Isorhapontigenin: A novel bioactive stilbene from wine grapes

Stilbenes are a family of bioactive compounds found in plants. However, only a few stilbenes are present in the human diet. Grape and wine are the main dietary source of stilbenes, resveratrol and piceid being the most common ones. Ultraviolet C light (UVC) postharvest treatment was used to obtain significantly increased stilbene concentration in grapes. A new, previously undescribed-in-grapes stilbene was found after UVC treatment. The process followed to isolate and identify this unknown stilbene is described in the present work. This isolation involved several fractionation steps including counter current chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC due to its low concentration and the presence of structurally related compounds. The structure of the compound was unequivocally identified by NMR spectroscopy analyses including (1)H-NMR; COSY; ROESY; HSQC and HMBC. The compound was identified as isorhapontigenin (ISOR), a stilbene found in traditional Asian medicinal plants. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of its occurrence in grapes.     

Chlorinated ethene source remediation: lessons learned

Chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) are widespread groundwater contaminants often released as dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). These contaminants are difficult to remediate, particularly their source zones. This review summarizes the progress made in improving DNAPL source zone remediation over the past decade, and is structured to highlight the important practical lessons learned for improving DNAPL source zone remediation. Experience has shown that complete restoration is rare, and alternative metrics such as mass discharge are often useful for assessing the performance of partial restoration efforts. Experience also has shown that different technologies are needed for different times and locations, and that deliberately combining technologies may improve overall remedy performance. Several injection-based technologies are capable of removing a large fraction of the total contaminant mass, and reducing groundwater concentrations and mass discharge by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. Thermal treatment can remove even more mass, but even these technologies generally leave some contamination in place. Research on better delivery techniques and characterization technologies will likely improve treatment, but managers should anticipate that source treatment will leave some contamination in place that will require future management.     

Hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) protein hydrolysates

BACKGROUND: Some dietary proteins possess biological properties which make them potential ingredients of functional or health‐promoting foods. Many of these properties are attributed to bioactive peptides that can be released by controlled hydrolysis using exogenous proteases. The aim of this work was to test the improvement of hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of chickpea protein isolate by means of hydrolysis with alcalase and flavourzyme. RESULTS: All hydrolysates tested exhibited better hypocholesterolaemic activity when compared with chickpea protein isolate. The highest cholesterol micellar solubility inhibition (50%) was found after 60 min of treatment with alcalase followed by 30 min of hydrolysis with flavourzyme. To test antioxidant activity of chickpea proteins three methods were used: β‐carotene bleaching method, reducing power and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging effect since antioxidant activity of protein hydrolysates may not be attributed to a single mechanism. Chickpea hydrolysates showed better antioxidant activity in all assays, especially reducing power and DPPH scavenging effect than chickpea protein isolate. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the good potential of chickpea protein hydrolysates as bioactive ingredients. The highest bioactive properties could be obtained by selecting the type of proteases and the hydrolysis time. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phenolic characterisation of red wines from different grape varieties cultivated in Mendoza province (Argentina)

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the chemical composition of wine and its association with the grape variety/cultivar is of paramount importance in oenology and a necessary tool for marketing. Phenolic compounds are very important quality parameters of wines because of their impact on colour, taste and health properties. The aim of the present work was to study and describe the non‐flavonoid and flavonoid composition of wines from the principal red grape varieties cultivated in Mendoza (Argentina). RESULTS: Sixty phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids/derivatives, stilbenes, anthocyanins, flavanols, flavonols and dihydroflavonols, were identified and quantified using high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC‐DAD/ESI‐MS). Marked quantitative differences could be seen in the phenolic profile among varieties, especially in stilbenes, acylated anthocyanins and other flavonoids. CONCLUSION: The polyphenolic content of Malbec wines was higher compared with the other red varieties. Dihydroflavonols represent a significant finding from the chemotaxonomic point of view, especially for Malbec variety. This is the first report on the individual phenolic composition of red wines from Mendoza (Argentina) and suggests that anthocyanins, flavanols and phenolic acids exert a great influence on cultivar‐based differentiation. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antimicrobial activity of pediocin PA-1 against Oenococcus oeni and other wine bacteria

Pediocin PA-1 is an antimicrobial peptide produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that has been sufficiently well characterised to be used in food industry as a biopreservative. Sulphur dioxide is the traditional antimicrobial agent used during the winemaking process to control bacterial growth and wine spoilage. In this study, we describe the effect of pediocin PA-1 alone and in combination with sulphur dioxide and ethanol on the growth of a collection of 53 oenological LAB, 18 acetic acid bacteria and 16 yeast strains; in addition, production of pediocin PA-1 by Pediococcus acidilactici J347-29 in presence of ethanol and grape must is also reported. Inhibitory concentrations (IC) and minimal bactericide concentrations of pediocin PA-1 were determined against LAB, and revealed a bacteriostatic effect. Oenococcus oeni resulted more sensitive to pediocin PA-1 (IC₅₀ = 19 ng/ml) than the other LAB species (IC₅₀ = 312 ng/ml). Cooperative inhibitory effects of pediocin PA-1 and either sulphur dioxide or ethanol were observed on LAB growth. Moreover, the pediocin PA-1 producing P. acidilactici strain J347-29 was able to grow and produce the bacteriocin in presence of ethanol (up to 4% ethanol in the fermentation broth) and grape must (up to 80%), which indicated that pediocin PA-1 can be considered as a potential biopreservative in winemaking.     

