Structural and physicochemical properties of lotus seed starch nanoparticles prepared using ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis

Lotus seed starch nanoparticles were prepared by ultrasonic (ultrasonic power: 200 W, 600 W, 1000 W; time: 5 min, 15 min, 25 min; liquid ratio (starch: buffer solution): 1%, 3%, 5%) assisted enzymatic hydrolysis (LS-SNPs represent lotus seed starch nanoparticles prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis and U-LS-SNPs represent lotus seed starch nanoparticles prepared by high pressure homogenization-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis). The structure and physicochemical properties of U-LS-SNPs were studied by laser particle size analysis, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography system. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface of U-LS-SNPs was cracked and uneven after ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis, and there was no significant difference from LS-SNPs. The results of particle size analysis and gel permeation chromatography showed that the particle size of U-LS-SNPs (except 5% treatment group) was smaller than that of LS-SNPs. With the increase of ultrasonic power and time, the weight average molecular gradually decreased. The results of X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy showed that ultrasonic waves first acted on the amorphous region of starch granules. With the increase of ultrasonic power and time, the relative crystallinity of U-LS-SNPs increased first and then decreased. The group (600 W, 15 min, 3%) had the highest relative crystallinity. The results of nuclear magnetic resonance studies showed that the hydrogen bond and double helix structure of starch were destroyed by ultrasound, and the double helix structure strength of U-LS-SNPs was weakened compared with LS-SNPs. In summary, U-LS-SNPs with the small-sized and the highest crystallinity can be prepared under the conditions of ultrasonic power of 600 W, time of 15 min and material-liquid ratio of 3%.     

Improvement in mechanical properties and biocompatibility of biosynthetic bacterial cellulose/lotus root starch composites

Bacterial cellulose/lotus root starch (BC/LRS) composites were prepared by cultivating Acetobacter xylinum in nutrient media containing gelatinized lotus root starch. Low concentrations of gelatinized LRS had increased BC production with the maximum value at 6.67 g/L when 5 g/L of LRS was added in the culture media and the composites had thicker and denser fibrils compared with those of BC with low concentrations of LRS (2.5 and 5 g/L). When the concentration of LRS was increased above 7.5 g/L, the morphology of the BC/LRS composites contained more fibril layers that were linked with LRS. The results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that there was no significant difference in structure between BC and BC/LRS composites except a slight increase in crystallinity for BC/LRS composites as the concentration of LRS was lifted up. The tensile tests were performed to display BC/LRS composites prepared with LRS concentration at 2.5 and 5 g/L in media had the tensile strength of 54 and 60 MPa, respectively, which indicated an improvement in mechanical property compared to the unmodified BC (45 MPa). Live/dead assay with chondrocytes seeded on BC/LRS composite revealed higher cell viability ranging from 85% to 90% than BC. Furthermore, cell morphology with typical spindle shape was observed on the surfaces of BC/LRS composite by confocal microscope. Through the overall results, it shows that this study has provided a guidance to prepare BC/LRS composites with better cell biocompatibility and higher mechanical strength than those of BC for the potential use in cartilage tissue engineering.     

Determination of Lotus Leaf Alkaloids by Solid Phase Extraction Combined with High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array and Tandem Mass Spectrometry Detection

Lotus (nelumbo) is a traditional Chinese medical herb, and alkaloids are responsible for its pharmaceutical activities. Therefore, a rapid, validated method to determine alkaloids in lotus leaves is useful for its quality control. The goal of this work was to develop and validate an analytical method for the identification and quantitation of the bioactive alkaloids of extracts from lotus leaf and classification of lotus germplasm based on alkaloid concentrations. Solid-phase extraction was used prior to high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection at 272 nm and tandem electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for analysis. Nuciferine and O-nornuciferine were the dominant compounds in lotus used for seed production and some used for flower production. However, anonaine, roemerine, and N-nornuciferine were abundant only in some lotus flowers. All the lotuses were classified into four groups by principal component analysis of alkaloid content: 10 flower and three seed lotuses characterized by high nuciferine and O-nornuciferine content; 12 flower lotuses with high N-nornuciferine, roemerine, and anonaine content; two flower lotuses with a relatively high content of all five alkaloids; and cultivars with a low alkaloid content and without dominant alkaloids.     

Nanocrystalline nickel films with lotus leaf texture for superhydrophobic and low friction surfaces

Nanostructured Ni films with high hardness, high hydrophobicity and low coefficient of friction (COF) were fabricated. The surface texture of lotus leaf was replicated using a cellulose acetate film, on which a nanocrystalline (NC) Ni coating with a grain size of 30 ± 4 nm was electrodeposited to obtain a self-sustaining film with a hardness of 4.42 GPa. The surface texture of the NC Ni obtained in this way featured a high density (4 × 10³ mm⁻²) of conical protuberances with an average height of 10.0 ± 2.0 μm and a tip radius of 2.5 ± 0.5 μm. This structure increased the water repellency and reduced the COF, compared to smooth NC Ni surfaces. The application of a short-duration (120 s) electrodeposition process that deposited “Ni crowns” with a larger radius of 6.0 ± 0.5 μm on the protuberances, followed by a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) solution treatment succeeded in producing a surface texture consisting of nanotextured protuberances that resulted in a very high water contact angle of 156°, comparable to that of the superhydrophobic lotus leaf. Additionally, the microscale protuberances eliminated the initial high COF peaks observed when smooth NC Ni films were tested, and the PFPE treatment resulted in a 60% reduction in the steady-state COFs.     

