Clarification of a wheat straw‐derived medium with ion‐exchange resins for xylitol crystallization

BACKGROUND: Xylitol bioproduction from lignocellulosic residues comprises hydrolysis of the hemicellulose, detoxification of the hydrolysate, bioconversion of the xylose, and recovery of xylitol from the fermented hydrolysate. There are relatively few reports on xylitol recovery from fermented media. In the present study, ion‐exchange resins were used to clarify a fermented wheat straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate, which was then vacuum‐concentrated and submitted to cooling in the presence of ethanol for xylitol crystallization. RESULTS: Sequential adsorption into two anion‐exchange resins (A‐860S and A‐500PS) promoted considerable reductions in the content of soluble by‐products (up to 97.5%) and in medium coloration (99.5%). Vacuum concentration led to a dark‐colored viscous solution that inhibited xylitol crystallization. This inhibition could be overcome by mixing the concentrated medium with a commercial xylitol solution. Such a strategy led to xylitol crystals with up to 95.9% purity. The crystallization yield (43.5%) was close to that observed when using commercial xylitol solution (51.4%). CONCLUSION: The experimental data demonstrate the feasibility of using ion‐exchange resins followed by cooling in the presence of ethanol as a strategy to promote the fast recovery and purification of xylitol from hemicellulose‐derived fermentation media. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Casein Hydrolysate Fractions Act as Emulsifiers in Process Cheese

ABSTRACT: Degrees of hydrolysis and emulsifying activity of casein hydrolysates were the highest at 4 h hydrolysis. The oil-off values of the mixture of hydrolysate (H) or supernatant (S) and traditional emulsifier (T) were not significantly different from the control made with traditional emulsifier, except for S + T = 3:1. Two other samples made with hydrolysate or supernatant only (H or S) showed higher oil-off value than the others (p < 0.05). In flavor property, no difference was found between samples made with traditional emulsifier and those made with the mixture of hydrolysate or supernatant at the ratio of 3 to 1. Therefore, these results indicated that a mixture of the hydrolysate or supernatant and traditional emulsifier might replace a traditional emulsifier in process cheese manufacturing.     

Hesperidin Promotes Osteogenesis and Modulates Collagen Matrix Organization and Mineralization In Vitro and In Vivo

This study evaluated the direct effect of a phytochemical, hesperidin, on pre-osteoblast cell function as well as osteogenesis and collagen matrix quality, as there is little known about hesperidin’s influence in mineralized tissue formation and regeneration. Hesperidin was added to a culture of MC3T3-E1 cells at various concentrations. Cell proliferation, viability, osteogenic gene expression and deposited collagen matrix analyses were performed. Treatment with hesperidin showed significant upregulation of osteogenic markers, particularly with lower doses. Mature and compact collagen fibrils in hesperidin-treated cultures were observed by picrosirius red staining (PSR), although a thinner matrix layer was present for the higher dose of hesperidin compared to osteogenic media alone. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicated a better mineral-to-matrix ratio and matrix distribution in cultures exposed to hesperidin and confirmed less collagen deposited with the 100-µM dose of hesperidin. In vivo, hesperidin combined with a suboptimal dose of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) (dose unable to promote healing of a rat mandible critical-sized bone defect) in a collagenous scaffold promoted a well-controlled (not ectopic) pattern of bone formation as compared to a large dose of BMP2 (previously defined as optimal in healing the critical-sized defect, although of ectopic nature). PSR staining of newly formed bone demonstrated that hesperidin can promote maturation of bone organic matrix. Our findings show, for the first time, that hesperidin has a modulatory role in mineralized tissue formation via not only osteoblast cell differentiation but also matrix organization and matrix-to-mineral ratio and could be a potential adjunct in regenerative bone therapies.     

Fractionation of partially stereoregular poly(propylene oxide)

Partially stereoregular poly(propylene oxide) samples were synthesized via reactions catalysed by a preformed analytically defined trimethylaluminium hydrolysate. These samples were fractionated into two contrastingly different fractions.

1. (i) D-polymers: This fraction constituted the major part (up to 90%). It mainly contained cyclic low molecular weight oligomers (MW < 1000). The linear chains found in D-polymers had hydroxyl end groups. No double bonds could be detected spectroscopically.

2. (ii) K-polymers: This fraction was high molecular weight stereoregular polymer. Stepwise thermal precipitation from dilute isooctane solution of K-polymers yielded a succession of fractions which differed in melting point. It appears that the phase equilibria during the thermal precipitations were not controlled by the molecular weights of species.