pilF polymorphism-based real-time PCR to distinguish Vibrio vulnificus strains of human health relevance

The Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio vulnificus is a common inhabitant of estuarine environments. Globally, V. vulnificus is a significant foodborne pathogen capable of causing necrotizing wound infections and primary septicemia, and is a leading cause of seafood-related mortality. Unfortunately, molecular methods for the detection and enumeration of pathogenic V. vulnificus are hampered by the genetically diverse nature of this pathogen, the range of different biotypes capable of infecting humans and aquatic animals, and the fact that V. vulnificus contains pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic variants. Here we report an alternative approach utilizing the development of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of pathogenic V. vulnificus strains based on a polymorphism in pilF, a gene previously indicated to be associated with human pathogenicity. Compared to human serum reactivity, the real-time PCR assay successfully detected pathogenic strains in 46 out of 47 analysed V. vulnificus isolates (97.9%). The method is also rapid, sensitive, and more importantly can be reliably utilised on biotype 2 and 3 strains, unlike other current methods for V. vulnificus virulence differentiation.     

Elaboration of Tempranillo wines at two different pHs. Influence on biogenic amine contents

The aim of this work was to study the effect of pH on biogenic amine formation during the elaboration and conservation (7 months) of Tempranillo wines. Grapes at two pHs (3.4 and 3.7) were vinified to achieve this purpose. After alcoholic fermentation the wines were either inoculated with a commercial malolactic starter or not inoculated. Identification and clonal distribution of lactic acid bacteria and amino acid concentration were determined in an attempt to explain the biogenic amine generation. The results showed that the pH of the must influenced the clonal distribution of the Oenococcus oeni strains which conducted the malolactic fermentation and also the concentration of amino acids in the wines after alcoholic fermentation. These aspects could account for the higher biogenic amine formation in wines with the lowest pH during malolactic fermentation. In these wines, inoculation with a malolactic starter was favourable since it produced a lower biogenic amine concentration after malolactic fermentation. Furthermore, the pH also influenced the concentration of amino acids after malolactic fermentation and the lactic acid bacteria distribution during the conservation of the wines. These aspects allow explaining the greater formation of histamine, tyramine and putrescine in the wines with the lowest pH vinified via lactic acid bacteria inoculation after seven months of conservation.     

Oxime Palladacycle‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Alkenylation of Aryl,Heteroaryl, Benzyl,and Allyl Chlorides under Microwave Irradiation Conditions

A simple new protocol for the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling of organic chlorides under microwave irradiation is presented. Deactivated aryl and heteroaryl chlorides are efficiently cross‐coupled with alkenylboronic acids and potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates using the 4,4′‐dichlorobenzophenone oxime‐derived palladacycle 1b as precatalyst in 0.1 to 0.5 mol% palladium loading, tris(tert‐butyl)phosphonium tetrafluoroborate {[HP(t‐Bu)₃]BF₄} as ligand, tetra‐n‐butylammonium hydroxide as cocatalyst, and potassium carbonate as base in N,N‐dimethylformamide at 130 °C under microwave irradiation conditions. Under these conditions, styrenes, stilbenes, and alkenylarenes are obtained in good to high yields, and with high regio‐ and diastereoselectivities in only 20 min. The reported protocol is also very efficient for the regioselective alkenylation of benzyl and allyl chlorides to afford allylarenes and 1,4‐dienes.     

Cellular Crosstalk between Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cells in Vascular Wall Remodeling

Pathological vascular wall remodeling refers to the structural and functional changes of the vessel wall that occur in response to injury that eventually leads to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vessel wall are composed of two major primary cells types, endothelial cells (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The physiological communications between these two cell types (EC–VSMCs) are crucial in the development of the vasculature and in the homeostasis of mature vessels. Moreover, aberrant EC–VSMCs communication has been associated to the promotor of various disease states including vascular wall remodeling. Paracrine regulations by bioactive molecules, communication via direct contact (junctions) or information transfer via extracellular vesicles or extracellular matrix are main crosstalk mechanisms. Identification of the nature of this EC–VSMCs crosstalk may offer strategies to develop new insights for prevention and treatment of disease that curse with vascular remodeling. Here, we will review the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between EC and VSMCs. Additionally, we highlight the potential applicable methodologies of the co-culture systems to identify cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in pathological vascular wall remodeling, opening questions about the future research directions.