Lan Dao

Pod Mesocarp Flour of North and South American Species of Leguminous Tree Prosopis (Mesquite): Composition and Food Applications

Flour from the mesocarp of pods of the tree legume known as mesquite (Prosopis spp.) in North America or algarrobo in South America was one of the most important food staples for desert people. Contemporary milling techniques produce a flour similar to that of indigenous peoples that is about 40% sucrose, 25% dietary fiber, and that has a variety of volatiles, such as 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, γ-nonalactone, methyl salicylate, and 5,6-dihydro-6-propyl-2H-pyran-2-one, that contribute to a chocolate and coconut-like aroma. Flour made from the mesocarp contains no stachyose or raffinose, sugars that are responsible for flatulence in other legumes. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses of sugar (sucrose) and citric, malic, and ascorbic acids found considerable ranges in acid/sugar ratio that may be responsible for the wide variations in organoleptic perception. Due to the absence of gliadin, peanut, and soy allergens, the flour is useful in gluten-free formulations. Optimum concentrations for incorporation ranged from 5% for biscuits, 10% for breads, 15% for pancakes/muffins, and 50% in chapatti and drum-dried wheat flour. At these concentrations, considerable browning occurs, which is generally considered to be desirable.

Headspace Volatiles of Scutellaria californica A. Gray Flowers

Abstract Volatile constituents of California skullcap (Scutellaria californica A. Gray) flowers were isolated by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 52 constituents were identified (constituting 90.8% of the total area), 12 of which were tentatively identified. β-Caryophyllene (56.6%), germacrene D (6.9%), methyl 2-methylbutyrate (4.9%), β-bourbonene (4.5%), α-humulene (2.8%), methyl butyrate (2.7%), and α-copaene (1.5%) were the major constituents of the flower volatiles. Due to their low odor thresholds (measured in water) and fruity aroma, methyl 2-methylbutyrate (4.9%; odor threshold = 0.1 ppb) and ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (0.7%; odor threshold = 0.007 ppb) were considered to be important contributors to the characteristic sweet, apple-like odor of these flowers.

Membrane-Filtered Olive Mill Wastewater: Quality Assessment of the Dried Phenolic-Rich Fraction.

A current trend in olive mill wastewater (OMWW) management is to not only decrease environmental pollution but also to extract and utilize valuable by-products. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to explore different techniques for drying a phenolic-rich membrane filtration fraction of OMWW and compare the techniques in terms of the dried product quality and feasibility of the process. The OMWW from 2 (3-phase and 2-phase) California mills was subjected to a 2-step membrane filtration process using a novel vibratory system. The reverse osmosis retentate (RO-R) is a phenolic-rich coproduct stream, and the reverse osmosis permeate is a near-pure water stream that could be recycled into the milling process. Spray-, freeze-, and infrared-drying were applied to obtain solid material from the RO-R. Drying of the RO-R was made possible only with addition of 10% maltodextrin as a carrier. The total soluble phenolics in dried RO-R were in the range 0.15 to 0.58 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of dry weight for 2-phase RO-R, and 1.38 to 2.17 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of dry weight for the 3-phase RO-R. Spray-dried RO-R from 3-phase OMWW showed remarkable antioxidant activity. Protocatechuic acid, tyrosol, vanillic acid, and p-coumaric acid were quantified in all dried RO-R, whereas 3-hydroxytyrosol was found in 3-phase dried RO-R. This combination of separation and drying technologies helps to add value and shelf-stability to an olive oil by-product and increase environmental sustainability of its production.

Headspace volatiles of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi flowers.

Abstract Volatile constituents of Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) flowers were isolated by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. A total of 64 constituents was identified (constituting 57.1 - 89.9 % of the total area), 13 of which were tentatively identified. β-Caryophyllene (22.3 - 41.5 %), germacrene D (12.4 - 27.5 %), δ-cadinene (3.1 - 5.4 %), γ-muurolene (1.9 - 3.4 %), γ-cadinene (1.6 - 3.1 %), α-humulene (1.6 - 2.6 %), α-copaene (1.4 - 2.3 %), α-muurolene (1.0 - 2.6 %), bicyclogermacrene (1.1 - 2.1 %) and 3-octanone (0.9 - 3.0 %) were the major constituents of the flower volatiles. A small amount (0.5 %) of the uncommon volatile, 2-(methylamino) benzaldehyde was detected in one of the samples.

Phenolic composition of pomegranate peel extracts using an liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach with silica hydride columns

The peels of different pomegranate cultivars (Molla Nepes, Parfianka, Purple Heart, Wonderful and Vkunsyi) were compared in terms of phenolic composition and total phenolics. Analyses were performed on two silica hydride based stationary phases: phenyl and undecanoic acid columns. Quantitation was accomplished by developing a liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry approach for separating different phenolic analytes, initially in the form of reference standards and then with pomegranate extracts. The high-performance liquid chromatography columns used in the separations had the ability to retain a wide polarity range of phenolic analytes, as well as offering beneficial secondary selectivity mechanisms for resolving the isobaric compounds, catechin and epicatechin. The Vkunsyi peel extract had the highest concentration of phenolics (as determined by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry) and was the only cultivar to contain the important compound punicalagin. The liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry data were compared to the standard total phenolics content as determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay.