Xanthan gum and pectin as beverage stabilizers reduce the digestive enzyme hydrolysis of antioxidant and antihypertensive peptides obtained from a brewery byproduct.

An acidic beverage was formulated with xanthan gum (XG), pectin (P) and brewer spent grain (BSG) peptides with antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. The impact of hydrocolloids levels on peptide bioaccessibility was studied. Peptides were obtained from BSG using Purazyme and Flavourzyme enzymes. BSG peptides were fractionated by ultrafiltration (UF) and four fractions were obtained: F1 (>10 kDa), F2 (10-5 kDa), F3 (1-5 kDa), and F4 (<1 kDa). F3 showed the highest protein purity, ferulic acid content, proportion of amphipathic peptides, and bioactive properties (ABTS+ radical scavenging and ACE-I inhibitory activity). The identified peptides from F3 by tandem mass spectrometry were 138. In silico analysis showed that 26 identified peptides had ABTS+ inhibitory activity, while 59 ones presented good antihypertensive properties. The effect of XG and P levels on bioaccessibility of F3 peptides in the formulated beverages was studied by a central composite experimental design. It was observed that F3 peptides interacted with hydrocolloids by electrostatic forces at pH of formulated beverages. The addition of hydrocolloids to formulation modulated the release of the antioxidant peptides and protected the degradation of ACE-I inhibitory peptides from F3 during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Finally, the level of hydrocolloids that produced intermediate viscosities in the formulated beverages improved the bioaccessibility of the F3 peptides.

Numerical evaluation of the limit of concentration of colloidal samples for their study with digital lensless holographic microscopy.

The number of colloidal particles per unit of volume that can be imaged correctly with digital lensless holographic microscopy (DLHM) is determined numerically. Typical in-line DLHM holograms with controlled concentration are modeled and reconstructed numerically. By quantifying the ratio of the retrieved particles from the reconstructed hologram to the number of the seeding particles in the modeled intensity, the limit of concentration of the colloidal suspensions up to which DLHM can operate successfully is found numerically. A new shadow density parameter for spherical illumination is defined. The limit of performance of DLHM is determined from a graph of the shadow density versus the efficiency of the microscope.

Strong visible cooperative up-conversion emission in ZrO2:Yb3+ nanocrystals.

Blue, green, and red emission was observed under infrared excitation in ZrO2:Yb3+ nanocrystals prepared by the sol-gel process. The structural characterization was performed by using XRD and HRTEM, suggesting that the crystalline phase of the nanoparticles is controlled by the active ion concentration being mainly tetragonal for 2 mol% of dopant and mainly monoclinic for 0.5 mol%. The blue emission was explained in terms of the cooperative deexcitation of an Yb-Yb pair, while the green and red bands were associated with the up-conversion of traces of Er ion. The number of photons involved in the luminescence process is analyzed in order to confirm that cooperative emission is produced by the interaction of an Yb pair and that the green and red emission are the results of energy transfer between Yb-Er ions. The high efficiency of all bands is explained in terms of the high surface area of the nanoparticles.

Fluorescence enhancement of Carbendazim in the presence of cyclodextrins and micellar media: a reappraisal.

This study focuses on the spectrofluorimetric behavior of the pesticide carbendazim in the presence of selected organized assemblies and also on their potential analytical applications. The relatively weak fluorescence emission band of carbendazim is significantly enhanced by micellar media formed by sodium dodecyl sulfate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, and decyltrimethylammonium bromide. The influence of the surfactant structures, concentrations, and working experimental conditions on the fluorescence spectra of carbendazim was thoroughly evaluated and discussed. Although the interaction of carbendazim with different cyclodextrins is rather weak, it was corroborated that the fluorescence intensity of this compound in the presence of (2-hydroxy)propyl beta-cyclodextrin is increased by a factor of two. Among the studied organized media, the cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide produced the largest signals for the compound of interest. Consequently, the optimal working conditions for the spectrofluorimetric determination of carbendazim in the presence of the latter detergent were analyzed, concluding that previous literature reports should be reconsidered.

Characterization of humic-rich hydrocolloids and their metal species by means of competing ligand and metal exchange--an on-site approach.

