Thermal properties of biostimulant-infused potato fibers

Crushing or otherwise processing potato and subsequent mild washing of the pulp produces mostly granular and fibrous starch. These fibers are experimental carrier material for microbes in bioremediation of polluted waters. This method offers the benefit of increasing the exposure of the microbes to the pollutant by increasing their residency within the site. Because of the physical nature of the material, it also offers the possibility of carrying, in addition to the microbes, essential macronutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous that would be limited in availability in contaminated waters. We have previously reported on the physical nature of these fibers through thermal analysis and on their ability to bind/aggregate bacteria. We have extended that study in this report by infusing the fibers with a source of nitrogen and phosphorous, namely ammonium phosphate. The TG curves for ammonium phosphate-infused white and sweet potato fibers exhibited three main mass loss steps corresponding to the three exothermic DTG peaks. Infusion with the ammonium phosphate salt also affected the bacterial binding/aggregation capacities. The range of their binding capacities decreased to a range of 26.9–43.3% compared to untreated fibers.     

Gelatinization properties of native starches and their Näegeli dextrins

Cassava, potato, sweet potato, and Peruvian carrot starches were hydrolyzed with 15% v/v sulfuric acid solution for up to 30 days. Näegeli dextrins obtained from 1, 3, 6, 12, and 30 days were evaluated using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two phases of hydrolysis were found. The first phase was attributed to faster degradation of amorphous areas of granules, whereas the second phase corresponded to slower degradation of crystalline regions. Peruvian carrot starch was the most susceptible to acid, whereas potato and sweet potato starches were the most resistant. From DSC, it was observed a progressive reduction in peak height and a broadening of peaks with increasing hydrolysis time. The peaks shifted to higher temperatures. Onset temperature decreased on first day of hydrolysis for cassava and Peruvian carrot starches, and on third day for potato and sweet potato. Enthalpy decreased during first stage of hydrolysis in cassava and Peruvian carrot starches, and during second phase, it reduced in all starches. SEM showed that the granule surfaces were degraded by erosion on the first day of treatment, followed by degradation of amorphous areas. On third day, potato and sweet potato starches still displayed some granules almost intact, whereas cassava and Peruvian carrot starch granules were totally degraded, confirming their high susceptibility to acid attack. On sixth day of hydrolysis, starch granules had faceted structures, characteristic of crystalline material. The effect that acid hydrolysis had on thermal properties of starches depended on both hydrolysis stage and starch source.     

红薯中铜铁微量元素测定

目的：测定三个品种红薯（黄心红薯、白心红薯、紫红薯）中Cu、 Fe微量元素含量。方法采用V（硝酸）＋V（高氯酸）＝4＋1体系分解样品,火焰原子吸收光谱法（ FAAS）测定。结果黄心红薯、白心红薯、紫红薯中Cu、 Fe微量元素均含量丰富,其Cu含量由大到小次序为：紫红薯,黄心红薯,白心红薯, Fe含量的由大到小次序为：黄心红薯,白心红薯,紫红薯。回收率在99.00％～104.00％之间, RSD＜2.2％。结论测定结果可为进一步研究红署营养价值与微量元素的关系提供参考。     

Biocatalytic Gelation of Silica in the Presence of a Lipase

The effect of the lipase from Burkholderia cepacia (previously known as Pseudomonas cepacia) on the gelation kinetics and gel structure was examined on a type of silica aerogel made from a mixture of methyltrimethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane. For this purpose, gels were made with increasing concentrations of lipase in otherwise constant other conditions (pH, water and Si precursors concentrations). It was found that the enzyme accelerated the gelation kinetics, hence was participating in some way to the hydrolysis of the silica precursor. The structure of the gel was simultaneously modified to produce an increasing proportion of Q⁴ silicon sites.     

The effect of various potato cultivars at different times during growth on starch content determined by DSC

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the starch content of potato dry matter isolated from various cultivars at different times during growth. When potato dry matter was heated in the presence of excess water, a symmetrical endothermic peak resulted, which was similar to the gelatinization peak of pure starch. From the enthalpy value of potato dry matter and pure potato starch at a moisture content of 70%, the starch content in the potato dry matter can be determined. Starch content increased as growth progressed to a maximum and then decreased. The effect of moisture content and sample mass on gelatinization of dry matter and starch was also investigated. Compared to other starch analysis technique, DSC is a simple and more rapid method.     

