Extremely low-frequency magnetic fields affect pigment production of Monascus purpureus in liquid-state fermentation

Red pigment is one of natural coloring agents produced from the secondary metabolites of Monascus purpureus. Measures are taken to increase the pigment production. Effect of the extremely low-frequency magnetic field on the red and yellow pigment production of M. purpureus in liquid-state fermentation was estimated by exposing fermentation broth, medium and sterile distilled water used to prepare medium. The maximum yield of red and yellow pigment production had about 20 and 36 % increase for 8 days at 0.4 mT when treating fermentation broth compared to the control value. For sterile distilled water, a significant increase occurred at 0.4 mT compared to 0.1 mT for 5 h. However, the red and yellow pigment production decreased significantly at magnetic fields of 0.9 and 1.2 mT when treating fermentation broth and sterile distilled water. In contrast, the yield of both red and yellow pigment production decreased significantly compared with the control exposure for 3 and 5 h at a magnetic field of 0.4 mT. Different solution (cellular suspension, medium and sterile distilled water) exposure to magnetic fields has different bioeffect on M. purpureus SKY219. The appropriate magnetic field treatment could increase the efficiency of red and yellow pigment production.     

Optimizing a submerged Monascus cultivation for production of red pigment with bug damaged wheat using artificial neural networks

The combined effect of temperature, agitation speed, and light on red pigment production by Monascus purpureus (M. purpureus) Went DSM 1604 using bug damaged wheat was studied using an artificial neural network (ANN). Information retrieved from the ANN was used to determine the optimal operating conditions for pigment production by M. purpureus using bug damaged wheat meal. The developed ANN had R ² values for training, validation, and testing data sets of 0.993, 0.961, and 0.944, respectively. According to the model, the highest pigment production of 1.874 absorbance units at 510 nm (A_{510 nm}) would be achieved at 29°C and 150 rpm under light conditions. The mean value of the experimental results obtained under these optimum conditions was 1.787±0.072 A_{510 nm}, corresponding to a pigment yield of 35.740 A_{510 nm}/g. The study showed that bug damaged wheat can be used as a substrate for red pigment production by M. purpureus.     

Optimization of culture medium for yellow pigments production with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monascus anka</Emphasis> mutant using response surface methodology

In our laboratory, one Monascus anka mutant able to produce high yield of yellow pigments screened by physical and chemical combination mutagenesis was obtained. This study evaluated peptone, NH₄NO₃ and KH₂PO₄ as the most significant variables for Monascus yellow pigment production by this M. anka mutant MYM in submerged fermentation. Response surface methodology (RSM) optimized these nutrient parameters for maximum yellow pigment production (87.24 OD units), which resulted at 10.3 g/L peptone, 11.9 g/L NH₄NO₃ and 4.7 g/L KH₂PO₄ in the medium. According to the fitting equation, through five replication experiments under the optimized conditions, the average yellow pigment production obtained was 88.14 OD units for flask cultivation and 92.45 OD units for 5 L fermenter cultivation. Meanwhile, the citrinin could not be detected by HPLC method.     

Characterization of hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus (L.) sweet) seeds from Indonesia and their protein isolate

Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus (L.) sweet) seeds from Indonesia were characterized for the purposes of usage as a protein source. Protein isolate was prepared from the seeds using an isoelectric method, which was also used to characterize the physicochemical and functional properties. Hyacinth bean seeds have a moderate concentration of protein (17.1 ± 1.5%), and low concentration of HCN (1.1 ± 0.1 mg/100 g). However, before using the seeds as food, some treatments are needed to reduce their anti-nutritional factors, since the contents of trypsin inhibitor and phytate are 0.15 ± 0.02 TIU/mg and 18.9 ± 0.2 mg/g, respectively. Using the isoelectric preparation, the yield of protein isolate was low (7.38 ± 0.2 g per 100 g of the seeds), but the protein isolate had good colour, neutral odour, high protein content (89.8 ± 0.82%), and low ash (2.97 ± 0.36%). The protein isolate also had good functional properties, such as solubility, foaming capacity, and emulsifying activity. However, the foaming and emulsifying stabilities were low.     

