The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of chitosan–tomato plant extract (C-TPE) edible coating (EC) on the physicochemical, microbiological, sensory, and antioxidant capacity changes of pork during storage. Edible coatings prepared with chitosan 1%, acetic acid 1%, glycerol, and TPE (0.1% and 0.3%) were tested. Slices of pork were submerged in different treatments (T1: C 1%; T2: C 1% + TPE 0.1%; T3: C 1% + TPE 0.3%; T4: control) and stored at 4 °C. The different treatments showed the best results in physicochemical and microbiological analyses, with reduced microbial population relative to the control. The highest antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were shown in T3, and the overall acceptance was better in T2. The results show that the application of C with the addition of natural extracts, such as the tomato plant with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, can be an alternative method for preserving pork.

Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination is considered a viable alternative to reduce water scarcity; however, its energy consumption is high. Photovoltaic (PV) energy in desalination processes has gained popularity in recent years. The temperature is identified as a variable that directly affects the behavior of different parameters of the RO process and energy production in PV panels. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature on energy consumption and polarization factor in desalination processes at 20, 23, 26 and 30 °C. Tests were conducted on a RO desalination plant driven by a fixed 24-module PV system that received spray cooling in the winter, spring and summer seasons. The specific energy consumption was lower with increasing process feed temperature, being 4.4, 4.3, 3.9 and 3.5 kWh m⁻³ for temperatures of 20, 23, 26 and 30 °C, respectively. The water temperature affected the polarization factor, being lower as the temperature increased. The values obtained were within the limits established as optimal to prevent the formation of scaling on the membrane surface. The spray cooling system was able to decrease the temperature of the solar cells by about 6.2, 13.3 and 11.5 °C for the winter, spring and summer seasons, respectively. The increase in energy production efficiency was 7.96–14.25%, demonstrating that solar cell temperature control is a viable alternative to improve power generation in solar panel systems.

This study investigates the corrosion resistance of chitosan and its crosslinked form coatings applied on stainless steel as substrate using various analytical techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were employed for surface characterization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) techniques were used to analyze the electrochemical behavior. Four coatings were evaluated along with naked stainless steel (ss): chitosan (Chi), chitosan crosslinked with ammonium paratungstate (Chi/PTA), chitosan crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (Chi/PEG), and chitosan crosslinked with polyvinylpyrrolidone (Chi/PVP). Electrochemical measurement parameters analysis assessed the coating corrosion resistance, such as impedance modulus (|Z|) and corrosion potential (Ecorr). Results indicate varying degrees of corrosion resistance among the coatings. Chi/PTA exhibited notable characteristics in the electrochemical tests, showing promising polarization resistance (Rp) and impedance behavior trends. Conversely, Chi/PEG showed differing electrochemical responses, suggesting higher susceptibility to corrosion under the study conditions. These findings contribute to understanding the electrochemical performance of chitosan-based coatings on stainless steel, highlighting their potential in corrosion protection applications.

Water is a necessary resource for life development. Its excessive consumption has a negative impact, generating scarcity problems worldwide. Desalination is an alternative to solve these problems; its objective is to reduce the concentration of total dissolved solids to levels suitable for consumption. The most widely used desalination technology is reverse osmosis, which works by means of semipermeable membranes; however, lack of knowledge or wrong operation cause phenomena such as concentration polarization, which reduces the effective area for mass transfer in the membrane, increasing the energy consumption of the process. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the concentration polarization (β) of the concentration in reverse osmosis membranes by varying the temperature in the feed water (23, 25.5, 28, and 35 °C) for different concentrations (5000 and 10,000 mg L⁻¹) in order to reduce its impact on energy consumption (kWh m⁻³). The results show that as the temperature increases, the specific energy consumption decreases for both concentrations. In the 5000 mg L⁻¹ tests, the specific energy consumption decreased by 0.590 kWh m⁻³, representing 12.5%. For 10,000 mg L⁻¹ tests, the specific energy consumption shows a reduction of 0.72 kWh m⁻³, which represents a percentage decrease of 14.54%.