(R)-Eucomic acid, a leaf-opening factor of the model organism, Lotus japonicus

In the post-genomic era, the biological activity of endogenous metabolites can be linked to genomic information via its target protein. Consequently, studies concerned with the identification of endogenous bioactive metabolites from model organisms should be undertaken. (R)-Eucomic acid (1) was identified as an endogenous metabolite concerning leaf movement in the model legume, Lotus japonicus. Absolute stereochemistry was investigated by comparison of physical characteristics of natural and synthetic enantiomers of 1. Identification of endogenous metabolites in a model legume would be particularly advantageous for further studies on the chemical biology of this biologically intriguing phenomenon.     

近红外光谱技术快速检测莲子粉

莲子是我国重要的药食同源食物,与莲子营养价值相当、便于食用的莲子粉备受消费者青睐。为保证莲子粉的品质,利用近红外光谱(NIRs)技术对掺杂小麦粉、玉米粉和地瓜粉的莲子粉进行鉴定,在样品类别已知下利用支持向量机(SVM)、最小二乘支持向量机(LS-SVM)、偏最小二乘法-判别分析(PLS-DA)模型进行判别,在样品类别未知下基于聚类算法进行判别。同时,对莲子粉中水分含量利用偏最小二乘(PLS)回归进行定量分析。结果表明,LS-SVM模型对纯莲子粉样品与掺入小麦粉、玉米粉和地瓜粉的莲子粉样品的判别率达到100%;基于聚类算法能够有效识别掺入5%地瓜粉、小麦粉和玉米粉的莲子粉样品;PLS模型对莲子粉中水分含量预测综合性能良好,其中经过标准化预处理得到模型效果最佳,其R2_c,RMSEC,R2_p和RMSEP分别达到0.973 2,0.111 5,0.969 5和0.118 9。近红外光谱技术能为隐蔽的莲子粉掺杂的鉴别以及莲子粉中水分含量监控提供一种快速、准确、无损检测的分析方法,为保证高档次莲子品质提供一种有益的思路。     

Facile method to prepare lotus-leaf-like super-hydrophobic poly(vinyl chloride) film

A simple new approach was developed to obtain a super-hydrophobic PVC film from a natural lotus leaf using the nanocasting method. SEM shows that compared with a common smooth PVC film, a lotus-leaf-like surface structure was clearly observed on the super-hydrophobic PVC film. The water contact angle and rolling-off angle on the as-prepared lotus-leaf-like PVC film were 157 ± 1.8° and 3 ± 0.6°, respectively. The samples were kept at temperatures between 5 and 40 °C in the ambient atmosphere for 2 months, and no decrease in water contact angle was observed, nor was contamination observed.     

Structure and oil repellency: Textiles with liquid repellency to hexane

Combining structure and liquid repellent coatings to optimise non-wettability is a well-established field. However, the area in recent years has been dominated by data on water repellency. The work here provides data on how certain plant structures can be used to develop surfaces that provide repellency towards both polar and non-polar, low surface tension fluids. Combining fluoropolymer coatings with ‘hairy’ fibres is particularly beneficial for providing liquid-repellent textiles. None of these surfaces can however be regarded as super-repellent to low surface tension liquids (i.e. with little difference in advancing and receding contact angles).     

Comparative Metabolomic Analysis of Four Fabaceae and Relationship to In Vitro Nematicidal Activity against Xiphinema index

The grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), responsible for fanleaf degeneration, is spread in vineyards by the soil nematode Xiphinema index. Nematicide molecules were used to limit the spread of the disease until they were banned due to negative environmental impacts. Therefore, there is a growing interest in alternative methods, including plant-derived products with antagonistic effects to X. index. In this work, we evaluated the nematicidal potential of the aerial parts and roots of four Fabaceae: sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), sweet clover (Melilotus albus), and red clover (Trifolium pratense), as well as that of sainfoin-based commercial pellets. For all tested plants, either aerial or root parts, or both of them, exhibited a nematicidal effect on X. index in vitro, pellets being as effective as freshly harvested plants. Comparative metabolomic analyses did not reveal molecules or molecule families specifically associated with antagonistic properties toward X. index, suggesting that the nematicidal effect is the result of a combination of different molecules rather than associated with a single compound. Finally, scanning electron microscope observations did not reveal the visible impact of O. viciifolia extract on X. index cuticle, suggesting that alteration of the cuticle may not be the primary cause of their nematicidal effect.