Biodegradable materials are used in the manufacture of packaging and compostable films and various types of medical products. They have demonstrated a large number of potential practical applications in medicine and particularly in the treatment of various cardiac, vascular, and orthopedic conditions in adults as well in children. In our research, the extrusion-cooking technique was applied to prepare thermoplastic starch (TPS), which was then utilized to obtain environmentally friendly starch-based films. Potato starch was the basic raw material exploited. Polyvinyl alcohol and keratin were used as functional additives in amounts from 0.5 to 3%, while 20% of glycerol was harnessed as a plasticizer. The processing of the thermoplastic starch employed a single screw extruder-cooker with an L/D ratio of 16. The film blowing process was carried out using a film-blowing laboratory line with L/D = 36. FTIR Spectroscopy was applied for the assignment of the prominent functional groups. The results showed that the processing efficiency of thermoplastic starch with functional additives varied depending on the level of polyvinyl alcohol and keratin addition. Moreover, the FTIR data correlated with the changes in the physical properties of the tested films. The analysis of FTIR spectra revealed several changes in the intensity of bands originating from stretching vibrations characteristic of the –OH substituent. The changes observed depended on the presence/lack of the hydrogen bonding occurring upon interactions between the starch molecules and the various additives used. In addition, notable changes were observed in bands assigned to glycoside bonds in the starch.

One of the goals of adding adjuvants to agricultural spray solutions is to enhance the droplet size characteristics of this spray. Droplet size, in turn, has an influence in the deposited spray quality, in addition to the drift and losses of spray to off-target places. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of adding adjuvants to two types of water from different sources on the droplet size characteristics. Two types of adjuvants were employed in the tests: the active substance content of the first adjuvant was a 50% aqueous solution of sodium salt of alkylbenzenesulfonic acid—10% (HY), whereas the second was from rapeseed oil (natural origin)—85% (OL). Both adjuvants were tested in two concentrations: the first was with the concentration recommended by the manufacturer (100%), whereas the second concentration was 50% of the recommended dose. Two types of water from different sources were used in the tests: the first was from a village in the eastern part of Poland (WS), whereas the second was tap water from the city of Lublin, Poland (WUP). D_v0.1, D_v0.5, or volume median diameter (VMD), D_v0.9, Sauter mean diameter (SMD), relative span (RS), and the droplet size distribution were measured and calculated as characteristics of the droplet size. Results showed that the source of water affected the influence of adding adjuvant to the spray solution. Water from the WS source with adjuvant resulted in a numerical decrease in the D_v0.5 values in the percentage of droplet size range below 150 µm, whereas water from the WUP source resulted in an increase in these values (except when adding the HY adjuvant at 50% concentration). Adjuvant concentration significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the features of D_v0.9, SMD, and RS. Adding the OL adjuvant type numerically decreased the percentage of droplet size below 150 µm, and the D_v0.5 values, but only when the WS water source was used.

The market of extruded products is constantly growing and the incorporation of fruit items into their recipe, can made a crisp snack product a healthy one of acceptable flavor. The subject of this work is the evaluation of the effects of production screw speed, fruit type and amount on selected physical properties (expansion index, bulk density, water absorption and solubility, texture profile and color balance) of corn-based gluten-free crisps supplemented with various amounts (0–20%) of dried fruits (apple, white mulberry, goji berry, elderberry, blackberry) processed at variable screw speeds (80, 100 and 120 rpm). This work demonstrates that it is possible to obtain marketable extruded snacks with natural color coming from the incorporated dried fruits and with adequate expansion and texture if addition was up to 10% of all the tested fruits. Moreover, very good aeration, crispy texture and acceptable natural color was found if dried elderberry and blackberry were added to snacks even at 15 and 20%. Application of 15 or 20% of apple, white mulberry and goji berries showed similar color profiles and caused decrease in texture and expansion of snacks. The rotational screw speed effect differs significantly only in hardness and cutting force of the supplemented corn crisps.

The aim of the study was to obtain a new type of potato-based snack pellets fortified with fresh broccoli addition and to estimate their extrusion-cooking parameters (processing stability) and selected physical properties. In this work, fresh broccoli was added at varying levels (10, 20, and 30%) to potato-based pellets—a half-product for expanded ready-to-eat food snacks. The obtained results showed that the assessed variables: moisture content, screw speed, and amount of added fresh broccoli, have significantly affected the extrusion-cooking process and final product physical properties. Accordingly, increasing fresh broccoli by up to 30% induced higher efficiency of the extrusion-cooking process, lower energy consumption, a lower expansion index, lower bulk density values, and proper durability. Application of fresh broccoli may also significantly reduce water consumption during processing and save energy due to the omission of the vegetable drying step. We recommend the application of up to 30% fresh broccoli in newly developed extruded snack pellet formulations. Fresh broccoli, a valuable vegetable source of health-promoting substances, may be an attractive additive in snack pellet half-products with no negative effect on processing.

The use of worn-out agricultural nozzles in pesticide application has a negative effect on the efficiency and cost of the application process. It also has an effect on environmental pollution due to an excessive amount of pesticide being applied when spraying with worn-out nozzles. In this paper, the resistance to wear of three different internal design hydraulic nozzles was ascertained. Changes in the flow rate and spray distribution as a result of this wear were also investigated. The wear test was done inside a closed system, and it was accelerated using an abrasive material to generate 100 h of wear. The tested nozzles were the Turbo TeeJet (TT)-twin chambered, Turbo Twinjet (TTj60)-dual outlet, and Drift Guard (DG)-pre-orifice. Wear rate, flow rate, and the virtual coefficient of variation (CV_v) were measured at different wear intervals. The results showed that the TTj60 type was the most resistant to wear, followed by the TT type and DG. The latter two types showed an increase in the flow rate only in the first 45 h of wear. Virtual coefficient of variation (CV_v) values were less than 10% after finishing the test (after 100 h of wear) for the three types of nozzles, which are acceptable values according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 16122-2, 2015.

The aim of the research was to evaluate the influence of the forming die openings shape on processing parameters of the extrusion-cooking process and on the selected properties of gluten-free crisps. The experiment used blends of corn grits, unroasted buckwheat, rice, and dried blackberries. The extrusion process of gluten-free crisps was carried out via a prototype EXP-45-32 single-screw extruder with L/D=16. During the tests, 5 different forming dies were assessed: 2 openings with a diameter of 2 mm each, 1 round opening with a diameter of 3 mm, 1 cross-shaped opening, a star and a heart. During the tests, the processing efficiency and energy consumption of the extrusion process were tested, and the expansion index, bulk density and hardness of the crisps were investigated. The research demonstrated that the forming die shape affects the efficiency and energy consumption of the extrusion-cooking process of crisps. The lowest efficiency was found if a heart-shaped die was used, and the highest efficiency was determined in the case of a star-shape die. Moreover, the highest specific energy consumption was noted when using a star-shaped die during crisps extrusion. Crisps obtained using dies with larger diameters were characterized by a lower expansion index. The complicated shape of the die opening resulted in less expansion of the obtained crisps. The highest bulk density and hardness were found in the case of crisps obtained on a star-shaped forming die.