化学预处理提高酒糟生物质酶解糖化效果

为促进酒糟生物质的酶解糖化,筛选适宜的预处理方法,以脱除木质素,提高综纤维素（纤维素和半纤维素之和）保留率为目标,研究比较了酸-超声波耦合（ultrasound-assisted acid pretreatment,UAAP）、液氨（pretreatment by soaking in aqueous ammonia,PSAA）、碱性双氧水（alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment,AHPP）和酸性亚硫酸氢盐（bisulfite pretreatment,BP）4种预处理法对酒糟化学组分、结构特性和酶解得率的影响。结果表明,与其余3种方法相比,BP法处理后酒糟的纤维素和半纤维素保留率最高,分别为84.59%和84.87%,即综纤维素保留率为84.68%。与未处理酒糟（unpretreatment,UP）相比,4种方法预处理后酒糟的综纤维素酶解得率分别提高了49.12%（酸-超声波,UAAP）、55.48%（液氨,PASS）、92.79%（碱性双氧水,AHPP）和99.15%（酸性亚硫酸氢盐,BP）,其中BP法对酒糟酶解糖化的促进作用最有效。扫描电镜（scanning electron microscope,SEM）和X-衍射（X-ray differaction,XRD）结果显示,酒糟经不同方法预处理后表观结构发生了明显变化,木质纤维网络结构遭到破坏,表面呈现无规则或形状各异的膨松状态,沟壑明显,孔隙率增加,比表面积增大,有利于提高水解酶的可及性。化学组分和结构特性的变化说明酒糟的酶解得率与综纤维素的保留、木质素的去除、表面微观形貌变化以及纤维素结晶度等因素直接相关。总之,酸性亚硫酸氢盐（BP）法是适用于酒糟生物质糖化预处理的一种有效可行方法。     

Optimum Steeping Process for Wet Milling of Sorghum

Pioneer 8500, a red hard sorghum hybrid, was steeped batchwise using three steeping solutions at 50°C: SO₂ solution; SO₂ solution containing 1.25% (w/w) of a commercial multiple‐enzyme preparation (Novo SP249); and SO₂ solution with the addition of 0.5% (w/w) lactic acid. Novo SP249 contained pectolytic, cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and proteolytic activities and small amounts of saccharolytic activities. Three SO₂ concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% w/v) prepared by dissolving sodium bisulfite in distilled water and three steeping times (24, 36, and 48 hr) were used. Incorporation of multiple enzymes into the SO₂ resulted in an increase in starch yield with reduced protein content compared with the SO₂ solution alone. The best wet‐milling performance for sorghum resulted from the SO₂ solution containing 0.5% lactic acid; it produced the whitest starch with the highest yield and the lowest protein content. Both higher SO₂ concentration of the steeping solution and longer steeping time led to higher starch yield, lower protein content in starch, and whiter starch. However, no significant differences in starch yield, protein content in starch, and starch color occurred between SO₂ concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3% for all three steeping solutions. The optimum steeping process for wet milling of sorghum was using a 0.2% SO₂ solution with 0.5% lactic acid for 36 hr at 50°C. Under these conditions, the starch yield, protein content in starch, and L value of starch color were 60.2% (db), 0.49% (db), and 92.7, respectively, which were not significantly different from the best values from the 48‐hr steeping using the solution with 0.3% SO₂ and 0.5% lactic acid.     

