Profiling and quantifying polar lipids in milk by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light-scattering and mass spectrometry detection

In this work, a high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection method has been developed and applied for quantification of the polar content of the lipid fraction in milk samples of different origin. From a chromatographic stand-point, a 4.6-mm I.D. hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column was employed to attain a baseline separation of major phospholipid classes contained in the various milk samples tested. Quantitative analysis was performed by the external calibration method using reference material solutions in the 5–100 mg/L concentration range. Analytical recoveries ranging from 57 to 100 %, and repeatability data lower than 8.04 % were obtained on a skimmed cow’s milk sample. The crude cow milk was the most abundant (0.04 %) in phospholipids and donkey milk was the poorest (0.004 %). Quantitative differences were determined in the phospholipid content of the milk samples tested. Finally, characterization of phospholipid profile and fatty acid composition of the different samples was carried out by an ion trap-time of flight mass spectrometer and gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization and mass spectrometry detection. A thorough screening of the polar lipid composition of milk samples of different origin is here outlined, for the first time.     

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with ion‐trap TOF‐MS for the fast characterization of flavonoids in Citrus bergamia juice

We have developed a fast ultra HPLC with ion‐trap TOF‐MS method for the analysis of flavonoids in Citrus bergamia juice. With respect to the typical methods for the analysis of these matrices based on conventional HPLC techniques, a tenfold faster separation was attained. The use of a core–shell particle column ensured high resolution within the fast analysis time of only 5 min. Unambiguous determination of flavonoid identity was obtained by the employment of a hybrid ion‐trap TOF mass spectrometer with high mass accuracy (average error 1.69 ppm). The system showed good retention time and peak area repeatability, with maximum RSD% values of 0.36 and 3.86, respectively, as well as good linearity (R² ≥ 0.99). Our results show that ultra HPLC can be a useful tool for ultra fast qualitative/quantitative analysis of flavonoid compounds in citrus fruit juices.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the unsaponifiable fraction of vegetable oils by using comprehensive 2D GC with dual MS/FID detection

The present investigation is focused on the development of a comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC?×?GC) method, with dual MS/FID detection, for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the entire unsaponifiable fraction of vegetable oils. The unsaponifiable fraction forms a minor, highly specific part of a vegetable oil, and can be used as an indicator of genuineness. The column set used consisted of a low-polarity first dimension, and a medium-polarity secondary one, both characterized by a high thermal stability. The use of dual detection enabled the attainment of both mass spectral information and relative % FID data. The complexity of the fingerprint, generated by the unsaponifiable fraction, fully justified the employment of the two-dimensional GC technology. Furthermore, two other GC?×?GC benefits contributed greatly to the attainment of promising results, namely sensitivity enhancement and the formation of group-type patterns. The method herein proposed could potentially open a new opportunity for the more in-depth knowledge of the unsaponifiable fraction of vegetable oils.     

Dynamics of quark-gluon plasma from field correlators

It is argued that strong dynamics in the quark-gluon plasma and bound states of quarks and gluons is mostly due to nonperturbative effects described by field correlators. The emphasis in the paper is made on two explicit calculations of these effects from first principles—one analytic using gluelump Green’s functions and another using independent lattice data on correlators. The resulting hadron spectra are investigated in the range T _c ≤ T < 2T _c . The spectra of charmonia, bottomonia, light s mesons, glueballs, and quark-gluon states calculated numerically are in general agreement with lattice MEM data. The possible role of these bound states in the thermodynamics of quark—gluon plasma is discussed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Rollover‐Assisted C(sp2)C(sp3) Bond Formation

Rollover cyclometalation involves bidentate heterocyclic donors, unusually acting as cyclometalated ligands. The resulting products, possessing a free donor atom, react differently from the classical cyclometalated complexes. Taking advantage of a “rollover”/“retro‐rollover” reaction sequence, a succession of oxidative addition and reductive elimination in a series of platinum(II) complexes [Pt(N,C)(Me)(PR₃)] resulted in a rare C(sp²)?C(sp³) bond formation to give the bidentate nitrogen ligands 3‐methyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine, 3,6‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine, and 3‐methyl‐2‐(2′‐pyridyl)‐quinoline, which were isolated and characterized. The nature of the phosphane PR₃ is essential to the outcome of the reaction. This route constitutes a new method for the activation and functionalization of C?H bond in the C(3) position of bidentate heterocyclic compounds, a position usually difficult to functionalize.     

