Vitamin C in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) flower buds as affected by postharvest light,UV-B irradiation and temperature

In this study, the changes in vitamin C, l-ascorbic acid (AA) and l-dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) levels in broccoli flower buds were examined during pre-storage and storage periods, simulating refrigerated transport with wholesale distribution and retail, respectively. Broccoli heads were pre-stored for 4 or 7 days at 0 °C or 4 °C in the dark and then stored for 3 days at 10 °C or 18 °C. During storage the broccoli heads were exposed for 12 h per day to three different levels of visible light (13, 19 or 25 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) or a combination of visible light (19 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and UV-B irradiation (20 kJ m⁻² d⁻¹), or they were stored in the dark. The vitamin C content in broccoli flower buds during storage was significantly affected by pre-storage period and temperature. Higher vitamin C levels in flower buds after storage were observed for broccoli heads pre-stored for 4 days or at 0 °C as compared to those pre-stored for 7 days or at 4 °C. Storage temperature also affected vitamin C in broccoli flower buds, with higher levels observed for broccoli stored at 10 °C than at 18 °C. Hence, vitamin C in broccoli flower buds was demonstrated to decrease together with increasing pre-storage period, pre-storage temperature and storage temperature. AA in broccoli flower buds was influenced mainly by storage temperature and to a minor extent by pre-storage temperature. The DHA level and DHA/AA ratio were stable in flower buds of broccoli pre-stored for 7 days, whereas increasing tendencies for both DHA level and ratio were observed after pre-storage for 4 days. These results indicate a shift in the ascorbate metabolism in broccoli flower buds during storage at low temperatures, with its higher rate observed for broccoli pre-stored for shorter time. There were no effects of the light and UV-B irradiation treatments on vitamin C, AA and DHA levels in broccoli flower buds.     

Potential of Plant Proteins Digested In Silico by Gastrointestinal Enzymes as Nutritional Supplement for COVID-19 Patients

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Currently, no specific drug and vaccine are available for the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and nutritional supplementation should be helpful. This study tried to...     

Effects of germination and kilning on the phenolic compounds and nutritional properties of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus)

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus) are nutritious pseudocereals that originate from the Andean region. The aim of this research was to study the effect of germination and the subsequent kilning on the phenolic compounds and proximate composition in selected Peruvian varieties of quinoa (“Chullpi”) and kiwicha (“Oscar Blanco”). The germination process was carried out for 24, 48 and 72 h at 22 °C, and the kilning was performed with samples germinated for 72 h by drying the seeds at 90 °C for 5 min. Both processes increased the protein content of the samples. However, lipid content was reduced during germination. On the other hand, germination and kilning clearly increased the concentration of total phenolic compounds in both quinoa and kiwicha. Germination for 72 h either with or without kilning process resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the total content of phenolics compared to untreated materials, which was especially due to coumaric acid and a kaempferol tri-glycoside in quinoa and caffeoylquinic acid in kiwicha. Based on the results, germination and kilning may improve the nutritional quality of the Andean grains, encouraging the usage of the processed grains as ingredients in functional products for people with special gluten-free or vegetarian diets.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定牛奶和奶粉中五种苯并咪唑类药物

为建立牛奶及奶粉中5种苯并咪唑类药物(阿苯达唑、芬苯达唑、奥芬达唑、噻苯达唑、苯硫氨酯)简便、准确的分析检测方法,以固相萃取为净化手段,采用Acquity UPLC^® BEH C₁₈(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7 μm)色谱柱进行分离,电喷雾离子源(ESI⁺),多反应监测(MRM)模式检测。结果表明,5种苯并咪唑类药物在1~500 μg·L^-1范围内呈线性相关,相关系数(r)均大于0.996,加标平均回收率介于91.7%~97.8%之间,相对标准偏差(RSD)在1.4%~6.5%之间,基质效应均小于15%。5种药物的检出限均在0.1~3 μg·kg^-1范围内,定量限均在0.5~10 μg·kg^-1范围内。该方法操作简单、快速且灵敏度高,重现性好,能够用于牛奶及奶粉5种苯并咪唑类药物的同时测定。     

花龄期棉花虫害的电子鼻检测

棉花害虫具有隐蔽性、迁飞性和突发性特点，并且影响因素众多，棉花虫害准确地诊断是农业领域的难点问题。该研究以受到棉铃虫侵害的花铃期棉花为研究对象，采用电子鼻对不同处理的棉花挥发物进行检测。研究表明，主成分分析（Principal Component Analysis, PCA）和聚类分析结果显示健康棉花释放的挥发物具有明显的昼夜节律性，健康棉花与虫害棉花差异性显著。径向基函数神经网络（Radial Basis Function Neural Network, RBFNN）对8个不同时间的4组虫害棉花处理进行分析，测试集判别总的正确率为73.4%，健康棉花对照组测试集判别正确率100%，误判样本出现在3个虫害处理之间。当不考虑时间因素建立虫害棉花统一的预测模型，RBFNN模型对健康棉花对照组的预测正确率均达到了100%，分析结果可以作为花铃期棉花是否遭受棉铃虫侵害的依据，说明电子鼻可以作为棉花虫害发生的有效监测手段，在农作物虫害监测领域具有潜在的应用价值。     