乙二醇-氯化铁预处理对棉秆酶水解效率的影响

为提高棉秆的纤维素酶水解效率,该研究以乙二醇为预处理溶剂,氯化铁为催化剂对棉秆进行预处理,实现了棉秆木质素和半纤维素的有效去除,提高了酶水解效率。以木质素和半纤维素的去除率为指标,运用正交试验方法优化乙二醇-氯化铁预处理条件。结果表明,棉秆在90%乙二醇水溶液,0.1 mol/L氯化铁,固液比1∶15,160 ℃条件下处理20 min,木质素和半纤维素去除率分别为85.7%和88.9%。相较原料,预处理后棉秆酶解率提高了7.6倍,葡萄糖产率达到100%（基质浓度5%,酶载量8.3 FPU/g,水解72 h条件下）。通过结构表征发现乙二醇-氯化铁预处理使棉秆的比表面积增大,致密结构被破坏,有效提高了棉秆的纤维素酶可及性。     

甜菜细胞壁界面特征显著影响纤维素酶解效率

生物质不同器官、组织理化性质各异,这种异质性对纤维素酶解效率的影响有待深入研究。该研究以甜菜为研究对象,系统分析不同器官理化性质与酶解效率间的关系,探究细胞壁与纤维素酶的吸附特点及在酶解过程中的形态变化。结果表明,甜菜根、茎、叶酶解还原糖得率不同,根和茎的还原糖得率相近且高于叶,分别为14.64%和14.26%,叶还原糖得率较低为10.15%;酶解还原糖得率与木质素（P<0.01）、半纤维素（P<0.01）呈极显著负相关,而与比表面积（P<0.01）呈极显著正相关;甜菜根、茎、叶的薄壁组织更容易与纤维素酶结合,并且更易被降解。甜菜细胞壁界面理化特征是影响酶与底物有效吸附,进而影响纤维素酶解效率的关键因素。研究结果可为甜菜农业废弃物的利用提供参考。     

超低浓度马来酸水解玉米芯纤维素

为考察超低浓度马来酸对玉米芯纤维素的水解性能,该文采用高温液态水预处理和超低马来酸水解相结合的两步法。3,5-二硝基水杨酸(DNS)比色法和高效液相色谱法(HPLC)分析表明,第一步预处理(200℃,10min,4MPa,500r/min,液固比20:1mL/g)玉米芯可获得12.24g/L还原糖,半纤维素转化率91.76%,损失3.61%的纤维素;其残渣进行第二步酸水解(质量分数0.1%,220℃,20min,4MPa,500r/min,液固比20:1mL/g)可获得9.94g/L还原糖,纤维素转化率达95.17%,约1/3转化为糖。气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)分析表明,第二步水解液中含有多种木质素降解副产物,如苯酚、苯甲酸等,带有多种活泼基团,可能与糖降解物反应,加快葡萄糖降解正反应的进行。改进反应器,使得糖降解物和木质素降解物及时排出,可提升马来酸水解性能,为马来酸在生物质水解领域的应用提供参考。     

Application of Protease and High‐Intensity Ultrasound in Corn Starch Isolation from Degermed Corn Flour

The conventional corn wet‐milling process requires a long steeping time and has environmental and health concerns from the use of SO₂. A recently proposed two‐stage enzymatic milling procedure with the first stage of water soaking and coarse grinding of corn and the second stage of incubating with enzymes has been shown to reduce the soaking time and possibly eliminate the need for SO₂ addition. This current work explored the applications of protease and high‐intensity ultrasound in the second stage of the two‐stage enzymatic milling for corn starch isolation to further shorten the process time without use SO₂. of The starch yield from sonication alone was 55.2–67.8% (starch db) as compared with 53.4% of the water‐only control with stirring for 1 hr and 71.1% of the conventional control with SO₂ and lactic acid steeping for 48 hr. Protease digestion alone for 2 hr was not effective (45.8–63.9% yield) in isolating corn starch, but the starch recovery was increased to 61.2–76.1% when protease was combined with sonication. The preferred combination was neutral protease digestion for 2 hr followed by sonication at 75% amplitude for 30 min. The results demonstrated that combinations of high‐intensity ultrasound and neutral protease could replace SO₂ and shorten the steeping time in the enzymatic wet‐milling process for corn starch isolation.     

