Multivariate optimization and comparison between conventional extraction (CE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of carotenoid extraction from cashew apple

Carotenoids are an essential component of cashew and can be used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural pigment, food additives, among other applications. The present work focuses on optimizing and comparing conventional and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods. Every optimization step took place with a 1:1 (w:w) mixture of yellow and red cashew apples lyophilized and ground in a cryogenic mill. A Simplex-centroid design was applied for both methods, and the solvents acetone, methanol, ethanol, and petroleum ether were evaluated. After choosing the extractor solvent, a central composite design was applied to optimize the sample mass (59–201 mg) and extraction time (6–34 min). The optimum conditions for the extractor solvent were 38% acetone, 30% ethanol, and 32% petroleum ether for CE and a mixture of 44% acetone and 56% methanol for UAE. The best experimental conditions for UAE were a sonication time of 19 min and a sample mass of 153 mg, while the CE was 23 min and 136 mg. Comparing red and yellow cashews, red cashews showed a higher carotenoid content in both methodologies. The UAE methodology was ca. 21% faster, presented a more straightforward composition of extracting solution, showed an average yield of superior carotenoid content in all samples compared to CE. Therefore, UAE has demonstrated a simple, efficient, fast, low-cost adjustment methodology and a reliable alternative for other applications involving these bioactive compounds in the studied or similar matrix.     

Preparation and characterization of a novel DABCO-based ionic liquid supported on Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles and investigation of its catalytic activity in the synthesis of quinazolinones

In this study, quinazolinone derivatives have been synthesized via a suitable and efficient procedure by one-potmulti-component reactions of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole or 2-aminobenzimidazole, dimedone and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of Fe₃O₄@TiO₂-IL as nanocatalyst under solvent-free condition. The products were prepared in good to excellent yields using Fe₃O₄@TiO₂-IL magnetic nanocatalyst. The Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared using beet juice extract and functionalized with IL based on DABCO. Moreover, the core-shell structured magnetic Fe₃O₄@TiO₂-IL has been characterized by different techniques such as ¹H-NMR, FT-IR, VSM, XRD, SEM, TGA, TEM and EDX. To the best of our knowledge, the prepared ionic liquid displayed a good protective and activator agent for magnetic nanocatalyst.     

Design consideration and modelling studies of ultrasound and ultraviolet combined approach for shelf-life enhancement of pine apple juice

Although both ultraviolet (UV) radiation and ultrasound (US) treatment have their capabilities in microbial inactivation, applying any one method alone may require a high dose for complete inactivation, which may affect the sensory and nutritional properties of pineapple juice. Hence, this study was intended to analyse and optimise the effect of combined US and UV treatments on microbial inactivation without affecting the selected quality parameters of pineapple juice. US treatment (33 kHz) was done at three different time intervals, viz. 10 min, 20 min and 30 min., after which, juice samples were subjected to UV treatment for 10 min at three UV dosage levels, viz. 1 J/cm², 1.3 J/cm², and 1.6 J/cm². The samples were evaluated for total colour difference, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (TA), and ascorbic acid content; total bacterial count and total yeast count; and the standardization of process parameters was done using Response Surface Methodology and Artificial Neural Network. The results showed that the individual, as well as combined treatments, did not significantly impact the physicochemical properties while retaining the quality characteristics. It was observed that combined treatment resulted in 5 log cycle reduction in bacterial and yeast populations while the individual treatment failed. From the optimization studies, it was found that combined US and UV treatments with 22.95 min and1.577 J/cm² ensured a microbiologically safe product while retaining organoleptic quality close to that of fresh juice.     

石墨烯/聚二甲基硅氧烷涂层顶空固相微萃取与气相色谱联用测定环境水和果汁中菊酯农药残留

建立了石墨烯/聚二甲基硅氧烷涂层顶空固相微萃取与气相色谱在线联用测定环境水和果汁样品中6种菊酯类农药的检测方法。该涂层的萃取性能优于商用聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS,Polydimethylsilane)及聚丙烯(PA,Polypropylene)涂层。对影响萃取性能的因素(如萃取温度、离子强度、萃取时间及解吸时间)依次进行了优化。在最优条件下,丙烯菊酯与联苯菊酯的线性范围为0.02~5μg/L,甲氰菊酯、氯氰菊酯、氰戊菊酯的线性范围为0.1~20μg/L,溴氰菊酯的线性范围为0.2~20μg/L,其相关系数均高于0.99,检出限为6.8~58.2 ng/L,定量下限为18.2~154.9 ng/L。同一涂层的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=5)不高于9.2%,3根涂层之间的RSD为6.7%~10.8%。将该方法用于河水、鱼塘水、苹果汁和橙汁中6种菊酯残留的分析,加标回收率分别为81.6%~92.9%,82.3%~96.1%,78.2%~92.8%和79.9%~91.7%。方法简便、灵敏,能够满足环境水样及浓缩果汁样品中痕量农药残留的分析要求。     

Combination of hollow‐fiber‐supported liquid membrane and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction as a fast and sensitive technique for the extraction of pesticides from grape juice followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

The simultaneous use of a hollow‐fiber‐supported liquid membrane and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of pesticides directly in grape juice was investigated. The detection and quantification were performed by liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The optimum extraction condition was reached by filling the pores of the membrane wall with dodecanol and using hexane/acetone as extraction/dispersion solvents. Salt addition had a highly negative effect on the extraction efficiency and the optimum extraction time was 60 min. The volume of hexane/acetone mixture and the sample pH did not affect the signal at the levels studied. Therefore, an intermediate amount of these solvents (250 μL; 1:7.5 v/v) and pH 6 were selected. The optimum desorption condition was obtained with acetonitrile and 10 min of desorption time. The linear working range varied from 58 to 500 μg/L (parathion‐methyl), 62–500 μg/L (difenoconazole) and 107–500 μg/L (chlorpyrifos), with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9980–0.9942. The limits of detection and quantification found were, respectively, 17 and 58 μg/L for parathion‐methyl, 19 and 62 μg/L for difenoconazole and 32 and 107 μg/L for chlorpyrifos. The relative standard deviation ranged between 3.5 and 11.2%.     

