Electrochemical characteristics of heme proteins in hydroxyethylcellulose film

A stable film made from hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) on pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrode was employed for incorporating hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and the electrochemical characteristics of the proteins were studied correspondingly. Experimental results revealed that HEC film could greatly accelerate electron transfer between the proteins and electrode, and the proteins showed a thin layer electrochemical behavior in the film. Moreover, all the proteins in the film exhibited good catalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the low H₂O₂ concentration range. In the high concentration range, H₂O₂ would exhibit toxicity effect on the proteins. The electrochemical properties and electrocatalytic abilities of the three heme proteins in HEC film have been compared, and the optimal conditions for H₂O₂ biosensor fabrication have been obtained.     

Properties of amidated pectins. I. Preparation and characterization of amidated pectins and amidated pectic acids

The preparation of high molecular weight pectic acids with varying degrees of amidation (15–61%) is described. The samples are characterized by analytical parameters, viscosity and behaviour on gel permeation and ion-exchange chromatography columns. Results show that the monomer composition is not changed and that aggregation may occur in aqueous solution of highly amidated pectic acids.     

Distributions of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Phthalic Acid Esters in Gums and Soapstocks Obtained from Soybean Oil Refinery

Soybean oil gums and soapstocks are important by-products that may potentially be contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POP) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and phthalic acid esters (PAE), thus lowering the value when using them as starting materials to produce animal feed additives, food industry ingredients, and pharmaceutical products. In the present work, PAH and PAE distributions in these two types of by-products were detected using solvent extraction–solid phase extraction purification coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Total PAH and PAE amounts in the soapstocks were significantly higher than those in the gums, thus indicating that neutralization showed much higher removal efficiency than degumming in terms of PAH and PAE eliminations. Meanwhile, the results proved that the concentrations of these two kinds of contaminants in the soybean oil gums and soapstocks were much higher than those in the soybean oils, suggesting that further investigations were needed and that the contents of PAH and PAE in soybean oil refining by-products should be carefully monitored and regulated.     

Recovery and utilization of effluents from meat processing industries

Production of wastes during the processing of meat products is not desirable because it significantly deteriorates the quality of the final product as well as causes some serious health threats if not properly disposed-off. The majority of the waste, in the meat industry is produced during slaughtering. The composition of waste generated by the meat industry depends on species of animals slaughtered. The waste material of the meat processing industry contains plentiful amount of organic compounds due to which its disposal is quite difficult. Efficient utilization of by-products has direct impact on the economy of the country and reduce environmental pollution. Edible meat by-products are claimed to have high nutritional value as compared to the lean meat. Organ meats can be used for human consumption, animal feed production and medicinal purposes after proper treatment and processing. This article provides information regarding the waste material generated by meat processing plants, its health impacts, nutritional status of meat by-products and their utilization.     

Influence of ultrasonic treatment on the structure and emulsifying properties of peanut protein isolate

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on emulsifying properties and structure of peanut protein isolate (PPI) were evaluated by analysis of particle size distribution, protein surface hydrophobicity, SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism spectra and environmental scanning electron microscopy. The emulsifying properties of the PPI were found to be improved by ultrasonic treatment. The mean particle size decreased from 474.7 nm to 255.8 nm while the molecular weight remained unaffected. The results of intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and surface hydrophobicity indicated that ultrasonic treatment induced tertiary structural changes of the proteins in PPI. Emulsifying activity index and emulsion stability index were found to be correlated fairly well with surface hydrophobicity (H₀) (r = 0.712 and r = 0.668, respectively).     

Preparation of Docosahexaenoic Acid-Rich Diacylglycerol-Rich Oil by Lipase-Catalyzed Glycerolysis of Microbial Oil from Schizochytrium sp. in a Solvent-Free System

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich diacylglycerol (DAG)-rich oil was prepared by lipase-catalyzed glycerolysis of microbial oil from Schizochytrium sp. in a solvent-free system. The reaction parameters including lipase type, substrate molar ratio, temperature, lipase concentration, and reaction time were screened. The selected conditions were determined as follows: Novozym® 435 (Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) as biocatalyst at 8 wt%, substrate ratio (DHA-rich microbial TAG/glycerol) of 1:1 mol/mol, temperature of 50 °C, and reaction time of 12 hours. Under these conditions, the triacylglycerol (TAG), DAG, and monoacylglycerol (MAG) contents in the product were 36.4%, 48.2%, and 15.4%, respectively. The lipase was reused successively for 18 cycles without significant loss of activity under the conditions given above. Fatty acid composition analysis of the final product showed that the contents of DHA in TAG, DAG, and MAG were 53.9%, 44.9%, and 34.8%, respectively. DHA-rich DAG has the potential to be used as an ingredient in infant formula to increase the bioavailability of DHA.     