Pigment production by Monascus purpureus in grape waste using factorial design

Pigment production by Monascus purpureus in submerged fermentation using grape waste as growth substrate was optimized employing factorial design and response surface techniques. The variables evaluated were the concentrations of grape waste as carbon source, peptone and monosodium glutamate, having as response pigment production. The peptone concentration was the most significant variable for pigment production. The addition of glutamate resulted in an important increase of Monascus pigment yield, but only combined with high peptone concentrations. The optimal region for pigment production is around 20-22.5 g/l of peptone at any grape waste concentration. The utilization of agro-industrial residues for pigment production may represent an added value to the industry and an environmental-friendly way for waste management.     

A novel approach of LED light radiation improves the antioxidant activity of pea seedlings

Influence of light-emitting diode (LED) light on antioxidant activity of radiated pea seedlings was first studied using red (625–630 nm) and blue (465–470 nm) LED lights as light sources in an attempt to determine and compare the changes in chlorophyll and β-carotene contents, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC, μM). After radiation for 96 h, comparing to white light group, red light radiated seedlings displayed significant (p < 0.05) increases in stem length and leaf area, while blue light radiation significantly (p < 0.05) increased the stem length and seedling weight. Chlorophyll in leaves increased rapidly when seedlings were radiated by blue light but no significant (p > 0.05) difference was observed among light radiated seedlings after 96-h cultivation. β-Carotene content of LED radiated leaves was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in red light (54.47 ± 2.35 μg/g) group than in the others. TEAC value of ethanol and acetone extracts (50 mg/mL) of 240 pieces of red light radiated seedlings cultured for 96 h reached 106.48 and 81.68 μM, respectively, were higher than the other treatments. In conclusion, the contribution of red light to significant β-carotene expression and antioxidant activity for nutrition and health benefits and blue light to seedling weight and chlorophyll induction of radiated pea seedlings are emphasized.     

Enhancement of Red Pigment Production by Monascus purpureus FTC 5391 through Retrofitting of Helical Ribbon Impeller in Stirred-Tank Fermenter

The possibility of using a novel proximity type half-pitched, double-flight helical ribbon impeller (HRI) for the improvement of red pigment production by Monascus purpureus FTC5391 was investigated in a 2-L stirred-tank fermenter (STF). For comparison, the fermentations were also carried out in STF equipped with the industrial standard six-bladed Rushton turbines (RT). The selection of aeration and agitation strategies in STF were based on possible attainable oxygen transfer at the start of fermentation using derived empirical power law model to predict the initial volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k _L a). The final pigment concentration, yield, and productivity obtained in optimized fermentation employing a single HRI agitated at 250 rpm and air flow rate of 2.25 L/min (1.5 vvm) was 24.36 UA₅₀₀, 0.47 UA₅₀₀/g glucose, and 0.20 UA₅₀₀/h, respectively. These values were about 76%, 78%, and 96% higher than those obtained in STF fitted with RT, respectively. In terms of impeller power consumption, the HRI system was favorable for batch cultivation of M. purpureus as pigment yield per energy invested was 2.5 times higher than the RT.     

Combination of digital images and laser light to predict moisture content and color of bell pepper simultaneously during drying

Optical devices are being increasingly used for more accurate and faster ways to investigate quality parameters of agricultural products. The main task of this research is to evaluate the use of a CCD camera in combination with laser diodes emitting at 532 nm and 635 nm to monitor changes in moisture content of red, yellow and green bell pepper during drying. Moreover, the feasibility of using the CCD camera alone to analyze color changes during drying, in alternative to the colorimeter, is assessed. Results showed that scattering area and light intensity were able to predict moisture content changes of bell pepper during drying. While excellent correlations were obtained for yellow colored samples (R = 0.93 and RMSEP = 7.28), the behavior of green and red wavelengths in peppers with red and green color, respectively, may raise some doubt on the ability to predict moisture content (R = 0.33 and RMSEP > 22). Additionally, light scattering varied according to the different depths on the surface where the images were taken. Furthermore, it was concluded that a change in tissue structure during drying may have caused dispersion of photons through the surface resulting in varying degrees of scattering. The presented technique based on a digital camera and laser diodes shows the potential to be applied in the future as a fast and modern method for in-line measurements of monitoring moisture content during drying. Digital images in terms of RGB values have been demonstrated to be a promising alternative to monitor changes of L^∗ (R = 0.87 and R = 0.90), and a^∗ values (R = 0.93 and R = 0.97), during drying of yellow and green pepper. Extensive studies are still required to determine the suitability of digital images for analysis of b^∗ values at different colors of bell pepper.     

TBARs distillation method: Revision to minimize the interference from yellow pigments in meat products

The aim was to study the effect of the incubation method and TBA reagent (concentration/solvent) on yellow pigment interference in meat products. Distillates from red sausage, sucrose, malondialdehyde and a mixture of sucrose–malondialdehyde were reacted with four different TBA solutions at five different temperature/time relations. Two TBA solutions were prepared at 20 mM using 90% glacial acetic acid or 3.86% perchloric acid. In addition, an 80 mM TBA solution was prepared using distilled water adjusted to pH 4 and another using 0.8% TBA in distilled water. The temperature/time relations were: (1) 35 min in a boiling water bath; (2) 70 °C/30 min; (3) 40 °C/90 min; (4) room temperature (r.t.) (24 °C) in dark conditions for 20 h; and (5) 60 min in a boiling water bath. The results showed that aqueous or diluted acid solutions of TBA reagent and the application of 100 °C for less than 1 h provided the best conditions to minimize the presence of yellow pigments and maximize pink pigment formation in meat products.     

Influence of germination techniques on phytic acid and polyphenols content of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) sprouts

Influence of germination time and type of illumination on phytic acid and polyphenols of chickpea was investigated. With blue light illumination, a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in phytic acid content was observed, while all other illuminations had no effect on this parameter. Germination time up to 48 h significantly reduced (p < 0.01) the phytic acid content from 1.01% to 0.6% while beyond that time it increased significantly (p < 0.01) reaching the maximum value of 0.9% after 120 h which is still significantly lower than control (1.01%). A similar trend was observed for methanol extractable polyphenols as for phytic acid. It decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with 24 h and 48 h germination time while after that it increased significantly (p < 0.01) and the maximum value was noted with 120 h germination. Red light significantly diminished methanol extractable phenols as compared to dark, fluorescent, yellow and irradiation illuminations. Effect of germination time and type of illumination was highly significant (p < 0.01) for water and acidic methanol extractable phenols. Acidic methanol extractable phenols significantly increased (p < 0.01) from 0.055% to 0.14% within the first 24 h germination while beyond that it decreased significantly reaching the minimum value as for control. Germination under dark and irradiated chickpea seed enhanced the methanol extractable phenols content followed by fluorescent and yellow illuminations. Lowest values for methanol extractable phenols were noted for red followed by green and blue illuminations. Water extractable polyphenols decreased significantly with the increase in germination time. Significantly higher water extractable polyphenols content were noted under blue light germinating samples followed by irradiated samples and lower values for germination under yellow light.     

