non-eco-friendly and sample destructive. The present study develops and validates a new approach, based on the use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, resulting in a model of the water content of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) polysaccharides. Samples of CMC were exposed to different relative humidity conditions. Water content was determined by standard gravimetric methods (OIV-Oeno 404–2010) and compared with the area of FTIR absorption in the range 3675–2980 cm⁻¹, attributed to the stretching of OH groups. The strong correlation between gravimetric results and FTIR area (R² = 0.88) showed no signs of bias across the water content range. A cross-validation technique to predict the water content by band area was assessed obtaining a general equation: y = 2.12 x + 2.80 with a high repetitively and good prediction of the tested models.

Mechanical mixtures of macromolecules and simple solutes were investigated with respect to their water adsorption capabilities. The additivity principle was applied to predict sorption isotherms of mixtures on the basis of the sorption behaviour of pure components. Mechanical mixtures of macromolecules and mixtures of biopolymers and simple solutes yielded isotherms which were superimposable with those predicted at the low water activity range. In the multilayer water absorption range, predicted isotherms in most cases overestimated the water contents of mixtures in comparison with experimental values. The reasons for the observed differences between experimental and predicted values are discussed. These may include the ordering of the water in contact with macromolecule surfaces, swelling, conformational changes, polymer-polymer interactions, multiple hydrogen bonds, binding of ions crosslinking, competition for water and plasticization of amorphous regions. The rates of these changes are limited and long time-scale experiments may be needed to observe equilibrium sorption isotherms of mechanical multicomponent mixtures. It is suggested that lack of the additivity of sorption processes should be rather a rule, not an exception in the case of multicomponent mixtures.

Water, energy and food (WEF) are inextricably interrelated. Effective planning and management of limited WEF resources to meet current and future socioeconomic demands for sustainable development is challenging. WEF production/delivery may also produce environmental impacts; as a result, green-house-gas emission control will impact WEF nexus management as well. Nexus management for WEF security necessitates integrated tools for predictive analysis that are capable of identifying the tradeoffs among various sectors, generating cost-effective planning and management strategies and policies. To address these needs, we have developed an integrated model analysis framework and tool called WEFO. WEFO provides a multi-period socioeconomic model for predicting how to satisfy WEF demands based on model inputs representing productions costs, socioeconomic demands, and environmental controls. WEFO is applied to quantitatively analyze the interrelationships and trade-offs among system components including energy supply, electricity generation, water supply-demand, food production as well as mitigation of environmental impacts. WEFO is demonstrated to solve a hypothetical nexus management problem consistent with real-world management scenarios. Model parameters are analyzed using global sensitivity analysis and their effects on total system cost are quantified. The obtained results demonstrate how these types of analyses can be helpful for decision-makers and stakeholders to make cost-effective decisions for optimal WEF management.

In this study, a predictive model for the estimation of water activity ([formula removed]) as a function of pH (1.00-8.00) and °Brix (0-82.00) values of simulated food solutions (SFS) was developed, through response surface methodology. Response fit analyses resulted in a highly significant (pH<0.0001) square root polynomial model that can predict [formula removed] of SFS in terms of pH and °Brix values within the defined variable ranges. The linear, quadratic and interactive influences of pH and °Brix on [formula removed] were all significant (pH<0.0001). Model validations in SFS and in a number of actual food systems showed that the model had acceptable predictive performance, as indicated by the calculated accuracy and bias indices.

