Reduction of in vitro allergenicity of buckwheat Fag e 1 through the Maillard-type glycosylation with polysaccharides

A major allergenic protein of buckwheat, Fag e 1 prepared from common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), was covalently linked with food-grade polysaccharides, arabinogalactan or xyloglucan through the controlled dry-heating at 60 °C under 65% relative humidity. The introduction of polysaccharide chain onto the molecular surface of Fag e 1 reduced the allergenicity of Fag e 1. The results revealed that the Maillard-type glycosylation of Fag e 1 with polysaccharides brought about a drastic reduction of the reactivity against human sera of buckwheat-allergy subjects, using immuno dot-blotting, QCM analysis and ELISA. In addition, the glycosylation of Fag e 1 yielded a great improvement of its surface functionality. Solubility of Fag e 1 at the neutral pH was substantially increased up to 13.5 times and 9.6 times by the conjugation with arabinogalactan and xyloglucan, respectively. Emulsifying properties of Fag e 1 were also improved by the glycosylation, of which both emulsifying activity and emulsion stability were more than 6 times higher than those of the native protein.     

Synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbon thin films at various temperatures in vapor infiltration method

Mesoporous carbon thin films with ordered structures were prepared by using resorcinol-surfactant self-assembly. A mixture of resorcinol, surfactant, and ethanol coated on silicon substrates was exposed to formaldehyde vapor as a cross-linking agent to form structured resorcinol/formaldehyde resin films. The films were then carbonized at 800 °C in an inert atmosphere to remove the surfactant and to obtain structured carbon materials. With this vapor infiltration method, thin films with several structures were obtained from the same precursor solution by employing different vapor infiltration temperatures. The results were interpreted from the transformation of the self-assembly during the vapor infiltration process.     

Anionic surfactants: lauric products

Lauryl sulfate and lauryl ether sulfate obtained by the sulfation of lauryl alcohol and lauryl alcohol ethoxylate are representative of anionic surfactants and are used as a formable detergent or an emulsifier. For the sulfation of lauryl alcohol and lauryl alcohol ethoxylate, SO₃ gas, it was found that the quality of products was significantly influenced by the reaction conditions. In order to obtain good quality products we developed a new technology by using a new type of reactor called a “climbing film reactor,” in which SO₃ gas and liquid raw material flow ascendingly.     

燃烧合成AlN粉体的放电等离子烧结及其导热性能

利用放电等离子烧结(spark plasma sintering,SPS)工艺研究了燃烧合成法制备的2种具有不同形貌的AlN粉以及1种碳热还原氮化法制备的市售亚微米级AlN粉的烧结性能、致密化机理以及导热性能。结果表明:燃烧合成法制备的AlN纳米晶须状粉末具有与亚微米级标准市售AlN粉末同样优异的烧结性能,都能够在无烧结助剂情况下在1600℃的较低温度下烧结致密。在烧结过程中,由于燃烧合成AlN粉自身的高化学活性和SPS产生的等离子体活化作用,使得AlN粉以自身的分解-再结晶-凝聚机制进行致密化,导致晶界强度很高,断裂时以穿晶断裂为主;而在市售AlN粉末烧结过程中以表面扩散机制致密化,在晶界处形成了AlON相,降低了晶界强度,因此以沿晶断裂为主。AlN原料的氧含量对热导率的影响很大。由于燃烧合成AlN粉体的氧含量较碳热还原法制备的市售AlN粉体略高,导致其烧结试样热导率略低。     

Anisotropic corrosion of iron in pH 1 sulphuric acid

Anisotropic corrosion behaviour of a single grain of pure iron in 0.05 mol dm⁻³ sulphuric acid (pH 1) was investigated by a simple polarization technique. Both corrosion potential and corrosion current were found to be dependent on crystallographic orientation of the iron grain. A high corrosion current flowed on a grain showing a relatively noble corrosion potential, although both cathodic and anodic Tafel slopes were independent of the orientation. It was shown that cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) governed the corrosion reaction on the iron grain. Covalent bonding of Fe and H and coverage of H on Fe seem to play important roles in the HER and anisotropic corrosion behaviour of pure iron.     