Sizes,Components, Crystalline Structure,and Thermal Properties of Starches from Sweet Potato Varieties Originating from Different Countries

Sweet potato is a root tuber crop and an important starch source. There are hundreds of sweet potato varieties planted widely in the world. Starches from varieties with different genotype types and originating from different countries have not been compared for their physicochemical properties. In the research, starches from 44 sweet potato varieties originating from 15 countries but planted in the same growing conditions were investigated for their physicochemical properties to reveal the similarities and differences in varieties. The results showed that the 44 starches had granule size (D[4,3]) from 8.01 to 15.30 μm. Starches had different iodine absorption properties with OD680 from 0.259 to 0.382 and OD620/550 from 1.142 to 1.237. The 44 starches had apparent amylose content from 19.2% to 29.2% and true amylose content from 14.2% to 20.2%. The starches exhibited A-, C_A-, C_C-, or C_B-type X-ray diffraction patterns. The thermograms of 44 starches exhibited one-, two-, or three-peak curves, leading to a significantly different gelatinization temperature range from 13.1 to 29.2 °C. The significantly different starch properties divide the 44 sweet potato varieties into different groups due to their different genotype backgrounds. The research offers references for the utilization of sweet potato germplasm.     

In situ detection of aromatic compounds with biosensor <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas putida</Emphasis> cells preserved and delivered to soil in water-soluble gelatin capsules

While many types of bacteria have been engineered to produce an optical output in response to given analytes in a culture, their use for extensive, in situ monitoring of distinct chemical species in soil is hampered by a dearth of practicable spreading schemes. In this work, we report and validate a comprehensive system for the long-term preservation of Pseudomonas putida cells genetically designed for biosensing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in soil, along with a procedure to formulate, spread, and vigorously activate such bacteria at the desired site and occasion. To this end, various known lyoprotectants were tested for promoting the long-term maintenance of biosensor cells with quite variable outcomes. While a formulation of inositol and maltodextrines was optimal for preservation of freeze-dried BTEX-sensing bacteria, adsorption of P. putida cells to corncob powder (an abundant residue of the corn industry) endowed the resulting material with a lasting viability at ambient conditions. In any case, the thereby preserved bacterial biomass acquired physical and mechanical properties adequate for formulating the biosensor agent in water-soluble but otherwise hard dry gelatine capsules with a long shelf life. When such capsules were spread in a soil microcosm and subsequently liquefied with water or high humidity, the released microorganisms formed spots that gave an intense luminiscent signal upon exposure to effectors of the sensor circuit implanted in the chromosome of the P. putida strain. We argue that the procedures described here can facilitate implementation of wide-area biological detection strategies for revealing the location of toxic or perilous chemicals.     

Saccharification and alcohol fermentation in starch solution of steam-exploded potato

Steam explosion pretreatment of potato for the efficient production of alcohol was experimentally studied. The amount of water-soluble starch increased with the increase of steam pressure, but the amounts of methanol-soluble material and Klason lignin remained insignificant, regardless of steam pressure. The potatoes exploded at high pressure were hydrolyzed into a low molecular liquid starch, and then easily converted into ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using mixed microorganisms: an amylolytic microorganism,Aspergillus awamori, and a fermentation microorganism,Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The maximal ethanol concentration was 4.2 g/L in a batch culture at 15 g/L starch concentration, and 3.6 g/L in a continuous culture fed the same starch concentration. In the fed-batch culture, the maximal ethanol concentration increased more than twofold, compared to the batch culture.     

Preparative isolation and purification of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato by high-speed counter-current chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was applied to the preparative isolation and purification of peonidin 3-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-2-O-β-D -glucopyranosyl-β-D -glucopyranoside)-5-O-β-D -glucoside ( 1 ), cyanidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl)-β-D -glucopyranoside ( 2 ), peonidin 3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-β-D -glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-β-D -glucopyranoside)-5-O-β-D -glucopyranoside ( 3 ), peonidin 3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-feruloyl-β-D -glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-β-D -glucopyranoside)-5-O-β-D -glucopyranoside ( 4 ) from purple sweet potato. Separation of crude extracts (200 mg) from the roots of purple sweet potato using methyl tert-butyl ether/n-butanol/acetonitrile/water/trifluoroacetic acid (1:4:1:5:0.01, v/v) as the two-phase solvent system yielded 1 (15 mg), 2 (7 mg), 3 (10 mg), and 4 (12 mg). The purities of 1 – 4 were 95.5%, 95.0%, 97.8%, and 96.3%, respectively, as determined by HPLC. Compound 2 was isolated from purple sweet potato for the first time. The chemical structures of these components were identified by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ESI-MSⁿ.     

