Effects of genotype and treatment on the antioxidant activity of sweet potato in Taiwan

Six genotypes of sweet potato commercially available in Taiwan, including TNG57, TNG66, TNG68, TYY1, RP and WP, were used as samples in this study of the effects of steaming and kneading with pre-steaming treatments on the antioxidant components and antioxidant properties of methanolic extracts. Steam treatment increased the total phenols contents of all genotypes (2–13 times), flavonoids content of RP (1.3 times) and anthocyanins contents of RP and WP (5–6 times). Steam treatment also increased the reducing power and scavenging DPPH radical effect of sweet potato flours. For the methanolic extracts of steamed and kneaded flours, reducing powers were 0.02–1.70 at 5.0 mg ml⁻¹ and the scavenging effects on DPPH radicals were 19–92% at 2.5 mg ml⁻¹. Both showed the order of RP > WP > TYY1 and TNG66 > TNG57 and TNG68. However, the chelating effect of the six genotypes at 1.0 mg ml⁻¹ ranged from 50% to 73%. Contents of total phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins of sweet potato flours were significantly positively correlated with the reducing power and scavenging DPPH radical effects. After steaming and kneading treatments, RP showed the highest increase in the contents of total phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins among the six genotypes studied.     

Structure of rapidly solidified aluminum alloys

This paper is a summary of an extensive research program carried out by the authors on the structure of rapidly solidified aluminum alloys; and a comparison with the work of others also involved in this field. The paper discusses the changes in the dendritic and non-dendritic structure of the matrix at cooling rates from 10^–3 to 10¹⁰ K/s and discusses the hetergeneity of the structure caused by interdendritic-segretion during solidification.     

Tasting green leaf volatiles by larvae and adults of Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Larvae and adults of the Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), are shown to have galeal gustatory cells that are highly sensitive to distillate of potato leaf extracts, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexenal, and other saturated and unsaturated six-carbon alcohols. In larvae and adults, the sensory response patterns elicited by leaf homogenate, leaf distillate and a mixture of these two extracts differ in subtle ways. Beetle larvae feed most readily on Millipore disks treated with leaf homogenate and the mixture, but they did not feed on disks treated with leaf distillate. The differences in behavioral response and sensory input are used to derive a potential gustatory code that may stimulate different levels of feeding. This code may be disrupted by compounds present in nonhost leaves, thus leading to reduced feeding. Possible interactions of sapid leaf volatiles, amino acids, sugars, and potentially deterrent plant compounds are discussed.     

Silphinene Sesquiterpenes as Model Insect Antifeedants

Silphinene sesquiterpenes are established chrysomelid antifeedants. In this work, nine silphinene analogs, 11-acetoxy-5-angeloyloxysilphinen-3-one (1), 11-acetoxy-5-tigloyloxysilphinen-3-one (2), 11-acetoxy-5-iso- butyryloxysilphinen-3-one (3), 11-hydroxy-5-angeloyloxysilphinen-3-one (4), 11,5-dihydroxysilphinen-3-one (5), 11,5-diacetoxysilphinen-3-one (6), 5,11-diisobutyryloxysilphinen-3-one (7), silphinen-3,5,11-trione (8), and O-methyl-5-epicantabrenolic acid methyl ester (10), and a presilphiperfolane sesquiterpene (9) were tested against several divergent insect species, including the lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis, the chrysomelid Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and five aphid species, and their antifeedant effects were compared with those of picrotoxinin, a GABA-antagonist, and thymol, an allosteric modulator for insect GABA receptors. All insects tested responded to at least one silphinene analog and/or GABA antagonist. Compound 3 and thymol were effective antifeedants against all species tested except S. littoralis, with varying potencies according to their feeding ecologies. The toxicity of these compounds was species-dependent and did not correlate with their antifeedant effect.     

Frying quality and stability of low-and ultra-low-linolenic acid soybean oils

To determine effects of very low levels of linolenic acid on frying stabilities of soybean oils, tests were conducted with 2% (low) linolenic acid soybean oil (LLSBO) and 0.8% (ultra-low) linolenic acid soybean oil (ULLSBO) in comparison with cottonseed oil (CSO). Potato chips were fried in the oils for a total of 25 h of oil use. No significant differences were found for either total polar compounds or FFA between samples of LLSBO and ULLSBO; however, CSO had significantly higher percentage of polar compounds and FFA than the soybean oils at all sampling times. Flavor evaluations of fresh and aged (1, 3, 5, and 7 wk at 25°C) potato chips showed some differences between potato chips fried in different oil types. Sensory panel judges reported that potato chips fried in ULLSBO and aged for 3 or 7 wk at 25°C had significantly lower intensities of fishy flavor than did potato chips fried in LLSBO with the same conditions. Potato chips fried in ULLSBO that had been used for 5 h and then aged 7 wk at 25°C had significantly better quality than did potato chips fried 5 h in LLSBO and aged under the same conditions. Hexanal was significantly higher in the 5-h LLSBO sample than in potato chips fried 5 h in ULLSBO. The decrease in linolenic acid from 2 to 0.8% in the oils improved flavor quality and oxidative stability of some of the potato chip samples.     

