Sorghum β‐Amylase Production: Relationship With Grain Cultivar,Steep Regime,Steep Liquor Composition and Kilning Temperature

Steep regime, nature of alkaline liquor, and kilning conditions were studied for their effects on sorghum malt β‐amylase development in four Nigerian sorghum cultivars. Malt β‐amylase activity was markedly (p < .001) influenced by all the four factors as well as their various interactions. Overall, malts from KSV 8 variety were the most β‐amylolytic followed in sequence by those from Local Red (LR), SK 5912, and Local white (LW) respectively. The presence or absence of air rests in steep regimes was a significant (p < .001) determinant of sorghum β‐amylase response to final warm steeping, steep liquor and kilning condition. The nature of the alkaline steep liquor was also a major determinant of the pattern of malt β‐amylase response to the kilning condition. Steeping in Ca(OH)₂ enhanced malt β‐amylase activity at the higher temperature of kilning, while KOH produced the opposite effect. Ca(OH)₂ enhancement of β‐amylase development, at a kilning temperature of 50°C, was variety‐dependent suggesting that different sorghum cultivars may employ different biosynthesis models for β‐amylase synthesis. The regime‐dependence of β‐amylase response to kiln temperature suggests that this was an important modulator of sorghum germination physiology.     

The influence of γ-irradiation on some biological activities and electrophoresis patterns of wheat grain albumin fraction

Water-soluble proteins were extracted from irradiated wheat grain for the purpose of assaying biological activities, reducing sugars content and SDS–PAGE electrophoresis. The differences between samples after γ-irradiation were tested by analysis of variance at the level of significance (P ? 0.05). Ionising radiation (0.05–10 kGy) caused an increase in the activity of endogenous amylases, statistically significant at doses of 5 and 10 kGy (P ? 0.05), which was well correlated with the highest extractable protein content. γ-Irradiation of wheat grain at a dose of 0.05 kGy caused an increase of inhibition activity against Sitophilus granarius L. α-Amylase, whereas there was a decrease at 10 kGy (P ? 0.05). On the other hand, grain irradiated by 0.5 and 1 kGy doses showed a significant increase in inhibition activity against α-amylase of Tribolium confusum Duv. (P ? 0.05) while at the remaining doses the inhibition activity was on the same level as the control grain. Decrease of Ephesitia kuehniella Zell. α-amylase was observed only at 5 kGy radiation dose (P ? 0.05). At the remaining doses this activity was comparable to non-irradiated grain.     

Influence of concentration of fragrances on salivary α-amylase

The objective is to reveal the influence of the concentration of fragrances on salivary biomarkers, which reflect the human stress system, in 15 female young healthy adults. Lavandula officinalis and Citrus aurantium were used as the test samples. Salivary biomarkers such as α-amylase activity (AMY), cortisol (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were measured during baseline, inhalation and post-inhalation periods. Our results indicated that (i) a significant difference was not observed for the control and the 3 wt% test samples, however, the AMY was decreased by inhalation of the 1 wt% test samples ( P  <   0.05); (ii) AMY levels changed more significantly than did the hormone levels; (iii) a tendency of negative correlation was not observed between DHEA and CORT. It was considered that the time-course change of AMY might be a useful index of the inhalation of fragrances, which reflects the acute psychosomatic reactivity of humans.     

The search for novel human pancreatic alpha-amylase inhibitors: high-throughput screening of terrestrial and marine natural product extracts

Specific inhibitors of human pancreatic alpha-amylase (HPA) have potential as oral agents for the control of blood glucose levels in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. In a search for novel inhibitors, a library of 30 000 crude biological extracts of terrestrial and marine origin has been screened. A number of inhibitory extracts were identified, of which the most potent was subjected to bioassay-guided purification. A family of three glycosylated acyl flavonols, montbretins A-C, was thereby identified and characterized as competitive amylase inhibitors, with K(i) values ranging from 8.1-6100 nM. Competitive inhibition by myricetin, which corresponds to the flavone core, and noncompetitive inhibition by a second fragment, ethyl caffeiate, suggest a binding mode for these inhibitors.     

Discovering Bisdemethoxycurcumin from Curcuma longa rhizome as a potent small molecule inhibitor of human pancreatic α-amylase,a target for type-2 diabetes

Curcuma longa rhizome is used extensively in culinary preparations in Far East and South-East Asia. Health benefits of curcuminoids from C. longa as antioxidants, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory molecules have been well documented. We report here for the first time that Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) from C. longa, acts as an inhibitor to inactivate human pancreatic α-amylase, a therapeutic target for oral hypoglycemic agents in type-2 diabetes. Bioactivity guided isolation of rhizome isopropanol extract led to the identification by HPLC and NMR of BDMC as a lead small molecule inhibitor of porcine and human pancreatic α-amylase with an IC₅₀ value of 0.026 and 0.025 mM, respectively. Kinetic analysis revealed that using starch as the substrate, HPA exhibited an uncompetitive mode of inhibition with an apparent K_i of 3.0 μM. The study gains importance as BDMC could be a good drug candidate in development of new inhibitors of HPA and of functional foods for controlling starch digestion in order to reduce post-prandial hyperglycemia.     

