Study of aged cognac using solid-phase microextraction and partial least-squares regression

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and GC-MS were used to analyze 17 commercial French Cognac brandies (9 young and 8 well-aged, ranging in age from 3 to 55 years). Sixty-four volatiles were chosen on the basis of chromatographic separation and/or known odor importance. Chromatographic peaks were manually integrated and the peak area data analyzed using partial least-squares (PLS) regression to study relationships between volatile composition (X variables) and age (Y variable). When only those compounds with the highest significance were included and from these selected the variables (a total of 33) with the highest correlation loadings on the first two principal components, principal component 1 explained 82% of the variance of the measured compounds and 85% of the variance in age. These were considered the most important volatiles to distinguish products of different ages because young and old samples were separated along principal component 1. Norisoprenoids, terpenes, and acetate esters had weaker positive and negative loadings and were therefore left out. The PLS model could predict sample age accurately with the optimum 33 volatiles as well as with a smaller subset consisting of ethyl esters and methyl ketones.     

Effect of sulfur on yield and amino acids of soybeans

Abstract

In a greenhouse study on Morrison Sandy Loam an increase in yield, protein, percent lysine and methionine was observed in soybeans when 10 ppm and 20 ppm of sulfur were applied.     

Formation of volatile sulfur compounds by microbial decomposition of sulfur-containing amino acids in soils

Evolution of volatile sulfur compounds from soils treated with S-containing amino acids was studied by sensitive gas chromatographic techniques involving use of a flame photometric detector fitted with a sulfur filter. The following volatile sulfur compounds were identified as products of microbial decomposition of S-containing amino acids in soils under aerobic or waterlogged conditions: methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide (evolved from soils treated with methionine, methionine sulfoxide, methionine sulfone or S-methyl cysteine); ethyl mercaptan, ethyl methyl sulfide and diethyl disulfide (evolved from soils treated with ethionine or S-ethyl cysteine); and carbon disulfide (evolved from soils treated with cystine, cysteine, lanthionine or djenkolic acid). Small amounts of dimethyl sulfide and carbon disulfide were evolved from soils treated with homocystine, and trace amounts of carbonyl sulfide were evolved from soils treated with lanthionine or djenkolic acid. No volatile sulfur compounds were evolved from soils treated with cysteic acid, taurine, or S-methyl methionine. The amounts of sulfur volatilized from soils treated with the 14 S-containing amino acids studied represented from less than 0·1 per cent to more than 50 per cent of the sulfur added as amino acid. Hydrogen sulfide could not be detected as a gaseous product of microbial decomposition of S-containing amino acids in soils under aerobic or waterlogged conditions.     

Oxidation and hydrolysis determination of sulfur amino acids in food and feed ingredients: collaborative study

Samples of 6 food and feed ingredients and a purified protein, beta-lactoglobulin, were analyzed by 7 laboratories to determine the concentrations of cysteine as cysteic acid and methionine as methionine sulfone. Samples were oxidized by reaction with performic acid before hydrolysis with 6N HCl. The free amino acids were then separated and measured by ion-exchange chromatography on dedicated amino acid analyzers. Each laboratory was provided with a detailed method as well as sealed vials containing solutions of standards. For the determination of cysteine as cysteic acid, the coefficients of variation between laboratories for duplicate samples ranged from 7.13 to 10.8% for the 6 ingredients. For the determination of methionine as methionine sulfone, the coefficients of variation between laboratories for duplicate samples ranged from 1.18 to 12.8% for the 6 ingredients. Cysteine and methionine recoveries were determined by analysis of beta-lactoglobulin and were based on expected levels of each amino acid from amino acid sequence data. The mean recovery of cysteine was 95% with a range of 91-101%. The mean recovery of methionine was 101% with a range of 98-106%. This method has been adopted official first action.     

Determination of sulfur amino acids and tryptophan in foods and food and feed ingredients: collaborative study

