Low methoxylated pectin for preparation of an intelligent functional sheet with responsiveness to sodium ions

A functional film is formed on a polyethylene nonwoven sheet by reaction of low methoxylated pectin with calcium chloride (CaCl₂) in the presence of ellagic acid. The film contains ellagic acid and functions as an intelligent material by releasing the ellagic acid in the presence of sodium ions. This response results from conversion of the water‐insoluble pectin film to water‐soluble pectin. The film with the best release of ellagic acid is produced using 0.5% CaCl₂ and 0.2% water‐soluble pectin solutions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Changes in cell wall pectin and pectinase activity in apple and tomato fruits during Penicillium expansum infection

Cell wall pectin degradation in apple and tomato fruit during infection by Penicillium expansum was investigated. In infected apple fruit, a significant decrease in the average molecular mass was observed in pectins extracted with CDTA and also in pectins extracted with Na₂CO₃. In tomato fruits, depolymerisation was also observed in both pectic fractions during infection, the major change being in the pectins extracted with Na₂CO₃. This pectin depolymerisation associated with P. expansum infection can be attributed to the action of pectinases; in apple fruit, a significant increase in polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterase was observed in infected fruits, although in tomato fruit the only increase in enzymatic activity significantly related to the infection was in polygalacturonase. These differences between apple and tomato fruit during fungus infection could be related to differences in cell wall structure and composition and also to the specificity of P. expansum's infection spectrum in each case. In both cases, pectin depolymerisation might increase the porosity of the wall and allow increased access of fungus colonisation and facilitate the progress of the fungal infection. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Degradation of carrot (Daucus carota) fibres with cell-wall polysaccharide-degrading enzymes

Carrot Daucus carota L fibres were degraded with two enzyme preparations, SP249 from Aspergillus aculeatus and Celluclast from Trichoderma reesei. The enzymic activities of these complexes indicate that SP249 was particularly active on pectic polymers, and Celluclast could degrade amorphous and crystalline cellulose. A combination of both preparations degraded carrot fibres with a synergistic effect and led to the solubilisation of 95% of the cell-wall polysaccharides. The kinetics of solubilisation of sugars and gel-permeation chromatography of the soluble products show that pectic polymers were rapidly solubilised and then, in a second stage, degraded mainly to monomers, whereas cellulose was more slowly hydrolysed to cellobiose and glucose. Part (67%) of the polysaccharides were saccharified, the residual soluble material being rhamnogalacturonans containing arabinose residues. Residual insoluble fibres (10% of initial weight) were not liquefied and were composed mainly of lignin, proteins and polymers of glucose, xylose and galacturonic acid.     

Color evolution of aqueous solutions obtained by thermal processing of carrot (Daucus carota L.) roots: influence of light

ABSTRACT:  The color of aqueous solutions obtained by heating carrot ( Daucus carota L.) roots in water ("stocks") is different when the thermal treatment is applied with or without exposure to light. CIE L *, a *, and b * scale values of stocks processed for different times were recorded and 4 patterns were initially observed. To explain the 1st part of this evolution (patterns 1 and 2), pectin extraction and β-elimination in stocks were studied. Light dependence was investigated to explain patterns 3 and 4. A model with 2 compounds is proposed to explain all the color variations.     

Detection method for polygalacturonase-producing strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the presence of glycerol or ethanol, SCPP (a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that expresses pectinolytic activity) is capable of utilizing galacturonic acid or pectins for growth purposes. We now establish a relationship between the pectinolytic power of various strains of S. cerevisiae and their ability to grow on a pectin/glycerol-based medium. This property is further exploited for the detection of polygalacturonase-producing strains of S. cerevisiae.     

Interfacial rheology of soy proteins – High methoxyl pectin films

Surface aggregating soy protein-pectin solutions are used in the production of biodegradable films intended for food packaging applications. Structural properties of the surface biopolymer network influence the engineering properties of the films, such as permeability and mechanical strength. Soy protein isolates (SPI) – high methoxyl pectin (HMP) films that develop at the air–water interface were therefore investigated by a combined interface rheological and ellipsometric approach. The behavior of pure SPI interfacial layer is that of a light cross-linked polymer network with a small regime of linear viscoelasticity response. Since SPI progressively accumulate at the air–water interface, higher protein concentration in the solution does not lead automatically to higher surface coverage but due to restricted unfolding of the proteins to weaker and fluid-like films. The rheological behavior of composite SPI–HMP solutions at the air–water interface shows that the HMP addition increases the elastic interfacial modulus. The stabilizing effect in presence of the polysaccharide is attributed to a protein–polysaccharide complex formation at the interface.     