An improved on-site characterization of humic-rich hydrocolloids and their metal species in aquatic environments was the goal of the present approach. Both ligand exchange with extreme chelators (diethylenetetraaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)) and metal exchange with strongly competitive cations (Cu(II) were used on-site to characterize the conditional stability and availability of colloidal metal species in a humic-rich German bogwater lake (Venner Moor, Münsterland). A mobile time-controlled tangential-flow ultrafiltration technique (cut-off: 1 kDa) was applied to differentiate operationally between colloidal metal species and free metal ions, respectively. DOC (dissolved organic carbon) and metal determinations were carried out off-site using a home-built carbon analyzer and conventional ICP-OES (inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry), respectively. From the metal exchange equilibria obtained on-site the kinetic and thermodynamic stability of the original metal species (Fe, Mn, Zn) could be characterized. Conditional exchange constants Kex obtained from aquatic metal species and competitive Cu(II) ions follow the order Mn > Zn > > Fe. Obviously, Mn and Zn bound to humic-rich hydrocolloids are very strongly competed by Cu(II) ions, in contrast to Fe which is scarcely exchangeable. The exchange of aquatic metal species (e.g. Fe) by DTPA/EDTA exhibited relatively slow kinetics but rather high metal availabilities, in contrast to their Cu(II) exchange.

Colloid in the pituitary pars distalis of viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus): ultrastructure and occurrence in relation to season, sex, and growth.

Randomly distributed extracellular colloidal accumulations were observed in the pars distalis of viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus). They were preferentially located in the peripheral zone of the gland and showed variability in shape and size. Two different types of colloidal accumulations were found by electron microscopy: 1) those surrounded by nongranulated follicular cells that correspond to characteristic follicles, and 2) those surrounded by granulated cells. In the follicles lined by nongranulated follicular cells, long, prominent microvilli and cytoplasmic processes protruded into the lumen. The frequency of these accumulations varies during the year in adult male animals, showing an increase in number during summer and a decrease during winter. The lowest value was registered in August (winter). The mean follicular diameter did not vary seasonally. The number of colloidal accumulations did not vary seasonally in adult female viscachas, but a significant difference in the mean follicular diameter between pregnant and non-pregnant females was observed. Pituitaries of immature animals contain fewer colloidal accumulations than those of adults. In fetuses, these accumulations were absent. The administration of melatonin provoked a decrease in the number of these structures. The numeric changes of the colloidal accumulations observed in this study are associated with: 1) the seasonal reproductive activity in adult males, and 2) the reproductive condition, body weight and sexual maturity in males and females. The fact that melatonin administration decreases the population of colloidal accumulations in males suggests participation of the pineal gland in these changes.

Ação dos colóides electro-negativos sôbre a evolução da lepra murina / Action colloid electro-negative on the evolution of murine leprosy

Os AA. estudaram a evolução da lepra murina em ratos experimentalmente inoculados, aos quais administraram prèviamente suspensões de part¡culas coloidais de "azul tripan" e carvão, em doses variáveis, no sentido de obter "bloqueio" ou "estímulo funcional" do sistema retículo-endotelial. O estudo comparativo dos resultados obtidos com os animais que receberam "dose bloqueante", em confronto com os que receberam "Dose estimulante" e com os respectivos animais contrôles, evidenciou que o emprêgo de doses elevadas de colóides electro-negetivos ("dose bloqueante") retarda a evolução da lepra murina, mas não paralisa a evolução da moléstia; em outras palavras, os animais cujo S.R.E. tenha sido "funcionalmente inibido" ("bloqueado"), quando incoculados com o Mycobacterium leprae muris, apresentam evolução lenta das lesões e retardamento da disseminação da moléstia. No animais em que se provocou o "estímulo" do S.R.E., as lesões são mais precoces, mais extensas, têm evolução mais rápida e a quantidade de bacilos ‚ sensivelmente maior, em relação aos animais contrôles. Êsses fatos poderiam ser explicados pela correlação entre fagocitose e reprodução endocelular dos bacilos. Devido à diminuição da atividade fagocitária dos histiocitos, a qual condicionaria diminuição da capacidade de reprodução bacilar, o "bloqueio" age como retardador da evolução da lepra murina...