A Possible Industrial Solution to Ferment Lignocellulosic Hydrolyzate to Ethanol: Continuous Cultivation with Flocculating Yeast

The cultivation of toxic lignocellulosic hydrolyzates has become a challenging research topic in recent decades. Although several cultivation methods have been proposed, numerous questions have arisen regarding their industrial applications. The current work deals with a solution to this problem which has a good potential application on an industrial scale. A toxic dilute-acid hydrolyzate was continuously cultivated using a high-cell-density flocculating yeast in a single and serial bioreactor which was equipped with a settler to recycle the cells back to the bioreactors. No prior detoxification was necessary to cultivate the hydrolyzates, as the flocks were able to detoxify it in situ. The experiments were successfully carried out at dilution rates up to 0.52 h⁻¹. The cell concentration inside the bioreactors was between 23 and 35 g-DW/L, while the concentration in the effluent of the settlers was 0.32 ± 0.05 g-DW/L. An ethanol yield of 0.42–0.46 g/g-consumed sugar was achieved, and the residual sugar concentration was less than 6% of the initial fermentable sugar (glucose, galactose and mannose) of 35.2 g/L.     

固定化细胞在三相流化床中发酵生产木糖醇

为了建立一种成本低、产率高、能连续高效地生产木糖醇的新工艺,研究了固定化假丝酵母(Candida sp.)细胞在三相流化床内分批发酵玉米芯半纤维素水解液生产木糖醇这一工艺过程.适宜的工艺条件为:32℃,起始木糖质量浓度100g/L,固定化细胞与发酵培养基体积比1:3.8,分段通气:0～24 h,0.5 L/min;24～80 h,0.175 L/min.利用固定化细胞重复进行6批发酵,木糖醇得率平均为63.5%.玉米芯半纤维素水解液未经脱色以及离子交换等脱毒处理便可直接有效地转化成木糖醇;三相流化床生物反应器动力消耗少、流化状态稳定均匀.该方法大大降低了原料预处理的成本,发酵结果较好.     

明胶酶解液脱色工艺研究

以粉末状活性炭为脱色剂,明胶复合酶解液在不同条件下进行了脱色研究.通过单因素试验和正交试验,确定最佳工艺条件为:活性炭用量为1.5%(w/w),pH为5.5,温度35℃,脱色时间为40 min,胶原蛋白酶解液脱色效果明显,脱色率为86.21%,肽损失率为6.12%.     

木质纤维素制取燃料乙醇菌种的研究

目前,随着石油资源的日益枯竭,寻求一种廉价的、清洁的、可再生的新型能源成为各国能源领域科研人员的一项重要任务.乙醇作为一种工业燃料,具有许多优点,利用生物质制取燃料乙醇技术,越来越受到人们的广泛关注.文章报道了国内外近年来利用木质纤维素稀酸水解液制取燃料乙醇的菌种的研究现状,主要包括木质纤维素稀酸水解液乙醇发酵的酵母菌、细菌及基因重组菌的菌种构建等.     

橙皮苷酶解液中橙皮素单糖苷的树脂分离

橙皮苷酶解液组分复杂，含糖类、橙皮素和橙皮素单糖苷（hesperetin-7-O-glucoside，HMG）等。采用了6种大孔吸附树脂和半制备液相色谱分离纯化橙皮苷酶解液中的HMG，并通过红外、紫外和XRD手段表征产物结构，同时采用羟基自由基清除试验探讨其抗氧化活性。结果表明：HPD300大孔树脂最适于酶解液中HMG的分离；HPD300大孔树脂对酶解液中主要组分的静态和动态总吸附量分别为48.35 mg/g和35.82 mg/g，主要用于分离糖类杂质；以10 BV的45%乙醇为洗脱剂，洗脱流速1.2 mL/min，洗提物中HMG纯度从80.37%提高到97.83%；洗提物经半制备液相进一步分离纯化后得到单体HMG，最终纯度可达98.21%, 经紫外、红外和XRD手段验证产物为HMG；且HMG的羟基自由基清除能力略高于橙皮素，远高于橙皮苷。     

Partially Hydrolyzed Soy Protein Shows Enhanced Transport of Amino Acids Compared to Nonhydrolyzed Protein across an Intestinal Epithelial Cell Monolayer

Consumption of protein hydrolysates has been proposed to stimulate muscle anabolism more than intact (nonhydrolyzed) proteins via accelerated delivery of amino acids for muscle protein synthesis (MPS). We evaluated whether the rate of amino acid uptake and transport across intestinal cells was enhanced for soy protein hydrolysates versus nonhydrolyzed soy protein. Intact and partially hydrolyzed proteins were subject to simulated gut digestion and applied to the apical surface of Caco‐2 monolayers. Basolateral media was harvested after 3 h and quantitatively analyzed for free amino acids using ion‐exchange chromatography and comparison to an included reference standard. Basolateral concentrations of all amino acids were higher (mean 32%) for hydrolyzed versus nonhydrolyzed protein with the greatest differences in histidine, lysine, and valine. Scale‐up production of the soy protein hydrolysate did not diminish its enhanced absorption properties. These data support the hypothesis that hydrolyzed soy protein may provide dietary amino acids that are more rapidly transported across the intestinal epithelium versus intact soy protein. This would be important under conditions where rapid and increased levels of amino acids are needed such as in the stimulation of MPS.