Inhibitory activity of corn-derived bisamide compounds against alpha-glucosidase

Bioassay guided fractionation from corn gluten meal, a byproduct of a starch manufacturing plant, gave N-p-coumaroyl-N'-feruloylputrescine (1) and N,N'-diferuloylputrescine (2) as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Some structure-activity relationships were studied by comparing the inhibitory activity by preparing some related compounds, and it was revealed that the hydroxyl group was important for the inhibitory activity of bisamide alkaloids, but not the redox potential.     

Multielemental analysis and classification of amaranth seeds according to their botanical origin

The characterization of amaranth seeds (Amaranthus spp.) was developed for Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus dubius. The elemental concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma optic atomic spectroscopy. Pattern recognition methods were used for the characterization of seed samples: nonsupervised methods included principal components analysis and cluster analysis; supervised methods were linear discriminant analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Informed are the concentrations of the following elements: Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, S, Sr, V, Zn, and Zr. The lowest mineral content was found in A. hypochondriacus, and the highest one was found in A. dubius. For the classification, selected variables for all multivariate methods were Ba, Cr, Li, Mn, Ni, S, and Sr. Nonsupervised methods allowed us to distinguish between the three species of amaranth; however, PLS-DA supervised methods showed the best prediction ability.     

Mass spectrometry based sensor strategies for the authentication of oysters according to geographical origin

This study was undertaken to investigate the relevance of using the pyrolysis-MS (Py-MS) technique to discriminate the production area of oysters harvested over two years and to assess from the data of the second year of harvest the potential of an alternative MS-based technique, the solid phase microextraction-MS (SPME-MS), to perform this discrimination. Oysters were harvested in various areas of France, and models of discrimination according to harvest season were built from Py-MS fingerprints and from virtual SPME-MS fingerprints obtained by summing the mass spectra generated by the SPME-GC-MS system. The treatment of the Py-MS data by a 21-12-3 artificial neural networks led to a correct classification of only 89.2% of the oyster samples according to shoreline. The misclassifications thus did not allow use of the Py-MS technique as a relevant tool for authentication of oyster origin. The assessment of the potential of the virtual SPME-MS fingerprints to discriminate the production area of oysters was undertaken on a part of the sample set. The virtual SPME-MS data were pretreated according to two methods, filtering of raw data (FRD) and comprehensive combinatory standard correction (CCSC), a recently developed chemometric method used for the correction of instrumental signal drifts in MS systems. The results obtained with the virtual SPME-MS fingerprints are promising because this technique, when the data were pretreated by the CCSC method, led to a successful discrimination of the oyster samples not only according to shoreline but also according to production region. This study confirms that an efficient correction method (CCSC) of instrumental drifts can considerably increase the discriminative information contained in the volatile fraction of food products.     

Multi-element analysis of South African wines by ICP-MS and their classification according to geographical origin

Wines from three important wine-producing regions, Stellenbosch, Robertson, and Swartland, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, were analyzed by ICP-MS and the elemental composition used in multivariate statistical analysis to classify the wines according to geographical origin. The method is based on the assumption that the provenance soil is an important contributor to the trace element composition of a wine. A total of 40 elements were determined in 40 wines. Of these, 20 elements: Li, B, Mg, Al, Si, Cl, Sc, Mn, Ni, Ga, Se, Rb, Sr, Nb, Cs, Ba, La, W, Tl, and U showed differences in their means across the three areas. In a stepwise discriminant analysis procedure, functions based on linear combinations of the log-transformed element concentrations of Al, Mn, Rb, Ba, W, and Tl were generated to correctly classify wines from each region. In an alternative approach, a pairwise discriminant analysis procedure, not previously used in wine provenance studies, was tested. In this procedure, the classification was done in three steps, with each step classifying a wine as coming from a certain region or not. The combination of elements characterizing wines from a particular region was different in each region. The discriminant functions were based on the following elements: Al, Mn, Rb, Ba, and W for Stellenbosch; Se, Rb, Cs, and Tl for Robertson; and Al, Mn, Rb, Sr, Ba, and Tl for Swartland. After this procedure, the classification of the wines into one of the groups was 100% successful.     

