Study of major aromatic compounds in port wines from carotenoid degradation

The carotenoids degradation and the formation of volatiles were examined by simulating Port wine aging. A two year old red Port wine was saturated with oxygen, supplemented with lutein and β-carotene and kept at 60 °C during 87 h. A similar study was performed in a model wine solution. Results showed that the percentage decrease in lutein levels was, respectively, 79% and 95%, in the wine model solution and in the Port wine, and 55% and 10% for β-carotene, indicating that lutein was more sensitive to degradation than β-carotene. Two other unknown degradation carotenoid compounds were identified by HPLC/DAD (reverse phase λ_max: 422; 445; 475 and 422; 445; 472) in the lutein supplemented wine. Levels of β-ionone and β-cyclocitral increased (2.5 times) in both, wine and wine model solution, supplemented with β-carotene. Along with these compounds, the same behaviour was observed in β-damascenone in the supplemented lutein wine and wine model solution. New insights were provided into the understanding of aroma modifications occurring during Port wine aging. The relationship between carotenoid molecules (β-carotene and lutein) and some volatiles has also been provided.     

Comparative study of phytochemicals and antioxidant potential of wild edible mushroom caps and stipes

A comparative study of the organic acids and phenolics composition and of the total alkaloids content of entire wild edible mushrooms (Russula cyanoxantha, Amanita rubescens, Suillus granulatus and Boletus edulis) and correspondent caps and stipes was performed. All species presented oxalic, citric, malic and fumaric acids, with A. rubescens exhibiting the highest total organic acids content. Organic acids were preferably fixed in the cap. Among phenolics, only p-hydroxybenzoic acid was found in A. rubescens and S. granulatus, in very low amounts. B. edulis was the species that presented the highest total alkaloid amounts. Except for this species, alkaloids mainly accumulated in the cap. All of the species exhibited a concentration-dependent scavenging ability against DPPH^·. B. edulis revealed the highest antioxidant capacity. The cap seemed to be the part with highest antioxidant potential. Some relationships between chemical composition and antioxidant capacity were considered.     

Methodological developments in crispness assessment: Effects of cooking method on the crispness of crusted foods

A new method was developed to assess the texture of crispy-crusted foods with a soft, high-moisture core. This method, applied to commercial pre-cooked chicken nuggets, combines characteristics derived from the force/displacement curves of the whole sample with characteristics of the simultaneously emitted sound. The use of a not-sharp blade probe to perform the test proved to be an effective technique for characterizing the texture of chicken nuggets after different final cooking processes. The force curves of the samples differed with the cooking process. Deep-fried samples and those cooked in a conventional oven presented jagged force curves and acoustic signals with many peaks, both characteristics of crispy products. The curve profiles of microwaved samples were drastically different and typical of tough, gummy products. The use of a susceptor package in microwave heating improved the crispness of the samples. The number of sound peaks was the acoustic parameter that best discriminated between the samples. It was found that although the moisture and fat contents of the core and crust are closely related to the texture characteristics, samples with similar water contents can have very dissimilar crispness characteristics. The fat content of the core did not change significantly with the final cooking process in any of the samples.     

Porcine pancreatic lipase immobilized on polysiloxane–polyvinyl alcohol hybrid matrix: catalytic properties and feasibility to mediate synthesis of surfactants and biodiesel

Polysiloxane–polyvinyl alcohol hybrid matrix was prepared by a sol–gel technique and its capacity to bind porcine pancreatic lipase investigated. The loading of 250 units g^?1 support was shown to be effective, resulting in an immobilized lipase with high catalytic activity. Both free and immobilized lipases were characterized by determining the activity profile as a function of pH, temperature, substrate concentration and thermal stability. Application of the immobilized lipase in non‐conventional biocatalysis for the synthesis of surfactants and biodiesel was also analyzed. Production of sugar fatty acid esters was found to be dependent on the carbohydrate and the highest molar conversion (50% in 3–4 h of reaction) was achieved for substrates containing fructose and lauric or oleic acids. Biodiesel synthesis from babassu oil and ethanol, propanol or butanol was feasible and regardless of the kind of alcohols, results revealed that the immobilized PPL could efficiently convert triglycerides to fatty acid alkyl esters attaining yields varying from 75 to 95%. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Life tasks, self-concept ideals, and cognitive strategies in a life transition.

This paper reports on data from a longitudinal study in which normative life tasks and individuals' personal versions of those tasks are investigated in the context of students making the transition from home and high school to college life. Analyses focus both on common patterns of life-task appraisal in interpersonal and achievement domains and on differences in the self-concepts and cognitive strategies that individual students bring to bear as they confront these normative pressures (Cantor & Kihlstrom, 1987). In particular, we investigate the impact of students' actual-ideal self-discrepancies (Higgins, Klein, & Strauman, 1985) on subjective stress and satisfaction in achievement and interpersonal life-task domains and suggest that self-concept discrepancy negatively affects adjustment in the achievement domain and positively affects social outcomes. Students using a defensive-pessimism strategy motivated themselves by confronting their anxieties in advance of stressful tasks, whereas those using an optimistic strategy assumed the best until proved otherwise—protecting self-esteem after the fact in the event of disappointment (Norem & Cantor, 1986a, 1986b). This analysis, thus, begins at the level of normative "readings" of life tasks in a shared transition period and gradually moves toward consideration of how individuals navigate those tasks in personally meaningful ways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: Data from a national sample.

