Fluorescence, browning index, and color in infant formulas during storage

Free and total fluorescent compounds, browning index, and color formation were measured in milk-based powdered infant formulas (IF) during 2 years of storage at 20 and 37 degrees C. The excitation spectra from 415 nm emission show three peaks (ex lambda1 = 270 nm, lambda2 = 325/315 nm, lambda3 = 350 nm) and from 347 nm excitation two emission peaks (415 and 520 nm), and no wavelength shifts were observed. Temperature and time of storage exert in general no significant effect on the development of fluorescence emission intensity and browning index. However, an important increase in pentodilysine was recorded-probably because of the iron and ascorbic acid contents of the samples-as well as in browning index in adapted IF. In both IF a color increase (deltaE) throughout storage was observed, this increase being greater in samples stored at 37 degrees C than in those stored at 20 degrees C. The increase in color with time fitted a linear regression model. Color appeared to be an indicator of sufficient sensitivity to measure the effect of temperature or storage time.     

Influence of storage practices on acrylamide formation during potato frying

A number of parameters linked to storage of potatoes were evaluated with regard to their potential to influence the acrylamide formation in French fries. Acrylamide, which is a potential human carcinogen, is reported to be formed during the frying of potatoes as a result of the reactions between asparagine and reducing sugars. This study was conducted using three potato varieties (Bintje, Ramos, and Saturna) typically used in Belgium, The Netherlands, and the northern part of France for French fry and crisp production. Saturna, mainly used in crisp production, appeared to be the least susceptible for acrylamide formation during frying. Especially storage at low temperatures (4 degrees C) compared to storage at 8 degrees C seemed to enhance acrylamide formation due to a strong increase in reducing sugars caused by low-temperature storage. Because of the reversible nature of this physiological reaction, it was possible to achieve a significant reduction of the reducing sugars after a reconditioning of the cold-stored potatoes for 3 weeks at 15 degrees C. All changes in acrylamide concentrations could mainly be explained by the reducing sugar content of the potato (R2 = 0.84, n = 160). This means that, by ensuring a low reducing sugar content of the potato tuber, the risk for acrylamide formation will largely be reduced. Finally the use of a sprout inhibitor did not influence the composition of the potato, and thus acrylamide formation was not susceptible to this treatment.     

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of essential oils isolated from Thymbra capitata L. (Cav.) andOriganum vulgare L

Antilisterial activities of Thymbra capitata and Origanum vulgare essential oils were tested against 41 strains of Listeria monocytogenes. The oil of T. capitata was mainly constituted by one component, carvacrol (79%), whereas for O. vulgare three components constituted 70% of the oil, namely, thymol (33%), gamma-terpinene (26%), and p-cymene (11%). T. capitata essential oil had a significantly higher antilisterial activity in comparison to O. vulgare oil and chloramphenicol. No significant differences in L. monocytogenes susceptibilities to the essential oils tested were registered. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of T. capitata essential oil and of carvacrol were quite similar, ranging between 0.05 and 0.2 microL/mL. Antioxidant activity was also tested, the essential oil of T. capitata showing significantly higher antioxidant activity than that of O. vulgare. Use of T. capitata and O. vulgare essential oils can constitute a powerful tool in the control of L. monocytogenes in food and other industries.     

Occurrence of naturally acetylated lignin units

This work examines the occurrence of native acetylated lignin in a large set of vascular plants, including both angiosperms and gymnosperms, by a modification of the so-called Derivatization Followed by Reductive Cleavage (DFRC) method. Acetylated lignin units were found in the milled wood lignins of all angiosperms selected for this study, including mono- and eudicotyledons, but were absent in the gymnosperms analyzed. In some plants (e.g., abaca, sisal, kenaf, or hornbeam), lignin acetylation occurred at a very high extent, exceeding 45% of the uncondensed (alkyl-aryl ether linked) syringyl lignin units. Acetylation was observed exclusively at the gamma-carbon of the lignin side chain and predominantly on syringyl units, although a predominance of acetylated guaiacyl over syringyl units was observed in some plants. In all cases, acetylation appears to occur at the monomer stage, and sinapyl and coniferyl acetates seem to behave as real lignin monomers participating in lignification.     

Kinetic model for the antiradical activity of the isolated p-catechol group in flavanone type structures using the free stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl as the antiradical probe

The time evolution of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH*) concentration in four solvents (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and acetonitrile) during its reduction by three flavanones containing an isolated p-catechol group (taxifolin, eriodyctiol, and fustin) as well as the time evolution of the mass spectra of the reaction mixture has been determined by spectrophotometry and liquid mass spectrometry, respectively. In alcoholic solvents the reduction curves consisted of an initial short but fast kinetics step followed by a longer slow kinetics step; in contrast, in acetonitrile the reduction curves completely lacked the slow kinetics step. From the results, a kinetic model for the reaction of reduction of the DPPH* by the isolated p-catechol group in flavanone type structures is proposed. According to this model, the p-catechol group rapidly transfers two hydrogen atoms to DPPH*, through a fast rate constant k1, yielding the corresponding o-quinone. Then, the intermediate o-quinone forms an adduct with the alcoholic solvent, through a slow rate constant k2, and regenerates the p-catechol group. The regenerated p-catechol group reduces additional DPPH* through a fast rate constant k3, yielding the corresponding o-quinone, which can form a new adduct with the solvent to regenerate the p-catechol group, and so on. From the kinetics model, two explicit kinetics equations have been derived that fit very well the experimental data points acquired from all assayed compounds in all of the experiments carried out, thus allowing an accurate determination of the corresponding rate and stoichiometric constants.     

