Removal of sulfur from Assam coal by bacterial conditioning and froth flotation

Reduction of sulfur by bacterial leaching from a high sulfur‐bearing coal sample from Assam was attempted. Flotation of the sample with light diesel oil could not depress the pyrite and also the Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was found to be ineffective in leaching the sulfur from the flotation concentrate. Conditioning of the same coal sample with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was found to assist in selectively depressing the pyrite, thereby reducing nearly 60% of the pyritic sulfur present in the sample. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ability of Lactobacillus gasseri K 7 to inhibit Escherichia coli adhesion in vitro on Caco-2 cells and ex vivo on pigs' jejunal tissue

The ability of Lactobacillus (Lb.) gasseri K 7 to inhibit adhesion of Escherichia coli O8:K88 to intestinal mucosa was studied on cultured Caco-2 cells and ex vivo on pigs' small intestinal tissue. Lactobacilli were added simultaneously with E. coli, before E. coli and after E. coli for competition, exclusion and displacement assays. The concentration of lactobacilli on fully differentiated Caco-2 cells was 4.5+/-0.3 x 10(8) cfu/well, while the concentration of E. coli varied from 1.5 x 10(6) to 4.3 x 10(8) cfu/well. The number of E. coli adhered to Caco-2 monolayer (cfu/well) was lineary correlated (R(2)=0.97) to the concentration of added cells. In the assay simulating exclusion, E. coli adhesion was reduced by Lb. gasseri K 7 strain by 0.1 to 0.6 log cfu/well. The binding of E. coli was inhibited even more when incubated simultaneously with lactobacilli, particularly at the lowest concentration of E. coli (ratio E. coli/lactobacilli 1:248), where five-times reduction (or 0.7 log) was observed. When adhesion to tissue derived from pigs' jejunum was tested, concentration of E. coli was constant (6.9+/-0.14 x 10(7) cfu/ml), while the concentration of Lb. gasseri K 7 was 5.9 x 10(7) and 1.3 x 10(7) cfu/ml in two independent experiments, respectively. The adhesion of E. coli and Lb. gasseri K 7 cells to jejunal mucosa was similar (1.0+/-0.17 x 10(6) and 1.54+/-0.10 x 10(6) cfu/cm(2)) when the concentrations of single strains in suspensions were approximately the same. No significant competition, exclusion or displacement of E. coli by lactobacilli was observed on jejunal tissue. In conclusion, Lb. gasseri K 7 was found to be effective in reducing E. coli adhesion to Caco-2 enterocytes, but it was not able to do so in ex vivo conditions tested for pig jejunal tissue.     

Cytotoxicity of new Ho(Ⅲ) and Pr(Ⅲ) complexes

New complexes of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid(HCCA) with Ho(Ⅲ) and Pr(Ⅲ) were synthesized and their structures and spectral properties were investigated by elemental analysis,IR,Raman and NMR measurements.According to the experimental data the complexes’ formula and geometries were suggested.Vibrational frequencies,IR intensities and Raman activities as well as 1H NMR chemical shifts of HCCA and its Ho(Ⅲ) and Pr(Ⅲ) complexes were presented.The comparative experimental vibrational and NMR analyses of both the ligand and the Ln(Ⅲ) complexes predicted the bidentate binding to Ho(Ⅲ) and Pr(Ⅲ) through the deprotonated carboxylic oxygen and the carbonylic oxygen of the ligand.The cytotoxic/cytostatic properties of the ligand and the newly synthesized complexes of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid with Ho(Ⅲ) and Pr(Ⅲ) were tested by MTT reduction assay against two mouse tumor cell lines:melanoma B16 and fibrosarcoma L929.They were also tested for cytotoxicity against normal mouse peritoneal macrophages.The proliferation inhibitory effect of the complexes compared to that of the ligand proved their cytotoxic/cytostatic properties against both the tumor cell lines.In addition,the complexes were less cytotoxic against normal mouse macrophages and were able to modulate NO release by activated macrophages.The obtained results were in accordance with our previously published data concerning the activity of lanthanide(Ⅲ) complexes with other coumarin derivatives.     

Biogenic amines and their producers in Akawi white cheese

The aim of this work was to study the biogenic amine content of brine‐ripened cheeses after one year of storage and then to investigate possible contaminating micro‐organisms with decarboxylase activity. The biogenic amine production of isolates was tested in vitro. The most frequent biogenic amines were putrescine, histamine and tyramine. The biogenic amine content detected in one cheese sample was above 120 mg/kg; this can be considered toxicologically relevant. Decarboxylase activity was found for 33 contaminating micro‐organisms. Isolates belonging to Bacillus licheniformis, Debaryomyces hansenii, Staphylococcus equorum and Serratia marcescens produced significant amounts of putrescine and cadaverine.     

A delta9 desaturase from Bombus lucorum males: investigation of the biosynthetic pathway of marking pheromones

The knowledge of the molecular basis of communication in bumblebee communities is limited. None of the enzymes that participate in pheromone production have been characterized. Here, we cloned the gene encoding the Delta(9) desaturase from cDNA prepared from the total RNA of the pheromone gland and fat bodies of Bombus lucorum male. Functional expression of BlucNPVE desaturase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and GC-MS analyses revealed its preference for C(18) saturated fatty acids. This suggests that Delta(9) desaturase is involved in the desaturation of metabolic fatty acids stored in triacylglyceroles (TAGs), because oleic acid is the most abundant fatty acid bound in TAG in B. lucorum and it is present in low concentration in the pheromone blend. The incubation of pheromone precursors with a dissected labial gland as well as direct injection of labelled pheromone substrates into B. lucorum males revealed that esterification of pheromone products occurs in the labial gland. These results support both the biosynthesis of pheromones from common lipids and the de novo synthesis of unsaturated pheromones in the labial gland.     

Wheat flour confectionery products as a source of inorganic nutrients: zinc and copper contents in hard biscuits

Cereal-based confectionery products being consumed through whole human life are considered mainly to be a source of carbohydrates, that is energy, although cereals are a rich source of minerals as well. To evaluate some hard biscuits produced in Croatia as a source of different trace elements in nutrition, in this study Zn and Cu contents were determined in classic wheat flour biscuits and in dietetic biscuits enriched with whole wheat grain flour or whole wheat grain grits, soya flour and skimmed milk. Zn was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS); Cu was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results show that the Zn content in different kinds of biscuits ranges from 5.89 up to 17.64 mg/kg and the Cu content ranges from 1.15 up to 2.79 mg/kg depending on the type of wheat milling products and mineral content of other ingredients used. Enriched dietetic biscuits produced from wheat flour type 850 and whole wheat grain flour and/or soya flour and skimmed milk were almost 200% and 150% higher in Zn and Cu, respectively, in comparison to classic white wheat flour biscuits and can be considered as good sources of Zn and Cu in nutrition.     

Hedonic tests in different locations as predictors of apple juice consumption at home in elderly and young subjects

The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of hedonic tests on apple juice carried out in a sensory laboratory, University common room and at home (post-consumption test) on ad libitum home consumption measured over 5 consecutive days. Thirty-five elderly volunteers (59–88 years old) and 33 young subjects (20–30 years old) assessed the degree of liking five apple juices varying in sweetness (0, 2, 4, 7 and 10% w/w sucrose added) on a nine-point hedonic scale. Both age groups judged similarly the juice with the lowest sugar concentrations, whereas the juice with 2% sugar added received lower scores from the elderly compared to the young participants. Those samples with higher sweetness (4, 7 and 10%) received higher scores from the elderly compared to the young people. The sample with no sugar added had higher mean score (all the subjects) in the home test (6.92±1.78) compared to both laboratory (5.51±2.15) and common room (5.92±2.08). No such differences were observed for the juices with the other sugar contents. In the elderly group, 1-day intake of apple juice remained on a similar level, regardless of sweetness liking, while among young adults the intake varied, and was highest for juices that were liked most (with 0 and 2% sucrose added). The results showed that hedonic ratings have a limited value as predictors of fruit juice consumption at home. The correlation between rated degree of liking and intake was low, especially for the elderly (r=0.39), indicating that factors other than pleasantness may affect intake. Among three test conditions, the lowest correlation of juice intake was obtained with laboratory test results (r=0.38), relatively higher—when hedonic tests were conducted in common room setting (r=0.49), or as the post-consumption test at home (r=0.73). Further research is required on sensory procedures relevant for the elderly, which together with some other nonsensory factors, would give a better prediction of consumption.     

Photostability of synthetic pyrethroids on treated grain

Summary The kinetics of the photodegradation of synthetic pyrethroids (permethrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin) on the surface of treated grain were investigated. Pyrethroids are quickly degraded if spread in a thin layer on a glass plate and photodecomposition proceeds more slowly on UV-irradiated grain. Moreover, in the latter case the degradation of pyrethroids was incomplete. The residual levels of all compounds after 15 min UV-irradiation depended on the storage time which elapsed between treatment of the grain and irradiation. The results indicate that the synthetic pyrethroids are able to penetrate inside the grain and that the UV-irradiation technique could be a tool to study this penetration.

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Die Photostabilität der synthetischen Pyrethroide auf Getreide

Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik der Zersetzung durch Licht synthetischer Pyrethroide (Permethrin, Cypermethrin und Deltamethrin) auf der Oberfläche von Getreidekörnern wurde untersucht. Pyrethroide, die in einer dünnen Schicht auf eine Glasplatte gesprüht sind, zerfallen schnell, ihre Zersetzung auf der Oberfläche des Getreidekornes erfolgt nach UV-Behandlung langsamer. Die Zersetzung der Pyrethroide war unter diesen Bedingungen unvollständig und der Gehalt an Rückstand hängt bei allen Pyrethroiden (nach 15 min UV-Belichtung) von der Zeit zwischen Körnerbehandlung und Belichtung ab. Diese Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, daß die synthetischen Pyrethroide ins Korninnere dringen können und daß die Technik der UV-Behandlung für die Untersuchung dieser Effekte verwendet werden kann.