Samples of 4 foods, 1 animal feed, isolated soy protein, and beta-lactoglobulin were analyzed by 9 laboratories to determine concentrations of cysteine as cysteic acid, methionine as methionine sulfone, and tryptophan. Sulfur amino acids were determined by AOAC method 43.A08-43.A13 for food and feed ingredients, in which samples are oxidized with performic acid before protein hydrolysis with 6N HCl. Tryptophan was determined after protein hydrolysis with 4.2N NaOH. In both methods, free amino acids were separated by ion-exchange or reverse-phase chromatography. Each laboratory was provided with detailed methods and with sealed vials containing solutions of standards. Samples were analyzed in duplicate, and variation between laboratories was determined. Coefficients of variation between laboratories for the 6 samples ranged from 5.50 to 11.8% for methionine as methionine sulfoxide, 8.59 to 17.3% for cysteine as cysteic acid, and 3.87 to 16.1% for tryptophan. Amino acid recoveries were determined by analysis of beta-lactoglobulin and were based on expected levels of each amino acid obtained from amino acid sequence data. The mean recovery of cysteine was 97% with a range of 88-119%. For methionine, mean recovery was 98% (range 89-115%) and for tryptophan, 85% (range 59-102%). Method 43.A08-43.A13 for food and feed ingredients has been adopted official first action for determination of cysteine and methionine in processed foods. The alkaline hydrolysis method has been adopted official first action for determination of tryptophan in foods and food and feed ingredients.     

Determination of kavalactones in dried kava (Piper methysticum) powder using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression

Kava (Piper methysticum Forst F.), or àwa in the Hawaiian language, has been used for thousands of years by the people of the South Pacific Islands, in particular Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa, for social and ceremonial occasions. Kava has the unique ability to promote a state of relaxation without the loss of mental alertness. Kava recently became part of the herbal pharmacopoeia throughout the United States and Europe because of its anxiolytic properties. The active compounds are collectively called kavalactones (or kava pyrones). The need for a less time-consuming and costly method to determine the concentration of kavalactones in dried kava is urgent. The combination of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and partial least-squares (PLS) methods has been found to be a convenient, versatile, and rapid analytical tool for determination of kavalactones in dried kava powder. Calibration equations were developed based on the analyses of 110 samples with variable physical and chemical properties collected over time from Hawaii kava growers and validated by analyses of a set of 12 samples with unknown kavalactones concentration. All six major kavalactones and the total kavalactones were measured using NIRS with accuracy acceptable for commercial use. The NIRS measurements are reproducible and have a repeatability on a par with HPLC methods.     

我国某些土壤中硫素的氧化

The status and activities of boron in soils were studied by the approach of electro-ultrafiltration(EUF).The samples of soils,including brown-red soil and calcareous alluvial soil,were collected from Hubei Province of China.The soil samples were incubated in saturated water and then their nutrients were ultrafiltrated with EUF equipment.Filtration and extraction were conducted in accordance with routine process,but fractions in anode and cathode were all collected.Analyses of B,K^ ,Mg^2 ,Ca^2 ,Cl^- and pH in fractions supposed that boron existed not only in a simple form of borate but also in ion -pair with cations partly in acidic soil,and borate was the primary form existing in the calcareous soil.In studying desorption kinetics with EUF,the boron content of Fractions 2-6 was accumulated.and the accumlative quantities were fit to time factors in three kinetic equations:the zero-order,first-order,and parabolic diffusion equations,Fit degree of the parabolic diffusion equation was the best,followed by the zero-order equation,and the first-order equation was the worst。     

纳滤膜法处理阿斯巴甜高含盐有机废水试验

为获取纳滤膜法处理阿斯巴甜高含盐有机废水的最佳操作工艺参数,建立了阿斯巴甜高含盐有机废水纳滤膜处理试验平台。对不同操作压力（1.6、2.0、2.4、2.8、3.2 MPa）、不同pH值（2、3、6、8、10）、不同温度（30、35、40、45、50 ℃）和不同进液流速（0.02、0.05、0.10、0.15、0.20 m/s）条件下,纳滤膜处理阿斯巴甜高含盐废水的膜通量、体积浓缩比、氯化钠去除率、氨基酸截留率和氨基酸回收率特性进行了试验研究。研究表明：采用纳滤膜处理阿斯巴甜高含盐有机废水,操作压力,温度、pH值和进液流速对纳滤膜的分离性能有不同程度的影响,试验得出的最佳操作压力为2.4 MPa,pH值为6,进液温度为40 ℃,进液流速为0.1 m/s,在该操作参数下,纳滤膜运行3 h,平均膜通量为21.5 L/（m2·h）,体积浓缩比为5.9,氯化钠去除率为96%,有机物L-苯丙氨酸和L-天冬氨酸截留率分别为89%和77%,L-苯丙氨酸和L-天冬氨酸回收率分别为90.6%和80.3%。试验研究为高含盐有机废水处理的工业应用提供了基础。     

NIR spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression for determination of natural alpha-tocopherol in vegetable oils

