Proximate composition,amino acid and fatty acid composition of fish maws

Fish maws are commonly recommended and consumed in Asia over many centuries because it is believed to have some traditional medical properties. This study highlights and provides new information on the proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid composition of fish maws of Cynoscion acoupa, Congresox talabonoides and Sciades proops. The results indicated that fish maws were excellent protein sources and low in fat content. The proteins in fish maws were rich in functional amino acids (FAAs) and the ratio of FAAs and total amino acids in fish maws ranged from 0.68 to 0.69. Among species, croaker C. acoupa contained the most polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapntemacnioc acid, showing the lowest value of index of atherogenicity and index of thrombogenicity, showing the highest value of hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio, which is the most desirable.     

An HPLC method for the determination of selected amino acids in human embryo culture medium

A method for the determination of selected amino acids in culture medium using HPLC with fluorescence detection is described. Twenty hours after intra‐cytoplasmic sperm injection, one randomly selected zygote was transferred to the culture medium. After incubation (72 h after fertilization), the culture medium in which the embryo was incubated and blank medium was immediately stored at −80°C. Filtered medium samples were derivatized with ortho ‐phthalaldehyde (naphthalene‐2,3‐dicarboxaldehyde), forming highly fluorescent amino acids derivatives. Reverse‐phase columns (LichroCART, Purospher STAR RP_18e or Ascentis Express C₁₈) were used for the separation. The derivatives were analyzed by gradient elution with a mobile phase containing ethanol and sodium dihydrogen phosphate. The analytical performance of this method is satisfactory for all amino acids; the intra‐assay coefficients of variation were <10% and quantitative recoveries were between 95.5 and 104.4%. Changes in the levels of selected amino acids before and after human embryo cultivation were observed. After embryo incubation, the levels of all amino acids in the medium were increased, apart from aspartate and asparagine. After the cultivation of some embryos, amino acids which were not part of the medium were detected. Low amino acids turnover was observed in some embryos.     

Effect of pH on growth and fatty acid composition ofLactobacillus büchneri andLactobacillus fermentum

Growth and fatty acid composition of two lactobacilli,Lactobacillus büchneri andLactobacillus fermentum, were studied at different pHs of the media in a small-scale fermenter with particular interest in lactobacillic acid production of the cultures. Generally, the total fatty acid content of the bacterial cells increased with increasing culture age. The production of lactobacillic acid was affected in the two lactobacilli by both culture age and pH of the media, but in a very different manner. In L.büchneri cultures, the relative proportion of lactobacillic acid was highest when the pH was lowest (pH 4.5), whereas inL. fermentum cultures, the proportion of lactobacillic acid was highest at pH 7.0. The pH of the medium affected not only the relative proportion of lactobacillic acid, but also biomass production and total fatty acid accumulation of the cultures. Thus, by controlling the pH of the cultures, the volumetric yield of lactobacillic acid could be improved considerably compared to cultures without pH control.     

Trans fatty acid accumulation in the human placenta

Trans fatty acid may impair fetal growth and infant neurodevelopment, but the quantity in a placenta and human tissues remains unknown. To address the issue, a simple and reliable method of quantification is needed. We established a method of quantifying trans‐octadecenoic acids (trans‐6,8,9,11 18:1 fatty acids, TOAs), a major component of trans fatty acid, in human tissue samples, and then determined the TOAs level in the placenta. Oleic acid (OA) (C18:1(9c)) was measured by isotope dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the TOAs level was subsequently calculated based on the ratio of the peak areas for TOAs and OA (TOAs/OA) in the mass chromatogram. Lipids were extracted from 28 human placentas at different gestational ages from 28 to 41 weeks, and the TOAs and OA levels were measured. In method validation, the limit of detection for elaidic acid (trans‐9,18:1 fatty acid), a major component of TOAs, was 0.57 ng, and linearity of calibration ranging from 7.7 to 68.0 μg/g placenta for TOAs. In human placenta analysis, the TOAs level was significantly higher in term (n  = 15, 40.2 ± 9.7 μg/g placenta) than in preterm placentas (n  = 13, 18.9 ± 7.4 μg/g placenta) (p  < 0.001), while OA levels were similar in term (n  = 15, 863 ± 132 μg/g placenta) and preterm (n  = 13, 743 ± 283 μg/g placenta) placentas (p  = 0.15). TOAs accumulate in the placenta as pregnancy progresses and have a fate different from that of OA in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TOA quantification in human tissue samples. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Single‐step isolation of embelin using high‐performance countercurrent chromatography and determination of the fatty acid composition of seeds of Embelia schimperi