Detection of quorum sensing molecules in Burkholderia cepacia culture supernatants with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) employs a quorum sensing (QS) mechanism which is a cell density-dependent bacterial communication system to regulate certain gene expressions. As with many other Gram-negative bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia species use (N-acyl-)homoserine lactones (AHLs or HSLs) as signalling molecules. Because of the essential role of QS in bacterial behavior, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the applicability of our in-house-developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of bacterial activities via HSLs in B. cepacia strain LA3 culture supernatants. For this purpose the previously developed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) HSL1/2-2C10 and HSL1/2-4H5 were exploited. N-3-Oxo-decanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C10-HSL) was used as main analyte throughout all experiments. With the bacterial culture medium (named ABC medium) a matrix effect in both ELISAs was visible (slight increase in optical density, shift in test midpoints (IC₅₀) and working ranges). For example, ELISA with mAb HSL1/2-2C10 and enzyme tracer HSL3-HRP (HSL derivative conjugated to horseradish peroxidase) had an IC₅₀ of 120 μg L⁻¹ for 3-oxo-C10-HSL in phosphate-buffered saline versus 372 μg L⁻¹ in ABC medium. A significant increase of HSLs in B. cepacia strain LA3 culture supernatants after 12 h to 48 h of growth was observed. Although the analytical result of these immunoassays cannot distinguish HSLs from homoserines (HSs), the appearance of these compounds can be easily followed. Hydrolysis and spiking experiments were carried out with these biological samples. According to our knowledge, these are the first immunoassays for the detection of quorum sensing molecules in biological culture supernatants. This study provides a cost-effective, fast, and sensitive analytical method for detection of HSLs/HSs in biological samples without complex sample preparation and will offer a quick idea about B. cepacia activities. The low sample amount requirement (less than 1 mL) constitutes a tremendous advantage for many analytical questions with biological samples.     

A comparative study of structure,thermal degradation,and combustion behavior of starch from different plant sources

The present study investigated the structure, degradation properties, and combustion behavior of starch from maize, sweet potato, lotus root, and tobacco. Compared with other plant starches, tobacco starch had the smallest size, the highest amylose content and the least crystallinity. Microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) experiment demonstrated that sweet potato starch showed the maximum peak heat release rate value (888.0 W g^?1) while tobacco starch showed the minimum value (316.0 W g^?1) and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR) results showed tobacco starch had good char formability (residue mass: 15.6%) and released more incombustible gaseous products, such as H₂O and CO₂. These results suggest that the thermal properties of plant starches were mainly influenced by the structural features and amylose content, especially the amylose ratio, and tobacco starch was very promising for application in green flame-retardant material.     

Use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics to discriminate clinical isolates of bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex from different species and ribopatterns

A methodology for the discrimination of Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) clinical isolates at the species level and at the ribopattern level using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics analysis was assessed in this study. Different Bcc sequential isolates collected at the Santa Maria Hospital (HSM), in Portugal, from clinically infected cystic fibrosis (CF) patients were previously classified by established molecular methods at the species level and differentiated at the strain level, based on their ribopatterns. A set of 185 of these isolates, representing four different Bcc species (Burkholderia cepacia, Burkholderia cenocepacia (recA lineages III-A and III-B), Burkholderia multivorans and Burkholderia stabilis), was analyzed by FTIR and results were processed with chemometric methods. Ten reference strains of these species were used to test the FTIR method. The discrimination at the species level led to misclassification error rates of 10% and 32% for the HSM isolates and reference strains, respectively, clearly indicating that the FTIR classification method was unable to generalize results for the reference strains. Infrared spectra of HSM isolates were further analyzed in terms of the discrimination according to the ribopattern. Results showed misclassification error rates of 4%, 2%, and 8% for B. cepacia, B. cenocepacia III-A, and B. cenocepacia III-B ribopatterns, respectively. These results demonstrated good FTIR spectroscopy discrimination capacity at the ribopattern level, for the HSM isolates but showed difficulty at the species level, especially when the reference strains were included. Remarkably, this methodology was found to discriminate isolates belonging to the same species and ribopattern that were collected from the same patient during prolonged colonization, opening the door to the identification of chemical modifications resulting from adaptation strategies to the CF lung stressing environment, in particular to aggressive and prolonged antibiotic therapy. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effects of Variety and Growing Location on Physicochemical Properties of Starch from Sweet Potato Root Tuber