Simultaneous Determination of Gallic Acid and Folic Acid in Fruit Juice Samples Using Square Wave Voltammetry at Electrochemically Pretreated Carbon Paste Electrode

An efficient sensor was developed for the simultaneous determination of gallic and folic acid in juice samples using an electrochemically pretreated carbon paste electrode. The electrode was characterized by CV and EIS. The electrochemical behavior of GA and FA was evaluated by CV and SWV. The electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards GA and FA due to high surface area. Under the optimized condition, linear plots in the ranges of 0.08–13 μM and 0.1 to 15 μM were obtained for GA and FA, respectively. The proposed method was successful for the simultaneous determination of GA and FA in juice samples with satisfactory recovery.     

Riboflavin as a green sorbent in dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction of several pesticides from fruit juices combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

A vortex-assisted dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction procedure using a new and green sorbent was developed as a simple, fast, and efficient sample preparation method for the extracting five pesticides in several fruit juice samples. In this study, for the first time, riboflavin was used as an efficient sorbent. A few milligrams of riboflavin was directly added into the aqueous solution containing the analytes to adsorb them. After adsorption the analytes, they were desorbed and more concentrated by a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure. The influence of several effective parameters such as amount of riboflavin, pH, vortex time, eluent nature and volume, and extraction solvent type and volume on the extraction efficiency was investigated. In optimal conditions, linear ranges of the calibration curves were broad. The limits of detection and quantification were attained in the ranges of 0.56–1.5  and 1.9–0.52 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method demonstrated to be suitable for concurrent extraction of the studied pesticides in various fruit juice samples with high enrichment factors (320–360) and precision (relative standard deviation ≤7.8% for intra- [n = 6] and interday [n = 4] precisions at a concentration of 25 ng mL⁻¹ of each pesticide).     

Electrochemical Study of 2,4‐Dinitrophenylhydrazine as Derivatization Reagent and Aldehydes at Carbon Glassy Electrode

A selective method based on derivatization with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) is described for the determination of several carbonyl compounds. The factors affecting the derivatization reaction of aldehyde and DNPH were investigated. The product of the derivatization reaction has been characterized by UV/Vis spectrophotometry, NMR, infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Then, an electrochemical study for the determination of aldehyde‐2.4‐dinitrophenylhydrazone was performed at glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using square wave voltammetry (SWV). After the optimization of experimental parameters, the limits of detection (at 3σ ) obtained for all aldehyde‐2,4‐DNPH were varied from 15.82 to 78.39 μmol L⁻¹ and relative standard deviations were between 1.8 and 4.5%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to determine the aldehydes concentration in drinking water and orange juice samples with satisfactory results.     

Effect of Filtrated Osmotic Solution Based on Concentrated Chokeberry Juice and Mint Extract on the Drying Kinetics,Energy Consumption and Physicochemical Properties of Dried Apples

Background: Filtration of osmotic solution affects selective penetration during osmotic dehydration (OD), and after drying is finished, this can influence the chemical composition of the material, which is also modified by OD. Methods: Osmotic dehydration was carried out in filtrated and non-filtrated concentrated chokeberry juice with the addition of mint infusion. Then, this underwent convective drying, vacuum-microwave drying and combined convective pre-drying, followed by vacuum-microwave finishing drying. Drying kinetics were presented and mathematical models were selected. The specific energy consumption for each drying method was calculated and the energy efficiency was determined. Results and Discussion: The study revealed that filtration of osmotic solution did not have significant effect on drying kinetics; however, it affected selective penetration during OD. The highest specific energy consumption was obtained for the samples treated by convective drying (CD) (around 170 kJ·g⁻¹ fresh weight (fw)) and the lowest for the samples treated by vacuum-microwave drying (VMD) (around 30 kJ·g⁻¹ fw), which is due to the differences in the time of drying and when these methods are applied. Conclusions: Filtration of the osmotic solution can be used to obtain the desired material after drying and the VMD method is the most appropriate considering both phenolic acid content and the energy aspect of drying.     

Evaluation of Physiological Characteristics,Soluble Sugars,Organic Acids and Volatile Compounds in ‘Orin’ Apples (Malus domestica) at Different Ripening Stages

‘Orin’ is a popular apple cultivar, which has a yellow-green appearance, pleasant taste, and unique aroma. However, few studies on the fruit quality characteristics of ‘Orin’ apples have been reported before. In this study, changes of the physiological characteristics were measured at different ripening stages, and the soluble sugars and organic acids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Volatile compounds were identified using the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). During the fruit ripening, the ‘Orin’ apple fruit weight, size, and total soluble solid were gradually increased by contrast with the titratable acidity, and the firmness decreased. The content of four soluble sugars reached the maximum at the 180 days after full bloom (DAFB) stage. Malic acid was measured as the most abundant organic acid in ‘Orin’ apples. Ethyl butyrate, hexyl propanoate, hexyl acetate and butyl acetate belonging to esters with high odor activity values (OAVs) could be responsible for the typical aroma of ‘Orin’ apples. The aim of this work was to provide information on the flavor characteristics of ‘Orin’ apples and promote this apple cultivar for marketing and processing in the future.