Studies on curcumin and curcuminoids XVII. Variation in the content of curcuminoids inCurcuma longa L. from Nenal during one season

Summary The content of curcuminoids inCurcuma longa L. before, during and after a normal harvesting period was investigated. The plant material was grown in the Kathmandu area. Bis-demethoxycurcumin was found to be the main constituent. No significant change in the curcuminoid content was observed during a 17-week sampling period.

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Studien über Curcumin und Curcuminoide. XVII. Veränderung des Gehaltes an Curcuminoiden inCurcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) aus Nepal warend der Ernte

Zusammenfassung Der Gehalt an Curcuminoiden inCurcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) wurde vor, während und nach der normalen Erntezeit untersucht. Das Pflanzenmaterial stammt aus dim Kathmandu-Tal in Nepal. Der Hauptinhaltsstoff ist Bisdemethoxycurcumin. Im Laufe von 17 Wochen konnten keine signifikante Schwankungen observiert werden.

     

A GC–MS-based metabonomic investigation of blood serum from irritable bowel syndrome patients undergoing intervention with acidified milk products

In the present study, the use of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based metabonomics to characterize blood serum in an intervention study of patients suffering from the common gastrointestinal disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was investigated. The patients included in the study consumed an acidified milk product with (n = 30) or without probiotics (n = 31) (Lactobacillus paracasei F19, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12) for an 8-week period, and blood serum samples were collected before and after the intervention. Acidified milk is commonly used as a delivering vector for probiotics in commercial consumer settings. The serum samples were extracted and derivatized using N-Methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA), and GC–MS analysis was carried out. Multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and S-plot was applied on the obtained GC–MS data, which revealed higher serum lactate, glutamine, proline creatinine/creatine, and aspartic acid levels and lower serum glucose levels after the intervention period for both treatment groups. Consequently, the present study indicated an effect of acidified milk consumption on the plasma metabolite profile, which was independent of a concomitant intake of probiotics. In addition, the present study demonstrates that GC–MS is a useful analytical technique for metabonomics studies of blood serum.     

Changes in liquid‐holding capacity,water distribution and microstructure during chill storage of smoked salmon

BACKGROUND: During recent years, increases in liquid loss and soft texture in cold smoked salmon have been reported, possibly due to increased lipid content and a change in muscle structure. These problems can lead to downgrading of the product. This study aimed to investigate the influence of raw material composition and chill storage on quality parameters of cold smoked salmon. RESULTS: Initial smoked fish had a higher liquid‐holding capacity (LHC) than samples stored for 20 days. Large fish lost more liquid than small fish. The difference in LHC was consistent with a change in water distribution, which could indicate denaturation of muscle protein. Studies of the microstructure showed the influence of both processing and chill storage. An indication of lipid released from the cells was seen after 20 days of chill storage, which could be related to the reduced LHC at that time. CONCLUSION: Both raw material composition and chill storage affected the quality parameters of smoked salmon. This study has improved knowledge about the relationships between muscle structure, liquid‐holding properties and water distribution in smoked salmon. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Non-destructive nuclear magnetic resonance image study of belly bursting in herring (Clupea harengus)

Herring (Clupea harengus) captured during the heavy feeding spring season were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis. MRI was performed at room temperature on the frozen-thawed herring for approximately 50 h. The results showed that the stomachs were filled with prey and that they were very resistant to degradation. The ventral muscle, on the other hand, together with the upper part of the intestine (as confirmed during collection of samples on board fishing vessels), seemed to be the most sensible structures where the autolysis commenced and extended to the rest of the abdominal cavity.     

Peptide/β-Peptoid Hybrids with Activity against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: Influence of Hydrophobicity and Structural Features on Antibacterial and Hemolytic Properties

