Development and characterization of reconstituted hydrogel from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aloe vera</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Aloe barbadensis</Emphasis> Miller) powder

Structural and rheological characterization of reconstituted hydrogels developed from A. vera non-fibrous alcohol insoluble residue (NFAIR) powder using different methods [viz., shaking (S), heating-shaking (HS), and heating (H)] and concentrations (viz., 0.2–1.6 %, w/v) was carried out. Functional group distribution by FTIR spectroscopy and Congo red (CR) method revealed the presence of acetylated acemannan in A. vera powder. Dynamic oscillation studies of A. vera (NFAIR) fluids at all concentrations of 0.2–1.6 %, w/v, showed gel strength in the order of H > HS > S method. However, in H method, increase in concentration from 0.2 to 1.6 %, w/v showed the conformational transition from semi-diluted solution to weak gel nature. Rheological models described the effect of heating temperatures (HT); 30–90 °C, and times (Ht); 15–60 min on viscoelastic behavior in reconstituted A. vera fluids. The reconstituted A. vera hydrogel prepared with a concentration of 1.6 %, w/v using 50 °C (HT) and 30 min (Ht) condition showed a good agreement with the Power law (storage modulus, G′) and Weak gel model (complex modulus, G*) fitted data (R² > 0.94) resulting higher viscoelastic moduli intercepts; G′₀ (71.5 Pa s ^n′), G″₀ (33.5 Pa s ^n″), lower slopes; n′ (0.22), n″ (0.06), higher network strength (A _F , 121.3 Pa s^1/z ) and number of network (z, 5.3) values. The obtained results suggested that heating at 50 °C/30 min can develop aqueous weak gel networks of A. vera with enhanced gel strength which may be utilized as a novel gelling agent for wide variety of targeted applications in food and pharmaceutical sectors.     

Effect of heat-treated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nuruk</Emphasis> on the quality characteristics of aged <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yakju</Emphasis>

Long-term aging of Yakju, a traditional Korean liquor made of rice and Nuruk (a fermentation agent), causes browning and odor and flavor development. This study investigated the effects of heat-treated Nuruk (50–80 °C, 30 min) on Yakju quality. The saccharogenic powers and glucoamylase, α-amylase, and carboxypeptidase activities were similar in non-heat-treated Nuruk and that treated at 50 °C. However, acidic protease and alcohol dehydrogenase decreased above 50 °C. The content of nitrogen-containing compounds was inversely proportional to the heat-treatment temperature. Compounds that cause off-flavors decreased at 50–60 °C, but increased at 70–80 °C, whereas compounds that provide fragrance increased at 50–60 °C. Sensory evaluation indicated that bad taste attributes were higher in Yakju produced using non-heat-treated Nuruk. Therefore, heat treatment of Nuruk at 50 °C can be adopted as a method for improving Yakju quality, as enzymatic activities that affect color, aroma, and taste are regulated.     

A Comparative Biochemical Characterization of Microbial Transglutaminases: Commercial vs. a Newly Isolated Enzyme from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> Sp.

A new microbial transglutaminase (MTGase or MTG, EC 2.3.2.13) from a Streptomyces sp. strain isolated from Brazilian soil samples was characterized in crude and purified forms. The aim of this work is to provide relevant information about a new transglutaminase and to compare its characteristics with the well-known commercial transglutaminase from Ajinomoto Co. Inc. (Activa® TG-BP). The enzyme from Streptomyces sp., in both crude and pure forms, exhibited optimal activity in the 6.0–6.5 pH range and at 35–40°C. The results for the commercial enzyme were the same. A second maximum of activity was observed at pH 10.0 with both the crude Streptomyces sp. enzyme and the commercial enzyme. This interesting fact has not been reported in the literature previously. The fact that this second maximum of activity does not appear on the purified form of the enzyme may suggest the presence of an isoenzyme on the crude extract. All of the enzymes tested were stable over the pH range from 4.5 to 8.0 and up to 45°C. The decline in activity of the commercial transglutaminase above 45°C and pH 8.0 was more gradual. The activities of all the MTG samples were independent of Ca⁺² concentration, but they were elevated in the presence of K⁺, Ba²⁺, and Co²⁺ and inhibited by Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺, which suggests the presence of a thiol group in the MTG’s active site. The purified enzyme presented a K _m of 6.37 mM and a V _max of 1.7 U/mL, while the crude enzyme demonstrated a K _m of 6.52 mM and a V _max of 1.35 U/mL.     