Misleading the Colorado potato beetle with an odor blend

Walking tracks of Colorado potato beetles,Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, were recorded on a locomotion-compensator in response to wind, odors of host plantsSolanum tuberosum L. and nonhost plantsLycopersicon hirsutum f.glabratum C.H. Mull, and to mixtures of these plant species. Host-plant odor induced positive anemotactic responses in starved females, whereas odor of the nonhostL. hirsutum was neither repellent nor attractive. The attractiveness of host-plant odor, however, was neutralized in the odor blend of plant species. Masking the attractive host-plant odor will hinder the beetle's searching for host-plant patches, and this principle may be exploited in pest control by mixed cropping.The locomotion-compensator was constructed with financial support from the Foundation for Fundamental Biological Research (BION), which is subsidized by the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (ZWO), grant 14-02-02. The first author was supported by a grant from the French Ministry of Industry and Research.     

Olfactory coding in the perception of semiochemicals

Information processing in the olfactory pathway underlying the perception of semiochemicals by insects is discussed. Both the chemical message for mates and the message for food consist of blends of chemicals. Olfactory receptors in an insect species are tuned to the detection of those compounds which comprise such chemical messages for that species. The classification of receptors as specialists or generalists coincides with two concepts of information processing, i.e., labeled lines and across-fiber patterns, respectively. The olfactory code coming from antennal receptors inPieris brassicae larvae is a combination of labeled lines and across-fiber patterning. When antennae of adult Colorado potato beetles,Leptinotarsa decemlineata, are stimulated by binary mixtures of leaf odor components, the pattern of neural activities in the olfactory receptors shows some separation into two channels, quantitative versus qualitative detection. The separation is complete in the antennal lobe of this beetle.Presented at the Symposium on Insect Chemical Communications: Unifying Concepts. ACS 194th National Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 31, 1987.     

Addition of ferulic acid,ethyl ferulate,and feruloylated monoacyl- and diacylglycerols to salad oils and frying oils

To determine antioxidative effects of ferulic acid and esterified ferulic acids, these compounds were added to soybean oils (SBO), which were evaluated for oxidative stability and frying stability. Additives included feruloylated MAG and DAG (FMG/FDG), ferulic acid, ethyl ferulate, and TBHQ. After frying tests with potato chips, oils were analyzed for retention of additives and polar compounds. Chips were evaluated for hexanal and rancid odor. After 15 h frying, 71% of FMG/FDG was retained, whereas 55% of ethyl ferulate was retained. TBHQ and ferulic acid levels were 6% and <1%, respectively. Frying oils with ethyl ferulate or TBHQ produced significantly less polar compounds than SBO with no additives. Chips fried in SBO with TBHQ or ferulic acid had significantly lower amounts of hexanal and significantly less rancid odor after 8 d at 60°C than other samples. Oils were also aged at 60°C, and stability was analyzed by PV, hexanal, and rancid odor. Oils with TBHQ or FMG/FDG had significantly less peroxides and hexanal, and a lower rancid odor intensity than the control. FMG/FDG inhibited deterioration at 60°C, whereas ethyl ferulate inhibited the formation of polar compounds in frying oil. Ferulic acid acted as an antioxidant in aged fried food. TBHQ inhibited oil degradation at both temperatures. Presented at the 94th AOCS Meeting & Expo, Kansas City, MO, May 4–7, 2003.     

响应曲面法优化甘薯饮料配方的研究

以甘薯为实验材料,以甘薯浓缩汁、蔗糖、柠檬酸和甘薯香精为实验因素,利用响应曲面法进行实验设计,对甘薯饮料的最佳配方进行了研究,并对最佳配方进行了感官评价验证、理化指标检测和微生物学检测.通过对实验得到的回归方程和响应曲面分析得出甘薯饮料的最佳组合为100 mL饮料中甘薯浓缩汁1.28 mL,柠檬酸0.1 g,蔗糖5.41 g,甘薯香精2.84mL,感官评分为83.43.     

Managing the degree of exfoliation and number of graphene layers using probe sonication approach

We have demonstrated a fast, versatile, and scalable approach to synthesize high-quality few layer graphene sheets with low defect ratio and high crystallinity produced from exfoliation of graphite flakes in DMF by using probe sonication. The effect of sonication time on degree of exfoliation and number of graphene layers has been fully investigated. The degree of exfoliation of graphene sheets as a function of sonication time has been successfully analyzed by XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, and BET studies. The morphological changes at different sonication times have also been observed by SEM. A structural and defect characterization of graphene sheets has been discussed in detail by Raman spectroscopic technique. The shift in position of 2D Raman band and its de-convolution provided information about formation of multi to few layer graphene sheets with sonication. Moreover, Raman results are highly consistent with TEM studies as per number of graphene layers is concerned.