Three sweet potato varieties with purple-, yellow-, and white-fleshed root tubers were planted in four growing locations. Starches were isolated from their root tubers, their physicochemical properties (size, iodine absorption, amylose content, crystalline structure, ordered degree, lamellar thickness, swelling power, water solubility, and pasting, thermal and digestion properties) were determined to investigate the effects of variety and growing location on starch properties in sweet potato. The results showed that granule size (D[4,3]) ranged from 12.1 to 18.2 μm, the iodine absorption parameters varied from 0.260 to 0.361 for OD620, from 0.243 to 0.326 for OD680 and from 1.128 to 1.252 for OD620/550, and amylose content varied from 16.4% to 21.2% among starches from three varieties and four growing locations. Starches exhibited C-type X-ray diffraction patterns, and had ordered degrees from 0.634 to 0.726 and lamellar thicknesses from 9.72 to 10.21 nm. Starches had significantly different swelling powers, water solubilities, pasting viscosities, and thermal properties. Native starches had rapidly digestible starch (RDS) from 2.2% to 10.9% and resistant starch (RS) from 58.2% to 89.1%, and gelatinized starches had RDS from 70.5% to 81.4% and RS from 10.8% to 23.3%. Two-way ANOVA analysis showed that starch physicochemical properties were affected significantly by variety, growing location, and their interaction in sweet potato.     

Microbial deterioration of Mowilith DMC 2, Mowilith DM5 and Conrayt poly(vinyl acetate) emulsions used as binding media of paintings by pyrolysis-silylation-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Evaluation of the deterioration produced by microbiological attack on Mowilith DM5, Mowilith DMC2 and Conrayt poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA) emulsions has been carried out using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The proposed method includes the on-line derivatization of PVA emulsions using hexamethyldisilazane during pyrolysis. Specimens consisting of thin films formed on glass slides from dried PVA emulsions have been used. Py-GC–MS analyses performed on the specimens where the fungi Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum, Trichoderma pseudokoningii, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Chaetomium globosum, Rhizopus oryzae, Aureobasidium pullulans, and the bacteria Streptomyces cellulofans, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Arthrobacter oxydans and Burkholderia cepacia were inoculated and allowed to grow, enable an evaluation of the effect of these microorganisms on the composition of the PVA emulsion. Decrease in the relative content of external plasticiser of phthalate type used in these PVA emulsions has been the main effect observed. Moreover, a different behavior was observed depending on the plasticiser present in every commercial PVA emulsion studied. Diisobutyl phthalate, used in Conrayt emulsion slightly varied its content in specimens inoculated with bacteria whereas dibutyl phtalate used in Mowilith DMC2 emulsion noticeably decreased its content in the specimens inoculated with fungi, thus suggesting that the effects of the metabolic processes associated to the latter microorganisms on the studied PVA emulsions are more significant than those from bacteria.     

Degradative capability ofPseudomonas putida on acetonitrile

Pseudomonas putida, capable of utilizing acetonitrile as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen, was isolated from contaminated soil and water samples collected from industrial sites. TheP. putida cells were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. The degradation of acetonitrile by the immobilized cells ofP. putida was investigated. The immobilized cells degraded different concentrations of acetonitrile into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The effect of aeration on the degradation rate was also studied. Oxygen limitation was suggested in the alginate-immobilized system. The rate of degradation of acetonitrile increased with increase in the rate of aeration.     