Comparative inactivation studies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegle marmelos</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">bael</Emphasis>) peroxidase in crude extract of fruit by heat processing and ultrasonication treatment

Bael (Aegle marmelos) is considered as a holy fruit comprised of vast number of phytonutrients. Whole bael tree including all its parts has medicinal significance. Lack of awareness and seasonal nature makes its processing rather challenging. Conventional heat processing may lead to inactivation of quality hampering enzymes such as peroxidase, but at the cost of loss in essential phytonutrients. In the present work it was observed that thermal inactivation of bael peroxidase obeyed first order kinetics with enzyme activation energy of 7.7 kJ mol^?1. Complete inactivation of bael peroxidase was achieved within 11 min at 85?°C while ultrasound treatment attained in lesser time of 4 min at 64.07 W cm^?2 ultrasonic intensity. Loss of marmelosin a well-known phytonutrient in bael fruit was found to be 83.29?% by heat (11 min, 85?°C) and only 50.20?% by ultrasonication (4 min, 64.07 W cm^?2 ultrasonic intensity). Ultrasonication has potential to overcome harmful effects of heat processing with retention of phyto-constituents and hence has promising future in various food processing applications.     

Exposure assessment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kimbab</Emphasis>, a ready-to-eat Korean food

The exposure assessment was carried out for Staphylococcus aureus in kimbab by predicting growth of S. aureus and the production of enterotoxin using Food MicroModel® program. Environmental parameters selected were pH 5.5, Aw 0.999, and storage temperatures in the range of 10 to 30°C. It was predicted that 6.3 hr could be a critical time for enterotoxin production while kimbab was stored at 30°C. Mild case scenario analysis showed that enterotoxin could not be produced if kimbab was kept at 10°C during preparation and distribution and then left at 25°C for 4 hr before consumption. In the worst case scenario, the keeping time at 25°C was assumed to be 7.0 hr. The level of S. aureus in the worst case was predicted to be 6.8×10⁶ CFU/g which is lower than the critical level (7.8×10⁶ CFU/g) for toxin production.     

Properties of a fibrinolytic enzyme secreted by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> JS2 isolated from saeu (small shrimp) <Emphasis Type="Italic">jeotgal</Emphasis>

Bacillus species were screened to be used as starters for jeotgals, salted and fermented Korean sea foods. A strain, JS2, showing strong fibrinolytic activity was isolated from saeu (small shrimp) jeotgal, and identified as Bacillus subtilis. Bacillus subtilis JS2 grew well at 20% (w/v) NaCl concentration. SDS-PAGE of culture supernatant from JS2 showed 3 major bands of 27, 29, and 60 kDa in size. Fibrin zymography showed that the 27 kDa band was the major fibrinolytic protein. The gene, aprEJS2, was cloned and introduced into B. subtilis WB600 using pHY300PLK. A B. subtilis transformant harboring pHYJS2 showed higher fibrinolytic activity than B. subtilis JS2. aprEJS2 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The optimum pH and temperature for AprEJS2 were pH 8.0 and 40 °C, respectively. Km and V_max values were determined. AprEJS2 has strong α-fibrinogenase activity and moderate β-fibrinogenase activity.     

Modeling the Inactivation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listeria innocua</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> in Fresh-Cut Tomato Treated with Pulsed Light

The effectiveness of pulsed light (PL) treatments to inhibit microorganisms on fresh-cut tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Daniela) was investigated. Tomato slices inoculated with Escherichia coli or Listeria innocua were exposed to PL treatments (4, 6, or 8 J cm^?2 fluence) and kept cold at 4 °C for 20 days. L. innocua and E. coli counts, gases in the headspace of the containers (O₂ and CO₂), pH, titratable acidity, and soluble solid content were monitored throughout the cold storage. The PL treatments reduced significantly (p < 0.05) initial loads of both microbes. The effect of the PL fluence on the survival number of microoganisms was described by a log-linear model (R ² = 0.849–0.999). At any fixed time within the cold storing, the microbial counts for untreated samples were always higher than those cut tomatoes that had been previously PL-treated. The behavior of L. innocua and E. coli during the storage were well adjusted (R ² > 0.930) by Gompertzian models; the studied microorganisms exhibited different patterns during the storage period. On the other hand, O₂ and CO₂ partial pressures in containers with fresh-cut tomatoes were also significantly affected by PL treatments (p < 0.05). The highest PL fluence caused the greatest changes of O₂ and CO₂ contents. In addition, the application of PL triggered an acceleration of the O₂ consumption during the cold stage. PL treatments might be used to effectively extend the safety of fresh-cut tomatoes over 12 days of storage against E. coli and L. innocua growth.     