Effect of multiple factors on accumulation of nucleosides and bases in Cordyceps militaris

In order to improve the accumulation of valuable metabolites (3′-deoxyadenosine, adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, uridine, adenine and uracil) in Cordyceps militaris, multiple factors such as carbon sources, nitrogen sources, metal ions and fermentation duration were investigated in liquid shake flasks. Using both potato broth and glucose as carbon sources were found to facilitate the production of nucleosides and bases most, and 2% of glucose was the most suitable initial level. Mixture of 0.3% yeast extract with 0.3% peptone was the best selection of nitrogen sources and supplementing with 0.1 mmol/L Mn²⁺ achieved the maximum biomass and biosynthesis of nucleosides and bases among all investigated metal ions. The most suitable harvest time for C. militaris was found to be the 6th day, because the production of 3′-deoxyadenosine, adenosine and uridine began to speed up from the later exponential growth phase until the 6th day. Finally, under optimal culture conditions, the contents of 3′-deoxyadenosine, adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, uridine, adenine and uracil were increased to 0.212 ± 0.014 mg/g, 5.05 ± 0.31 mg/g, 4.03 ± 0.30 mg/g, 0.556 ± 0.029 mg/g, 6.39 ± 0.33 mg/g, 0.208 ± 0.016 mg/g and 0.437 ± 0.027 mg/g, respectively.     

Isolation and characterization of pigment from Cinnamomum burmannii' peel

Cinnamomum burmannii is cultivated for use as a spice, and as an ornamental tree. With the aim to develop a natural colorant for use in cosmetics and food additives from a new source, in the present study, pigment derived from C. burmannii' peel (CBP) was isolated by alkaline extraction, acid hydrolysis, repeated precipitation and purification by Sephadex G-75 with a total yield of 0.06 g/100 g (wet weight basis). The color values of the pigment was E_1 cm^1% 278 nm = 65.21. Physical and chemical properties revealed that CBP presses similar properties as most natural pigment. It was scarcely soluble in both water and all common organic solvents, and was soluble only in alkaline aqueous and DMSO. It was stable under ultraviolet light or room-light, stable in the range of 25-100 °C, relatively stable in alkaline aqueous and reducer, but was bleached by strong oxidants (KMnO₄, H₂O₂ and NaOCl). Sodium benzoic acid, tartaric acid, table salt and cane sugar affected it slightly. Spectroscopic analysis of CBP in relation with its structure was also discussed. This is the first report on the characterization of pigment obtained from C. burmannii 'peel.     

Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cantaloupe (cucumis melo) methanolic extracts

The objectives of this study were to determine phenolic content and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from different parts of cantaloupe (leaf, stem, skin, seed and flesh). The flesh extract afforded the highest yield (89.6 ± 0.3%) whilst the lowest yield was obtained from the seed (13.7 ± 0.5%) (p < 0.05). The leaf extract showed the highest total phenolic content (26.4 ± 0.3 mg GAE/g extract) and total flavonoid content (69.7 ± 3.37 μg RE/g extract) accompanied with best antioxidant activity through all antioxidant assays (p < 0.05). In addition, the stem extract also exhibited good antioxidant activity. Thus, these results suggest that methanolic extracts of cantaloupe leaf and stem may serve as a potential source of natural antioxidant for food and nutraceutical application.     

Characterisation and free radical scavenging activities of novel red pigment from Osmanthus fragrans’ seeds

A novel red pigment (RP) was isolated from Osmanthus fragrans  ’ seeds. The optimised experimental parameters of extraction obtained with a four-factor at three-level orthogonal array experimental design _L9(3⁴)$L_9(3^4)$ were ethanol concentration, temperature, pH and extraction time as 90%, 78 °C, 2.5 and 40 min, respectively. A yield of 34.6 ± 2.2 g/100 g was obtained under optimised conditions. The red pigment directly from O. fragrans’ seeds can be dissolved in alkaline, acidic waters solutions and hydrophilic organic solvents in common use. The colour of a water solution of RP changed with pH. RP was stable to heat in the temperature range of 25–100 °C. Physical and chemical properties of RP revealed that the red pigment was also stable in the presence of Na₂SO₃, NaCl, amino acid, organic acid, sugar, starch or metal-ions (such as Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, Mg²⁺ and Na⁺), but was bleached by strong oxidants (KMnO₄, K₂Cr₂O₇ and NaOCl). Subsequently, free radical scavenging activities of RP were assessed using 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radicals using a new resonance scattering spectral method. RP showed an excellent DPPH radical scavenging activity and was superior to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and exhibited quite a strong concentration-dependent inhibition of hydroxyl radical at low concentrations compared with ascorbic acid and quercetin. When the concentration of RP was 0.03 μg/ml, the scavenging percentage of hydroxyl radical reached 92.3%. Salidroside was isolated as an active principle.     

