The use of glass capillary columns for food and essential oil analysis

Foods and essential oils represent complex mixtures whose components frequently embrace a wide range of functional groups and volatilities. The analyst concerned with these products may be interested in overall separation or "fingerprinting," in correlating the amount of individual compounds with specific flavor notes, in the detection and measurement of specific substances such as nitrosamines or pesticides, or in following the progress of a biochemical reaction. Analytical speed and the sensitivity of the method may also be important, as well as the ability of reactive compounds to survive the analysis. Toward all of these goals, glass capillary gas chromatography offers distinct advantages.     

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antiradical and anticholinesterase activity of the essential oil of Pulicaria stephanocarpa from Soqotra

The chemical composition of the hydrodistilled leaf essential oil from Pulicaria stephanocarpa Balf. Fil was determined by GC-MS analysis, and its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticholinesterase (AChE) activities were evaluated. Eighty-three compounds were identified representing 97.2% of the total oil. (E)-Caryophyllene 13.4%, (E)-nerolidol 8.5%, caryophyllene oxide 8.5%, alpha-cadinol 8.2% spathulenol 6.8% and tau-cadinol 4.7%, were the main components. Antimicrobial activity of the oil, evaluated using the disc diffusion and broth dilution methods, demonstrated the highest susceptibility on Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans. The free radical scavenging ability of the oil was assessed by the DPPH assay to show antiradical activity with IC50 of 330 microg/mL. Moreover, the oil revealed an AChE inhibitory activity of 47% at a concentration of 200 microg/mL using Ellman's method.     

Characterization of surfactin from Bacillus subtilis for application as an agent for enhanced oil recovery

Surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 21332) was used to examine the effect of altering salt concentration, pH, and temperature on surfactin activity (as measured by reductions in surface tension). These parameters are some of the conditions that define oil reservoir characteristics and can affect the application of surfactants. The Biotechnology for Oilfield Operations research program at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has successfully produced surfactin from potato process effluents for possible use as an economical alternative to chemical surfactants for improved oil recovery. Surfactants enhance the recovery of oil through a reduction of the interfacial tension between the oil and water interfaces, or by mediating changes in the wettability index of the system. We investigated changes in surfactin activity under a range of conditions by measuring surface tension. Surface tension was determined using video image analysis of inverted pendant drops. Experimental variables included NaCl (0–10%), pH (3.0–10.0), and temperature (21–70°C). Each of these parameters, as well as selected combinations, resulted in discrete changes in surfactin activity. It is therefore important to consider the exploration of the studied surfactin as an enhanced oil recovery agent.     

Chemical composition and potential bioactivities of essential oil from Quercus mongolica bark

The chemical composition and potential bioactivities of essential oil from Quercus mongolica bark (EOQMB) were researched for value-added utilization processing by-product. The results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed that 30 components accounting for 98.42% were identified in EOQMB, with pentadecanoic acid the most abundant compound accounting for 34.90%, which was further confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared observation. EOQMB exerts antioxidant activities, and the IC₅₀ values for scavenging DPPH radical, ABTS radical, and hydroxyl radical were 8.48, 0.77, and 3.54 mg/mL, respectively. The effects of EOQMB on prolonging activated partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time and on decreasing fibrinogen are similar to those of heparin, and the promising anticoagulant activities of EOQMB could be largely contributed by pentadecanoic acid. Herein, the present study uncovered that the waste Q. mongolica bark can serve as a new potential material in pharmaceutical products.     

