Polysaccharide gel coating of the leaves of Brasenia schreberi lowers plasma cholesterol in hamsters.

Brasenia schreberi ( chún cài) is an invasive aquatic weed found in the USA, but the plant has economic value in Asia where it is cultivated for food. The young leaves of B. schreberi are coated with gelatinous water-insoluble mucilage. This mucilage is a polysaccharide composed of galactose, mannose, fucose, and other monosaccharides. Because some carbohydrate gels are hypocholesterolemic, we evaluated their cholesterol-lowering properties in male hamsters fed hypercholesterolemic diets containing 2% gel coat from B. schreberi (GEL), or 1% cholestyramine (CA), or 5% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and compared them to 5% microcrystalline cellulose (control) for 3 weeks. We found that very-low-density lipoprotein-, low-density lipoprotein-, and total-cholesterol concentrations in plasma were significantly lowered by GEL, CA, and HPMC compared to control. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration was lowered by CA and HPMC. Body weights and abdominal adipose tissue weight of GEL and control group animals were greater than those of the CA and HPMC groups. Fecal lipid excretion was greater in the CA and HPMC groups than in the control group. Expression of hepatic CYP51 and CYP7A1 mRNA was upregulated by CA, HPMC, and GEL, indicating increased hepatic cholesterol and bile acid synthesis. Expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor mRNA was upregulated by all treatments. These results suggest that modulation of hepatic expression of cholesterol and bile acid metabolism-regulated genes contributes to the cholesterol-lowering effects of GEL.

Action mechanism of small and large molecule surfactant-based clove oil nanoemulsions against food-borne pathogens and real-time detection of their subpopulations.

Flow cytometry exactly discriminated three subpopulations, i.e., viable, damage and sublethal cells of L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and E. coli when treated at their MIC values. Purity gum ultra (PGU) a large molecule surfactant-based CO nanoemulsion exerted significant impact on cellular subpopulations of L. monocytogenes and S. aureus, with more membrane-damaged cells. On the other hand, when compared with bulk CO the results showed minimum membrane damage and more viable cells, whereas PGU CO nanoemulsion showed minimum effect on cellular subpopulation and represented more viable than damaged cells in case of E. coli. Similarly, Tween 80 a small molecule surfactant-based CO nanoemulsion showed limited overall activity against three tested microorganisms with more viable cells. We conclude that it was due to sequestration of CO constituents in interfaces, less availability in aqueous phase and finally inhibit bactericidal activity. Moreover, both CO and CO nanoemulsions showed membrane damage as primary inactivation mechanism of tested bacterial cells.

The effect of high moisture heat-acid treatment on the structure and digestion property of normal maize starch.

The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of thermal-acid treatment on the formation of resistant starch (RS). The maximum RS content in citric acid-heat treated starches (CAHT) reached 36.55%, which was 7 times higher of that in native starch. According to HPSEC-MALLS-RI analysis, amylopectin was more susceptible to hydrolysis than amylose during citric acid-heat treatment (CAH). X-ray measurement revealed that even though the starch crystalline pattern was changed from A-type to a more resistant B-type after CAH, the fraction of crystalline region decreased from 21.16% to 8.37%. The hydroxyls on the starch chains were substituted by the citric acid anhydrides during CAH according to FT-IR analysis, which led to the formation of ester bond cross-linking structures in starch granules, and it could be the main contribution to the increase of RS content in CAHT samples.

Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography analysis of volatile carbonyl compounds in virgin olive oils.

The enzymatic and chemical oxidation reaction in olive oil produces many volatile carbonyl compounds that contribute to the complex flavor of olive oil. A novel ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method with dynamic headspace sampling and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) derivatization were established to determine the volatile carbonyls in virgin olive oil. Quantification of nine characteristic carbonyls (acetone, hexanal, E-2-hexenal, octanal, E-2-octenal, nonanal, E-2-nonenal, E,E-2,4-nonadienal, and E,E-2,4-decadienal) was achieved using cyclopentanal as an internal standard. This method provides comparable linearity (R(2) = 0.9917-1.0000) and repeatability (less than 7.6% relative standard deviations) with solid phase microextraction gas chromatography (SPME-GC). The relative standard deviations (%RSD) of all applied carbonyl standards were lower than 7.6%. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were in the ranges of 1.6-150.1 and 4.8-906.1 µg/kg. The recoveries obtained for olive oil samples were in the range of 81.0-115.3%. To show the potential of this method on the quantification of other volatile carbonyls that were not included in this study, GC-electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC-EI/MS) was employed to identify the derivatized carbonyls (carbonyl (2,4-DNPH) hydrazones) while peak assignments were made on the basis of elution sequences and peak areas. This method provided feasibility of using LC to determine volatile carbonyls in oil matrices, which can be applied to exam the degree of lipid oxidation and evaluate the sensory properties of VOO and other edible oils.

Characterization of diacylglycerol isomers in edible oils using gas chromatography-ion trap electron ionization mass spectrometry.