Differentiation of tea (Camellia sinensis) varieties and their geographical origin according to their metal content

The metal content of 46 tea samples, including green, black, and instant teas, was analyzed. Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr, Ti, and Zn were determined by ICP-AES. Potassium, with an average content of 15145.4 mg kg(-1) was the metal with major content. Calcium, magnesium, and aluminum had average contents of 4252.4, 1978.2, and 1074.0 mg kg(-1), respectively. The average amount of manganese was 824.8 mg kg(-1). There were no clear differences between the metal contents of green and black teas. Pattern recognition methods such as principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and artificial neural networks (ANN), were applied to differentiate the tea types. LDA and ANN provided the best results in the classification of tea varieties. These chemometric procedures were also useful for distinguishing between Asian and African teas and between the geographical origin of different Asian teas.     

枯草芽孢杆菌fmbJ产脂肽抑制点青霉效果及其桃防腐试验

为了研究抗微生物脂肽在水果防腐方面的应用,试验研究了枯草芽孢杆菌fmbJ产生的脂肽对点青霉AS 3.4356的抑制活性,测定了其抗菌谱,并进行了桃防腐试验.结果表明点青霉对此脂肽具有较高的敏感性,最低抑菌浓度为125 μg/mL;抗菌谱较广,对革兰氏阴性菌、革兰氏阳性菌、真菌均有抑制活性;能够较强地抑制点青霉的的生长繁殖及孢子萌发;对点青霉孢子具有溶解作用;可显著降低点青霉琥珀酸和苹果酸脱氢酶活性,导致其营养物质吸收受阻或停止.桃防腐试验表明其防腐效率可以达到76.5%,具有良好的桃防腐应用前景.     

Multielement analysis of argentinean lemon juices by instrumental neutronic activation analysis and their classification according to geographical origin

Multielement analysis of lemon juices from different Argentinean regions was carried out by instrumental neutronic activation analysis (INAA) with the aim at developing a reliable method in the traceability of the origin of lemon juices. This work presents a characterization of 44 lemon juice samples selected from three different geographical origins in the Northwest region of Argentina. Multivariate chemometric techniques such principal component analysis and lineal discriminant analysis (LDA) were used with the aim of classifying the juices and identifying the most significant parameters. Eleven elements were determined (Br, As, Na, Rb, La, Cr, Sc, Fe, Co, Zn, and Sb). The analytical method was validated by analyzing the standard reference material IAEA V-10 (hay powder); the results are within +/-10% of the reported values for the majority of the elements. Biplots of LDA scores for the INAA data illustrate clear separation between each sample.     

尿素氮在不同类型土壤中转化特征及其施用效果对生化抑制剂的响应

通过盆栽试验,研究脲酶抑制剂正丙基硫代磷酰三胺(NPPT)、硝化抑制剂双氰胺(DCD)及其组合对黑土、棕壤、褐土中尿素氮素形态和玉米产量等因子的影响,为适宜黑土、棕壤、褐土的高效稳定性尿素肥料的研发提供理论依据。试验共设不施尿素(U0)、普通尿素(U)、尿素+脲酶抑制剂(UN)、尿素+硝化抑制剂(UD)、尿素+脲酶抑制剂+硝化抑制剂(UND)5个处理。在玉米苗期、大喇叭口期、灌浆期、成熟期采集土壤样品,测定尿素氮、铵态氮(NH4+-N)和硝态氮(NO^3--N)含量,计算氮素表观利用率等指标。在玉米灌浆初期,测定玉米棒三叶叶面积和叶绿素含量,收获后考种,采集植物样品测定玉米植株生物量和全氮含量。试验结果表明,黑土中抑制剂处理较U处理玉米能够增产,且UD处理增产幅度最大,为U处理的1.50倍,氮素表观利用率提高2.12倍,黑土中NH4+-N含量显著提高62.11%～121.21%;棕壤中UN、UD处理玉米增产显著,且UD处理增产幅度最大,为U处理的0.36倍,氮素表观利用率提高2.79倍,土壤中NH4+-N含量显著提高43.13%～131.31%;褐土中抑制剂处理明显增产,且UND处理增产最多,为U处理的1.51倍,氮素表观利用率提高4.08倍,土壤中NH4+-N含量提高19.08%～262.25%。黑土和棕壤种植玉米应选择添加DCD制成的高效稳定性尿素肥料,褐土种植玉米应选择添加NPPT和DCD配施制成的高效稳定性尿素。     

Capillary electrophoresis of free fatty acids by indirect ultraviolet detection: application to the classification of vegetable oils according to their botanical origin

