Ethyl lactate as a potential green solvent to extract hydrophilic (polar) and lipophilic (non-polar) phytonutrients simultaneously from fruit and vegetable by-products

Phytonutrients extracted from natural resources are receiving much attention among researchers due to their highly antioxidative characteristics which prevent several degenerative diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancers. These nutraceutical compounds can be used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as natural antioxidants, preservatives, colourants and functional foods. Huge volume of food wastes are generated from the processing industry and these low-value food residues are rich in various phytonutrients worth recovering. This approach of valorisation reduces the generation of food wastes and is cost-effective considering the cheap feedstock, reduced waste management expenses and high market value of extracted compounds. In light of the health and safety risks posed by commonly used organic extraction solvents derived from the petrochemical industry, there is a need to recover the phytonutrients using green, sustainable and efficient solvents that are safe for human consumption. This work discusses ethyl lactate as a safe, green, efficient and potentially cheap solvent to recover phytonutrients from fruit and vegetable by-products. Ethyl lactate is compared with other organic solvents commonly used from the aspects of safety, environmental impacts and efficiency. Current challenges when employing ethyl lactate are also discussed.     

Food preservatives sodium sulfite and sorbic acid suppress mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Antioxidant preservatives prolong the quality of food and ensure the nutritional adequacy, palatability and safety of many processed foods and beverages. Effects of sodium sulfite (E221) and sorbic acid (E200) were investigated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) which were purified from blood of healthy donors. Cells were stimulated with the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin in vitro, which induces proliferation of T-cells and the production of Th1-type cytokines like interferon-γ. The latter triggers enzyme indoleamine (2,3)-dioxygenase, which degrades tryptophan, and GTP cyclohydrolase I, which leads to increased neopterin production, in monocyte-derived macrophages. Sodium sulfite and sorbic acid suppressed both these biochemical changes in a dose-dependent way (P < 0.01 at 1 mM sodium sulfite and 50 mM sorbic acid). Data demonstrate a suppressive influence of sodium sulfite and sorbic acid on the activated Th1-type immune response.     

An experimentally supported, mathematical explanation of the gas chromatographic elution behaviour of the long-chain carbon members of the homologous series

By substituting the saturated vapour phase tension of the pure normal hydrocarbons described by the Clausius-Clapeyron law into the accepted expression of the specific retention volume (V_g,T), a theoretically coherent and relatively simple mathematical evidence of the elution behaviour of the homologous members has been deduced. It gives exponential retention time dependence on carbon number for isothermal, and nearly equidistant (i.e., approximately linear retention-time dependence on carbon number) elution for linear temperature programmed gas chromatographic runs. The final equations are in close correlation with the experimental results. Special emphasis is placed on the fact that a good approximation—not strict physical laws—have been found.     

存样食物在追查食物中毒源头中的作用

[目的]针对食物中毒事件追查源头的困难局面,探索1种新的食物中毒追查方法。[方法]通过分析各种常见类型食物中毒的潜伏期,结合各种实际情况,探讨存样食物保存的时间和方法。[结果]存样食物至少要保存24h。[结论]这种存样待检方法有其先进性,但仍存在不少问题,需进一步改进。     

Content of HSP70 in rats with hereditary stress-induced arterial hypertension

Sensitivity of normotensive Wistar rats and NISAG rats (with hereditary arterial hypertension) to heat stress is compared at the organism and cell levels. High temperature sensitivity of NISAG rats correlates with a low content of the main heat shock protein HSP70. This relationship can serve as a biochemical marker of predisposition to arterial hypertension. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 124, No. 8, pp. 171–173, August, 1997     

Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer在基因差异表达研究中的应用

目的观察Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer 芯片分析系统(以下简称Bioanalyzer)在基因差异表达研究中的应用。方法应用限制性显示技术分别从正常和热休克处理后的酿酒酵母细胞中分离出cDNA片段,然后再用Bioanalyzer和传统的琼脂糖凝胶电泳技术对RD-PCR产物进行检测分析。结果Bioanalyzer能更快速、敏感地分离和显示差异表达的基因片段,并且通过对差异片段进行定量比较,发现了数个表达有明显差异的基因片段。结论Bioanalyzer在基因差异表达研究中具有重要的应用价值。     

一种简单、稳定、可靠的屏氧酶1基因多态性分析法

目的：建立一种简单、稳定、可靠的PON1基因多态性分析法。方法：取外周静脉血100μl，用ROSE法提取基因组DNA，用两对引物：P192F 5′-TAT TGT TGC TGT GGG ACC TGA G-3′,P192R 5′-CAC GCT AAA CCC AAA TAC ATC TC-3′；P55F 5′-GAA GAG TGA TGT ATA GCC CCA G-3′,P55R 5′-TTT AAT CCA GAG CTA ATG AAA GCC-3分别进行PCR扩增，用限制性内切酶AlwI,NlaⅢ对两种PCR产物分别进行酶切，3％琼脂糖凝胶电泳。结果：扩增的两个PCR产物在192、55多态性位点大小分别为99bp、170bp。Alw I酶切后，凝胶电脉得到完全酶切（66bp,33bp)，部分酶切（99bp、66bp、33bp)，未被酶切（99bp)三种类型DNA片段（RR，QR，QQ基因型）；NlaⅢ酶切后，凝胶电脉得到部分酶切（170bp,126bp,44bp)，未被酶切（170bp)两种类型DNA片段（LM，LL基因型）。经双盲重复检测，结果一致。应用此方法对胃癌患者血样标本检测，发现其PON1基因多态性在192位点频率较高。结论：采用一步PCR－RFLP技术可以建立简单、稳定、可靠的PON1基因多态性分析法。