A kind of potential food additive produced by Streptomyces coelicolor: Characteristics of blue pigment and identification of a novel compound, λ-actinorhodin

The blue pigment produced by Streptomyces coelicolor 100 with a yield as high as 3 g/l is a mixture of 10 components. The structure of one of the components was identified and it is a new actinorhodin analogue, named as λ-actinorhodin. The natural pigment can be dissolved in alkaline water solution and a number of organic solvents in common use. The color of a water solution of the pigment changes with pH value. The pigment is stable to light, heat and food additives in common use, and resistant to oxidants and reducers under acidic conditions and to reducers under alkaline conditions. Most inspected metal ions hardly affected pigment stability except for Fe²⁺ at high concentration and Pb²⁺. The pigment is nontoxic with LD₅₀ > 15,000 mg/kg in an acute toxicity trial. The good characteristics of the pigment make it potential useful in the food processing industry as an additive.     

Characterisation of fermentation of high-gravity maize mashes with the application of pullulanase,proteolytic enzymes and enzymes degrading non-starch polysaccharides

The aim of the research was to assess the possibility of the fermentation productivity rising through the increase in corn mashes extract from 16–17 to 20–21°Balling, yet keeping a 3-day fermentation period. The second goal was to obtain the highest possible utilization of starch in the raw material through deep enzymatic degradation and utilization of available sugars and simultaneous maintenance of high quality spirit. It was found that fulfilling the above during the 3-day fermentation period was possible with the application of pullulanase as an additional amylolytic enzyme. Adding pullulanase resulted in the acceleration of the starch hydrolysis degree, which led to lower amounts of unhydrolyzed dextrins and higher ethanol yield. When the supportive enzymes complex (pullulanase, protease and cellulase) was used, the final ethanol concentration reached 10.86 ± 0.04% v/v, with ethanol yield at 68.41 ± 0.23 dm³ of absolute ethanol (A₁₀₀) per 100 kg of starch, which was 95.25 ± 0.32% at the theoretical value. The acceleration of starch enzymatic degradation and the application of a proteolytic preparation visibly shortened both initial and main fermentation phases. This in turn increased the time of the final fermentation phase and resulted in more extensive utilization of substrates by yeasts with simultaneous reduction of the final concentration of acetaldehyde (26.0 ± 0.5 mg/dm³A₁₀₀) and diethyl acetal of acetaldehyde (2.5 ± 0.5 mg/dm³A₁₀₀). The quality of spirit obtained was positively verified also in terms of relatively low concentration of higher alcohol (3912.2 ± 9.8 mg/dm³A₁₀₀). Preliminary analysis of costs (without raw-material) of 1 l distillate production indicated the possibility to reduce the costs by 18–20%.     

Influence of germination techniques on sprout yield,biosynthesis of ascorbic acid and cooking ability,in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Effects of germination time and illuminations on sprout yield, biosynthesis of ascorbic acid, cooking ability and moisture accumulation in chickpeas were significant (p ? 0.01). Green light had the highest promoting effect on the ascorbic acid level (40.59 mg/100 g) as compared to other illuminations but significantly reduced the sprout yield (188.6 g) as compared to dark, fluorescence and γ-rays illuminations with significantly high sprout yield (196 g) and imbibing moisture (51%). Cooking time was reduced by 43% due to γ-rays in un-soaked seed. Cooking time increased in all treated chickpea samples after 24 h germination and thereafter decreased significantly. Red light significantly increased the cooking time (68.44 min) followed by fluorescent (64.5 min), yellow (61.8 min) and green light (60.9 min). The results indicated that germination of chickpea under green light was an effective process in enhancing ascorbic acid content while dark, fluorescence and γ-rays were effective in promoting sprout growth and to some extent biosynthesis of ascorbic acid.     

