Identification of beer bitter acids regulating mechanisms of gastric acid secretion

Beer, one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, has been shown to stimulate gastric acid secretion. Although organic acids, formed by fermentation of glucose, are known to be stimulants of gastric acid secretion, very little is known about the effects of different types of beer or the active constituents thereof. In the present study, we compared the effects of different beers on mechanisms of gastric acid secretion. To investigate compound-specific effects on mechanisms of gastric acid secretion, organic acids and bitter compounds were quantified by HPLC-DAD and UPLC-MS/MS and tested in human gastric cancer cells (HGT-1) by means of a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye which determines the intracellular pH as an indicator of proton secretion. The expression of relevant genes, coding the H(+)/K(+)-ATPase, ATP4A, the histamine receptor, HRH2, the acetylcholine receptor, CHRM3, and the somatostatin receptor, SSTR2, was determined by qPCR. Ethanol and the organic acids succinic acid, malic acid, and citric acid were demonstrated to contribute to some extent to the effect of beer. The bitter acids comprising α-, β-, and iso-α-acids were identified as potential key components promoting gastric acid secretion and up-regulation of CHRM3 gene expression by a maximum factor of 2.01 compared to that of untreated control cells with a correlation to their respective bitterness.     

Identification of amino acids in humic acid

Davidson, Sowden and Atkinson^l) in 1951 reported on the amino acids in the three soil organic matter fractions, and Stevenson, Marks, Varner and Martin~) in 1952 reported on the identification of eight amino acids from clay-adsorbed organic colloids in Brookstom slity clay loam. Also, some investigations on these amino acids have been carried out in our laboratory.     

铝诱导黑麦的根尖分泌有机酸

虽然较多的研究已发现黑麦对铝毒害的忍耐能力较强，但是有关黑麦对铝毒害的抵御机理的报告很少。为了阐明黑麦（品种：King)对铝毒害的抵御机理，本研究探讨了黑麦的根系有机酸分泌的特性及其作用，铝能够诱导黑麦的根系分泌柠檬酸和苹果酸。柠檬酸主要从距顶端0－5mm的根尖分泌。有机酸的分泌量随着处理的铝浓度(0,50,100,300μmol/L AlCl3）和处理的时间（0．5，1，3，5h）的增加而增加。0，50，100，300μmol/L的AlCl3处理根尖3h后，从根尖分泌的柠檬酸和残留在根尖中的柠檬酸之和随着处理的铝浓度的增加而增加，而各处理间的苹果酸总量无显著差异。50μmol/L的柠檬酸或者400μmol/L的苹果酸能够消除50μmol/L 的AlCl3铝对小麦（Scout 66)根尖表面细胞的伤害。这些结果表明，铝促进柠檬酸的合成和柠檬酸、苹果酸从根尖的分泌是黑麦抵抗铝毒害的机理。     

Determination of organic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection during wine brewing

Voltammetric determination of acids by means of the electrochemical reduction of quinone was applied to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED) for determining organic acids in fruit wines. A two-channel HPLC-ED system was fabricated by use of an ion-exclusion column and an electrochemical detector with a glassy carbon working electrode. Aqueous solution of 0.1 mM HClO(4) and ethanol containing 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone served as a mobile phase and reagent solution, respectively. Determination of acetic, citric, lactic, malic, succinic, and tartaric acids was made by measuring the peak areas of the flow signals due to the reduction current of quinone caused by the eluted acids. The peak area was found to be linearly related to the acid amount ranging from 0.1 to 40 nmol per 20 microL injection. The present method was characterized by reproducibility with the simple and rapid procedure without derivatization of analytes. The method was shown as an effective means for following acid contents in fruit juices during fermentation with wine yeast.     