Infections with enterococci are challenging to treat due to intrinsic resistance to several antibiotics. Especially vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis are of considerable concern with a limited number of efficacious therapeutics available. From an initial screening of 20 peptidomimetics, 11 stable peptide/β-peptoid hybrids were found to have antibacterial activity against eight E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates. Microbiological characterization comprised determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), probing of synergy with antibiotics in a checkerboard assay, time–kill studies, as well as assessment of membrane integrity. E. faecium isolates proved more susceptible than E. faecalis isolates, and no differences in susceptibility between the vancomycin-resistant (VRE) and -susceptible E. faecium isolates were observed. A test of three peptidomimetics (Ac-[hArg-βNsce]₆-NH₂, Ac-[hArg-βNsce-Lys-βNspe]₃-NH₂ and Oct-[Lys-βNspe]₆-NH₂) in combination with conventional antibiotics (vancomycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, linezolid, rifampicin or azithromycin) revealed no synergy. The same three potent analogues were found to have a bactericidal effect with a membrane-disruptive mode of action. Peptidomimetics Ac-[hArg-βNsce-Lys-βNspe]₃-NH₂ and Oct-[Lys-βNspe]₆-NH₂ with low MIC values (in the ranges 2–8 µg/mL and 4–16 µg/mL against E. faecium and E. faecalis, respectively) and displaying weak cytotoxic properties (i.e., <10% hemolysis at a ~100-fold higher concentration than their MICs; IC₅₀ values of 73 and 41 µg/mL, respectively, against HepG2 cells) were identified as promising starting points for further optimization studies.     

Ambient oxygen ingress rate method—an alternative method to Ox‐Tran for measuring oxygen transmission rate of whole packages

The ambient oxygen ingress rate method (AOIR) is an alternative method to Ox‐Tran for measuring the oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of whole packages. The objective of the present work was (a) to compare OTR values obtained by the two methods, and (b) to evaluate the use of the AOIR method for measuring OTR at realistic food storage temperatures and humidity levels. The AOIR method gave equal OTR values compared to the Ox‐Tran method for the five different types of whole packages used in the experiment, with OTR values in the range 0.06–1.48 ml O₂/day. The repeatability of the AOIR method measured on an HDPE bottle was ±2.6% of the measured value in this experiment. This is slightly higher than the general specifications of the Ox‐Tran method (1% of reading for packages). However, the AOIR method can be considered to be a reliable, precise and cheap alternative method to the Ox‐Tran method for measuring OTR of whole packages. The capacity of the method is also high. The AOIR method showed satisfactory results when comparing OTR for packages tested under realistic food storage conditions covering 23°C/50% relative humidity (RH) and at 4°C/60% RH on the outside, combined with water (100% RH) or dry air inside the packages. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quality of Sour Cream Packaged in Cups with Different Light Barrier Properties Measured by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Sensory Analysis

ABSTRACT:  In this study, photooxidation of sour cream packaged in cups with different light barrier properties was investigated. The sour cream was light exposed for 36 h with a standard fluorescent light tube, simulating storage conditions in many Norwegian grocery stores. Three different cups were evaluated: a white cup, a cup with medium light barrier (LB), and a cup with high LB. The quality of the sour cream was evaluated by sensory analysis and front face fluorescence spectroscopy. The sour cream stored in white cups became very rancid during the light exposure, with a rancid flavor score of 7.8 on a scale from 1 to 9, where 9 is the highest intensity. Cups with high LB gave best protection against the light. The sensory assessors could not distinguish between sour cream stored in cups with high LB and sour cream stored in the dark. The rancid flavor intensity for the cups with medium LB was significantly different ( P  < 0.05) from both the white cup and the cup with high LB. The sensory flavor intensities indicated that with 36 h of light exposure, only a cup with high LB will protect the sour cream sufficiently. The fluorescence measurements corresponded well with the sensory analysis as the photosensitizers were somewhat degraded for sour cream stored in cups with medium LB and most degraded in the white cups. For the cups with high LB, the fluorescence peaks that originated from the photosensitizers were all intact.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Dairy products such as sour cream will develop off-odor and taste faults ("sunlight taste") in a few hours if exposed to sufficient fluorescent lightning in the grocery stores. A light barrier can be incorporated in the packaging material to protect the dairy products from the light. Our experiment showed that the incorporation of a black pigment into 1 of the 3 plastic layers in the cup for packaging of sour cream protected the sour cream from degradation when exposed to light.     

A monotone framework for CCS

The calculus of communicating systems, CCS, was introduced by Robin Milner as a calculus for modelling concurrent systems. Subsequently several techniques have been developed for analysing such models in order to get further insight into their dynamic behaviour.In this paper we present a static analysis for approximating the control structure embedded within the models. We formulate the analysis as an instance of a monotone framework and thus draw on techniques that often are associated with the efficient implementation of classical imperative programming languages.We show how to construct a finite automaton that faithfully captures the control structure of a CCS model. Each state in the automaton records a multiset of the enabled actions and appropriate transfer functions are developed for transforming one state into another. A classical worklist algorithm governs the overall construction of the automaton and its termination is ensured using techniques from abstract interpretation.