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and partial least-square regression were used for determination of alpha-tocopherol in edible oils after extraction with ethanol. The standard error of calibration and the standard error of prediction were calculated for evaluation of the calibration models. The chemometric calibration model was prepared in spectral region 6500-4500 cm(-1) for standard alpha-tocopherol solutions (0.54-53.54 mg/mL). Obtained mean concentrations of natural alpha-tocopherol in different types of oils varied from 17.53 to 57.10 mg/100 g. Net analyte signal calculation was used to estimate detection limit (DL = 0.12 mg/mL), quantification limit (QL = 0.40 mg/mL), sensitivity (SEN = 0.045 mg/mL), and selectivity (SEL ranged between 0.24 and 0.54% of the measured reflectance signal) of the proposed NIR method. The comparable precision (RSD = 0.68-2.80% and 0.79-3.06%) and accuracy (recovery, 97.2-102.4% and 96.8-103.2%) for the proposed NIR and standard HPLC methods, demonstrate the benefit of the NIR method in the routine analysis of alpha-tocopherol in vegetable oils.     

Influence of sulfur amino acids on the volatile and nonvolatile components of cooked salmon (Salmo salar)

Volatile and nonvolatile compounds, which could contribute to flavor, were analyzed in salmon. One hundred twenty-three volatile compounds were identified in the headspace of two different samples of cooked salmon, including lipid-derived volatiles, Maillard-derived volatiles, sulfur volatiles, Strecker aldehydes, nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, terpenes, and trimethylamine. Significant differences between samples were found for 104 of the volatiles. Although the levels of free cysteine and methionine were low in the salmon, sulfur volatiles were formed in the cooked fish, demonstrating that there were sufficient sulfur amino acids present for their formation. Notable differences in sulfur compounds between the samples suggested that small changes in sulfur amino acids could be responsible. When this hypothesis was tested, salmon heated with cysteine had increased levels of many thiophenes, thiazoles, alicyclic sulfides, and nitrogen heterocycles. With the addition of methionine, levels of dimethyl sulfides, two alicyclic sulfides, pyrazines, some unsaturated aldehydes, and alcohols and 2-furanmethanethiol increased. The largest difference found among the nonvolatile (low molecular weight water-soluble) compounds was in inosine monophosphate.     

Bound amino acids in humic acids from arable cropping systems

We investigated the varying concentrations of bound amino acids in humic acids (HA) extracted from soils under both crop rotation and continuous cropping of rye. The experiment was created in 1957. Since then, winter rye had been grown continuously and also the sequence of the 7 yr rotation had been started: potato, spring barley, alfalfa, alfalfa, oil seed rape, winter rye, and winter rye. Soils were fertilized with NPK and manure. Continuous cropping of rye increased total acidity of soils and the contents of carboxylic and phenolic groups in HA. The total amounts of the bound amino acids in HA from soils under crop rotation were higher than from continuous cropping of rye. Fertilization with NPK increased the contents of bound amino acids more than manure. Neutral amino acids dominated in all samples of HA, and basic amino acids had the lowest concentrations. In both types of cultivation, glutamic acids, glycine, alanine, valine, and lysine dominated. The proline contents in HA from continuous rye cropping were higher than in HA from soils under crop rotation. The concentrations of β‐alanine and lysine were higher in HA from crop rotation indicating a higher microbial biomass since these compounds are typical constituents of bacteria cell walls.     

HPLC method for analysis of free amino acids in fish using o-phthaldialdehyde precolumn derivatization

Precolumn derivatization applying o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) was used to analyze free lysine, histidine, and ornithine, precursors of the respective biogenic amines cadaverine, histamine, and putrescine, which are considered indicators of fish quality and safety. This method uses 75% methanol to eliminate the use of strong acids as the extraction solution. Each analysis took 35 min, was reproducible, and allowed separation of primary amino acids in fish samples. A binary solvent delivery system coupled with a fluorescence detector and an Ultrasphere ODS column were utilized for HPLC separation. Linearity of the calibration curves was very good (r(2) = 0.99) for the amino acids of interest. Minimum concentrations of detection were 40 pmol/mL for histidine and lysine and 70 pmol/mL for ornithine. Average recoveries were 72% for lysine, 93% for histidine, and 98% for ornithine. This method used solvent gradient elution to study the levels of these analytes in mahi-mahi, bigeye tuna, and flounder.     

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.     