REVIEW: Developments in Our Understanding of Sorghum Polysaccharides and Their Health Benefits

The composition and structure of sorghum polysaccharides are remarkably similar to those in maize. Sorghum grain is rich in starch, cellulosic and noncellulosic polysaccharides (mainly glucuronoarabinoxylans [GAX]). Sorghum starch is similar to maize starch in terms of amylopectin, but the amylose may be more branched. This may account for sorghum starch having a generally slightly higher gelatinization temperature. The GAX in sorghum are highly substituted with glucuronic acid and arabinose, but the degree of these substitutions is lower when compared with maize GAX. Sorghum polysaccharides themselves are not sufficiently functional to allow the production of high‐quality baked goods. Sorghum has generally lower starch digestibility than maize. This is primarily due to the endosperm protein matrix, cell wall material, and tannins (if present) inhibiting enzymatic hydrolysis of the starch. Protein disulfide bond cross‐linking involving the kafirin prolamins in the protein matrix around the starch granules seems to be of major importance in reducing starch digestibility. It does not seem that sorghum polysaccharides, per se, have any unique health‐promoting effects. Any health‐promoting effects related to sorghum polysaccharides seem to be due to interactions between the polysaccharides and the endosperm matrix protein and phenolics.     

Starch characterization and ethanol production of sorghum

This study aimed to characterize and compare the chemical structures, physical properties, and enzymatic hydrolysis rates of five sorghum starches (6B73, 6C21, 6C69, 7R34, and X789) with that of corn starch (B73). Sorghum kernels consisted of 68.7-70.6% starch, more than the B73 corn (67.4%). Sorghum starches displayed higher gelatinization temperatures (66.6-67.4 °C), greater gelatinization enthalpy changes (13.0-14.0 J/g), and greater percentages of retrogradation (60.7-69.1%), but slower enzymatic hydrolysis rates (83.8-87.8% at 48 h) than the B73 corn starch (61.7 °C, 10.1 J/g, 51.5%, and 88.5%, respectively). These differences could result from the sorghum amylopectins consisting of fewer short branch chains (DP 6-12) (12.8-14.0%) than the corn amylopectin (15.0%). The sorghum starches showed greater peak and breakdown viscosities but lower setback viscosities than the B73 corn starch, resulting from the lower amylose content of the sorghum starches. After 96 h of fermentation, most ground sorghums exhibited lower ethanol yields (30.5-31.8%) than the ground B73 corn (31.8%).     

Effect of Hydrolyzing Enzymes on Wheat Bran Cell Wall Integrity and Protein Solubility

Wheat bran contains good quality protein, but given its location inside aleurone cells, this protein has restricted digestibility. The aim of this work was to liberate and solubilize wheat bran proteins via cell wall degradation by using carbohydrate‐hydrolyzing and proteolytic enzymes without causing extensive protein hydrolysis. Bran incubated with water (without added enzymes) for 16 h increased the solubilized organic nitrogen content from 14.0 to 42.8%. Enzymes with solely carbohydrate‐hydrolyzing activity increased the water‐soluble pentosan and reducing sugar contents but did not significantly increase protein solubilization or protein release from the aleurone cells. Enzymes with proteolytic activity significantly increased the solubilization of protein to 58.2% already at 4 h. Significant protein hydrolysis was detected with a high dosage of protease. However, based on light microscopy, the enzymatic treatment mainly modified the proteins in the subaleurone layer, and it was less effective on proteins inside the aleurone cells. With optimized protease treatment (3 h, 35°C, and 550 nkat/g), effective protein solubilization (>48%) without extensive protein hydrolysis (free amino nitrogen content <45 mg/L) was achieved. In conclusion, intensive solubilization of proteins in the subaleurone layer of wheat bran is possible by using exogenous enzymes with proteolytic activities.     

