Effect of extraction conditions on the yield and purity of ulvan extracted from Ulva lactuca

A study of the influence of extraction conditions (pH: 1.5 and 2; temperature: 80 °C and 90 °C; extraction time: 1–3 h), on the yield, chemical composition and purity of the sulphated cell wall polysaccharides ulvan, extracted from the green seaweed Ulva lactuca and precipitated by alcohol is carried out. The alcohol precipitate yields varied from 21.68% to 32.67% (%dw/dw) depending on the pH. At pH 2, the alcohol precipitate yields and the uronic acid recovery from extract juice are higher than those obtained at pH 1.5. Other compounds than ulvan such as cellulose, hemicellulose, proteins and ash are solubilized from the cell walls of Ulva lactuca at both pH, and they are precipitated with alcohol. The alcohol precipitate obtained from different extraction conditions has high uronic acid (20.37%–23.60%) and neutral sugar content (20.09%–29.12%), especially when the conditions (pH, temperature) are drastic. It contains rhamnose (13.35%–15.59%), glucose (2.90%–10.97%), and xylose (2.36%–2.73%). A decrease in the molecular weight of ulvan was observed at acid pH, and for long extraction times. The presence of proteins (1.94%–2.32%) and inorganic material (33.36%–47.15%) in alcohol precipitate prove the lower purity of ulvan extracted and shows that ulvan precipitation with ethanol is not specific.     

Effect of placing,removing and polishing of amalgam restorations on 24-h urinary mercury concentration

Twenty-four-hour urinary mercury concentration were assessed in 43 patients before and after removing old amalgam fillings (8 pts), placing (13 pts), and polishing of amalgam (22 pts). Baseline analyses 8 days before the treatments showed on average 18.5±7.2 g mercury mass excreted per 24-h urine samples. The removal of old fillings caused a total excreted mass of 56.3±32.3 g Hg, the placing of amalgam 45.9±26.2 g Hg, and the polishing 56.25±33.77 g Hg, respectively, one day after the treatments. When compared with the baseline values, the urinary mass excreted remained significantly elevated during the 8-day follow-up. However, all Hg values measured were below the WHO recommandations for the threshold limits for urinary mercury.     

Purification of pectin from apple pomace juice by using sodium caseinate and characterisation of their binding by isothermal titration calorimetry

The binding of sodium caseinate to pectin using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) under different pH values (2, 3, 3.5), and comparison of two purification processes (sodium caseinate or ethanol), based on the physicochemical characteristics of purified pectin was evaluated. The results indicated that ITC titration confirmed the existence of interactions between caseinates and pectin at pH 3 and 3.5. The interaction depicts two interdependent steps, one attributed to an electrostatic interaction and another related to a co-acervation mechanism. The chemical characteristics of pectins are strongly dependent on the purification process. Under some extraction conditions, ethanol is not specific to the recovery of pectin since it causes the precipitation of other compounds together with this polysaccharide.     

Optical and electrical characterization of thin films based on anthracene polyether polymers

Two new anthracene derivatives were characterized to improve the optoelectronic properties of π-conjugated anthracene polymers. The optical properties of the polymers were investigated by UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The energy bandgaps of anthracene-based polyether thin films were in the range 2.8–2.97 eV. Green emission (504 nm) was observed for anthracene/bisphenol A (An-BPA) and green-yellow emission (563 nm) for anthracene/fluorinated bisphenol A. (An-BPAF) Organic diodes formed by sandwiching anthracene layers between indium–tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum contacts were characterized. The dc electrical properties of ITO/anthracene derivatives/Al diodes were studied using current–voltage measurements and showed ohmic behavior at low voltage. The conduction mechanism seems to be a space-charge-limited current with exponential trap distribution at high applied bias voltage. The ac electrical transport of the anthracene derivatives was studied as a function of frequency (100 Hz–10 MHz) and applied bias in impedance spectroscopy analyses. We interpreted Cole–Cole plots in terms of the equivalent circuit model as a single parallel resistance and a capacitance network in series with a relatively small resistance. The evolution of the electrical parameters deduced from fitting of the experimental data is discussed. The conduction mechanism revealed by I–V characteristics is in agreement with the impedance spectroscopy results.     

New method for the purification of electrically charged polysaccharides

A new technique for the purification of pectins using protein (sodium caseinate) was developed and that could replace the process of ethanol which is currently used in industries. Commercial pectins were used as a model to verify the feasibility of the process and to define some important parameters. The results indicated that this purification technique is based primarily on the electrostatic interactions between these two polymers. The electrostatic interactions were strongly dependent on pH and salt concentration. The maximum pectin precipitation was obtained at pH 3.5. At this pH, the pectin acquires a negative charge while the protein is positively charged, promoting thus their attractions. Furthermore, the dissociation of the pectin–caseinates complex and the precipitation of caseinate at pH 4.6 were observed in the presence of salt. This method is very specific, suggesting that it could be used to purify some electrically charged polysaccharides.     

