α-Lactalbumin Peptide Asp-Gln-Trp Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis and Oxidative Stress in Free Fatty Acids-Treated HepG2 Cells and High-Fat Diet-Induced NAFLD Mice by Activating the PPARα Pathway.

SCOPE: Dietary intervention has emerged as a promising strategy for the management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study is to investigate the ameliorative effects of the α-lactalbumin peptide Asp-Gln-Trp (DQW) against NAFLD and the underlying mechanism. METHODS AND RESULTS: The models of lipid metabolism disorders are established both in HepG2 cells and in C57BL/6J mice. The results demonstrate that DQW activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and subsequently ameliorates lipid deposition and oxidative stress in vitro. Interestingly, GW6471 markedly attenuates the modulatory effects of DQW on the PPARα pathway in HepG2 cells. Moreover, results of in vivo experiments indicate that DQW alleviates body weight gain, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and oxidative stress in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD mice. At the molecular level, DQW activates PPARα, subsequently enhances fatty acid ß-oxidation, and reduces lipogenesis, thereby ameliorating hepatic steatosis. Meanwhile, DQW may ameliorate liver injury and oxidative stress via activating the PPARα/nuclear-factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2)/heme-oxygenase 1 (HO-1) pathway. CONCLUSION: Those results indicate that α-lactalbumin peptide DQW may be an effective dietary supplement for alleviating NAFLD by alleviating lipid deposition and oxidative stress.

Effect of oil surface activity on oil absorption behavior of potato strips during frying process.

Oil absorption behavior of fried foods is affected by oil property during frying process. The present study investigated the effect of oil viscosity and surface activity on the oil uptake of fried potato strips with frying temperature. Results showed that oil content of palm oil (PO) and soybean oil (SBO) in fried strips increased with the frying temperature between 140 °C and 180 °C, while deceased at 200 °C. Oil distribution determined by LF-NMR and CLSM confirmed the changes of oil content of fried potato strips. Interfacial tension and surfactant content (monoglycerides, diglycerides, total polar compounds) of PO and SBO increased with frying temperature and affected the oil absorption of fried strips. Frying temperature and oil type showed no effect on surface tension. Besides, the higher level of viscosity, interfacial tension and surfactants of SBO than those of PO facilitated the more SO and TO of fried potato strips.

Relationship between crust characteristics and oil uptake of potato strips with hot-air pre-drying during frying process.

Crust property is an important factor in affecting the oil absorption of potato strips. The present study aimed at illustrating detailed crust characteristics in relation to oil uptake of potato strips during frying as a function of hot-air pre-drying time. Results showed that oil content decreased with the increasing hot-air pre-drying time. Oil distribution determined by LF-NMR and CLSM confirmed pre-drying could reduce oil uptake of potato strips. Structural and textural analysis of crust revealed the increase in crust ratio, roughness and texture (Fm, Nwr, fwr, Wc), and decrease in crust uniformity. Results of microscopic structure unraveled that the crust of fried strips after pre-drying for 180 min became thick and compact with almost no pores. Our results suggested that hot-air pre-drying caused the formation of harder and denser crust, and oil uptake of fried potato strips after pre-drying largely depended on crust texture rather than morphology.

Effects of frying temperature and pore profile on the oil absorption behavior of fried potato chips.

In present study, total oil (TO), surface oil (SO), structural oil (STO), penetrated surface oil (PSO), and oil distribution during frying were analyzed. Results showed STO (53.10-75.89%) fraction made up the largest part of TO followed by PSO (36.26-58.28%) and SO (2.59-3.50%), and the proportion of STO in TO decreased with the increasing frying time, while PSO elevated, indicating the higher frying temperature facilitated the formation of less and smaller pore in samples, and thus led to the less oil content. Therefore, effect of pore on oil absorption was further investigated. Results showed there was no significant difference in oil content of samples with initial pore diameter of 0-0.2 mm. While, TO (mainly STO) increased with the increasing initial pore diameter of 0.3-1.2 mm. The bigger initial pore diameter induced bigger pore volume and porosity. Taken together, this study provided new ideas to clarify oil absorption based on pore profiles.

Rare earth elements recycling from waste phosphor by dual hydrochloric acid dissolution.

This paper is a comparative study of recycling rare earth elements from waste phosphor, which focuses on the leaching rate and the technical principle. The traditional and dual dissolution by hydrochloric acid (DHA) methods were compared. The method of dual dissolution by hydrochloric acid has been developed. The Red rare earth phosphor (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 in waste phosphor is dissolved during the first step of acid leaching, while the Green phosphor (Ce0.67Tb0.33MgAl11O19) and the Blue phosphor (Ba0.9Eu0.1MgAl10O17) mixed with caustic soda are obtained by alkali sintering. The excess caustic soda and NaAlO2 are removed by washing. The insoluble matter is leached by the hydrochloric acid, followed by solvent extraction and precipitation (the DHA method). In comparison, the total leaching rate of the rare earth elements was 94.6% by DHA, which is much higher than 42.08% achieved by the traditional method. The leaching rate of Y, Eu, Ce and Tb reached 94.6%, 99.05%, 71.45%, and 76.22%, respectively. DHA can decrease the consumption of chemicals and energy. The suggested DHA method is feasible for industrial applications.