A Comparative Study of Physicochemical and Flavor Characteristics of Chicken Nuggets during Air Frying and Deep Frying

Chicken nuggets were air-fried and deep-fried for various times at the same temperature. The moisture content, oil content, color, texture, volatile compounds, and lipids degradation of the chicken nuggets were investigated. The evolution rate of the moisture content, oil content, color, and texture were much higher during deep frying than during air frying. Air frying required more time to produce similar quality attributes as those of deep-fried chicken nuggets. On average, the oil content of the air-fried chicken nuggets was 25% lower than that of the deep-fried chicken nuggets. Of the 74 volatile compounds identified in the fried chicken nuggets, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, and heterocycles were the main flavor contributors. The total amount of volatile compounds and aldehydes detected in the air-fried chicken nuggets was much lower than that in the deep-fried samples, but the number of heterocycles produced by the Maillard reaction was higher during air frying. Sensory evaluation revealed that the air-fried chicken nuggets had lower oiliness and crispness, and 9 min was the optimal frying time to obtain air-fried chicken nuggets with similar sensory attributes (color, odor, juiciness, and overall acceptance) as those of the best deep-fried chicken nuggets. Air frying was a healthier frying method for the production of fried chicken nuggets, which could reduce oxidative degradation of lipids in chicken nuggets.     

ICP-MS直接进样对大米酶解液中痕量硒的测定

建立电感耦合等离子体质谱(inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry,ICP-MS)直接进样测定大米酶解液中痕量硒的方法,并应用于体外模拟消化实验,得出硒的生物利用率。将样品酶解液离心过膜后ICP-MS直接进样测定硒含量,在0~160μg/L范围内线性相关系数为0.999 5,方法检出限为0.009μg/L,加标回收率在95.3%~102.8%之间,精密度为0.87%~4.48%。ICP-MS直接进样法操作简单环保,可作为大米等粮食酶解液中痕量硒的批量分析方法,并有望用于粮食类补硒食物的营养价值体外初评研究。     

Novel mechanisms for the decomposition of 1-(amino acid)-1-deoxy-D-fructoses (Amadori compounds): A mass spectrometric approach

A study of the mechanisms involved in unimolecular mass spectral fragmentations of 1-(amino acid)-1-deoxy-D-fructoses (Amadori rearrangement products, or ARPs) has led to proposals for a number of new mechanistic routes to Maillard reaction products. One of the proposed mechanisms involves decomposition by initial dehydration or dehydroxylation directly from the cyclic hemiketal forms of the ARPs rather than from the open chain carbonyl forms. Another proposed mechanism involves formation of the pyrylium ion which could be the key intermediate in the formation of polymeric material. A number of other important Maillard reaction heterocycles could also be formed via the reactive pyrylium ion. The effect of variation of the ARP amino acid on 1,2- and 2,3-type enolization products was demonstrated. Intramolecular nucleophilic reactions observed in the mass spectral fragmentations also gave clues to the mechanisms of formation of compounds such as β-carbolenes from the tryptophan ARP.     

Effect of drying methods on physico-chemical properties and antioxidant activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendrobium officinale</Emphasis>

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of different drying methods, i.e., sun drying (SD), hot air drying (AD), vacuum drying (VD), infrared radiation drying (IR), and freeze drying (FD) on the physico-chemical properties of Dendrobium officinale. The results revealed that different drying methods showed significant differences in the color retention, water soluble polysaccharide content, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, fatty acids, and antioxidant activities. FD, VD, IR and AD led to higher retention of bioactive compounds and better antioxidant activities, and FD showed the best. However, with respect to the water-soluble polysaccharides content, the characteristic components in D. officinale, AD was better than FD. The results showed that the quality of D. officinale depends on the drying method applied. Considering the retention of polysaccharide content and drying processing duration, AD is a promising treatment for D. officinale.