Shiwang Liu

Stability and encapsulation efficiency of sulforaphane microencapsulated by spray drying.

Sulforaphane (SF) has received much attention because of its anticarcinogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but it is quite unstable. Microencapsulation is one way to improve its stability. The aim of this work was to produce microcapsules containing sulforaphane using a spray drying technique. The effects of different wall materials, inlet air temperature and core to wall ratio on the SF stability, encapsulation efficiency, encapsulation yield, moisture content and SF content were determined. The results indicated that optimal encapsulation conditions for SF were: maltodextrin for the wall material, 170 °C for the inlet air temperature and 1:20 for the core/wall ratio. Characterization study showed that the microcapsules had a regular spherical shape. The stability of SF in spray dried microcapsules was greatly enhanced compared with that of free SF.

Effect of quaternization degree on physiochemical and biological activities of chitosan from squid pens.

Chitosan was prepared by alkaline N-deacetylation of β-chitin from squid pens, and N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC) derivatives, with different degrees of quaternization (DQ) ranging from 0.77 to 1.06, were synthesized. It was identified by FT-IR, 1H NMR and XRD analysis. All of the HTCC showed good water solubility in a wide pH range. The moisture absorption and retention abilities of all the HTCC were much better than that of the chitosan. The moisture absorption and retention values of all the HTCC at 43% RH for 24 h were above 49% and 92%, respectively. The scavenging ability of HTCC against hydroxyl and ABTS radicals improved with increasing concentration. The effectiveness of HTCC against hydroxyl radicals was lower than that of chitosan. These results indicated that HTCC, which has a much better moisture absorption and retention capacity, may act as a potential moisturizer in vitro.

Study on degradation kinetics of sulforaphane in broccoli extract.

The objective of this study was to investigate the thermal degradation kinetics of sulforaphane (SF) in broccoli extract at selected temperatures (60, 75, 82 and 100°C) and pH values (2.2, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0). The results indicated that SF is unstable at high temperatures, but is more heat-stable when present in acidic food products. The degradation rate constants of SF in broccoli extract were lower than those obtained in purified SF. The thermal degradation of SF followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the rate constant increased with increase of temperature and pH values. The rate constant vs temperature relationships, which yield linear Arrhenius plots, were described by a simpler exponential equation, and a mathematical model was developed, using the steady-state kinetic parameters obtained to predict the retentions of SF at various pH values, heating times and temperatures.

Effect of carboxyethylation degree on the adsorption capacity of Cu(II) by N-(2-carboxyethyl)chitosan from squid pens

Chitosan was prepared by N-deacetylation of squid pens β-chitin, and N-carboxyethylated chitosan (N-CECS) with different degrees of substitution (DS) were synthesized. DS values of N-CECS derivatives calculated by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were 0.60, 1.02 and 1.46, respectively. The adsorption capacity of Cu(II) by N-CECS correlated well with the DS and pH ranging from 3.2 to 5.8. The maximum Cu(II) adsorption capacity (qm) of all three N-CECS at pH 5.4 was 207.5mg g(-1), which was 1.4-fold higher than that of chitosan. The adsorption equilibrium process was better described by the Langmuir than Freundlich isotherm model. Adsorption of Cu(II) ion onto N-CECS followed a pseudo-second order mechanism with chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. In a ternary adsorption system, the adsorption capacity of Cu(II) by N-CECS also presented high values, and qm for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) were 150.2, 28.8, and 187.9mg g(-1), respectively.

Hydrolysis before Stir-Frying Increases the Isothiocyanate Content of Broccoli

Broccoli is found to be a good source of glucosinolates, which can be hydrolyzed by endogenous myrosinase to obtain chemopreventive isothiocyanates (ITCs); among them, sulforaphane (SF) is the most important agent. Studies have shown that cooking greatly affects the levels of SF and total ITCs in broccoli. However, the stability of these compounds during cooking has been infrequently examined. In this study, we proved that the half-lives of SF and total ITCs during stir-frying were 7.7 and 5.9 min, respectively, while the myrosinase activity decreased by 80% after stir-frying for 3 min; SF and total ITCs were more stable than myrosinase. Thus, the contents of SF and total ITCs decreased during stir-frying largely because myrosinase was destroyed. Subsequently, it was confirmed that compared to direct stir-frying, hydrolysis of glucosinolates in broccoli for 90 min followed by stir-frying increased the SF and total ITC concentration by 2.8 and 2.6 times, respectively. This method provides large quantities of beneficial ITCs even after cooking.