Zied Zarai

Enzymatic synthesis of eugenol benzoate by immobilized Staphylococcus aureus lipase: Optimization using response surface methodology and determination of antioxidant activity

The ability of a non-commercial immobilized Staphylococcus aureus lipase to catalyze the esterification of eugenol with benzoic acid was checked and the antioxidant power of the ester formed was evaluated. Response surface methodology based on four variables (the reaction temperature, the amount of lipase, the benzoic acid/eugenol molar ratio and the volume of solvent) was used to optimize the experimental conditions of eugenol benzoate synthesis. The maximum conversion yield (75%) was obtained using 240 IU of immobilized lipase, a benzoic acid/eugenol molar ratio of 1.22 dissolved in 4.6 ml chloroform at 41 degrees Celsius. The antioxidant activities of eugenol and its ester were evaluated. Compared to BHT, used as a model synthetic antioxidant, the eugenol benzoate showed a higher antioxidative activity. The IC(50) value for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl was found to be 18.2 microg/ml versus 20.2 microg/ml for eugenol and eugenol benzoate.

Nutrient composition of the marine snail (Hexaplex trunculus) from the Tunisian Mediterranean coasts.

BACKGROUND Marine snail (Hexaplex trunculus) presents increasing nutritional, commercial and economical importance, being widely consumed in northern Africa, particularly in Mediterranean countries. From a nutritional point of view there is still limited information on the chemical composition of edible tissues (meat and hepatopancreas) of this species. Therefore, the aims of the present work were to study the proximate chemical composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles of H. trunculus from the Tunisian Mediterranean coasts. RESULTS Fatty acid profiles showed that the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content is higher than the saturated fatty acids (SFA). The yields of PUFA and SFA present in the meat fat were 68.2% and 33.4% of the total fatty acids, respectively. Similar values were obtained in the hepatopancreatic lipidic fraction. Snail tissues contain valuable concentrations of PUFA, especially n-6 and n-3 with chain lengths of 20 and 22 carbons. All edible tissues were valuable sources of essential amino acids. Aspartic acid is the major amino acids present in the meat and hepatopancreas. The concentrations of nutrients were also determined in the hepatopancreas and meat of H. trunculus. Significantly high concentrations of minerals and trace elements were found in these tissues. CONCLUSION This study suggests that H. trunculus is an important source of protein and essential amino acids. Furthermore, the snail lipidic fraction contains high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids benefical for human health.

A novel hepatopancreatic phospholipase A2 from Hexaplex trunculus with digestive and toxic activities.

A marine snail digestive phospholipase A2 (mSDPL) was purified from delipidated hepatopancreas. Unlike known digestive phospholipases A2, which are 14 kDa proteins, the purified mSDPL has a molecular mass of about 30 kDa. It has a specific activity of about 180 U/mg measured at 50 degrees C and pH 8.5 using phosphatidylcholine liposomes as a substrate in the presence of 4 mM NaTDC and 6mM CaCl2. The N-terminal amino-acid of the purified mSDPL does not share any homology with known phospholipases. Moreover, the mSDPL exhibits hemolytic activity in intact erythrocytes and can penetrate phospholipid monolayers at high surface pressure, comparable to snake venom PLA2. These observations suggest that mSDPL could be toxic to mammal cells. However, mSDPL can be classified as a member of a new family of enzymes. It should be situated between the class of toxic phospholipase A2 from venoms and another class of non toxic pancreatic phospholipase A2 from mammals.

A thermoactive uropygial esterase from chicken: Purification, characterisation and synthesis of flavour esters

A lipolytic activity was located in the chicken uropygial glands, from which a carboxylesterase (CUE) was purified. Pure CUE has an apparent molecular mass of 50 kDa. The purified esterase displayed its maximal activity (200 U/mg) on short-chain triacylglycerols (tributyrin) at a temperature of 50°C. No significant lipolytic activity was found when medium chain (trioctanoin) or long chain (olive oil) triacylglycerols were used as substrates. The enzyme retained 75% of its maximal activity when incubated during 2h at 50°C. The NH(2)-terminal amino acid sequence showed similarities with the esterase purified recently from turkey pharyngeal tissue. Esterase activity remains stable after its incubation during 30 min in presence of organic solvents such as hexane or butanol. CUE is a serine enzyme since it was inactivated by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride (PMSF), a serine-specific inhibitor. The purified enzyme, which tolerates the presence of some organic solvent and a high temperature, can be used in non-aqueous synthesis reactions. Hence, the uropygial esterase immobilised onto CaCO(3) was tested to produce the isoamyl and the butyl acetate (flavour esters). Reactions were performed at 50°C in presence of hexane. High synthesis yields of 91 and 67.8% were obtained for isoamyl and butyl acetate, respectively.

Kinetic properties of pancreatic and intestinal sPLA2 from chicken and mammals using the monomolecular film technique

The interfacial kinetic and binding data for the pancreatic and intestinal sPLA2 from bird and mammals show that these enzymes have dramatically different ability to bind and hydrolyse phospholipids. The main conclusions from our experimental data indicate that phosphatidylcholine monolayers (PC), in contrast to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), were resistant to the hydrolysis by human intestinal sPLA2. Conversely, chicken intestinal sPLA2 was found to be able to hydrolyse all the phospholipids tested, including PC. The experiments show also that the interfacial penetrating ability of chicken sPLA2 (from intestine and pancreas) was higher than their mammalians orthologs. This observation is confirmed by the activity of pancreatic chicken PLA2 measured on PC film showing that the interfacial pressure window that permits sPLA2 activity was very large, between 5 and 20 dynes cm(-1), compared with the porcine pancreatic sPLA2-IB which was inactive at pressure above 15 dynes cm(-1). In trying to establish a structure-function relationship, we examined the surface electrostatic potentials of the various sPLA2 from chicken and mammals. We reported in this study that the binding, orientation and persistence of sPLA2 at the lipid-water interface is probably governed by the electrostatic and hydrophobic forces operative at this surface. These variations argue strongly that these enzymes are not isoforms and that they are expected to have functions other than the release of lipid mediators for the biosynthesis of the eicosanoids.