The objective of the present work was to apply self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) to evaluate the protective capacity of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) antioxidants against the biodiesel oxidation reaction. For this, the antioxidant concentration and the biodiesel compliance parameters were used as continuous input variables and the type of antioxidant as a categorical. The SOFM proved to be an adequate tool for the classification of biodiesel samples containing antioxidants. The performance of the 5 most active networks of the model ranged from 89 to 99% for training, testing, and validation with an error below 1.42 × 10-4. Statistical tests applied to validate the model showed no significant difference between predicted and experimental values. The global sensitivity analysis showed that the relative protection factor (RPF) contributed with 34.89%, the antioxidant with 31.49%, the induction period with 10.69%, the water content with 6.00%, and the others all together with 16.93% in the construction of the regression models by MLP.

The simultaneous diffusion of inorganic components in the olive pulp in wet brine was modeled based on Fick’s generalized 2nd Law and simulated using the finite element method. The main and crossed diffusion coefficients, the film coefficient and the Biot number were determined, with the application of the simplex optimization method, through the minimization of the percentage errors. The errors between the simulated and experimental data were 5.35% for NaCl and 4.77% for KCl and the adjusted main diffusion coefficients were 0.4358 × 10-12 m2 s-1 for NaCl and 0.5408 × 10-12 m2 s-1 for KCl. The system developed to simulate diffusion allows the control and modulation of the salts content that diffuses through the olive pulp.

Olive samples were subjected to the salting process in brine containing 1196 mol m−3 of NaCl and 402 mol m−3 of KCl. Samples were collected during 60 h and salt concentration values were determined. With the finite element method (FEM) and the minimization of the errors percentage between the simulated and experimental values, the mass transfer coefficients in the film (hm) were obtained, being 1.0072 × 10−8 and 1.2499 × 10−8 for NaCl and KCl, respectively. The salts concentration at the olive/brine interface was simulated by FEM and analyzed via SOFM. A network with 4 × 4 topology and 10000 training epochs was used. It was observed that the influence of the stationary film formed on the surface of the olives during the salting process depends on the position, the salt involved in the diffusion and that the concentration of the salts, at each point, varies according to the immersion time.

Biodiesel is capable of replacing diesel because it has similar physicochemical properties, but this biofuel is susceptible to oxidation, which makes the application of antioxidant substances necessary. For this study, alcoholic extracts of senna leaves, hibiscus flowers, and blackberry were used. Biodiesel samples were submitted to physicochemical analysis to evaluate interference in the volume of these alcoholic extracts with antioxidant properties. The data obtained were processed using the neural network of the multilayer perceptron type (MLP). For the network’s training, 200 epochs were used. The samples were randomly divided into three groups, with 70% used for training, 15% for testing, and 15% for validation. The type of extract was considered as a categorical variable, the extract volume as a target variable, and the other ones as input variables. Among the 200 networks trained, with 5 to 20 hidden layers, the 5 with the best performance were highlighted. The Tukey test applied to the means showed no significant difference at the 5% level, between the value of the added volume and the means value predicted by the networks. The sensitive analysis showed that the most important input variable for the construction of the model was the type of extract.

Sodium chloride is used in the cheese salting process as it promotes sensory changes and food preservation. However, in excess can cause hypertension problems, and for this reason, it has been partially replaced by potassium chloride. In the present work, Prato cheese was subjected to joint diffusion of NaCl and KCl by immersion in static and stirred brine. The salt concentration values on the cheese surface were determined as a function of time. They were tabulated and presented to the self-organizing map (SOM)-type neural networks and the multilayer perceptron (MLP) for analysis and modeling of the film formed on the surface of the cheese during static and dynamic salting. The SOM network showed that the behavior of the diffusive process, on the surface of the cheese, depends on the analyzed position and that the points in which occupy similar positions, concerning the distance from the edge, have similar behavior. Regression models for NaCl and KCl were significant at the 5% level and can be used for predictive purposes.

The NaCl and KCl diffusion in the film formed on the cheese surface during salting was simulated by the finite element method. The time and salts concentration values on the cheese surface were determined, tabulated, and presented to the multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) for the regression modeling. The samples were divided into 70, 15 and 15% for training, testing, and validation, respectively. The networks with the best performance showed 5 to 12 hidden layers. The Tukey’s test showed that there was no significant difference, at the 5% level, between the time value used and the mean value modeled for training, testing, and validation for the NaCl. For the KCl, a significant difference was observed only for 2 training samples and 1 test sample. Sensitivity analysis showed that the discrete variable Z, which represents the static and dynamic systems, was the most important in the models’ construction.

