Solubility,functional properties,ACE‐I inhibitory and DPPH scavenging activities of Alcalase hydrolysed soy protein hydrolysates

Soy proteins are less soluble at acidic pH value, which impedes their utilisation in acidic beverages. Soy protein isolate (SPI) was hydrolysed using varying Alcalase concentrations (0.0001–2.0 U g^?1 protein) at different pHs (3.0–4.0). Degree of hydrolysis (DH) of soy protein hydrolysates (SPH) at pH 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 were 5.0–10.7%, 2.3–6.1% and 0–5.4%, respectively, while solubilities ranged from 70.7 to 74.9%, 18.8 to 51.2% and 7.1 to 40.4%, respectively. The highest solubility (74.9%) was observed at pH 3.0 with 1.5 U Alcalase per g protein (DH = 9.2%). Emulsifying activities of SPHs at pH 3.0 and 4.0 ranged from 0.49 to 0.63 AU and 0.19 to 0.24 AU, respectively, while the emulsifying stabilities were 12.2–14.7 min and 18.7–56.0 min, respectively. The foaming capacity at pH 3.0 and 4.0 was 44.9–46.3 mL and 31.2–41.3 mL, respectively, whereas the foaming stability was 25.5–35.2 min and 12.8–15.1 min, respectively. However, hydrolysates had an insignificant effect on ACE‐I inhibitory and DPPH scavenging activities in comparison with SPI.     

Simultaneous determination of quality parameters of biodiesel/diesel blends using HATR-FTIR spectra and PLS, iPLS or siPLS regressions

Partial least-squares (PLS), interval partial least squares (iPLS) and synergy partial least squares (siPLS) regressions were used to simultaneous determination of quality parameters of biodiesel/diesel blends. Biodiesel amount, specific gravity, sulfur content and flash point were evaluated using spectroscopic data in the mid-infrared region obtained with a horizontal attenuated total reflectance (HATR) accessory. Eighty-five binary blends were prepared using biodiesel and two types of diesel, in concentrations from 0.2 to 30% (v/v). Fifty-seven samples were used as a calibration set, whereas 28 samples were used as an external validation set. All samples were characterized using the appropriated standard methods. The specific gravity values at 20 °C were in the range of 848.2-866.2 kg/m³. Flash point values lay between 47.0 and 79.5 °C. Sulfur content values varied from 312 to 1351 mg/kg. Raw spectra of the samples were corrected by multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and were pre-processed using a mean-centered procedure. Algorithms iPLS and siPLS were able to select the most adequate spectral region for each property studied. For all the properties studied, the siPLS algorithm produced better models than the full-spectrum PLS, selecting the most important bands. The quantification of biodiesel was performed using two spectral regions between 650-1909 cm⁻¹ and 2746-3165 cm⁻¹, and an excellent correlation coefficient of R² = 0.9996 was obtained. The specific gravity was determined from the spectral region from 650 to 1070 cm⁻¹, which yielded a very good correlation coefficient of R² = 0.9987. The sulfur content was evaluated from the spectral regions of 1070-1491 cm⁻¹ and 2746-3165 cm⁻¹. A very good correlation coefficient of R² = 0.9995 was obtained, regardless of whether the samples were formulated with metropolitan or countryside diesel. Finally, the flash point was determined from the spectral region between 756 and 968 cm⁻¹ and a very good correlation coefficient of R² = 0.9982 was obtained.     

Effect of pH on the Binding of Sodium,Lysine, and Arginine Counterions to <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Undecyl Leucinate Micelles

Micelle formation by the amino acid-based surfactant undecylenyl l-leucine was investigated as a function of solution pH with NMR, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopy. NMR and dynamic light scattering showed that 50 mM undecylenyl l-leucine and 50 mM NaHCO₃ solutions contained micelles approximately 20 Å in diameter and that micelle radius and the mole fraction of surfactant molecules associated with micelles changed very little with solution pH. The binding of the amino acids arginine and lysine to the anionic micelles was also investigated from pH 7.0 to 11.5. Below pH 9.0, the mole fraction of arginine cations bound to the micelles was approximately 0.4. Above pH 9.0, the arginine counterions became zwitterionic, and the mole fraction of bound arginine molecules decreased steadily to less than 0.1 at pH 11. When arginine dissociated from the micelles, their radii decreased from 14 to 10 Å. Similar behavior was observed with lysine; however, when lysine dissociated from the micelle surface, little change in micelle radius was observed. Two-dimensional NMR experiments suggested that below pH 9.0, l-arginine bound perpendicular to the micelle surface primarily though its side chain amine while l-lysine bound parallel to the surface through both of its amine functional groups. Finally, the rate at which the amide protons on the surfactant headgoup exchanged with solvent was investigated with NMR spectroscopy. The exchange reaction was faster in solutions containing only surfactant monomers and slower when the surfactants were in micellar form and the headgoup amide protons were less exposed to solvent.     

Combination of resistant starches types II and IV with minimal amounts of oat bran yields good quality,low glycaemic index pasta

The objective of this work was to study the effects of the combination of resistant starch type II (RSII), resistant starch type IV (RSIV) and oat bran (OB) on technological and nutritional properties of pasta, applying response surface analysis. Cooking properties were improved by combining RSII and RSIV in pasta formulation, while OB addition negatively affected all technological attributes, and a negative synergistic effect was observed between this fibre and resistant starches in cooking losses. Considering nutritional properties, substitution of bread wheat flour with resistant starch type II and IV increased starch resistant to digestion and OB addition increased pasta starch hydrolysis. A positive synergistic effect was observed on glycaemic index by combining both types of resistant starches. Finally, we optimised the formulation considering three aspects separately: technological properties, nutritional attributes and these two features together. The combination of RSII 12.6, RSIV 3.1 and OB 0.6 g per 100 g of wheat flour will allow to obtain a pasta with low glycaemic index (GI = 69) and good technological characteristics.     