Effects of E/Z isomers of lycopene on experimental prostatic hyperplasia in mice

AimLycopene is a member of the carotenoid family and has strong anti-oxidant properties. Lycopene occurs in tomato-based food products primarily as an all-E isomer (80–97%),but its Z-isomers accounts for 79 to 88% of total lycopene in benign or malignant prostate tissues, while the specific biological functions of Z-isomers are still not clarified at present. This study was to examine the bioactive potency of Z-isomers on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in mice and to make a comparison of effective inhibition between Z-isomers and all-E isomer.MethodMice were divided into the Saline group, Vehicle control group and testosterone propionate induced BPH mice group (BPH model group, vehicle BPH model group, lycopene treated (5 mg/kg and 2.5 mg/kg), Z-isomers (57%) treated, Z-isomers (86%) treated, finasteride treated). The drugs were orally administered once a day consecutively for 30 days. The inhibitory effects on BPH of all-E lycopene and Z-isomers were evaluated by prostatic index, prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), estradiol, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in serum and histopathology examination.ResultsCompared with the BPH model group, E/Z isomers exhibited significant differences in prostatic index, PAP, estradiol, testosterone and DHT levels in serum and similar histological aspects observed in the mice of the control group. The present research also shows that Z-isomers may be more potent inhibitors than all-E isomers in BPH treatment.     

加工方式对非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白致敏性的影响

该研究探究了热加工(水煮、烘烤、微波、高温高压)、冷处理(液氮、速冻机速冻)和非热加工(超高静压、辐照、脉冲强光、臭氧和超声波)处理对非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白致敏性的影响。利用SDS-PAGE和双抗体夹心ELISA法研究各种加工处理后非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白的分子量和致敏性变化。结果表明:200和300 MPa的超高静压处理后,非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白的致敏性显著增加(P0.05),均增至125%左右;水煮、微波、高温高压、烘烤、液氮、速冻机处理、超高静压250MPa、辐照(7、13kGy)、臭氧熏蒸、脉冲强光和超声波处理均能显著降低非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白的致敏性(P0.05),其中以水煮、高温高压、液氮、臭氧和脉冲强光(PL-1)处理的脱敏效果最显著(P0.01),均降至60%左右。由此可知,加工方式能够显著影响非发酵面团小麦醇溶蛋白的致敏性,可作为食品中过敏原安全控制的有效手段,为脱敏食品的生产提供有效参考。进一步研究需要结合其他体内试验的评估,特别是小麦易敏人群的临床试验。     

Structural,rheological and gelatinization properties of wheat starch granules separated from different noodle-making process

In this study, three typical wheat cultivars (ZM366, AK58, and ZM103) with high, medium, and low gluten strength, respectively, were selected as the raw material. The starch granules separated from different stages of the noodle-making process, including kneading, resting, sheeting, cutting, and drying, were used to explore the structure, dynamic rheology, and quality of the noodles. The D50 (median diameter) of the starch granules decreased during the noodle-making process, and the reduction was enhanced by an increase in the gluten strength of the flour. Between steps 4 and 5 of the noodle-making process, the solubility of ZM103 variety increased from 4.3% to 5.0% at 80 °C, while the peak viscosity decreased from 3626 to 3386 mPa s, which resulted in a decrease in the cooking loss of noodles. Similar trend was observed in the ZM366 and AK58 varieties. The gelatinization enthalpy was reduced, suggesting that the crystalline regions of the starch granules were destroyed during the kneading process. Between steps 4 and 5 of the noodle-making process, the elastic modulus of the starch granules significantly increased, while the temperature at which maximum elastic modulus was decreased, indicating an increase in the crystalline stability of starch during the drying process. Correlation analysis indicated that the changes occurred to the gelatinization property was primarily due to the change in the particle size.     

Identification of CIMMYT spring bread wheat germplasm maintaining superior grain yield and quality under heat-stress

Unpredictable temperatures and rainfall associated with climate change are expected to affect wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in various countries. The development of climate-resilient spring wheat cultivars able to maintain grain yield and quality is essential to food security and economic returns. We tested 54 CIMMYT spring bread wheat genotypes, developed and/or released over a span of 50 years, in the field for two years under optimum sowing dates, as well as using two delayed sowing dates to expose crops to medium and severe heat-stress conditions. The grain yield and yield components were severely affected as the heat-stress increased. Two contrasting groups of 10 lines each were identified to determine the effect of heat-stress on bread-making quality. The first set included entries that produced high yields in optimal conditions and maintained higher yields under heat-stress (superior-yielding lines), while the second set included genotypes that did not perform well in the environment with high temperature (inferior-yielding lines). We identified genotypes exhibiting bread-making quality stability, as well as the quality traits that had higher correlation with the loaf volume in the environment without stress and under heat-stress. Of all the quality traits tested, dough extensibility (AlvL) and grain protein content had a significant influence in heat-stress adaptation. Most of the lines from the superior-yielding group were also able to maintain and even improve quality characteristics under heat-stress and therefore, could be used as parents in breeding to develop high-yielding and stable quality wheat varieties.