University of Hohenheim

About: University of Hohenheim is a education organization based out in Stuttgart, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 8585 authors who have published 16406 publications receiving 567377 citations.

Betalains – emerging prospects for food scientists

Abstract: Betalains have witnessed swayings of scientific interest in the past 40 years, but only during the past decade research activities in many disciplines dealing with breeding, phytochemical, technological and nutritional aspects have broadened the hitherto narrow view on betalains. The challenge of bringing together the knowledge from all these different fields of expertise is considered to be most fruitful. In the present review, the focus will be on the technologically related analytical issues.

Metabolic fractionation of stable carbon isotopes: implications of different proximate compositions for studies of the aquatic food webs using δ13C data.

Abstract: In two laboratory experiments using tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio), we investigated the effect of lipid content in the fish carcass on the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C). In both experiments, a significant negative correlation was found between lipid content in the carcass dry matter and δ13C of total dry matter, but there was no influence on the δ13C of fat-free dry matter or lipids. As the lipid content of fish is known to vary with reproductive stage, season or nutritional state, separate analysis of fractions of the proximate composition of dry matter will lead to more reliable results than analysing the whole body. The differences in δ13C between diet and fish carcass (trophic shift) were different for the two species, calling for feeding trials under controlled conditions using the species and the feeds in question before applying the stable isotope tracer technique in the analysis of food webs.

Water – A magic solvent for biomass conversion

Abstract: Hydrothermal biomass conversion processes provide the opportunity to use feedstocks with high water content for the formation of energy carriers or platform chemicals. The water plays an active role in the processes as solvent, reactant and catalyst or catalyst precursor. In this paper, the different hydrothermal processes of carbonization, gasification and liquefaction are introduced and the specific role of water is discussed for each of them. The high reactivity of the polar components of biomass in hot compressed water and its changing properties with temperature are the key to obtain high selectivities of the desired products. Despite the obvious advantages of hydrothermal conversion examples for industrial applications are rare. The main reason for not commercial application of water in the high temperature state is that there are no products that can be sold with profit and cannot be produced cheaper, with less capital risk, and with more simple processes.

Regional climate downscaling over Europe: perspectives from the EURO-CORDEX community

Abstract: The European CORDEX (EURO-CORDEX) initiative is a large voluntary effort that seeks to advance regional climate and Earth system science in Europe. As part of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) - Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), it shares the broader goals of providing a model evaluation and climate projection framework and improving communication with both the General Circulation Model (GCM) and climate data user communities. EURO-CORDEX oversees the design and coordination of ongoing ensembles of regional climate projections of unprecedented size and resolution (0.11° EUR-11 and 0.44° EUR-44 domains). Additionally, the inclusion of empirical-statistical downscaling allows investigation of much larger multi-model ensembles. These complementary approaches provide a foundation for scientific studies within the climate research community and others. The value of the EURO-CORDEX ensemble is shown via numerous peer-reviewed studies and its use in the development of climate services. Evaluations of the EUR-44 and EUR-11 ensembles also show the benefits of higher resolution. However, significant challenges remain. To further advance scientific understanding, two flagship pilot studies (FPS) were initiated. The first investigates local-regional phenomena at convection-permitting scales over central Europe and the Mediterranean in collaboration with the Med-CORDEX community. The second investigates the impacts of land cover changes on European climate across spatial and temporal scales. Over the coming years, the EURO-CORDEX community looks forward to closer collaboration with other communities, new advances, supporting international initiatives such as the IPCC reports, and continuing to provide the basis for research on regional climate impacts and adaptation in Europe.