Sorption of organic acids in acid soils and its implications in the rhizosphere

Organic acids have been implicated in many soil-forming and rhizosphere processes, but their fate in soil is poorly understood. We examined the sorption of four simple short-chain organic acids (citric, oxalic, malic and acetic) in five acid soils and on synthetic iron hydroxide (ferrihydrite). The results for both soils and ferrihydrite indicated that the sorption depended on concentration in the following order of strength: phosphate >> oxalate > citrate > malate >> acetate. The sorption reactions in soil were shown to be little influenced by pH, whereas for ferrihydrite, sorption of all ligands increased strongly with decreasing pH. The sorption of organic anions onto ferrihydrite was influenced to a lesser extent by the presence of metal cations in solution. From the results we calculated that when organic acids enter solution they rapidly become sorbed onto the soil's exchange complex (> 80% within 10 min), and we believe that this sorption will greatly diminish their effectiveness to mobilize nutrients from the rhizosphere.     

铝诱导大豆根系有机酸分泌的能量消耗的定量研究

铝诱导大豆根系有机酸分泌是其解铝毒的一种重要机制,该过程需要消耗能量,然而有关能量消耗的定量研究还未见报道。本文比较了铝胁迫条件下,两个大豆品种根尖有机酸分泌、 腺苷酸、 无机磷、 细胞质pH值等指标的变化。结果表明,铝处理（25 mol/L）明显诱导大豆根系苹果酸和柠檬酸的分泌。与对照相比,铝胁迫条件下中豆32和本地2号的根尖ATP含量分别降低40.1%和13.2%,根系细胞质子跨膜电化学势差分别增加1711.8和570.6 J/mol,然而,根尖无机磷浓度变化差异不大。运用Nernst-Gibbs方程定量计算自由能变化,发现中豆32和本地2号根尖细胞自由能分别消耗16.13 kJ/mol和14.59 kJ/mol, 中豆32分泌单位苹果酸和柠檬酸的能量消耗分别为0.96 kJ/mol和3.15 kJ/mol,本地2号则为2.01 kJ/mol和5.68 kJ/mol。这表明不同耐铝性大豆品种分泌有机酸消耗的能量存在差异,该结果为筛选耐铝作物品种提供了新思路。     

Influence of fatty acids on wine foaming

The influence of fatty acids (free and bound as ethyl esters) on wine foaming was studied in different white wines and the corresponding sparkling wines. Moreover, from three of these wines the foam formed by CO(2) injection was separated, and two fractions were then obtained: foam wine (FW) and remainder wine (RW). In these fractions and the sparkling wines produced from them, foam properties and fatty acids were also determined. The free fatty acids C8, C10, and C12 were negatively correlated with foamability (HM), whereas the ethyl esters of hexanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acids were positively related to HM. The value of HM was directly proportional to the ratio of esterified to unesterified fatty acids. This was confirmed by the changes that occur in the esterification ratio during the second fermentation and aging. No influence was observed on either the Bikerman coefficient or the stability time of foam.     

Food-derived peptides stimulate mucin secretion and gene expression in intestinal cells

In this study, the hypothesis that food-derived opioid peptides besides β-casomorphin 7 might modulate the production of mucin via a direct action on epithelial goblet cells was investigated in HT29-MTX cells used as a model of human colonic epithelium. Seven milk whey or casein peptides, a human milk peptide, and a wheat gluten-derived peptide with proved or probable ability to bind μ- or δ-opioid receptors were tested on the cell culture. Significantly increased secretion of mucins was found after exposure to six of the assayed peptides, besides the previously described β-casomorphin 7, as measured by an enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). Human β-casomorphin 5 and α-lactorphin were selected to study the expression of mucin 5AC gene (MUC5AC), the HT29-MTX major secreted mucin gene. α-Lactorphin showed increased expression of MUC5AC from 4 to 24 h (up to 1.6-fold over basal level expression), although differences were statistically different only after 24 h of exposure. However, this increased expression of MUC5AC did not reach significance after cell treatment with human β-casomorphin 5. In conclusion, six food-derived peptides have been identifed with described or probable opioid activity that induce mucin secretion in HT29-MTX cells. Concretely, α-lactorphin is able to up-regulate the expression of the major secreted mucin gene encoded by these cells.     