NaOH预处理提高甘蔗叶产甲烷性能及其机理分析

为提高甘蔗叶厌氧消化的产甲烷性能,采用NaOH对粉碎后的甘蔗叶进行了预处理,得到了不同NaOH浓度、不同预处理时间条件下甘蔗叶厌氧消化的甲烷产率,并研究比较了预处理前后甘蔗叶微观物理形态、化学分子结构和化学组分的变化。结果表明:与未预处理甘蔗叶相比,NaOH预处理甘蔗叶的累计产甲烷量提高了22.02%～89.94%,厌氧消化时间T80缩短了2～4 d,其中6%NaOH-5d预处理甘蔗叶的产甲烷性能最好;NaOH破坏了甘蔗叶表面蜡质层和细胞壁结构,促进了甘蔗叶表面二氧化硅、木质素等分解,打破了对纤维素的束缚;预处理后甘蔗叶的木质纤维素结构发生明显变化,其中木质素的羟基、甲氧基和羰基等部分官能团发生不同程度断裂,紧致的大分子结构发生分解,纤维素的结晶度降低,部分氢键遭到破坏,半纤维素发生了分子间和分子内的降解;预处理甘蔗叶的木质纤维素含量均有不同程度的降低,可被微生物分解利用的有机物质增多,其中6%NaOH-5d预处理甘蔗叶厌氧消化的木质素、纤维素、半纤维素降解率分别提高了9.27%、25.14%和21.52%。因此NaOH预处理是一种提高甘蔗叶厌氧消化产甲烷性能的有效方法。     

Ethanol‐Production Performance of Ozone‐Treated Tannin Grain Sorghum Flour

Ozone has been reported as being able to degrade macromolecules such as cellulose, starch, lignins, and tannins in the textile, pulping, and water‐treatment industries. Thus, we hypothesized that ozone treatment may also inactivate tannin activity and increase fermentation efficiency of tannin sorghum lines. The objective of this research was to study the physicochemical properties of ozone‐treated whole tannin grain sorghum flour and its fermentation performance in ethanol production. Results showed that the ethanol yields from ozone‐treated tannin grain sorghums were significantly higher than yields from the untreated flour. The fermentation efficiency of ozone‐treated tannin grain sorghum was approximately 90%, which was 8–14% higher than that of untreated samples at the 36th hr of fermentation. At the end of 72 hr of fermentation, the efficiencies of ozone‐treated sorghum flour were 2–5% higher than those of untreated samples. Measured tannin levels of ozone‐treated samples decreased significantly from 3.8 to 2.7%. Gel‐permeation chromatographic results indicated that both degradation and polymerization processes might have happened to starch molecules during ozone treatment. Rapid Visco Analyzer data showed that the setback of viscosity of ozone‐treated flour was lower than that of untreated flours. Distillers dried grains with solubles made from ozone‐treated sorghum were low in residual starch (<1%) and high in crude protein (≈35%). Therefore, ozonation could be a novel and useful method to improve ethanol yield and fermentation efficiency of tannin grain sorghum.     

菌/酶添加对甜高粱渣青贮预处理作用的强化效果

为实现生物质甜高粱渣的青贮强化预处理和能源化利用，该研究探究了不同添加剂对其青贮质量和酶解糖化效果的影响。试验设置对照组（CK组）、植物乳杆菌组（L组）、纤维复合酶组（E组）和复合添加剂组（LE组），系统考察甜高粱渣在21 d青贮预处理期间的营养成分、木质纤维组分和发酵品质的动态变化，采用隶属函数法评价青贮质量，利用高通量测序技术分析青贮预处理过程的微生物菌群动态演绎。结合酶解糖化性能评价青贮预处理作用的强化效果，从而筛选适宜的添加剂。结果表明：青贮预处理后甜高粱渣的粗蛋白、淀粉、中性洗涤纤维、酸性洗涤纤维、半纤维素和纤维素等能量组分含量显著高于原料（P<0.05）。青贮21 d时，3个添加剂组的干物质、可溶性碳水化合物和粗蛋白含量显著高于CK组（P<0.05），综纤维素含量显著低于CK组（P<0.05），且E组的干物质含量最高，L组的粗蛋白含量最高，E组和LE组的可溶性碳水化合物含量最高。青贮预处理期间，3个添加剂组的pH值均低于4.2,L组的乳酸和乙酸含量明显高于CK组（P<0.05）,E组的乳酸/乙酸和乳酸/总有机酸比值显著高于CK组（P<0.05）...     