Chemical composition and functional properties of Ulva lactuca seaweed collected in Tunisia

The chemical composition and some functional properties of the dried “Ulva lactuca” algae, collected from the littoral between the Taboulba and Sayada area, were determined. The dried “U. lactuca” algae were investigated for their soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre content, mineral amount, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, swelling capacity (SWC), water holding capacity (WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC). Results showed that “U. lactuca” alga powder was characterised by a high content of fibres (54.0%), minerals (19.6%), proteins (8.5%) and lipids (7.9%). The neutral fibres contain hemicellulose (20.6%), cellulose (9.0%) and lignin (1.7%). The proteinic fraction analysis indicated the presence of essential amino acids, which represent 42.0% of the total amino acids. The fatty acids profile was dominated by the palmitic acid, which represents about 60.0% of the total fatty acids, followed by oleic acid (16.0%). The study of the functional properties proved that SWC, WHC and OHC of this alga varied with temperatures and that were comparable to those of some commercial fibre rich products.     

Effect of extraction conditions on the yield and purity of apple pomace pectin precipitated but not washed by alcohol

ABSTRACT:  A study of the influence of extraction conditions (pH: 1.5 to 2; temperature: 80 to 90 °C; extraction time: 1 to 3 h), on the yield and purity of apple pomace pectin without elimination of impurities by alcohol washing was carried out. The alcohol precipitate yields varied from 2.9% to 8.9% depending on the pH. At pH 1.5, these yields were higher than those obtained at pH 2 contrary to the galacturonic acid purity (%w/w). Compounds other than pectins were solubilized from the cell walls of apple pomace at pH 1.5, and they were precipitated with alcohol. The apple pectins obtained from the different extraction procedures were highly methylated (54.5% to 79.5%), especially when the conditions (temperature, pH) were drastic. Similar conclusions can be drawn for the neutral sugar content that decreased at pH 1.5 (arabinose, xylose, and galactose) or at the highest temperatures and extraction times (arabinose and galactose). The phenomenon of demethylation and pectin degradation of neutral sugars chains can be observed at acid pH, and for long extraction times. The presence of high quantities of mannose or fructose, glucose, and xylose in the alcohol precipitate showed that pectin precipitation with ethanol was not specific.     

HBS: a novel biometric feature based on heartbeat morphology

In this paper, a new feature named heartbeat shape (HBS) is proposed for ECG-based biometrics. HBS is computed from the morphology of segmented heartbeats. Computation of the feature involves three basic steps: 1) resampling and normalization of a heartbeat; 2) reduction of matching error; and 3) shift invariant transformation. In order to construct both gallery and probe templates, a few consecutive heartbeats which could be captured in a reasonably short period of time are required. Thus, the identification and verification methods become efficient. We have tested the proposed feature independently on two publicly available databases with 76 and 26 subjects, respectively, for identification and verification. The second database contains several subjects having clinically proven cardiac irregularities (atrial premature contraction arrhythmia). Experiments on these two databases yielded high identification accuracy (98% and 99.85%, respectively) and low verification equal error rate (1.88% and 0.38%, respectively). These results were obtained by using templates constructed from five consecutive heartbeats only. This feature compresses the original ECG signal significantly to be useful for efficient communication and access of information in telecardiology scenarios.     

Kinetic of the hydrolysis of pectin galacturonic acid chains and quantification by ionic chromatography

These experiments were designed to develop a rapid, repeatable and accurate analysis method for the quantification of galacturonic acid of pectins. Different pectin hydrolysis procedures (chemical and enzymatic) were carried out with H₂SO₄, TFA and HCl at different acid concentrations (0.2, 1 and 2 M) and temperatures (80 and 100 °C). Enzymatic and combined chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis of pectin were also studied. A acid hydrolysis under drastic conditions (100 °C) is insufficient for complete hydrolysis and results in low recovery of galacturonic acid residues. Mild chemical hydrolysis (0.2, 1 and 2 M H₂SO₄ 72 h at 80 °C) is also insufficient for complete depolymerization. Its main advantage is cleavage of the galacturonic acid chains into oligomeric forms without any degradation within 72 h of hydrolysis. However, enzymatic hydrolysis with VL9 for 2 h at 50 °C and combined chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis (0.2 M TFA at 80 °C for 72 h and VL9) give high recovery of this acid. Analysis of the liberated sugar residue by HPAEC allows us to determine the galacturonic acid composition of this polysaccharide accurately with high selectivity and sensitivity in one assay without the need for derivatization.