A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years was interviewed by telephone about substance use, victimization experiences, familial substance use, and posttraumatic reactions to identify risk factors for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) defined substance abuse/dependence. Age and ethnicity data were available for 3,907 participants. Major findings were (a) adolescents who had been physically assaulted, who had been sexually assaulted, who had witnessed violence, or who had family members with alcohol or drug use problems had increased risk for current substance abuse/dependence; (b) posttraumatic stress disorder independently increased risk of marijuana and hard drug abuse/dependence; and (c) when effects of other variables were controlled, African Americans, but not Hispanics or Native Americans, were at approximately 1/3 the risk of substance abuse/dependence as Caucasians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression among acute spinal cord injury patients: A study utilizing the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.

Administered the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SRDS) an average of 63 days post-injury to 58 acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients (aged 18–55 yrs) and 51 age-matched healthy controls (CTLs). Mean SRDS scores were 37.1 for CTLs and 49.0 for SCI Ss. Several factors, including age, yrs of education, level of injury (paraplegic vs quadriplegic), etiology of injury (violent vs nonviolent), presence of acute closed head injury, or recent history of alcohol or substance abuse, had no association with SRDS scores. Since undiagnosed and untreated depression may compromise an SCI patient's adaptation to injury and motivation during rehabilitation, abnormally elevated SRDS scores may help to determine which patients might require more focused psychological assessment and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Maternal High Fat Diet Has Long‐Lasting Effects on Skeletal Muscle Lipid and PLIN Protein Content in Rat Offspring at Young Adulthood

A maternal high fat diet (HFD) can have adverse effects on skeletal muscle development. Skeletal muscle PLIN proteins (PLIN2, 3 and 5) are thought to play critical roles in lipid metabolism, however effects of HFD on PLIN and lipases (HSL, ATGL, CGI‐58) in mothers as well as their offspring have yet to be investigated. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether maternal HFD would influence skeletal muscle lipase and PLIN protein content in offspring at weaning (19d) and young adulthood (3mo). Female rats (28d old, n = 9/group) were fed control (CON, AIN93G, 7 % soybean oil) or HFD (AIN93G, 20 % lard) for 10 weeks prior to mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. All offspring were weaned to CON [n = 18/group, 1 female and 1 male pup per litter were studied at weaning (19d) and 3mo of age]. There was no effect of sex for the main outcomes measured in plantaris, therefore male and female data was combined. Maternal HFD resulted in higher triacylglycerol content in pups at 3mo (p < 0.05), as well as in the dams (p = 0.015). Maternal HFD resulted in higher PLIN5 content in pups at weaning and 3mo (p = 0.05). PLIN2 and PLIN5 content decreased at 3mo versus weaning (p < 0.001). HFD dams had a higher PLIN3 content (p = 0.016). Diet had no effect on ATGL, CGI‐58, or HSL content. In conclusion, exposure to a maternal HFD resulted in higher skeletal muscle lipid and PLIN5 content in plantaris of offspring through to young adulthood.     

Evaluation of Antioxidant,Antidiabetic and Anticholinesterase Activities of Smallanthus sonchifolius Landraces and Correlation with Their Phytochemical Profiles

The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical profile of leaf methanol extracts of fourteen Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacon) landraces and their antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antidiabetic activities that could lead to the finding of more effective agents for the treatment and management of Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. For this purpose, antioxidant activity was assessed using different tests: ferric reducing ability power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (˙NO) and superoxide (O₂˙⁻) scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays. Anticholinesterase activity was investigated by quantifying the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities, whereas antidiabetic activity was investigated by α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition tests. To understand the contribution of metabolites, phytochemical screening was also performed by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) system. Among all, methanol extract of PER09, PER04 and ECU44 landraces exhibited the highest relative antioxidant capacity index (RACI). ECU44 was found to be rich in 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) and 3,5-di-O-CQA and displayed a good α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, showing the lowest IC₅₀ values. Flavonoids, instead, seem to be involved in the AChE and BChE inhibition. The results of this study revealed that the bioactive compound content differences could be determinant for the medicinal properties of this plant especially for antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.     

Bioreduction of α‐Acetoxymethyl Enones: Proposal for an SN2′ Mechanism Catalyzed by Enereductase

(Z)‐3‐Acetoxymethyl‐4‐R‐3‐buten‐2‐ones (R=aryl, alkyl) and (Z)‐3‐methyl‐4‐R‐3‐buten‐2‐ones (R=aryl) were synthesized and submitted to reduction by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae producing the (R)‐ and (S)‐4‐R‐3‐methybutan‐2‐ones, respectively. This stereochemistry control strategy was applied in the syntheses of (R)‐ and (S)‐Tropional® with moderate to high enantiomeric excesses. Other (Z)‐3‐acyloxymethyl‐4‐phenyl‐3‐buten‐2‐ones showed similar behavior to the (Z)‐3‐acetoxymethyl counterpart, and the acylated Morita–Baylis–Hillman adduct 1‐acetoxy‐2‐methylene‐1‐phenylbutan‐3‐one produced a mixture of products, with and without the acetoxy group, via three different reaction pathways. In addition to experiments employing whole cells, those in which isolated enereductases were used suggested that the main pathway through which the loss of the acetoxy group occurs during the biocatalytic cascade is an S_N2′‐type reaction, rather than formal hydrogen addition followed by acetic acid elimination. Finally, related ethyl enones were reduced enantioselectively by the yeast Candida albicans, producing both (R)‐ and (S)‐reduction products, depending on the presence of the acetoxy group in the starting material.