Detection and quantification of protein residues in food grade amino acids and nucleic acids using a dot-blot fluorescent staining method

Food allergies represent an important health problem in industrialized countries, such that detection and quantitative analysis of the protein considered to be the main allergen is crucial. A dot-blot fluorescent staining method for the detection and quantitative analysis of protein residues in food grade amino acids and nucleic acids is presented. This method combines fluorescence staining with dot-blotting onto PVDF membrane. Several standard proteins, such as bovine serum albumin (66 kDa), lysozyme (14 kDa), ubiquitin (8.6 kDa), bovine insulin (5.7 kDa), and oxidized insulin B chain (3.5 kDa), were detectable at 0.1 ppm using SYPRO Ruby blot stain. Twenty-five different amino acids and two different nucleic acids of food grade were analyzed using this method combined with an internal standard addition method using BSA as an internal standard. All amino acids and nucleic acids were dissolved in 3.6% aqueous HCl and dot-blotted onto PVDF membrane before a large amount of amino acids and nucleic acid were removed. Protein residues and the internal standard protein immobilized on the membrane were stained using SYPRO ruby blot stain. The internal standard in all samples was detectable at 0.1 ppm. Samples were dissolved at 120 or 70 mg/mL, according to their solubility under acidic conditions. The detection limit of protein residues per weight was 0.8-1.4 ppm in amino acids and nucleic acids; residual protein was not detected in any sample.     

Calibration and prediction of amino acids in stevia leaf powder using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

The use of stevia as animal feed additive has been researched over the years, but how to rapidly predict its amino acid contents has not been studied yet by using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. In the present study, 301 samples of stevia leaf powder were defined as the calibration set from which calibration models were optimized, and the performance of prediction was evaluated. Compared with other mathematical treatments, the models developed with the "1, 12, 12, 1" treatment, combined with modified partial least-squares regression and standard normal variance with de-trending, had a significant potential in predicting amino acid contents, such as threonine, serine, etc. Six spectral regions were found to possess large spectrum variation and show high contribution to calibration models. From the present study, the calibration models of amino acids in stevia were successfully developed and could be applied to quality control in feed processing, breeding selection and mutant screening.     

Analysis of sugars in Chinese rice wine by Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy with partial least-squares regression

The feasibility of rapid analysis for oligosaccharides, including isomaltose, isomaltotriose, maltose, and panose, in Chinese rice wine by Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy together with partial least-squares regression (PLSR) was studied in this work. Forty samples of five brewing years (1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2005) were analyzed by NIR transmission spectroscopy with seven optical path lengths (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and 5 mm) between 800 and 2500 nm. Calibration models were established by PLSR with full cross-validation and using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection as a reference method. The optimal models were obtained through wavelength selection, in which the correlation coefficients of calibration (r(cal)) for the four sugars were 0.911, 0.938, 0.925, and 0.966, and the root-mean-square errors of calibrations were 0.157, 0.147, 0.358, and 0.355 g/L, respectively. The validation accuracy of the four models, with correlation coefficients of cross-validation (r(cv)) being 0.718, 0.793, 0.681, and 0.873, were not very satisfactory. This might be due to the low concentrations of the four sugars in Chinese rice wine and the influence of some components having structures similar to those of the four sugars. The results obtained in this study indicated that the NIR spectroscopy technique offers screening capability for isomaltose, isomaltotriose, maltose, and panose in Chinese rice wine. Further studies with a larger Chinese rice wine sample should be done to improve the specificity, prediction accuracy, and robustness of the models.     

Determination of total sulfur in plant materials using an automated sulfur analyzer

Abstract

An automated sulfur analyzer (ASA), which has been developed for sulfur analysis of coal and coke was evaluated for determination of total sulfur in plant materials. Plant materials containing from 0.15% to 0.75% sulfur have been analyzed with precision and accuracy superior to other accepted methods which are more tedious and time‐consuming. The direct reading unit is capable of making approximately one sulfur determination every three minutes.     

Determination of main categories of components in corn steep liquor by near-infrared spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression

Corn steep liquor (CSL) is an important raw material that has a high nutritional value and serves as a nitrogen source. This study aimed to develop a fast, versatile, cheap, and environmentally safe analytical method of quantifying the total acidity (TA) of CSL as well as its contents of dry matter (DM), total sugars (TS), total reducing sugars (TRS), total free amino acids (TFAA), total nitrogen (TN), and total sulfite (TSu). The near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy measurements of 66 samples (22 batches) of CSL were analyzed by partial least-squares regression using several spectral preprocessing methods. Multivariate models developed in the NIR area showed good predictive abilities for DM, TA, TS, TRS, TFAA, TN, and TSu determination. These results confirm the feasibility of the multivariate spectroscopic approach as a replacement for expensive and time-consuming conventional chemical methods. Thus, a convenient and feasible method for the quality control of fermentation raw materials for food additives and fine chemicals, especially in CSL, is established.