Direct Derivation of Free Energies of Membrane Deformation and Other Solvent Density Variations From Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics

We report a methodology to calculate the free energy of a shape transformation in a lipid membrane directly from a molecular dynamics simulation. The bilayer need not be homogeneous or symmetric and can be atomically detailed or coarse grained. The method is based on a collective variable that quantifies the similarity between the membrane and a set of predefined density distributions. Enhanced sampling of this “Multi-Map” variable re-shapes the bilayer and permits the derivation of the corresponding potential of mean force. Calculated energies thus reflect the dynamic interplay of atoms and molecules, rather than postulated effects. Evaluation of deformations of different shape, amplitude, and range demonstrates that the macroscopic bending modulus assumed by the Helfrich–Canham model is increasingly unsuitable below the 100-Å scale. In this range of major biological significance, direct free-energy calculations reveal a much greater plasticity. We also quantify the stiffening effect of cholesterol on bilayers of different composition and compare with experiments. Lastly, we illustrate how this approach facilitates analysis of other solvent reorganization processes, such as hydrophobic hydration. Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Amino Acid Modified RNA Bases as Building Blocks of an Early Earth RNA-Peptide World

Fossils of extinct species allow us to reconstruct the process of Darwinian evolution that led to the species diversity we see on Earth today. The origin of the first functional molecules able to undergo molecular evolution and thus eventually able to create life, are largely unknown. The most prominent idea in the field posits that biology was preceded by an era of molecular evolution, in which RNA molecules encoded information and catalysed their own replication. This RNA world concept stands against other hypotheses, that argue for example that life may have begun with catalytic peptides and primitive metabolic cycles. The question whether RNA or peptides were first is addressed by the RNA-peptide world concept, which postulates a parallel existence of both molecular species. A plausible experimental model of how such an RNA-peptide world may have looked like, however, is absent. Here we report the synthesis and physicochemical evaluation of amino acid containing adenosine bases, which are closely related to molecules that are found today in the anticodon stem-loop of tRNAs from all three kingdoms of life. We show that these adenosines lose their base pairing properties, which allow them to equip RNA with amino acids independent of the sequence context. As such we may consider them to be living molecular fossils of an extinct molecular RNA-peptide world.     

Physico-Chemical and Phytochemical Characterization of Moroccan Wild Jujube “Zizyphus lotus (L.)” Fruit Crude Extract and Fractions

Wild jujube “Ziziphus lotus (L.) Desf.” belongs to the Rhamnaceae family and is a traditionally herbaceous medicinal plant. It is very common in arid and semi-arid regions and is currently used for its antidiabetic, sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activities. The aim of the present work was to characterize the physico-chemical properties and the phytochemical profile of wild jujube sample collected from the Guercif region, in order to determine the polyphenolic compounds and the antioxidant ability Analyses were carried out directly after the harvest for the determination of pH, refractive index, total soluble solid (°Brix), dry matter, sugar/acidity, total sugars, reducing sugars, as well as lipid and protein content. Results showed that the investigated fruit is acidic (pH 4.9 ± 0.23) and rich in sugars (80.2 g/100 g ± 3.81). The GC-MS analysis of the fruit revealed a number of volatile compounds, as many as 97, belonging to different chemical classes. The HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analysis showed the presence of a total of 20 polyphenolic compounds in both EtOAc and MeOH-water extracts. Among them, p-Hydroxybenzoic acid was the most abundant in the EtOAc extract (185.68 µg/100 mg ± 0.5) whereas Quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside-7-O-glucoside was found in higher amounts in the MeOH-water extract (25.40 µg/100 mg ± 0.5). These components have medical interest, notably for human nutrition, as well as health benefits and therapeutic effects. Therefore, Moroccan jujube “Zizyphus lotus (L.)” fruit may have potential industrial applications for food formulations.