A method for the determination of fatty acids in vegetable oils by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV-vis detection has been developed. The separation of fatty acids was optimized in terms of Brij surfactant nature and concentration and organic modifier (2-propanol) percentage. The optimal background electrolyte consisted of 10 mM p-hydroxybenzoate, 5 mM Tris at pH 8.8, 80 mM Brij 98, 40% acetonitrile, and 10% 2-propanol. Under these conditions, vegetable oils from five botanical origins (avocado, corn, extra virgin olive, hazelnut, and soybean) were analyzed and the fatty acid contents established. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) models were constructed using fatty acid peak areas as predictors. An excellent resolution among all category pairs was obtained, and all samples were correctly classified with assignment probabilities of >95%.     

Inhibitory effect of red koji extracts on mushroom tyrosinase

Red koji has been recognized as a cholesterol-lowering diet supplement because of it contains fungi metabolites, monacolins, which reduce cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase. In this study, water extracts of red koji were loaded onto a C(18) cartridge, and the acetonitrile eluate was collected as test fraction. Red koji water extracts and its C(18) cartridge acetonitrile eluent had total phenols concentrations of 5.57 and 1.89 mg/g of red koji and condensed tannins concentrations of 2.71 and 1.20 mg/g of red koji, respectively. Both exhibited an antioxidant activity and an inhibitory activity to mushroom tyrosinase. The higher antioxidant activity of the red koji acetonitrile eluent was due to the existence of a high percentage of condensed tannins. The results from the kinetic study for inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase by red koji extracts showed that the compounds in the extracts competitively inhibited the oxidation of tyrosine catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase with an ID(50) of 5.57 mg/mL.     

Inhibitory effect of protein hydrolysates on calcium carbonate crystallization

Protein hydrolysates, prepared by enzymatic digestion of soybean protein and egg white albumin using several proteases, inhibited the crystal growth of calcium carbonate. Each hydrolysate showed different inhibitory activities, suggesting the key role of peptide structures in the inhibition. The deamidation of protein hydrolysates by glutaminase increased not only the inhibitory activity toward the crystal growth of calcium carbonate but also the resistance of the hydrolysates against peptic digestion. Furthermore, the addition of sodium chloride, citric acid, or lactose into the reaction mixture enhanced the inhibitory activity. The protein hydrolysates inhibited both nucleation and crystal growth of calcium carbonate and also affected the crystal morphology.     

Application of cluster and discriminant analyses to diagnose lithological heterogeneity of the parent material according to its particle-size distribution

Particle-size distribution in soddy-podzolic and light gray forest soils of the Botanical Garden of Kazan Federal University has been studied. The cluster analysis of data on the samples from genetic soil horizons attests to the lithological heterogeneity of the profiles of all the studied soils. It is probable that they are developed from the two-layered sediments with the upper colluvial layer underlain by the alluvial layer. According to the discriminant analysis, the major contribution to the discrimination of colluvial and alluvial layers is that of the fraction >0.25 mm. The results of canonical analysis show that there is only one significant discriminant function that separates alluvial and colluvial sediments on the investigated territory. The discriminant function correlates with the contents of fractions 0.05–0.01, 0.25–0.05, and >0.25 mm. Classification functions making it possible to distinguish between alluvial and colluvial sediments have been calculated. Statistical assessment of particle-size distribution data obtained for the plow horizons on ten plowed fields within the garden indicates that this horizon is formed from colluvial sediments. We conclude that the contents of separate fractions and their ratios cannot be used as a universal criterion of the lithological heterogeneity. However, adequate combination of the cluster and discriminant analyses makes it possible to give a comprehensive assessment of the lithology of soil samples from data on the contents of sand and silt fractions, which considerably increases the information value and reliability of the results.     

Inhibitory effect of low partial pressures of acetylene on nitrification

The inhibiting effect of C₂H₂ on nitrification was investigated in two agricultural soils. Nitrification was totally inhibited at 10 Pa partial pressure of C₂H₂ which is lower than previously reported for soils. There were no differences in rates of nitrate production between flasks without C₂H₂ and flasks with C₂H₂ at 0.01 Pa, while there was an effect on nitrification at 0.1 PaC₂H₂. At 0.1 Pa no inhibition was noted during the first 3 days; after this period nitrification was partially inhibited. The inhibiting effect did not cease until 7 days after removal of C₂H₂. The sensitivity of nitrification to low concentrations of C₂H₂ should be noted when denitrification rates are determined by the use of the acetylene inhibition method (usually C₂H₂ at 10kPa).     

