Matthew Schwarzkopf

University of Primorska | UP · Department of Technology

It is important from a techno-economic perspective to understand the challenges associated with developing scalable processes to extract functional proteins from rapeseed cake for applications as functional food ingredients. One of these challenges is to develop a better understanding of the link between upstream mechanical processing of the rapese...

Glucosinolates are well known as natural antimicrobials and anticarcinogenic agents. However, these compounds can lose their properties and transform into antinutrients, depending on processing conditions. In addition, the bitterness of some glucosinolate in rapeseed meal can affect the likability of the final product. Therefore, it is important to...

Olive oil production using three-phase decanter systems creates olive oil and two by-products: olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and pomace. These by-products contain the highest share of polyphenolic compounds that are known to be associated with beneficial effects on human health. Therefore, they are an attractive source of phenolic compounds for furt...

The conversion of raw fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes into processed food products creates side streams of residues that can place a burden on the environment. However, these processed residues are still rich in bioactive compounds and in an effort to valorize these materials in tomato by-product streams, the main aim of this study is to...

Thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processing can improve the intrinsic properties of wood, produce new materials, and give desired form and function to new applications. THM treatments change the mechanical properties of wood and may change its viscoelastic properties as well. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the viscoelastic proper...

Full-text can be found here. The valorization of olive pomace through the extraction of phenolic compounds at an industrial scale is influenced by several factors that can have a significant impact on the feasibility of this approach. These include the types and levels of phenolic compounds that are present, the impact that seasonal variation and c...

Phenolic compounds are well-known bioactive compounds in plants that can have a protective role against cancers, cardiovascular diseases and many other diseases. To promote local food development, a comprehensive overview of the phenolic compounds' composition and their impact on human health from typical Mediterranean plants such as Punica granatu...

Modification of wood improves certain properties of natural wood and presents competitive alternatives to synthetic materials that may have larger environmental impacts. One aspect of modified wood that is currently not fully understood is the dynamic performance and how it is affected by the modification process. In this study, low-molecular weigh...

Thermal-hydro-mechanical (THM) densification treatments were performed on Populus spp. (poplar), Picea abies (spruce), and Fagus sylvatica (beech). Prior to THM treatment, a low-molecular weight resin was impregnated into the wood structure. Densification results, mechanical characteristics (modulus of elasticity, rupture, and hardness), and set-re...

Within the Slovenian region of Istria, the olive growing and oil production industry is strong. This industry has a long history and the olives grown here have high levels of biologically active compounds including a variety of phenolic compounds. Using residual materials generated by this industry in potential wood protection systems would not onl...

In this study, an integrated approach combining experimental measurements and numerical modeling was used for characterization of load transfer in the wood/matrix interface in wood plastic composites (WPCs). The experimental methodology was based on optical measurement of surface displacements and strains in model WPC specimens subjected to tensile...

Nothofagus pumilio and N. antarctica forests of Southern Patagonia, Argentina are currently being managed for production of saw logs with fast growing conditions. The result of these management strategies is faster growing forests, but also an increase in the percentage of low-density wood. The motivation for this study was to find a way to valoris...

By combining advanced imaging tools with morphology-based numerical modelling, a methodology has been proposed to measure the wood-adhesive bond performance at the micro level. Through this integration of multi-modal and multi-scale tools, this methodology provides a tool to understand the complex interactions between wood and adhesive phases at a...

This chapter reviews and discusses the performance and environmental impacts of wood-plastic composites (WPCs) used in a variety of applications ranging from construction and automotive sectors to consumer goods. Performance is considered in terms of fitness for use, manufacturing methods, material components of WPCs, and user perceptions of the ma...

The mechanical performance of wood-based composites is determined by the mechanical properties of their individual components and the effective load transfer between these components. In laminated wood composites, this load transfer is facilitated by the adhesive bond. The experimental methodology developed in this study measures and analyzes the f...

The load transfer between wood particles and the matrix was analyzed by observation of the strain patterns in thin films of high density polyethylene (HDPE) with embedded wood particles subjected to tensile loading. Optical measurement techniques based on the digital image correlation (DIC) principle were employed for quantitative measurement of st...

The mechanical performance of wood plastic composites (WPCs) is determined by the mechanical properties of their individual components and the effective load transfer between these components. The mechanical properties of these composites can be influenced by changing their composition, internal structure, and adjusting certain processing parameter...

To clarify the mechanical behaviour differences between earlywood and latewood, separated the earlywood and the latewood specimens loaded to the rupture with tensile load parallel to the grain. The separated test specimens for tensile test were prepared from douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and stress–strain relation was evaluated by optical mea...

Structural performance of wood adhesive bonds depends on their ability to transfer stress across an interface of dissimilar materials, namely cell wall substance and cured polymeric adhesive. The interphase region of the bond consists of cell wall substance, voids, and voids filled with adhesive. In this study, an integrated method to numerically m...

Structural performance of wood adhesive bonds depends on their ability to transfer stress across an interface of dissimilar materials, namely cell wall substance and cured polymeric adhesive. The interphase region of the bond consists of cell wall substance, voids, and voids filled with adhesive. In this study, an integrated method to numerically m...

A formaldehyde-free adhesive consisting of soy flour, polyethylenimine, maleic anhydride, and sodium hydroxide was investigated for making randomly oriented strandboard (R-OSB) and oriented strandboard (OSB). The hot-press conditions and the adhesive usage rate were optimized in terms of enhancing internal bond strength (IB), modulus of rupture (MO...

A wet method and dry method of applying a soy flour (SF)–curing agent (CA) adhesive onto wood flakes were evaluated for making randomly oriented strandboard (R-OSB) and OSB. The wet method involved the thorough mixing of SF and CA prior to spraying the SF–CA mixture onto wood flakes. SF:CA weight ratio, adhesive add-on rate, hot-press conditions we...