RAIN project: Role of organic acids in moderating ph change following reduction in acid deposition

The RAIN project (Reversing Acidification In Norway) entails catchment-scale experimental manipulations to investigate the effect on water and soil chemistry of drastic changes in precipitation chemistry. At Risdalsheia in southernmost Norway wet deposition of acid is excluded from a 860-m² headwater catchment by means of a roof and “clean” precipitation is added beneath. Four years of acid exclusion (through June 1988) have resulted in lower concentrations of the strong acid anions NO₃ (from 35 to 7 ueq L^-1) and SO₄ (from 110 to 53 ueq L^-1) in runoff. The decline in strong acid anion concentrations has been compensated partially by a decrease in concentrations of base cations (55%) and partially by an increase in alkalinity (45%). pH has increased only slightly from 4.0 to 4.1. Organic acids have become increasingly important for the pH of runoff. Runoff from the shallow organic soils contains 10 to 20 mg C L^-1 total organic carbon (TOC). The concentration of organic anions (estimated from the ionic balance) has increased from about 22 ueq L^-1 in 1984 to 49 ueq L^-1 in 1987. This increase is due to increased dissociation of organic acids and not to change in TOC concentrations. The organic C in these acid samples apparently has a maximum charge density of about 4.5 ueq mg C^-1 and pK of about 4.     

Components of organic phosphorus in soil extracts that are hydrolysed by phytase and acid phosphatase

 Extracts were prepared from soil using water, 50 mM citric acid (pH ∼2.3) or 0.5 M NaHCO₃ (pH 8.5), and were incubated with excess phytase from Aspergillus niger to determine the amounts of labile P. Two A. niger phytase preparations were used: (1) a purified form which exhibited a narrow substrate specificity and high specific activity against phytate; and (2) a commercial preparation (Sigma) with activity against a broad range of P compounds. A comparatively large proportion (up to 79%, or 5.7 μg g^–1 soil) of the organic P (P_o) extracted with citric acid was hydrolysed by the commercial phytase, while between 28% and 40% (up to 3.1 μg g^–1 soil) was hydrolysed using purified phytase. By comparison, only small quantities of the P_o in water and NaHCO₃ soil extracts were enzyme labile. While extractable P_o was increased both with increasing concentrations of citric acid (up to 50 mM) and increasing pH (pH 2.3–6.0), enzyme-labile P increased only with citric acid concentration. The labile component of P_o in citric acid extracts from soils with contrasting fertiliser histories indicated that enzyme-labile P_o is a relatively large soil P pool and is potentially an important source of P for plants. Received: 29 October 1999     

Rhizosphere microbial communities and organic acids secreted by aluminum-tolerant and aluminum-sensitive soybean in acid soil

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between organic acids secreted by two soybeans genotypes, BX10 [aluminum (Al) tolerant] and BD2 (Al sensitive) and rhizosphere microbial communities in acid soil. The organic acids secreted by BX10 and BD2 were significantly different at each growth stage. Both fungi/bacteria and gram-negative bacteria/gram-positive bacteria ratio values were affected by the two soybean genotypes at different growth periods. Compared with BD2, phospholipid fatty acid of BX10 showed higher Shannon diversity at the seedling and flowering stages, but had lower Shannon diversity at the pod-setting stage. Redundancy analysis and canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the organic acids including tartaric acid, lactic acid, and citric acid significantly affected rhizosphere bacterial communities. Sequence analysis indicated that uncultured Acidobacterium, Chloroflexi, and actinomycete enriched in BD2, whereas some uncultured bacteria enriched in BX10. The two soybean genotypes exhibit distinct rhizosphere microbial communities; root organic acid exudates may affect composition of microbial communities of rhizosphere soil: tartaric acid may negatively affect rhizosphere bacteria at the seedling stage, lactic acid may positively affect rhizosphere actinomycetes at the flowering stage, and succinic acid may stimulate fungi at the pod-setting stage.     