Two-Stage Hot-Water Extraction of Galactoglucomannans from Spruce Wood

In order to preserve the polymeric structure and the acetylation degree of extracted galactoglucomannans and, at the same time, achieve high yield, ground spruce wood was subjected to a series of sequential two-stage extractions with an Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) apparatus using plain water at 170°C. The total combined extraction time was one hour in all the extractions. The total yield of the dissolved material after 1 h extraction was almost the same, about 25% of the wood, irrespective of the time ratios between the first and the second extractions. The yield of hemicellulose high polymers with the weight average molar mass of 8–10 kDa during the first extraction had a maximum at 20 min extraction time, amounting to about 7% on dry wood basis, and comprising about half of the total extract. Along with the progress of the extraction, the molar mass of the hemicelluloses decreased and hemicellulose-derived low polymers with the weight average molar mass of 6–2 kDa became dominating. The extracted substances were fractionated, mainly according to their molar mass, by sequential precipitation with ethanol, acetone, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). The hemicelluloses with some amount of pectins comprised 83–90% of the precipitated polymeric material and the content of galactoglucomannans was about 80%.     

Inhibition of Carotenoid Biosynthesis by CRISPR/Cas9 Triggers Cell Wall Remodelling in Carrot

Recent data indicate that modifications to carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants alter the expression of genes affecting chemical composition of the cell wall. Phytoene synthase (PSY) is a rate limiting factor of carotenoid biosynthesis and it may exhibit species-specific and organ-specific roles determined by the presence of psy paralogous genes, the importance of which often remains unrevealed. Thus, the aim of this work was to elaborate the roles of two psy paralogs in a model system and to reveal biochemical changes in the cell wall of psy knockout mutants. For this purpose, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR associated (Cas9) proteins (CRISPR/Cas9) vectors were introduced to carotenoid-rich carrot (Daucus carota) callus cells in order to induce mutations in the psy1 and psy2 genes. Gene sequencing, expression analysis, and carotenoid content analysis revealed that the psy2 gene is critical for carotenoid biosynthesis in this model and its knockout blocks carotenogenesis. The psy2 knockout also decreased the expression of the psy1 paralog. Immunohistochemical staining of the psy2 mutant cells showed altered composition of arabinogalactan proteins, pectins, and extensins in the mutant cell walls. In particular, low-methylesterified pectins were abundantly present in the cell walls of carotenoid-rich callus in contrast to the carotenoid-free psy2 mutant. Transmission electron microscopy revealed altered plastid transition to amyloplasts instead of chromoplasts. The results demonstrate for the first time that the inhibited biosynthesis of carotenoids triggers the cell wall remodelling.     

Influence of precooking on the firmness and pectic substances of three stem vegetables

Edible portions of the stems of sprouting broccoli, asparagus lettuce, and large-stem mustard were compared for total pectin contents, amounts of different pectin fractions, pectinesterase activities and changes during cooking to investigate effects on the textural changes during cooking. Slices precooked for 30min at temperatures below 60°C (broccoli) or 70°C (lettuce, mustard) were firmer after 15 min recooking in boiling water than those directly cooked without precooking. Optimum temperatures for this firming effect of precooking were 50, 60 and 60°C, respectively, and coincided with the optimum temperatures of activity of pectinesterases extracted from the fresh tissues. Analysis of pectin fractions revealed that the firming effect of precooking is related to the shift from the cold water-soluble fraction to sodium hexametaphosphate-soluble and hot water-soluble fractions of pectins.     

Relationship between softening and the polyuronides in ripening banana fruit

Banana fruits, Musa (AAA Group, Cavendish subgroup) ‘Williams’ were ripened in air at 20°C with ethylene. Pulp began softening between days 1 and 2 of ripening and reached a maximum by the fourth day. Total pulp cell wall uronic acid and uronic acid soluble in 40 mM EDTA, 50 mM acetate, pH 4.5, also began to decrease and increase respectively between days 1 and 2. By day 8, total uronic acid had decreased from 10.2 to 4.4 mg g^?1 fresh weight, and had become entirely soluble in EDTA-buffer, while EDTA-buffer-soluble uronic acid had increased from 2.3 to 4.5 mg g^?1. The molecular size distribution of the EDTA-buffer-soluble uronic acid was unchanged up to day 4, when there was a slight loss in the proportion of smaller species. The average molecular size of this uronic acid did not change significantly during 8 days of ripening (relative to dextrans, M_n 36 kDa; M_w 173 kDa). The large change in total content and extractability of cell wall polyuronides that correlated with softening was inconsistent with depolymerisation by endopolygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15), reduced cross-linking of polyuronides by calcium, or extraction artefacts.