Determination of the botanical origin of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) using different analytical techniques in combination with statistical methods

Beer flavour and aroma depend mostly on the hop variety used in the brewing process. For this reason it is of crucial importance for brewers to be certain about the botanical origin of the hop variety. Metabolic fingerprinting is one of the approaches that can be used for determination of the botanical origin of many agricultural and food products. The aim of the current work was to differentiate between the five most important hop varieties in Slovenia. Gas chromatography, high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were carried out in combination with three different chemometric methods – principal component analysis, regularized discriminant analysis and hierarchical clustering – on 121 hop samples. The chemometric classification of the hop varieties was obtained with nearly 100% success. The best results were obtained with GC and HPLC data, within one year of harvesting. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

啤酒花多酚提取物体内外抗氧化活性研究

从酿造废酒花（Humulus lupulus L.）中提取制备一种高纯度（总多酚含量为88.7%）的酒花多酚提取物（hop polyphenol extract,HPE）,测定其酚类组成成分与体内外抗氧化活性。结果表明：HPE中55%以上的多酚物质是原花青素,28%以上的多酚物质是黄酮苷类。在体外,HPE能有效清除活性氧自由基,显著抑制Cu2+-VC诱导的DNA氧化断裂损伤。在体内,口服200～800 mg/kg（以体质量计）多酚剂量的HPE可显著抑制因溴代苯诱导的小鼠肝脏超氧化物歧化酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶活性的降低,也可降低溴代苯氧化应激小鼠肝脏的硫代巴比妥酸产物含量。结论：膳食摄入HPE可提供体内外抗氧化损伤的保护作用,酒花多酚的体内外抗氧化效果均优于同质量浓度的绿茶多酚。     

Environmental effects on cv Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.: 1. Phenology and characterisation of viticultural environments

Six Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard sites in Hawke's Bay (New Zealand), selected out of 28 sites observed in 1996/97, were studied over three consecutive seasons in order to characterise viticultural environments of this region for this cultivar. Indices of precocity of vine phenology were used to analyse the relationship between phenology at the selected sites and vegetative growth, productivity, fruit ripening and wine sensory characteristics. Marked differences in indices of precocity existed between sites. These differences were mostly correlated with vine vegetative growth and canopy indices. There was no relationship between yield and vine phenology. Indices of precocity were correlated with certain juice constituents measured on a common date, as well as the sensory scores of wines produced by microvinification from grapes harvested on different dates and maturity levels. Vineyard sites that differed in indices of precocity also differed in their environmental characteristics, particularly in soil physical properties and water balance.     

Environmental effects on cv Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.: 2. Development of a site index

Based on observations of Cabernet Sauvignon phenology, cropping and fruit characteristics at six vineyard sites in Hawke's Bay (New Zealand) studied over three seasons, a numerical model is proposed to characterise environmental conditions of a vineyard site. The proposed model is based on air temperature in October and January, seasonal rainfall, rooting depth, gravel percentage and clay-to-silt ratio in topsoil. The 'Site Index' (SI) calculated from these variables was significantly correlated with soil temperature and volumetric soil moisture content, themselves closely linked with clay-to-silt ratio, air temperature and rainfall. Vegetative growth, canopy characteristics, precocity of veraison, total anthocyanins, TSS and malic acid concentration in grapes, as well as wine sensory score, were all significantly correlated with the SI values at six sites and over two seasons. Over the same period, correlation of SI with several viticultural variables was generally stronger than five existing climatic indices for viticulture calculated for these sites. The proposed SI index appears to have potential use for vineyard zoning and site selection and evaluation.     

A preliminary study of the protease activities in germinating brown rice (Oryza sativa L.)

BACKGROUND: Proteases hydrolyse storage proteins to provide precursors for perpetuating species. The aim of this study was to investigate and characterise different proteases in germinating brown rice. RESULTS: The protease activity of brown rice increased sevenfold during 7 days of germination. It was highest on day 6 when determined at pH 3.5. With casein as substrate the proteases showed two catalytic groups: acidic proteases with an optimal pH of 3.5 and alkaline proteases with an optimal pH of 8.0. The acidic protease activity was inhibited by Ba²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but stimulated by Zn²⁺, while the alkaline protease activity was inhibited by Ca²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but stimulated by Mg²⁺ and Zn²⁺. SDS‐gelatin‐PAGE assay showed two protease activity bands at pH 3.5, while two different bands with higher molecular weights were observed at pH 8.0. Inhibition assay revealed that pepstatin A and E‐64 inhibited 67.63 and 38.26% respectively of the protease activity at pH 3.5, indicating the presence of aspartic and cysteine proteases. Metalloproteases played a major role under alkaline conditions (88.37% inhibition with EDTA). CONCLUSION: Germinated brown rice proteases fall into different classes with different properties. This study is helpful for their further purification. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

The nanotech potential of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) in food technology: A review

Abstract

New trends in food are emerging in response to consumer awareness of the relationship between food and health, which has triggered the need to generate new alternatives that meet the expectations of the market. Revolutionary fields such as nanotechnology have been used for the encapsulation of nutritional ingredients and have great potential for the management of food additives derived from fruits and plant species. Turmeric, a spice that has been used as a dyeing agent, is recognized for its properties in Ayurveda medicine. This article aims to provide an overview of the characteristics of turmeric as an ingredient for the food industry, including its properties as a coloring agent, antioxidant, and functional ingredient. This article also highlights the potential of nanotechnology to enhance these properties of turmeric and increase the possibilities for the application of its components, such as cellulose and starch, in the development of nanostructures for food development.     

Physico‐chemical and sensory attributes in conjunction with multivariate analysis of two potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars after 90 days of storage: an exploratory authentication study

Two cultivars of potato (Spunta and Agria), were studied in terms of their physico‐chemical and sensory characteristics. These cultivars were cultivated in three geographical regions of Greece (Macedonia, North Greece; Thessaly, Central Greece; Peloponnese, South Greece) and were stored for 90 days after harvesting. The physico‐chemical characteristics of the tubers determined, were pH, total acidity, firmness, dry matter and content in Ν, in Κ, P, Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe. The sensory characteristics measured for raw tubers of potato after storage, were skin colour, skin brightness, internal colour, surface roughness, odour intensity, moistness, surface wrinkling and stains while the sensory characteristics measured for the boiled tubers of potato were odour intensity, moistness, special taste, sweet taste, aftertaste persistence, metal taste, pastiness, mastication, flavour intensity, elasticity and overall acceptability. The application of multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis), revealed a variety of relations between the various parameters and resulted in satisfactory grouping either per geographical region or per cultivar.