Ram M. Uckoo

Rapid simultaneous determination of amines and organic acids in citrus using high-performance liquid chromatography

Rapid analytical method for the simultaneous separation and determination of amines and organic acids is a vital interest for quality control of citrus and their products. In the present study, a simultaneous high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the rapid separation of three amines and two organic acids was developed. Chromatographic separation of compounds was achieved using Xbridge C(18) column at ambient temperature, with an isocratic mobile phase of 3mM phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). A photodiode array (PDA) detector was used to monitor the eluent at 223 nm and 254 nm with a total analysis time of 10 min. Extraction of amines and organic acids from citrus juice was optimized. The method was validated by tests of linearity, recovery, precision and ruggedness. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for amines and ascorbic acid were determined to be 5 ng and 9.8 ng, respectively. All calibration curves showed good linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.9999) within the test ranges. The recoveries of the amines and organic acids ranged between 84% and 117%. The identity of each peak was confirmed by mass spectral (MS) analysis. The developed method was successfully applied to analyze the content of amines and organic acids in six different species and two varieties of citrus. Results indicate that mandarin and Marrs sweet orange contain high level of amines, while pummelo and Rio Red grapefruit had high content of ascorbic acid (137-251 μg mL(-1)) and citric acid (5-22 mg mL(-1)). Synephrine was the major amine present in Clementine (114 μg mL(-1)) and Marrs sweet orange (85 μg mL(-1)). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on simultaneous separation and quantification of amines and organic acids in Marrs sweet orange, Meyer lemon, Nova tangerine, Clementine, Ugli tangelo and Wekiwa tangelo.

Inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7 motility and biofilm by β-Sitosterol glucoside

BACKGROUND Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC) is a food borne pathogen, which causes diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). There is an urgent need of novel antimicrobials for treatment of EHEC as conventional antibiotics enhance shiga toxin production and potentiate morbidity and mortality. METHODS Six bioactive compounds were isolated, identified from citrus and evaluated for the effect on EHEC biofilm and motility. To determine the possible mode of action, a series of genes known to affect biofilm and motility were overexpressed and the effect on biofilm/motility was assessed. Furthermore, the relative expression of genes involved in motility and biofilm formation was measured by qRT-PCR in presence and absence of phytochemicals, to examine the repression caused by test compounds. RESULTS The β-sitosterol glucoside (SG) was identified as the most potent inhibitor of EHEC biofilm formation and motility without affecting the cell viability. Furthermore, SG appears to inhibit the biofilm and motility through rssAB and hns mediated repression of flagellar master operon flhDC. CONCLUSION SG may serve as novel lead compound for further development of anti-virulence drugs. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Plant sterols constitute significant part of diet and impart various health benefits. Here we present the first evidence that SG, a plant sterol has significant effect on EHEC motility, a critical virulence factor, and may have potential application as antivirulence strategy.

Hyphenated Flash Chromatographic Separation and Isolation of Coumarins and Polymethoxyflavones from Byproduct of Citrus Juice Processing Industry

The present study describes an efficient hyphenated flash chromatographic (FC) for the purification of coumarins and polymethoxy flavones (PMFs) from cold pressed grapefruit peel oil (GFO), a byproduct from citrus juice processing plant. GFO was subjected to silica column chromatography using sequential isocratic elution by hexane and chloroform to separate the waxes and phytochemicals enriched fractions, respectively. The chloroform extract was used for hyphenated FC separation using a gradient mobile phase of hexane and acetone. The peak separations were monitored at dual wavelengths of λ210 nm and λ340 nm. The individual fractions were analyzed by HPLC, pooled and concentrated resulting in isolation of two coumarins (auraptene and bergapten) and three PMFs (tangeretin, heptamethoxyflavone, and nobiletin). The purity and identity of the isolated compounds was confirmed by spectral analysis using high performance liquid chromatography, matrix-assisted laser desorption/Ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The hyphenated FC separation method was further validated by test of repeatability resulting in low RSD for the yield of the phytochemicals. Utilization of the developed separation method for isolation of value added products from grapefruit byproducts could be beneficial to the citrus processing industry. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publishers online edition of Separation Science & Technology to view the supplemental file.