Phenol‐containing organic substances stimulate phenylpropanoid metabolism in Zea mays

Intensive land use may affect soil properties (e.g., decreased soil organic matter [SOM] content) and, consequently, reduce crop yields considerably. One way of counteracting the loss of SOM and stimulating plant productivity could be the use of organic residues from agro‐industrial processes as bioactive products. The present study was focused on the possible effects of phenol‐containing organic substances derived from agro‐industrial by‐products on maize (Zea mays L.) metabolism in a pot experiment. Plants were grown for 12 d in a nutrient solution in the absence (control) or in the presence of either a cellulosolitic dry apple hydrolyzate (AP) or a dry blueberry cool extract (BB) applied at two rates (0.1 and 1 mL L^–1). Both products increased root and leaf biomass and led to higher concentrations of macronutrients in the plant tissue. AP and BB also had a positive impact on nitrogen (N) metabolism stimulating the activity and gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase, a key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway. Furthermore, both products increased leaf concentrations of phenols (+ 28% and 49% for AP and BB, respectively) and flavonoids (+ 22% and 25% for AP and BB, respectively). From our results it can be assumed that residues from agro‐industry may be successfully used as bioactive products in agriculture to increase plant yield and resistance to stress conditions.     

Influence of organic and inorganic phosphorus supply on the maximum secretion of acid phosphatase by plants

Three cereals (wheat, pearl millet, sorghum), three legumes (mung bean, moth bean, clusterbean) and three oil seed crop species (groundnut, sesame, mustard) were grown in solution culture under conditions of P deficiency and with additions of inorganic P or organic P (phytin, lecithin, glycerophosphates). The plants started secreting acid phosphatase as soon as their roots emerged (24-96 h). The activities of the secreted acid phosphatases increased with plant age and were at a maximum under P-deficient conditions. Phytin increased acid phosphatase secretion to a greater extent than lecithin and glycerophosphate. The increased activities of acid phosphatase secreted under P-deficient conditions when compared with those under P-sufficient (inorganic P) conditions ranged from 2.7 times (glycerophosphate) to 5 times (negligible P, phytin) higher. Legumes secreted the maximum amount of acid phosphatase within 2 weeks after germination, then activity decreased gradually. Acid phosphatase secretion by oilseeds started at a low level and increased with the age of the plants. Only a small increase in acid phosphatase secretion by cereals was observed during the first 3 weeks of growth. The amount of acid phosphatase secreted by legumes was 22% higher than by oilseeds and 72% higher than by cereals. The results showed that an organic P concentration of 250 mg L^-1 and above, and an inorganic P concentration <50 mg L^-1 provide the most suitable conditions for plants to secrete a maximum amount of acid phosphatase.     

Quantitation of nine organic acids in wild mushrooms

The organic acids composition of six wild edible mushroom species (Amanita caesarea, Boletus edulis, Gyroporus castaneus, Lactarius deliciosus, Suillus collinitus, and Xerocomus chrysenteron) was determined by an HPLC-UV detector method. The results showed that all of the samples presented a profile composed of at least five organic acids: citric, ketoglutaric, malic, succinic, and fumaric acids. Several samples also contained oxalic, ascorbic, quinic, and shikimic acids. In a general way, the quantitation of the identified compounds indicated that malic acid, followed by the pair citric plus ketoglutaric acids, were the main compounds in the analyzed species, with the exception of A. caesarea, in which malic and ascorbic acids were the most abundant compounds. The relative amounts and the presence/absence of each identified compound may be useful for the differentiation of the species.     

在铝胁迫下离子通道抑制剂和钙螯合剂对黑麦根系分泌有机酸的影响

以药理学的方法研究了铝对根系分泌有机酸的诱导作用及钙离子的调控作用。50μm o l/L A l处理24 h后的黑麦根系分泌物的高效液相色谱(HPLC)分析结果表明,铝诱导黑麦根系分泌柠檬酸(C it)与苹果酸(M a l)。在铝溶液中加入阴离子通道抑制剂尼氟灭酸(NA,1~2μm o l/L)、苯甲酰甲醛(PG,10μm o l/L),有机酸的分泌受到极显著的抑制。C a2 通道抑制剂L a(NO3)3(25μm o l/L)、异搏定(VP,25、50、100μm o l/L)显著或者极显著抑制铝诱导的有机酸分泌,而且在50μm o l/L A l溶液中加入的C a2 专一性螯合剂乙二醇-双-(2-氨基乙基)四乙酸(EGTA,250、500μm o l/L)能显著抑制柠檬酸的分泌。这些结果表明,阴离子通道是铝胁迫下黑麦根系分泌有机酸的重要通道,C a2 可能介导此分泌过程。     

