On-line characterisation of apple polyphenols by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and ultraviolet absorbance detection

Apple polyphenols were characterised by means of hyphenated techniques such as HPLC coupled to UV photodiode array detection (LC-DAD) and to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). LC-MS using atmospheric pressure ionisation (APCI) in the positive ion mode provided the molecular weight, the number of hydroxyl groups, the number of sugars and an idea about the substitution pattern of the polyphenols. LC-DAD with postcolumn addition of UV shift reagents afforded precise structural information about the position of the free hydroxyl groups in the polyphenolic nucleus. Five isorhamnetin glycosides, two hydroxyphloretin glycosides and quercetin were reported in apple peel for the first time. Postcolumn addition of UV shift reagents in LC-DAD analysis confirmed the presence of isorhamnetin glycosides and not the isomeric glycosides of rhamnetin. Moreover, isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoglucoside was identified unambiguously by comparison with a standard. These results are relevant not only from a chemotaxonomic point of view, but also in the control of authenticity of fruit derived products in order to detect fraudulent admixtures.     

The Stokes equations with Fourier boundary conditions on a wall with asperities

We study the effect of the rugosity of a wall on the solution of the Stokes system complemented with Fourier boundary conditions. We consider the case of small periodic asperities of size ε. We prove that the velocity field, pressure and drag, respectively, converge to the velocity field, pressure and drag of a homogenized Stokes problem, where a different friction coefficient appears. This shows that, contrarily to the case of Dirichlet boundary conditions, rugosity is dominant here. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multicomponent synthesis of 4-aryl-NH-1,2,3-triazoles in the presence of Al-MCM-41 and sulfated zirconia

The acid properties of Al-MCM-41 and sulfated zirconia were used to develop a strategy for the synthesis of 4-aryl-NH-1,2,3-triazoles via a multicomponent reaction involving various benzaldehydes, sodium azide and nitromethane. The efficiency of the process is analysed from the perspective of the difference in acids among the catalysts used.     

Monomer versus alcohol activation in the 4-dimethylaminopyridine-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactide and lactic O-carboxylic anhydride

Model reactions for the 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP)-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactide and the corresponding lactic O-carboxylic anhydride (lacOCA) have been studied computationally at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. The solvent effect of dichloromethane was taken into account through PCM/SCRF single-point calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. In marked contrast with that predicted for the reaction of alcohols with acetic anhydride, the mechanism in which nucleophilic activation of the monomer involving acylpyridinium intermediates was found to be energetically less favorable than the base activation of the alcohol through hydrogen bonding. The concerted pathway for the ring-opening of lactide and lacOCA was shown to compete with the traditional stepwise mechanism involving tetrahedral intermediates. Furthermore, DMAP is proposed to act as a bifunctional catalyst through its basic nitrogen center and an acidic ortho-hydrogen atom.     

Application of mass spectrometry to the characterization and quantification of food-derived bioactive peptides

Biologically active peptides are of particular interest in food science and nutrition because they have been shown to play different physiological roles, including antihypertensive, opioid, antimicrobial, and immunostimulating activities. Because these peptides are generated by protein hydrolysis or fermentation, they can represent only minor constituents in a highly complex matrix and therefore, identification of biologically active peptides in food matrixes is a challenging task in food technology. In this context, mass spectrometry (MS) has developed into a necessary tool to assess quality and safety of food and, more recently, to determine the presence and behavior of functional components such as these bioactive peptides. This review highlights the existing methods based on MS to identify, characterize, and quantify food-derived biologically active peptides, taking into account the different ionization sources used for the analysis of these high-value food components. The quantitative determination of bioactive peptides in food products or biological fluids is also discussed.