Analysis and occurrence of matrine in liquorice raw materials - Exclusion of its application as pesticide.

A quick and selective analytical method was developed employing LC-MS/MS for the quantitation of matrine. This is known to be a natural ingredient of Sophora ssp. and is suggested to be a potential contaminant, e.g. in herbal raw materials from liquorice or confectionery products based on liquorice. To prove that the finding of matrine in liquorice roots does not originate from an active use of pesticides, wild collection areas, as well as geographical, legal and economic aspects have been studied with the help of experienced traders and suppliers in cooperation with local liquorice producers. An LC-MS/MS method was successfully developed and applied for monitoring of raw material and semi-finished products (N = 104) and afterwards a model test was performed to show that findings of matrine in liquorice products originates from a co-harvesting of nearby growing Sophora roots during the manual collection of liquorice roots.

De novo formation of phthalimide from ubiquitous phthalic acid derivatives during the drying process of tea (Camellia sinensis) and selected herbal infusions.

It is well documented that under some circumstances phthalimide, a known degradation product of the fungicide folpet, can be formed as an artifact during gas chromatographic analysis. This fact explains one phthalimide source, but does not explain a great number of positive findings in the group of dried plant commodities obtained with an artifact-free analysis. Therefore, in the framework of this study, herbal and tea plants were grown in a glasshouse under the best possible protection against external environmental influences and ensuring the exclusion of the use of folpet. It was demonstrated that relevant amounts of phthalimide are formed during the drying process as part of the routine production of tea and herbals and in the absence of folpet. In this context, the presence of the widespread environmental chemical phthalic anhydride and its impact was investigated. We conclude that phthalimide is no reliable indicator for the active use of folpet.

Bioconversion of car-3-ene by a dioxygenase of Pleurotus sapidus.

Mycelium of the basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus known to contain a novel dioxygenase was used for the bioconversion of car-3-ene [I]. After 4h of incubation 25.3mgL(-1) car-3-en-5-one [V], 5.4mgL(-1) car-3-en-2-one [VII], and 7.3mgL(-1) car-2-en-4-one [XV] accumulated as major oxidation products. The identity of the respective carenones and their corresponding alcohols was confirmed by comparison with MS and NMR spectral data obtained for synthesized authentic compounds. The peak areas of oxidation products were at least five times higher as compared with autoxidation. A radical mechanism similar to lipoxygenase catalysis was proposed and substantiated with detailed product analyses. The reduction of assumed car-3-ene hydroperoxides to the corresponding alcohols evidenced the radical initiated formation of hydroperoxides and confirmed the regio- and stereo-selectivity of the dioxygenase. The introduction of molecular oxygen into the bicyclic car-3-ene [I] molecule occurred at allylic positions of a cyclic isopentenyl moiety with a pronounced preference for the position adjacent to the non-substituted carbon atom of the C-C-double bond. This co-factor independent selective oxygenation presents an alternative to P450 mono-oxygenase based approaches for the production of terpene derived flavor compounds, pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals.

Lactic fermentation to improve the aroma of protein extracts of sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius).

Lupin protein extracts (LPE) are prone to the emission of a beany off-flavour during storage, which confines its application in foods. Fermentation of LPE using several lactic acid bacteria was conducted to reduce off-flavour formation in stored samples. The aroma profile of untreated LPE was compared to those of fermented protein extracts (LPEF). Hexanal and n-hexanol were used as indicator substances of progressing lipid oxidation. The most powerful odourants were evaluated by GC-olfactometry-flavour dilution analysis and identified according to their mass spectra, odour descriptions, and retention indices. Twenty two volatile substances with dilution factors equal to or higher than 100 were determined in both LPE and LPEF, amongst them n-pentanal, n-hexanal, 1-pyrroline, dimethyl trisulfide, 1-octen-3-one, 3-octen-2-one, 1-octen-3-ol, and ß-damascenone. The aroma profile was significantly modified by the fermentation process and the off-flavours were reduced and/or masked by newly formed compounds.