Effect of Solids Concentration on the Physicochemical and Flow Properties of Cactus Pear Juices of Two Varieties (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Opuntia ficus-indica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opuntia streptacantha</Emphasis>)

Juices from two varieties of cactus pear, a green (Opuntia ficus-indica) and a red (Opuntia streptacantha), were obtained and concentrated by evaporation. Both fruit varieties and their juices at different concentrations were characterized. Green cactus pears had significantly higher amount of pulp than red cactus pears; the peel of O. ficus-indica represented only 38 versus 52 % of the fruit for the O. streptacantha. Both varieties had no significant differences on moisture, density, pH, and titratable acidity, in contrary to soluble solids. Juice was concentrated under vacuum conditions to reach a final concentration of 42, 53–55, and 58–60 °Brix, respectively, and stored under refrigeration (10 °C) during 4 weeks. Physicochemical properties of the pears and juices were determined as fresh items (time zero) and every week for the concentrate juices through storage; similarly, flow parameters were measured at 10 and 25 °C. Concentrate density (1160–1283 kg/m³) was mainly affected by final soluble solids, while pH and acidity were affected differently depending on the variety. Concentrated juices at 42 °Brix were considered with Newtonian behavior with a viscosity of 2–22 mPa s, while those at higher concentrations were of pseudoplastic nature (n < 1.0 and K > 69 mPa sⁿ). Power Law model fitted better the flow behavior than Herschel-Bulkley model of concentrates of both varieties. Temperature, solid concentration, and/or storage time affected the consistency coefficient (K) and flow index (n) depending on the cactus pear variety. Overall, those concentrated juices from O. streptacantha were more stable and exhibited lower apparent viscosity.     

Probe-Based Fluorescence Melting Curve Analysis for Differentiating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larimichthys polyactis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larimichthys crocea</Emphasis>

Larimichthys polyactis (redlip yellow croaker) and Larimichthys crocea (large yellow croaker) are commercially important fish species in East Asia with high differences in their market values. In Korea, consumers prefer L. polyactis to L. crocea, although it is difficult to distinguish them based on their morphological traits. The objective of this study was to develop an assay for differentiating L. polyactis and L. crocea using fluorescence melting curve analysis (FMCA) with a single locked nucleic acid (LNA) probe. Species-specific regions of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA were selected as LNA probes. The target sequences of L. polyactis and L. crocea had a 2-bp difference, and a single LNA probe was identified using melting temperature (Tm) shift. LNA probe was 100 % complementary to the target sequence of ten L. polyactis samples, giving a significantly higher Tm value (66 °C) than that of five L. crocea samples (42 °C). Overall, the developed LNA-based FMCA system had high efficiency, multiplexity, and simplicity, and could be effectively used for differentiating L. polyactis and L. crocea, and as a food analyzing method based on DNA sequence.     

Thermal transition and thermo-physical properties of potato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum tuberosum L</Emphasis>.) var. Russet brown

Potatoes are an important food in many regions of the world and are commonly used in a variety of food products. Thermal transition and thermo-physical properties of potatoes are important in order to design efficient food processes and select appropriate storage conditions. In this study, we determined the thermal transitions and thermophysical properties of raw and blanched/par-fried potato for a temperature range of ??32 to 21.1 °C. Using differential scanning calorimetry, we found an initial freezing point (T_f) at ??1.8?±?0.1 °C, an onset of melting (T_m^′) at ??9.9?±?0.2 °C and an unfreezable water content (X^′_w) for maximally freeze-concentrated raw potato at 0.21 kg water/kg potato. Corresponding values for blanched/par-fried potatoes were ??0.9?±?0.1 °C, ??11.0?±?0.2 °C and 0.18 kg water/kg potato. Results show that an increase in solids content decreased T_f of both raw and blanched potatoes. We modelled the relationship between them using the Chen model. The apparent specific heat (C_app) increased around T_f to 31.7?±?1.13 kJ/kg K for raw potato and 26.7?±?0.62 kJ/kg K for blanched/par-fried potato. For frozen raw potato at ??32 °C, thermal diffusivity (α) was 0.89?±?0.01?×?10?^?6 m²/s and thermal conductivity (k), 1.82?±?0.14 W/m K, respectively. These values were higher for frozen raw potato than for the unfrozen raw potato (0.15?±?0.01?×?10?^?6 m²/s and 0.56?±?0.08 W/m K, respectively at 21.1 °C). The apparent density (ρ) of frozen raw potato (992?±?4.00 kg/m³ at ??32 °C) was less than that for unfrozen raw potato (1053?±?4.00 kg/m³ at 21.1 °C), and a similar trend was obtained for blanched/par-fried potato (993?±?2.00 kg/m³ at ??32 °C and 1188?±?7.00 kg/m³ at 21.1 °C, respectively). This study established a correlation between thermo-physical properties and temperature. Findings may be used to inform the design and optimization of freezing processes and frozen storage for potato products.     