Extraction of β‐Glucan from Oat Bran in Laboratory Scale

Effects of various enzymes and extraction conditions on yield and molecular weight of β‐glucans extracted from two batches of commercial oat bran produced in Sweden are reported. Hot‐water extraction with a thermostable α‐amylase resulted in an extraction yield of ≈76% of the β‐glucans, while the high peak molecular weight was maintained (1.6 × 10⁶). A subsequent protein hydrolysis significantly reduced the peak molecular weight of β‐glucans (by pancreatin to 908 × 10³ and by papain to 56 × 10³). These results suggest that the protein hydrolyzing enzymes may not be pure enough for purifying β‐glucans. The isolation scheme consisted of removal of lipids with ethanol extraction, enzymatic digestion of starch with α‐amylase, enzymatic digestion of protein using protease, centrifugation to remove insoluble material, removal of low molecular weight components using dialysis, precipitation of β‐glucans with ethanol, and air‐drying.     

Sorghum bran in the diet dose dependently increased the excretion of catechins and microbial-derived phenolic acids in female rats

Sorghum bran is concentrated with procyanidins (predominately polymers), which may be beneficial for health in humans; however, the bioavailability of procyanidins is not well-understood. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed an AIN93G diet containing 0, 5, 10, 20, or 40% Hi-tannin sorghum bran (n = 5-7 for each group) for 50 days. Sorghum bran contained 23.3 mg/g of procyanidins. The urinary excretions of catechin, epicatechin, methylated catechins, and phenolic acids were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Sorghum bran dose dependently increased the urinary excretion of catechin (0-2.2 nmol/day) and 3'-O-methylcatechin (0-9.5 nmol/day). Their serum concentrations also increased with dose (range of 0-14 nM for 3'-O-methylcatechin). Among the 14 phenolic acids analyzed, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid dominated in the serum (1.8-8 micromol/L). In the urine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid dominated and their excretion increased significantly with the level of sorghum bran in the diet. The summed phenolic acid excretion was 0.8 micromol/day in the control group and increased to 23 micromol/day for 40% sorghum bran group. The hippuric acid excretion ranged from 2.2 to 16.2 micromol/day and peaked in the 10% sorghum bran group. On the basis of chromic oxide, a nonabsorbable marker, total procyanidins and polymers disappeared progressively, and significant degradation occurred in the cecum and colon. Catechins and procyanidins in sorghum were bioavailable; however, bacteria-derived phenolic acids were the predominant metabolites of procyanidins. Procyanidins degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. Depolymerization was not observed.     

Effect of Sorghum Decortication and Use of Protease Before Liquefaction with Thermoresistant α‐Amylase on Efficiency of Bioethanol Production

The aim was to study the dual effect of sorghum decortication and protease treatment before liquefaction with α‐amylase on the performance of subsequent steps of saccharification and fermentation. A bifactorial experiment with a level of confidence of P < 0.05 was designed to study differences among grains (maize, whole, and decorticated sorghum) and the effectiveness of the protease before liquefaction. Sorghum was decorticated to remove most of the pericarp and part of the germ and increase starch concentration of the feedstock. The decorticated sorghum had significantly higher starch hydrolysis during liquefaction compared with the whole kernel. These hydrolyzates contained ≈50% more reducing sugars than the untreated counterparts. At the end of saccharification, the final glucose concentration in hydrolyzates treated without protease was the highest for maize (180 mg/mL), followed by decorticated sorghum (165 mg/mL), and whole sorghum (145 mg/mL). Decortication and protease treatment had a significant effect on fermentation times. In decorticated sorghum mash treated with and without protease, fermentation times were 22 and 60 hr, respectively. The decorticated sorghum treated with protease yielded similar amounts of ethanol compared with maize and 44% more ethanol compared with the untreated whole sorghum. Both sorghum decortication and protease treatments before hydrolysis with α‐amylase are recommended to increase ethanol yields, lower yields of distilled grains, and save liquefaction, saccharification, and fermentation times.     

