Shujuan Yu

Optimisation of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and anthocyanins from sugar beet molasses.

Response surface methodology was used to optimise experimental conditions for ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of functional components from sugar beet molasses. The central composite design (CCD) was used for the optimisation of extraction parameters in terms of total phenolic contents, antioxidant activities and anthocyanins. Result suggested the optimal conditions obtained by RSM for UAE from sugar beet molasses were as follows: HCl concentration 1.55-1.72 mol/L, ethanol concentration 57-63% (v/v), extraction temperature 41-48 °C, and extraction time 66-73 min. In the optimal conditions, the experimental total phenolic contents were 17.36 mg GAE/100mL, antioxidant activity was 16.66 mg TE/g, and total anthocyanins were 31.81 mg/100g of the sugar beet molasses extract, which were well matched the predicted values. Teen compounds, i.e. gallic acid, vanillin, hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, catechin, delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-O-glucuronide and ferulic acid were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS in sugar beet molasses.

Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharide-enriched Fractions Extracted from Pulp Tissue of Litchi Chinensis Sonn.

Natural antioxidants such as polysaccharides with strong antioxidant activities are used to protect against oxidative damage, yet little is known so far about the antioxidant effects of litchi fruit polysaccharides. In the present study, four different polysaccharide-enriched fractions were isolated from litchi pulp tissue and partially purified by a stepwise method of ethyl alcohol (EtOH) precipitation. Their chemical and physical characteristics were determined by chemical methods, gas chromatography and IR spectrophotometry. Antioxidant activities of these fractions were investigated using various in vitro assay systems. These four polysaccharide-enriched fractions exhibited a dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity as shown by their DPPH radical, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical inhibition, chelating ability and reducing power. Among the different fractions, LFP-III showed the strongest scavenging activity against DPPH radical, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals and chelating ability. These findings suggest litchi polysaccharides from pulp tissue have potential as functional foods with enhanced antioxidant activity.

Physicochemical properties and digestibility of hydrothermally treated waxy rice starch.

Waxy rice starch was subjected to annealing (ANN) and heat-moisture treatment (HMT). These starches were also treated by a combination of ANN and HMT. The impact of single and dual modifications (ANN-HMT and HMT-ANN) on the molecular weight (M(w)), crystalline structure, thermal properties, and the digestibility were investigated. The relative crystallinity and short-range order on the granule surface increased on ANN, whereas decreased on HMT. All treated starches showed lower M(w) than that of the native starch. Gelatinization onset temperature, peak temperature and conclusion temperature increased for both single and dual treatments. Increased slowly digestible starch content was found on HMT and ANN-HMT. However, resistant starch levels decreased in all treated starches as compared with native starch. The results would imply that hydrothermal treatment induced structural changes in waxy rice starch significantly affected its digestibility.

Extraction, characterization and spontaneous emulsifying properties of pectin from sugar beet pulp

The effects of organic acid extractants on the yield and characteristics of pectin from sugar beet pulp were investigated with citric acid, malic acid and lactic acid at different pH (1.5 and 2.0) and time (1 h and 2 h). The results demonstrated that the yields of pectins were directly correlated with the decrease of pH and reaction time, and the optimum yield of 17.2% was obtained at pH 1.5 and 2 h. Furthermore, the acid type also affected the physicochemical characteristics of pectin, especially on the esterification degree (42-71), galacturonic acid content (60.2-77.8%), emulsion activity (35.2-40.1%) and emulsion stability (62.1-79.4%), and a relatively single pectin mainly consisted of homogalacturonan could be obtained under a suitable reaction condition, which was an excellent crude material for the production of emulsion activity.

New approach to study starch gelatinization applying a combination of hot-stage light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

To overcome the difficulty of the original polarizing microscope-based method in monitoring the gelatinization of starch, a new method for dynamically monitoring the gelatinization process, integral optical density (IOD), which was based on the digital image analysis technique, was proposed. Hot-stage light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques were coupled to study the dynamic changes of three types of starches: type A (corn starch), type B (potato starch), and type C (pea starch), during the gelatinization process in an excess water system. A model of response difference change of crystallite could represent the responding intensity of crystallization changes in the process of starch gelatinization. Results demonstrated that three crystalline types of starch underwent a process of swelling, accompanied with gradual disappearing of the crystallite. This difference was mainly associated with the diversity and composition of the starch structure. The IOD method was of advantage compared to the previous traditional methods that are based on a polarization microscope, such as counting the particle number and calculating polarization area methods, because it was the product of two parameters: optical density and area, which would be a response of both light intensity and area of birefringence light. The single peak in DSC corresponded to the combination of crystalline helix-helix dissociation and the reduction of the molecule helix-coil transition, while the gelatinization degree measured by the IOD method mainly corresponded to the helix-helix dissociation. The gelatinization mechanism could be revealed clearer in this study.

