Taboada, E., Fisher, P., Jara, R., Zuniga, E., Gidekel, M., Cabrera, J. C., et al. (2010). Isolation and characterisation of pectic substances from murta (Ugni molinae Turcz) fruits. Food Chem., 123(3), 669–678.
Abstract: Cell walls polysaccharides from murta fruit (Ugni molinae Turcz), an endemic Chilean species with relevant food uses, were fractionated by water, ammonium oxalate, hot diluted HCl and cold diluted NaOH extractions. The polysaccharide fractions were analysed for monosaccharide composition and physicochemical properties. Pectic substances were found in all extracts, but mainly in the oxalate and acid soluble fractions, in which they appear as homogalacturonan polymers. Murta pectin was further extracted by hot diluted acid treatment using industrial conditions, yielding 30% by weight of dry fruit. The polymer showed similar composition and physicochemical properties to those of commercial citrus pectin, presenting a galacturonic acid content of 70.9% (w/w), a molecular weight of 597 kDa, and a methoxylation degree of 57%. The FT-IR spectrum of murta pectin suggests the presence of ferulic acid residues on its structure and the NMR analysis confirmed the structure of this polysaccharide. It is concluded that murta fruit can be considered as a valuable source of high quality pectin. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Munoz, F. D., Suazo-Martinez, C., Pereira, E., & Moreno, R. (2021). Electricity market design for low-carbon and flexible systems: Room for improvement in Chile. Energy Policy, 148(B), 111997.
Abstract: Chile was the first country that privatized all generation, transmission, and distribution services, and introduced competition in the generation segment. Nearly four decades after its creation, many features of the original electricity market design remain unchanged. In this paper, we provide a brief history of the Chilean electricity market and explain its main limitations going forward. Some of these include the use of a cost-based mechanism for spot transactions based on a merit-order curve, low temporal granularity of spot prices, missing forward markets to settle deviations from day-ahead commitments, inefficient pricing of greenhouse gas emissions due to administrative rules, and a capacity mechanism that does not reflect a clear resource adequacy target. Many of these limitations are also present in other electricity markets in Latin America that, when privatized, mirrored many features of the electricity market design in Chile. Failing to address these limitations will provide distorted incentives for the efficient entry and operation of resources that could impart flexibility to the system, increasing the cost of decarbonizing the power sector.
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