Rapid Isolation of Sorghum and Other Cereal Starches Using Sonication

High‐intensity ultrasound (sonication) was investigated as a method to rapidly purify starch from sorghum and other cereal grains. To improve the process, buffers were optimized to solubilize sorghum proteins in combination with the sonication. Protein content and starch color were determined to evaluate the efficiency of the extraction process. Sonication times, SDS concentration, different types and concentrations of reducing agents (sodium metabisulfite, dithiothreitol, and β‐mercaptoethanol), and centrifugation speeds of the starch washing procedure were tested. Protein content of isolated sorghum starch was reduced to 0–0.14% (db) after 2 min of sonication (using any of the reducing agents tested). Sodium metabisulfite was chosen as the preferred reducing agent because of its lower toxicity and odor compared with other reducing agents tested. The optimum conditions for producing high‐purity sorghum starches (0.06% protein) were obtained using the following conditions: 2 min of sonication time with 12.5 mM sodium borate buffer, pH 10, containing 0.5% SDS (w/v) and 0.5% sodium metabisulfite (w/v) using 1,500 rpm centrifugation speed during starch washing. Starches separated by this method showed significantly less protein content and b values (yellowness) compared with starches separated by enzymatic methods or methods using NaCl solutions and protein extraction buffers with multiple washing steps, both of which take several hours to complete. Differential scanning calorimetry thermogram values for starches isolated by three different methods showed similar patterns, except that starches obtained with the enzymatic method had slightly higher values of T_o, T_p, and ΔH. Other cereal starches from whole wheat meal, wheat flour, corn, rice, and barley were also obtained rapidly using sonication.     

Effects of Processing Conditions and Sorghum Cultivar on Alkaline-Processed Snacks

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain was boiled or autoclaved in alkali, washed, drained, and dried into shelf-stable half-products (pellets). The pellets were deep-fat fried to produce a crunchy snack product. Effects of cooking time, drying method (pellet moisture content), and sorghum cultivar on unfried and fried pellets were evaluated. Increasing the alkaline cooking time from 30 to 60 min decreased the yield of the pellets from 96 to 84% (on a dry weight basis). Cooked sorghum dried at room temperature (24°C) for 18 hr, followed by oven-drying at 50°C for an additional 18 hr, produced pellets with a low moisture content (≤5%), that required a higher frying temperature (≥220°C). However, cooked sorghum dried at room temperature for 18 hr followed by oven-drying at 50°C for 5 hr produced pellets with 9% moisture and a lighterdensity highly acceptable product when fried at 220°C. Fat content of fried pellets averaged 18%. The optimum method for producing a light, crunchy, fried product was cooking for 60 min, drying to 9% moisture, and frying at 220°C. ATx631*Tx436, the hardest endosperm-texture sorghum used in the study, had the highest unfried and fried pellet yields. Dorado, an intermediate-to-soft endosperm-texture sorghum, and ATx Arg-1*Tx2907, a waxy sorghum, had lower yields. The fried pellets produced from Dorado and waxy sorghum (ATxArg-1*Tx2907) were more expanded than those produced from ATx631*Tx436.     

Effect of Protease Treatment Before Hydrolysis with α-Amylase on the Rate of Starch and Protein Hydrolysis of Maize,Whole Sorghum,and Decorticated Sorghum