The champignon mushroom has no antinutritional factors that can affect iron bioavailability. It is considered a functional food and can provide health benefits by presenting bioactive components. The simultaneous transfer of Na+, K+ and Fe2+ in the pre-cooked mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) was modeled and simulated by the finite element method (FEM). The Biot number, cross and main diffusion coefficients were determined by the super modified simplex optimization method by minimizing the percentage errors. The errors between experimental and simulated data were 5.66% for NaCl, 5.36% for KCl and 8.26% for Fe2+ in the static brine and 3.11% for NaCl, 3.30% for KCl and 15.34% for Fe2+ in stirred brine. With the obtained model, it was possible to verify the influence of the film formed on the surface of the mushroom during the diffusion of ions, as well as the increase of ferrous ion adsorption when using the salting system with stirring.

Estudou-se a variação da perda de peso e a contribuição das folhas senescentes de pereira (cv. Rocha) para a restituição de azoto (N) ao solo através da técnica dos sacos de decomposição in situ, colocados em Outubro de 2003 à superfície do solo dum pomar situado no Cadaval (Oeste de Portugal). Os sacos contendo folhas senescentes colhidas em pereiras com um ano de plantação e fertilizadas com três níveis de N (0, 10 e 40 kg N/ha), foram recolhidos em Dezembro de 2003, Janeiro, Fevereiro, Maio, Julho e Outubro de 2004 e Março de 2005. No mesmo pomar enterraram-se, em Outubro de 2003, 12 cilindros de PVC, contendo à superfície folhas senescentes de pereiras com três anos de plantação e fertilizadas com 40 kg N/ha de adubo enriquecido com 10% de átomos de 15N. Os cilindros foram recolhidos em Janeiro, Março, Junho e Novembro de 2004. Determinouse a variação do peso e os teores de N total e enriquecimento em 15N nos resíduos, e nas amostras de terra avaliaram-se os teores de N “total”, N-inorgânico e carbono (C) orgânico, bem como os nitratos potencialmente lixiviados e adsorvidos em resinas de troca aniónica, em cada data. A decomposição in situ das folhas senescentes das pereiras ‘Rocha’ jovens variou significativamente com a fertilização azotada após 506 dias. As folhas provenientes da modalidade 0 kg N/ha apresentaram menor peso residual (21% do inicial) e menor teor de N (44% do teor inicial de N) comparativamente com as folhas resultantes das modalidades adubadas com N, no final do período em estudo. Padrão idêntico de comportamento verificou-se na decomposição in situ das folhas das árvores com três anos, colocada à superfície do solo dos cilindros de PVC enterrados. A mineralização do N destas folhas levou à disponibilização do N para as árvores no início do abrolhamento e a partir de Junho, não se tendo observado lixiviação do N mineral produzido.

The weight loss of one year-old ‘Rocha’ pear senescent leaves and their contribution to nitrogen (N) cycling in the soil, were studied using litter bags. The leaves were collected from trees fertilized with ammonium nitrate, using three N rates (0, 10 and 40 kg N/ha). The litter bags were installed in October 2003, at the surface of the soil, in an orchard located in Cadaval (Western Portugal). Litter bags were removed from the soil in December 2003, January, February, May, July and October 2004, and March 2005. Leaves were also collected from three-year old ‘Rocha’ pear trees fertilized with 40 kg N/ha using ammonium nitrate, double enriched with 10 atom% 15N. These were placed at the surface of non-disturbed soil cores, from cylinders buried in the same orchard in October 2003. The soil cores were removed from the soil in January, March, June and November 2004, and were analysed for the evolution of leaf weight, leaf N and 15N enrichment. Inorganic and “total” soil N, 15N enrichment, and organic carbon (C) in the soil and leached N captured in anion- -exchange resins were also determined at each sampling time. The decomposition of one-year old ‘Rocha’ pear senescent leaves was affected by N applied to the trees, after 506 days of decomposition in the field. The leaves from the 0 kg N/ha plots had less final weight (21% of the initial) and leaf N content (44% of leaf initial N content) at the end of the studied period, when compared to the leaves from the plots fertilized with N. Decomposition of senescent leaves from three-years-old trees at the soil surface in PVC cylinders showed a similar pattern. N mineralization in these leaves showed the potential availability of inorganic N at the beginning of trees bud break and after June, without nitrate leaching in the soil.