Combination of LC-ICP-MS, LC-MS and NMR for investigation of the oxidative degradation of selenomethionine

Selenomethionine (SeMet) was oxidized by heating an acidic solution with hydrogen peroxide. Samples were taken before and during the oxidation process. The oxidation products were separated by cation exchange chromatography followed by ICP-MS detection to identify the selenium containing compounds as well as electrospray ionization MS detection to determine the masses of the degradation products. Furthermore, the samples were analyzed by ⁷⁷Se-NMR. The first appearing degradation product was selenomethionine selenoxide, which was converted via the deaminated selenoxide to methane seleninic acid and selenite.     

盐碱法提取酵母核酸的工艺研究

对盐碱法提取酵母核酸进行了研究。结果表明,最佳提取条件为提取温度85℃,提取pH为7.5,NaCl的含量为6.5%,提取时间180 min,对酵母核酸的平均提取率达到5.70%。     

Study on the Inhibitory Activity of a Synthetic Defensin Derived from Barley Endosperm against Common Food Spoilage Yeast

In the food industry, food spoilage is a real issue that can lead to a significant amount of waste. Although current preservation techniques are being applied to reduce the occurrence of spoilage microorganisms, the problem persists. Food spoilage yeast are part of this dilemma, with common spoilers such as Zygosaccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Debaryomyces and Saccharomyces frequently encountered. Antimicrobial peptides derived from plants have risen in popularity due to their ability to reduce spoilage. This study examines the potential application of a synthetic defensin peptide derived from barley endosperm. Its inhibitory effect against common spoilage yeasts, its mechanisms of action (membrane permeabilisation and overproduction of reactive oxygen species), and its stability in different conditions were characterised. The safety of the peptide was evaluated through a haemolysis and cytotoxicity assay, and no adverse effects were found. Both assays were performed to understand the effect of the peptide if it were to be consumed. Its ability to be degraded by a digestive enzyme was also examined for its safety. Finally, the peptide was successfully applied to different beverages and maintained the same inhibitory effects in apple juice as was observed in the antiyeast assays, providing further support for its application in food preservation.     

Chemoselective Hydrolysis of Ester Bonds in the Presence of Baker's Yeast

The catalytic effect of baker's yeast on the hydrolysis of aliphatic esters in p-acetoxybenzoates is described. The chemoselective character of this reaction enables the selective protection of the hydroxyl group in p-hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives.     

Determination of Arsenic in Algae – Results of an Interlaboratory Trial: Determination of Arsenic Species in the Water-Soluble Fraction

Seven algae samples, five purchased from food stores and two reference algae (BCR 279 Sea Lettuce) were distributed as blind samples to 13 laboratories from which five labs attempted a full characterisation of the water-soluble fraction with respect to their arsenic species. The extraction efficiency is largely dependant on the algae and varied from 3% to 96%. Besides inorganic arsenic (mainly as As^(V)) DMA^(V) and, in particular, several arsenosugars were identified in all samples. From the five labs, three labs gave agreeable results in respect of the arsenic species identification and its quantification, although different chromatographic methods were used. Different Hijiki samples seem to contain largely different arsenic concentration (67–113 mg As/kg) which may also have an influence on the distribution of inorganic arsenic and arsenosugars.     

酵母核糖核酸在碳纳米管修饰电极上的电化学行为及其分析测定

研究了酵母核糖核酸（yRNA）在碳纳米管（MWNT）修饰电极上的电化学行为，优化了测定参数，在此基础上建立了一种直接测定yRNA的电分析测试方法。yRNA在碳纳米管修饰电极上于磷酸盐缓冲溶液中在0．758V处产生不可逆的氧化电流峰，峰电流与yRNA的质量浓度在1～10mg／mL之间有良好的线性关系，线性回归方程为：Iρ=0．0813ρ＋0．1807，相关系数r为0．9980，检出限为0．6mg／mL。     

Determination of the absolute configuration of selenomethionine from antarctic krill by RP-HPLC/ICP-MS using chiral derivatization agents

A fast and sensitive method was developed for the determination of the absolute configuration of selenomethionine. The enantiomers of selenomethionine were converted into diastereomeric isoindole derivatives by reaction with o-phthaldialdehyde and N-isobutyryl-l-cysteine. This easy-to-handle reaction proceeds quantitatively in a few minutes at room temperature. Separation and detection of the diastereomers was achieved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC/ICP-MS) using a conventional C18 reversed-phase column. Detection limits of about 4 µg L^–1 were obtained. The method was applied to the determination of the configuration of selenomethionine extracted from antarctic krill, which turned out to possess the l-configuration.     