Comparative Study on the Inactivation and Photoreactivation Response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listeria monocytogenes</Emphasis> Seafood Isolates and a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listeria innocua</Emphasis> Surrogate after Pulsed Light Treatment

The inactivation and photoreactivation response of six seafood-isolated Listeria monocytogenes and one Listeria innocua strain after pulsed light (PL) treatment was evaluated. The lower inactivation levels found after exposure of treated samples to daylight during the first 90 min of storage confirmed that both L. innocua and L. monocytogenes have the capability to photorepair PL-induced DNA damage upon appropriate conditions. Photoreactivation levels from 0.2 to 2.1 log CFU cm^?2 were observed depending on treatment intensity (fluence) and Listeria strain. Complete photorepair of PL-caused damage was not found even after treatments inducing low inactivation levels. Photoreactivation increased up to 2.1 log with the applied fluence up to a threshold able to cause between 2.4 and 5.4 log reductions under dark storage. Photorepair was not avoided but lower photoreactivation was observed after higher fluence inducing more than 6 log reductions under dark storage. Both L. innocua and L. monocytogenes serotype 1/2b exhibited the highest photoreactivation levels whereas serotypes 1/2a showed the lowest ones. The overall inactivation and photoreactivation responses of tested Listeria strains were comparable indicating that L. innocua may be a good surrogate for the safe evaluation, optimization and validation of PL technology to control L. monocytogenes in food products and food processing facilities.     

TLC-Digital Image-Based Fluorometric Analysis of Ergosterol and Chitin Content in Food Grains Artificially Infested with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus flavus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium verticillioides</Emphasis>

Novel thin-layer chromatography-digital image-based analytical methods were developed for the quantitation of ergosterol and chitin content in six food matrices (rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, groundnut, and sunflower), artificially infested with Aspergillus flavus (MTCC 6513)/Fusarium verticillioides (MRC 826). For ergosterol, single-step method, based on liquid/liquid extraction, was followed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Chitin was solubilized using lithium chloride (5%) in dimethyl acetamide and converted to chitosan using 5 N NaOH and subsequently complexed with calcofluor white dye. The absorption and emission maxima of chitosan-calcofluor complex were recorded at λ 350/230 and 430 nm, respectively. The sensitivity based on the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 100 ng both for ergosterol and chitin analysis. Based on ergosterol and chitin analysis, groundnut and maize were found to be suitable substrates for A. flavus (p?<?0.013 and p?<?0.01), while sorghum followed by groundnut and sunflower were found to be ideal for F. verticillioides (p?<?0.01 and p?<?0.0001) and rice was established as poor substrate as there was no growth on it up to 12 days of incubation. A strong correlation was found between ergosterol and chitin contents with regression (r ²) values of 0.974 and 0.997 in food grains inoculated with A. flavus and F. verticillioides, respectively, during the period of infection. The authenticity of the two methods developed was further confirmed by applying them to commercial food grains and flours. Thus, ergosterol in combination with chitin analysis could be successfully used as an index of fungal contamination employing TLC-digital-based analytical methods.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus acidophilus</Emphasis> Bauer and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bifidobacterium animalis</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">lactis</Emphasis> BB12 on proteolytic changes in dry-cured loins

The effect of the potentially probiotic bacteria strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus Bauer and probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB12 on proteolytic changes of proteins in dry-cured loins during fermentation and cold storage was studied. Results of the conducted tests demonstrated that the use of probiotic bacteria for the production of dry-cured meats impacts the generation of products of protein proteolysis with high antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant activity of peptides after fermentation and cold storage was observed in the loin with the strain B. animalis ssp. lactis BB12 and the loin with the mixture of strains L. acidophilus Bauer and B. animalis ssp. lactis BB12. Qualitative analysis of peptides demonstrated that peptides with weight below 3.5 kDa are characterized by the highest capacity of quenching the ABTS cation radical, including the peptides in loins with the strain B. animalis ssp. lactis BB12.     

