Dynamics of γ-aminobutyric acid in wheat flour bread making

The dynamics of the health-improving non-protein amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) during bread making were studied. Wheat flour contains trace levels of GABA (<15 ppm) and ca. 160–175 ppm of its precursor, glutamic acid (GA). During dough mixing, the levels of both GA and GABA largely increased. While wheat flour endogenous glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) performs some minor conversion of GA into GABA, yeast is the main contributor to GABA formation. Comparison of amino acid levels of dough samples, without or with yeast, indicated that yeast favours both GA and GABA formation already during mixing. Fermentation decreased both GA and GABA contents, due to amino acid consumption by the yeast, which used more GA than GABA. Proofing and baking resulted in large GABA losses, the latter probably in Maillard browning reactions during baking. Thermal loss of GA was less pronounced than that of GABA. Breads contained only trace levels of GABA and ca. 90–130 ppm of its precursor. Exogenous supplementation of recombinantly produced GAD of Yersinia intermedia decreased GA levels in mixed and fermented dough and increased GABA levels. The highest GAD dosage used resulted in fermented doughs with ca. 300 ppm of GABA, i.e. three times higher than the level present in the reference sample (no GAD added). After baking, a significant GABA level was left in the bread samples (ca. 115 ppm) and GABA-enriched breads were obtained. Addition of sodium glutamate (100–380 ppm) to a bread recipe containing no added GAD clearly indicated that its precursor was not the limiting factor for GABA conversion during bread making since the resulting breads contained no GABA, or only trace levels (ca. 20 ppm).     

Stability of CdTe/CdS thin-film solar cells

The recent literature regarding the stability of CdTe/CdS photovoltaic cells (as distinguished from modules) is reviewed. Particular emphasis is given to the role of Cu as a major factor that can limit the stability of these devices. Cu is often added to improve the ohmic contact to p-CdTe and the overall cell photovoltaic performance. This may be due to the formation of a Cu₂Te/CdTe back contact. Excess Cu also enhances the instability of devices when under stress. The Cu, as Cu⁺, from either Cu₂Te or other sources, diffuses via grain boundaries to the CdTe/CdS active junction. Recent experimental data indicate that Cu, Cl and other diffusing species reach (and accumulate at) the CdS layer, which may not be expected on the basis of bulk diffusion. These observations may be factors in cell behavior and degradation, for which new mechanisms are suggested and areas for future study are highlighted. Other possible Cu-related degradation mechanisms, as well as some non-Cu-related issues for cell stability are discussed.     

Production and characterization of an allergen panel for component-resolved diagnosis of celery allergy

In celery a relevant food allergen source, three allergens have been identified so far: Api g 1 and Api g 4, and one glycosylated protein, Api g 5. For component-resolved food allergy diagnosis high amounts of well-defined allergens are needed. Depending on the individual celery allergen, protocols for heterologous production and purification from natural source, respectively, were established to obtain homogenous protein batches. Afterwards the purified recombinant allergens, Api g 1, Api g 4 and natural Api g 5 were characterized regarding their structural integrity and immunological activity. Therefore, several methods were applied. Proteins were identified by partial N-terminal sequencing, protein mass was verified by MS and sequence integrity by MALDI-TOF and N-terminal sequencing after tryptic digestion. Presence of isoforms in natural allergen preparations was identified by 2-DE. Secondary and tertiary structures were evaluated by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and NMR analysis. Finally, IgE binding capacity was verified using selected sera from celery allergic patients in IgE immunoblots and IgE ELISA. These well-defined celery allergens will be used to prove the concept of component-resolved diagnosis and will contribute to improve food allergy diagnosis in the future.     

Direct analysis of silica gel extracts from immunostained glycosphingolipids by nanoelectrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A combined strategy of preparative high-performance thin-layer chromatography overlay assay and mass spectrometry was established for the structural characterization of immunostained glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in silica gel extracts. Crude chloroform/methanol/water (30/60/8, v/v/v) extracts of immunostained TLC bands were analyzed by nanoelectrospray low-energy CID mass spectrometry without further purification. The GSL species investigated were isomeric monosialogangliosides of the neolacto series from a ganglioside preparation of human granulocytes, the disialoganglioside GD3 from a human melanoma lipid extract, and ganglio series Gg3Cer of a neutral GSL preparation from murine lymphoreticular MDAY-D2 cells. For the specific detection of lipid-bound oligosaccharides, polyclonal chicken IgY, murine monoclonal IgG3, and IgM antibodies were used. The resulting mass spectra show that only analytical quantities of approximately 1 microg of a single GSL within a complex mixture are required for the structure determination of immunostained GSLs by MS and MS/MS. All species investigated were detected as singly charged deprotonated molecular ions, and neither buffer-derived salt adducts nor coextracted contaminants from the immunostaining procedure or the silica gel layer were observed. This effective HPTLC-MS-joined procedure offers a wide range of applications for any carbohydrate binding agents such as bacterial toxins, plant lectins, and others.     

典当之外 财富之上

典当行的发展由来已久,目前北京就有160余家.融资快捷、方便灵活,新时期的典当行已经成为社会服务型的行业,它不再是单纯地当物换钱,而是集融资、淘宝、保管功能于一体,是一个新兴的理财宝地.     

Surface characterization and adsorption abilities of cellulose fibers

The adsorption abilites of cotton cellulose fibers are very often modified by alkaline treatments in form of alkaline purification or mercerization using high concentration of NaOH. We tried to determine the correlation between morphological modifications and the adsorption abilities of cotton fibers using several methods: the analysis of microscope images of fibers by image processing and the analysis of the electrokinetic surface properties which express the adsorption behavior of fibers. The longitudinal images and cross-sections of native and modified cotton fibers were analyzed and the parameters: form factor, wall thickness, cross-section area, fiber diameter, lumen area were calculated using image processing. The adsorption behavior of native and NaOH modified polymers was investigated by the determination of electrokinetic properties. The zeta potential (ζ) was calculated from streaming potential measurements as a function of pH and surfactant concentration in the liquid phase. The results indicate that only a correct combination between the morphological modifications and electrokinetic behavior of fibers leads to a desirable adsorption mechanism which causes a specific adsorption of components of the liquid phase.