Comparison of the products of Kombucha fermentation on sucrose and molasses

Fermentation of 1.5 g/L of Indian black tea, sweetened either with 70 g/L of sucrose or an adequate quantity of three kinds of molasses, was conducted by domestic Kombucha (Acetobacter strains in symbiosis with Saccharomycodes ludwigii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces bisporus, Torulopsis sp. and Zygosaccharomyces sp.). Inoculation was performed with 10% of fermentation broth from the previous process. The fermentation in cylindrical vessels containing 2 L of liquid phase, was carried out at 22 ± 1 °C for 14 days, with periodical sampling to measure pH, content of acids (total, acetic and l-lactic), content of remaining sucrose and the yield of biomass at the end of fermentation. Significance of the differences of the results obtained in the fermentations on different substrates was analyzed by applying Duncan’s multiple range test. The molasses that yielded the beverage richest in l-lactic acid was suggested for Kombucha fermentation.     

Characterisation of the pigment components in red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var.) juice and their anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-stimulated murine splenocytes

To determine anti-inflammatory effects of pigments from red cabbage, red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var.) juice was prepared, characterized by UV–vis absorption spectra, partially purified by Sephadex LH-20 column, analyzed by HPLC, and administered to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine splenocyte cultures. The study showed that red cabbage juice (RC) exhibited anti-inflammatory effects against LPS-induced inflammation of splenocytes via increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 secretions. The maximum absorption peaks of RC and its heated products, but not activated charcoal-adsorbed products, appeared at 280 nm with a small shoulder around 310–330 nm while there existed a minor peak at 560 nm (range from 480 to 630 nm), reflecting red cabbage juice included phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. The lyophilized powder of chromatographic fractions F2, F3, and F4 through Sephadex LH-20 column were rich in phenolics (5.9 ± 0.2%, 4.4 ± 0.0%, and 3.9 ± 0.0%, respectively) and flavonoids (1.8 ± 0.3%, 1.8 ± 0.3%, and 1.1 ± 0.3%, respectively). The results suggest that anti-inflammatory pigment compounds in red cabbage juice were heat stable. Further analysis of chromatograms from HPLC suggests malvidin glycosides including malvidin 3-glucoside (oenin), malvidin 5-glucoside and malvidin 3,5-diglucoside in red cabbage juice could inhibit IL-6 secretion of LPS-stimulated splenocytes.     

Effect of canned tuna fish processing steps on lead and cadmium contents of Iranian tuna fish

The contents of Pb and Cd in two species of Iranian tuna fish (yellowfin and skipjack), which were caught from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, and the effects of canning processing steps on their contents were assessed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The results revealed that the levels of lead and cadmium throughout the processing steps in yellowfin were in range of 0.154 ± 0.019–0.441 ± 0.025 μg/g and 0.029 ± 0.002–0.084 ± 0.0005 μg/g, respectively. Pb and Cd concentrations from received fish to final product in skipjack were found to be in range of 0.072 ± 0.031–0.218 ± 0.031 μg/g and 0.016 ± 0.001–0.062 ± 0.002 μg/g, respectively. The limit of detection for lead and cadmium were 0.058 μg/g (11.6022 μg/l) and 0.0007 μg/g (0.1485 μg/l), respectively. Results from paired sample t-test analysis showed that defrosting, cooking, and sterilisation by autoclave would reduce the contents of lead and cadmium, considerably.