Rapid Detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio parahaemolyticus</Emphasis> in Shellfish by Real-Time Recombinase Polymerase Amplification

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is a zoonotic pathogen generally found in seafood. To detect the foodborne pathogen rapidly and accurately for food safety measures, we developed a real-time recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method. An evaluation of the specificity and sensitivity of the method is discussed here. A set of primers and probe was specially designed to target the tlh gene, which is usually regarded as a marker of total V. parahaemolyticus strains. During the reaction, target DNA was amplified and tagged with specific fluorophore within 10 min and at an incubation temperature of 40 °C. In addition to fast amplification and low temperature, the fluorescence signal was synchronized with the amplification of products for the generation of real-time data. The detection limit of this assay was 0.4 pg/μL of DNA, which is comparable to assays that use the bacterial culture as template, 4?×?10³ cfu/mL. The real-time RPA method had a stable performance when testing the spiking shellfish samples at the same level of contamination by the pathogen in different kinds of shellfish. Thus, the real-time RPA method shows great potential for on-site detection of V. parahaemolyticus, especially in low-resource settings.     

Zusammensetzung der Muskulatur unbehandelter Pangasien (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</Emphasis>) und Zander (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sander lucioperca</Emphasis>)

We investigated the composition of muscle tissue from 30 untreated striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and 40 untreated pikeperch (Sander lucioperca). The analyzed fillets had a mean moisture level of 77.5 % in striped catfish and 78.7 % in pikeperch. The mean level of protein content was 19 % in striped catfish and 20.5 % in pikeperch; the pH was 6.5 in striped catfish and 6.8 in pikeperch. Our data provide a first basis on a legal opinion concerning fishery products that are suspected to contain high amounts of added water. These data can also be used for the calculation of added water regarding the regulation of the European Union (EU) No 1169/2011, provision of food information to consumers.     

Evaluation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">eryC</Emphasis> as a Molecular Marker for the Quantitative Detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella</Emphasis> Spp. by Real-Time PCR in Food Samples

We evaluated the capacity of the Brucella sp. eryC gene as a diagnostic marker for brucellosis by quantitative real-time PCR. eryC gene encodes the enzyme d-erythrulose-1-phosphate dehydrogenase that plays an important role in the erythritol metabolism and is related with the Brucella survival in the intracellular environment of the macrophage. The assay includes an internal amplification control (IAC) in order to avoid false negative results. It was 100% specific, with an analytical sensitivity of 1 genome equivalent (GE) in 43% of the reactions, being the quantification highly linear (R ² > 0.9953) and efficient (PCR efficiency >0.8820) over a 6-log dynamic range, down to 10 GE. Finally, the applicability of this assay was evaluated with artificially contaminated biological matrices implicated in the transmission of this bacterium such as sheep raw milk and pig blood. The eryC-IAC real-time PCR assay allowed detection of as few as ten Brucella cells per 25 ml of sheep raw milk or per 1 ml of pig blood. In conclusion, we present an alternative for the detection of Brucella genus and therefore facilitate the establishment of preventive and prophylactic measures in food and farm environments.     

Antioxidant Activity and Determination of Phenolic Compounds from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia involucrata</Emphasis> DC. Fruits by UHPLC-MS/MS

Fruits have been the focus of several studies aimed at finding new antioxidant sources for protection against the damage caused by reactive species. In this study, the antioxidant activity and the presence of phenolic compounds in all parts (peel, pulp, and seeds) of Eugenia involucrata DC. fruits were evaluated. DPPH^·, ABTS^·+, and ORAC methods were used to determine the antioxidant activity, and an UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed for determining the phenolic compounds (gallic, chlorogenic, ferulic, p-coumaric and ellagic acids, quercetin, and myricetin). In the determination of both antioxidant activity and phenolic composition, the efficiency of solvents with different polarities—methanol/H₂O (80:20, v/v), ethanol/H₂O (80:20, v/v), methanol/acidified water with phosphoric acid pH 3.00 (80:20, v/v), and ethyl acetate—for the extraction of the phenolic compounds, was also evaluated. All parts of E. involucrata fruits showed antioxidant activity, in the range of 36.68 ± 1.44 to 873.87 ± 18.24 μmol TE g^?1, being the highest values found in the seeds and peel when more polar extraction solvents were used. Six, five, and three phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the pulp, peel, and seeds, respectively, with the highest abundance as p-coumaric acid (14 ± 2 mg kg^?1) in the pulp, quercetin (47 ± 5 mg kg^?1) in the peel, and gallic acid (74 ± 4 mg kg^?1) in the seeds, also when more polar solvents were used. Although antioxidant activity methods suggested that the peel and seeds have more antioxidant potential, a wider variety of compounds were determined in the pulp.     