California's Safe Routes to School Program: Impacts on Walking,Bicycling, and Pedestrian Safety

This article evaluates California's pioneering Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program, which funds traffic improvement projects designed to improve safety for children's walking and bicycling to school and to increase the number of children who do so. Through surveys of parents and observations of vehicle and pedestrian traffic before and after project construction, we examined the impacts of 10 traffic improvement projects funded through the SR2S program. We measured changes in perceived safety and in safety-related behaviors associated with children's trips to school, and examined changes in the number of children walking and bicycling following these improvements. Five of the 10 traffic improvement projects we evaluated showed evidence of a successful impact. The findings have implications for California's SR2S program and for similar initiatives throughout the country.     

Functionalization of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes with gallium to form Ga-CN(x)-multi-wall carbon nanotube hybrid materials

In an effort to combine group III-V semiconductors with carbon nanotubes, a simple solution-based technique for gallium functionalization of nitrogen-doped multi-wall carbon nanotubes has been developed. With an aqueous solution of a gallium salt (GaI(3)), it was possible to form covalent bonds between the Ga(3+) ion and the nitrogen atoms of the doped carbon nanotubes to form a gallium nitride-carbon nanotube hybrid at room temperature. This functionalization was evaluated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

Screening of Toxic Inorganic Arsenic Species in Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

It has been evidenced that arsenic in garlic is present in the most toxic inorganic species As(III) and As(V). A non-chromatographic speciation method has been developed for the screening of inorganic toxic species of As in garlic samples by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The determination of As(III) and As(V) was based on the different efficiencies of hydride generation with NaBH₄ with and without a previous reduction with ascorbic acid and KI using a system of two proportional equations corresponding to these two different measurement conditions. The extraction efficiency of total arsenic and the stability of As(III) and As(V) in different extraction media (sulphuric acid, perchloric acid, and methanol/water) were evaluated. Based on the extraction yield and the stability of extracted species, 1.0 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄ was selected as the best extracting solution for speciation analysis. The methodology developed allows us a limit of detection of 0.8 and 0.6 ng g⁻¹ for As(III) and As(V), respectively. The relative standard deviation values were 4% for As(III) and 7% for As(V). This method was applied to determine As(III), As(V), and total As in different Spanish garlic samples. The arsenic (III) content varied from 17.1 to 22.1 ng g⁻¹ and As(V) from 54.7 to 67.6 ng g⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by the analysis of a certified reference material of tomato leaves treated in the same way as the garlic samples.     

Composition and oxidative stability of soybean oil in mixtures with jojoba oil

Improvement of the oxidative stability of soybean oil (SBO) by blending with jojoba oil (JO) was investigated. SBO in the presence of 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt‐% of JO was subjected to accelerated storage at 60 °C. Peroxide values (PV), anisidine values (AV), UV absorption characteristics (K₂₃₂ and K₂₇₀ values), and headspace volatiles were determined to monitor the oxidative stability of oil samples. JO was effective in reducing the formation of hydroperoxides and volatile compounds in SBO. The effect was remarkable in SBO/JO blends containing 15 and 20% JO, which showed significant reductions in PV, AV and volatile content with respect to pure SBO. The increased oxidative stability of SBO/JO blends could not be attributed to JO tocopherols, since the addition of JO to SBO significantly reduced the tocopherol content of SBO. Besides the tocopherol content and unsaturation degree of SBO and JO, the effect of the JO ester structure on the oxidative stability of the blends is discussed. The enhanced chemical and flavor stabilities of SBO/JO blends with respect to pure SBO may make a significant contribution to improve the shelf life of SBO by reducing the deterioration reactions related to lipid peroxidation.     

Application of a Mixed Optimization Strategy in the Design of a Pharmaceutical Solid Formulation at Laboratory Scale

The objective of this work was to develop an optimization strategy for the design of pharmaceutical formulations. The mixed strategy was used to optimize a dry powder blend containing 500 mg of alpha methyl dopa to be filled into hard gelatin capsules. The experimental plan consisted of assessing blend flow and dissolution rate using formulations manufactured at small laboratory scale, selecting the optimum formulation, and confirming the data. Two optimization techniques were used in the solid pharmaceutical product design: a genetic algorithm (GA) and a downhill simplex technique. The genetic algorithm used in this work was implemented in an interactive form. Data for each generation of formulations were introduced to the computer with the corresponding values of a fitness function, which was determined in experimental form for each individual formulation. The fitness function used to evaluate product performance (capsule) was defined in terms of the dissolution rate multiplied by a weight function that penalizes those formulations with flow index outside a predefined range. The formulation design contained variable concentrations and types of lubricants/glidants. There were 64 combinations of seven agents with discrete ranges of concentrations codified into a 16-bit chromosome. Crossing and mutation operations were implemented with relatively high probabilities, for generations with a relatively small number of individuals, due to the restrictions imposed by the experimental cost. The mixed formulation strategy based on genetic algorithms and downhill simplex was used to obtain sequentially improved formulations based on two desired targets: in vitro dissolution rate and flow properties. The basic downhill simplex method was used to obtain an optimal formulation on the regression response surface obtained from the genetic algorithm data. The results obtained in this work clearly illustrate the potential of the proposed mixed optimization strategy to obtain optimal formulations.