Characterization of phenolic compounds extracted from wheat protein fractions using high-performance liquid chromatography/liquid chromatography mass spectrometry in relation to anti-allergenic,anti-oxidant,anti-hypertension,and anti-diabetic properties

The purpose of this study was to identify novel natural bioactive phenolic compounds with anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-diabetic properties in wheat protein fractions. Free and bound phenolic compounds were isolated from the albumin, glutelin-1, glutelin-2, prolamin, and globulin wheat protein fractions. The biological properties of the extracted phenolics were analyzed in vitro using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, angiotensin-1 converting enzyme assays, and α-amylase assays. The free and bound phenolic compounds were identified using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry methods. The aromatic rings in globulin were the highest in both before and after the removal of phenolic compounds (1.13 and 1.05 mg/g). The highest values of angiotensin-1 converting enzyme inhibitory and α-amylase inhibition (%) were obtained in glutelin-1 (73.17 and 96.41%, respectively) before removal phenolic compounds. The biological activity was affected by the presence or absence of phenolic compounds. Allergenicity was minimized in the presence of phenolic compounds. Correlation coefficients between wheat protein fractions and biological properties are described.     

Enhancement of Corn Nixtamalization by Power Ultrasound

Nixtamalization, a key production step for masa flour used for tacos, corn tortillas, and chips, traditionally involves corn kernel cooking for 1 h and a lengthy process of steeping (16–18 h) in a lime solution. This study aimed at accelerating the traditional nixtamalization (TN) process using power ultrasound with acoustic energy density around 1.85 W/g for 1 h during cooking followed by brief steeping for 1 h. The cooked kernels (nixtamal) were evaluated for texture and color, while the cooking liquor (nejayote) was evaluated for solid losses. The power ultrasound-assisted nixtamalization resulted in significantly (p?≤?0.05) reduced process time and softer nixtamal with less solid losses in nejayote than control (TN). Response surface methodology established significant relationships of sonication duration and cooking temperature to texture, color of nixtamal, and dry matter loss in nejayote. This study indicates that power ultrasound ameliorated traditional nixtamalization in terms of quality and operation time.     

Quality Attributes of Halva by Utilization of Proteins,Non-hydrogenated Palm Oil,Emulsifiers, Gum Arabic,Sucrose, and Calcium Chloride

Emulsion stability (oil separation) in halva is a major problem that affects quality upon storage. Emulsion instability results in toughness, oil separation, and oil contamination on packaging materials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of improving halva quality by incorporating non-hydrogenated palm oil, glycerol, soy protein concentrate, gelatin, lecithin, pectin, gum Arabic, sugar powder, and calcium chloride. Halva was produced by heating sugar (sucrose) solution (65%) containing citric acid (0.65%) and heating to reach 105° C, adding halva root (Saponaria officinalis) extract solution (5.6%) and continuing heating for 60–70 min. This is followed with cooling at room temperature for 15 min and adding tahinia (sesame paste) (1:1) and mixing for 10 min. The additives to improve the quality of halva were incorporated with the sugar solution, during cooking, and with tahinia. The quality of halva was evaluated by measuring the amount of oil separation, microscopic examination, and oil viscosity. Microscopic examination of halva showed a porous non-crystalline sugar melt particles surrounded by a precipitated protein layer originating from tahinia. The oil was found as free non-emulsified fluid, filling in the spaces between solid particles. The saponin (from halva root extract) possibly precipitated the colloidal proteins of tahinia, and contributed to a fragile structure. Soy protein concentrate, gelatin, glycerol, and lecithin incorporation did not improve emulsion stability. However, calcium chloride, sugar powder, gum Arabic, and pectin minimized emulsion instability. Furthermore, 1.0% or 2.5% of non-hydrogenated palm oil increased viscosity of the oil phase and contributed to emulsion stability.     

Nonthermal Inactivation of Soy (Glycine Max Sp.) Lipoxygenase by Pulsed Ultraviolet Light

This study investigated pulsed ultraviolet (PUV) illumination at different distances from the PUV source on soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) (0.4 mg/mL in 0.01 M Tris‐HCl buffer, pH 9) activity. Samples (5 mL) were illuminated for 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 s at 3 distances 6, 8.5, and 11 cm from the PUV lamp's quartz window. The temperature of 33.5 ± 1.8°C was observed for the highest treatment time of 16 s at the shortest distance of 6 cm, and resulted in a 3.5 log reduction (99.95%) in initial LOX activity. Illumination time and distance from the lamp significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected LOX inactivation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) was performed on treated LOX samples and further protein profile for treated LOX filtrate (≤10 kDa), was analyzed by reverse phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC). The protein profile analysis revealed that LOX protein degradation was influenced significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by PUV illumination time.     

Optimization of Phenolic Content,Antioxidant, and Inhibitory Activities of α-Glucosidase and Angiotensin Converting (AC) Enzymes from Zingiber officinale Z.

The optimum extraction conditions of phenolic compounds from ginger were evaluated with respect to antioxidant activity and angiotensin converting enzyme and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Free phenolics were extracted under conditions that varied according to extraction time, temperature, and solvent type (water, acetone, and methanol). Acid and base hydrolysis reactions were used to obtain bound phenolic compounds from ginger. The results showed that the type of solvent used and the temperature and time of extraction needed for maximal total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity differed greatly from solvent conditions and showed the greatest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The predominant free phenolics in the methanol extracts included diosmin, thymol, and carvacrol, which varied greatly according to solvent extraction conditions (i.e., time and temperature). Diosmin was the predominant bound phenolic compound of the methanol extracts. The present study findings indicate that differing solvent extraction protocols involving extraction time and temperature for ginger need to be explored to generate specific optimal bioactivities of the extracts, which are related to the pattern of predominant phenolics in those extracts.