Study of the dynamic changes in the non-volatile chemical constituents of black tea during fermentation processing by a non-targeted metabolomics approach

Fermentation is a critical manufacturing process to produce black tea, in which the chemical compositions are greatly changed. However, the dynamic changes of this sophisticated process are far from clear, and were often characterized by determining a small number of compounds. In this study, we applied a non-targeted metabolomics approach based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to comprehensively profile the variations of metabolites in tea samples with various fermentation durations of 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 h. Principal component analysis indicated obvious stepwise alterations of tea metabolome during the fermentation. Relative quantitation of 61 identified metabolites including catechins, dimeric catechins, flavonol glycosides, amino acids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and nucleosides revealed distinct changes of phenol pathway. Dynamic changes of a part of these compounds were mapped for the first time. To the best of our knowledge, this study offered the most comprehensive profiles of metabolite changes during the tea fermentation process.     

Estimating sensory properties of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by near infrared spectroscopy

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used to determine food chemical composition and to a lesser extent to evaluate sensory properties. Because sample preparation is relatively simple, NIRS is especially useful in situations where many samples must be analysed, such as gene-bank characterization or breeding. We aimed to assess the feasibility of using NIRS to predict aroma, flavour, mealiness, seed-coat perception, seed-coat brightness, and seed-coat roughness in common beans. Spectra of raw, undried cooked and dried cooked common bean seeds of 55 accessions were registered. Partial least squares (PLS) regression equations were developed between spectra absorbance and sensory properties scored by eleven trained panellists. Spectra registered on dried cooked samples generally yielded the best predictions. The relative ability of prediction (RAP) values were greater than 0.8 for flavour and mealiness and between 0.5 and 0.7 for seed-coat roughness and brightness. However, a suitable model to estimate the seed-coat perception was not found. These results make it possible to screen for samples that are close to the target sensory properties and thus substantially reduce the number of panel sessions needed for gene-bank evaluation or breeding.     

Effects of green tea powder on the quality attributes of hard red winter wheat flour and Chinese steamed bread

The effects of green tea powder (GTP) on the properties of hard red winter (HRW) flour and Chinese steamed bread were investigated. GTP was blended with HRW flour at levels of 0.00, 1.00, 2.00, 3.00 and 4.00 g GTP/100 g wheat flour. With the addition of GTP, the maximum torque of flour became stronger. The resilience and degree of green colour of steamed bread increased, while hardness and chewiness decreased, with the addition of GTP. The addition of 1.00% GTP did not significantly affect the specific volume, but remarkably influenced the hardness and resilience of steamed bread. In steamed bread formulated with GTP, the antioxidant activity was 0.84 mm TE per g at 1.00% of GTP and increased with GTP levels. The steamed bread had a pleasant flavour, and the degree of overall liking of steamed bread increased with GTP levels to the maximum used in this work.     

英红九号茶蛋白ACE抑制肽的制备、氨基酸组成及不同超滤组分的活性评价

以英红九号红茶渣经碱溶酸沉提取的茶蛋白为研究对象,血管紧张素转化酶(ACE)抑制率为评价指标,通过单因素试验和响应面优化得到茶蛋白ACE抑制肽的最佳制备工艺,并对酶解物进行氨基酸组成分析、超滤膜分离和不同分子量组分的ACE抑制活性分析。结果表明,英红九号茶蛋白ACE抑制肽的最优酶解工艺为酶解温度37℃、3.20 h、p H值7.20、底物质量分数3%、酶底质量比0.40%,在此条件下进行的验证试验ACE抑制率为83.38%,与理论值84.48%较相符。英红九号茶蛋白ACE抑制肽酶解物富含必需氨基酸(33.03%)和对ACE抑制活性有重要意义的疏水性氨基酸(47.20%),且经超滤膜分离所得<3ku组分的ACE抑制活性(IC₅₀=0.85 mg/mL)要显著强于酶解物(IC₅₀=1.37 mg/mL)和>3 ku组分(IC₅₀=2.81 mg/mL)。该研究为食源性ACE抑制肽的研究开发和英红九号茶蛋白的高值化利用提供了理论依据。     

Quantitative assessment of risk associated with dietary intake of mycotoxin ochratoxin A on the adult inhabitants in Shanghai city of P.R. China

Mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is considered to be a possible risk factor for adverse effects in humans. In the present study, quantitative assessment of risk associated with dietary intake of OTA was performed based on consumption habits of the representative adult inhabitants in Shanghai city of P. R. China. Firstly, a total of 400 food samples randomly collected from different locations of Shanghai were analyzed by the previously established isotope dilution LC–MS/MS method. Then, 265 participants of 70 males and 195 females as representative inhabitants were invited to answer the designed questionnaire about the quantity and frequency of foods including four major varieties of grapes, cereals, beans and dried fruits as well as their derived products. Finally, all data were simulated by the point evaluation and model evaluation for the risk assessment of OTA contamination. Results from the point evaluation indicated that mean value of daily intake (DI) of OTA was 1.147 ng/kg body weight/day, which was lower than all the reference standards. However, DI value (8.566 ng/kg body weight/day) in the high percentile (97.5th) was obviously higher than the PTDI (5 ng/kg body weight/day) proposed by Scientific Committee on Food. Among the different groups of foods, OTA in cereals and derived products made the largest contribution to the potential healthy risk. The mean DI value and 97.5th percentile were 1.093 and 7.962 ng/kg body weight/day, respectively, indicating that more than 90% of the risk was due to the contamination of OTA in cereals and derived products. On the other hand, similar results were obtained by the Monte Carlo assessment model. Thus, from the currently available data and analyzed results on the adult inhabitants, regarding OTA contamination issues on food safety administration of Shanghai, there was no significant attention which should be paid on food consumption in Shanghai, besides cereals and derived products with very little possibility as the risk factors.     

茶叶加工中美拉德反应对品质形成与安全的影响分析

美拉德反应主要是氨基化合物和羰基化合物之间发生的非酶促反应,广泛存在于热加工食品中。茶叶是重要的农产食品,在加工过程中美拉德反应对其香气、色泽、滋味品质的形成都具有重要作用。同时,随着美拉德反应在食品加工中研究的深入,其产物的功能性与安全性越来越受人们的关注。基于此,本文重点从美拉德反应对茶叶香气、色泽、滋味形成及安全性等方面进行综述分析,为探索茶叶加工中合理利用美拉德反应,充分发挥其功能作用而减少其不利影响提供参考意义。     

气相色谱-串联质谱法测定水果、蔬菜中乙烯利的残留量

建立了水果、蔬菜中乙烯利化合物残留量的气相色谱-串联质谱(GC-MS/MS)检测方法,样品经甲醇超声提取,盐酸水溶液调节pH,N-(特丁基二甲基硅烷)-N-甲基三氟乙酰胺(MTBSTFA)衍生,采用GC-MS/MS多反应监测模式分析,基质外标法定量。结果表明,在pH为4.0的提取环境下,衍生化试剂添加量为10.0 μL、60 ℃时反应30.0 min的条件下,乙烯利衍生化产物响应最好。乙烯利在0.01~1.00 mg/kg的范围内线性关系良好,决定系数(R2)为0.9993,方法检出限(S/N≥3)为0.200 μg/kg,定量限(S/N≥10)为0.600 μg/kg。在低中高三个添加水平下,乙烯利的平均回收率范围为81.3%~105.0%,相对标准偏差小于5.4%。该方法操作简单快速、灵敏度和选择性高,适用于水果、蔬菜中乙烯利的日常检测。     

Tea components influencing bioavailability of fluoride and potential transport mechanism in the Caco-2 cell line model

Previous work showed that the bioavailability of fluoride in dark tea was lower than NaF solution. However, limited information is available indicating the effects of tea components on the fluoride bioavailability. In this study, the effects of the components in tea on the bioavailability of fluoride were evaluated in the Caco-2 cell line model. Additionally, the mechanism of effect of aluminium on fluoride transport was investigated. The result showed that 10–100 μm of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could not influence fluoride transport. Al³⁺ significantly decreased fluoride transport in both apical-basolateral and basolateral-apical directions. Moreover, aluminium could form different forms of aluminium fluoride complexes, which were transported through Caco-2 cells by different pathways. F⁻ transport was mainly dependent on the paracellular pathway and active transport involving Cl⁻ channels. The paracellular pathway played a predominant role in transport of AlF₃. The paracellular pathway and active transport both participated in AlF₂⁺ transport.