Interactive effects of organic acids in the rhizosphere

Organic acids released into the rhizosphere may perform many beneficial functions to the plant including metal detoxification and enhancement of nutrient acquisition. Typically, these organic acids are studied in isolation; however, roots simultaneously exude a cocktail of organic acids and other substances, and their combined impact on rhizosphere processes may be quite different. It has been hypothesized that some exudates may play secondary roles (e.g. inhibitors of microbial activity, blockage of sorption sites), which might enhance the longevity and nutrient-mobilization capacity of others. Here we investigated how the decomposition, sorption and P-solubilizing effects of citrate, malate and oxalate are affected by the presence of malonate and shikimate. We found that in a range of agricultural soils the decomposition of citrate, malate and oxalate was rapid, but not influenced by the presence of large quantities of shikimate or malonate. This suggests that the individual organic acids are taken up by different transport mechanisms or components of the microbial community. At large concentrations, malonate decreased sorption of citrate, malate and oxalate on the soil, whilst shikimate had little effect. The capacity of citrate, malate and oxalate to desorb P was significantly greater in cocktails containing malonate compared with the single organic acid; no effect was seen with shikimate. We conclude that neither malonate nor shikimate at realistic concentrations will significantly affect the biodegradation of citrate, malate or oxalate in the rhizosphere, and while malonate did enhance P desorption, this effect is additive rather than synergistic. Overall, we found little evidence that malonate and shikimate act as secondary regulators of citrate, malate and oxalate behavior in soil.     

Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of dehydroacetic acid in squash and wine

A gas-liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination of the preservative dehydroacetic acid (DHA) in frozen cut squash and white wine. The cleanup procedure uses the acidic character of DHA to enhance separation from interfering substances. Recoveries were 93-104% from squash fortified at 30, 65, and 130 ppm and 96-99% from wine fortified at 50, 100, and 200 ppm. The method can be used to establish that the amount of DHA used in squash does not exceed the permissible level of 65 ppm.     

Comparison of the influence of tannic acid and selected low-molecular-weight organic acids on precipitation products of aluminum

The crystallization and surface properties of hydrolytic reaction products of Al precipitated in the presence of 1.0 · 10^?6M and 1.0 · 10^?4M tannic acid from systems at the initial Al concentrations of 1.1 · 10^?4M and 1.1 · 10^?3M and OH/Al molar ratios of 2.0 or 3.0 were examined.X-ray diffraction analyses show that the structural distortion within the hydrolytic precipitation products of Al increases with the molar ratio of tannic acid to Al. The non-crystalline to poorly ordered hydrolytic precipitation products of Al, including pseudoboehmite, are formed in the presence of tannic acid and are shown by transmission electron micrographs to be fine, shapeless and hollow colloids which are deformed and aggregated. In contrast to low molecular weight organic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, aspartic, malic, and citric acids), the influence of tannic acid on the surface reactivities of the precipitation products of Al cannot be solely explained on the basis of its chemical affinity towards Al. In addition to complexation, the physical adsorption of the tannic acid initially present at 1.0 · 10^?6M apparently promotes structural distortion in the precipitation products and thereby increases the specific surface and the formation of active sites for surface charge development and for phosphate and Ca retention to an extent even greater than that observed with the more strongly complexing malic acid. On the other hand, when the concentration of tannic acid is increased to 1.0 · 10^?4M, the physical adsorption of the tannic acid, while enhancing Ca retention through its ability to ionize and provide negative charges, hampers phosphate retention by masking some of the active sites.