Embelin (2,5‐dihydroxy‐3‐undecyl‐p ‐benzoquinone) is known for its potent anthelmintic activity, but also for wound‐healing, antidiabetic, anticonvulsant, antitumour, anti‐inflammatory, analgesic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antibacterial and antispermatogenic activities. A high‐performance countercurrent chromatography method was developed for the purification of embelin from an extract of the seeds of Embelia schimperi fruit. The optimized solvent system (n ‐hexane–ethylacetate–ethanol–water, 7:3:7:3) resulted in the isolation of 13.9 mg of embelin, directly from 100 mg of crude extract, in a single step within a short time (40 min). Although the compound appeared to be completely pure when analysed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with photo diode array detection, the purity was established as ~90% by UPLC–mass spectrometry. Furthermore, we report the fatty acid composition of the seeds of E. schimperi fruit. Nine fatty acids were quantified from the fruit seed extract by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, with linoleic (46.4%), palmitic (21.5%) and oleic (19.6%) acids making up the largest proportions.     

在线热辅助甲基化-气相色谱法分析棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成

建立了分析棉籽仁中脂肪酸组成的在线热辅助甲基化-气相色谱法。将0.3 mg棉籽仁样品与2 μ L三甲基氢氧化硫（0.2 mol/L）加入裂解器,在350℃下进行甲基化反应,通过气相色谱仪进行分离分析,共检测到8种脂肪酸甲酯成分,分别为亚油酸（C18：2）、油酸（C18：1）、棕榈酸（C16：0）、硬脂酸（C18：0）、肉豆蔻酸（C14：0）、棕榈油酸（C16：1）、花生酸（C20：0）和二十二酸（C22：0）,不饱和脂肪酸的相对含量为66.30%~72.54%,其中亚油酸的相对含量为43.20%~53.61%,相对峰面积的相对标准偏差（RSD）小于10%（n=5）。通过分析5组棉籽仁样品与3种食用油中的脂肪酸组成,结果表明不同产地的棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成差异不明显,且棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成与玉米油最为接近,相似度为0.960~0.992。该方法简单、快速、准确,适合分析棉籽仁中的脂肪酸组成。     

Profiling of esterified fatty acids as biomarkers in the blood of dengue fever patients using a microliter‐scale extraction followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

An improved gas chromatography with mass spectrometry procedure was developed to highlight the esterified fatty acids in 100 μL blood of dengue fever patients in the early febrile phase versus healthy volunteers. 24 adult patients and 24 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The recoveries of targeted esterified fatty acids content were in the range of 92.10–101.00% using methanol/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent. An efficient chromatographic separation of targeted 17 esterified fatty acid methyl esters was obtained. The limits of detection and quantification were within the range of 16–131 and 53–430 ng/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation of intraday and interday precision values ranged from 0.4 to 5.0%. The statistical data treatment showed a significant decrease of the content of four saturated fatty acids, C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, and C18:0 (P value < 0.05), and also showed a decrease of the content of eight unsaturated fatty acids, C16:1, C18:3n6, C18:2n6, C18:1n9, C20:3n3, C20:4n6, C20:2, and C22:6n3 (P value < 0.05) in dengue fever patients. Moreover, the amount of three omega‐6 fatty acids including C18:3n6, C18:2n6, and C20:4n6 was dramatically decreased in the blood of dengue fever patients to a limit of 50 ± 10%.     