Effect of Continuous and Discontinuous Microwave-Assisted Heating on Starch-Derived Dietary Fiber Production

Dietary fiber can be obtained by dextrinization, which occurs while heating starch in the presence of acids. During dextrinization, depolymerization, transglycosylation, and repolymerization occur, leading to structural changes responsible for increasing resistance to starch enzymatic digestion. The conventional dextrinization time can be decreased by using microwave-assisted heating. The main objective of this study was to obtain dietary fiber from acidified potato starch using continuous and discontinuous microwave-assisted heating and to investigate the structure and physicochemical properties of the resulting dextrins. Dextrins were characterized by water solubility, dextrose equivalent, and color parameters (L* a* b*). Total dietary fiber content was measured according to the AOAC 2009.01 method. Structural and morphological changes were determined by means of SEM, XRD, DSC, and GC-MS analyses. Microwave-assisted dextrinization of potato starch led to light yellow to brownish products with increased solubility in water and diminished crystallinity and gelatinization enthalpy. Dextrinization products contained glycosidic linkages and branched residues not present in native starch, indicative of its conversion into dietary fiber. Thus, microwave-assisted heating can induce structural changes in potato starch, originating products with a high level of dietary fiber content.     

Preparation of novel antimicrobial-modified starch and its adsorption on cellulose fibers: Part I. Optimization of synthetic conditions and antimicrobial activities

Antimicrobial-modified starch was synthesized by covalently bonding guanidine polymer (PHGH) with potato starch via coupling reaction. Orthogonal tests were applied to optimize the reaction conditions. The coupling efficiency could reach 90.21% at the optimal conditions: temperature, 70 °C; time, 2 h; PHGH/starch, 120 wt.%; GDE/starch, 8 wt.%; pH, 11. PHGH modified starches exhibited high antimicrobial activities against both E. coli and S. aureus. Shaking flask method was more suitable for current non-released modified starches than diffusion method to evaluate the antimicrobial activities. In the presence of 1.0 wt.% PHGH in wood fibers, the growth inhibition reached almost 100%. The AFM results also demonstrated that the antimicrobial mechanism of PHGH was to destroy the membrane of the cells.     

Steroselective Hydrolysis of DL‐Beta‐Acetylthioisobutyramide Catalyzed by Genetically Engineered E. Coli Immobilized on Celite 580 in a Packed Bed Bioreactor

Pseudomonas putida IFO12996 catalyzes the stereoselective hydrolysis of methyl dl ‐β‐acetylthioisobutyramide (dl ‐ATIA) to form d ‐β‐acetylthioisobutyric acid (DAT), a key intermediate for synthesis of a series of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. The esterase gene of Pseudomonas putida IFO12996 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli which was further immobilized and retained on a packed bed bioreactor filled with Celite 580. The packed bed bioreactor was used to conduct the stereoselective hydrolysis of dl ‐ATIA and to give DAT with a yield of 34.5%, enantiometric excess value of 97% and enantioselectivity value > 150. The optimal pH and temperature for the reaction were 9.0 and 57 °C ～ 67 °C, respectively. The kinetic constants (Km and Vmax) of immobilized cells were found to be 372.5 mM and 285.7 μmol min^?1 (g cell)^?1, respectively. The immobilized cells retained over 60% of the initial catalytic activity after 5 batch cycles of production. This paper presents a simple, practical and economical process of immobilization of genetically engineered E. coli on a novel packed bed bioreactor for production of DAT.     

Lipase-mediated resolution of 3-hydroxy-4-trityloxybutanenitrile: synthesis of 2-amino alcohols,oxazolidinones and GABOB

Lipase-mediated kinetic resolution of 3-hydroxy-4-trityloxybutanenitrile gave the (S)-alcohol and (R)-acetate in good yields and high enantioselectivities. The resolution using Pseudomonas cepacia lipase (Burkholderia cepacia) immobilized on modified ceramic particles (PS-C) in diisopropyl ether gave the best results. The use of base additives in this transesterification drastically reduces the reaction time without effecting the yields or enantioselectivities. Resolved 3-hydroxy-4-trityloxybutanenitrile has been utilized for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure 5-tosyloxymethyl-1,3-oxazolidine-2-one, which is an important intermediate for the preparation of β-adrenergic blocking agents and oxazolidinone based antimicrobial agents. Enantiomerically pure (R)-3-hydroxy-4-trityloxybutanenitrile and (S)-5-tosyloxymethyl-1,3-oxazolidine-2-one have been utilized in the enantioconvergent synthesis of (R)-GABOB.