Leaching impacts Ni toxicity differently among soils but increases its predictability according to nitrification assay

Purpose  

Deriving toxicity thresholds through bioassays has become the scientific basis for the risk assessment of metal contamination in soils, but few studies have been reported for Ni toxicity in Chinese soils. In addition, although leaching has been recommended to increase the ecological relevance of the output of soil toxicity bioassays, its impacts on Ni threshold and soil solutions in soils remained to be shown. Therefore, in this study, 17 soils were collected throughout China and were assessed for Ni toxicity using substrate-induced nitrification (SIN) assay for both un-leached and leached treatments. Meanwhile, soil solutions of all Ni treatments were extracted and analyzed. This study provides information for the development of a terrestrial biotic ligand model (TBLM) for Ni in Chinese soils.     

Application of multivariate analysis and artificial neural networks for the differentiation of red wines from the Canary Islands according to the island of origin

Eleven metals (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Sr, Li, and Rb) were determined in 83 red wines from the Canary Islands. The wines presented high concentrations of Na, and the concentrations of Cu and Zn were much lower than the maximum concentrations established by the International Office of Vine and Wine (OIV). Applying principal component analysis, the dimension space was reduced to five principal components that explain 76.4% of the total variance, and the wines tend to separate on the basis of the island of production. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) allowed a reasonable classification of wines according to the island of production. When artificial neural networks (Kohonen self-organizing maps and back-propagation feed-forward as unsupervised and supervised techniques, respectively) were applied on the matrix of data constituted by the analyzed metals, the results improved in relation to those obtained by other multivariate methods observing a differentiation of wines according to island of production.     

Inhibitory effect of fruit extracts on the formation of heterocyclic amines

Natural extracts have attracted considerable attention for development into effective inhibitors against the formation of genotoxic heterocyclic amines (HAs) in processed foods. In this study, four fruit extracts (apple, elderberry, grape seed, and pineapple) were evaluated for their effects on HA formation in fried beef patties. Apple and grape seed extracts were found to be the most effective in both the degree of inhibition in the formation of individual HAs (2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo [4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx), and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-henylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)) and in the reduction of total HA content (approximately 70% relative to the control). Activity-guided analysis of apple extract using model systems (PhIP- and MeIQx-producing models) showed that the proanthocyanidins, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid were responsible for reducing the amount of HAs formed. Proanthocyanidins were identified as the dominant inhibitors because they were strongly active against HA formation in both the PhIP and MeIQx model systems. For phloridzin, the inhibitory effect was observed only on the formation of PhIP. In contrast, chlorogenic acid, although effective against the formation of MeIQx, significantly enhanced the formation of PhIP. This is the first report showing the inhibitory activities of apple phenolics on the formation of heterocyclic amines. The findings provide valuable information for the development of effective strategies to minimize HA content of cooked meats and to identify several new natural products that may have new applications in the food industry.     

Inhibitory effect of betel quid on the volatility of methyl mercaptan

Betel quid, a popular natural masticatory in Taiwan, is mainly composed of fresh areca fruit, Piper betle (leaf or inflorescence), and slaked lime paste. People say that halitosis disappears during betel quid chewing. In this study, the removal of mouth odor during betel quid chewing was discussed by using a model system which measured its inhibition on the volatility of methyl mercaptan. Results showed that crude extracts of betel quid (the mixture of areca fruit, Piper betle, and slaked lime paste) and extracts of the mixture of areca fruit and slaked lime paste exhibited marked effects on the volatility of methyl mercaptan, and the inhibition function increased when increasing amounts of slaked lime paste were added. The same condition (increased inhibition) was also found by replacing the slaked lime paste with alkaline salts (calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or sodium hydroxide). Areca fruit, the major ingredient of betel quid, contained abundant phenolics. However, the crude phenolic extract of areca fruit did not show any inhibitory activity on the volatility of methyl mercaptan. Great inhibitory activity occurred only when the crude phenolic extract of areca fruit was treated with alkali. Further studies by using gel filtration determined that the effect probably came from the oxidative polymerization of phenolics of areca fruit after alkaline treatment.     