Realizaram-se dois estudos, e primeiro deles objetivou verificar a influência do comportamento próximo ao comedouro e bebedouro sobre o consumo de água (CA) e avaliar a adequação das equações de predição para estimar o CA em bovinos Brangus no subtrópico. Os dados foram coletados em dois experimentos realizados no Rio Grande do Sul, na EEA-UFRGS, o primeiro em 2017, com 60 novilhas da raça Brangus e o segundo em 2018 com 30 bezerros da mesma raça. Os valores preditos foram calculados utilizando 6 equações previamente publicadas na literatura científica e comparados com os valores de CA medidos nos bebedouros automáticos. As análises de regressão linear entre CA medido e os valores preditos mostraram que todas as equações superestimaram o CA medido, devido a diferenças ambientais e genotípicas e fatores não considerados nas equações. Com as informações geradas nos experimentos, foram propostas equações de predição: CA= - 2,44 + (0,009 x PC) + (0,84 x CMS) – (0,10 x UR) + (0,64 x TMAX) e CA= - 2,52 + (0,96 x CMS) – (0,09 x UR) + (0,45 x TMAX) + (0,76 x NVCB) + (0,18 x TCB) - (0,02 x NVCC) + (1,81 x TI) para novilhas; e CA1= - 4,23 + (0,98 x CMS) + (0,50 x TMAX) - (0,98 x PP) e CA2 = 13,07 + (0,61 x CMS) - (0,14 x UR) + (0,34 x TMAX) – (0,91 x VV) - (0,09 x RS) + (0,99 x NVCB) para bezerros. As equações propostas para os bezerros foram validadas com dados coletados em outro período, com novilhos Brangus. Entre os dois modelos propostos no estudo, o modelo comportamental (CA2) apresentou maior coeficiente de determinação, com média estimada de CA de 9,49 kg para um CA medido de 19,55 kg/d. O segundo estudo objetivou avaliar a influência do temperamento sobre o consumo de água e alimentos de bezerros de corte confinados e analisar o efeito do temperamento sobre as características produtivas dos animais. Os dados foram coletados de 30 bezerros da raça Brangus no ano de 2018 em três avaliações. O temperamento foi avaliado como o escore composto de balança (escores de 1 a 5, de calmos a muito reativos) e, posteriormente, os animais foram categorizados em calmos, intermediários e reativos. O temperamento não influenciou o consumo de água e alimentar dos animais. Animais calmos ganharam menos peso no primeiro período de avaliação que os demais. Animais calmos permaneceram menos tempo no cocho que os demais. O presente estudo confirmou o baixo coeficiente de determinação dos modelos de predição de consumo de água e a superestimação do consumo. O consumo de água e alimentos e a maior parte dos atributos comportamentais ligados à ingestão não foram influenciado pelo temperamento dos bovinos. | Two studies were carried out, the first one aimed to verify the influence of the behavior close to the feeder and drinker on water intake (WI) and to evaluate the adequacy of the prediction equations to estimate the WI in Brangus cattle in the subtropical region. Data were collected in two experiments carried out in Rio Grande do Sul, at EEA- UFRGS. The first was in 2017 studying 60 Brangus heifers and the second was in 2018 studying 30 calves of the same breed. The predicted values were calculated using six previously published equations and compared with the WI values measured in the automatic drinkers. Linear regression analyzes between WI and predicted values demonstrated that all equations overestimated WI, due to both environmental and genotypic differences as well as to factors not considered in the equations. From the information generated in the experiments, new prediction equations were proposed: WI = - 2,44 + (0,009 x BW) + (0,84 x DMI) – (0,10 x HU) + (0,64 x MT) e WI = - 2,52 + (0,96 x DMI) – (0,09 x HU) + (0,45 x MT) + (0,76 x NVCB) + (0,18 x TCB) - (0,02 x NVCC) + (1,81 x TI) for heifers; and WI1 = - 4,23 + (0,98 x DMI) + (0,50 x MT) - (0,98 x PP) e WI2 = 13,07 + (0,61 x DMI) - (0,14 x HU) + (0,34 x MT) – (0,91 x WS) - (0,09 x SR) + (0,99 x NVCB) for calves. The proposed equations for the calves were validated with data collected in other period with Brangus steers. Among the two models proposed in the study, the behavioral model (WI2) presented the highest coefficient of determination, with an estimated mean of 9.49 kg of WI for an observed overall WI of 19.55 kg/d. The second article aimed to evaluate the influence of temperament on the consumption of water and feed of beef calves and to analyze the effect of temperament on the productive characteristics of animals. Data were collected from 30 Brangus calves in 2018 in three evaluations. The temperament was evaluated as the balance composed score (scores from 1 to 5 from calm to very reactive) and, later, the animals were categorized into calm, intermediate and reactive. The temperament did not influence the water and food consumption of the animals. Calm animals gained less weight in the first evaluation period than the rest of them. Calm animals spent less time in the feeder than the others. The present study confirmed the low coefficient of determination of the water intake prediction models and the overestimation of water consumption. The intake of water and food and most of the behavioral attributes linked to ingestion were not influenced by temperament in beef cattle raised in the subtropics.

The gasification of biomass in supercritical water is a promising technology for hydrogen production and the paper reports a thermodynamic analysis, based on minimization of Gibbs free energy, of the gasification with supercritical water of different biomass and agro-food residues: almond shells, digestate from wastewater treatment, algae and manure sludge. Numerical simulations were performed in order to assess the effect of temperature, pressure and biomass-to-water ratio on gas-phase yield and composition.A partial energy integration was also discussed, by considering the energy recovery from a turbine expansion of the gas-phase stream leaving the gasifier. The proposed thermodynamic approach allows predicting not only gasification efficiency of gasifier but also energy balance on the entire gasification process. Results showed that the dry substrates (almond shells and algae more than digestate and sludge) tend to form more carbon monoxide. Besides, data comparison revealed that the produced hydrogen comes from biomass and water for high process temperature, while when temperature decreases, the thermodynamic path tends to promote water formation from the hydrogen of the dry biomass.