We studied the effect of sorghum decortication and protease treatment on starch hydrolysis before liquefaction with thermoresistant α-amylase and the generation of free amino nitrogen (FAN) in preparation for subsequent steps of ethanol production. A bifactorial experiment with a level of confidence of P < 0.05 was designed to study differences among maize, whole sorghum, and decorticated sorghum and the effectiveness of the protease treatment before starch liquefaction. Sorghum was decorticated 9.7% to remove most of the pericarp and part of the germ and increase starch concentration. Starch concentration increased in decorticated kernels, whereas total phenols, fiber, and fat decreased. The decorticated sorghum had significantly higher starch and protein hydrolysis compared with the whole kernel. Protease treatment before liquefaction improved the rate of starch hydrolysis, especially in mashes from whole and decorticated sorghums. Whole and decorticated sorghum hydrolyzates treated with protease contained ≈50% more reducing sugars than the untreated counterparts. Maize yielded hydrolyzates with the the highest amount of FAN, followed by decorticated and whole sorghums. The maize and both sorghum hydrolyzates treated with protease contained ≈60 and 30% more FAN compared with the untreated counterparts. Both sorghum decortication and protease treatments before hydrolysis with α-amylase are recommended to increase ethanol yields, save processing time (and therefore energy), and to produce mashes with higher FAN content, which is considered as an important yeast substrate.     

混合施用微咸水和氮肥对甜高粱生物量和产糖量的影响

Soil salinization and non-point source pollution are among the most important and widespread environmental problems in European Mediterranean regions. Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench var. saccharatum) is a moderate to high salinity tolerant crop with low water and nutrient needs, seen as an alternative to grow in the water scarce regions. A three-year multifactorial study was conducted in southern Portugal to evaluate the combined effects of saline water and nitrogen application on the dry biomass (total, stems, and leaves), sugar content (total reducing sugars and sucrose contents), and sugar yield (here defined as the product of total reducing sugars and stems dry biomass) functions of sweet sorghum. Sorghum dry biomass and sugar yield showed diminishing returns for each incremental change of nitrogen. The use of saline irrigation waters also led to yield reduction. Exception was sucrose content which increased with increasing levels of sodium in the soil. Nitrogen need decreased as the amount of sodium applied increased. Stem dry biomass, sucrose content, and sugar yield progressively increased with progress in the experiment. The effect could be attributed to the increase of the amount of irrigation applied throughout the years, thus increasing the leaching fraction which promoted salt leaching from the root zone, reduced the salinity stress, increased plant transpiration, nitrogen uptake and biomass yield.     

Hemicelluloses of ragi (finger millet, Eleusine coracana, Indaf-15): isolation and purification of an alkali-extractable arabinoxylan from native and malted hemicellulose B

Hemicelluloses (A and B) were isolated from an Indo-African hybrid variety of finger millet (ragi, Eleusine coracana) by extracting the starch-free residue with 10% sodium hydroxide under a continuous stream of nitrogen, and changes in their sugar composition during malting for 96 h were studied. Hemicellulose B, obtained in higher yield from both native (N) and malted (M) flours, was found to be completely soluble in water, richer in uronic acid, and more viscogenic than hemicelullose A. Fractional precipitation of hemicellulose B by ammonium sulfate resulted in four precipitable fractions (F-60, F-70, F-80, and F-100) and a nonprecipitable (NP) fraction varying in their yield and arabinose, xylose, galactose, and glucose contents. A progressive increase in the pentose-to-hexose ratio (P:H) from 0.42:1.0 in F-60 to 1.94:1.0 in NP was observed in native hemicellulose B fractions; however, in malted hemicellulose B the P:H ratio increased from 0.43:1.0 in F-60 to 1.56:1.0 in F-80 and then decreased to 1.13:1.0 in NP. The major fraction, F-70 (N, 44.5%; M, 38.5%), was separated into eight subfractions on DEAE-cellulose by successive elution with water, ammonium carbonate (AC) (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 M AC), and sodium hydroxide (0.1 and 0.2 M) differing in their yield and neutral sugar composition. The purity of the major glucuronoarabinoxylan fraction (0.1 M AC eluted) was ascertained by Sepharose CL-4B, HPSEC, cellulose acetate, and capillary electrophoresis methods. A significant decrease in the molecular mass of arabinoxylan from 1200 to 1120 kDa upon malting for 96 h is an indication of cell wall degradation by the inducible cell wall degrading enzymes.