Isolation of a furan fatty acid from Hevea brasiliensis latex employing the combined use of pH‐zone‐refining and conventional countercurrent chromatography

Furan fatty acids are valuable and bioactive minor fatty acids that usually contribute <0.1% to the fatty acid content of food samples. Their biological role still remains unclear as authentic furan fatty acid standards are not readily available and thorough experimental studies verifying the relevance of furan fatty acids are thus virtually impossible. An efficient protocol for the isolation of the furan fatty acid 9‐(3‐methyl‐5‐pentylfuran‐2‐yl)‐nonanoic acid from hydrolyzed and centrifuged latex of Hevea brasiliensis was developed using countercurrent chromatography. A first run using pH‐zone‐refining countercurrent chromatography provided 48.4 mg of 9‐(3‐methyl‐5‐pentylfuran‐2‐yl)‐nonanoic acid from 210 mg latex extract in a purity of 95%. The purity was increased to 99% by means of one second run in conventional countercurrent chromatography mode. The Structure and purity of 9‐(3‐methyl‐5‐pentylfuran‐2‐yl)‐nonanoic acid were determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Integrated multidimensional and comprehensive 2D GC analysis of fatty acid methyl esters

Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiling in complex fish oil and milk fat samples was studied using integrated comprehensive 2D GC (GC × GC) and multidimensional GC (MDGC). Using GC × GC, FAME compounds – cis‐ and trans‐isomers, and essential fatty acid isomers – ranging from C18 to C22 in fish oil and C18 in milk fat were clearly displayed in contour plot format according to structural properties and patterns, further identified based on authentic standards. Incompletely resolved regions were subjected to MDGC, with Cn (n = 18, 20) zones transferred to a ²D column. Elution behavior of C18 FAME on various ²D column phases (ionic liquids IL111, IL100, IL76, and modified PEG) was evaluated. Individual isolated Cn zones demonstrated about four‐fold increased peak capacities. The IL100 provided superior separation, good peak shape, and utilization of elution space. For milk fat‐derived FAME, the ²D chromatogram revealed at least three peaks corresponding to C18:1, more than six peaks for cis/trans‐C18:2 isomers, and two peaks for C18:3. More than 17 peaks were obtained for the C20 region of fish oil‐derived FAMEs using MDGC, compared with ten peaks using GC × GC. The MDGC strategy is useful for improved FAME isomer separation and confirmation.     

Physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of Juglans regia cultivars grown in Serbia

Tree cultivars (Jupiter, Sejnov, and Elit) of walnut (Juglans regia L.) were collected during the 2004 harvest from Cacak, Central Serbia. The chemical composition, including moisture, total oil content, crude protein, ash, and carbohydrates, was determined. Afterwards, two techniques of oil extraction were implemented: cold pressing extraction and organic solvent extraction. Iodine value, saponification value, acid value, and peroxide value of obtained walnut oils were analyzed. The fatty acid composition of the walnut oils was determined using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The oleic acid content of the oils ranged from 15.9–23.7% of the total acids, while linoleic acid content ranged from 57.2–65.1% and the linolenic acid from 9.1–13.6%. The process of oil extraction had no significant effect on content and composition of fatty acids. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 118–120, March–April, 2008.     

Micelle-vesicle transition of fatty acid based ion-pair surfactants: interfacial evidence and influence of the ammonium counterion structure.

We describe the synthesis and the physicochemical study of new ion-pair amphiphiles from a mixture of bicyclic, cyclic, linear or branched amines and fatty acids of three chain lengths. Surface-tension measurements of bicyclic, cyclic and branched structures of ammonium/alkanoate acid ion pairs show a phase transition, with two plateaux in the plot of surface tension versus log(c) (c=concentration). Such behaviour is related to the structure of the counterion, the alkyl chain length and the temperature. Pulsed gradient spin echo NMR spectroscopy experiments were performed to demonstrate the existence of micelles on the first plateau and to confirm the phase transition. The existence of vesicles on the second plateau of the surface tension was proved by CryoTEM observation and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Mainly, according to the structure of the counterion, there is either a strong association and a positioning along the chain leading to vesicles or a less strong association leading to external positioning and the formation of micelles at low concentrations or vesicles at higher concentrations.     

