Antioxidant activity of protein extracts from heat-treated or thermally processed chickpeas and white beans

In this study, antioxidant activities of water-soluble protein extracts from chickpeas and white beans were investigated. The area under the curve (AUC) values of lyophilized crude protein extracts (dialyzed or undialyzed) from thermally processed (121 °C for 20 min) or heat-treated (90 °C for 20 min) chickpeas (73–91 μmol trolox/g) and white beans (39–67 μmol trolox/g) indicated a higher free radical-scavenging capacity and thermostability for chickpea proteins than for white bean proteins. The thermal processing also increased the Fe⁺²-chelating capacity of lyophilized chickpea crude protein extracts 1.8-fold whereas it caused a 2.3-fold reduction in the Fe⁺²-chelating capacity of lyophilized white bean crude protein extracts. Dialysis increased the protein content of lyophilized chickpea extracts 1.5–2-fold but it did not affect the protein content of lyophilized white bean extracts significantly. Ammonium sulfate precipitation was not effective for selective precipitation of antioxidant proteins. However, it improved the free radical-scavenging capacity of lyophilized protein extracts from thermally processed chickpeas and white beans by almost 25% and 100%, respectively. DEAE-cellulose chromatography, indicated the presence of five (A₁–A₅) and three (B₁–B₃) antioxidant protein fractions in heat-treated and thermally processed chickpea protein extracts, respectively, and can be used for the partial purification of antioxidant proteins. The results of this study showed the good potential of chickpea proteins as thermostable natural food antioxidants.     

Diversity and Stability of Yeast Species During the Fermentation of Tarhana

Tarhana is a traditional cereal-based fermented food produced with a mixture of yoghurt and flour. The main microbiota in the fermentation of tarhana is yeast, together with lactic acid bacteria. In this study, the yeast microbiota of home-made tarhana (HMT) and plant-type tarhana (PTT) dough samples was evaluated and compared during fermentation. Culture-dependent LSU and ITS-5.8S rDNA sequence analysis of yeast isolates collected during the tarhana dough fermentation clarified 45 selected isolates representing different clusters. These yeast isolates displayed high homologywith species Pichia kudriavzevii (11), Candida glabrata (11), Candida humilis (10), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (7), Kluyveromyces marxianus (4), Kazachstania servazzi (1), and Kazachstania unispora (1). Additionally, both culture-dependent and PCR-Denaturated Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analyses showed that S. cerevisiae, P. kudriavzevii and K. marxianus were abundant in the fermentation of HMT dough samples whereas P. kudriavzevii, C. humilis, and C. glabrata dominated the PTT dough samples. It was concluded that tarhana fermentation was accomplished with the presence of a wide variety of yeast species that mainly included P. kudriavzevii in both HMT and PTT dough samples.     

Total Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Contents in Different Turkish Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.) Cultivars

In this study, total water soluble antioxidant activity and phenolic content of 26 eggplant ( Solanum melongena L. ) cultivars were investigated. Total water soluble antioxidant activity of the cultivars varied from 2664 to 8247 μmolTrolox/kg, which is a 3.1-fold difference. Cultivars also showed significant variation for total phenolic contents ranging from 615 to 1376 mg/kg, a 2.2-fold difference. The two traits were significantly correlated and results of this study suggested that breeders can use the information to develop eggplant cultivars with high antioxidant activity.     

Constituents,Oxidant-Antioxidant Profile,and Antimicrobial Capacity of the Essential Oil Obtained from Ferulago Sandrasica Peşmen and Quézel

Chemical constituents, total phenolic content, total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, lipid hydroperoxides, total free –SH levels, and antimicrobial activity of essential oil obtained from the Ferulago sandrasica (Umbelliferae) were investigated. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical constituents were analyzed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The main components of the essential oil were ocimene (30.5%), carene-δ-3 (27.4%), and α-pinene (17.8). The antimicrobial activity was tested by a disc diffusion method against E. coli MC 400, E. coli ATCC 25922, E. coli 0157 H7, E. colaecea ATCC 23355, E. feacalis ATCC 19433, P. aeruginosa NRRL B-2679, S. aureus ATCC 25923, B. nischenoformis NRRL B-1001, S. aureus ATCC 33862, B. cereus NRRL B-3711, B. subtilis NRRL B-209, M. luteus NRRL B-1013, L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644, B. subtulis ATCC 6633.