Selective Extraction and Separation of Thorium from Monazite Using N-Phenylbenzo-18-crown-6-hydroxamic Acid

A method for the liquid–liquid extraction, separation, preconcentration and trace determination of thorium with N-phenylbenzo-18-crown-6-hydroxamic acid (PBCHA) is described. Thorium is extracted from the dichloromethane solution of PBCHA at pH 4.5 which gives a colourless extract (_max 375nm, =1.5×10⁴Lmol^–1 cm^–1, linear range following Beers law 0.77–18.48µgmL^–1). The extract is directly inserted into the plasma for ICP-AES measurements of thorium. A linear calibration graph was obtained between 10 and 130ngmL^–1 of thorium. The proposed method has been applied for the separation and determination of thorium in the presence of several ions in monazite sand, rare earths, sand and sea water samples. The thorium-PBCHA complexes are very stable, having the formation constant (log ₂) 13.45 compared to lanthanum (log ₂) 2.95, cerium (log₂) 2.95 and uranium (log ₂) 3.80. Hence, thorium can easily be separated and determined in monazite sand.Received October 31, 2002; accepted April 13, 2003 Published online July 16, 2003     

Determination of Arsenic Species in Fish Oil After Acid Digestion

Arsenic speciation is of increasing interest to the food industry, as concerns about high total arsenic concentrations in food can often be alleviated to a great extent if the ratio of toxic, less toxic and non-toxic arsenic compounds in the sample is known. The lipid matrix of fish oil is a challenge in the determination of arsenic species, as current methods for this type of analysis require the analyte to be water-soluble. In this study, two sample preparation techniques were applied. One the one hand water-soluble species were extracted with methanol/water, on the other, acid digestion was applied to release lipid-soluble arsenic compounds into the aqueous phase. Ion chromatography – inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS) was used for separation and sensitive element-specific detection of arsenic compounds. Additional experiments, including alkaline hydrolysis, were carried out to find out more about the type of lipids arsenic is bound to in fish oil. Up to eight different arsenic species were detected and quantified in fish oil with dimethylarsinate being the major compound both in the aqueous extract and in the acid digest. No inorganic arsenic was detected in the aqueous extract, and the maximum concentration of arsenate determined in the acid digest was 0.05 μg g⁻¹. The total arsenic concentration determined by ICP-MS ranged from <0.1 to 5 μg g⁻¹. With regard to the mass balance, approximately 1% of the total arsenic content was extractable with methanol/water, whereas the sum of arsenic species quantified after acid digestion yielded 85–100% of the total arsenic content. It was confirmed that the large fraction of arsenic in fish oil not extractable on an aqueous basis consists of organoarsenic compounds. This new approach in sample preparation makes the complete characterization of the arsenic content in the sample possible with regard to the respective species, providing necessary information required for risk assessment.     

Two New Dammarane Glycosides from the Acid Hydrolysis Product of Panax Notoginseng

In our continuing research works on Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, a famous traditional Chinese herb medicine1, two new dammarane glycosides named notoginsenosides T1 (1) and T2 (2) were isolated from the mild acid hydrolysis products of the root saponins. We report herein the structure elucidation of these two novel glycosides.Notoginsenosides T1(1) was obtained as white solid, [(] = +14.49 (0.50, MeOH). Its negative mode HR-FAB-MS spectrum showing the quasimolecular ion peak a…     

核酸水解产物嘌呤、嘧啶碱基在BDS柱上的分离及测定

 用高效液相色谱法测定了核酸水解的中间产物及最终产物 6种嘌呤、嘧啶碱基 ,探讨了色谱柱、流动相等对其分离的影响 ,确定了最佳色谱条件为 :HypersilBDS C18柱 ,乙腈 0 1mol/LKH2 PO4 (H3 PO4 调节 pH至4 0 5 ) (体积比为 2∶98)作流动相 ,紫外检测器在 2 6 0nm波长下检测。方法的精密度在 3%以内 ,回收率在 82 %～ 114%。方法应用于酵母核酸样品的测定中 ,取得了很好的结果。     

The Crystalline Changes of Starch from Rhizoma Dioscorea by Acid Hydrolysis

Dioscoreae (Chinese name Shanyao), the rhizome of various species of genus Dioscorea opposita Thunb.(Dioscoreaceae), has been used as an important invigorant in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for many years1. Starch, the most abundant carbohydrate in …     

Comparison of Different Sorbents for Solid-Phase Extraction of Phenoxyalkanoic Acid Herbicides

An HPLC procedure for determination of phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides in water samples is proposed. The analytical column Phenomenex C18(2) Luna 5 µm and UV detection at 225 nm were applied. Baseline resolution was achieved in isocratic mode with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/acetic acid (40/60, v/v), adjusted to pH 2.5. SPE sorbents – C₁₈ BondElut, phenyl-silica, LiChrolut SAX and polymeric sorbents – were compared for isolation and preconcentration of 6 phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides. Higher (above 95%) and more reproducible recoveries were obtained with polymeric and phenyl-silica sorbents using pure methanol for elution. The method was tested for river water samples with the limit of detection in the range of 2–3 µg L⁻¹ (for 50 mL sample) and a reproducibility of 5% RSD.     

An Analytical Method for the Separation and Determination of As(III) and As(V) in Seepage and Acid Mine Drainage Water

To avoid changes in the original As species distribution in natural water after sampling, a method of immediate separation of As(V) by anion exchange at the sampling site was developed. The procedure consists of two steps. The total concentration of arsenic is determined in one part of the water sample acidified on site. Another part of the water samples is pressed through a column filled with an anion exchanger. The As(III) species that is not redox-stable remains in the effluent of the sorbents column and can be analyzed with conventional methods after stabilization by addition of conc. HNO₃. As(V) is sorbed by the exchanger material. The As(V) concentration can be calculated as the difference between As_sol and As(III), neglecting very low contents of methylated species. Oxidation of Fe(II) by air followed by co-precipitation of arsenic with iron hydroxide was applied in field experiments to minimize the As concentration in seepage and mining water.     

Arsenic Speciation in Plant Samples from the Iron Quadrangle, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Several plants, especially ferns, have been shown to tolerate and accumulate high arsenic concentrations in soils. The leaves and roots of the ferns Pteris vittata (Chinese brake) and Pityrogramma calomelanos as well as a medical plant (Baccharis trimera) were sampled together with their associated soils in a region impacted by ore mining, the Iron Quadrangle in Brazil, where arsenic concentrations in the soils vary sharply (6–900 μg g⁻¹). The bioaccumulation factors were found to be low compared to the literature data, which can be explained by the low water-soluble fraction of arsenic in soil. The arsenic species in the plants were mainly arsenite. In comparison to the rhizoid samples, the concentrations of arsenic were higher in the leaves of the fern samples. The medical plant behaved differently. The bioaccumulation factor was low (0.7), and trimethylarsine oxide was detected as the third arsenic species beside arsenite and arsenate in both the roots and the leaves.     

Selective Acid Hydrolysis Condition for the Composition and Linkage with a Fructofuranosyl Backbone of a Polysaccharide from Angelica sinensis （Oliv） Diels

Angelica sinensis is a well-known Chinese traditional herbal medicine. Its roots have been widely used over two thousand years for tonifying blood, promoting blood circulation, regulating menorrhea and subduing inflammation1. The polysaccharide of the ASD…     

Process Optimization,Amino Acid Composition,and Antioxidant Activities of Protein and Polypeptide Extracted from Waste Beer Yeast

Repurposing of waste beer yeast (WBY) that a main by-product of brewing industry has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this study, the protein and polypeptide were extracted by ultrasonic-assisted extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis with process optimization, which resulted in a maximum yield of 73.94% and 61.24%, respectively. Both protein and polypeptide of WBY were composed of 17 Amino acids (AA) that included seven essential amino acids (EAA), and typically rich in glutamic acid (Glu) (6.46% and 6.13%) and glycine (Gly) (5.26% and 6.02%). AA score (AAS) revealed that the threonine (Thr) and SAA (methionine + cysteine) were the limiting AA of WBY protein and polypeptide. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of WBY polypeptide that lower than 10 kDa against hydroxyl radical, DPPH radical, and ABTS radical were 95.10%, 98.37%, and 69.41%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of WBY protein (25–50 kDa). Therefore, the protein and polypeptide extracted from WBY can be a source of high-quality AA applying in food and feed industry. Due to small molecular weight, abundant AA, and great antioxidant activity, WBY polypeptide can be promisingly used as functional additives in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.     

Use of Imidazole 4,5-Dicarboxylic Acid Resin in Vanadium Speciation

 A new resin has been synthesized by functionalisation of polystyrene-divinylbenzene (8%) with imidazole 4,5-dicarboxylic acid through –N=N– bonding. The resulting resin has been characterised by elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, hydrogen ion capacity and metal ion capacity. The speciation study of vanadium has been studied by using this resin and the maximum exchange capacity was found to be 0.45 mmol g⁻¹ for V⁴⁺ and that for V⁵⁺ was 1.57 mmol g⁻¹ at pH 3 for both. The eluents malonic acid and sodium hydroxide have been used for the selective separation of vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) species respectively. The effects of diverse ions on the sorption and recovery of each species have been studied. Finally, the developed method has been applied for the speciation and determination of these two species in natural water samples. Correspondence: Department of Chemistry, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, India. e-mail: akdas100@yahoo.com Received December 20, 2001; accepted October 11, 2002     

Voltammetric Study of the Hydrolysis Product of Bendiocarb at the Glassy Carbon Electrode

 Differential pulse and square wave voltammetric methods are proposed for the determination of the N-methylcarbamate insecticide Bendiocarb based on the oxidation of its hydrolysis product. A single peak (+ 0.7 V (pH 3.5)) is observed at the glassy carbon electrode. Linear relationships between the peak intensity and the concentration were obtained up to 5 μg/ml, with detection limits of 0.77 μg/ml for DPV and 0.44 μg/ml for SWV, respectively. The methods have been applied satisfactorily for the analysis of river water samples spiked with the pesticide by using the extraction with diethyl ether as preconcentration step. Concentration values as low as 0.11 μg/ml were determined with a recovery of 96 ± 3% (SWV) and 91 ± 2% (DPV). Received June 20, 2000. Revision March 6, 2001.