Inheritance of Aluminum Tolerance and its Effects on Grain Yield and Grain Quality in Oats (Avena Sativa L.)

Summary Aluminum toxicity due to the cation Al⁺³ is a major factor limiting yields in acid soils. Wide genetic variability to aluminum tolerance is found in oat genotypes. The objectives of this study were to determine the number of genes controlling aluminum tolerance in oats and to verify if any detrimental effects were present of the aluminum tolerance genes on grain yield and grain quality in Al⁺³free soils. Aluminum tolerance was estimated as the average regrowth of the main root after exposure to toxic levels of Al⁺³ in a hydroponic solution under controlled conditions. The number of genes controlling that trait was estimated from the distribution of the average root regrowth frequencies in a population of 333 recombinant inbred lines (RIL's) in generations F_5:6 and F_5:7. The effects on grain yield and grain quality were assessed in a subpopulation of 162 RIL's chosen based on their aluminum tolerance response. Aluminum tolerance in the evaluated population was controlled by one dominant major gene with the tolerant genotypes carying Al _a Al _a and the sensitive ones al _a al _a alleles. No detrimental effects of the Al _a allele on grain yield or grain quality were detected.Part of the Master of Science dissertation of the first author     

Properties of deamidated gluten films enzymatically cross-linked

Films were prepared at neutral pH from deamidated gluten by casting with or without enzymatic treatment by transglutaminase in the presence of various concentrations of diamines added to the film-forming solution. Variation in the glycerol/deamidated gluten ratio from 0.2 to 0.5 had a major effect on the film mechanical properties, which is characteristic of a plasticizing effect. A ratio of 0.35, producing a tensile strength of 1.14 +/- 0.12 MPa and an elongation at break of 376 +/- 62%, was chosen for most of the enzymatic modifications. The action of transglutaminase with or without the addition of external diamines induced a simultaneous increase in tensile strength and elongation at break of the films but tended to decrease the contact angle between the film surface and a water droplet. The presence of diamines in the film solution affected the elongation at break more than the tensile strength of the films. These diamines, able to react at their two extremities, probably acted as spacers between gluten proteins. The decrease in solubility was related to the formation of high molecular weight polymers in the film. The film properties were unaffected by the type of diamine added as secondary substrate in the transglutaminase reaction.     

Evidence of the glycation and denaturation of LTP1 during the malting and brewing process

The influence of malting and brewing processes on the chemical and structural modifications occurring on LTP1 was investigated by mass spectrometry and circular dichroism. Proteins were first purified from malt, and samples were collected at various steps of beer processing performed on two barley cultivars. The levels of LTP1 found in malt were not significantly different from the amounts in barley seed. However, in malt, both LTP1b, a post-translational form of LTP1, and a third isoform named LTP1c were isolated. Moreover, both of these proteins were found to be heterogeneously glycated but still exhibited an alpha-helix structure. Both glycated LTP1 and LTP1b were recovered during mashing. It was also shown that glycated LTP1 was unfolded during heat treatment of wort boiling, which is in agreement with the denatured form previously isolated from beer.     

Concentrations of metals (zinc, copper, cadmium, and mercury) in three domestic ducks in France: Pekin, Muscovy, and Mule ducks

The role of different factors such as biological material (tissues, organs) and trophic condition (overfeeding or not) in the metal accumulation was studied in three genotypes of ducks (Pekin, Muscovy, and Mule) under breeding conditions. Results showed that overfeeding decreased the concentration in Cd, Cu, and Zn through the dilution process. In contrast, mercury concentration increased with this method. A relation between lipidic metabolism of genotypes and the distribution of this metal in biological material was found. Domestic ducks were little contaminated, but a low chronic contamination in Cd was observed, probably coming from the food. Due to the low levels of contamination observed in these breeding ducks, they can be considered as a good control for further contamination studies and comparison with accumulation levels recorded in the field. The impact of feeding condition on accumulation showed the importance of taking into account the life cycle of birds before studying their contamination and the impact of pollutants.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction combined with GC-MS analysis and chemometric methods for the classification of South African Wines according to the volatile composition

A simple method for the analysis of major wine volatiles and semivolatiles by stir bar sorptive extraction in combination with thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SBSE-TD-GC-MS) was developed. Significant experimental parameters such as extraction time, temperature, salt addition, pH, and thermal desorption parameters were optimized to provide a sensitive and robust analytical method. The method provided good repeatability (%RSD < 10%) for 38 major wine volatile compounds, including alcohols, acids, esters, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, and lactones. Quantitative data for 62 South African red and white wines were used to study the suitability of major volatile data for the differentiation of wine samples according to grape variety or cultivar. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) showed that most of the variation in volatile composition between wine samples could be ascribed to differences in wine age, wood contact, and fermentation practices. Despite the contribution of these factors, discriminant analysis (DA) was successfully applied to the classification of red and white wine samples according to cultivar.