Flexural and flammability evaluation of a new bio-based polyurethane foam (PUF) with alumina trihydrate (ATH) added as flame retardant were carried out. The PUF was obtained from a blend of vegetable oils. Flexural behavior of the polyurethane with different mass fractions of flame retardant (ATH) was investigated according to ASTM D790-17. Flammability tests were performed according to ASTM D3801-20 and ASTM D635-14 for the vertical and horizontal positions, respectively. The ATH addition influenced the flexural strength of the tested specimens, showing mean values for pure PUF and PUF with 50% of ATH were very close, but the highest value was obtained for PUF with 20% of ATH. Besides, the maximum strain value under flexural load was substantially reduced as the ATH mass increased, which was 11.4% for pure PUF and 3.38% for PUF with 50% of ATH. The flexural modulus increased with ATH incorporation up to 40% mass fraction. The obtained values for pure PUF, PUF with 40% of ATH and PUF with 50% of ATH specimens were 30.63 ± 1.95 MPa, 73.01 ± 2.82 MPa, and 62.16 ± 2.30 MPa, respectively. In addition, flammability test results presented better responses as the amount of ATH increased. PUF with 40% of ATH received V-2 classification, and PUF with 50% of ATH obtained HB classification. Therefore, the results for PUF with the addition of ATH show that the new bio-based material can be designed by using different mass fractions. Thus, this material becomes very useful for many types of applications, such as furniture and automobile industries, as well as sandwich structures and building constructions.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of different feed withdrawal (FW) periods (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 h) on live broiler weight loss, dressed and chilled carcass yields, and chilled breast meat quality attributes of chickens reared in an alternative system, without the use of any antibiotics, growth promoters, coccidiostats, or ingredients from animal sources. Live weight loss and dressed and chilled carcass yields after FW were determined, and also fillet color, waterholding capacity (WHC), pH, shear value, cooking loss, and proximate composition, and a sensory analysis was conducted. Longer FW periods resulted in significant (P ≤ 0.05) increases in live broiler weight losses, from 1.3 to 5.3% in the 18-h period. The drops in dressed and chilled carcass yields became statistically significant at 12 h of FW, with dressed carcass yields of 65.2% after 3 h of FW and 63.8% after 12 h. Chilled carcass yields dropped from 68.8% after 3 h of FW to 67.0% after 12 h. Fillet color, as indicated by the L* values, became darker with longer FW periods, as shown by regression analysis. No statistical differences were observed for the a* values, b* values, WHC, cooking losses, and proximate composition of the fillets for the different FW periods. The Pearson correlation values showed a significant but low negative correlation between fillet pH and shear force, which varied with FW period. The highest carcass yields were obtained for broilers submitted to FW periods of between 3 and 9 h.