Sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose and other sweeteners

The present study investigated the sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose, an emerging natural low-calorie sweetener with various functional properties, compared to other sweeteners (sucrose, sucralose, erythritol, rebaudioside A), over a wide range of sweetness commonly found in foods and beverages (3% to 20% sucrose [w/v]). A total of 34 subjects evaluated aqueous solutions of the 5 sweeteners for the perceived intensities of sweetness, bitterness, astringency, chemical-like sensations, and sweet aftertaste, using the general version of the Labeled Magnitude Scale. The relationship between the physical concentrations of the sweeteners and their perceived sweetness (that is, psychophysical functions) was derived to quantify the relative sweetness and potency of the sweeteners. The results suggest that tagatose elicits a sweet taste without undesirable qualities (bitterness, astringency, chemical-like sensations). Out of the 5 sweeteners tested, rebaudioside A was the only sweetener with notable bitterness and chemical-like sensations, which became progressively intense with increasing concentration (P < 0.001). In terms of perceived sweetness intensity, the bulk sweeteners (tagatose, erythritol, sucrose) had similar sweetness growth rates (slopes > 1), whereas the high-potency sweeteners (sucralose, rebaudioside A) yielded much flatter sweetness functions (slopes < 1). Because the sweetness of tagatose and sucrose grew at near-identical rates (slope = 1.41 and 1.40, respectively), tagatose produced about the same relative sweetness to sucrose across the concentrations tested. However, the relative sweetness of other sweeteners to sucrose was highly concentration dependent. Consequently, sweetness potencies of other sweeteners varied across the concentrations tested, ranging from 0.50 to 0.78 for erythritol, 220 to 1900 for sucralose, and 300 to 440 for rebaudioside A, while tagatose was estimated to be approximately 0.90 times as potent as sucrose irrespective of concentration. Practical Application: The present study investigated the sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose, an emerging natural low-calorie sweetener, compared to other sweeteners. Study results suggest that tagatose elicits a sweet taste without undesirable qualities over a wide range of concentrations. Tagatose produced about the same relative sweetness to sucrose across the concentrations tested, while the relative sweetness of other sweeteners was highly concentration dependent. The present data provide a general guideline when considering the use of tagatose and other sweeteners in foods and beverages.     

Simultaneous analysis of four diuretic drugs by HPLC and its application to health food supplements advertising weight reduction

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the simultaneous analysis of triamterene, trichlormethiazide, furosemide and spironolactone is presented for application in the examination of health food supplements advertising weight reduction and in the analysis of pharmaceuticals. The HPLC assay was performed under gradient conditions using a Wakosil ODS 5C18 column (5 microns, 150 x 4.6 mm i.d.). The mobile phase consisted of a gradient program with a mixture of water and acetonitrile containing 0.1% triethylamine adjusted with phosphoric acid to pH 3.0: from 0 to 6 min, 15% acetonitrile; from 6 to 20 min, linear gradient from 15 to 50% acetonitrile; and from 20 to 40 min, 50% acetonitrile. The column effluent was monitored from 0 to 20 min at 260 nm and from 20 to 40 min at 235 nm. The calibration curves of the four drugs showed good linearity and the correlation coefficients were better than 0.999 in all cases. The lower limits of detection were approximately 40 ng for each drug. Commercially available health food supplements and pharmaceuticals were analyzed after extraction with a mixture of methanol and acetic acid (99:1). The procedure described here is suitable for the screening of four diuretic drugs in adulterated supplements and for the quality control of pharmaceuticals with minimal sample preparation.     

9-oxo-10(E),12(E)-Octadecadienoic acid derived from tomato is a potent PPAR α agonist to decrease triglyceride accumulation in mouse primary hepatocytes

Scope: Tomato is one of the most common crops worldwide and contains many beneficial compounds that improve abnormalities of lipid metabolism. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of tomato on lipid metabolism is unclear. It has been commonly accepted that peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (PPARα) is one of the most important targets for ameliorating abnormalities of lipid metabolism. Therefore, we focused on the activation of PPARα and attempted to detect active compounds activating PPARα in tomato. Methods and results: To identify such active compounds, we screened fractions of tomato extracts using PPARα luciferase reporter assay. One fraction, rechromatographed‐fraction eluted in 57 min (RF57), significantly increased PPARα reporter activity, in which a single compound is detected by LC/MS analysis. On the basis of LC/MS and NMR analyses, we determined the chemical structure of the active compound in RF57 as 9‐oxo‐10(E),12(E)‐octadecadienoic acid (9‐oxo‐ODA). The RF57 fraction significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of PPARα target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation and O₂ consumption in mouse primary hepatocytes. Furthermore, RF57 inhibited cellular triglyceride accumulation in the hepatocytes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that tomatoes containing 9‐oxo‐ODA that acts on PPARα are valuable for ameliorating abnormalities of lipid metabolism.     