生物质炭介导生防微生物抑制辣椒疫霉的作用

生物质炭可有效防控土传病害,筛选并鉴定出生物质炭介导下的生防微生物,可为研究生物质炭防病机理和强化生物质炭防病效果提供理论依据。本研究首先进行秸秆生物质炭防控辣椒疫病盆栽试验,利用定量PCR和平板计数明确生物质炭在防控辣椒疫病时可富集的已知生防微生物,再通过选择性培养基初筛和定殖复筛筛选出生物质炭可富集的潜在生防微生物菌株,最后研究各菌株在土壤中对辣椒疫霉的抑制作用。结果表明,秸秆生物质炭使根际辣椒疫霉数量显著降低95.1%、辣椒疫病发生率显著降低91.1%,并使具有生防功能的木霉菌、青霉菌、曲霉菌、芽孢杆菌、假单胞菌和鞘氨醇单胞菌数量显著增加2.22倍、4.09倍、3.89倍、2.45倍、1.45倍和1.30倍。通过平板初筛得到可能被生物质炭富集的22株潜在生防菌株。定殖复筛剔除部分假性生物质炭介导菌株,获得可明确被生物质炭富集的2株木霉菌、3株青霉菌、2株曲霉菌、3株芽孢杆菌、3株假单胞菌、3株链霉菌和2株鞘氨醇单胞菌。木霉菌（TR1和TR3）、青霉菌（PE1）、曲霉菌（AS1和AS2）、芽孢杆菌（BA1、BA2和BA3）、假单胞菌（PS1和PS3）、链霉菌（ST1、ST4和ST5）13个菌株可显著削减土壤辣椒疫霉数量。其中,所有木霉菌和曲霉菌菌株（TR1、TR3、AS1和AS2）及芽孢杆菌（BA1和BA2）、假单胞菌（PS1和PS3）和链霉菌（ST1）9个菌株与生物质炭具有显著的协同抑制辣椒疫霉效果。因此,防控辣椒疫病时,木霉菌、曲霉菌、芽孢杆菌、假单胞菌和链霉菌是生物质炭介导下的主要防病微生物。     

30种中草药植物对尿素水解和硝化作用的抑制效果研究

采用室内培养实验,分别研究了21科30种中草药的植物浸提液对3种土壤中尿素水解和硝化作用的抑制效果。结果表明,中草药植物浸提液能够对尿素水解起抑制作用的有23种,其中8种的抑制效果优于脲酶抑制剂氢醌(HQ);浸提液能够抑制硝化作用的植物有25种,其中3种的硝化抑制效果优于双氰胺(DCD);唇形科植物夏枯草(Prunella vulgaris L.)和忍冬科植物金银花(Lonicera japonica Thunb.)既能有效抑制尿素水解,又能有效减缓NH+4的硝化,是尿基氮肥增效剂的最佳选择。研究还表明,夏枯草和金银花粉末在培养后的24~36 h脲酶抑制率最高,在培养后的14~21 d硝化抑制率最高,且抑制效果随粉末用量的增加而增强。     

Anti-hyperglycemic effect of diacylated anthocyanin derived from Ipomoea batatas cultivar Ayamurasaki can be achieved through the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory action

To clarify a postprandial glucose suppression effect of diacylated anthocyanin with alpha-glucosidase (AGH) inhibitory activity, a single oral administration study of it in male 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats was performed. The diacylated anthocyanin used in this study was peonidin 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-E-feruloyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-E-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside isolated from storage roots of the purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Ayamurasaki), which showed a potent maltase inhibitory activity with an IC(50) value of 200 microM preferable to sucrase inhibition. When the diacylated anthocyanin (100 mg/kg) was administered following maltose (2 g/kg), a maximal blood glucose level (BGL) at 30 min was significantly decreased by 16.5% (P < 0.01) compared to vehicle. A minimum 10 mg/kg dose of the anthocyanin was necessary for the suppression of glycemic rise, and the ED(20) (69 mg/kg) was estimated to be approximately 30-fold lower than that of the therapeutic drug acarbose (ED(20) = 2.2 mg/kg). A reduction of serum insulin secretion was also observed corresponding to the decrease in BGL. No significant change in BGL was observed when sucrose or glucose was ingested, suggesting that the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the anthocyanin was achieved by maltase inhibition, not by sucrase or glucose transport inhibition at the intestinal membrane.