酶转化淀粉在国内大纸厂的文化纸纸机表面施胶中应用

文化用纸（包装纸）通过使Biochem L-500淀粉酶转化玉米原淀粉，降低淀粉糊液的粘度，并除去了淀粉-碘混合物的蓝色。减少设备腐蚀，提高成纸质量。     

Antimicrobial lysozyme-containing starch microgel to target and inhibit amylase-producing microorganisms

The aim of this study is to determine the release of lysozyme from oxidized starch microgels and subsequently test its antimicrobial activity. The gels are made of oxidized potato starch polymers, which are chemically cross-linked by sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP). The microgel is negatively charged and interacts with positively charged lysozyme by electrostatic attraction. Application of the lysozyme-containing starch particles to environments contaminated with microbes, may lead to hydrolysis of the starch by microbial enzymes. As a result, lysozyme is released in the environment where it inhibits microbial growth. In this study, first bacteria were screened for amylase production and lysozyme sensitivity. Then, the bacteria were mixed with empty gel particles (i.e., without lysozyme) in a Nutrient Broth liquid medium to test whether the bacteria that can produce amylase are also able to degrade oxidized starch gel. Subsequently the amylase-producing lysozyme sensitive bacteria, Bacillus licheniformis 7558 and Bacillus subtilis 168, were selected for further quantification of the antimicrobial activity of the gel-lysozyme particles after incubation with these bacteria in Nutrient Broth liquid suspensions. The results prove that the starch microgel has a potential as antimicrobial carrier targeting amylase-producing and lysozyme-sensitive bacteria. The controlled antimicrobial delivery for inactivating undesired microorganisms may find applications in food related systems, where amylase-producing bacteria may be abundantly present.     

Quality parameters and RAPD-PCR differentiation of commercial baker's yeast and hybrid strains

Baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a key component in bread baking. Total of 12 commercial baker's yeast and 2 hybrid strains were compared using traditional quality parameters. Total of 5 strains with high leavening power and the 2 hybrid strains were selected and evaluated for their alpha-amylase, maltase, glucoamylase enzymes, and compared using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The results revealed that all selected yeast strains have a low level of alpha-amylase and a high level of maltase and glucoamylase enzymes. Meanwhile, the Egyptian yeast strain (EY) had the highest content of alpha-amylase and maltase enzymes followed by the hybrid YH strain. The EY and YH strains have the highest content of glucoamylase enzyme almost with the same level. The RAPD banding patterns showed a wide variation among commercial yeast and hybrid strains. The closely related Egyptian yeast strains (EY and AL) demonstrated close similarity of their genotypes. The 2 hybrid strains were clustered to Turkish and European strains in 1 group. The authors conclude that the identification of strains and hybrids using RAPD technique was useful in determining their genetic relationship. These results can be useful not only for the basic research, but also for the quality control in baking factories.     

α-Glucosidase- and α-amylase-inhibitory activities of phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis

BACKGROUND: In an effort to develop alternative therapeutic agents, strong inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase was detected in Eisenia bicyclis methanolic extract. RESULTS: In this study, two phlorotannins were isolated from E. bicyclis and characterised by chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. The active substances were identified as fucofuroeckol A (FF) and dioxinodehydroeckol (DD). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of these substances in E. bicyclis. However, to date, no antidiabetic activity of FF and DD has been reported. Both phlorotannins demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase. FF showed potent antidiabetic activity, with IC₅₀ values of 131.34 nmol L^?1 against α‐glucosidase and 42.91 µmol L^?1 against α‐amylase. The corresponding IC₅₀ values of DD were 93.33 nmol L^?1 and 472.7 µmol L^?1. Furthermore, kinetic analysis revealed that FF and DD exhibited non‐competitive inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FF and DD may be candidates for the development of an antidiabetic pharmaceutical agent or food additive. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of a submerged culture method for high production of acid‐ stable α‐amylase and glucoamylase using Aspergillus kawachii without glucose concentration control

It is commonly accepted that maintaining a low glucose concentration in a culture is an important condition for high level of production of acid‐stable α‐amylase (ASAAase) and glucoamylase (GAase) in submerged culture using Aspergillus kawachii. Raw materials with hard husks, such as barley, are able to control the release of glucose from the raw material and maintain a low glucose concentration, thereby enabling a high production of enzymes. On the other hand, it is difficult to produce large quantities of enzymes by controlling glucose release using raw materials without hard skins. This study evaluated a culture method for high enzyme production using raw materials without hard skins, such as a sweet potato, and found that this was possible using a moderately high concentration of sweet potato. Maximum ASAAase and GAase activities were 51 units/mL and 188 units/mL, respectively, both values being sufficiently high for potential industrial use. Glucose concentration remained high over time in the culture, suggesting that other mechanisms may be mediating the increase in enzyme production, despite the impact of medium glucose concentration on enzyme production. Copyright © 2013 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling