Xianqing Yang

The effects of different extraction methods on composition and storage stability of sturgeon oil.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different extraction methods on oil yield, colour attributes, oxidative stability, fatty acids composition and production of volatile compounds in sturgeon oil during storage. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method with carbon dioxide resulted in higher oil yields, better colour attributes, and higher oxidative stability compared to other traditional extraction methods such as enzymatic extraction, amino, and wet reduction. After storage at 4 °C for 33 days, the aldehyde content in oil extracted by the enzymatic extraction and wet reduction methods was twice as high as that obtained by the other methods. There was a significant reduction in the content of total acids in oils extracted by the enzymatic extraction and wet reduction methods (p<0.05), whereas amine compounds were mainly detected in oil extracted by the amino method. The oil extracted by SFE exhibited higher UFA and lower SFA. Significant diffidence among PUFA with C above 20 was observed in oil extracted with SFE.

Purification and identification of an antioxidant peptide from Pinctada fucata muscle

ABSTRACT Pinctada fucata muscles were hydrolysed by alcalase and filtered using ultrafiltration membranes to obtain peptides with molecular weights (MWs) less than 5 kDa. The percolate was then freeze-dried and named crude antioxidant peptides mixture from Pinctada fucata muscles (AOP). In this study, AOP was purified sequentially using sephadex gel chromatography, next reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The MW of the antioxidant peptide from P. fucata muscle was 1039.56 Da. The amino acid sequence was Gly–Ala–Gly–Leu–Pro–Gly–Lys–Arg–Glu–Arg based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). The natural peptide exhibits good scavenging capacity against free radicals; the IC50 of scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ∙OH of FC2 were closer to vitamin C and butylated hydroxytoluence; however, the IC50 values of of FC2 were a bit poor. Its antioxidant activity was attributed to the hydrophobic amino acid residues enriched in the N-terminal and electrophilic ability mediated by Glu and electron acceptors such as Lys and Arg. The synthesized peptide exhibited a reduced ability to scavenge free radicals compared to the natural peptide. The proposed method is a feasible technique to prepare antioxidant peptides from P. fucata and could be useful to obtain ingredients in nutraceutical and cosmetic applications.

Effect of Ultrastructure on Changes of Textural Characteristics between Crisp Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idellus C.Et V) and Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idellus) Inducing Heating Treatment

The research studies the ultrastructure effect on texture of crisp grass carp (CGC) and grass carp (GC) fillets inducing heating for 15, 25, and 40 min with boiling water. After heating, the hardness, fracturability, springiness, chewiness, resilience, and cohesiveness of CGC were higher than that of raw CGC, whereas the all textural characteristics of heating GC were lower obviously than that of raw GC. The hardness, fracturability, springiness, chewiness, resilience, and cohesiveness of CGC for heating 15 min were higher by 6.3%, 9.0%, 27.0%, 71.8%, 9.4%, and 23.9%, respectively, than that of raw CGC (RCGC). The hardness increasing of CGC flesh with the extension of heating time related closely to more coagulating connective tissue in interstitial spaces, especially relating to smaller muscle fiber diameter and denser muscle fiber density. The more and larger spaces between fiber and fiber with the extension of heating time results in the decrease of cohesiveness and resilience of CGC flesh. For chewiness, the stronger chewiness of cooked CGC associated with more detachment of myofiber-myocommata and fiber-fiber. Overall, the results show that the changes of texture characteristics of CGC fillet with extension of heating time correlates positively with the ultrastructure.

Purification and characteristics of serine protease from the head of pacific white shrimp

Serine protease from the head of Pacific white shrimp was purified by the following techniques: ammonium sulfate fractionation, Q-Sepharose HP ion exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The molecular weight was estimated as 32.8 kDa using SDSPAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme for the hydrolysis of casein were determined to be 10.0 and 40°C. It was stable at pH range from 8.0 to 11.0 and had good thermal stability. Pb2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+ could active the enzyme certainly when Zn2+ and Hg2+ strongly inhibited the activity. The enzyme was inhibited by the general serine protease inhibitor (PMSF) and the specific trypsin inhibitors (TLCK, SBTI). The modification of various amino acid modifiers for the purified enzyme determined that the enzyme active center included tryptophan, histidine, and serine, moreover, arginine had a certain relationship with the enzyme activity.

Study on biogenic amines in various dry salted fish consumed in China

This study was carried out to investigate the biogenic amines (BAs), physicochemical property and microorganisms in dry salted fish, a traditional aquatic food consumed in China. Forty three samples of dry salted fish were gathered from retail and wholesale markets and manufacturers, which had been produced in various regions in China. Cadaverine (CAD) and putrescine (PUT) were quantitatively the most common biogenic amines. About 14% of the samples exceeded the histamine content standards established by the FDA and/or EU. The highest histamine content was found in Silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) (347.79 mg kg−1). Five of forty three samples exceeded the acceptable content of TYR (100 mg kg−1), and 23.26% of dried-salted fish contained high contents of biogenic amines (above 600 mg kg−1). In addition, species, regions, pickling processes and drying methods made the physicochemical property, microorganisms and biogenic amines in dry salted fish to be different to some extents. The total plate count (TPC) was much higher than that of total halophilic bacteria in all samples. The biogenic amines, physicochemical property and microbiological counts exhibited large variations among samples. Furthermore, no significant correlation between biogenic amines and physicochemical property and TPC was observed. This study indicated that dry salted fish may still present healthy risk for BAs, depending on the processing methods, storage conditions among others.

Molecular modification, expression and purification of new subtype antioxidant peptide from Pinctada fucata by recombinant Escherichia coli to improve antioxidant-activity

The aim of this study was to establish a system for the efficient expression and purification of new subtype of antioxidant peptide from Pinctada fucata meat (NPFMAP), which is designed by molecular modification technology based on the sequence of purified and identified antioxidant peptide from Pinctada fucata meat (PFMAP, Gly-Ala-Gly-Leu-Pro-Gly-Lys-Arg-Glu-Arg), and to better understand the relationship between structure and antioxidant activity. Meanwhile, gene codon usage was optimized and the glutathione S-transferase (GST) tag of pGEX-6P-1 was added to facilitate expression and purification NPFMAP in Escherichia coli. The results of antioxidant activity assay in vitro showed a higher antioxidant activity in NPFMAP than that in enzymatic hydrolysis digested or chemically synthesized PFMAP. In particular, the DPPH scavenging radical activity increased by about 4.7 times after molecular modification. Structural bioanalysis indicated that new subtype antioxidant peptide had spatial conformation and good hydrophilic after modification, which was confirmed by antioxidant activity assays. Thus, the proposed method could be used to obtain NPFMAP with high antioxidant activity.

Effect of Bacterial Community and Free Amino Acids on the Content of Biogenic Amines During Fermentation of Yu-lu, a Chinese Fermented Fish Sauce

ABSTRACT The main objective of this work was to investigate the effects of bacterial community and free amino acids on the content of biogenic amines in Yu-lu during fermentation. Four major biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, cadaverine, and putrescine) were identified, and the content of tyramine was positively correlated with histamine (R value = 0.9113). Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine, leucine, and lysine were the dominant free amino acids. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that the composition of the bacterial community changed significantly during fermentation of Yu-lu. Principal component analysis revealed the crucial links between microbial community and biogenic amines. For example, Halanaerobium was probably associated with the formation of putrescine, while Halomonas might be associated with the degradation of biogenic amines at the end of fermentation of Yu-lu. This study provided a detailed evaluation of the Yu-lu fermentation process, enabling development of better strategies for biogenic amine control in fish sauce.

Changes in apoptosis factors and activation of caspase-3 in tilapia muscle during storage

ABSTRACT The activation of the apoptosis pathway in tilapia muscle during postmortem storage was studied. Changes in caspase-3 activity, ATP content, cytochrome c levels, and ratio of Bcl-2/Bax levels of tilapia muscle were observed during postmortem storage at 20°C. Caspase-3 activity was found to be significantly increased at first, followed by a decrease (P < 0.05); the highest caspase-3 activity was observed at 1 h. The ATP content decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and almost exhausted after 10 h storage. The cytochrome c level in the cytosol showed a significant increase after 5 h of storage (P < 0.05), while the mitochondrial cytochrome c levels showed a decrease. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was stable from 0–5 h, followed by a rapid decreased at 10–20 h and a significant increased after 20 h (P < 0.05), suggesting that the apoptosis process occurred until 20 h of postmortem storage. Thus, we concluded that the availability of ATP and the increase in cytosolic cytochrome c levels are essential for the activation of caspase-3, and that the former partly limits caspase-3 activity.

Cadmium detoxification induced by salt stress improves cadmium tolerance of multi-stress-tolerant Pichia kudriavzevii.

Heavy metal tolerance of microorganisms is the basis of heavy metal removal by growing cells. In this study, a cross-protection effect generated by salt stress significantly enhanced the cadmium tolerance of multi-stress-tolerant Pichia kudriavzevii. Comparative transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq linked with physiological and biochemical observation was used to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the improved cadmium tolerance. The expression of cadmium transport related genes (GSTY2, GLR1, GLO2, YCF1 and YOR1), GSH content and GST activity were elevated by salt stress, suggesting enhanced cadmium conjugation and detoxification in yeast cells. The inhibited cadmium uptake by ZRT1 and enhanced cadmium efflux by YOR1 contributed to the decrease in the intracellular cadmium concentration. The improved expression of antioxidant enzyme genes (SOD1, SOD2, SOD6, CAT1 and PRXIID), along with the enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and POD) resulted in a decrease in cadmium-induced ROS production, protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation and cell death. The abundant expression of heat shock protein genes (HSP12, HSP10 and SSC1) and genes related to trehalose synthesis (TPS1 and TSL1) induced by salt stress protected yeast cells against complex stress conditions, contributing to the improved cadmium tolerance. These findings will be useful to develop cadmium-tolerant yeasts for cadmium removal by growing cells.

Lipid oxidation and fatty acid composition in salt-dried yellow croaker ( Pseudosciaena polyactis ) during processing

Lipid oxidation in salt-dried yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena polyactis) was evaluated during processing with commonly used analytical indices, such as the peroxide value (POV), the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, and oxidative-relative lipoxygenase (LOX) activity. Additionally, fatty acids were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Both POV and TBARS increased significantly (P < 0.05) at the rinsing stage. POV reached its peak value of 3.63 meq O2 per kg sample at the drying stage, whereas TBARS constantly increased from 0.05 to 0.20 mg MDA per kg sample. Processing of salt-dried yellow croaker had an extremely significant (P < 0.01) effect on LOX activity. Twenty-six fatty acids were identified. Combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n3) content varied between (19.20 ± 0.37) mg g−1 and (23.45 ± 1.05) mg g−1. The polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid (PUFA/SFA) ratio in yellow croaker was 0.73–1.10, and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was approximately 0.13–0.20. The contents of most fatty acids varied significantly (P < 0.05) during the different processing stages, and these differences were caused by lipid oxidation. C18:0, C16:1n7, C19:0, and C22:6n3 showed clear changes in principle component one of a principle components analysis. These fatty acids are potential markers for evaluating lipid oxidation in fish muscle because there was a significant correlation between these markers and TBARS and LOX activity (P < 0.05) with Pearson’s coefficients > 0.931.