Verifying the authenticity of edible oils is of international concern. A new quality control standard for olive oil has been proposed that relates the ratio of 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) to 1,3-DAG to sensory aspects of olive oil. DAGs and their isomers are difficult to quantitate and characterize by Flame Ionization Gas Chromatography (GC-FID) due to the lack of suitable standards. Mass detectors offer the advantage of providing structural detail to the eluding DAG(s), thus removing ambiguity to the identification of both resolved and unresolved DAGs in GC chromatograms. In this study, a GC Electron Ionization Mass Spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) method was developed to determine the fatty acid composition and molecular structure of trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatized DAGs present in edible oils. Twenty-two species of DAG isomers were identified in refined coconut oil and unrefined olive oil utilizing signature fragment ions, [M-15](+), [M-89](+), [M-RCO2](+), [RCO2+58](+) and [M-RCO2CH2](+). The [M-RCO2CH2](+) ion is considered the key diagnostic ion to distinguish between DAG positional isomers. MS/MS spectra of [M-RCO2](+) and [M-15](+) ions obtained from commercial standards containing both 1,2- and 1,3-DAG isomers were used as a model system to confirm the identification of DAG isomers in natural products. Furthermore, a number of reaction mechanisms are proposed to explain the formation of the most abundant mass fragments of DAGs and their isomers.

Influence of enzymatic hydrolysis and enzyme type on the nutritional and antioxidant properties of pumpkin meal hydrolysates.

Nutritional and antioxidant properties of pumpkin meal and their hydrolysates prepared by hydrolysis with alcalase, flavourzyme, protamex or neutrase were evaluated. The hydrolysis process significantly increased protein content from 67.07% to 92.22%. All the essential amino acids met the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations/World Health Organization (WHO/FAO) suggested requirements for children and adults. The amino acid score (AAS) of meal was increased from 65.59 to 73.00 except for flavourzyme (62.97) and protamex (62.50). The Biological Value (BV) was increased from 53.18 to 83.44 except for protamex (40.97). However hydrolysis decreased the Essential Amino Acid/Total Amino Acid ratio (EAA/TAA) from 32.98% to 29.43%. Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) was comparable to that of good quality protein (1.5) except for flavourzyme hydrolysate which had PER1 = 0.92, PER2 = 1.03, PER3 = 0.38. The in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) increased from 71.32% to 77.96%. Antioxidant activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. At 10 mg mL(-1), the hydrolysates had increased 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging activities from 21.89% to 85.27%, the reducing power increased from Abs(700nm) 0.21 to 0.48. Metal (Iron) chelating ability was improved from 30.50% to 80.03% at 1 mg mL(-1). Hydrolysates also showed better capabilities to suppress or delay lipid peroxidation in a linoleic acid model system. Different proteases lead to different Degrees of Hydrolysis (DH), molecular weight (MW) distribution, amino acid composition and sequence, which influenced the nutritional properties and antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates. Alcalase was the most promising protease in production of pumpkin protein hydrolysates with improved nutritional quality, while flavourzyme was best in production of hydrolysates with improved antioxidative activity among various assays. These results showed that hydrolysates from by-products of pumpkin oil-processing might serve as alternative sources of dietary proteins with good nutritional quality, and protection against oxidative damage.

Properties of chitosan-microencapsulated orange oil prepared by spray-drying and its stability to detergents.

Fragrance encapsulated in small particles of <20 µm diameter is preferred for use in textiles. This study demonstrated that the proper combination of surfactants could produce small and heat-stable emulsion droplets with chitosan that could be spray-dried to produce microcapsules. The microcapsules were able to be deposited onto cotton using water or detergents. It was found that stable emulsion was obtained when Tween 40 and Span 20 were used as compound emulsifiers with the ratio of 4:1 (w/w). The optimum conditions were 1% (w/w) chitosan in acetic acid with the compound emulsifiers of 3-7% (w/w) in the oil, and the inlet temperature for spray-drying was 150 °C. The encapsulation efficiency for orange oil was >90% with a 1:2 (w/w) ratio of oil to chitosan. Microcapsules had a mean diameter of <20 µm and regular particle morphology. The orange oil in the microcapsules was well retained in cotton fabrics after washing in normal detergent solution. The process and products are low in cost, nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable.

Physical and antimicrobial properties of peppermint oil nanoemulsions.

The mixture of peppermint oil (PO) with medium-chain triacylglycerol was emulsified in water and stabilized with a food-grade biopolymer, modified starch, to form PO nanoemulsions. The effects of emulsifying conditions including homogenization pressure, the number of processing cycles, and oil loading on the mean diameters and viscosities of nanoemulsions were characterized by dynamic light scattering, optical microscopy, and rheological measurements. The formulated PO nanoemulsions with mean diameters normally <200 nm showed high stability over at least 30 days of storage time. Their antimicrobial properties related to those of PO have also been evaluated by two assays, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill dynamic processes, against two Gram-positive bacterial strains of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Compared with bulk PO, the PO nanoemulsions showed prolonged antibacterial activities. The results suggest that the nanoemulsion technology can provide novel applications of essential oils in extending the shelf life of aqueous food products.

Antioxidants and antioxidant activity of several pigmented rice brans.

This study investigated the antioxidant content and activity of phenolic acids, anthocyanins, α-tocopherol and γ-oryzanol in pigmented rice (black and red rice) brans. After methanolic extraction, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and antioxidant activity were measured. The pigmented rice bran extract had a greater reducing power than a normal rice bran extract from a long grain white rice. All bran extracts were highly effective in inhibiting linoleic acid peroxidation (60-85%). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of antioxidants in rice bran found that γ-oryzanol (39-63%) and phenolic acids (33-43%) were the major antioxidants in all bran samples, and black rice bran also contained anthocyanins 18-26%. HPLC analysis of anthocyanins showed that pigmented bran was rich in cyanidin-3-glucoside (58-95%). Ferulic acid was the dominant phenolic acid in the rice bran samples. Black rice bran contained gallic, hydroxybenzoic, and protocatechuic acids in higher contents than red rice bran and normal rice bran. Furthermore, the addition of 5% black rice bran to wheat flour used for making bread produced a marked increase in the free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity compared to a control bread.