Volatile organic compounds from Centaurium erythraea Rafn (Croatia) and the antimicrobial potential of its essential oil

GC and MS were used for the analysis of Croatian Centaurium erythraea Rafn essential oil (obtained by hydrodistillation) and headspace (applying headspace solid-phase microextraction). The headspace contained numerous monoterpene hydrocarbons (the major ones were terpinene-4-ol, methone, p-cymene, γ-terpinene and limonene). Oxygenated monoterpenes were present in the headspace and oil, while 1,8-cineole, bornyl acetate and verbenone were present only in the headspace. High headspace percentages of toluene and naphthalene were found, followed by hemimellitene. Lot of similarities were observed with Serbian C. erythraea oil [neophytadiene (1.4%), thymol (2.6%), carvacrol (6.1%) and hexadecanoic acid (5.7%)], but different features were also noted such as the presence of menthol, menthone and phytone. The oil fractionation enabled identification of other minor compounds not found in total oil such as norisoprenoides, alk-1-enes or chromolaenin. The essential oil showed antimicrobial potential on Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. On the other hand, no antibacterial activity of the oil was observed on Pseudomonas fluorescens and Lysteria monocytogenes.     

Assessment of chemically characterised Myristica fragrans essential oil against fungi contaminating stored scented rice and its mode of action as novel aflatoxin inhibitor

Abstract

The study reports chemically characterised Myristica fragrans essential oil (MFEO) as plant based food preservative against fungal and aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) contamination of scented rice varieties. The chemical profile of MFEO revealed elemicin (27.08%), myristicine (21.29%) and thujanol (18.55%) as major components. The minimum inhibitory and minimum aflatoxin inhibitory concentrations of MFEO were 2.75 and 1.5?mg/ml, respectively. The MFEO was efficacious against a broad spectrum of food deteriorating fungi. MFEO caused decrease in ergosterol content of fungal plasma membrane and enhanced leakage of cellular ions, depicting plasma membrane as the site of action. The MFEO caused reduction in cellular methylglyoxal content, the aflatoxin inducer. This is the first report on MFEO as aflatoxin suppressor. The essential oil may be recommended as plant based food preservative after large scale trials and reduction in methylglyoxal suggests its application for development of aflatoxin resistant varieties through green transgenics.     

The GC-MS detection and characterization of neopine resulting from opium use and codeine metabolism and its potential as an opiate-product-use marker

Neopine, a minor opium alkaloid and an isomer of codeine (also known as -codeine), has been detected in both the urine of opium users and pharmaceutical codeine users. The characterization of neopine was achieved by comparison of the mass spectra and GC retention times of the trimethylsilyl derivative. The presence of neopine in the urine of pharmaceutical codeine users was attributed to the metabolism of codeine through a double bond migration in ring C, from the 7–8 to the 8–14 position. The potential use of the alkaloid as a confirmation marker of opium and/or pharmaceutical codeine use and the ability to differentiate these from heroin use has been discussed.     

Composition and biological potential of essential oil from Thelechitonia trilobata growing in South Africa

Thelechitonia trilobata is regarded as a troublesome weed that grows to form a dense blanket over the soil preventing the growth of other crops in farmland. Although the plant is regarded as a notorious, invasive plant, its chemical composition and biological potential have not been reported. The essential oil was isolated from the fresh leaves of T. trilobata using hydrodistillation. alpha-Pinene (21.6%), alpha-phellendrene (21.0%), limonene (12.8%) and germacrene D (7.5%) were the major constituents of the oil. The essential oil was screened against agricultural pests. The anti-tick properties were tested on Ripicephalus e. ervertsi found on sheep, while repellency, fumigation, and contact toxicity tests were carried out with maize weevils. Except for the contact toxicity test, all other bioassays gave positive results.     