千金子油理化性质及其脂肪酸和挥发油成分分析

对千金子油理化性质进行了系统的分析测试,并利用气相色谱法分析了千金子油脂肪酸及千金子挥发油,结果表明,千金子油中油酸含量最高占78.158%,其次是软脂酸、硬脂酸,分别为8.513%和5.523%;千金子挥发油中油酸、亚油酸和油酸-2-丙三醇酯含量较高,分别为17.747%,15.852%和13.196%.     

A simple methodology for the determination of fatty acid composition in edible oils through 1H NMR spectroscopy

A simple methodology for the determination of the fatty acid composition of edible oils through ¹H NMR is proposed. The method is based on the fact that all fatty acid chains are esterified to a common moiety, glycerol, and the quantification is done directly in the ¹H NMR spectra through the relationship between the areas of a characteristic signal of each fatty acid and a signal of the glycerol moiety, without the use of mathematical equations. The methodology was successfully applied to determine the fatty acid composition of several edible oils, with equivalent results to those given by the AOAC Official method by gas chromatography. Its main advantages are simplicity and the lack of need for sample pre‐treatment such as derivatization or extraction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ToF‐SIMS spectrometry to observe fatty acid profiles of breast tissues in broiler chicken subjected to varied vegetable oil diet

This study is aimed to observe changes in fatty acid profiles by time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) in breast muscle tissues of broilers. Four different groups were identified. The source of fat in group I was soy oil (rich in linoleic acid, ω‐6), group II received linseed oil (ω‐3), and the third group was fed a mixture of the two mentioned oils. Broilers in the control group were fed with beef tallow, used in mass commercial production. The results reveal that the use of vegetable oils in animal nutrition determines the lipid profile of fatty acids. ToF‐SIMS measurements showed that the lipid profile of muscle fibers and intramuscular fat reflect the composition of fats used as feed additives. In both structures, the ratio of ω‐6/ω‐3 fatty acids, which is most favorable for human health, was found in the groups in which a mixture of vegetable oils and a supplement of linseed oil were used.     

Separation of triacylglycerols and free fatty acids in microalgal lipids by solid-phase extraction for separate fatty acid profiling analysis by gas chromatography

Microalgal lipids were separated into two fractions, triacylglycerols (TAGs) and free fatty acids (FFAs), by solid-phase extraction employing sodium carbonate as the sorbent and dichloromethane (20% by volume) in n-hexane as the extracting solvent. The TAG fraction was then saponified, followed by acidification, extraction and tert-butyldimethylsilyl esterification. The FFA fraction was directly acidified, extracted and derivatized. From the lipid extracts of eight microalgal species examined, a total of 13 fatty acids were detected in the TAG fractions and nine were found in the FFA fractions, with at much higher total TAG content in all microalgae. Oleic acid was the most prominent fatty acid in three species, α-linolenic acid was more abundant in two others, and palmitic acid was present in highest concentration in the remaining three species.     

Determination of fatty acid compositions and cholesterol levels of some freshwater fish living in Porsuk Dam,Turkey

We determined the oil content, fatty acid composition, and cholesterol content of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), crucian carp (Carassius carassius), chub (Leusiscus cephalus), and tench (Tinca tinca) by GLC. The saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) levels were found to be 36.49%, 31.92%, 31.59% in common carp; 32.92%, 32.21%, and 34.87% in crucian carp; 36.19%, 32.91%, and 30.90% in chub; and 32.86%, 30.77%, and 36.37% in tench, respectively. The cholesterol (mg/100 g oil) levels of common carp, crucian carp, chub, and tench were determined by GLC methods as 119 ± 2.64 mg, 170.37 ± 2.36 mg, 94.68 ± 3.13 mg, and 179.84 ± 6.75 mg, respectively. Thus, the cholesterol contents of the analyzed freshwater fish species were low but their PUFA contents and nutritional values were high. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 15–17, January–February, 2009.     