Antioxidant and emulsion properties of freshwater carps (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Catla catla</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Labeo rohita</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cirrhinus mrigala</Emphasis>) protein hydrolysates prepared using flavorzyme

Fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs) were prepared from freshwater carps (Catla catla, Labeo rohita, and Cirrhinus mrigala) using flavorzyme at different degrees of hydrolysis (DHs) ranging from 5 to 20%. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical-scavenging activity of the FPHs prepared from the three species were in the range of 50–82%; the ferric reducing power of the FPHs prepared from catla was the highest. The linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition activity of the prepared FPHs varied from 71 to 91%. The emulsion activity index of the FPHs prepared from catla and rohu decreased significantly with an increase in the DH (p < 0.05). The emulsion stability index of the FPHs prepared from the three species was the highest at 20% DH. FPHs prepared from freshwater carps possess good antioxidant and surface-active properties and are therefore suitable to be used as natural antioxidants in health-food formulation and as water-soluble antioxidants in the food-processing industry.     

Effects of drying methods on contents of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Angelica dahurica</Emphasis>

Baizhi (Angelica dahurica) has been widely used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, functional food and cosmetic product ingredient, mostly because of the high furanocoumarin compounds in roots. Because the fresh root is perishable, drying techniques are needed to maintain a higher-quality product. Freeze-drying is the best method but energy-consuming and costly. The aim of this study was to analyze the quality (antioxidant and furanocoumarin content) of Baizhi roots after freeze-drying (the control) and in-the-shade, 40 and 70 °C drying. Antioxidant activity was revealed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Fe²⁺ chelating assay, and the content of six furanocoumarin compounds, including xanthotoxin, bergapten, oxypeucedanin, imperatorin, phellopterin and isoimperatorin, was analyzed by liquid chromatography. Antioxidant activity was greater in roots with in-the-shade, 40 and 70 °C drying than freeze-drying. The furanocoumarin content pattern was similar with 70 °C drying and freeze-drying. A. dahurica roots dried at 70 °C may be an alternative method for maintaining high quality.     

Partition Behaviors of Different Polar Anthocyanins in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems and Extraction of Anthocyanins from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nitraria tangutorun</Emphasis> Bobr. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lycium ruthenicum</Emphasis> Murr.

This study aimed to investigate the partition behaviors of various polar anthocyanins in NaH₂PO₄/(NH₄)₂SO₄-ethanol aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) and to extract anthocyanins from Nitraria tangutorun Bobr. and Lycium ruthenicum Murr. Anthocyanins in Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Morus atropurpurea Roxb., N. tangutorun, and L. ruthenicum were profiled using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD, and the partition behaviors of total anthocyanins and main anthocyanins were studied. The partition coefficient of anthocyanins increased with increased hydrophobicity, and low-polarity anthocyanins exhibited a higher preference for the top phase in NaH₂PO₄/(NH₄)₂SO₄-ethanol ATPS. Additionally, the NaH₂PO₄-ethanol ATPS gave higher selectivity and total anthocyanin yield than the (NH₄)₂SO₄-ethanol system. Extraction at 65 °C for 45 min and at 45.5 °C for 45 min using 28% NaH₂PO₄ and 26% ethanol (w/w) led to the recovery of 98.91 ± 0.03% of N. tangutorun anthocyanins (3.62 ± 0.05 mg/g) and 99.84 ± 0.01% of L. ruthenicum anthocyanins (13.16 ± 0.29 mg/g) from raw material; more than 70% of total sugars were removed in a single step. NaH₂PO₄-ethanol aqueous two-phase extraction is a promising method for extracting anthocyanins from N. tangutorun and L. ruthenicum.