A high efficiency thin film silicon solar cell and module

A photoelectric conversion efficiency of over 10% has been achieved in thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells which consist of a 2 μm thick layer of polycrystalline silicon. It was found that an adequate current can be extracted even from a thin film due to the very effective light trapping effect of silicon with a low absorption coefficient. As a result, this technology may eventually lead to the development of low-cost solar cells. Also, an initial aperture efficiency as high as 13.5% has been achieved with a large area (91 cm × 45 cm) tandem solar cell module of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon (thin film Si hybrid solar cell). An even greater initial efficiency of 14.7% has been achieved in devices with a small size (area of 1 cm²), and further increases of efficiency can be expected.     

128×128 three-dimensional MEMS optical switch module with simultaneous optical path connection for optical cross-connect systems

A 128×128 three-dimensional MEMS optical switch module and a switching-control algorithm for high-speed connection and optical power stabilization are described. A prototype switch module enables the simultaneous switching of all optical paths. The insertion loss is less than 4.6 dB and is 2.3 dB on average. The switching time is less than 38 ms and is 8 ms on average. We confirmed that the maximum optical power can be obtained and optical power stabilization control is possible. The results confirm that the module is suitable for practical use in optical cross-connect systems.     

ALE finite element method for gas–liquid two-phase flow including moving boundary based on an incompressible two-fluid model

This paper proposes an ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian) finite element method for gas–liquid two-phase flow, based on an incompressible two-fluid model, to analyze the two-phase flow including moving boundaries. The basic equations are derived by describing the two-fluid model in the ALE form. The solution algorithm is parallel to a fractional step method, and the Galerkin method is employed for the formulation. A quadrilateral element with four nodes is used for the discretization of the computational domain. The present method is also applied to calculate the flow around a circular cylinder, which is forced to oscillate in a quiescent air–water two-phase mixture. The drag coefficients of the cylinder exhibit periodical change in accordance with the variation of the flow around the cylinder. The time variations of the flow field and drag coefficients are discussed in relation to the oscillation of the cylinder.     

E8002 Reduces Adhesion Formation and Improves Joint Mobility in a Rat Model of Knee Arthrofibrosis

Knee arthrofibrosis is a common complication of knee surgery, caused by excessive scar tissue, which results in functional disability. However, no curative treatment has been established. E8002 is an anti-adhesion material that contains L-ascorbic acid, an antioxidant. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of E8002 for the prevention of knee arthrofibrosis in a rat model, comprising injury to the surface of the femur and quadriceps muscle 1 cm proximal to the patella. Sixteen male, 8-week-old Sprague Dawley rats were studied: in the Adhesion group, haemorrhagic injury was induced to the quadriceps and bone, and in the E8002 group, an adhesion-preventing film was implanted between the quadriceps and femur after injury. Six weeks following injury, the restriction of knee flexion owing to fibrotic scarring had not worsened in the E8002 group but had worsened in the Adhesion group. The area of fibrotic scarring was smaller in the E8002 group than in the Adhesion group (p < 0.05). In addition, the numbers of fibroblasts (p < 0.05) and myofibroblasts (p < 0.01) in the fibrotic scar were lower in the E8002 group. Thus, E8002 reduces myofibroblast proliferation and fibrotic scar formation and improves the range of motion of the joint in a model of knee injury.     

Efficiency evaluation of lightning fault inspection in 66‐kV transmission line

A transmission line must be immediately inspected when it is struck by lightning, and damaged parts must be found and changed promptly if the damage is serious. However, such cases are now uncommon owing to the effective design of the lightning protection system now in use. Therefore, it is important to compare data on past lightning events and on transmission lines and to formulate criteria for deciding more precisely in which cases an actual inspection should be carried out. The criteria identified are as follows: (1) the insulator voltage exceeds the critical voltage; (2) the arc current and arc duration exceed the characteristic of insulator breakdown; (3) the number of accident phases is more than 3 ground faults per circuit; (4) the tower foot resistance is 10 ohms or more; (5) the lightning current has a positive characteristic. By using these criteria, the number of lightning fault inspections was reduced by 34%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 166(2): 15–22, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20724