Colloidal transport phenomena in dynamic,pulsating porous materials

We study the transport phenomena of colloidal particles embedded within a moving array of obstacles that mimics a dynamic, time-varying porous material. While colloidal transport in an array of stationary obstacles (“passive” porous media) has been well studied, we lack the fundamental understanding of colloidal diffusion in a nonequilibrium porous environment. We combine Taylor dispersion theory, Brownian dynamics simulations, and optical tweezer experiments to study the transport of tracer colloidal particles in an oscillating lattice of obstacles. We discover that the dispersion of tracer particles is a nonmonotonic function of oscillation frequency and exhibits a maximum that exceeds the Stokes–Einstein–Sutherland diffusivity in the absence of obstacles. By solving the Smoluchowski equation using a generalized dispersion framework, we demonstrate that the enhanced transport of the tracers depends critically on both the direct interparticle interactions with the obstacles and the fluid-mediated, hydrodynamic interactions generated by the moving obstacles.     

Rapid detection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O6 in water by using monoclonal antibody and a photon-counting television camera

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against Escherichia coli O6:H16 were screened against 15 strains of E. coli and 19 non-E. coli bacteria. A MAb-luminescence assay using MAb-5.8, which shows no cross-reactions with non-E. coli bacteria, and a photon-counting television camera were developed for rapid enumeration of E. coli O6:H16 in water. The membrane filter that retained bacteria was boiled for 5 min in a buffer and incubated with biotinylated MAb-5.8. After incubation with streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate, it was reacted with luminol-based reaction mixture. Luminous image and light intensity of the filter was recorded with a Biocell Counter. Levels of E. coli O6 higher than 7 x 10(3) CFU were detected by the MAb-luminescence assay when E. coli O6 was spotted onto the membrane filter. The sample that contained E. coli O6:H16 was filtered through a membrane filter, and the filter that retained bacteria was incubated on a filter paper soaked with nutrient broth supplemented with 0.5% NaCl at 37 degrees C for 6 h. The number of light emission points on the filter correlated well with initial E. coli O6:H16 counts within the range of 1 to 3 x 10(2) CFU. The correlation coefficient was 0.89.     

SUPPRESSION OF α-ACETOLACTATE FORMATION IN BREWING WITH IMMOBILIZED YEAST

Immobilized yeast cells extensively produced the diacetyl precursor, α-acetolactate, during alcohol fermentation. The activity of acetohydroxy acid synthetase, which is responsible for the formation of α-acetolactate from pyruvic acid, was high in cell-free extracts of immobilized yeast cells compared with that of free yeast cells. It was suggested that the expression of AHA synthase of immobilized yeast cells was increased during growth in the carrier as compared with free yeast cells. When the initial immobilizing yeast cell concentration was changed from 1.0 × 10⁶ cells/ml to 1.0 × 10⁹ cells/ml, production of α-acetolactate was reduced from 0.94 mg/l to 0.30 mg/l. Furthermore, during continuous fermentation for 10 d, the concentration of α-acetolactate in beer was 0.30 mg/l.     

STD‐NMR‐Based Protein Engineering of the Unique Arylpropionate‐Racemase AMDase G74C

Structure‐guided protein engineering achieved a variant of the unique racemase AMDase G74C, with 40‐fold increased activity in the racemisation of several arylaliphatic carboxylic acids. Substrate binding during catalysis was investigated by saturation‐transfer‐difference NMR (STD‐NMR) spectroscopy. All atoms of the substrate showed interactions with the enzyme. STD‐NMR measurements revealed distinct nuclear Overhauser effects in experiments with and without molecular conversion. The spectroscopic analysis led to the identification of several amino acid residues whose substitutions increased the activity of G74C. Single amino acid exchanges increased the activity moderately; structure‐guided saturation mutagenesis yielded a quadruple mutant with a 40 times higher reaction rate. This study presents STD‐NMR as versatile tool for the analysis of enzyme–substrate interactions in catalytically competent systems and for the guidance of protein engineering.