Construction of four 3d–4f heterometallic pillar-layered frameworks containing left- and right-handed helical chains and a I− chemosensor

Four new heterometallic coordination complexes, namely, {[Zn4Ln2(imdc)4(SO4)(H2O)8]·4H2O}n [Ln = Nd (1), Sm (2), Eu (3), Gd (4); H3imdc = imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid], were hydrothermally synthesized by the reactions of Ln2O3 with imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid and ZnSO4·7H2O and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy (IR), elemental analysis (EA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that these polymers are isostructural and possess an interesting 3D pillar-layered architecture with 424·64 topology, in which 2D layers constructed by alternately arranged 1D right-/left-handed helical chains of [Zn2(μ5-imdc)]n bridged via dimeric Eu2 units are pillared by μ2-SO42− and μ3-imdc3− anions. The liquid fluorescence of compounds 1–3 at room temperature shows that these complexes are very good chemosensors for I− ion, and the response of the sensor is based on fluorescence quenching of Zn–Ln MOFs by iodine ions.

Structural properties and digestibility of pulsed electric field treated waxy rice starch.

Waxy rice starch was subjected to pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment at intensity of 30, 40 and 50kVcm(-1). The impact of PEF treatment on the granular morphology, molecular weight, semi-crystalline structure, thermal properties, and digestibility were investigated. The micrographs suggested that electric energy could act on the granule structure of starch granule, especially at high intensity of 50kVcm(-1). Gelatinization onset temperature, peak temperature, conclusion temperature and enthalpy value of PEF treated starches were lower than that of native starch. The 9nm lamellar peak of PEF treated starches decreased as revealed by small angle X-ray scattering. The relative crystallinity of treated starches decreased as the increase of electric field intensity. Increased rapidly digestible starch level and decreased slowly digestible starch level was found on PEF treated starches. These results would imply that PEF treatment induced structural changes in waxy rice starch significantly affected its digestibility.

Changes in the initial stages of a glucose-proline Maillard reaction model system influences dairy product quality during thermal processing

The Maillard reaction always occurs during the thermal processing of dairy products, which significantly influences their quality. In the present study, the initial stages of a glucose-proline model system were investigated in water and different types of buffer solutions. Results showed that phosphate buffer accelerated the reversible degradation of the initial stages of the reaction. The proposed catalysis mechanism was that hydrogenous and dihydric phosphate radical anions simultaneously accepted and donated protons for the conversion of the intermediates into N-glycosylamine. The catalysis mechanism was confirmed via testing and no reducing of hydrogenous and dihydric phosphate radical anions was observed during the reaction. Moreover, both N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)proline and its degradation compounds were analyzed. Results showed that degradation of N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl)proline to form 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde and formic acid was also accelerated by phosphate buffer. An interesting phenomenon was that citrate decreased 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde formation, which might be because Strecker-type degradation occurred more easily than 1,2-enolization reaction in citrate buffer solution. However, this hypothesis has not been confirmed, and element label experiments should be carried out in the future.

Effects of pressure on the glucose-ammonium sulphite caramel solutions.

Effects of pressure on glucose-ammonium sulphite solutions were investigated. The reactant (i.e. glucose), intermediate products content, and browning intensity of advanced stages were tested using an UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a high performance liquid chromatograph to gain a better understanding of the influence of pressure on the glucose-ammonium model Maillard reaction system. This study indicates that pressure could promote the first step of the reaction, i.e. condensation reaction between SO(3)(2-)/ammonium and glucose, but inhibit the increase of A(294), A(420) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde content. The mechanism of inhibiting the glucose-ammonium model Maillard reaction might be that pressure increases dissociative SO(3)(2-) content in solutions and inhibits the degradation of the Amadori rearrangement product.

Debranching and temperature-cycled crystallization of waxy rice starch and their digestibility.

Slowly digestible starch (SDS) was obtained through debranched waxy rice starch and subsequent crystallization under isothermal and temperature-cycled conditions. Temperature-cycled crystallization of dual 4/-20 °C produced a higher yield of SDS product than isotherm crystallization. Crystal structure of SDS products changed from A-type to a mixture of B and V-type X-ray diffraction patterns. The relative crystallinity was higher in the temperature-cycled samples than that of isotherm. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that the peripheral regions of isothermal storage starch were better organized than temperature-cycles. Temperature cycling induced higher onset temperature for melting of crystals than isothermal storage under a differential scanning calorimeter. The cycled temperature storage induced a greater amount of SDS than the isothermal storage.