Fabrication of highly electrical synthetic leather with polyurethane/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate)

Poly(ethylene-3,4-dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonic acid)(PEDOT/PSS) water dispersions are commercially available, and various coating formulations for substrates, such as glass, plastics, and ceramics, have been suggested. Recently, it was found that the addition of a small amount of organic solvent, such as ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), to the aqueous dispersion of PEDOT/PSS increases the conductivity significantly. This study examined how a combination of solvent addition affects the PEDOT/PSS conductivity of artificial leather (napping fabric with short fur). In addition, the sustainability of the PEDOT/PSS conductivity for the common use of artificial leather was investigated using abrasion and tension cycle tests. The electric conductivity of the leather increased in the order of EG < DMSO < EG + DMSO. The sustainability of the PEDOT/PSS conductivity in the case of EG + DMSO was superior to that of the EG or DMSO solvents. The padding process was found to be a more effective method for achieving durability against abrasion and tension cycle with a lower deposit weight than when using the coating process. The mechanical properties of the synthetic leather using the padding process also showed high performance compared to the coating process.     

Effect of ascorbic acid and citric acid on the quality of salted Chinese cabbage during storage

Changes in color, browning indices, enzyme activity, and physical and chemical quality during the storage period were investigated to assess the effectiveness of storage period extension along with the addition of ascorbic acid (AA) and citric acid (CA) to salted Chinese cabbage. After 16 days of storage, the change in chromaticity value showed treatment with 0.5% CA showed the lowest change in the brown index during the storage period. The control showed the highest residual activity of polyphenol oxidase among control, AA, and CA-treated salted cabbage. AA and CA treatment effectively inhibited the initial populations of microorganisms including total aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast and molds in salted Chinese cabbage during storage. Further, the texture, i.e., hardness, chewability, and elasticity, tended to decrease with increasing storage. These results suggest that treatment with AA could help maintain the quality of salted Chinese cabbage during the storage period.     

Analysis and characterization of aroma‐active compounds of Schizandra chinensis (omija) leaves

Volatile components from leaves of Schizandra chinensis (omija), a native plant of Korea, were extracted by simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE) and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) using two types of capillary column with different polarities (DB‐5MS and DB‐Wax). The GC‐MS analysis of volatile compounds obtained by SDE revealed that germacrene D is the most abundant compound (22.6%) in omija leaves, followed by β‐elemene (17.4%), (E)‐2‐hexenal (8.7%), and (E)‐β‐ocimene (7.2%). Aroma‐active compounds were determined by gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC‐O) using the aroma‐extract‐dilution analysis method. (E,Z)‐2,6‐Nonadienal (cucumber) was the most intense aroma‐active compound due to its higher flavor‐dilution factor (243–729) than any other compound. (Z)‐3‐Hexenal (green/apple), (E)‐2‐hexenal (green/fruity), and (E)‐β‐ocimene (wither green/grass) were also identified as important aroma‐active compounds by GC‐O. In addition, the volatile compounds were extracted by solid‐phase microextraction (SPME), and the quantitative analysis of the SPME samples gave slightly different results, depending on the type of SPME fiber, compared with those from SDE, However, the aroma‐active compounds identified in SPME were similar to those in SDE. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermal kinetics of color degradation of mulberry fruit extract

The effects of temperature and pH on color degradation kinetics of the mulberry fruit extract were investigated. The absorbance at 510 nm was decreased with increase of heating time, but that at 420 nm was increased with the increase of heating time at 100 degrees C. The change of the browning index (A510/A420) was increased with increase of pH and was lower at pH 2.0 than that at pH 5.0. The browning index variation was adequately described by both the first-order and the zero-order kinetic. However, the zero-order kinetic model was proposed because of the better fit. According to the Arrhenius model, the activation energies for the browning index in the range of 80-100 degrees C for the four different pH values were 30.68 kJ/mol for pH 2.0, 35.87 kJ/mol for pH 3.0, 42.67 kJ/ mol for pH 4.0, and 43.49 kJ/mol for pH 5.0.     

Role of the conjugated linoleic acid in the prevention of cancer

There are multiple lines of evidence that a variety of natural fatty acids are effective in health promotion. Among these fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)--a collective term referring to a mixture of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid (LA, cis-9, cis-12-octadecadienoic acid)--is currently under intensive investigation due to its health-promotion potential. The antitumor activity of CLA is of special interest, since it shows inhibitory effects against multistage carcinogenesis at relatively low dietary levels. Many studies using in vivo and in vitro models have shown that CLA suppresses the development of multistage carcinogenesis at different sites. The research to date on CLA has provided a vast amount of information about the mechanism on how CLA functions in the prevention of cancer. This article discusses characteristics of CLA in the prevention of cancer in both in vivo and in vitro studies and the possible underlying chemoprevention mechanisms.     

Identification of cellulolytic bacteria associated with tunic softness syndrome in the sea squirt, Halocynthia roretzi

The edible ascidian, sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi (Drasche) is marine invertebrate that is a valuable source of foods and bioactive compounds. A severe disease of the sea squirt characterized by degeneration of tunic fibers formed of bundled cellulose microfibrils has occurred. We hypothesized that bacteria lyse the cellulose fibril structure, cellulase activity may be a causative agent of the disease. Among the bacteria isolated from diseased sea squirt, Pseudoalteromonas sp. NO3 had cellulase activity based on a Congo red overlay assay and starch-reducing activity. Sea squirts exhibited 40–100% cumulative mortality after injection with Pseudoalteromonas sp. NO3 using doses of 2×10⁶?2×10⁸ colony forming unit (CFU)/individual. Dead sea squirts possess thinner and ruptured tunics, which were similar to natural outbreaks. These results suggest that Pseudoalteromonas sp. NO3 possessing cellulase activity is one of the causes of tunic softness syndrome in sea squirt.     

A comparative study on the antioxidative and anti‐allergic activities of fresh and aged black garlic extracts

The antioxidative and anti‐allergic activities of fresh and aged black garlic extracts were investigated. The garlic samples were extracted with 70% ethanol (v/v) and the total phenolic content was measured. The antioxidant capacity of extracts was assessed by determining the scavenging activities on 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl and hydroxyl radicals, ferricyanide reducing power, ferrous ion‐chelating ability and inhibitory effect on linoleic acid peroxidation. The anti‐allergic activity of extracts was analysed by measuring their inhibitory effects against β‐hexosaminidase release. The aged black garlic exhibited significantly higher phenolic content and greater antioxidative activity than fresh garlic. Both garlic extracts showed strong antioxidant capacity in a dose‐dependent manner. On the other hand, a considerably higher suppression of β‐hexosaminidase release was found in fresh garlic extract at lower concentration compared with that of the black garlic. Results of this study illustrate that ageing of garlic could enhance its antioxidant capacity, but could decrease its anti‐allergic activity.     

The analysis of 2′-fucosyllactose concentration in Korean maternal milk using LC–MS/MS

Food Science and Biotechnology - Despite health benefits reported recently, 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) concentration in maternal milk was not conclusively reported because it varies...