Two-component hydrogels comprising fatty acids and amines: structure, properties, and application as a template for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles

Stearic acid or eicosanoic acid mixed with di- or oligomeric amines in specific molar ratios form stable gels in water. The formation of such hydrogels depends on the hydrophobicity of the fatty acid, and also on the type of amine used. The gelation properties of these two-component systems were investigated using electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and both single-crystal and cast-film X-ray diffraction. Results of FTIR spectral analysis suggest salt formation during gelation. 1H NMR analysis of the gels indicates that the fatty acid chains are immobilized in the gel state and when the gel melts, these chains regain their mobility. Analysis of DSC data indicates that increase in the spacer length in the di-/oligomeric amine lowers the gel-melting temperature. Two of these gelator salts developed into crystals and structural details of such systems could be secured by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural information of the salts thus obtained was compared with the XRD data of the self-supporting films of those gels. Such analyses provided pertinent structural insight into the supramolecular interactions that prevail within these gelator assemblies. Analysis of the crystal structure confirmed that multilayered lamellar aggregates exist in the gel and it also showed that the three-dimensional ordering observed in the crystalline phase is retained in only one direction in the gel state. Finally, the hydrogel was used as a medium for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were found to position themselves on the fibers and produced a long, ordered assembly of gel-nanoparticle composite.     

Simultaneous quantification of leukotrienes and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids in cell culture medium using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Leukotrienes (LTs) and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) are important bioactive lipid mediators that participate in various pathophysiological processes. To advance understanding of the mechanisms that regulate these mediators in physiological and pathological processes, an analytical method using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantification of LTB₄, LTC₄, LTD₄, LTE₄, 5‐HETE_, 8‐HETE, 12‐HETE and 15‐HETE in cell culture media was developed. A Supel?‐Select HLB solid‐phase extraction cartridge was used for sample preparation. The compounds were separated on a C₁₈ column using gradient elution with acetonitrile–water–formic acid (20:80:0.1, v/v/v) and acetonitrile–formic acid (100:0.1, v/v). The calibration curves of LTB₄, LTD₄, LTE₄ and HETEs were linear in the range of 0.025–10 ng/mL, and the calibration curve of LTC₄ was linear in the range of 0.25–10 ng/mL. Validation assessment showed that the method was highly reliable with good accuracy and precision. The stability of LTs and HETEs was also investigated. Using the developed method, we measured LTs and HETEs in the culture supernatant of the human mast cell line HMC‐1. The present method could facilitate investigations of the mechanisms that regulate the production, release and signaling of LTs and HETEs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of the iodine value and the free fatty acid content of waste animal fat blends using FT-NIR

This study determined iodine value (IV) and free fatty acids (FFA) content of four different animal fat wastes and their blends using Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR). Chemometric analysis by partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to correlate spectral data with IV and FFA reference values of the samples. The effects of four spectra pre-processing (first derivative (FD), second derivative (SD), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) and vector normalization (VN)) methods were investigated to predict the reproducibility and robustness of the PLS-NIR model developed. A set of 70% of animal fat wastes and their blends were used for developing PLS calibration models for measuring IV and FFA content using the remaining 30% samples as an independent test set validation. The coefficient of determination (R²), the root mean square error estimation (RMSEE), and the residual prediction deviation (RPD) were used as indicators for the predictability of the PLS models. PLS-NIR models developed using first derivative and second derivative spectral preprocessing methods were the best for both IV and FFA content analysis (For IV, FD; R² = 0.9870, RMSEE = 1.40 gI₂/100 g, RPD = 8.76, SD; R² = 0.9892, RMSEE = 1.28 gI₂/100 g, RPD = 9.64 while For FFA, FD; R² = 0.9991, RMSEE = 0.195%, RPD = 34.00, SD; R² = 0.9993, RMSEE = 0.182%, RPD = 36.8). Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the suitability of FT-NIR spectroscopy for the quality control analysis of feedstocks for biodiesel production.