耐温抗盐AM-AA-SAS-St四元聚合物驱油剂的合成及性能评价

本文采用乳液聚合方法,以丙烯酰胺、丙烯酸、烯丙基磺酸钠和苯乙烯作为单体,过硫酸铵-亚硫酸氢钠为氧化还原引发剂,合成了一种新型耐温耐盐的四元共聚物,并对其结构进行了红外、核磁共振及元素分析表征。考察了温度、单体浓度、体系pH和引发剂浓度等条件对聚合物表观粘度的影响,并确定了最佳的合成条件,同时对其抗老化、耐温及耐盐性能进行了评价。结果表明,该四元共聚物具有良好的耐温抗盐性能;另外,聚合物的岩心流动实验表明该四元共聚物具有较好的波及效率及出色的驱油效果,可以用作提高采收率的聚合物驱油剂。     

Comprehensive on-line HPLC-GC for screening potential migrants from polypropylene into food: The effect of pulsed light decontamination as an example

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the fractionation of extracts from polypropylene (PP) films and coupled on-line to gas chromatography (GC) with automated transfer of the complete HPLC fractions (comprehensive on-line HPLC-GC, i.e. HPLCxGC). Flame ionization detection (FID) was used for the estimation of concentrations, mass spectrometry (MS) for identification work. This method was applied to investigate whether pulsed light (PL) treatment for the microbiological decontamination of polypropylene packaging materials produces reaction products requiring an evaluation to meet regulatory requirements. To demonstrate the safety of PL treatments with regard to the formation of reaction products, i.e. that no component is formed that could endanger human health, basically comprehensive analysis of components potentially migrating into food is required, but comprehensiveness cannot be proven and remains an approximation. The threshold concentration in the film was estimated either from the conventional European non-detection limit of 0.01 mg/kg food or the concept of the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) for an unknown substance, i.e. an exposure to 0.15 μg per person and day. PL treatment of the films containing Irgafos 168 produced several new components exceeding these limits, i.e. a toxicological safety assessment would probably be required. No such peaks were detected for Tinuvin 326, Irganox 1076 and Chimassorb 81. No degradation of the polymer was detected.     

Water as a green solvent combined with different techniques for extraction of essential oil from lavender flowers

Using water as a green solvent with a variable geometry makes use of physical and chemical phenomena that are fundamentally different from those applied in conventional extraction techniques such as hydro-distillation, steam distillation or solvent extraction. Advantages and drawbacks of using water as a solvent with different physical and chemical states have been compared. A total of ten extraction techniques: hydro-distillation (HD), steam distillation (SD), turbo-hydro-distillation (THD), salt-hydro-distillation (NaCL-HD), enzyme-hydro-distillation (Enzyme-HD), micelle-hydro-distillation (Micelle-HD), ultrasound-hydro-distillation (US-HD) or subcritical water-hydro-distillation (SW-HD), solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and microwave steam distillation (MSD) were used to extract the essential oil from lavender (Lavandula L.) and their results were compared. The quantity was measured by the yield of essential oil and the quality was evaluated using the oil composition especially the content of linalyl acetate, linalool and terpin-4-ol compared with the corresponding control sample: Hydro-distillation. For environmentally friendly of the process: extraction time, total energy consumption and CO₂ emission were considered and compared with conventional hydro-distillation. The mechanism explaining the linalyl acetate degradation has been resolved by using COSMO-RS software. Based on the present experimental conditions, it is recommended that lavender oil may be produced preferably by steam distillation assisted by microwave extraction to reduce the by-product formation by various chemical reactions and to get better oil recoveries.     

Coordination behavior of organothiophosphate ligands towards trivalent lanthanide complexes and potential use as V-series chemical warfare agent simulants

Abstract

In order to develop new, low toxicity and readily accessible supramolecular simulants for V-series organophosphorus chemical warfare agents (OP CWAs) a series of organothiophosphate compounds, that are structurally analogous to the V-series OP CWAs, were designed and synthesized. Solution spectroscopic studies (luminescence and UV-vis) into the binding behaviors of these compounds and some organothiophosphate pesticides with the simple model trivalent lanthanide complex [Eu(phen)₂(NO₃)₃]·3H₂O were performed and association constants (K_assoc) determined. Binding behaviors of these compounds with other OP CWAs and simulants investigated previously in analogous studies are presented and the implications of this in the context of OP CWA and related chemical sensing are discussed.     

Leaf essential oil of Manekia naranjoana (Piperaceae) from Costa Rica and its cytotoxic activity

The chemical composition of the leaf oil of Manekia naranjoana (C. DC.) Callejas (Piperaceae) from Costa Rica was analyzed by capillary GC/FID and GC/MS. Fifty-five compounds were identified. Major compounds from the leaf oil were beta-pinene (30.6%), alpha-pinene (18.8%), limonene (13.7%), and beta-caryophyllene (6.1%). The oil presented very low toxicity to tumor and non-tumor cell lines, even though it contains components, such as alpha- and beta-pinene, limonene and others, which have been shown to be cytotoxic. This is the first report of the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from this species.     

The use of impregnated perlite as a heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production from marula oil

In this study, biodiesel was produced from marula (Sclerocarya birrea) oil using impregnated perlite with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a heterogeneous catalyst. The effect of experimental variables such as temperature (°C), reaction time (h), methanol to oil ratio (mass %), and catalyst to oil ratio (mass %) on the transesterification process were investigated. Using a central composite design (CCD), a mathematical model was developed to correlate the experimental variables with the percentage yield of biodiesel. The model showed that optimum conditions for biodiesel production were as follows: catalyst to oil ratio of 4.7 mass %, temperature of 70.4°C, methanol to oil ratio of 29.9 mass %, and reaction time of 3.6 h. The yield of 91.4 mass % of biodiesel was obtained. It was also possible to recycle and reuse the modified perlite up to three times without any significant change in its catalytic activity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area showed no modifications in the perlite structure. The results show that the important fuel properties of marula biodiesel meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) biodiesel standard properties.     

萃取淫羊藿挥发油的实验与分析

报道了用正交实验法研究超临界萃取淫羊藿挥发性成分的条件;结果显示最佳萃取条件为萃取压力30 MPa,萃取温度40℃,萃取时间1 h。按对结果影响大小依次排列为:萃取压力→萃取温度→萃取时间,在最佳条件下萃取挥发油,收率为2.7%;并用气相色谱-质谱联用技术分析了淫羊藿挥发油的化学成分,从中确认出43种化学成分,用峰面积归一化法通过化学工作站数据处理系统得出各化学成分在挥发油中的质量分数;其中主要成分为薄荷醇、1,2-二甲氧基-4-(2-丙烯基)-苯、5-(1-丙烯基)-1,3-苯并间二氧杂环戊烯、3,5-二甲氧基-甲苯、冰片、十五(碳)烷、1,2,3-三甲氧基-5-甲苯、外-葑醇、2,6,6-三甲基-2,4-环庚二烯-1-酮、2-莰酮等。     

A study on the seasonal variation of the essential oil composition from Plectranthus hadiensis and its antibacterial activity

The chemical composition and seasonal variation of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Plectranthus hadiensis grown during the rainy and summer seasons in the Western Ghats of India was analysed by GC–MS technique. The analysis of rainy season oil led to the identification of 31 compounds, representing 96.4% of the essential oil and the winter season oil led to 25 compounds, representing 95.1% of the oil. Most of the compounds were sesquiterpenes and oxygenated monoterpenes. The major components of the rainy season oil were L-fenchone (30.42%), β-farnesene (11.87%), copaene(11.10%), 2,3-dimethyl hydroquinone (10.78%), α-caryophyllene(8.41%) and piperitone oxide (3.94%) and of the summer season oil are L-fenchone (31.55%), copaene(11.93%), β-farnesene (10.45%), 1,8-naphthalenedione, 8a-ethylperhydro (10.06%), α-caryophyllene(6.36%), piperitone oxide (5.79%) and limonene(4.63%). Antibacterial activity of the essential oil of P. hadiensis was tested using zone of inhibition and minimum inhibition concentration methods. Both the oils inhibited the organisms and showed the zone of inhibition in the range of 20–35 mm with MIC values between 32 and 64 mg/dL.